What does « To lean / To bow » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To lean / To bow (صغا) 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.

صغا
To lean / To bow
Root: ص - غ
Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of To lean / To bow

As-saghw: the inclination.

One says: the stars and sun inclined.

The Almighty says: 'Your hearts have inclined' (At-Tahrim 4), meaning they leaned toward other than what they should have.

Inclination can be good or bad depending on its object.

To lean / To bow in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 1
Distribution of verses by surah
Al-An'am 1
At-Tahrim 1
Surah Al-An'am : 113 Meccan
﴿وَلِتَصْغَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِ أَفْـِٔدَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلِيَرْضَوْهُ وَلِيَقْتَرِفُوا۟ مَا هُم مُّقْتَرِفُونَ
And [it is] so the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter will incline toward it and that they will be satisfied with it and that they will commit that which they are committing.
Surah At-Tahrim : 4 Medinan
﴿إِن تَتُوبَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا ۖ وَإِن تَظَـٰهَرَا عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَـٰلِحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ
If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you cooperate against him - then indeed Allah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous of the believers and the angels, moreover, are [his] assistants.

Words from the same root as To lean / To bow

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