أعزّ
Aʿazza
To ennoble a person by raising him in honour and standing in society, an act the Quran ascribes to God.
What it means
The verb aʿazza is the causative of ʿazza, to be mighty or honoured, and means to give someone honour, rank and strength among others. The Quran says to God: “You honour whom You will and You humble whom You will” (3:26), using the related verb tuʿizzu. The Muslim therefore sees honour as a gift conferred by God, and a person who rises in standing owes that rise to Him. Among people the verb describes the act of ennobling or promoting someone, for example by granting a post, a title or the respect of the community.
Often misunderstood as
Rendered as “to promote” or “to exalt”, it loses the sense that true honour is granted by God.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 39, listed as AʿAZZA. The definition is restated here.