What does « To sleep / To slumber » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To sleep / To slumber (رقد) 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.

رقد

To sleep / To slumber

Root: ر - ق - د

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To sleep / To slumber

Al-ruqâd: pleasant short sleep.

One says 'raqada yarqudu'.

Allah says: 'Who has raised us from our sleeping place (marqadinâ)?' (Yâ-Sîn: 52).

The dead will discover their stay in graves was like a short sleep.

To sleep / To slumber in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 2 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Kahf 1

Ya-Sin 1

Surah Al-Kahf : 18 Meccan

﴿وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ وَكَلْبُهُم بَٰسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا﴾

And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his forelegs at the entrance. If you had looked at them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled by them with terror.

Surah Ya-Sin : 52 Meccan

﴿قَالُوا۟ يَٰوَيْلَنَا مَنۢ بَعَثَنَا مِن مَّرْقَدِنَا هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ وَصَدَقَ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ﴾

They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?" [The reply will be], "This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the messengers told the truth."