Kiapo (qasam) katika Kiarabu, kama ilivyo katika Kiingereza, hutumiwa kusisitiza katika akili ya msomaji au msikilizaji umuhimu au ukweli wa wazo linalofuata kiapo hicho katika sentensi. Katika Kiingereza, muundo unaotumika zaidi ni "by God," ambapo "by" inawakilisha kifungu "kama hakika ninavyoamini katika." Hata hivyo, wanaisimu wa Kiarabu kwa jadi wamegawanya muundo wa kiapo katika sehemu tatu za msingi:

The oath (qasam) in Arabic, as in English, is used to emphasize in the mind of the reader or listener the importance or truthfulness of the idea which follows it in the sentence. In English, the most common format is “by God,” wherein “by” represents the phrase “as surely as I believe in.” However, Arabic linguists have traditionally divided the format of the oath into three basic parts:

1. Kitenzi: “Naapa kwa;”

1. the verb: “I swear by;”

2. mtu, kitu, au tukio ambalo kiapo kinachukuliwa kwa jina lake;

2. the person, thing, or event by which the oathis taken;