What does « Difficult / Hard » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Difficult / Hard (نكد) 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.

نكد

Difficult / Hard

Root: ن - ك - د

Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Definition of Difficult / Hard

An-Nakad refers to difficulty and misfortune.

The Almighty says: 'And the bad comes forth only with difficulty' (Al-A'raf 58).

Nakida means to be difficult.

An-nakid is the unfortunate.

Al-'aysh an-nakid is the difficult life.

Difficult / Hard in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-A'raf : 58 Meccan

﴿وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ﴾

And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad - nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful.