j-r-f

Description

The Arabic root جرف (j-r-f) carries the core meaning of erosion, sweeping away, or the edge of something that has been undermined and is about to collapse. In the Quran, it appears in Surah At-Tawbah (9:109) where it describes a crumbling cliff or bank (jurf) that is on the verge of collapse, used metaphorically to contrast a foundation built on piety versus one built on hypocrisy and divine displeasure. This imagery powerfully conveys the instability and imminent destruction of structures—whether physical or spiritual—that lack solid grounding in righteousness.