What does « To file / To reduce » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To file / To reduce (سحل) 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.

سحل

To file / To reduce

Root: س - ح - ل

Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of To file / To reduce

The Almighty says: 'let the sea cast it onto the bank' (Ta-Ha 39).

As-sahil: the seashore where waves push things.

The root evokes rubbing and smoothing.

One says: a smooth, undyed garment.

The shore is so named because the sea smooths the sand there.

To file / To reduce in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Ta-Ha : 39 Meccan

﴿أَنِ ٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱلتَّابُوتِ فَٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ فَلْيُلْقِهِ ٱلْيَمُّ بِٱلسَّاحِلِ يَأْخُذْهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّى وَعَدُوٌّ لَّهُۥ وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّى وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِىٓ﴾

[Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye.