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

Discover the meaning of the word To carry off / To destroy (نسف) in the Quran, with 3 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

نسف

To carry off / To destroy

Root: ن - س - ف

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 3 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of To carry off / To destroy

An-Nasf refers to dispersal and destruction.

The Almighty says: 'My Lord will scatter them' (Ta-Ha 105), speaking of mountains.

Nasafa means to scatter.

The Almighty says: 'And We scattered it into the sea' (Ta-Ha 97).

To carry off / To destroy in the Quran (3)

Meccan: 3 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Ta-Ha 2

Al-Mursalat 1

Surah Ta-Ha : 97 Meccan

﴿قَالَ فَٱذْهَبْ فَإِنَّ لَكَ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ أَن تَقُولَ لَا مِسَاسَ وَإِنَّ لَكَ مَوْعِدًا لَّن تُخْلَفَهُۥ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَٰهِكَ ٱلَّذِى ظَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ عَاكِفًا لَّنُحَرِّقَنَّهُۥ ثُمَّ لَنَنسِفَنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ نَسْفًا﴾

[Moses] said, "Then go. And indeed, it is [decreed] for you in [this] life to say, 'No contact.' And indeed, you have an appointment [in the Hereafter] you will not fail to keep. And look at your 'god' to which you remained devoted. We will surely burn it and blow it into the sea with a blast.

Surah Ta-Ha : 105 Meccan

﴿وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْجِبَالِ فَقُلْ يَنسِفُهَا رَبِّى نَسْفًا﴾

And they ask you about the mountains, so say, "My Lord will blow them away with a blast.

Surah Al-Mursalat : 10 Meccan

﴿وَإِذَا ٱلْجِبَالُ نُسِفَتْ﴾

And when the mountains are blown away