ع ج ز ʿ-j-z
عَجَزْتُ
ʿajaztu / yuʿjizahu / ʿajūz / aʿjāz
bottom/behind; powerlessness; old age; trunks
Definition
- 1عَجَزْتُʿajaztuto fall short, fail, be powerless1
- 2يُعْجِزَهُyuʿjizahuto beat out or outdo, usually with negation19
- 3عَجُوزʿajūzto grow very old4
- 4أَعْجَازaʿjāztree trunks; bottoms2
Total uses in the Qur’an: 26
Qur’anic usage
Sense 1
عَجَزْتُ
فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابًۭا يَبْحَثُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُۥ كَيْفَ يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ قَالَ يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَٰذَا ٱلْغُرَابِ فَأُوَٰرِىَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِى فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ ٱلنَّٰدِمِينَ
Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.
5:31draft glosses: 25 of 25
Sense 2
يُعْجِزُونَ · مُعَاجِزِينَ · مُعْجِزِينَ
وَأَنَّا ظَنَنَّآ أَن لَّن نُّعْجِزَ ٱللَّهَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَن نُّعْجِزَهُۥ هَرَبًۭا
And we have become certain that we will never cause failure to Allah upon earth, nor can we escape Him by flight.
72:12draft glosses: 11 of 11
وَمَن لَّا يُجِبْ دَاعِىَ ٱللَّهِ فَلَيْسَ بِمُعْجِزٍۢ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُۥ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءُ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍ
But he who does not respond to the Caller of Allah will not cause failure [to Him] upon earth, and he will not have besides Him any protectors. Those are in manifest error."
46:32draft glosses: 17 of 18 · 1 pending
إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لَءَاتٍۢ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ
Indeed, what you are promised is coming, and you will not cause failure [to Allah].
6:134draft glosses: 6 of 7 · 1 pending
وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْا۟ فِىٓ ءَايَٰتِنَا مُعَٰجِزِينَ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
But the ones who strove against Our verses, [seeking] to cause failure - those are the companions of Hellfire.
22:51draft glosses: 8 of 8
Sense 3
عَجُوزٌ
قَالَتْ يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ ءَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا۠ عَجُوزٌۭ وَهَٰذَا بَعْلِى شَيْخًا إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَىْءٌ عَجِيبٌۭ
She said, "Woe to me! Shall I give birth while I am an old woman and this, my husband, is an old man? Indeed, this is an amazing thing!"
11:72draft glosses: 12 of 12
Sense 4
أَعْجَازُ
سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍۢ وَثَمَٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًۭا فَتَرَى ٱلْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍۢ
Which Allah imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees.
69:7draft glosses: 15 of 15
Notes
ⓘThis probably comes from the concept of the human life as a curve, with the child starting at the bottom, reaching the peak during the prime of life, then going back to the bottom with old age (see 30:54 of the Quran).
DawahAgent2026-06-20 · reviewed