What does « To lose / To fail » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To lose / To fail (خاب) in the Quran, with 4 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

خاب

To lose / To fail

Root: خ - ب

Quranic language 4 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To lose / To fail

Al-khayba: failure of the request.

Allah says: 'And every obstinate tyrant has failed (khâba)' (Ibrâhîm: 15).

Failure is the fate of those who oppose Allah and His messengers.

Their efforts are in vain and their hopes disappointed.

To lose / To fail in the Quran (4)

Meccan: 4 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Ta-Ha 2

Ibrahim 1

Ash-Shams 1

Surah Ibrahim : 15 Meccan

﴿وَٱسْتَفْتَحُوا۟ وَخَابَ كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍۢ﴾

And they requested victory from Allah, and disappointed, [therefore], was every obstinate tyrant.

Surah Ta-Ha : 61 Meccan

﴿قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسَىٰ وَيْلَكُمْ لَا تَفْتَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًۭا فَيُسْحِتَكُم بِعَذَابٍۢ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ﴾

Moses said to the magicians summoned by Pharaoh, "Woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allah or He will exterminate you with a punishment; and he has failed who invents [such falsehood]."

Surah Ta-Ha : 111 Meccan

﴿۞ وَعَنَتِ ٱلْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ ٱلْقَيُّومِ ۖ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ حَمَلَ ظُلْمًۭا﴾

And [all] faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. And he will have failed who carries injustice.

Surah Ash-Shams : 10 Meccan

﴿وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا﴾

And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].