اذن

Core meaning

The ear, and what passes through it: to lend an ear, hence to grant permission; and, in the other direction, to make heard, to inform, to proclaim.

Uses

1. أُذُن, ءَاذَان → "ear", "ears" : the organ that receives speech, or closes itself to it.

   • «يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم» — "they put their fingers in their ears" (2:19)
   • «أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌۭ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا» — "Or do they have ears with which they hear" (7:195)

2. أَذِنَتْ لِ → "to listen to" : to listen to the one who commands, and thereby to yield to him.

   • «وَأَذِنَتْ لِرَبِّهَا وَحُقَّتْ» — "and listens to its Guardian — and it is obligated to do so" (84:2)

3. إِذْن, بِإِذْنِ → "permission", "with the permission of" : the consent given by the one who has heard; nothing is done without it.

   • «مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ» — "Who, then, intercedes with Him, except with His permission" (2:255)
   • «وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ» — "And it is not for any Self to die, except with the permission of God" (3:145)

4. أَذِنَ, يَأْذَنُ, أُذِنَ, يُؤْذَنُ, أَنْ ءَاذَنَ → "to authorize", "to give permission" : to give that consent to someone; the verb is rendered "to authorize", or by the noun when the sentence calls for it.

   • «مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنۢ بِهِ ٱللَّهُ» — "what God has not authorized" (42:21)
   • «قَبْلَ أَنْ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمْ» — "before I gave you permission" (20:71)
   • «أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتَلُونَ» — "Permission is given to those who are being fought" (22:39)

5. ٱسْتَـْٔذَنَ, يَسْتَـْٔذِنُ → "to ask permission" : to seek that consent before acting.

   • «إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَـْٔذِنُونَكَ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ» — "Those who ask your permission, those are indeed the ones who believe in God and His messenger" (24:62)

6. أَذَّنَ, أَذِّن, تَأَذَّنَ, ءَاذَنَ, أَذَٰن, مُؤَذِّن → "to proclaim", "to make known", "to inform", "herald" : to bring a word to the ears of others.

   • «وَأَذَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦٓ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ» — "And a proclamation from God and His messenger to mankind" (9:3)
   • «فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌۢ بَيْنَهُمْ» — "Then a herald will proclaim among them" (7:44)
   • «وَأَذِّن فِى ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْحَجِّ» — "And proclaim to mankind the Hajj" (22:27)

7. فَأْذَنُوا۟ → "to regard oneself as forewarned" : to receive the notice given, and hold it as heard.

   • «فَأْذَنُوا۟ بِحَرْبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ» — "then regard yourselves as forewarned of a war from God and His messenger" (2:279)

Evidence from the text

The ear receives or closes: fingers are put in it out of fear (2:19), one acts as if it were blocked (31:7). In 84:2 and 84:5, the sky and the earth listen to their Guardian: to listen to the one who commands is already to yield to him. Permission comes from this: what is done بِإِذْنِ God is done with His consent, whether dying (3:145), believing (10:100), bringing a sign (13:38, 40:78) or interceding (2:255).

The verb states that same consent, given or withheld, and the translation renders it "to authorize": God authorizes the elevation of certain houses (24:36); intercession avails only the one He authorizes for it (20:109, 34:23, 53:26, 78:38); on the day of Separation, no one is authorized to make excuses (77:35). Associates ordain in the Law "what God has not authorized" (42:21), and Fir'awn reproaches the magicians for having given Moussa credit before he had authorized them (20:71, 26:49): he claims for himself the consent that belongs to God. The noun remains "permission": it is asked for, it is granted (24:62), it is given to those who are being fought (22:39).

The same word also goes in the other direction: to make heard. The intensive form states public proclamation (7:44, 9:3, 12:70), the proclamation of the Hajj to mankind (22:27), what the Guardian made known (14:7); form IV states information given (21:109, 41:47). The notice received is said the same way: to whoever does not give up usury, "then regard yourselves as forewarned of a war" (2:279). To ask permission, finally, is to seek that consent before acting, and 24:62 makes it the sign of the believers.

Distinctions

• سمع — to hear: to perceive speech, whereas أُذُن names the organ and the consent that follows from it.
• حلل — to permit: to release a thing from the limit, so that it may be used; "permitted" and "to permit" render حلل, whereas اذن keeps the noun "permission" and the verb "to authorize".
• دعو — to call: to bring someone to oneself; أَذَّنَ proclaims to all (22:27).
• سلط — authority: the hold received over someone, or the proof that grounds, whereas اذن is the consent given for an act.