What does « To break / To destroy » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To break / To destroy (قصم) in the Quran, with 1 verse in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

قصم

To break / To destroy

Root: ق - ص - م

Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To break / To destroy

Al-Qaṣm refers to violent breaking.

The Almighty says: 'How many unjust cities have We shattered' (Al-Anbiya 11).

Qaṣama ash-shay' means to break and destroy it completely.

Al-qāṣimah is the calamity that breaks.

To break / To destroy in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-Anbiya : 11 Meccan

﴿وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَالِمَةً وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْمًا ءَاخَرِينَ﴾

And how many a city which was unjust have We shattered and produced after it another people.

Words from the same root as To break / To destroy

خصم

Adversary / Dispute

خمص

Hollow / Empty (stomach)

رقم

To write / To mark

زقم

Zaqqum (tree of Hell)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Fri 24 Muharram
الجمعة 24 محرّم