What does « To protect / To defend » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To protect / To defend (ذود) 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.

ذود

To protect / To defend

Root: ذ - د

Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Definition of To protect / To defend

Dhudtuhu 'an kadhâ adhûduhu: I kept him away from such.

Allah says: 'He found two women holding back (tadhûdân)' (Al-Qasas: 23).

Shu'ayb's daughters held back their flock, waiting for others to finish.

To protect / To defend in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0

Surah Al-Qasas : 23 Meccan

﴿وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ ٱمْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِى حَتَّىٰ يُصْدِرَ ٱلرِّعَآءُ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ﴾

And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man."