Ar-Raqīb
The Watchful
Root ر ق ب (r-q-b). Lane gives raqabahu as ‘he looked, watched, or waited, for him, or it’. Raqaba can mean a neck or someone in bondage, as noted in Qur'an 90:13. Irtaqib means to watch and wait, appearing in Qur'an 44:10. Yataraqqabu is used for watching apprehensively, as found in Qur'an 28:18. The indefinite form of raqīb is used for Allah in verses 4:1 and 33:52, and the definite appears in 5:117. ‘You were the Observer over them’ (5:117).
The root
ر ق بr-q-b
Watching. Lane gives raqabahu as 'he looked, watched, or waited, for him, or it'.
- رَقَبَةraqabaneck; a person in bondage (to be freed, 90:13)
- ارْتَقِبْirtaqibwatch and wait (44:10)
- يَتَرَقَّبُyataraqqabuwatching apprehensively (28:18)
Pronunciation
الرَّقِيبُ
ar-ra-QEEB
In the Qur'an
مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ ۚ وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنْتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.
5:117 · Sahih International