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

Discover the meaning of the word To break / To crush (هشم) in the Quran, with 2 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

هشم

To break / To crush

Root: ه - ش - م

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To break / To crush

Al-Hashm refers to complete breaking.

The Almighty says: 'And it becomes debris' (Al-Kahf 45).

Hashama means to break.

Al-muhashsham is the broken.

Al-hashīm is what is reduced to pieces.

To break / To crush in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 2 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Kahf 1

Al-Qamar 1

Surah Al-Kahf : 45 Meccan

﴿وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ ٱلرِّيَٰحُ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا﴾

And present to them the example of the life of this world, [its being] like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability.

Surah Al-Qamar : 31 Meccan

﴿إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَٰحِدَةً فَكَانُوا۟ كَهَشِيمِ ٱلْمُحْتَظِرِ﴾

Indeed, We sent upon them one blast from the sky, and they became like the dry twig fragments of an [animal] pen.