75 times in the Quran · 2 word forms · rank 143

The Quran root أ ل م ’-l-m

Words built from the root أ ل م ([’-l-m]) appear 75 times in the Quran. The most common is أَلِيم, “painful”, which comes 72 times. Learn the root once and you can recognise every word made from it.

Words from this root

Word	Say it	Meaning	Times
أَلِيم	aliim	painful · painful punishment	72
يَأْلَمُ	ya’lamu	suffering · are suffering	3

Examples from the Quran

فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ ١٠

أَلِيمٌ alīmun · painful

In their hearts is disease, so Allāh has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:10)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقُولُوا رَاعِنَا وَقُولُوا انظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ١٠٤

أَلِيمٌ alīmun · painful

O you who have believed, say not [to Allāh's Messenger], "Rāʿinā" but say, "Unẓurnā" and listen. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:104)

وَلَا تَهِنُوا فِي ابْتِغَاءِ الْقَوْمِ إِن تَكُونُوا تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمُونَ وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَرْجُونَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ١٠٤

تَأْلَمُونَ talamūna · suffering

And do not weaken in pursuit of the enemy. If you should be suffering - so are they suffering as you are suffering, but you expect from Allāh that which they expect not. And Allāh is ever Knowing and Wise. (Surah An-Nisa, 4:104)

Surahs where it comes most

Each meaning is taken from the word-by-word translation of the verses, so a word can show two meanings from different contexts. Root and base-word data come from the Quranic Arabic Corpus.