Skip to content
Assabile

The root ز ل ف (z-l-f) in the Quran

Meaning: nearness, drawing near

10 occurrences in 10 verses and 8 surahs · 3 derived words

Every Quranic word built on this root is counted, prefixes and suffixes included (و، ب، ال…), in the Hafs reading.

Words built on this root

Surahs where it occurs most

  1. 26. Ash-Shu’ara2
  2. 38. Sad2
  3. 11. Hud1
  4. 34. Saba1
  5. 39. Az-Zumar1
  6. 50. Qaf1
  7. 67. Al-Mulk1
  8. 81. At-Takwir1

The 10 verses

Hud11:114

وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ طَرَفَىِ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ إِنَّ ٱلْحَسَنَٰتِ يُذْهِبْنَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّٰكِرِينَ ۝١١٤

And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.

Saba34:37

وَمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَٰدُكُم بِٱلَّتِى تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِندَنَا زُلْفَىٰٓ إِلَّا مَنْ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَآءُ ٱلضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَهُمْ فِى ٱلْغُرُفَٰتِ ءَامِنُونَ ۝٣٧

And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us in position, but it is [by being] one who has believed and done righteousness. For them there will be the double reward for what they did, and they will be in the upper chambers [of Paradise], safe [and secure].

Sad38:25

فَغَفَرْنَا لَهُۥ ذَٰلِكَ وَإِنَّ لَهُۥ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَـَٔابٍ ۝٢٥

So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.

Sad38:40

وَإِنَّ لَهُۥ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَـَٔابٍ ۝٤٠

And indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.

Az-Zumar39:3

أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَٰذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ ۝٣

Unquestionably, for Allāh is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allāh in position." Indeed, Allāh will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allāh does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever.

Qaf50:31

وَأُزْلِفَتِ ٱلْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ ۝٣١

And Paradise will be brought near to the righteous, not far,

Al-Mulk67:27

فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ زُلْفَةً سِيٓـَٔتْ وُجُوهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقِيلَ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تَدَّعُونَ ۝٢٧

But when they see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieve will be distressed, and it will be said, "This is that for which you used to call."

Why do the numbers differ from one website to another?

  • Some count the root (every word built on it), others a single word, others the exact form as written in the Mushaf: all three numbers are given here.
  • Prefixes and suffixes (و، ب، ال…) are taken into account; a search on the raw text may miss some, or count words from another root that are spelled the same way.
  • The counts follow the Hafs reading and the grammatical analysis of each of the 77,429 words of the Quran.

Results are ranked automatically: only texts of the Quran and translations of their meaning are shown, with no machine-written text. For a legal opinion, consult a scholar.

All roots · Search this root with filters

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 1 جمادى الآخرة 1448 هـ