kh-r-t-m

Description

The Arabic root خرطم (kh-r-t-m) fundamentally refers to the snout or trunk of an animal, particularly the elongated nose or proboscis. In its Quranic usage in Surah Al-Qalam (68:16), it appears in the phrase "sanasimuhū ʿalā l-khurṭūm" (We shall brand him upon the snout), describing a mark of disgrace and humiliation that will be placed upon a stubborn denier of truth. This imagery conveys the concept of shameful punishment and public humiliation, as marking someone on their most prominent facial feature signifies their degradation and serves as a visible sign of their arrogance and rejection of divine guidance.