What does « Throat / Gullet » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Throat / Gullet (حنجر) 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.

حنجر

Throat / Gullet

Root: ح - ن - ج

Quranic language 2 verses

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Definition of Throat / Gullet

Allah says: 'Near the throats (al-hanâjir), suppressing' (Ghâfir: 18).

And: 'The hearts reached the throats (al-hanâjir)' (Al-Ahzâb: 10).

Al-hanâjir: plural of 'hanjara' (throat).

The heart rises to the throat from intense fear or anguish.

Throat / Gullet in the Quran (2)

Meccan: 1 Medinan: 1

Distribution of verses by surah

Al-Ahzab 1

Ghafir 1

Surah Al-Ahzab : 10 Medinan

﴿إِذْ جَآءُوكُم مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ ٱلْأَبْصَٰرُ وَبَلَغَتِ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلظُّنُونَا۠﴾

[Remember] when they came at you from above you and from below you, and when eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions.

Surah Ghafir : 18 Meccan

﴿وَأَنذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْءَازِفَةِ إِذِ ٱلْقُلُوبُ لَدَى ٱلْحَنَاجِرِ كَٰظِمِينَ مَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ يُطَاعُ﴾

And warn them, [O Muhammad], of the Approaching Day, when hearts are at the throats, filled [with distress]. For the wrongdoers there will be no devoted friend and no intercessor [who is] obeyed.