What does « Well » mean in the Quran?

Discover the meaning of the word Well (بئر) 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.

بئر

Well

Root: ب - ئ - ر

Jurisprudence (fiqh) 1 verse

Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM

📖 1 min read

Definition of Well

Al-bi'r (the well): Allah says: 'And an abandoned well and a lofty palace' (Al-Hajj: 45).

Its origin is the hamza.

One says 'ba'artu bi'ran' (I dug a well) and 'ibtartu' (I dug).

The well is the place from which underground water is extracted.

In the Quran, the abandoned well symbolizes destroyed civilizations whose inhabitants perished.

Well in the Quran (1)

Meccan: 0 Medinan: 1

Surah Al-Hajj : 45 Medinan

﴿فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌۭ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍۢ مُّعَطَّلَةٍۢ وَقَصْرٍۢ مَّشِيدٍ﴾

And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong - so it is [now] fallen into ruin - and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.