What does « To decrease / To dry up » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To decrease / To dry up (غيض) 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.

غيض

To decrease / To dry up

Root: غ - ض

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Definition of To decrease / To dry up

Ghāḍa ash-shay' wa ghāḍahu ghayruhu: like naqaṣa (to decrease) and naqaṣahu ghayruhu (someone else decreased it).

The Almighty says: 'And the water subsided' (Hud 44), meaning it decreased and was absorbed.

And: 'What the wombs fall short of or exceed' (Ar-Ra'd 8), meaning what decreases or increases.

To decrease / To dry up in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 1

Distribution of verses by surah

Hud 1

Ar-Ra'd 1

Surah Hud : 44 Meccan

﴿وَقِيلَ يَٰٓأَرْضُ ٱبْلَعِى مَآءَكِ وَيَٰسَمَآءُ أَقْلِعِى وَغِيضَ ٱلْمَآءُ وَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ وَٱسْتَوَتْ عَلَى ٱلْجُودِىِّ وَقِيلَ بُعْدًا لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ﴾

And it was said, "O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold [your rain]." And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and the ship came to rest on the [mountain of] Judiyy. And it was said, "Away with the wrongdoing people."

Surah Ar-Ra'd : 8 Medinan

﴿ٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ ٱلْأَرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ عِندَهُۥ بِمِقْدَارٍ﴾

Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs lose [prematurely] or exceed. And everything with Him is by due measure.