k-z-m

Description

The Arabic root كظم (k-z-m) carries the core meaning of suppression, restraint, and holding something back internally, particularly strong emotions like anger, grief, or distress. In the Quran, it appears most notably in describing those who restrain their anger (al-kadhimin al-ghaydh) as a praiseworthy quality of the righteous, as well as depicting the suppressed grief of prophets like Jacob when distressed. The root conveys both the physical sensation of something being choked or constricted and the moral virtue of exercising self-control over powerful negative emotions rather than expressing them outwardly.