What does « To pile up / Sand » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To pile up / Sand (كثب) 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.

كثب

To pile up / Sand

Root: ك - ث - ب

Creed (aqida) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To pile up / Sand

Al-Kathīb refers to the sand dune.

Its plural is kuthub and kuthbān.

The Almighty says: 'And the mountains will be like heaps of sand poured out' (Al-Muzzammil 14).

Al-kathb is piled-up sand.

To pile up / Sand in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-Muzzammil : 14 Meccan

﴿يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَٱلْجِبَالُ وَكَانَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ كَثِيبًا مَّهِيلًا﴾

On the Day the earth and the mountains will convulse and the mountains will become a heap of sand pouring down.

Words from the same root as To pile up / Sand

بتك

To cut / To sever

بث

To spread / To scatter

بحث

To search / To rummage

برك

Blessing / Knee

بعث

To resurrect / To send

بعثر

To scatter / To strew

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