What does « To rot / To decompose » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To rot / To decompose (رم) in the Quran, with 2 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

رم

To rot / To decompose

Root: ر - م

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of To rot / To decompose

Al-ramm: repairing a worn thing.

Al-rimma: rotten bone.

Allah says: 'Who will give life to bones while they are decomposed (ramîm)?' (Yâ-Sîn: 78).

Allah will resurrect even rotten bones.

To rot / To decompose in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 2 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Ya-Sin 1

Adh-Dhariyat 1

Surah Ya-Sin : 78 Meccan

﴿وَضَرَبَ لَنَا مَثَلًۭا وَنَسِىَ خَلْقَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ مَن يُحْىِ ٱلْعِظَـٰمَ وَهِىَ رَمِيمٌۭ﴾

And he presents for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, "Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?"

Surah Adh-Dhariyat : 42 Meccan

﴿مَا تَذَرُ مِن شَىْءٍ أَتَتْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا جَعَلَتْهُ كَٱلرَّمِيمِ﴾

It left nothing of what it came upon but that it made it like disintegrated ruins.

Words from the same root as To rot / To decompose

To decide definitively

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Fri 24 Muharram
الجمعة 24 محرّم