What does « Habit / Behavior » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Habit / Behavior (دأب) in the Quran, with 6 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

دأب

Habit / Behavior

Root: د - ب

Quranic language 6 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of Habit / Behavior

Al-da'b: persisting in walking.

One says 'da'aba fî al-sayr da'ban'.

Allah says: 'Like the custom (da'b) of Pharaoh's family' (Âl 'Imrân: 11).

Their custom was to deny signs.

Da'b is constant habit.

Habit / Behavior in the Quran (6)

Meccan: 3 Medinan: 3

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Anfal 2

Âl 'Imrân 1

Yusuf 1

Ibrahim 1

Ghafir 1

Surah Âl 'Imrân : 11 Medinan

﴿كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَٱللَّهُ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ﴾

[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied Our signs, so Allah seized them for their sins. And Allah is severe in penalty.

Surah Al-Anfal : 52 Medinan

﴿كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ﴾

[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They disbelieved in the signs of Allah, so Allah seized them for their sins. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and severe in penalty.

Surah Al-Anfal : 54 Medinan

﴿كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَآ ءَالَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَكُلٌّ كَانُوا۟ ظَٰلِمِينَ﴾

[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They denied the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh. And all [of them] were wrongdoers.

Surah Yusuf : 47 Meccan

﴿قَالَ تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا فَمَا حَصَدتُّمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِى سُنۢبُلِهِۦٓ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ﴾

[Joseph] said, "You will plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, except a little from which you will eat.

Surah Ibrahim : 33 Meccan

﴿وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ دَآئِبَيْنِ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ﴾

And He subjected for you the sun and the moon, continuous [in orbit], and subjected for you the night and the day.

Surah Ghafir : 31 Meccan

﴿مِثْلَ دَأْبِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعِبَادِ﴾

Like the custom of the people of Noah and of 'Aad and Thamud and those after them. And Allah wants no injustice for [His] servants.

Words from the same root as Habit / Behavior

أبد

Eternity

باد

To perish / To vanish

بدأ

To begin / To initiate

بدا

To appear / To manifest

بدر

Full moon / To hasten

بدع

Innovation

بدل

Substitute / Replacement

بدن

Body / Corpulence

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