What does « To grieve oneself to death » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To grieve oneself to death (بخع) 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.

بخع

To grieve oneself to death

Root: ب - خ - ع

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To grieve oneself to death

Al-bakh': to kill oneself from grief.

Allah says: 'Perhaps you would destroy yourself (bâkhi' nafsak)' (Al-Kahf: 6), urging the Prophet ﷺ not to destroy himself from grief over those who do not believe.

This term expresses the intensity of sadness that can lead to self-destruction.

It denotes extreme grief that deeply affects one's being.

To grieve oneself to death in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 2 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Kahf 1

Ash-Shu'ara 1

Surah Al-Kahf : 6 Meccan

﴿فَلَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا﴾

Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.

Surah Ash-Shu'ara : 3 Meccan

﴿لَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا۟ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾

Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.

Words from the same root as To grieve oneself to death

To wrong / To diminish

To resurrect / To send

To scatter / To strew

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