What does « To pant / To loll the tongue » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To pant / To loll the tongue (لهث) in the Quran, with 1 verse in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

لهث

To pant / To loll the tongue

Root: ل - ه - ث

Creed (aqida) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To pant / To loll the tongue

Al-Lahth refers to panting.

The Almighty says: 'Like the dog: if you chase him, he pants, and if you leave him, he pants' (Al-A'raf 176).

It describes one who follows desires, always breathless.

To pant / To loll the tongue in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-A'raf : 176 Meccan

﴿وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَٰهُ بِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَٱقْصُصِ ٱلْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾

And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought.