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

Discover the meaning of the word To move away / To leave (برح) in the Quran, with 3 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

برح

To move away / To leave

Root: ب - ر - ح

Quranic language 3 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To move away / To leave

Al-barâh: the extended and apparent space without construction or trees.

Sometimes its appearance is considered, hence 'bariha' (it became apparent), and sometimes its extent, hence 'baraha' (he departed, left).

Allah says: 'I will not cease (lâ abrah) until I reach the junction of the two seas' (Al-Kahf: 60). 'Mâ bariha' means: he did not cease, indicating the continuity of a state.

To move away / To leave in the Quran (3)

Meccan: 3 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Yusuf 1

Al-Kahf 1

Ta-Ha 1

Surah Yusuf : 80 Meccan

﴿فَلَمَّا ٱسْتَيْـَٔسُوا۟ مِنْهُ خَلَصُوا۟ نَجِيًّا قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ أَبَاكُمْ قَدْ أَخَذَ عَلَيْكُم مَّوْثِقًا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَمِن قَبْلُ مَا فَرَّطتُمْ فِى يُوسُفَ فَلَنْ أَبْرَحَ ٱلْأَرْضَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْذَنَ لِىٓ أَبِىٓ أَوْ يَحْكُمَ ٱللَّهُ لِى وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْحَٰكِمِينَ﴾

So when they had despaired of him, they secluded themselves in private consultation. The eldest of them said, "Do you not know that your father has taken upon you an oath by Allah and [that] before you failed in [your duty to] Joseph? So I will never leave [this] land until my father permits me or Allah decides for me, and He is the best of judges.

Surah Al-Kahf : 60 Meccan

﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَىٰهُ لَآ أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰٓ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُبًا﴾

And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period."

Surah Ta-Ha : 91 Meccan

﴿قَالُوا۟ لَن نَّبْرَحَ عَلَيْهِ عَٰكِفِينَ حَتَّىٰ يَرْجِعَ إِلَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ﴾

They said, "We will never cease being devoted to the calf until Moses returns to us."