What does « To tear / To pierce » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word To tear / To pierce (خرق) in the Quran, with 3 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.

خرق

To tear / To pierce

Root: خ - ر - ق

Quranic language 3 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of To tear / To pierce

Al-kharq: tearing something so as to corrupt it.

Allah says: 'You have made a hole (kharaqtahâ) to drown its passengers' (Al-Kahf: 71).

Khidr made a hole in the boat, which Moses found shocking before understanding its wisdom.

To tear / To pierce in the Quran (3)

Meccan: 3 Medinan: 0

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-An'am 1

Al-Isra 1

Al-Kahf 1

Surah Al-An'am : 100 Meccan

﴿وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ﴾

But they have attributed to Allah partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters. Exalted is He and high above what they describe

Surah Al-Isra : 37 Meccan

﴿وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولًا﴾

And do not walk upon the earth exultantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height.

Surah Al-Kahf : 71 Meccan

﴿فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِى ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا إِمْرًا﴾

So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, al-Khidh r tore it open. [Moses] said, "Have you torn it open to drown its people? You have certainly done a grave thing."