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“Prayer is Better Than Sleep”: The Unique Grammar of خَيْرٌ (khayr) in Arabic
The Arabic phrase “Prayer is better than sleep” (الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ), recited during Fajr, has unique grammar. This article explains why خَيْرٌ means “better,” deviating from the typical comparative pattern, and clarifies its usage and historical development from “good.”
The Arabic phrase الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ (as-salatu khayrun min an-nawm), meaning “prayer is better than sleep,” is a spiritually significant saying recited during the Fajr (الْفَجْر) prayer in Sunni Islam.
This article explaines its unique grammatical structure, particularly focusing on why the word خَيْرٌ (khayr) is translated with a comparative meaning of better, despite not following the regular اِسْم التَّفْضِيل pattern.
The word خَيْرٌ – translated as better – produces an interesting grammatical construction. We do not use the regular اِسْم التَّفْضِيل here, following the pattern: أَفْعَل – which would denote a comparative or superlative meaning.
So, why do we translate the word with a comparative meaning?
The word خَيْرٌ is usually translated as good, which is correct. However, it also has another meaning – the meaning of a اِسْم تَفْضِيل.
The word خَيْر has the same meaning as أَحْسَن – better.
Let us take a closer look at some examples:
| Prayer is better than sleep. | الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْم |
| Work is better than laziness. | الْعَمَلُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْكَسَلِ |
| He is better than… | هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ |
| I am not better than the student. | لَسْتُ خَيْرًا مِن الطَّالِبِ |
What is the DNA of the word خَيْر?
The word for better was originally أَخْيَر – but it was changed into خَيْر.
This happened a long time ago, as in the Qur’an, خَيْر is already used in the meaning of better.
The word comes from the root خ – ي – ر. The corresponding I-verb is خارَ.
Watch out for the correct plural:
| meaning | plural | singular |
| good; excellent/better; best | خِيار or أَخْيار | خَيْر |
| good; blessing; good thing | خُيُور | خَيْر |
There are other words which follow the same logic as خَيْرٌ, for example, the word شَرٌّ (bad or evil), but it is less common.
| She is worse than… | …هِيَ شَرٌّ مِنْ |
Watch out: If you use خَيْرٌ or شَرٌّ in a إِضافة-construction, they have the meaning of the superlative.
| (the) best student | خَيْرُ طَالِبٍ |
- In Arabic, you don’t use the definite article, although it has a definite meaning in English.
- As it is a إِضافة-construction, the word خَيْر doesn’t get nunation.
The special line of the morning prayer call in other languages:
- Hindi: नमाज़ नींद से बेहतर है (namaz neend se behtar hai)
- Deutsch: Das Gebet ist besser als der Schlaf
Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2015, December 19). “Prayer is Better Than Sleep”: The Unique Grammar of خَيْرٌ (khayr) in Arabic. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/prayer-is-better-than-sleep/
Published: December 19, 2015
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
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You have written a very helpful post
, I appreciate it if you continue to write in the same way and solve people’s problems
I’m curious then how ‘better’ gets translates into ‘wealth’ Surah Al-Adiyat. (وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ – 100:8) Any thoughts?
Beside the meaning of an elative – a comparative ( اسم تفضيل) or even superlative -, خير does also denote “wealth” in the meaning of المالُ الكثير الطَّيِّب (especially when used with the definite article).
The prayer is the standard of Islam. Whosoever loves prayers, and observes their limits, timings and methods, is a true believer. https://www.dawateislami.net/blog/islam