Note: The table is populated with data obtained from the Quran.corpus.com, and `a denotes the Arabic letter ayn.
Instances of `abd
Out of 131 instances of `abd meaning ‘slave/servant’ in the noun form, 41 instances found in 40 verses of 14 surahs in the Quran are reviewed to better understand their meanings in different contexts:
[2:23] And if you have been in doubt of what we have sent down to our servant (mimmaa nazzalnaa `alaa `abdinaa), then you shall produce of a surah like of it, and shall call upon your witnesses other than God, if you have been truthful ones.
[2:90] It has been evil that they have sold their souls with it that they disbelieve in what God has sent down, in hesitance that God sends down of His grace upon whomever He chooses from His servants (baghyan an yunazzila allahu min fadlihi `alaa man yashaau min `ibaadihi). So, they have drawn of wrath upon wrath. And for the disbelievers there is a humiliating punishment.
[2:178] O you who have believed, it has been prescribed the equivalent execution for you in the killing – the freeman for the freeman, and the slave for the slave (wal-`abdu bil-`abdi), and the female for the female. But whoever has been pardoned anything for it by his brother, then there should be following up with a suitable and a payment to him with kindness. That is a lessening from your Lord and mercy. So, who has transgressed after that, then for him there is a painful punishment.
[2:186] And when has asked you (prophet) My servants about Me (wa-idhaa sa-alaka `ibaadi-i `anni-i), then indeed, I am near. I respond to an invocation of the supplicant when you shall call Me. So, they shall respond to Me and shall believe in Me so that they may guide.
[2:207] And among the people whoever sells himself seeking a pleasure of God, while God is Kind with the servants (wa-allahu ra’uufun bil-`ibaadi).
[2:221] And you do not marry the idolatresses unless they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than an idolatress, even if she has pleased you. And you do not get to marriage to the idolaters, unless they believe, and that a believing slave man is better than an idolater (wa-la`abadun mu’minun khayrun min mush’rikin), even if he has pleased you. Those – they invite to the Fire, while God invites to the Paradise and the forgiveness by His permission. And He makes clear His revelations for the people so that they may take heed.
[3:15] Say, “Shall I inform you of better than that: for those who have feared at their Lord, there are gardens flowing the rivers of their underneath being dwellers therein forever and pure spouses and pleasure from God?” And God is Seer of the servants (wa-allahu baseerun bil-`ibaadi).
[3:20] So, if they argue with you (Muhammad), then say, “I have submitted myself to God and whoever has followed me.” And say to those who have been given the scripture and the gentiles, “Have you submitted?” Then if they have submitted, then certainly, they have guided, but if they have turned back, then only upon you (prophet) is the conveyance. And God is Seer of the servants (wa-allahu baseerun bil-`ibaadi).
[3:30] A day every soul will find what of good it has done is presented, and what of evil it has done. It will wish if that there is a great distance between its good and its evil. And God Himself warns you, and God is Kind with the servants (wa-allahu ra’uufun bil-`ibaadi).
[3:79] It has not been for a human that God gives him the scripture and the wisdom and the prophethood, then he says to the people, “You shall be servants of me other than God (kuunuu `ibaadan lee min duuni allahi), except you shall be servants of Lord of what you have been to teach the scripture and of what you have been to study (it).”
[3:182] That is of what has sent forth your hands, and that God has not been of unjust to the servants (wa-anna laysa bi-zallaamin lil’`abeedi) .
[4:118] God has cursed him (Satan), and he (Satan) said, “Surely, I will take an appointed portion from Your servants (la’attakhidhanna min `ibaadika naseeban maf’ruudan) .
[4:172] The Messiah (Jesus) would not disdain to be a servant of God (al-maseehu an yakuuna `abdan allahi), nor the angels being the nearest ones (to Him). And whoever disdains from His worship and becomes arrogant, then He will gather them all together to Him.
[5:118] (Jesus said,) “If You (God) punish them, then indeed, they are Your servants (in tu`adhib’hum fa-innahum `ibaaduka), and if You forgive for them (their sins), then indeed You, You are the Almighty, the Wise.”
[6:18] And He is the Supreme over His servants (wa-huwa al-qaahiru fawqa `ibaadihi), and He is the Wise, the Cognizant.
[6:61] And He is the Supreme over His servants (wa-huwa al-qaahiru fawqa `ibaadihi), and He sends guardians over you until when the death has come to anyone of you, has put him to death our messengers and they do not fail.
[6:88] That is a guidance of God, He guides with it (His guidance) whomever He wills from His servants (yahdee bihi man yashaau min `ibaadihi). And if they had associated partners, surely, He would have made worthless for them what they had done to accomplish.
[7:32] Say, “Who has forbidden adornment from God which He has brought forth for His servants (alladhee akhraja li’`ibaadihi) and the good things for provision?” Say, “It is for those who have believed in the life of the world, is exclusive on a day of the Resurrection.” Thus that we explain the revelations for a people who know.
[7:128] Moses said to his people, “You shall seek help to God and shall be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to God. He causes to inherit it to whomever He wills of His servants (yuurithuhaa man yashaau min `ibaadihi), and the end is for the righteous.”
[7:194] Indeed, those whom you call other than God are servants like of you (inna alladheena tad’`uuna min duuni allahi am’thaalukum). So, you shall call them that they shall respond to you, if you have been truthful ones.
[8:41] And you shall know that what you have obtained war spoils from anything, then that one-fifth of it belongs to God and to the messenger, and to the near relatives and the orphans and the poor and the traveling alien, if you have believed in God and what we have sent down to our servant (in kuntum aamantum bi-allahi wa-maa anzalnaa `alaa `ab’dinaa) on a day of the decision, a day has met the two forces. And God has power over everything.
[8:51] That is of what has sent forth your hands. And indeed, God has not been of unjust to the servants (wa-inna allaha laysa bi-zallaamin lil’`abeedi).”
[9:104] Do they not know that God is He who accepts the repentance of His servants (allah huwa yaq’balu al-tawbata `an `ibaadihi), and takes the charities, and that God, He is the Acceptor of repentance, the Merciful?
[10:107] And if God touches you with adversity, then there is no remover of it except He. And if He intends for you with any good there is no repeller of His bounty. He bestows with it whomever He wills of His servants (yuseebu bihi man yashaau min `ibaadihi). And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
[12:24] And that certainly, she had desired of him and he had desired of her if not that he had seen a proof of his Lord. Thus that we avert evil from him and the immorality. Indeed, he was of our servants being the sincere ones (innahu min `ibaadinaa al-mukh’laseena).
[14:11] Their messengers said to them, “We are not except human being like of you, but God bestows His grace upon whomever He wills of His servants (wa-laakinna allah yamunnu `alaa man yashaau min `ibaadihi). And it has not been for us that we come to you with an authority except by permission of God. And upon God that the believers shall put trust.
[14:31] Say to My servants those who have believed (qul li’`ibaadiya alladheena aamanuu), they establish the salat prayer and spend from what we have provided them in secret and public, before that a day comes there is no trade in it, nor is there any friendship.
[15:40] “Except Your servants from them the sincere ones (illaa `ibaadika minhumu al-mukh’laseena).”
[15:42] indeed, My servants, there has not been for you (Satan) any authority over them (inna `ibaadi-i laysa laka `alayhim sul’taanun), except whoever has followed you of the strayers.
[15:49] You shall inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful (nabbi `ibaadi-i anni-i anaa al-ghafuuru al-raheemu).
[16:2] He sends down the angels with the Spirit of His command to whomever He wills of His servants (yunazzilu al-malaaikata bil-ruuhi min amrihi `alaa man shaa-a min `ibaadihi) that you shall warn that there is no god except I. So, you shall fear Me.
[16:75] God has set an example of a slave who is owned has no power over anything (daraba allahu mathalan `abdan mamluukan laa-yaqdiru `alaa shayin), and whom we have provided a good provision that he spends from it in secret and public. Can they be equal? All praise for God. Nay, most of them do not know.
[17:1] Glory to the One who had taken of His servant (Muhammad) (sub’haana alladhee asraa bi-`abdihi) by night from the Sacred Masjid (of Makka) to the farthest sacred place, which we had blessed surrounding of it that we may show him of our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearer, the Seer.
[17:3] They (children of Israel) are descendants of whoever we had carried with Noah; indeed, he had been a grateful servant (innahu kaana `abdan shakuuran).
[17:5] So, when there had come a promise of the first of the two, we had raised against you servants of us having great might (ba`athnaa `alaykum `ibaadan lanaa ulee basin shadeedin), even they entered inside of the homes, and it has been a promise which had been fulfilled.
[17:17] And how many of the generations have we destroyed after Noah? And it has sufficed of your Lord with sins of His servants as Cognizant, Seer (wa-kafaa bi-rabbika bi-dhunuubi `ibaadihi khabeeran baseeran).
[17:30] Indeed, your Lord extends the provision for whomever He wills and He straitens (it). Indeed, He has been Cognizant, Seer of His servants (innahu kaana bi-`ibaadihi khabeeran baseeran).
[17:53] And say to My servants, they say that which is best (wa-qul li’`ibaadi-i yaquuluu allatee hiya ahsanu). Indeed, the Satan triggers hostility between of them. Indeed, the Satan has been a great enemy of the mankind.
[17:65] Indeed, My servants, there has not been for you (Satan) any authority over them (inna `ibaadi-i laysa laka `alayhim sul’taanun). And it has sufficed of your Lord as a Guardian.”
[17:96] Say: “It has sufficed with God as a Witness between of me and of you. Indeed, He has been Cognizant, Seer of His servants (innahu kaana bi-`ibaadihi khabeeran baseeran).”
This review on instances of `abd may help us to understand our relationship with God as His servants, which has confirmed our worship for Him alone, and those who have associated partner(s) with Him, He will make worthless for them what they had done to accomplish. God is supreme over His servants and He has informed us that all messengers sent to mankind were not except human being like ourselves that we do not make focus on them except on the message what He has sent down to them, while He has bestowed His grace upon whomever He wills from His servants. And we may also focus on the implicit message that God is the One who took His servant to the farthest sacred place to show him signs of his Lord. He is sovereign over His servants being Cognizant and Seer of His servants, but the Satan is a great enemy of mankind and he triggers hostility between them to make them losers, who has no power over the sincere servants of God.
A day the judgment will take place based on what we have sent beforehand, while there is no trade or friendship on a day of meeting. Thus, we may wish to leave this world as the grateful servants of God not making our works worthless being deceived by the Satan and its allies, if we can avail the opportunity, which God has given us that He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.
Tafazzal (10/10/2025).