What does « So-and-so / Someone » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word So-and-so / Someone (فلن) 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.

فلن
So-and-so / Someone
Root: ف - ل - ن
Quranic language 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of So-and-so / Someone

Fulān is a term used to designate an unnamed person, like a metaphor for anyone.

The Almighty says: 'And the Day the wrongdoer will bite on his hands saying: Oh, I wish I had taken with the Messenger a way! Woe to me! I wish I had not taken so-and-so as a friend!' (Al-Furqan 27-28).

So-and-so / Someone in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 0
Surah Al-Furqan : 28 Meccan
﴿يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
Oh, woe to me! I wish I had not taken that one as a friend.

Words from the same root as So-and-so / Someone

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