ثواب

Arabic

Root
ث و ب (ṯ w b)
4 terms

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /θa.waːb/
Rhymes: -aːb

Noun

ثَوَاب • (ṯawāb) m

remuneration; reward
(Islam) sawab; a spiritual merit or reward that accrues from giving prayers or from performance of good deeds and piety

Declension

Declension of noun **ثَوَاب** (ṯawāb)
singular	basic singular triptote
singular	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	ثَوَاب ṯawāb	الثَّوَاب aṯ-ṯawāb	ثَوَاب ṯawāb
nominative	ثَوَابٌ ṯawābun	الثَّوَابُ aṯ-ṯawābu	ثَوَابُ ṯawābu
accusative	ثَوَابًا ṯawāban	الثَّوَابَ aṯ-ṯawāba	ثَوَابَ ṯawāba
genitive	ثَوَابٍ ṯawābin	الثَّوَابِ aṯ-ṯawābi	ثَوَابِ ṯawābi

Antonyms

عِقَاب (ʕiqāb, “punishment”)

Descendants

→ Azerbaijani: savab
→ Bashkir: сауап (sawap)
→ Kazakh: сауап (sauap)
→ Persian: ثواب
- → Gujarati: સવાબ (savāb)
- → Urdu: ثواب (svāb)
- → Bengali: সওয়াব (śoōẇab), → Bengali: সাওয়াব (śaōẇab)
→ Ottoman Turkish: ثواب (sevab)
- Turkish: sevap
- → Macedonian: себап (sebap)
→ Punjabi:
Gurmukhi script: ਸਵਾਬ (savāb)

Shahmukhi script: ثواب (savāb)
→ Swahili: thawabu
→ Uyghur: ساۋاپ (sawap)
→ Uzbek: savob

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic ثَوَاب (ṯawāb).

Noun

ثواب • (sevab) (plural اثواب)

(religion) divine reward, remuneration (for a good deed)

Descendants

Turkish: sevap
→ Macedonian: себап (sebap)

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic ثَوَاب (ṯawāb).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /sa.ˈwaːb/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [sä.wɑ́ːb]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [sä.wɑ́ːb]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [sä.wɔ́ːb̥]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [sæ.vɒ́ːb̥]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [sä.vɔ́b]

Readings
Classical reading^?	sawāb
Dari reading^?	sawāb
Iranian reading^?	savâb
Tajik reading^?	savob

Noun

ثواب • (savâb)

(religion) divine reward, remuneration (for a good deed)
- early 1000s, ʿUnṣurī, “Qaṣīda 3”, in دیوان عنصری‎^[1]:
  گفتم از خدمتش جزا چه برم
  گفت ازو زرّ و از خدای ثواب
  guftam az xidmat-aš jazā či baram
  guft az ō zarr u az xudāy sawāb
  I said, "What recompense will I win from serving him?"
  He said, "Gold from him, and from God, divine reward."
  (Classical Persian romanization)
- c. 1390, Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ, “Ghazal 422”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Ḥāfiẓ]‎^[2]:
  آفرین بر دل نرم تو که از بهر ثواب
  کشتهٔ غمزهٔ خود را به نماز آمده‌ای
  āfarīn bar dil-i narm-i tu ki az bahr-i sawāb
  kušta-yi ġamza-yi xwad rā ba namāz āmada'ī
  Praise upon your tender heart! For the sake of divine reward
  You have begun to pray for those who were killed by your flirtatiousness.
  (Classical Persian transliteration)

Descendants

→ Gujarati: સવાબ (savāb)

Sindhi

Etymology

From Classical Persian (sawāb), Derived from Arabic ثَوَاب (ṯawāb).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [savɑːb]

Noun

ثواب • (savābu) m (Devanagari सवाबु)

rectitude, merit, virtue

References

“ثواب”, in Sindhi-English Dictionary, University of Chicago: Center for Language Engineering, Pakistan, 1866–1938

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian (sawāb), from Arabic ثَوَاب (ṯawāb).

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /sə.ʋɑːb/

Noun

ثَواب • (savāb) m (Hindi spelling सवाब)

requital, reward
good deed

References

“ثواب”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
“ثواب”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.