Discover the meaning of the term Al-khasf (خَسْف) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 1 min readWith a fathah, to sink. Hence the expression khasafa al-makan (the place subsided), meaning it went down and disappeared into the depths of the earth. Its plural is khusuf, as mentioned in the hadith explaining the signs of the Hour: And three subsidences: a subsidence in the East, a subsidence in the West, and a subsidence in the Arabian Peninsula.
With a fathah, and among its meanings: khasafa al-makan (the subsidence of the place), meaning its disappearance and sinking toward the depths of the earth. Its plural is al-khusuf, as came in the hadith explaining the signs of the Hour: And three subsidences: a subsidence in the East, a subsidence in the West, and a subsidence in the Arabian Peninsula. The author of An-Nihayah said: Khasf means diminution and degradation.