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

Discover the meaning of the word To carry off / To engulf (جرف) 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.

جرف

To carry off / To engulf

Root: ج - ر - ف

Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Definition of To carry off / To engulf

Allah says: 'On the edge of a crumbling precipice (jurf)' (At-Tawba: 109).

The place that the torrent erodes and carries away is called 'jurf'.

This verse compares the mosque of harm built by hypocrites to a building on unstable ground, doomed to collapse.

To carry off / To engulf in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 0 Medinan: 1

Surah At-Tawba : 109 Medinan

﴿أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَٱنْهَارَ بِهِۦ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ﴾

Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.