What does « To leave / To abandon » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To leave / To abandon (عطل) 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.

عطل

To leave / To abandon

Root: ع - ط - ل

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To leave / To abandon

Al-'atal: absence of adornment and work.

One says: the woman stripped herself of jewelry.

The Almighty says: 'abandoned wells' (Al-Hajj 45). 'The pregnant camels will be neglected' (At-Takwir 4) on Judgment Day.

To leave / To abandon in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 1

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Hajj 1

At-Takwir 1

Surah Al-Hajj : 45 Medinan

﴿فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَٰهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍ مُّعَطَّلَةٍ وَقَصْرٍ مَّشِيدٍ﴾

And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong - so it is [now] fallen into ruin - and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.

Surah At-Takwir : 4 Meccan

﴿وَإِذَا ٱلْعِشَارُ عُطِّلَتْ﴾

And when full-term she-camels are neglected