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Assabile

The root ن ك ل (n-k-l) in the Quran

Meaning: exemplary punishment, fetters

5 occurrences in 5 verses and 5 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. 2. Al-Baqarah1
  2. 4. An-Nisa1
  3. 5. Al-Ma’idah1
  4. 73. Al-Muzzammil1
  5. 79. An-Nazi’at1

The 5 verses

Al-Baqarah2:66

فَجَعَلْنَٰهَا نَكَٰلًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝٦٦

And We made it a deterrent punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allāh.

An-Nisa4:84

فَقَٰتِلْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُكَلَّفُ إِلَّا نَفْسَكَ وَحَرِّضِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَسَى ٱللَّهُ أَن يَكُفَّ بَأْسَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَٱللَّهُ أَشَدُّ بَأْسًا وَأَشَدُّ تَنكِيلًا ۝٨٤

So fight, [O Muḥammad], in the cause of Allāh; you are not held responsible except for yourself. And encourage the believers [to join you] that perhaps Allāh will restrain the [military] might of those who disbelieve. And Allāh is greater in might and stronger in [exemplary] punishment.

Al-Ma’idah5:38

وَٱلسَّارِقُ وَٱلسَّارِقَةُ فَٱقْطَعُوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمَا جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَسَبَا نَكَٰلًا مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ۝٣٨

[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they earned [i.e., committed] as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

An-Nazi’at79:25

فَأَخَذَهُ ٱللَّهُ نَكَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَٱلْأُولَىٰٓ ۝٢٥

So Allāh seized him in exemplary punishment for the last and the first [transgression]..

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.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2026 1 جمادى الآخرة 1448 هـ