What does « To cut / To sever » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To cut / To sever (بتك) 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.

بتك

To cut / To sever

Root: ب - ت - ك

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of To cut / To sever

Al-batk: close to al-batt, but used for cutting limbs and hair.

One says 'bataka sha'rahu' (he cut his hair) and 'bataka udhunahu' (he cut his ear).

Allah quotes Satan saying: 'I will order them and they will cut (fa-layubattikunna) the ears of cattle' (An-Nisâ': 119).

This refers to a forbidden mutilation of animals.

To cut / To sever in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 0 Medinan: 1

Surah An-Nisa : 119 Medinan

﴿وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُّبِينًا﴾

And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.