Linguistically & Technically Explained
According to classical Arabic usage:
"Jabuna – يَجْبُن" or "Jabana – جَبُنَ" refers to the lack of courage or bravery, especially when faced with danger or adversity.
Forms of the word include:
جُبْنًا, جُبُنًا, جَبانةً
A "جَبان (Jabān)" is:
A man who fears to take initiative or advance forward, regardless of whether it is day or night.
🆚 It is the opposite of bravery (الشجاعة) and courage (الشجاع).
Feminine form: Jabāna (جَبَانة)
Plural: Jabānāt (جَبَانات) — used for groups of women.
📝 Reference: Lisān al-ʿArab by Ibn Manẓūr (13/84)
Cowardice is a state of the irascible faculty (القوة الغضبية) in which one refrains from engaging in both what should be and should not be confronted.
— [Al-Jurjānī, in "Al-Taʿrīfāt", p.73]
“It is the fear of something that should not be feared.”
— [Tadhīb al-Akhlāq, p.23]