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What is the difference between the verbs "anzala" (أَنزَلَ) and "nazala" (نزل), as they are mentioned in the Holy Quran?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Ibn Manzur, in Lisan al-Arab, mentioned that "nazzala" (نَزَّل) and "anzala" (أنزَل) have the same meaning, and that some linguists differentiated between them without stating the reason for the difference. However, Abu al-Hasan believes that the only difference is the intensification in "nazzala." Al-Zamakhshari, in Al-Kashshaf, opines that "nuzzila" (نُزِّل) in the verse (لَوْلا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَة - "Why was not the Qur'an sent down to him all at once?") means "anzala." The verb "nazzala," being on the "fa‘‘ala" (فعَّل) pattern, indicates exaggeration or intensification, while "anzala," on the "af‘ala" (أفعل) pattern, does not. To understand their meanings in the Quran, one should refer to books of exegesis such as Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, and Al-Biqa'i.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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