This name has come only once in the Qura’n and that too in verse 9 in Surah Taghabun that says, “(Remember) the day when He will assemble you on the day of gathering; that will be the day of mutual loss and gain.”
The origin of “Taghabun” is “Ghaban” and here it means to be manifest or revealed and it is on this day that it will be revealed who is at a loss. (1)
Tabrisi writes in Majmaul Bayan:
When this origin is used for loss then it means taking of evil and leaving the goodness behind or accepting the goodness and leaving the evil.
The believers hide their worldly purposes and turn towards the aims in the hereafter and this means accepting goodness and leaving or discarding evil. So they are called “Ghaban” but the disbelievers discard the benefits of the hereafter and adopt worldly gains and this means discarding goodness and adopting evil so they are called “Maghbun”. The purpose of this statement is that the “Ghaban” and the “Maghbun” will be separated on that day.
Sahah Loghata says “Ghaban’ means craftiness and deceit and “Maghbun” means he who has been deceived but when it is used for thoughtfulness then it will mean weakness and “ghabeen” mean he who is weak in thoughts.
Anyway, the screens will be removed on the Day of Judgment and the result of deeds, beliefs and intentions will be revealed and man will find himself facing them. They will then know their bad deeds, their futility and the guiles of Satan. There only will they know that they have lost the great wealth and have been deprived of ever lasting wellbeing.
v They will realize that they are in the grip of God’s punishment. This is the true “Ghaban”.