Discover the meaning of the term Al-bsṭ (بسط) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readA meaning that presents itself to perceive a beloved present at the time.
The expansion of society to its utmost limit, said Al-Harali. Al-Raghib said in Al-Mufredat (p. 46): spreading a thing means deploying and widening it, sometimes both matters are conceived and sometimes one of them, and from it comes the carpet (al-bisat) in the sense of a passive participle (maf'ul), which is a name for every spread-out thing. The carpet is the vast earth, and al-basit is the earth. The term simple (al-basit) was borrowed for every thing in which composition, arrangement, and order cannot be conceived, such as ﴿And if Allah were to enlarge the provision﴾ (Ash-Shura 270), meaning He expanded it. The spreading of the hand is sometimes used for request, such as ﴿like one who stretches his hands toward water﴾ (Ar-Ra'd 14), sometimes for seizing, such as ﴿and the angels are extending their hands﴾ (Al-An'am 93), sometimes for assault and striking, such as ﴿and stretch out their hands against you﴾ (Al-Ma'idah 11), sometimes for giving and bestowal, such as ﴿Rather, both His hands are extended﴾ (Al-Ma'idah 64), and sometimes for other than that according to the people of spiritual reality: the state of hope.
﴿لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ﴾
« To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e. futility]. »
Surah الرعد : 14
﴿وَلَا تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَىٰ عُنُقِكَ وَلَا تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ ٱلْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًۭا مَّحْسُورًا﴾
« And do not make your hand [as] chained to your neck or extend it completely and [thereby] become blamed and insolvent. »
Surah الإسراء : 29
﴿وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًۭا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌۭ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌۭ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًۭا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًۭا﴾
« 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 الكهف : 18
﴿۞ وَلَوْ بَسَطَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ لَبَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍۢ مَّا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرٌۢ بَصِيرٌۭ﴾
« And if Allah had extended [excessively] provision for His servants, they would have committed tyranny throughout the earth. But He sends [it] down in an amount which He wills. Indeed He is, of His servants, Acquainted and Seeing. »
Surah الشورى : 27