What does « Sadness / Grief » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Sadness / Grief (كرب) in the Quran, with 4 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

كرب

Sadness / Grief

Root: ك - ر - ب

Quranic language 4 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 2 min read

Definition of Sadness / Grief

Al-Karb refers to anguish and extreme distress.

The Almighty says: 'And We saved him from the distress' (Al-Anbiya 76).

Kashafa al-karb means to dispel anguish.

Al-makrūb is the distressed one.

Al-kurb is great affliction.

Sadness / Grief in the Quran (4)

Meccan: 4 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

As-Saffat 2

Al-An'am 1

Al-Anbiya 1

Surah Al-An'am : 64 Meccan

﴿قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُنَجِّيكُم مِّنْهَا وَمِن كُلِّ كَرْبٍ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ﴾

Say, "It is Allah who saves you from it and from every distress; then you [still] associate others with Him."

Surah Al-Anbiya : 76 Meccan

﴿وَنُوحًا إِذْ نَادَىٰ مِن قَبْلُ فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ فَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَرْبِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ﴾

And [mention] Noah, when he called [to Allah] before [that time], so We responded to him and saved him and his family from the great flood.

Surah As-Saffat : 76 Meccan

﴿وَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَرْبِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ﴾

And We saved him and his family from the great affliction.

Surah As-Saffat : 115 Meccan

﴿وَنَجَّيْنَٰهُمَا وَقَوْمَهُمَا مِنَ ٱلْكَرْبِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ﴾

And We saved them and their people from the great affliction,

Words from the same root as Sadness / Grief

Full moon / To hasten

بذر

To waste / To squander

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Fri 24 Muharram
الجمعة 24 محرّم