What does « Flaw / Vice » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Flaw / Vice (عاب) 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.

عاب

Flaw / Vice

Root: ع - ب

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of Flaw / Vice

Al-'ayb and al-'ab: the thing by which something becomes defective, meaning contemptible.

One says: a thing is 'iba when it has a defect.

The Almighty mentions the defective ship.

Defects diminish value.

Flaw / Vice in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-Kahf : 79 Meccan

﴿أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَـٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌۭ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًۭا﴾

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.