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CHAPTER IV

IBN QUTAYBAH'S TREATISE OF AMBIGUOUS

LETTERS, WORDS, AND PARTICLES IN

THE VERSES OF THE QUR’ĀN

This chapter examines letters assumed to be absurd and stylistically spoiling, words which have many different meanings, meanings of particles,

and the substitution of particles in the verses of the Qur‟ān as follows:

A. Letters Assumed to Be Absurd and

Stylistically Spoiling

The main concern of Ibn Qutaybah on this subject is the letters of the

alphabet at the beginning of twenty-nine sūrahs in the Qur‟ān, technically

called by the exegetes al-h.urūf al-muqat.t.a„ah (the disconnected letters) and

fawātih. al-suwar (the openings of the chapters). The term alphabet itself is

derived from the first and the second letters of the Greek alphabet, namely,

alpha (, ), and beta (, ), corresponding to letter A and B respectively in the Latin alphabet. The Arabic alphabet is called h.urūf al-mu„jam (lit.,

"the letters of the dictionary"), al-h.urūf al-hijā‟īyah (lit., "letters put in

successive order"), and al-h.urūf al-abjadīyah (lit., "the letters put in the

abjd order"), which is the classical Arabic alphabetical order. They and

their numerical values are as follows: (5) ,(4) ,(3) ,(2) (1) ا,

(6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (20), (30), (40), (50), (60), (70),

(80), (90), (100), (200), (300), (400), (500), (600), (700),

(800), (900), and (1000). They are combined together for easy

memorisation as follows: . This classical

order is closer to the Greek alphabetical order than the modern one which is

as follows: .

There are fourteen letters of the Arabic alphabet which occur in

fourteen different combinations. These letters are: , , , , , , , ,

, , , , , and . They are always pronounced singly, such as:

nūn for N, t.ā-hā for T.-H, and alif-lām-mīm, for A-L-M. Their combinations

and the sūrahs in which they are located are as follows: (2, 3, 29, 30,

31, and 32); (10, 11, 12, 14, and 15); (13); (7); (40, 41, 43,

44, 45, and 46); (42); (19); (68); (50); (38), (27);

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(26, and 28); (20), and (36).

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four different views concerning these letters. He states that each of these views has its own merit, which are as follows:

These letters are the names of the sūrahs to which they belong; they are

Allah's oaths; they are letters taken from Allah's attributes, and they are letters taken from the attributes of the Qur‟ān. According to the first view,

the letter or combined letters at the beginning of a certain sūrah is the name

of that sūrah itself. Sūrat al-A„rāf (sūrah 7), for example, is also called Sūrat

. However, whenever the same letters occur at the beginning of more

than one surah, the usual name of that surah is added to it, for example,

(sūrah 2), (sūrah 3), and (sūrah 41).1 This is the

view of Zayd ibn Aslam (d. 136/754).2

With regard to the second view, Ibn Qutaybah says that it means that

Allah's oath includes all the letters of the alphabet by mentioning some of them. It is like someone saying that he has learned the ABC, meaning all the

letters of the alphabet, or that he had read al-h.amdu lillāh, meaning the

whole introductory sūrah of the Qur‟ān.3 The reason for Allah's oaths with

these letters is to indicate their nobility and merit ( ) "because they

are the foundation of His Scriptures revealed in various languages, the bases

of His beautiful names and exalted attributes, and the origins of the languages of nations by which they know each other, remember and believe

in His Oneness..."4 The Qur‟ānic verse ( :١) , for

example, according to this view, means "By the letters of the alphabet, it is

the book where there is no doubt in it..." (Q. 2:1)5

With regard to the third view, the use of letters of the alphabet to indicate Allah's attributes is praised by Ibn Qutaybah as an art of

abbreviating words with letters commonly practised among the Arabs.6 One

of the many examples given by him is the combined letters .

According to the interpretation attributed to Ibn „Abbās, each of these letters

respectively stands for an attribute of Allah, namely, stands for

(Efficient), for (Guiding), for (Wise), for (All-knowing),

and for (truthful).7

Other examples given by Ibn Qutaybah are: , , , and which

stands respectively for (Allah's sign), (Allah's magnificence),

(Allah's beauty), and (Allah's glory); stands for (Gentle)

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and (Exalted), two attributes of Allah.8 It is also reported that

according to Ibn „Abbās is the abbreviation of “Allah, Jibril, and

Muhammad”. Another interpretation attributed to him is that the stands

for (I, Allah, know), stands for (I, Allah, see), and

stands for (I, Allah, decide). This interpretation is chosen by al-

Zajjāj who said that every letter should have a meaning.9

The fourth view is that of al-Kalbī who says that the combination of

letters in means that the Qur‟ān is an efficient, guiding, wise, knowing,

and truthful book ( ).10

. Instead of H.akīm, the

letter y stands for ("His Hand is above their hands") is also

attributed to al-Kalbī.11

However, al-Qurt.ubī states that according to al-

Kalbī, these letters are of Allah's names by which He made His oath.12

Some exegetes whom Ibn Qutaybah does not identify say that ,

, and letter respectively means ("O man"), ("O human

being"), and (the inkwell).13

According to Ibn „Abbās as reported by

„Ikrimah, which is read t.āhā and means is the language of

H.abashah (Abyssinia, Ethiopia), whereas in another report by Sa„īd ibn

Jubayr, also from Ibn „Abbās, it is in the Nabatean language. Similarly,

which is read yā-sīn meaning "O human being" is the language of T.ayy

according to Ibn „Abbās (or H.abashah as reported by Ibn Mardawayh). The

letter which is read nūn is a Persian word meaning ("I do

whatever I want") according to al-D.ah.h.āk as reported by al-Kirmānī.14

Another group of scholars claim that the interpretation of al-h.urūf al-

muqat.t.a„ah is known to Allah alone. „Āmir al-Sha„bī, Sufyān al-Thawrī,

and a group of traditionists are reported to have said that these letters "...are

Allah's secret in the Qur‟ān, and Allah has a secret in each of His Books.

They are included among ambiguous things ( ) known to Allah alone,

which is not to be talked about, but to be believed and read as they are

revealed".15

It is also reported that Abū Bakr and „Alī held the same view,

and Abū ‟l-Layth al-Samarqandī reports that „Umar, „Uthmān, and Ibn Mas„ūd say that the al-h.urūf al-muqat.t.a„ah are among the hidden things

upon which no commentary should be given. Abū H.ātim says that these

letters are found in the opening of some sūrahs, but what Allah means by

243

them is not for us to know. Another scholar, Abū Bakr al-Anbārī, says that

there are letters in the Qur‟ān the meaning of which are hidden from the

whole world as a test from Allah; whoever believes in them will be rewarded and be pleased, and those who disbelieve and doubt them will

become sinful and be far away (from Allah's guidance).16

According to the contemporary scholar Dr. Mus.t.afá Zayd, the most

acceptable view on this subject is that these letters are a symbol of

challenge; with them Allah challenged the Arab idolaters to produce a chapter similar to that of the Qur‟ān by using the same letters of the alphabet

used in the Qur‟ān, if they kept rejecting the Qur‟ān as a revelation from

Him. These fourteen letters are half and representing the whole twenty-eight letters of the alphabet. They are found at the beginning of the sūrahs which

speak about the Qur‟ān, either at the beginning or in the middle of the

respective sūrahs.17

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah does not mention the view of scholars who consider these al-h.urūf al-muqat.t.a„ah to be mysterious and

inexplicable. This is most probably due to his conviction that the ta‟wīl of the mutashābihāt are known by the al-rāsikhūn fī ‟l-„ilm, as mentioned

earlier in the second chapter of this study.

The Orientalists have many different theories about these mysterious

letters. Noldeke's theory which he later abandoned is that they are the names

of the owners of the sheets of the Qur‟ān. He states that stands for al-

Zubayr, stands for al-Mughīrah, stands for T.alh.ah ibn „Ubayd Allāh,

and as well as letter stands for „Abd al-Rah.mān.18

Another Orientalist, Morris Seale, suggests that they are mnemonic

devices as a guide to the contents of the sūrah. For example, in sūrat al-Shu„arā‟ (Poets, Q. 26) and sūrat al-Qas.as. (Story, Q. 28), the first verse in

these two chapters is the combination of letters . These letters stand for

T.ūr Sinā‟ (Mount Sinai) and Mūsá (Moses), the two main subjects of these

sūrahs. In sūrat Maryam (Mary, Q. 19) the first verse is the combination of

letters . These five letters, as suggested by Seale, are introductory

letters to the contents of this chapter: the priest Zacharia (Zakarīyā), the temple, the birth of John (Yah.yá), Jesus son of Mary („Īsá ibn Maryam) and

Abraham as “a man of truth” ) ). Each letter stands for these five

contents. stands for (a priest in the Hebrew sense rather than in Arabic

sense of a soothsayer), referring to Zakarīyā; هـ stands for (a temple,

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although the word mih.rāb is used in this sūrah); ي stands for ; stands

for ; and stands for who was Abraham. Seale admits that this

is only a conjecture.19

James A. Bellamy had another theory. He proposed that these letters "were originally abbreviations of the basmalah, some of which became

corrupt early in the course of transmission". He assumes that since only the

readers of Kūfah who regarded , , and as āyāt (Qur‟ānic

verses) with the exclusion of other groups of letters, whereas the non-Kūfan

readers did not call any of them an āyah (a verse), but rather introductions to the sūrahs

20, they are, like the basmalah, not part of the Qur‟ān. Then to suit

his theory, traditions mentioning these mysterious letters are rejected, and the occurrence of corruption in the Qur‟ān is assumed.

21

In my view, when the non-Kūfan readers did not call these letters āyāt,

but fawātih. suwar, it is because they are not sufficient to make a word to

constitute an āyah, as the minimum requirement for an āyah is one word.

The point of the discussion is whether the possibility of a word, let alone a

letter, can constitute an āyah. Here Ibn al-Munayyar and Abū „Amr al-Dānī

said that there is no word which is itself an āyah in the Qur‟ān except

(Q. 55:64), and that al-Zamakhsharī says that knowing the āyāt is based on

tawqīf (revelation), and there is no room for qiyās (analogy) in it.22

Moreover, when al-Suyūt.ī said that they agreed on as an āyah, but

disagreed on ,23

it does not mean that the latter is not a part of the

Qur‟ān, but rather it is not sufficient to be counted as one āyah.

Bellamy's theory is not plausible, either. He incorrectly developed the

interpretation of Sa„īd ibn Jubayr that these mysterious letters are Allah's

names, such as , and , the combination of which makes (al-

Rah.mān(, one of the names of Allah and His attributes.24

Since only four

out of the nineteen letters of the basmalah do not belong to Allah's names, he builds his theory that these mysterious letters were originally

abbreviations of the basmalah, as mentioned earlier.

Montgomery Watt, after explaining and evaluating various theories of

some Orientalists, such as Hirschfeld, Edward Goossens, Nöldeke and Alan Jones, admitted to the mysterious nature of these letters. He concluded: "We

end where we began; the letters are mysterious, and have so far baffled

interpretation."25

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B. Words which Have Many Different Meanings

This subject is usually treated as one of the branches of the sciences of

tafsīr called al-wujūh wa ‟l-naz.ā‟ir fī ‟l-Qur‟ān, usually translated as

"homonyms and synonyms in the Qur‟ān". Wujūh (sing. wajh, "face",

"meaning", "aspect") are words which agree in wording but differ in

meaning ( ); for example, the word s.alāh in the verse

( :٣) "and are constant in prayer" (Q. 2:3) has a different

meaning from s.alāh in the following verse:

( :٨٧) "Said they: 'O Shu„ayb! Does thy [habit of] praying compel

thee to demand of us that we give up all that our forefathers were wont to worship,..." (Q. 11:87). In the first verse s.alāh means the established and

obligatory prayer, whereas in the second, Shu„ayb's s.alāh means his

religion.26

Naz.ā‟ir (sing. naz.īr, similar, equivalent, matching) are al-alfāz. al-

mushtarikah, namely, words which indicate many different things equally, such as the word „ayn which equally means "eye", "spring" (the place where

water comes out from the ground), "the sun itself", and "letter ". They also

include al-alfāz. al-mutawat.i‟ah (Latin: denoteta; sing. denotatum), namely,

words that indicate many different things with one shared meaning, such as

the word insān (man) which is applied to Zayd, „Umar, etc. Synonymous

words (al-alfāz. al-mutarādifah) are also included in the naz.ā‟ir, such as the

words khamr, rāh., and „aqqār, which all mean one thing, the intoxicant

made from raisins. Wujūh refers to a word with many different meanings,

whereas naz.ā‟ir refers to a word with the same concept but different

wordings.27

This branch of science is very important in studying the Qur‟ān. Abū ‟l-Dardā‟ and Muqātil ibn Sulaymān were reported to have said that a man

would not become a true faqīh until he knew the wujūh in the Qur‟ān.28

Al-

Zarkashī ranked it number four among the forty-seven branches of Qur‟ānic science in his work al-Burhān, whereas al-Suyūt.ī placed it at number thrity-

nine of the eighty branches in his work al-Itqān.

Among the scholars of this branch of science were: Muh.ammad ibn

al-Sā‟ib al-Kalbī (d. 146/763), Muqātil ibn Sulaymān al-Balkhī (d. 150/767), Abū al-„Abbās Muh.ammad ibn Yazīd ibn al-Mubarrad (d. 285/898), Abū

246

Bakr Muh.ammad al-Naqqāsh (d. 351/962), Abū al-Fad.l Bakr ibn

Muh.ammad al-Bukhārī (d. 514/1120-1), Ah.mad ibn Fāris (d. 395/1005),

Abū „Abd Allāh al-H.usayn al-Dāmaghānī (d. 478/1085-6), Abū ‟l-H.asan

„Alī al-Zaghwānī (d. 527/1133), Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) and Abū ‟l-Fad.l

Hubaysh [al-]Tiflīsī (from Tiflis or Tbilisi, the capital of the present

Republic of Georgia; d. 600/1204 or 629/1232).

Ibn Qutaybah mentions forty-four words which have many different meanings or wujūh in his Ta‟wīl. These words and their meanings are as

follows:

1. (decree)

The basic or primary meaning of qad.ā‟ is "finishing something

entirely, either by word or by deed".29

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four

meanings of the verb qad.á which is derived from the mas.dar (verbal noun)

qad.ā‟, as follows:

a. (to decree, to ordain) which is the basic meaning of qad.á, as in

( :٤٢) "... thus, He withholds [from life] those

upon whom He has decreed death,..." (Q. 39:42).30

b. to order, to command), as in ( :٢٣) "For

thy Sustainer has ordered that you shall worship none but Him." (Q. 17:23).

31 This is the view of Ibn „Abbās, al-H.asan, and Qatādah,

according to al-T.abarsī.32

According to Yah.yá ibn Sallām, who

mentions ten meanings of , this term in the above verse means

(entrust, direct, recommend, charge, enjoin).33

This is also the view of

the Mujāhid, based on the variant readings of Ubayy ibn Ka„b, Ibn Mas„ūd and al-D.ah.h.āk.

34

c. (to inform), as in

( :٤) "And We made [this] known to the children of Israel

through revelation: 'Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth

and will indeed become grossly overbearing.‟" (Q. 17:4). This view of Ibn Qutaybah is also that of Abū „Ubaydah, al-Farrā‟, al-T.abarsī, Ibn

Kathīr, al-Suyūt.ī, and Yahyá ibn Sallām, who uses the term , the

synonym of .35

Ibn Qutaybah and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī maintain that

since Allah informed the children of Israel that they would commit

corruption in the future, its occurrence was a decree from Him.36

247

d. (to make, to do), as in ( :١٢) " And He [it is

Who] made them completely seven heavens." (Q. 41:12).37

Then the meaning eveloped and became "to accomplish, to complete, to fulfil".

The dead person is called he has completed his appointed time",

and “he has fulfilled (redeemed) his pledge (by death)." (Q.

33:23).38

2. (guidance)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions five meanings of hudá, as follows:

a. (to guide), which is the basic meaning of hudá , as in

( :٢٢) "... he said [to himself]: 'It may well be that

my Sustainer will [thus] guide me onto the right path!'" (Q. 28:22),39

namely, the road to Madyan.40

b. (to guide by means of explanation), as in

( :١٧) "And as for [the tribe of] Thamūd, We

offered them guidance [by means of explanation], but they chose

blindness in preference to the guidance:..." (Q. 41:17).41

According to

Qatādah fahadaynāhum means "We have explained to them the way to virtue as well as evil," whereas according to Ibn „Abbās, al-Suddī and

Ibn Zayd it means "We have explained to them the truth."42

c. (to guide by means of calling), as in

( :٧) ".... Thou art a warner only; and for every folk a guide." (Q.

13:7, Pickthall).43

The guide meant in this verse is Allah according to Ibn

„Abbās, Sa„īd ibn Jubayr, al-D.ah.h.āk and Mujāhid, whereas according to

Qatādah, al-Zajjāj, Ibn Zayd and Ibn „Abbās in another report, it is a

prophet sent to his people. Another view says that a guide here means

any person who calls people to the truth.44

d. (to guide by means of inspiration), as in

( :٥٠) "He replied: Our Sustainer is He Who gives unto

everything [that exists] its true nature and form, and thereupon guides it."

(Q. 20:50), namely, by means of inspiration.45

Muh.ammad Asad

translates khalqahu as "its true nature and form", and Ibn Qutaybah, giving his commentary on it, said that it means "its form from the

females (of its species)", namely, every creature is created and formed

inside its mother's womb according to her species. The inspiration meant in this verse according to Ibn Qutaybah, Ibn „Abbās, al-Suddī and al-

248

Farrā‟, is the sexual instinct among creatures towards their own

species.46

However, Ibn Qutaybah also mentions another interpretation,

namely, "the inspiration to look for pasture and to avoid danger (

)". This is similar to the view of Tiflīsī and al-Suyūt.ī

when they said that hadá in the above verse means "the inspiration to

look for food".47

The third interpretation is that of Mujāhid, „At.ā‟,

Muqātil, and Yah.yá ibn Sallām which is a combination of the two

previous interpretations.48

In the following verse ( :٣) “and Who determines the

nature [of all that exists], and thereupon guides it [towards its

fulfilment]" (Q. 87:3) the guidance in this verse according to Ibn Qutaybah is the inspiration to approach the females, namely, the sexual

instinct. This is also the view of Muqātil, Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Kalbī,

al-Farrā‟ and Tiflīsī.49

In my view, the meaning of hadá in this type of

Qur‟anīc verse is the natural instinct given to every creature to preserve

its life and species in particular, and to fulfil its nature in general, because it includes both views mentioned above.

e. (to guide by means of doing), as in ( :٥٢)

“... and that Allah does not bless with His guidance the

artful schemes of those who betray their trust." (Q. 12:52). It means that Allah will not make the artful schemes of the betrayers work. Another

interpretation is that it means Allah will not make it proper for them.50

Ibn al-Jawzī mentions twenty-four meanings of hadá in his work

Nuzhah, but mentions fourteen only in his work Qurrah. Yah.yá ibn Sallām,

al-Zarkashī, al-Suyūt.ī, and Tiflīsī mention seventeen meanings, whereas al-

Dāmaghānī and Ibn Qutaybah mention respectively sixteen and four

meanings. Ibn Qutaybah deals with this word very briefly: less than one-fifth of the total number of its meanings.

51

3. (nation, people, community)

Ibn Qutaybah gives us five meanings of ummah as follows:

a. (a category of people, a community), which is

the basic meaning of the term ummah, as in

( :٢١٣) "All mankind were once a single community; [then they

began to differ] whereupon Allah raised up the prophets..." (Q.2:213). According to Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn al-Jawzī, ummah here means millah

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(religion); al-T.abarsī says ummah wāh.idah means „alá millah wāh.idah

(belonging to one religion), whereas al-Zamakhsharī does not interpret

ummah, probably retaining its basic meaning as mentioned above. A

question arises: what religion did people embrace in the above verse? It was the true religion (Islam), according to Ibn „Abbās in one report,

Qatādah, Mujāhid, „Ikrmah and al-D.ah.h.āk; this is the interpretation

chosen by Tiflīsī and Ibn Kathīr. This view is supported with „Abd Allāh

ibn Mas„ūd's - or, according to Ibn Kathīr, Ubayy ibn Ka„b's - variant

reading kāna ‟l-nāsu ummatan wāh.idatan fa‟khtalafū with the addition of

fa‟khtalafū ("then they disagreed"). The other interpretation is that the community in the above verse followed disbelief; this is the interpretation

of Ibn „Abbās in another report and also that of al-H.asan. This is also the

view of Ibn Qutaybah and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī when they say that

ummah wāh.idah means s.infan wāh.idan fī ‟l-d.alāl ("a kind of people in

error").52

b. (a period of time), as in ( :٤٥) "... and he [suddenly]

remembered [Joseph] after a (long) period of time..." (Q. 12:45).53

This period was said to have been seven years.

54 This is the interpretation of

Ibn „Abbās, al-H.asan, Mujāhid, and Qatādah.55

This period of time can

mean "years", as in ( :٨) “And if We

defer their suffering until a reckoned period of time..." (Q. 11:8). It

means reckoned years.56

According to Ibn „Abbās, the term ummah

meaning “years” in the above verse is the language of Azdshanū‟ah, one of the four branches of Azd, an ancient Arab tribe living in Yemen.

57

Tiflīsī shares Ibn Qutaybah's view on the two verses above.58

Ibn al-

Jawzī, however, says that the word ummah in the above verses means "a period of time" which is contrary to the view of al-Dāmaghānī who says

that it means in both verses "years."59

However, a variant reading

attributed to Ibn „Abbās, „Ikrīmah and al-D.ah.h.āk is ba„da amahin and

ba„da amhin, meaning "after forgetting" ( ).60

According to Ibn

„Abbās, the term ummah meaning nisyān (“forgetting”) in the above

verse is the language of Tamīm and Qays (ibn) „Aylān.61

c. (leader, chief, head and commander), as in

( :١٢٠) “Verily, Abraham was a leader, obedient to Allah,..." (Q.

16:120). This is the view of Ibn Qutaybah and Abū „Ubaydah as well as

Qatādah according to Yah.yá ibn Sallām.62

This is also the language of

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the Quraysh, according to Ibn „Abbās.

63 It means people followed his

examples. Prophet Abraham was referred to as ummah because he and

the people who followed him constituted a community, so that he was the founder of that ummah. It is also said that he was called an ummah

because he possessed the good qualities of an ummah. He was an ummah

himself, as he represented an ummah.64

He was the only believer when other people disbelieved; therefore he was an ummah, and this is the view

of Mujāhid. Another view is that he was an ummah because he was an

example and a teacher to the people.65

According to Ibn Mas„ūd and Ibn „Umar the term ummah means respectively "the

person who teaches good things" ( ) and "the person who teaches people their

religion" ( ).66

d. Despite the difference of interpretations, they all complement each other and serve to broaden the meaning of the verse.

e. (a group of „ulamā‟), as in (

:١٠٤) "And that there might grow out of you a group of „ulamā‟

who teach all that is good..." (Q. 3:104). They are, according to al-Rāghib

al-As.bahānī, a group of selected people with knowledge and good work

who become examples for others.67

There are two different views concerning meaning of the particle min in this verse: (1) lil-tab„īd. (a

partition min), namely, "some", so that the verse means that some of the

Muslims should establish a group of „ulamā‟ to teach people virtuous

deeds, as this duty is fard. kifāyah, a duty that should be carried out by a

group of Muslims only, in this case, the „ulamā‟. This is the view of Ibn

Qutaybah and al-Qurt.ubī;68

(2) lil-tabyīn (an explanatory min), so that

the verse means "an ummah inviting unto all that is good might grow out of you". In other words, "be an ummah that invite unto all that is good".

69

f. (the religion), as in ( :

٢٣) "... Behold, we found our forefathers following one religion, and, verily, it is but in their footsteps that we follow!" (Q. 43:23).

70 Abū

„Ubaydah interprets as ("following one religion and

uprightness").71

Al-Farrā„ and al-Zamakhsharī give also the variant

reading immah beside ummah. According to al-Farrā‟, ummah is the reading of the qurrā‟ except Mujāhid, as well as „Umar ibn „Abd al-

„Azīz who read immah.72

Al-Zamakhsharī states that both ummah and

immah come from the root amma ("to intend"). Ummah means "the intended way", while immah means "the condition of the person who has

251

the intention". Al-Zamakhsharī also gives us another interpretation of the

term „alá ummah, namely, ("in good living and good

condition").73

The expression fulān lā ummata lahu means "So-and-so

has no religion."74

As a shāhid from poetry Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of al-Nābighah in which ummah means religion, as follows:

*

“I have sworn so that I would not leave any doubt in your

mind; will the person who has a religion verily commit a sin

while he [at the same time] is obeying [his religion]?”75

According to Ibn Fāris, instead of ummah, it should be read immah to mean

"a religion" in this poem, for ummah here means "a dominating tradition."76

A similar expression is wa hal yastawī dhū ummah wa kafūr, meaning "And

are one who has religion and one who is an infidel equal?"77

Originally, ummah was said of a group of people belonging to one

religion, then later on was meant the religion itself, as in ( :٥٢)

“And verily, this religion of yours is one religion ...” (Q.

23:52).78

This is also the interpretation of al-H.asan, Ibn Jurayj, Yah.yá ibn

Sallām and Ibn Kathīr.79

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah mentions five meanings of ummah.

Ibn al-Jawzī also mentions five, while Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Dāmaghānī and

Tiflīsī mention nine, but they do not include "a group of „ulamā‟" as one of

its wujūh.

4. (covenant)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions six meanings of „ahd, as follows:

a. (assurance of security, safety, peace, protection) as in

( :٤) "...observe, then, your security with them until the

end of the term agreed with them..." (Q. 9:4).80

According to Tiflīsī the

meaning of „ahd in this verse is amānah (loyalty),81

whereas according to al-Suyūt.ī it means mīthāq (agreement, covenant).

82

b. (oath, promise) as in "and fulfil your oath

with Allah when you make the oath," as the verse continues with

( :٩١) "... and do not break [your] oaths after having

[freely] confirmed them..." (Q. 16:91).83

c. (injunction, instruction, advice), as in

252

( :٦٠) "Did I not enjoin you, O you children of Adam, that you

should not worship Satan..." (Q. 36:60).84

d. (protection of honour), as in the h.adīth

"Verily, the protection of honour is a part of faith."85

e. (time) as in the expression ("That happened in the

time of So-and-so").86

f. (agreement, covenant), as in

( :١٢٤) "... He said: 'Behold, I shall make thee a leader

of men.' Abraham asked: 'And [wilt Thou make leaders] of my offspring

as well?' [Allah] answered: 'My covenant does not embrace the

evildoers.'" (Q. 2:124). It means that wrong doers among his descendants will be excluded from Allah's covenant

87 or, according to Mujāhid and

Ibn al-Jawzī, will be excluded from the leadership and prophethood

respectively.88

Ibn al-Jawzī mentions seven meanings of the term „ahd in his work Nuzhah, whereas Ibn Qutaybah, al-Dāmaghānī, and al-Tiflīsī mentions

six meanings in their respective works. Two meanings given by Ibn Qutaybah, namely, al-h.ifāz. and al-zamān, both without any example

from the Qur‟ān, are not included by any of the writers mentioned above.

5. (pact, covenant; blood relationship, nearness with respect to

kindred)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of ill, as follows:

a. (ilāh, Allah), as in ( :١٠) "They respect

neither Allah nor protective obligation with regard to a believer..." (Q.

9:10). Instead of "tie" and "pact" as translated respectively by Asad and

Pickthall, the term ill here means Allah, according to Ibn Qutaybah, based on Mujāhid's interpretation. Ibn Qutaybah says that the word "ill"

in "Jibrīl" - which can be read "Jibra Ill" - means "Allah".89

Al-Rāghib

al-As.bahānī, however, rejects the idea that ill or iyl is the name of

Allah.90

Lane mentions "lordship" (rubūbīyah) as one of the meanings of the term ill.

91 According to Ibn „Abbās the term ill in the above verse is

qarābah (kinship, relationship) in the language of the Quraysh.92

Speaking of the term jabr as being among the ad.dād, al-Anbārī

says that the term means a king (malik) as well as a servant („abd), and

the word "Jabra‟il" means "„Abd Allāh" (the servant of Allah); jabr

means "servant", and il or ill means al-rubūbiyyah (the lordship). He

253

says that "Jibra Ill" is the reading of Ibn Ya„mar. On the other hand, the

term ill in the verse in question means Allah according to "some

commentators". When the Muslims who were fighting Musaylimah read to Abū Bakr some verses of what Musaylimah claimed to be a revealed

book, Abū Bakr said, "Verily, this is not a word which comes from God

(Allah)" ( ).93

In other versions Abū Bakr said: "It is

indeed a statement which does not come from lordship (God)" (

),94

and "This would not have come from Allah" (

).95

According to Ibn Jinnī the word Allāh in the Nabatean language is

ill.96

b. (kinship, relationship), as in the poem of H.assān ibn Thābit, as

follows: * "By thy life! Verily,

thy kinship with the Quraysh tribe is like the kinship of the young camel with the young of the ostrich." This meaning of the term ill is a good one

(wajh h.asan) for that term in the above verse.97

Ibn al-Anbārī also

mentions the other meanings of ill in the above verse, namely, kinship

(qarābah), and treaty (h.ilf), whereas dhimmah in the above verse means

covenant („ahd).98

c. (covenant, treaty, pact), as in the above verse which is the view of

Abū „Ubaydah.99

Both Ibn Qutaybah and Ibn al-Anbārī mention the three meanings of the

term ill in the Qur‟ān in their respective works; the former in his dealing with the term ill itself, while the latter when dealing with the term jabr as

having two opposite meanings. However, the latter gives us more details

of it. Al-Zamakhsharī also dealt with the term. However, al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Tiflīsī and al-Qurtubī did not include this term in their

works.100

6. (obedience)

The basic meaning of qunūt is "obedience", then the meaning

developed into "standing in prayer". The most common meaning of qunūt in Arabic language is the du„ā‟ (supplication) to Allah while standing.

However, the term is also applicable to any other act of obedience, even the

nīyah (intention) of doing it.101

This is also the view of Ibn Qutaybah who confirms that the basic meaning of qunūt is "obedience to Allah"; other

meanings, such as "prayer", "standing in prayer", and "supplication" are

derived from it.102

According to al-Tabarsī, the term also means "the

254

continuance of doing a particluar thing" ( ).103

Ibn Qutaybah mentions five meanings of qunūt, as follows:

a. (standing). The prayer is called qunūt because it is performed while

standing. When the Prophet was asked: "What is the most excellent

characteristic of the act of prayer?", he answered: "the long

continuance of the standing (in prayer)".104

The example from the Qur‟ān

is ( : ٩) "Or [dost

thou deem thyself equal to] one who stands [in prayer] throughout the night, prostrating himself or standing, ever-mindful of the life to come,

and hoping for his Sustainer's grace?" (Q. 39:9).105

According to some commentators, this verse also indicates that the qunūt

means not only standing in the prayer, but also the khushū„ (submissiveness) in it.

106 Ibn Qutaybah also cites a h.adīth stating that

the similarity of the mujāhid (the person who strives in the path of Allah)

is like a person who performs prayer while fasting (

).107

The h.adīth was reported by Muslim and Ah.mad on

the authority of Abū Hurayrah.

b. (supplication), since it is cited while one is standing in prayer

before or after bowing (ruku‟). No example from the Qur‟ān is given.

c. (restraint from talking while standing in prayer), except

from reciting the verses of the Qur‟ān. Zayd ibn Arqam was reported to

have said: "We used to talk while we were [standing] in prayer until it

was revealed ( :٢٣٨) „... and stand before Allah [in

prayer] restraining from talking'." (Q. 2:238).108

This is also the view of

Mujāhid when he says that qānitīn in this verse means being at a

standstill and refraining hands and sight from wandering.109

However, it is also possible that qānitīn in this verse means "obeying"; this is also the

view of al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Suyūt.ī.110

d. (the affirmation of one's serfdom), as in

( :٢٦) "For, unto Him belongs every being that is in the

heavens and on earth; all things affirm their serfdom to Him." (Q.

30:26).111

e. (obedience), as in ( :٣٥) "... And the obedient

men and the obedient women..." (Q. 33:35, Lane).112

Al-T.abarsī

255

mentions two meanings of and in the said verse, i.e., "the men

who keep on doing good deeds", and "the women who keep on doing good deeds," and "the men who supplicate" and "the women who

supplicate."113

These five meanings of qunūt are also mentioned by al-Suyūt.ī.

114

7. (recompense)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of dīn, as follows:

a. (recompense), as in ( :٤) "Lord of the Day of

Recompense [and of Punishment (al-qas.as.)]. (Q. 1:4)115

The Arabs say

meaning "you will be rewarded (compensated) according to

your deed" or "people will do to you as you do to them".116

b. (supreme authority and power), as the Arabs say

"I conquered the people, I subdue them, so they submitted."

Therefore, the verse ( :١٩٣) and ( :

٣٩) , respectively means "and the supreme authority belongs to Allah" (Q.

2:193), and "the whole supreme authority belongs to Allah" (Q. 8:39).117

Ibn Kathīr and al-Zamakhsharī, however, mention "the religion of

Islam" as the meaning of dīn in the above verse, whereas al-T.abarsī

gives "obedience".118

c. (obedience), as in ( ) "... and [they] do not

follow the religion of truth" (Q. 9:29) which means, according to Ibn

Qutaybah, Abū „Ubaydah, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī, "[they] do not obey

[Allah] with true obedience" ( [ ] ) 119

d. (reckoning), as in ( :٣٦) "... that is the right

reckoning." (Q. 9:36) 120

It means that the four sacred months -

Muh.arram, Rajab, Dhū ‟l-Qa„dah and Dhū ‟l-H.ijjah during which

warfare was prohibited in pre-Islamic Arabia - in one year is the right

reckoning. However, al-Zamakhsharī's interpretation of the term dīn is "religion", so the above verse means that the sacredness of the four

months is the upright religion, the religion of Abraham and Ishmael.121

With regard to the term dāna in the following h.adīth,

Lane mentions three various

interpretations, as follows: "The intelligent is he who (1) abases, and

enslaves himself, (2) who reckons himself, or (3) who overcomes

256

himself, and works for that which shall be after death."

122

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of dīn, whereas al-Dāmaghānī as

well as al-Suyūt.ī, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī mention five, six and ten

respectively. With the exception of Ibn Qutaybah, they mention the term

dīn in the Qur‟ān which means "religion" - (millah) according to al-

Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī, dīn al-islām bi„aynih (the religion of Islam

itself) according to al-Tiflīsī - among which is as follows:

( :٥) "... and to establish worship and to pay the

poor-due. That is the true religion." (Q. 98:5). 123

Ibn Qutaybah does not deal with dīn which means religion here probably because it is easy to

identify, such as in the verse ( :١٩) "Lo!

religion with Allah (is) Islam" (Q. 3: 19).

8. (master, client, kinsfolk)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions six meanings of mawlá as follows:

a. (al-mu„tiq, manumitter of slaves). No example is given by Ibn

Qutaybah.

b. (al-mu„taq, client, freed slave). No example is given by Ibn

Qutaybah, but Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī give us the following example:

( :٥) “....And if you know not

who their fathers were, [call them] your brethren in faith and your

clients." (Q. 33:5).124

c. (man's paternal relative, kinsman), as in

( :٥) "Now, behold, I am afraid of [what] my kinsfolk [will do] after I

am gone,..." (Q.19:5, Asad).125

Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn al-Anbārī

interpret mawālī in this verse as "paternal cousins" ( ), whereas al-

Tiflīsī inteprets it as "inheritors" ( ).126

d. (guardian, patron, protector), whether a relative or not.The example

of the relative mawlá is the Prophet's following statement:

“Any woman who marries without the consent of her

guardian her marriage is void." 127

The example of the non-relative

mawlá is as follows ( :١١)

“This, because God is the Protector of all who have attained to faith,

whereas they who deny the truth have no protector." (Q. 47:11, Asad).128

257

According to al-Dāmaghānī and al-Dāmaghānī the term mawlá in this

verse means rabb (Master, Lord).129

The example of the mawlá who is

either a relative or not, is as follows: :٤١)

"The Day when no guardian shall be of the least avail to his friend,..." (Q. 44:41), namely, according to Ibn Qutaybah's interpretation, the day when

the help of a guardian, whether he is a relative or not, is of no avail.130

e. (ally), as in the poem of al-Nābighah al-Ja„dī when he said:

"(They are) mawālī of alliance, not of kinship," namely,

they are allies and not kinsfolk or, according to Ibn Manz.ūr, paternal

cousins.131

f. (have a higher claim, more entitled to), as in

( :٦) "The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than

[they have on] their own selves,..." (Q. 33:6, Asad). It means that the

Prophet is more entitled to be obeyed by the believers than they are by their own selves.

132

According to al-Farrā‟, the above verse was revealed to disprove

the practice of Muslims in making brotherhood among themselves, so

that they can inherit from each other, like natural brothers, instead of giving the inheritance to their relatives and families. Therefore, it was

revealed that the Prophet is closer to them than themselves, and yet, they

cannot inherit from him, let alone inherit from their adopted brothers.133

In another report it is said that when the Prophet ordered people to join

him in the campaign of Tabūk, a group of people said that they would

first ask their parents' permission; then the above verse was revealed.134

The term mawlá, as we have seen, belongs to the category of ad.dād. It means "the person who frees a slave" as well as "the freed

slave". It has many other meanings in the Qur‟ān. Ibn Qutaybah and

Tiflīsī mention six meanings of mawlá, while Ibn al-Anbārī and al-

Suyūt.ī mentions nine and eight meanings respectively. Al-Dāmaghānī, in

dealing with the term walī gives us five meanings of each walī and

mawlá, while Ibn al-Jawzī does not mention this term in his works Nuzhah and Qurrah .

135

9. (straying)

The basic meaning of d.alāl is "straying" which is the opposite of

"guidance".136

Ibn Qutaybah cites three meanings of d.alāl, as follows:

a. (confusion and abandoning the truth or losing or

258

straying from the right way),137

as in ( :٧) "And

found thee lost on thy way, and guided thee?" (Q. 93:7, Asad).138

Ibn al-Jawzī mentions two different meanings of the term d.alāl

in the above verse: "forgetting", which is the view of Tha„lab, and "straying", upon which five interpretations are given: (a) the Prophet's

straying from the characteristics of prophethood ) ), which is the

view of al-H.asan and al-D.ah.h.āk; (b) his straying at the mountain paths

of Makkah when he was a small boy, and Allah brought him back to his

grand-father „Abd al-Mut.t.alib, which is the view of Ibn „Abbās; (c) his

straying when the the halter (nose rope) of his camel which was carrying

Khadījah's goods to Syria was taken one day by Iblis and led astray, then Jibrīl came to rescue and led it back to the caravan, which is the view of

Sa„īd ibn al-Musayyab; (d) his being among straying people, and Allah

guided him, which is the view of Ibn al-Sā‟ib, al-Farrā‟, and al-Kisā‟ī; and (e) his being undistinguished and unknown, and Allah guided

people to him, so that they knew him well, and this is the view of „Abd

al-„Azīz ibn Yah.yá and Muh.ammad ibn „Alī al-Tirmidhī. 139

b. (forgetfulness), as in

( :٢٨٢) "And if two men are not

available, then a man and two women from among such as are acceptable to you as witnesses, so that if one of them should forget, the other could

remind her." (Q. 2:282). This interpretation is according to that of Ibn

Qutaybah, Yah.yá ibn Sallām, Abū „Ubaydah and al-Farrā‟.140

c. (annihilation and voidness), as in

( :١٠) "And they say: 'What! After we have been annihilated

and become united with the earth, shall we indeed be [restored to life] in a

new act of creation?'" (Q. 32:10).141

Similar interpretations are also given

by Abū „Ubaydah, al-Farrā‟, Ibn Kathīr, al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī.

142

As we have seen Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings only of d.alāl.

Tiflīsī, al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī mention respectively seven, eight and

ten meanings, among which are jahl (ignorance) and khusrān (loss).143

10. (leader)

Four meanings of imām are cited by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (the person whose example you follow), which is the basic

259

meaning of imām, as in ( :١٢٤) "He said:

'Behold, I shall make thee a leader of men.'" (Q. 2:124, Asad).144

b. (the book recording the deeds of mankind in this world), as in

( :٧١) "On the day We shall summon all men

with their record [namely, the book containing the records of their deeds],

..." (Q. 17:71, Pickthall).145

Al-T.abarsī mentions five interpretations of

the term imām in the said verse: (1) of Ibn „Abbās according to one report, al-H.asan and Abū al-„Āliyah, as mentioned above; (2) of Ibn

Zayd and al-D.ah.h.āk, the revealed book, i.e., it will be called "O people

of the Qur‟ān, O people of the Torah..." (3) of Mujāhid and Qatādah, the prophet of people, i.e., it will be proclaimed "Bring forth the followers of

Abraham, the followers of Moses, and of Muh.ammad;" they will come

forward and will take their books in their right hands; then it will be

summoned: "Bring forward the followers of Satan and misguiding leaders"; this is another interpretation of Ibn „Abbās as reported by Sa„īd

ibn Jubayr; (4) of al-Jubbā‟ī and Abū „Ubaydah, the „ulamā‟ and leaders

followed by people;146

and (5) of Muh.ammad ibn Ka„b, who mistook

imām for ummahāt ("mothers") as plural for umm ("a mother").147

c. (The Preserved Tablet), as in

"... for all things do We take account in a clear Preserved Tablet." (Q.

36:12).148

d. (the way), as in "... and behold, both these

[sinful communities] are on a clear way" (Q. 15:79) which is the

interpretation of Yah.yá ibn Sallām, Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, al-H.asan,

Qatādah, al-Farrā‟, Ibn Qutaybah and al-Zamakhsharī.149

However, the term imām in this verse also means kitāb (record) in the Quraysh

language according to Ibn „Abbās.150

Abū „Ubaydah's interpretation of

the term imām in this verse is that it is anything we follow and through which we are guided.

151

11. (prayer)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings for s.alāh, as follows:

a. (supplication, prayer) as in

"..., and pray for them: behold, thy prayer will be [a source of] comfort to

them...." (Q. 9:103, Asad).152

b. (blessing and forgiveness), as in

260

"Verily, Allah and His angels bless and forgive the Prophet

[namely, the angels ask Allah blessings and forgiveness on him] ..." (Q. 33:56).

153 Instead of al-maghfirah, al-Suyūt.ī mentions al-istighfār.

154 .

Both al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī mention the meaning of s.alāh as

al-maghfirah wa ‟l-istighfār, namely, forgiveness from Allah, and

asking forgiveness from His angels and men. 155

Al-Zamakhsharī

mentions al-rah.mah wa ‟l-ra‟fah (mercy) as the meaning of al-s.alāh in

the above verse.156

According to Tiflīsī, the expression means

("they greet him").157

S.alāh from Allah is His mercy to the Prophet,

whereas from the angels is du„ā‟ and istighfār for him.158

c. (religion), as in ( : ) "Said

they: O Shu„ayb! Does thy religion compel thee to demand of us that we

give up all that our forefathers were wont to worship,...?" (Q. 11:87).159

This is the interpretation of al-H.asan, „At.ā‟ and Abū Muslim. However,

s.alāh in the said verse can also mean the established prayer itself, and

this is the view of Ibn „Abbās.160

Prophet Shu„ayb was said to perform

prayers very often. While praying, his people winked at each other and laughed. They asked him sarcastically whether his prayers were the

motive for asking them to abandon their idols which had been

worshipped by their ancestors.161

Ibn Qutaybah does not give us the other meanings of s.alāh, such as

the five daily prayers (Q. 2:3), the congregational Friday prayer (Q. 62:9),

the reading in the prayer (Q. 17:110), and the funeral prayer (Q. 9:84), probably because they are easily identified in their respective verses.

12. (writing, the act of writing)

According to Ibn al-Jawzī, the basic meaning of kitāb is jam„ (collecting), since

the writer (al-kātib) collects letters when he writes.162

Ibn Qutaybah mentions us

five meanings of kitāb as follows:

a. (what was written by Allah in the Preserved Tablet). This

is, according to Ibn Qutaybah, the basic meaning of the term kitāb, but

no example is given.163

The example of the term kitāb meaning al-Lawh.

al-Mah.fūz. mentioned by Tiflīsī is as follows:

261

“The Prophet is clolser to the Believers than in their own“

selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood relations among

each other have closer personal tie , in the Decree of God [i.e.,

al-Lawh. al-Mah.fūz.], than (the brotherhood of) Believers

and Muhajirs: nevertheless you do what is just to your

closest friends: such is the writing in the decree

(of God) [i.e., al-Lawh. al-Mah.fūz.].”

(A. 33:6, Ali)

Al-Dāmaghānī mentions other verses, namely,

“No misfortune can happen on earth in your souls but is

recorded in a decree [i.e., al-Lawh. al-Mah.fūz.] before We

bring it into ixistence: that is truly easy for God.”

(Q. 57:22, Ali)

“We already know how much of therm the erth takes away;

Wit Us a Recording guarding (the full account)

[i.e., al-Lawh. al-Mah.fūz.].”

(Q. 50:4)164

b. (divine decree), as in "Allah has

divinely decreed: I verily shall prevail, I and My messengers!..." (Q.

58:21).165

Beside qad.ā‟ al-T.abarsī also mentions the other meaning of

kitāb, namely "what was written by Allah in the Preserved Tablet".166

Al-

Zamakhsharī gives the last meaning only.167

c. (divine prescript) as in ي

"O you who believe! Retribution is prescribed for you in cases of

killing..."(Q. 2:178).168

Al-T.abarsī also mentions the second

interpretation, namely, "it has been prescribed in the Preserved Tablet as

an injuction for you".169

d. (make), as in "[As for the true

believers], it is they in whose hearts He has made faith ..." (Q. 58:22).170

Both al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī mention athbata and thabbata, both

meaning "to affirm" for the meaning of kataba in the above verse.171

262

e. (command), as in "O

my people! Enter the holy land which Allah has ordained for you..." (Q. 5:21). This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn

Kathīr.172

Instead of "hath ordained for you" or "has promised you" as translated by Pickthall and Asad respectively, Ibn Qutaybah says that

kataba‟llāhu lakum means "Allah has ordered you to enter" 173

which is the interpretation of Qatādah and al-Suddī.174

Ibn

Qutaybah also gives another meaning of kataba in this verse, namely, "make" so that the verse means "enter the land which has been made for

the descendants of Abraham"

.175

This interpretation is similar to that of Ibn „Abbās above.

The third interpretation, however, says that the term kataba in this verse

means "it has been ordained in the Preserved Tablet that it is for you”

.176

However, according to al-Rāghib al-

As.banānī, the holy land was given to them on the condition that they

entered therein.177

Ibn Qutaybah and Tiflīsī mention five, while Yah.yá ibn Sallām gives

four meanings of the term kitāb. Ibn al-Jawzī cites eleven meanings,

whereas al-Dāmaghānī lists ten meanings of this term. This great number is the result of their including the term kitāb to mean "what is written", so that

it includes the Qur‟ān, as well as the Torah and the Bible.

13. (reason, motive, means) and (rope)

Sabab, as mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, has four meanings as follows:

a. (rope) which is its basic meaning.178

b. The connection or motive by which one achieves or reaches something,

as in ("So-and-so is the motive for my coming to you")

meaning "So-and-so has brought me to you” , and the

expression ("There is no relationship between you and me,

neither blood relationship nor spiritual one"). In other words, "there is nothing that can bring us together" (namely, "we have nothing to do with

each other"). Originally, sabab signifies "a dry rope let down (or made to

descend) from above", "a rope of which one end is attached to a roof or a ceiling or the like", or "a strong and long rope by means of which one

ascends (such as palm trees) or descends (such as the access to water)".179

From this meaning, another meaning appears, as follows:

263

c. (way, means), because by following it one will reach one's goal,

as in "And so he chose the right means [in whatever

he did]." (Q. 18:85, Asad).180

d. (the door, the gate), because through it one reaches a certain place,

as in و

"And Pharaoh said: O Haman! Build me a lofty

tower that I may reach the doors, the doors of the heavens, and that [thus]

I may have a look at the God of Moses: for, behold, I am indeed certain

that he is a liar." (Q. 40:36-37).181

However, Al-T.abarsī, cites three interpretations of the term asbāb

in the said verse: "the roads from one heaven to another" according to al-Suddī, "the doors of the roads of heavens" according to Qatādah, an Al-

T.abarsī, and "the stopping places in the heavens" ,

according to Ibn „Abbās.182

Lane gives usthe meanings of asbāb here as

"the places of ascent", "the tracks", "the regions" and "the gates" of

heavens.183

As a shāhid Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of Zuhayr as follows:

*

“Whoever fears the door of fate of death he will get it, even

if he should get to the doors of heaven with a ladder.”

It means that whoever fears death will meet it soon.184

Ibn Qutaybah, having in his mind of the basic meaning of h.abl as "a

means to reach an end", mentions two meanings of it, as follows:

a. (Allah's covenant and His Book), as in

"And hold fast, all of you together, unto Allah's

covenant and His Book [namely, the Qur‟ān which is the link for the

Muslims to reach Him and Paradise], and do not draw apart from one another...." (Q. 3:103).

185

However, al-Zamakhsharī mentions "the covenant" only,186

whereas

according to Ibn Mas„ūd the term h.abl Allāh in the verse means "the

Qur‟ān"187

which is also the view of Mujāhid and Qatādah;188

it is said

that it is also the view of al-Suddī, while according to Ibn „Abbās and Abū Zayd it means "the religion of Allah", namely, Islam.

189

b. )peace, security, safety, protection), as in

264

("Overshadowed by ignominy are

they wherever they may be, save [when they bind themselves again] with protection from Allah and peace from men." (Q. 3:112).

190 As a shāhid

from poetry, Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of al-A„shá as follows:

*

“And when the (assurance of) safety from a tribe permits them

[namely, the camels or the caravan] to pass [the territory belonging

to that tribe], they also took permission from other tribes [and

brought it] to you [to pass their territories safely].”191

In the past, the caravan's route may have crossed the territories of several

tribes. It was necessary for them to obtain from each an assurance of safe conduct which often involved payment of money.

192

14. (wrongdoing)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings for z.ulm as follows:

a. (Putting something not in its proper place), namely,

wrong doing. This is the basic meaning of z.ulm. The Arabic expression

(lit., "a wronged piece of land") means "a piece of land dug in

the wrong place", and the expression means "keep on the

track, and do not deviate from it".193

No example from the Qur‟ān is

given here by Ibn Qutaybah, either in his work Ta‟wīl or in his work

Tafsīr.194

b. (polytheism, idolatory), as in

"Those who believe and who have not obscured

their belief by polytheism, theirs is safety; and they are rightly guided."

(Q. 6:82).195

This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Sa„īd ibn al-Musayyab, Qatādah, Mujāhid and the majority of commentators. When

the above verse was revealed the Prophet's companions felt uneasy and

asked the Prophet: "Which of us has never obscured his belief by wrongdoing?" The Prophet said: "It is not what you think it means. Have

you ever heard of what the pious servant (meaning Luqman) said:

) 'O my dear son! Do not ascribe

partners unto Allah. For, behold, to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a

tremendous wrong doing.'" (Q. 31:13).196

Al-Zamakhsharī, however, insists on interpreting z.ulm in this verse as

ma„s.iyah (disobedience), and rejects kufr (disbelief), because of the

265

keyword labs (obscurity); in his view, kufr cannot make faith obscure,

but ma„s.iyah can.197

c. (reduction, loss, detriment, imperfection, blemish). The

expression means "I reduce your right." The example from the

Qur‟ān is as follows: "Each of

the two gardens yielded its produce, and made not aught thereof to suffer

loss..." (Q. 18:33).198

d. (denial, disbelief), as in

"whereas those whose weight is light in the balance

- it is they who will have squandered their own selves by their wilful

denial of Our messages." (Q. 7:9).199

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings for z.ulm.

Yah.yá ibn Sallām, Ibn al-Jawzī, Tiflīsī, and al-Dāmaghānī mention

respectively five, six, seven, and nine meanings, among which is al-sariqah

(stealing). This meaning was not mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah in his Ta‟wīl.

One of the examples in the Qur‟ān is the following:

“[The brother] replied: 'Its requital? He in

whose camel-pack [the cup] is found - he shall be [enslaved as] a requital thereof! Thus do we [ourselves] requite the thieves.'" (Q. 12:75).

200

It had been among the laws of Prophet Abraham to hand over the thief

to the victim of the theft, and that was the rule that Prophet Joseph wanted

to be applied.201

15. (test, trial, affliction)

Ibn Qutaybah states that the basic meaning of balā‟ is "a test", either

for good or for bad things. It has two meanings: balā‟ meaning a test and blessing. The root of the term meaning a test is balā yablū balwan (in Ibn

Qutaybah's example, , and the noun is balā‟). For good things it is

said ablá yublī iblā‟an and for bad things it is said balā yablū

balā‟an .202

According to al-Sharīf al-Murtad.á,however, (instead of ), ,

as well as are used for good things, whereas for bad things , and

(bilan) are commonly used. In other words, although is used for both

good and bad things, it is more frequently used for good things, whereas for

266

bad things (bilan) is more frequently used among the Arabs.203

The examples given by Ibn Qutaybah from the verses of the Qur‟ān are as follows:

a. (trial, test) as in “For, behold, all

this way indeed a trial, clear in itself" (Q. 37:106), namely, the injunction to sacrifice his (Prophet Abraham's) son is a test for him.

204 The test can

be for either good or bad things. Allah says:

“... and We try you with evil and with good for ordeal" (Q. 21:35,

Pickthall), namely, We test you with evil to see your patience, and with good to see your gratitude.

205 They are, according to Ibn „Abbās, poverty

and richness, sorrow and happiness, and comfort and hardship; or,

according to Ibn Zayd, what you like, dislike and fail to do, so that you will become patient of what you dislike and thankful of what you like .

b. (blessing), as in

“And [remember the time]

when We saved you from Pharaoh's people, who afflicted you with cruel suffering, slaughtering your sons and sparing [only] your women: That

was a tremendous blessing from your Sustainer." (Q. 2:49).206

Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī interpret balā‟ for both good and bad

things: the good thing was that the children of Israel were delivered from

Pharaoh's folk, and the bad thing was that the Pharaoh's folk afflicted

them with dread torment as mentioned in the above verse.207

16. (punishment, a conduct that leads to punishment) and

(dirt, filth)

Al-rijz, according to Ibn Qutaybah, Tiflīsī, and Ibn al-Jawzī has three

meanings in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (punishment), as in ( “.... If

thou remove this punishment from us, we will truly believe in thee,..." (Q.

7:134).208

According to Ibn „Abbās, the word meaning (punishment)

is the language of the Hudhayl (or T.ayy).209

b. (the trick of Satan), since it leads to punishment, as in

"... and free you from the trick of Satan..." (Q.

8:11).210

According to Ibn „Abbās, in this verse means

267

(the scare of Satan) in the language of the Quraysh.211

c. (idols), since they also lead to Allah's punishment, as in

“And idols shun" (Q. 74:5).212

This is the interpretation of

Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, Qatādah, and al-Zuhrī. Al-H.asan's interpretation is

"avoid disobedience", whereas al-Kisā‟ī makes a distinction between al-

rijz meaning "punishment" and al-rujz meaning "idols".213

However, Ibn

Qutaybah states that since the term rujz also means "punishment", the verse means "avoid idolatory because it leads to punishment". This

interpretation is similar to that of al-Zamakhsharī.214

Al-rijs means al-natn (decay).215

This basic meaning developed into

kufr (disbelief) and nifāq (hypocrisy), as in

"But as for those in whose hearts is disease,

each new message but adds another [element of] disbelief to the disbelief

which they already harbour, and they die while [still] refusing to acknowledge the truth." (Q. 9:125, Asad).

216

17. (test, trial, ordeal)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions eight meanings of the term fitnah, as follows:

a. (test), as in the Arabic expression (I tested the gold

in fire). The example in the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"Yea, indeed, We did test those who lived before them;..." (Q.

29:3, Asad).217

b. (persecution), as in

“Now there is among men many a one who says [of himself

and of others like him], 'We do believe in God' - but whenever he is made

to suffer in Allah's cause, he thinks that persecution at the hands of man is as [much to be feared, or even more than] Allah's chastisement;.." (Q.

29:10, Asad).218

c. (persecution by fire), as in

“Verily, as for those who persecute

by fire believing men and believing women, and thereafter do not repent,

hell's suffering awaits them: yea, suffering through fire awaits them!" (Q.

85:10).219

This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Qatādah and al-D.ah.h.āk.

220 According to Ibn Kathīr, this is also the interpretation of

Mujāhid.221

268

d. (turning someone away from the truth and making someone

make an error), as in "... and

beware of them, lest they tempt thee away from aught that God has bestowed from on high upon thee...." (Q. 5:49, Asad).

222

Both Abū „Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī give the interpretation of

in the above verse as (to deviate you from it and

make you commit error).223

e. (polytheism, idolatry), as in "… for

polytheism is worse than slaughter." (Q. 2:191).224

This is the

interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Qatādah, Mujāhid,225

as well as Sa„īd ibn Jubayr, „Ikrimah, al-H.asan, al-D.ah.h.āk and al-Rabī„ ibn Anas.

226 Abū

„Ubaydah and Lane interpret fitnah here as kufr (disbelief).227

f. (disbelief and sin), as in

".... so let those who would go against His

bidding beware, lest disbelief and sin or painful punishment befall them." (Q. 24:63).

228

g. (sin), as in ".... Surely, it is into sin that they

(thus) have fallen...." (Q. 9:49). This is also Abū „Ubaydah's interpretation.

229

h. (warning, deterring example), as in

".... O our Sustainer, make us not a deterring example for evildoing

folk." (Q. 10:85).230

The verse means "do not make the wrongdoing folk

believe that they are right and we the believers are wrong when they see us in misery and misfortune, while they are in happiness and

prosperity."231

This is the view of Mujāhid who says that the verse means "do not

destroy us with our enemies' hands, and do not punish us with Your punishment, or our enemies would say 'if they were on the right way,

then why did we [who are on the wrong way] subjugate them'".232

A

similar view is also given by al-Farrā‟, al-Zamakhsharī, al-T.abarsī, and

Ibn Manz.ūr.233

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah mentions eight meanings only of fitnah, whereas Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Suyūt.ī mention fifteen, Tiflīsī mention

fourteen, and both Yah.yá ibn Sallām and al-Dāmaghānī mention eleven

269

meanings. Many other meanings, such as (assassination) in Q. 4:101,

(madness, insanity) in Q. 68:6, and (error) in Q. 5:41, are dealt with by

all of them with the exception of Ibn Qutaybah. The term fitnah in the verse

Q. 6:23 which means (excuse) according to Qatādah234

are dealt with by

all of them. However, Ibn Qutaybah puts the verse into the category of

verses with the term fitnah meaning . Nevertheless, he says that the term

here means (the answer) to the question asked as a test mentioned in the

preceding verse.235

18. (duty, decree, order)

a. (the injunction of doing something), as in

"... [seeing that] We have already made known what

We have enjoined upon them with regard to their wives..." (Q. 33:50).236

b. (explanation), as in “A sūrah [is this]

which We have bestowed from on high, and which We have distinctly

explained..." (Q. 24:1).237

This is the interpretation of Mujāhid and Qatādah according to Ibn Kathīr.

238 However, according to Ibn

Qutaybah, it is also possible that the term farad.a in this verse means "to

enjoin" as translated by Pickthall.239

There are two variant readings in this

verse: farad.nāhā and farrad.nāhā. The former means "We have enjoined

the execution of what has been prescribed", and the latter means "We

have distinctly explained in detail and define what has been prescribed in general, and what is h.alāl (permitted) and what is h.arām (prohibited)".

240

c. (sending down, revelation), as in

"Verily, He Who has sent down to thee the Qur‟ān will surely

bring thee home again..." (Q. 28:85).241

d. (permission), as in

“There is no reproach for the Prophet in that which Allah permits for

him..." (Q. 33:38).242

19. (disloyalty, treachery, betrayal)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of khiyānah, as follows:

a. entrusting a person with something, but he does not fulfil the trust

. Ibn Qutaybah does not give us an example from

the Qur‟ān, but from poetry, the poem of al-Namir ibn Tawlab as follows:

270

*

“Verily, after (the loyalty and disloyalty of) Wahb tribe,

Banī Rabī„ah are like the house keeper; he was (entrusted)

to keep it, then he betrayed it.”

Here Ibn Qutaybah makes a distinction between khā‟in (a traitor) and

sāriq (a thief); the former is a person who takes something which is

entrusted to him, whereas the latter takes what is not entrusted to him.243

The example from the Qur‟ān is given by Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī, as

follows: ".... Hence, do no contend with

those who are treacherous." (Q. 4:105).244

b. (violation of treaty), as in

"And if thou fearest violation of treaty from people [with whom thou

hast made a treaty], cast it back at them in an equitable manner..." (Q.

8:58).245

c. (disobedience of Muslims), as in

"O you who believe! Do not

disobey Allah and His messenger, nor knowingly betray your trusts..." (Q. 8:27).

246 The disobedience meant in this verse is neglecting Allah's

injunctions and the Prophet's practice (sunnah) and laws (sharā‟i„) according to Ibn „Abbās, or any religious matter according to al-H.asan.

247

20. (submission)

There are three meanings of islām mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. , entering into peace, (al-s.ulh., according to al-Dāmaghānī),

as in “,... and do not say unto

anyone who offers you peace: 'Thou art not a believer,...'" (Q. 4:94).248

Al-Zamakhsharī mentions a variant reading salama beside

salāma; both have three meanings: istislām (surrender), islām (becoming Muslim), and taslīm (greeting with Islamic greeting). He also mentions

the variant reading mu‟manan (believed, saved) beside mu‟minan (a believer). In a military detachment to Fadak, its inhabitants fled except

Mirdās ibn Nāhik who had confidence with his being a Muslim and

came down from the mountain, joined the takbīr with the invaders, pronounced the shahādah before them and greeted them with al-salāmu

„alaykum. Usāmah ibn Zayd, not believing Mirdās's testament, killed

him and seized his sheep. The Prophet who heard the incident was very

271

upset and asked Usāmah: "Did you kill him because you wanted to take

his property?" and read the above verse to him. When Usāmah asked

him to ask Allah's forgiveness for him, he kept asking "How with lā ilāha illā ‟llāh?", meaning "how should I ask forgiveness for you after

you have killed a person who has pronounced the shahādah (became a

Muslim)?" Upon hearing this, Usāmah wished he had become Muslim just at that moment, so that the sin he had just committed would be

forgiven. Finally the Prophet prayed forgiveness for him and told him to

free a slave.249

After the incident and hearing the above verse, Usāmah promised not to kill a Muslim, and apologized to „Alī in his caliphate for

not taking part in fighting against the dissenters.250

These reports

indicate that salāma or salama includes its three meanings istislām, islām, and taslīm in the verse in question, although Ibn Qutaybah

mentions one only as mentioned above.

b. , following and submitting with the tongue only,

not with the heart (al-iqrār bi ‟l-lisān, according to al-Dāmaghānī), as in

"The Bedouin say: We have believed. Say (unto them O Muhammad):

You have not [yet] believed, but rather say: We have [outwardly] surrendered, for the faith hath not yet entered your hearts..." (Q. 49:14).

251

A group of people among the Banī Asad tribe who wanted to get charity

came to the Prophet and claimed to have become Muslims. But Allah wanted them to know that the Prophet already knew that īmān had not

yet entered into their hearts. So, the above verse was revealed to him.

This was reported by Sa„īd ibn Jubayr and Ibn Zayd.252

c. , following and submission with the tongue and with

the heart; (al-ikhlās., sincerity, according to al-Dāmaghānī), as

“....He [namely, Abraham] said: I have surrendered

[outwardly and inwardly] to the Sustainer of the Worlds." (Q. 2:131).253

21. (belief, faith)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of īmān, as follows:

a. , belief, confirmation, attestation, as in the statement of Prophet

Jacob's children to him about the death of their brother Joseph, as follows:

".... But [we know that] thou wouldst

not believe us even though we speak the truth." (Q. 12:17). This is also

the interpretation given by Abū „Ubaydah, Ibn Kathīr, al-Zamakhsharī,

272

and al-Tabarsī.

254 This interpretation, as we shall see, deals with its

general context, and not faith in religion.

b. (believing with the tongue only, not with the heart),

as in "That is because they believed [with

their tongues] then disbelieved [with their hearts]..." (Q. 63:3).255

This is

called hypocrisy, and this is one interpretation. The apostates claimed to

be believers when they were among believers, but among disbelievers they disbelieved. Another interpretation, however, says that the term

āmanū means that they really believed, but later disbelieved and became

apostates.256

c. (believing with the tongue and with the heart), as in

"(And) lo! those who

believe (outwwardly and inwardly) and do good works are the best of all

creatures." (Q. 98:7).257

d. , believing some and disbelieving others

, believing while ascribing partners to Allah, according to al-

Dāmaghānī), as in "And most

of them do not even believe in Allah without [also] ascribing partners

(unto Him),..." (Q. 12:106). Ibn Qutaybah gives his commentary on this

verse. He says that if we ask the idolators among the Arabs, "Who created you?," they would say "Allah.”

258 This interpretation is that of

Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, „ A t.ā‟, „Ikrimah, al-Sha„bī, Qatādah, al-D.ah.h.āk,

and „Abd al-Rah.mān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam.259

22. (damage, harm, hurt, injury, misfortune, loss, or diasdvantage)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions six meanings of d.urr or d.arr, as follows:

a. (the opposite of benefit), namely, harm, as in

"Said he: 'Do [you really think that]

they hear you when you invoke them, or benefit you or do you harm?'"

(Q. 26:72-73, Asad).260

b. (misfortune and affliction), as in

"And if Allah should touch thee with misfortune, there is

none who can remove it but He;..." (Q. 6:17, Asad).261

c. (want of rain, drought), as in

273

"And if We cause mankind the taste of mercy [namely, rain]

after some adversity [namely, drought] wich had afflicted them..." (Q. 10:21, Pickthall).

262

d. (terror, fright, alarm, shock), as in

"And whenever terror befalls you at sea, all those [powers]

that you are wont to invoke forsake you, [and nothing remains for you] save Him:..." (Q. 17:67).

263

e. (illness, disease) as in

"And [remember] Job, when he cried unto his Sustainer,

'Affliction [namely, disease] has befallen me: but Thou art the most merciful of the merciful.'" (Q. 21:83, Asad).

264 Here the term d.urr is

interpreted by Ibn Qutaybah as "disease".

f. ا (defect, blemish, decrease, loss damage; lack, shortage), as in

"Those who reject God, hinder (men) from the path of God, and resist the apostle, after guidance has been clearly shown to them, will not injure

[namely, defect, according to Ibn Qutaybah's interpretation] God in the

least, ..." (Q. 47:32, Ali).265

We notice that Tiflisi does not give (want of rain, drought) as

one of the meanings of the term d.urr or d.arr, whereas Ibn Qutaybah does

not mention (hunger, starvation) as the meaning of the term in the

following verse: “And

when they presented themselves before him, they said: 'O thou great one!

Hardship has visited us and our folk,...'" (Q. 12:88, Asad) which is starvation

as mentioned by al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī.266

Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī also include "starvation" as the meaning of d.urr in this verse.

267

;narrowness, confinement; hardship, difficulty; restriction) ا .23

oppression, distress, anguish, prohibition)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of h.araj, as follows:

a. (narrowness, annoyance, hardship). This is the basic meaning of

h.araj according to Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn al-Athīr,268

as in

"... it is He who has elected you [to carry

His message], and has laid no hardship on you in [anything that pertains

274

to] religion,..." (Q.22:78, Asad).

269 According to Ibn „Abbās, the word

meaning is the language of Qays (ibn) „Aylān.270

b. (doubt), as in "A

divine writ has been bestowed from on high upon thee - and let there be no doubt about this in thy heart - ..." (Q. 7:2, Asad). This is also the

interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, Qatādah, al-Suddī, and al-

Farrā‟.271

Ibn Kathīr mentions Mujāhid, Qatādah and al-Suddī who

interpret h.araj as shakk.272

According to Ibn „Abbās, the word

meaning is in th language of the Quraysh.273

Abū „Ubaydah,

however, interprets h.araj in this verse as d.īq.274

c. (sin, offence, misdeed, crime), as in ) "No

offence attaches to the blind..." (Q. 24:61).275

24. (breath of life, soul; spirit)

Ibn Qutaybah gives seven meanings of rūh. in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (soul of the bodies) taken away by Allah at the moment of

death.276

No example from the Qur‟ān is given by Ibn Qutaybah; others

mention the following verses: "And they will

ask thee about [the nature of] soul..." (Q. 17:85).277

This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās. But Ibn Qutaybah mentions the above verse

as one of the examples of the term rūh. meaning a huge angel which is

„Ali's interpretation. Other interpretations include: Gabriel, according to

al-H.asan and Qatādah, Prophet ‘ Īsá (Jesus), and the Qur‟ān.278

Asad‟s

interpretation of rūh. in the above verse is "divine inspiration". He

contends that "the preceding as well as the subsequent verses relate

explicitly to the Qur‟ān and hence, to the phenomenon of divine revelation".

279

b. (Gabriel), as in

"And lo! it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds, which the True Spirit [namely, Gabriel] hath brought down upon thy heart, ..." (Q. 26:192-193,

Pickthall).280

c. (a huge angel), so huge that as he stands alone he makes one line

by himself, while other angels make another, mentioned in the Qur‟ān as

follows:

"On the day when the angels and the Spirit stand arrayed, they speak

275

not, saving him who the Beneficent alloweth and who speaketh right."

(Q. 78:38). The Spirit here means, according to Ibn Qutaybah, the huge

angel.281

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions eight interpretations of the term al-rūh. in the

above verse, as follows: (1) a huge angel, who in the Hereafter will stand alone and make one line by himself, and another for the other angels;

this is the view of Ibn „Abbās and Ibn Mas„ūd quoted by Ibn Qutaybah

above (and of „At.ā, according to al-T.abarsī); (2) Gabriel, according to

al-Sha„bī, al-D.ah.h.āk, and Sa„īd ibn Jubayr; (3) soldiers of Allah, neither

human beings nor angels, but have human forms and eat food; this is the

view of Abū S.ālih. and Mujāhid (as well as Qatādah according to al-

T.abarsī); (4) the nobles among angels, according to Muqātil ibn

H.ayyān; (5) (guards of angels); (6) human beings,

according to al-H.asan and Qatādah; they interpret al-rūh. as dhawū al-

rūh. (those who have spirits); according to al-T.abarsī, this is the view of

al-H.asan only; al-T.abarī states that Qatādah said:

("This is among what has been concealed by Ibn „Abbās"), and this is the interpretation chosen by M. Asad; (7) the spirits (souls) of the

children of Adam before they return to their bodies, according to

„At.iyyah (or Ibn „Abbās, according to al-T.abarī), and (8) the Qur‟ān

according to Zayd ibn Aslam.282

Al-Suyūt.ī mentions (an

army of angels) as the interpretation of rūh. in the above verse.283

d. (blowing, breathing), as in the following poem of Dhū ‟l-Rummah:

*

“And I said to him: 'Lift it [the fire] up to you to

keep it alive with your gentle blowing...'”284

The example from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

“And remember her who guarded her

chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our blowing and caused her,

together with her son, to become a symbol [of Our grace] unto all

people." (Q. 21:91). Ibn Qutaybah states that the Messiah is called "the Spirit of Allah" because he was created through Gabriel by Allah's breath.

The Messiah is also so called because he existed by His word "be" and he

existed.285

Another interpretation is that rūh. here means the spirit of

„Īsá.286

276

e. (the word of Allah), namely, revelation, is also called rūh., because

it gives life to the ignorant and infidels who are like dead people, as in

"... By His Own will does He

bestow His word upon whomever He wills of His servants,..." (Q.

40:15).287

The meaning of the term rūh. here according to al-Zamakhsharī,

Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī is wahy (revelation).288

According to al-Farrā‟,

the rūh. here means (prophethood), whereas al-Tabarsī mentions three

meanings: the Qur‟ān and all the revealed books sent to messengers, the revelation, and Jibrīl (Gabriel).

289

f. (blessing), as in ...

[As for the true believers,] it is they in whose hearts He has inscribed

faith, and whom He has strengthened with blessing from Him, ..." (Q.

58:22).290

Al-Tabarsī mentions four meanings of rūh. in this verse: the

light of faith, the light of reasoning, the Qur‟ān, and Gabriel.291

g. (life and eternity where there will be no death), as in

"Perpetual life [awaits him in the life to come], and

inner fulfilment, and a garden of bliss." (Q. 56:89). This is the

interpretation of Abu „Ubaydah and al-Farrā‟ quoted by Ibn Qutaybah.292

This is one of the three interpretations given by al-Zamakhsharī, the

other two being istirāh.ah (rest) and rah.mah (blessing).293

Al-T.abarsī

mentions two different interpretations, the rest from the burden of life which is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās and Mujāhid, and the air (al-

hawā‟).294

There are two more interpretations of rūh. which are not mentioned by

Ibn Qutaybah: firstly, (the command), as in

"The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was

only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a command from Him...." (Q. 4:171);

295 Other interpretations are given

by al-T.abarsī, among which are: Gabriel, a mercy from Allah, and a spirit

created, fashioned, then sent by Allah to Mary which is the interpretation of

Ubayy ibn Ka„b reported by Abū al-„Āliyah;296

secondly, the Qur‟ān, as in “And thus

have We revealed to thee (Muh.ammad) the Qur‟ān by Our command ..." (Q.

42:52).297

277

With regard to the second verse, rūh.an min amrinā is the Qur‟ān itself

according to al-D.ah.h.āk whose view is adopted by al-Suyūt.ī, whereas Ibn

Qutaybah gives (the word of Allah) as its interpretation.298

However,

there are many other interpretations, namely, ة (prophethood) according to

Ibn „Abbās, (blessing) according to al-H.asan and Qatādah,

(revelation) according to al-Suddī, (scripture) according to al-Kalbī,

and Jibrīl according to al-Rabī„.299

25. (inspiration, revelation)

Ibn Qutaybah interprets the basic meaning of wah.y, as follows:

"everything suggested by means of speaking, writing, sign, or message

."300

Ibn Manz.ūr includes inspiration ( ),

secret talk ( ) among the meanings of wah.y.301

However, according

to al-Qurt.ubī, the term wah.y among the Arabs means "writing",

"inscription" as in the following poem of Dhū al-Rummah:

*

“Except the four black women who were similar to

the remnant of inscription in the midst of leaves,”

and in the following poem of „Antarah:

“[It is] similar to an inscription on leaves in the time of Kisra (Khosrau),

so that he gave them as a gift to a non-eloquent a„jamī (non-Arab).”302

Ibn Qutaybah mentions six meanings of this term in the Qur‟ān, as

folows:

a. ا (sending a message), namely, revelation through Gabriel, as in

"Behold, We have sent

thee a message as We sent to Noah and the prophets after him,..." (Q.

4:163).303

b. (sign, gesture, signal), as in

“Thereupon he came out of the sanctuary unto his

people and signified to them [by gestures]: 'Extol His limitless glory by

day and by night!'" (Q. 19:11, Asad).304

This is the view of Qatādah, al-Kalbī and Ibn Munabbih. The other view is that of Mujāhid and „Ikrimah, that the term awh.á in this verse

278

means respectively, "wrote on the ground", and "wrote in a scroll."

305

This latter view is rejected by Ibn Qutaybah. His argument is that in

another verse mentioning the same story, the term ramz (sign, gesture) is

given, as follows:

“[Zachariah] prayed: 'O my Sustainer! Appoint a sign for me!' Said

[the angel]: 'Thy sign shall be that for three days thou wilt not speak unto men other than by gestures...'" (Q. 3:41, Asad). The sign here

means, Ibn Qutaybah contends, moving the two lips, eyebrows or eyes,

and not writing.306

c. (inspiration) as in

"And [remember the time] when I inspired the

white-garbed ones: 'Believe in Me and in My Apostle! 'They answered:

'We believe; and bear Thou witness that we have surrendered [unto Thee].'" (Q. 5:111, Asad).

307

According to al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, wah.y in this verse means

revelation to the white garbed ones through Prophet „Īsá (Jesus).308

Both

Abū Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī intepret wah.y in this verse as amr

(command).309

d. (information given during sleep), namely, true vision, as in

“And it was not (vouchsafed) to any

mortal that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by true vision..." (Q. 42:51).

310

e. (information through the whispering of the devil),

as in "And, verily, the devils

tempt their minions with wicked suggestions to dispute with you..." (Q. 6:121).

311 This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās.

312

f. (order, command), as in "as they Sustainer

will have ordered her to do." (Q. 99:5). This is the interpretation given by Mujāhid adopted by Ibn Qutaybah.

313 Here Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem

of al-„Ajjāj in which the term wah.y, means "order", as follows:

“He ordered it (the earth) to settle, and so it settled."314

However, according to Ibn „Abbās's interpretation, awh.á lahā here means

"Allah gave permission to the earth to tell what had been done on it", and

this intepretation is adopted by al-Farrā‟.315

279

26. (joy, gladness, happiness)

There are three meanings of the term farah. in the Qur‟ān given by

Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (joy, happiness, delight, pleasure), as in

"... when ye are in the ships and they sail with them

a fair breeze they are glad therein..." (Q. 10:22, Pickthall).316

b. (contentment, satisfaction), as in

"Every sect is content with that [religion] which it has." (Q.

23:53 and 30:32, Lane).317

c. (exultation, wantonness, pride, arrogance, vanity, cockiness and

liveliness, high spirits, exuberance, wildness, insolence, impertinence,

excessive joy), as in

"When [they perceived his arrogance,] his people said unto him: 'Exult

not [in thy wealth], for, verily, God does not love those who exult [in things vain]!'" (Q. 28:76, Asad).

318 This is, according to Ibn Kathīr, the

interpretation of Mujāhid.319

Here Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention the

three meanings of the term in conformity with those mentioned by

Ibn Qutaybah.

27. (opening, conquest, victory)

Three meanings of fath. are mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (opening something closed), as in

"... till, when they reach it, they shall find its gates wide-

open;..." (Q. 39:73, Asad).320

Al-Zamakhsharī mentions two interpretations regarding the position of wa in the above verse: (1) It means "when they came to Heaven they

came to it with its doors (or gates) open” ( ); (2) It means

“when they came to it its door had been opened”. “Unlike the doors of

Hell which will be opened only when those who are to enter it arrive, the doors of Heaven will have been opened before the arrival of its

companions, as mentioned in the Qur‟ān

"Gardens of Eden, whereof the gates are opened for them." (Q. 38:50,

Pickthall).321

280

b. (victory), as in "...thus, if victory

comes to you from Allah..." (Q. 4:141).322

c. (judgement) which is an opening to what is ambiguous, as in

"Say: Our Sustainer will bring us all

together, then He will judge between us with truth." (Q. 34:26).323

According to Abū „Ubaydah, Ibn Kathīr and al-T.abarsī, yaftah. in

the above verse means yah.kum (decide), which is similar to yaqd.ī

(judge).324

Another meaning which is not mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah is

al-irsāl (the sending down), as in

"Whatever grace Allah sends down to man, none can withhold it;..." (Q.

35:2).325

28. (noble; eminent; generous; beneficent; kind; honourable)

There are four meanings of karīm in the Qur‟ān given by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (distinguished, honoured, eminent) as in

"... and shall cause you to enter an abode of glory." (Q. 4:31,

Asad),326

"a good place", according to al-T.abarsī's interpretation.327

b. (forgiving), as in "..., verily, my Sustainer

is self-sufficient, forgiving." (Q. 27:40).328

Al-T.abarsī's interpretation of karīm in the above verse is "He is kind

to His servants, grateful, ungrateful, disobedient as well as obedient

among them."329

c. (bountiful), as in

"... and a bountiful provision." (Q. 8:4 and 74; 22:50; 24:26; 34:4,

Pickthall).330

d. (nice, fine, good) as in "... but speak to

them a gracious word." (Q. 17:23, Pickthall).331

Another meaning of karīm mentioned by Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī is

respectively (a person who makes himself noble) and (a

person who thinks he is noble) as in Q. 44:49.332

29. (likeness, similarity, example; lesson; similar case)

Three meanings of mathal in the Qur‟ān are mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

281

a. (similarity, likeness) as in

"The likeness of

those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she takes unto herself a house, and lo! the frailest of all houses is

the spider's house, if they but knew." (Q. 29:41, Pickthall).333

b. (example, lesson, advice) as in

("and so We made them a thing of the past, and an example to those who

would come after them." (Q. 43:56, Asad).334

c. (image and description) as in

"The image and the description of the Garden which

those who keep their duty (to Allah) are promised: Therein are rivers of

water unpolluted, ..." (Q. 47:15).335

Ibn Kathīr mentions which is the synonym of (description) as

the meaning of mathal in the above verse.336

Al-Farrā‟ states that the

variant reading of Ibn „Abbās and „Alī is , meaning .337

30. (beating, striking, hitting)338

Three meanings of d.arb in the Qur‟ān are mentioned by Ibn

Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (beating with hands) as in

"Now when you meet [in battle] those who disbelieve, smite their necks

..." (Q. 47:4).339

b. (travel), as in "... while others travel

in the land..." (Q. 73:20, Pickthall).340

c. (explanation and description), as in

"Allah describes a parable..." (Q. 16:75 and 112).341

According to Ibn al-Jawzī, Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī the term d.arb in

the above verse means was.f only, whereas al-T.abarsī mentions tabyīn

only. 342 The fourth meaning of this term, according to al-Dāmaghānī and

Tiflīsī, is bayān, as in Q. 14:45 and Q. 25:39.343

31. (one of a pair, a pair, a couple; mate, partner; husband, wife)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of zawj in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (a pair or one of the pair), as in

"and that it is He who creates the two pairs [namely, spouses] - the

282

male and the female". (Q. 53:45). Here zawj means one of the pair.

344

b. (kind, species, class), as in

"Limitless in His glory is He who has created all species in whatever

the earth produces..." (Q. 36:36).345

c. (companion, mate, fellow), as in

"[And God will thus command:] 'Assemble all those who

were bent on evildoing, together with others of their ilk and [with] that

they were wont to worship.'" (Q. 37:22, Asad). The meaning of azwāj here is "companions". Ibn Qutaybah does not explain what kind of

companions they are, but al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī say that

they are (their companions among the devils, namely, evil

people).346

According to Mujāhid, „Umar and al-Suddī, the term azwāj

means "people like them who had committed similar sins", whereas according to Qatādah and Abū al-„Āliyah, it means "the followers of

people who had committed similar sins". However, these two slightly different interpretations are also given by Ibn „Abbās, and both mean the

same thing, namely "people committing the same sin will be assembled

together", so that the adulterers will be assembled together, and alcohol drinkers will also be assembled together, and so on.

347

Al-H.asan interprets the term in the above verse as "the wives

of idolaters who are also unbelievers and idolaters"; they will be assembled together with their husbands.

348

According to Qut.rub, Ibn Qutaybah, al-T.abarī and al-Qurt.ubī, the

term zawj is applicable to one pair as well as one of a pair. There is no

disagreement in accepting that it is applicable to one of a pair. It is

explicitly said in the Qur‟ān

"Eight pairs: Of the sheep twain, and of the

goats twain.... And of the camels twain and of the oxen twain..." (Q. 6:143-

144, Pickthall). The expression "eight pairs" means "eight individuals of (four) pairs": sheep, goats, camels and oxen. In Arabic expression it is said

meaning "So-and-so has two mates of pigeons,

namely, a male and a female); means "I have two

individuals of a pair of slippers". This is also the argument of Ibn al-Anbārī

who rejects the opinion that the term zawj is also applicable to a pair

instead of exclusively one of a pair. However, according to al-T.abarī and

283

al-Qurt.ubī it is possible to say either ("both are two spouses") or

("both are a pair"). It is, al-Qurt.ubī contends, like saying ("both

are the same", in dual form) and ("both are the same", in singular

form).349

According to al-Zamakhsharī, one of a pair is called zawj on the

condiutuion that it is accompanied with the other ionber of the pair. It is like calling zujājah (a glass) ka‟s (a cup, as drinking glass) if it contains

alcohol.350

Like Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Sijistānī and Ibn al-Fāris also say thgat

zawj means ”one of a pair” and not two.351

In modern Arabic, zawj means one of a pair as well as a pair, a spouse (a husband or a wife) as well as a

couple, a mate, a partner, while zawjah means a wife.

32. (seeing, viewing)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of ru‟yah in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (seeing with eyes), as in

"And [so], on the Day of Resurrection thou wilt see all who

invented lies about God [with] their faces darkened [by grief and ignominy]...." (Q. 39:60, Asad).

352

b. (knowledge), as in

“Are, then, they who are bent on denying the truth not aware

that the heavens and the earth were [once] one single entity, which We then parted asunder? ..." (Q. 21:30).

353

c. (notification, information), as in

"Hast thou not been informed of those who have

received the Scripture...?" (Q. 3:23 and 4:44 and 51).354

According to Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī, the meaning of is

(have not you seen what they have done), while according to al-

Zamakhsharī and al-Zamakhsharī the expression means (has

not it come to your knowledge about).355

Ibn al-Jawzī, who cites six meanings of ru‟yah, mentions the three

other meanings, as follows: (1) (consideration), as in

"Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never

considered the birds, enabled [by God] to fly in mid-air, ..." (Q. 16:79,

284

Asad); (2) (hearing), as in

"Now, whenever thou hear such as indulge in [blasphemous] talk about

Our messages, ..." (Q. 6:68); and (3) (wonder, astonishment,

amazement, surprise), as in "Hast thou

not been surprised at those who consider themselves pure?..." (Q. 4:49),

and "Hast thou not been

surprised at those who claim that they believe in that which is revealed

unto thee..." (Q. 4:60).356

The term ta„ajjub is usually translated as "wonder", "astonishment" or

"amazement". However, I have chosen “surprise" in translating this term in the above verses, since this word "can also suggest a certain amount

of moral condemnation."357

This "certain amount of condemnation" is

also found in the above verses. The first verse was revealed in the cases of the Arabs in the early period of Islam, the Jews and the Christians:

The Arabs liked to praise and flatter each other. They claimed to be pure

and said that the sins they committed in the day time would be forgiven at night, and vice versa, and therefore were sinless like babies (al-

D.ah.h.āk's and al-Suddī's interpretation). The Jews considered

themselves "God's chosen people" (see Q. 5:18) and therefore were

destined for His grace, whereas the Christians believed in "Jesus's vicarious atonement" for the sins of man. The second verse deals with

those who reject the laws of God in general and the hypocrites in

particular.358

33. (forgetfulness, oblivion)

Two meanings of nisyān in the Qur‟ān are mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (the opposite to remembering), as in

"... behold, I forgot about the fish..." (Q. 18:63, Asad).359

b. (omission, neglect, abandonment, leaving), as in

"And verily We made a covenant of old

with Adam, but he neglected it, and We found no firmness of purpose in him." (Q. 20:115).

360 This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās according

to al-T.abarsī. Ibn Zayd's interpretation is that Adam overlooked the

covenant and unintentionally made the mistake by eating the prohibited

fruit.361

285

34. (bolt of lightning, thunderbolt, thunder) and (strike

of lightning, the act of stunning or being stunned, unconsciousness)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of s.ā„iqah and s.a„aq in the

Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (death) as in "And

[on that Day,] the trumpet [of judgment] will be sounded, and all

[creatures] that are in the heavens and all that are on earth will die,..." (Q. 39:68).

362

b. (punishment), as in

"But if they turn away, say: 'I warn you of [the coming of] a thunderbolt of punishment like the thunderbolt [that fell upon the tribes] of „Ād and

Thamūd.'" (Q. 41:13, Asad).363

c. (fire from the cloud), as in

"...; and He [it is Who] lets loose the thunderbolts and strikes with

them whom He wills." (Q. 13:13, Asad).364

Another meaning of the term which is not mentioned by Ibn

Qutaybah is (unconsciousness), as in "...;

and Moses fell down in a swoon...." (Q. 7:143).365

This is the interpretation

of Ibn „Abbās, al-H.asan and Ibn Zayd. Moses was unconscious and later

became conscious again, as the verse continues with "And when he

came to himself..." (Q. 7:143).366

35. (taking, accepting, receiving, seizing)

According to Ibn Qutaybah, the basic meaning of akhdh from which

other meanings are metaphorically derived is "to take with hand".367

He does not include it as one of the meanings of the term in the Qur‟ān, and

therefore, he does not give us any example from it. However, Tiflīsī

mentions an example from the Qur‟ān in which the term akhdh means the

taking itself, namely, "And

whenever thy Sustainer takes their offspring from the loins of the children of

Adam,..." (Q. 7:172).368

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three metaphorical meanings of akhdh in the

Qur‟ān as follows:

a. (acceptance), as in "If such-and-such

teaching] is vouchsafed unto you, accept it;..." (Q. 5:41, Asad).369

286

b. (arrest and taking a prisoner, detaining), as in

"They said: 'O thou great one! Behold,

he has a father, a very old man: detain, therefore, one of us in his stead...." (Q. 12:78, Asad).

370

c. (act of punishment, torture), as in

"And such is thy Sustainer‟s punishing grasp

[i.e., punishment] whenever He takes to task any community that is given to evildoing: verily, His punishing grasp [i.e., punishment] is grievous,

severe!." (Q. 11:102, Asad).371

Al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīsī

mention one more meaning of akhdh in the Qur‟ān, namely, (killing),

as in "... and each of those communities

schemed to kill the messenger sent unto them,..." (Q. 40:5).372

In the

Arabic expression the term akhdh means

"manners", "a way of life" or "disposition". Therefore, the above

expression means "The sons of So-and-so and those who took to their way of life - and adopt their manners or disposition - went away."

373

36. (strength, might, force, power, authority)

There are two meanings of sult.ān in the Qur‟ān given by Ibn

Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (power and force), as in

".... Yet I had no power at all over you: I but called you - and

you responded unto me...." (Q. 14:22, Asad).374

b. (argument, evident, proof), as in

“And verily We sent Moses with Our revelations and a clear proof..."

(Q. 40:23).375

37. (might, strength and distress)

There are three meanings of ba‟s and ba‟sā‟ mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (misfortune, hardship, affliction), as in

"And, indeed, We sent Our messages unto people

before thy time, [O Prophet,] and visited them with misfortune and hardship..." (Q. 6:42, Asad).

376

b. (severe punishment), as in

287

"And, then, when they [clearly] beheld Our punishment, they said: ‟We

have come to believe in the One God, ..." (Q. 40:84, Asad).377

c. (the strength in fighting), as in

".... Allah may well curb the strength in fighting of those who

disbelieve ..." (Q. 4:84).378

38. (creation, making)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of khalq from the Qur‟ān, as

follows:

a. (the act of measuring, determining the measure, proportion, or

the like, of a thing) which is, according to Ibn Qutaybah, the basic

meaning of khalq, is derived from the Arabic expression

("assessor of skin"), namely, the woman who assesses and measures a

piece of leather before cutting it to be made into something such as a waterskin or a haversack. Ibn Qutaybah does not mention any example

from the Qur‟ān, but from Zuhayr's poem praising a person who carries out what he has determined to do as follows:

*

“And thou indeed cuttest [namely, execute] what

thou hast measured [namely, planned]; but some of

the people measure [namely, plan to do something]

then will not cut [namely, execute it].”

(Lane's translation).379

b. (fabricating lies). The Arabic expression

means "So-and-so related to us legends, fabricated lies."380

Lane's

translation and explanation of the above expression is as follows: "Such a one related to us fictitious tales or stories, such as are deemed pretty, or

such as are told by night (for entertainment).”381

The example from the

Qur‟ān is as follows: “This is but a fable

[namely, fabricated lies] of the men of old." (Q. 26:137).382

This variant reading, khalq al-awwalīn ("the fables of the men of old"), was that of Ibn

Kathīr, al-Kisā‟ī, Abū Ja„far and Abū „Amr ibn al-„Alā‟. Another variant

reading, khuluq al-awwalīn ("the tradition and religion of the men of old"), was that of the qurrā‟ of Madinah in general except Abū Ja„far, and

of Kūfah of later generations in general. Commenting on this reading Ibn

„Abbās said that the people of „Ād told their prophet Hūd that they did what they did according to their ancestors' tradition and religion.

383 This

288

reading was chosen by al-Farrā‟ and Ibn Kathīr.

384

c. (shaping), as in "... and how

thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My

permission...." (Q. 5:110, Pickthall).385

d. (creating and beginning something), as in

"It is He who has created you [all] out of

one living entity, and out of it brought into being its mate, ..." (Q. 7:189, Asad).

386

e. (ordinance, decree, religion), as in ".... There

is no altering Allah's ordinance ..." (Q. 30:30).387

It means that Allah's

decree pertaining to tawh.īd (the Oneness of Allah), justice, and sincerity

in worship have to be observed firmly by people. This is the interpretation

of al-D.ah.h.āk, Mujāhid, Qatādah, Sa„īd ibn Jubayr, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhā„ī

and Ibn Zayd.388

However, „Ikrimah renders another interpretation on the

authority of Ibn „Abbās and „Umar, that the verse means that there is no change in Allah's creation, and therefore, it is prohibited to castrate the

livestock.389

39. (throwing or casting of stones, stoning)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions five meanings of rajm as follows:

a. (throwing), which is the basic meaning of rajm,390

as in

“And indeed, We have adorned the

skies nearest to the earth with lamps [namely, stars], and We have made

them missiles for casting at the devils..." (Q. 67:5).391

This is one interpretation. Another interpretation is that the stars are made as a means

of guessing and "missiles thrown at the unseen" by the devils

of mankind, namely, astrologers, using stars as guides to the unknown.392

b. (killing), as in "Said [the

others]: 'Truly, we augur evil from you. If you desist not, we will surely kill you...'" (Q. 36:18).

393 Ibn Qutaybah states that it is reported that

Qābīl (Cain) killed his brother Hābīl (Abel) by throwing (rajm) stones at him. Since he was the first man killed, the act of killing is

metaphorically called rajm, although without using stones.394

This is the

interpretation of Qatādah, while that of Mujāhid is ("I shall surely

abuse you").395

c. (abuse, scold, vilification), as in

289

"He answered: 'Dost thou dislike my gods, O Abraham?

Indeed, if thou desist not, I shall surely abuse thee..." (Q. 19:46).396

This is the interpretation of al-Suddī, Ibn Jurayj, and al-Farrā‟, whereas

"stoning" as the meaning of rajm here is the interpretation of al-H.asan

and al-Jubbā‟ī.397

d. (guess, assumption), as in

"[And in times to come] some will say, '[They

were] three, the fourth of them being their dog,' while others will say,

'Five, with their dog as the sixth of them‟ - idly guessing at something of

which they can have no knowledge - ..." (Q. 18:22, Asad).398

This is the interpretation of Qatādah and Abū „Ubaydah.

399 According ti Ibn „Abbās

the term meaning is the language of Hudhayl.400

e. (curse, banishment). Satan is called rajīm (outcast) because he is

repelled with shooting stars (meteors) from ascending to heaven. No example from the Qur‟ān is given by Ibn Qutaybah. Others give the

following verse: "Now

whenever thou happen to read this Qur‟ān, seek refuge with Allah from

Satan, the accursed [namely, cast at with curse]." (Q. 16:98, Asad).401

40. (quick movement, effort)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of sa„y in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

a. (walking quickly), or العدو (running) as in

"And [then and there] a man came running from

the farthermost end of the city,..." (Q. 28:20, Asad).402

b. (walking), as in

"And when (his son) was old enough to walk with him, (Abraham)

said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee...."

(Q. 37:102, Pickthall).403

He was at an age where he could assist his father Abraham in his daily affairs according to Mujāhid and Abū

„Ubaydah, which is approximately thirteen years old. According to Ibn

Kathīr, this is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, „Ikrimah, Sa„īd ibn Jubayr, „At.ā‟ and Zayd ibn Aslam. This interpretation is also mentioned by Ibn

Qutaybah. Another interpretation is that it was the age where he worked for Allah and worshipped Him, according to al-H.asan, al-Kalbī, Ibn Zayd

and Muqātil.404

290

c. (action, work, effort), as in "Verily, your effort

is dispersed (towards divergent ends)." (Q. 92:4).405

d. (striving, labouring) as in

“whereas for those who strive against Our messages, seeking to

defeat their purpose, there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of

[their] vileness." (Q. 34:5, Asad).406

Despite the difference of meanings, Ibn Qutaybah states that the basic

meaning of the term sa„y is walking quickly . This is also the

view of Ibn al-Jawzī.407

41. (protected women)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of muh.s.anāt as follows:

a. (married women), for they are protected by their husbands, as

in "And [forbidden to you are]

all married women other than those whom you rightfully possess

[through wedlock]..." (Q. 4:24, Asad).408

Al-Farrā‟ and al-T.abarī mention

both dhawāt al-azwāj and al-„afā'if (chaste women) for the meaning of

al-muh.s.anāt in this verse. 409

This is also the view of Tha„lab who says

that every „afīfah (a chaste woman) is a muh.s.anah (a protected woman)

and a muh.s.inah (a self-protecting woman), whereas every married

woman is a muh.s.anah only.410

b. (free women, not slaves), although they are unmarried. Unlike

slaves, free women can protect as well as be protected. The example in

the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"And as for those of you who, owing to

circumstances, are not in a position to marry free believing women, [let them marry] believing maidens from among those whom you rightfully

possess..." (Q. 4.25, Asad).411

c. (chaste women), as in "And as for those

who accuse chaste women [of adultery]..." (Q. 24:4, Asad).412

42. (possession, pleasure, object of delight)

Ibn Qutaybah gives us four meanings of matā„ as follows:

a. (period of time, limited or appointed time, term), as in

“;... and on earth you shall have your abode and

291

a period of time till the end (of the appointed time)." (Q. 2:36). Pickthall,

Asad and Ali respectively translate matā„ here as "provision",

"livelihood" and "means of livelihood", while according to Ibn Qutaybah it means "a period of time".

413 However, Ibn Qutaybah interprets

"enjoyment" (mut„ah) as the meaning of matā„ in his Tafsīr. He also

interprets the meaning of in this verse as ("till the oppointed

time") which is commonly understood as "till the time of death".414

Al-

Zamakhsharī interprets matā „as "enjoyment of life" , while that

of al-T.abarsī is "enjoyment" , and h.īn as "the time of death", "the

end of the appointed time", or "the day of Resurrection".415

Ibn Qutaybah's understanding of the verse is that Allah gave Adam temporary

life (or enjoyment) on this earth, which would end with death. This life is

in contrast with life in Heaven which is permanent and will not end with death.

b. (tools, utensils), as in

"...and, likewise, from that [metal] which they smelt in the

fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, [there rises] scum...." (Q. 13:17, Asad).

416

c. (benefit, avail), as in

"[On the other hand] you will incur no sin if you [freely] enter

houses not intended for living in but serving a purpose useful to you:..." (Q. 24:29).

417

d. (the benefit, provision or maintenance a divorced woman gets

from her husband after divorce other than the dowry).418

Ibn Qutaybah does not give us an example for this meaning. Others give us the

following verse: "And the

divorced women, too, shall have [a right to] maintenance in a goodly

manner: this is a duty for all who are conscious of God." (Q. 2:241, Asad).

419

43. (counting, reckoning, calculation)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of h.isāb in the Qur‟ān, as

follows:

a. (plenty, abundance). The expression means "I gave him

what is sufficient for him" . The example from the

292

Qur‟ān is as follows: “[All this will be] a

reward from thy Sustainer, an abundant gift." (Q. 78:36).420

b. (repayment, recompense, punishment), as in

“Their recompense rests with none but my Sustainer: if

you could but understand [this]!” (Q. 26:113Asad).421

c. ا (reckoning, accounting), as in

"He will in time be called to account with an easy accounting." (Q. 84:8,

Asad).422

44. (order, command, decree, authority, affair)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions nine meanings of amr, as follows:

a. (divine decree), as in "His verily is all

creation and divine decree..." (Q. 7:54).423

b. (religion) as in "But they (mankind)

have broken their religion among them into sects, ..." (Q. 23:53,

Pickthall).424

c. (word, speech, remark, statement, report, account), as in

".... When (the people of the city) disputed their

statements among themselves, ..." (Q. 18:21).425

d. (punishment), as in "And when

punishment will be decided, Satan will say..." (Q. 14:22).426

e. (resurrection), as in "The commandment

of Allah [namely, the resurrection] is [bound] to come: do not therefore,

call for its speedy advent!..." (Q. 16:1). 427

This is Ibn „Abbās's

interpretation. Other interpretations are: Allah's punishment on disbelievers among the idolaters, according to al-H.asan and Ibn Jurayj,

and Allah's laws and injunctions, according to al-D.ah.h.āk.428

f. (resurrection or death), as in

"... and you were hesitant, and you were doubtful; and your

wishful thinking beguiled you until Allah's command [namely,

resurrection or death] came to pass; ..." (Q. 57:14).429

g. (inspiration, revelation), as in "Through all

of them descends His inspiration,..." (Q. 65:12).430

h. (offence, sin, crime, misdeed), as in

293

"And thus they had to taste the evil outcome of their own

offence, and the consequence of their offence was loss." (Q. 65:9).431

i. (everything), as in "....Behold, all

things tend towards Allah" (Q. 42:53).432

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah mentions nine meanings of the term „amr. They are only about half of the meanings given by Yah.yá ibn Sallām,

Tiflīsī, al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī who mention respectively thirteen,

fourteen, sixteen, and nineteen meanings. This indicates Ibn Qutaybah's brief

account in dealing with the term in particular, and al-wujūh wa ‟l-naz.ā„ir in

the Qur‟ān in general.

Among the meanings of „amr not mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah in his

Ta‟wīl, are the following:

a. (the execution of the infidels of Makkah in the battle of

Badr), as in "..., (it was) that Allah might

conclude a thing [namely, the killing of the infidels of Makkah in the

battle of Badr] that must be done..." (Q. 8:44).433

b. (the conquest of Makkah), as in "...

then wait till Allah makes manifest His will [namely, the conquest of Makkah]..." (Q. 9:24).

434 This is the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās and

Mujāhid, whereas according to al-H.asan it is the punishment which will

be inflicted upon disbelievers.435

c. (the execution of Banī Qurayz.ah and the expulsion

of Banī al-Nad.īr tribes) as in "....

Forgive and be indulgent (toward them) until Allah manifests His will [namely, the execution of Banī Qurayz.ah and the expulsion of Banī al-

Nad.īr]..." (Q. 2:109).436

d. (victory), as in

".... They said: 'Have we any part in (achieving) victory?' Say (O

Muhammad): 'The victory belongs wholly to Allah....'" (Q. 3:154).437

e. (consultation, suggestion), as in

"The great ones among

Pharaoh's people said: 'Verily, this is indeed a sorcerer of great

knowledge who wants to drive you out of your land!' [Said Pharaoh:] 'What, then, do you advise?'" (Q. 7:109-110, Asad).

438

294

f. (caution, precaution), as in

".... and should misfortune befall thee, they will say [to themselves],

'We have already taken our precautions beforehand!'..." (Q. 9:50, Asad).

439

g. (drowning), as in "(Noah) said:

Today there is no protection from Allah's commandment [namely, drowning]..." (Q. 11:43).

440

h. (order, command), as in

"Behold, Allah commands you to deliver all that you have been entrusted

with unto those who are entitled thereto,..." (Q. 4:58).441

i. (plenty, greatness in number), as in

"And when We decide to destroy a community We increase the

number of its people who have lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of

pleasures,..." (Q.17:16)442

There are four variant readings of amarnā. (1)

amarnā which is the common reading; (2) āmarnā which is the reading of „Alī, Qatādah, and Abū al-„Āliyah according to al-T.abarsī, and that of

Ibn „Abbās according to al-Qurt.ubī; (3) amirnā which is the reading of

al-H.asan and Yah.yá ibn Ya„mar according to al-T.abarsī; and (4)

ammarnā which is the reading of Ibn „Abbās, Abū „Uthmān al-Nahdī, and Abū Ja„far Muh.ammad ibn „Alī according to al-T.abarsī, whereas

according to al-Qurt.ubī it is that of Abū al-„Āliyah, Mujāhid and al-

H.asan beside Abū „Uthmān al-Nahdī. The first three readings mean "we

increased their number", the last means "we made them rulers".443

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah examined al-wujūh wa ‟l-naz.ā‟ir in the

Qur‟ān very briefly. We have also seen that scholars in later generations

treated this field of study very extensively, so that sometimes they included the commentaries of the mufassirīn and gave the specific

meanings rather than the wujūh of the terms they were dealing with. It is

true that the interpretations of these early mufassirīn were compiled and became a science by itself. We also have seen that despite the differences

and variety of interpretations of a certain verse or word, many of them are

reconciliable and run together, and this contributes to further understanding of the Qur‟ānic texts.

C. Meanings of Particles

Ibn Qutaybah deals with thirty-three particles in his Ta‟wīl in a chapter

295

entitled ("The Interpretation of

Particles and Uninflected Verbs Similar to Them"). The term (lit.

"letters of meanings") for the particles means meaningful letters, which are

the opposite of the (alphabetical letters) which have no meaning.

These particles are as follows:

1. (how many a)

The particle ka‟ayyin means kam (how many a), as in

“And how many a community has turned with

disdain from the commandment of its Sustainer and His apostles..." (Q. 65:8, Asad).

444 The term ka‟ayyin can be read as kā‟in which is more eloquent in

Ibn Qutaybah's view. The example of the latter is in the following poem of

Zuhayr:

*

“How many a silent person whom you admire; his [only]

merit or demerit (lies) in [his] speaking.”445

2. (how)

Kayfa has two meanings:

a. (in what condition), as in the expression (how are you)

meaning "in what condition are you"? It is here an interrogative particle.

b. (wonder, surprise), as in

"How can you refuse to acknowledge God, seeing that you were lifeless and He gave you life,..." (Q. 2:28, Asad).

446 According to al-

Zamakhsharī, it implies inkār (rejection, reproach) and ta„ajjub, whereas

according to al-Farrā‟ it means ta„ajjub and tawbīkh (reproof, reproach).

447

Ibn Fāris gives more details about kayfa. He mentions three meanings

of it, two of which are mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah above. The other

meaning is "in whatever condition", as in the expression

meaning "I shall surely welcome you in whatever condition you have been

." However, he mentions three other meanings, as follows:

a. (negation), as in "How

would God bestow His guidance upon people who have resolved to deny

the truth after having attained to faith,..." (Q. 3:86, Asad). It means that Allah will never guide such people.

296

b. (reproach), as in "And

how could you deny the truth when it is unto you that God's messages are being conveyed, ..." (Q. 3:101, Asad).

c. (emphasis), as in "How, then,

[will the sinners fare on Judgment Day,] when We shall bring forward a

witness from within every community,..." (Q. 4:41). The particle kayfa

here emphasises the content of the previous verse, namely,

"Verily, Allah does not wrong [anyone] by as much as

an atom's weight;..." (Q. 4:40). It means, Allah would never wrong

anybody, not even as much as the weight of an atom (dharrah) in this world, let alone in the Hereafter when He brings of every community a

witness...."448

Al-Zarkashī gives two more meanings of kayfa other than those

mentioned above, namely:

a. (to give warning), as in “Behold,

then, what all their scheming came to in the end:…” (Q. 27:51, Asad).

b. (to allert, to call attention) and (to give a lesson, a deterrent

example) as in “Behold how We bestow [on

earth] more bounty on some of them than on others;” as the verse

continues with “but [remember] the

life to come will be far higher in degree and far greater in merit and

bounty.” (Q. 17:21, Asad).449

3. , and (except, other than; equal, even)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions two meanings of the word sawá and siwá as follows:

a. (other than), as in the following Dhū al-Rummah's poem:

*

“And water, [namely, a watering place] avoided by rain

[namely, did not receive water from rain, but from a spring],

so that there was nothing in it [namely, the watering place]

other than green hatching doves.”450

The poet was speaking about a dry watering place, as it received its

water solely from a spring. The supply of water was so minimal that green doves were able to build their nests and hatch their young in it.

297

b. (middle), as in

“[Pharaoh said to Moses:] 'But we can surely produce magic

to match thine! So make a tryst between us and thee, which we shall not fail to keep - neither we nor thou - in a central place, [namely, equally

distant for both sides]." (Q. 20:58).451

4. (when)

According to al-Farrā‟ and Ibn Qutaybah the particle ayyān is a

combination of two words, (which, what), and (time), so that the

expression means "at what time?” The first two letters in , namely,

are dropped and the particle becomes , which in turn, combined with أو

and finally becomes . The example from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

“They are dead, not living, and they do

not [even] know when they will be raised from the dead!" (Q. 16:21,

Asad).452

Al-Suyūt.ī mentions several views about the origin of the term ayyān,

as follows: (1) The same as above, namely, from and ; however,

instead of dropping the first two letters of , the first letter alif of and

the second letter yā‟ in are dropped; the two words are combined

together and become ; next, the letter is changed into , so that it

becomes ; (2) It originates from the two words ("which time"); (3) It

originates from the word يأ in the pattern of , namely, .453

Al-Suyūt.ī mentions further details about the use of the particle ayyān.

An unidentified grammarian says that it can be used for the past, whereas others, like Ibn Mālik and Abū H.ayyān, say that it is used exclusively for

the future. It is used for questioning about a great event according to al-Sakkākī, while the common view among the Arabic grammarians is that,

like the word matá, it can be used for any event.454

5. (now, at present)

According to al-Farrā‟, quoted by Ibn Qutaybah, the origin of is .

The first letter (alif) was dropped, the second letter (wāw) was turned into

alif which was combined with the remaining alif, and the word became in

accusative case, namely, (āna). The definite article was added to it, and

298

it became (al-āna). The example given by Ibn Qutaybah is as follows:

“[But God said:] „Now? [thou

repent, when it is too late?] When ever before this thou hast been rebelling [against Us], and hast been among those who spread corruption?‟" (Q.

10:91, Asad).455

This was said by Allah to Pharaoh who was repenting

while he was drowning.

Al-Suyūt.ī gives us more details about the meaning of al-ān. He says

that although the term means the present, it can also be used metaphorically for other than the present. A group of philologists specify the meaning of

this term to indicate the boundary between the past and the future, although

it could also mean what is close to either of the two (past or future), namely, what has just happened (the present perfect tense) as well as what is going to

happen. Jamāl al-Dīn ibn Mālik (d. 672/1274) the author of the poems on

grammar known as the Alfīyah ("The One Thousand Liner") states that the term al-ān is to indicate the whole present time, such as the time of doing or

saying something, or some of this present time. The example of the past

with some present time is the following Qur‟ānic verse:

“Now hath Allah lightened your burden ...” (Q. 8:66, Pickthall);

it is like saying , meaning "I have eaten just now". The example of

the future with some present time is as follows:

"... and anyone who now [or ever] tries to listen will [likewise] find

a flame lying in wait for him!" (Q. 72:9, Asad). Moreover, the use of al-ān here is in general sense, not restricted to the present.

456

6. (how, wherefrom)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions two meanings of anná, as follows:

a. (how) as in "He said: How could

Allah bring this [township] back to life after its death?" (Q. 2:259).457

b. (wherefrom, whence), as in "... where can

He have a child from... " (Q. 6:101).458

Three different interpretations were given by the commentators

concerning the meaning of anná in the following verse:

“... go, then, unto your tilth as you may desire, ..." (Q. 2:223). It

means: according to Mujāhid, al-Farrā‟ Ibn Qutaybah, and Ibn al-

Jawzī;459

according to Qatādah and al-Rabī„; and ("when")

299

according to al-Daāk which is rejected by the philologists, as stated by al-

T.abarsī, because the term anná never means "when".460

7. (alas, ah, wellady)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of wayka‟anna, as follows:

a. (do you not see), which is the opinion of al-Kisā‟ī, as in

"Do you not see how Allah

enlarged the provision for whom He will.... Do you not see how the disbelievers never prosper?" (Q. 28:82).

461

b. (does he not know) which, according to Ibn Qutaybah, is the

interpretation of Qatādah and a shāhid for al-Kisā‟ī‟s interpretation, so that the above-mentioned verse means, "Does he not know that Allah

enlarged the provision for whom He will....? Does he not know that the disbelievers never prosper?"

462

c. (a mercy for you), which is, according to some unidentified

linguists, the language of H.imyar. Ibn Qutaybah does not cite any

example for this meaning.463

Al-Suyūt.ī adds details about the term wayka‟anna and its origin, and

states four views: that of al-Kisā‟ī, al-Akhfash, al-Khalīl, and Ibn al-

Anbārī. The term, according to al-Kisā‟ī, is used for regret and

wonder . It is originally from . The word is a second person

pronoun in the genitive form. According to al-Akhfash, is a verbal

noun (ism fi„l) meaning "I wonder", is the second person pronoun; is

originally with the ellipsis of li. Therefore, the verse mentioned above

means, according to al-Akhfash "I wonder because Allah ..."

Al-Khalīl's view is that, simply stated, stands alone, and is a

separate word indicating investigation , not similarity , namely,

it does not mean "as if" in this sense. Ibn al-Anbārī's view is that the term

has three meanings: (“do you not see”), (“woe unto you”), and

that indicating wonder is joined with due to its frequent use; it is

similar to the joining of words in which is derived from ("O

son of my mother").464

8. (as if, as though)

300

The particle ka„anna is a combination of the particle ka ("as", "like")

and anna ("that"). It is used for a simile, such as the expression

("He drank a drink like honey") is similar to ("He drank a

drink as if it were honey"). It functions the same as ka if it were without

tashdīd, and with the ellipsis of any pronoun attached to it, such as

ka‟annahu becomes ka‟an in the following poem of Abū Muh.ammad „Abd

Allāh ibn Barrī (d. 582/1187) to al-Mufad.d.al al-Nukrī, describing a horse:

*

“He is very strong; his tail is raised while galloping,

and his neck is like a long palm stump.”465

9. (not)

The particle lāta, as stated by Sībawayh, to some extent, is similar to laysa ("not to exist", "not to be"). Unlike laysa, lāta is indeclinable, as in

“..., and they called [unto Us] when it was no longer

the time for escape." (Q. 38:3).466

According to some unidentified grammarians of the Baghdādī school

in is separated from (meaning "no"), and is connected with , so

that was originally . This is additional to as well as to

other words, such as , which becomes . As a shāhid, they cite the poem

of Abū Wajzah, as follows:

*

“[They are] the compassionates when there is no compassionate,

and the feeders in the time when there is no feeder.”467

According to Ibn Qutaybah, lāta is the combination of lā with the additional h, so that lā becomes lāh, and later becomes lāta. It is like the

word ( thumma) which becomes (thummah) and (thummata).

He cites the view of Ibn al-A„rābī who says that in the poem

mentioned above was originally with the additional h, then it was

started with . However, if we join the two words, the h becomes ta;

instead of saying al-„āt.ifūnah h.īna mā we say al-„āt.ifūnata h.īna ma.468

This view of Ibn Qutaybah, despite his belonging to the Baghdādī school, is in line with that of Abū „Ubaydah, as well as the Kūfī and the Bas.rī

grammarians.469

301

10. (whatever, whatsoever)

The particle mahmā functions as mā in recompense, such as

"And they said [unto Moses:]

'Whatever sign thou mayest produce before us in order to cast a spell upon us thereby, we shall not believe thee!'" (Q. 7:132).

470

Ibn Qutaybah states the view of al-Khalīl and Sībawayh on the

particle mahmā as follows: According to al-Khalīl, the origin of mahmā is

mā added with an ineffectual mā ; the alif of the first mā is

replaced with h, so that becomes . He asserts that this ineffectual

mā can also be added to matá, such as the expression can also be

rendered ; it can also be added to ayy, such as

"... by whichever name you invoke Him, [He is always

the One] His are the most beautiful names..." (Q. 17:110), meaning as

("unto whichever ye cry"). Sībawayh asserts that it is possible that

mahmā was originally mah with an additional mā; it is the same as mā added to idh.

471

11. (what) and (who)

In this section Ibn Qutaybah examines mā and its meanings, including

man. He does not treat man independently. He states that originally mā and

man have the same meaning, then man was used for human beings, and mā for others. He cites three examples of the meanings of mā as follows:

a. (who, whom) as in ) "And Him Who hath

created male and female." (Q. 92:3, Pickthall). This is the opinion of Abū

„Ubaydah.472

b. (who, which), as in the above verse.473

This interpretation of mā with

al-ladhī in the above verse is from al-H.asan and al-Kalbī.474

This

interpretation is advocated by Abu „Amr ibn al-„Alā‟ who contends that

the people of Makkah, when they heard thunder, used to say to it

meaning "Glorified be Whom you have

glorified").475

c. turns its succeeding verb into mas.dar; it is what modern grammarians

call mā mas.darīyah. This is the view of al-Farrā‟, who interprets the

above verse as "And His creation of male and female."476

302

The meanings of mā were extensively discussed by grammarians in

the past. Ibn al-Anbārī, for example, mentioned three meanings: (1) al-

ladhī, such as the expression meaning ("„Abd Allāh

who stood up"); (2) lam (not), such as meaning

("„Abd Allāh did not stand up"); and (3) mazīdah (additional), such as

(Q. 2:26) in which mā is

additional.477

Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī mentioned six and seven meanings respectively, whereas Ibn Fāris and al-Suyūt.ī both mentioned eight

meanings.478

Despite the discrepancy which occasionally occurred in the interpretation of the particle mā in the verses of the Qur‟ān, these various

interpretations are generally reconciliable, and even complement each

other. For example, in the verse (Q. 80:17),

according to Tiflīsī's interpretation, mā means "what" 479

; this is

the interpretation which is adopted by A.Y. Ali when he translates the

above verse as follows: "Woe to man! What hath made him reject God?"

480 On the other hand, al-Zamakhsharī and al-Suyūt.ī asserts that

mā in this verse indicates wonder;481

this is the interpretation followed by

M.M. Pickthall when he translates the verse as follows: "Man is (self-)

destroyed: how ungrateful!"482

Both interpretations are mentioned by al-Farrā‟ and al-T.abarsī.

483 The third interpretation is that of Ibn al-Jawzī

who maintains that mā indicates wonder in the interrogative form

,484

namely, in modern terminology, a rhetorical

question .

12. (almost, nearly, to be near to, to be on the point of)

The term kāda, like karaba and awshaka, belongs to the category of

verbs called by the grammarians af„āl al-muqārabah, namely, verbs which

indicate being on the verge of doing something.485

According to Ibn Qutaybah, the term kāda means "to be on the point of (doing something) but

did not do it" . It is not followed by an; therefore, it is not right to

say , but rather , as in ".... So

they sacrificed her [namely, the cow], though almost they did not." (Q. 2:71,

Pickthall).486

However, kāda followed by an occurs in poetry,487

as in the

following poem of Ru‟bah: "It had nearly come to

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nought from length of wear." (Lane's translation)

488

Another view is that kāda indicates the occurrence of something

, such as the following poem of Dhū al-Rummah:

*

“And if Luqman the sage happened to take a glance

at Mayy unveiled, he would be surprised.”

Here kāda yabraqu ("he would be on the point of being surprised")

means labariqa ("he would be surprised).489

According to this view the term kāda here is, as stated by al-Murtad.á,

additional and has no function, and therefore is not translated. Similarly, the

verse (Q. 24:40) means ("he does not see it"). The

term yakad here is not only additional, but is also said to function as

emphasis. However, another view says that yakad in the above verse is not

additional.490

Al-Suyūt.ī gives us more details on kāda. He asserts that the term

indicates that something nearly happened. If it is followed by a negation, then it negates that it nearly happened. On the other hand, the affirmation of

itindicates the affirmation that it had nearly happened.491

Al-Suyūt.ī notes that it is commonly said that kāda with negation

indicates the occurrence of the action, whereas kāda with affirmation

indicates the negation of such an occurrence. For example, (he

almost did not do) means (he did), as in Q. 2:71 mentioned above. This is

also Ibn Fāris's view.492

The expression (Zayd almost did) means

(he did not do), as in "And they almost

beguile thee (Muhammad)..." (Q. 17:73).493

Al-Suyūt.ī rejects the view that the present tense of kāda with negation

indicates that the action does occur, as in "... he cannot

nearly see it" (Q. 24:40, Rodwell),494

since he does not see anything. He

contends that instead of "he almost does not see it" the meaning of the verse is "he does not almost see it (or, he is not near to seeing it)", namely, the

negation of almost (or the nearness to) seeing it, let alone seeing it.495

The

same with Q. 2:71 above where the people of Moses slaughtered the cow; before that, they had not almost done it, namely, they had been far from

slaughtering it.496

Al-Suyūt.ī also states that kāda sometimes means arāda (to want), as in

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"... I want to keep it hidden..." (Q. 20:15). This view is

also mentioned by al-Murtad.á and Ibn al-Anbārī.497

On the other hand,

arāda sometimes means kāda, as in “... a wall

upon the point of falling into ruin..." (Q. 18:77).498

13. (nay, rather; even; but; however, yet)

Bal is a particle of digression and emendation; it denotes digression from that which precedes. Ibn Qutaybah mentions two ways of using bal, as

follow:

a. to correct a wrong statement, such as "I saw Zayd, nay,

rather „Amr."

b. to shift from one object of discourse to another, as in

"Sād. Consider this Qur‟ān, endowed with

all that one ought to remember! But nay - they who are bent on denying the truth are lost in [false] pride, and [hence] deeply in the wrong." (Q.

38:1-2, Asad).499

According to al-Tha„ālibī the meaning of bal in the

above verse is inna ("verily").500

14. (an interrogative particle introducing direct and indirect

questions)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions the function and meanings of hal, as follows:

a. It is used to ask questions,501

as in

"Say: 'Can any of those beings to whom you ascribe a share in God's

divinity create [life] in the first instance, and then bring it forth anew?'"

(Q. 10:34, Asad).502

Ibn Qutaybah states that there is (affirmation)

and (reproach) in this verse. The taqrīr is the affirmation that none of

the partners ascribed to Allah by infidels can produce creation and

reproduce it, except Allah Himself. The tawbīkh is reproaching the

infidels for believing and ascribing partners to Allah.

b. (already) in some Qur‟ānic verses, according to the Qur‟ānic

commentators, such as Abū „Ubaydah, al-Kisā‟ī, Sībawayh, al-Farrā‟, al-

Zamakhsharī, al-T.abarsī and al-Zarkashī, as in

“There has already been an immensely long span

of time when man was not yet a thing to be thought of." (Q. 76:1).503

c. (not), according to the linguists, as in

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“Wait they [namely, they did not wait], indeed for nothing [namely,

anything] less than the angels should come to them..." (Q. 6:158).504

Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention four meanings of hal, whereas Ibn

al-Jawzī mentions seven meanings as above. The rest are as follows:

a. (an expression indicating a polite offer, such as, "shall I...?", "would

you like ...", etc), 505

as in “Shall I point out

to you a bargain...” (Q. 61:10, Asad).506

b. (negative question, such as "is it not", etc), as in

"Is not in all of this, to anyone endowed with reason, a solemn

affirmation [of the existence and oneness of Allah]?." (Q. 89:5).

c. (command), as in "[And] He adds:

'Would you like to look [and see him]?'" (Q. 37:54, Asad), meaning "look

[at him]!"

d. (request), as in "On the

day when We will ask Hell: 'Art thou filled?' - and it will answer: '[Give

me] more'" (Q. 50:30).507

15. and (if only, were it not that, were it not for; why not, why

was there not)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of law lā as follows:

a. (why not). It is a word indicating incitement to do, or reproof for not

doing something, if it is not followed by a main clause (jawāb), as in the

Arabic expression (If only I did such-and-such), and in the

Qur‟ānic verse "If only, when Our

disaster came on them, they had been humble!" (Q. 6:43, Pickthall).508

Similarly, law mā sometimes also means hallā, as in

"Why dost thou not bring before us angels ..." (Q. 15:7,

Asad), meaning "If only you would bring angels before us..."509

b. (if not, were it not that), indicating something has not taken place due

to the occurrence of something else, if law lā is followed by a main

clause, as in

"And had he not been of those who glorify (Allah), he would have indeed

remained in its belly till the Day all shall be raised from the dead." (Q.

37:143-1444).510

306

c. (not), according to some commentators, as in

"For, there has never yet been any community

that has ever believed and profited by its belief except the people of Jonah" (Q. 10:98).

511

16. (not, not yet; when, as; since, whereas)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three meanings of lammā as follows:

a. (not, not yet), as in “... Nay, they have not yet

tasted the suffering which I do impose!" (Q. 38:8, Asad).512

b. (but, except), as in ".... Yet, all

this would have been nothing but a [brief] enjoyment of life in this world..." (Q. 43:35, Asad).

513

c. (when, at the time when, at the time of) if it is followed by a main

clause, as in “.... And when thy Sustainer's

judgment came to pass, ..." (Q. 11:101, Asad).514

17. (or)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four meanings of aw as follows:

a. (to indicate doubt), such as the expression ("I saw

„Abd Allah or Muh.ammad").515

b. (to choose between two things), namely, or, as in

"...[he] shall redeem himself by fasting, or

alms, or [any other] act of worship...." (Q. 2:196, Asad).516

c. (the conjunction "and"), as in

"and then giving forth a reminder, [promising] freedom from blame or [offering] a warning!" (Q. 77:5-6, Asad).

517 Al-Farrā‟ rejects the

occurrence of aw meaning wa in Arabic language other than in the

Qur‟ān as in the above example. Giving the example of the verse

“... And behold, either we [who believe

in Him] or you [who deny His oneness] are on the right path, or have

clearly gone astray!" (Q. 34:24, Asad), al-Farrā‟ says that the commentators' interpretation of this verse is "we are on the right path, and

you have clearly gone astray". In the expression

("if you like take one or two dirhams"), it never means "take one and

two", namely, three. Therefore, the meaning of the above verse is "we are

307

on the right path, or have clearly gone astray, and you, too, are on the

right path, or have clearly gone astray", whereas Allah knows that His

messenger is on the right path, and the others have clearly gone astray. It is the same as saying "one of us is a liar" when we accuse somebody of

lying, but not openly.518

d. ("nay, rather", "nay, but"), as in

"And [then] We sent him [once again] a hundred thousand [souls], nay,

rather more." (Q. 37:147).519

This interpretation, however, is rejected by Ibn Qutaybah who claims that bal is used to correct a wrong statement.

He maintains that instead of bal, the particle aw in the above verse means

wa. As evidence, he quotes Jarir's poem as follows:

*

“How did you make the [two] tribes Tha„labah the knights

and Riyah. equal to T.uhayyah and Khishāb tribes?”520

This is a clear evidence for those who claim that Ibn Qutaybah does

not belong to either the grammarian school of Bas.rah or Kūfah, but of

Baghdād, the mixture of the two schools. The former school says that aw

cannot be interpreted as wa or bal, but the latter allows it, whereas Ibn Qutaybah says that it can be interpreted as wa, but not as bal.

521 The

argument of the grammarians of Bas.rah is as follows: (1) If aw can be

interpreted as bal in this poem, then this can also be applied to other

poems or expressions. For example, the expression ("I beat

Zayd or „Amr") can never mean ("I beat Zayd, nay, rather

„Amr"); (2) Bal is used to correct a mistake or a forgotten thing. Allah

never forgets or makes mistakes. When He uses it, it means to correct the

previous statement which is not His, as in

“And [yet] some say: 'The Most Gracious has taken unto

Himself a son!' Limitless is He in His glory! Nay, [those whom they

regard as God's 'offspring' are but His] honoured servants." (Q. 21:26, Asad).

522

Defending the school of Kūfah in general and al-Farrā‟ in particular

who holds this view, Ibn Fāris asserts that this view had been adopted by

people before al-Farrā‟. Moreover, it is wrong to assume that bal can only be used after a mistake or forgetting, as the Arabs cite the following poem

of al-„Ajjāj: ("Nay, but he did not agitate

sorrows and distress which has appeared"). Here, bal neither corrects a

308

mistake nor has the sense of aw. With regard to the verse

"And yet, after all this, your hearts

hardened and became like rocks, or even harder,..." (Q. 2:74, Asad), or

“.... And so, the advent of the

Last Hour will but manifest itself [in a single moment,] like the twinkling of an eye, or closer still..." (Q. 16:77, Asad), Ibn Fāris gives his

commentary as follows: In these verses the Speaker, namely, Allah,

knows whether their hearts were hardened like rocks or harder, or whether the advent of the Last Hour will manifest itself in a twinkling of

an eye or closer, but He wants to keep them secret, and therefore puts aw. Another interpretation, however, is that in Q. 2:74 some of their hearts are

as hard as rocks, and others are harder than rocks.523

There are other meanings of أو which are not mentioned by Ibn

Qutaybah. For example, (unless) mentioned by Ibn Fāris, as in the

expression ("I will surely force you, or [namely,

unless] you give me my right").524

Al-Tha„ālibī mentions two other

meanings, namely, (till, up to), and (until). The example of the

former is in Imru‟ al-Qays's following poem which he cited while he was

coming to the Caesar for help against the Banī Asad tribe that had killed his father:

*

“So, I said to him: 'Do not let your eyes weep;

verily, we are trying (to get our) right or [namely, until]

we die; in that case, we shall be excused.'”525

The example of the latter is the following poem:

“with beating and stabbing or [namely, until] he dies the quickest

(death)".526

This poem was probably a description of a fight where a person kept attacking his enemy fiercely and did not stop fighting until he

was killed.

18. ("or", introducing the second member of an alternative question)

Two meanings of am are mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, as follows:

a. (or), as in

"Can you ever feel secure that He Who is in

heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up when, lo and behold, it

begins to quake? Or can you ever feel secure that He Who is in heaven

309

will not let loose against you a deadly stormwind, ...?" (Q. 67:16-17,

Asad).527

b. (alif as an interrogative particle), as in

"Do they, perchance, envy other people for what

Allah has granted them out of his bounty?..." (Q. 4:54, Asad). This is also

the view of Abū „Ubaydah.528

Ibn Qutaybah maintains that there are

many verses in the Qur‟ān where the particle am serves as alif istifhām, especially when the am does not constitute an alternative question, as in

"Alif Lam

Mim. (This is) the revelation of the Book in which there is no doubt, -

from the Lord of the worlds. Or do they say, 'He has forged it'?" (Q. 32:1-3, Ali). Ibn Qutaybah asserts that since the particle am here is not

preceded by another question, then it serves as alif istifhām. Otherwise, it

means aw.529

Ali translates am as an interrogative particle aw above.

There are other meanings of am which are not mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, among which are as follows:

a. , as in "Nay, rather they say: '(he is), a poet' ..."

(Q. 52:30).530

b. , as in "And they assert, '[Muh.ammad] has invented it."

(Q. 10:38).531

c. additional , as in I am

surely better than this contemptible man who can hardly make his

meaning clear." (Q. 43:52).532

19. (not)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions one meaning only of lā, namely lam, with one

example from the Qur‟ān, and two from poetry. The example from the

Qur‟ān is as follows: "… for [as long as he was

alive] he did not accept the truth, nor did he pray [for enlightenment]." (Q.

75:31, Asad). One example from poetry is the poem of Abū Khirāsh al-Hudhalī as follows:

*

“ If you forgive, Oh God, forgive generously; (for) is there

any servant of Yours who does not commit sin?”533

Ibn al-Jawzī mentions three meanings of lā, one of which is lam as

mentioned above. The other two are lā indicating negation ( in modern

310

terminology), and lā indicating prohibition ( in modern terminology).

Their respective examples are as follows:

“And God will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will

He cleanse them [of their sins]; ..." (Q. 2:174, Asad), and

"... and do not forget thine own [rightful] share in this world, ..."

(Q. 28:77).534

Ibn al-Anbārī includes the term lā among the ad.dād (words which

have opposite meanings). Beside negation, lā could also mean affirmation, if

the sentence is affirmative, and lā in it is additional, such as in the verse:

"Allah said: 'What has kept thee from

prostrating [lit., 'from not prostrating'] thyself when I commanded thee?'

..."(Q. 7:12), meaning “What prevented you from

prostrating." In this case, lā is s.ilah according to al-Farrā‟ and al-

Zamakhsharī,535

whereas according to Abū „Ubaydah, Ibn al-Anbārī, Ibn

Kathīr and al-Qayrawānī it is additional (zā‟idah).536

This is also the view of

Qut.rub who says that like mā, lā occurs additionally in the Qur‟ān.537

There are also different views on the position of lā in the beginning of

many verses of the Qur‟ān, such as "Nay, I swear by

the Day of Resurrection" (Q. 75:1, Pickthall). Al-Kisā‟ī, for example, says

that lā in this case is additional. This is also the view of Abū „Ubaydah. On the other hand, according to al-Farrā‟, it is not additional, but a negation of

the infidels' allegation that Allah has a son, a companion and a spouse.538

Many Qur‟ānic verses refer to the unbelievers' allegation that Allah has a son (Q. 2:116, 10:68, 18:4, 19:33, 19:91 and 21:26). Two verses deny the

allegation that Allah has a son and a consort (Q. 6:101 and 72:3).

20. (nearer)

Ibn Qutaybah gives us one meaning of awlá, namely, intimidation and

threats , as in “[And yet, O

man, thine end comes hourly] nearer unto thee and nearer - and ever nearer unto thee and nearer." (Q. 75:34-5, Asad), meaning, "Threat be upon you

again and again with your end."539

The term awlá in the expression awlá lahu means, according to al-

Asma„ī, "his ruin is approaching" . This is also the view of

Tha„lab and al-Nah.h.ās. Tha„lab says that the Arabic expression awlá laka

311

means that the ruin is near as if it is said to him ("You are

approaching the ruin), as the origin of awlá is al-walyu, meaning

"nearness". Al-Nah.h.ās says that awlá laka means ("you almost

became ruined"), as if it is said, "the ruin is near to you".540

21. (surely, certainly, definitely, of course)

According to al-Farrā‟ lā jarama meant the same as lā budda

(definitely, inevitably) and lā mah.ālah (positively, absolutely, by all

means); then, through its frequent expression, it meant an oath, and

eventually it also meant h.aqqan (truly, certainly). The expression

means "truly, I shall certainly come to you". The basic meaning of jarama,

according to al-Farrā‟, is kasaba (to earn, obtain, acquire, gain), as in the following poem of Abū Asmā‟ ibn al-D.arībah or „Atīyah ibn „Afīf:

*

“And verily thou [Karz al-„Uqaylī] didst thrust Abū „Uyaynah

[of the Fazārah tribe] with a thrust [of thy spear] that caused

Fazārah [tribe] after it, to be angry [against thee].”

(Lane's translation). 541

The expression means ("their provider"). Sin, Ibn Qutaybah

contends, is called jurm, because it is acquisition and perpetration.542

There are five Qur‟ānic verses with the expression lā jarama, but Ibn

Qutaybah does not cite any of them. They are Q. 11:22, 16:23, 62 and 109, and 40:43. Al-Suyūt.ī gives four interpretations of the meaning of lā jarama

as follows: (1) Lā is the negation of what is mentioned before, jarama means

"true", so that the expression means "nay, it is true that..." (2) Lā is

additional, jarama means kasaba, so that the expression mentioned above

means “may their deed provide for them remorse" (3) Lā

and jarama are two words combined to mean "truly"; and (4) Lā jarama

means lā budda.543

22. (light "in")

Ibn Qutaybah cites three meanings of the light in, as follows:

a. (not), as in "Nothing was

[needed] but one single blast [of Our punishment] - and lo! they became as still and silent as ashes." (Q. 36:29, Asad).

544

b. (verily), as in ".... Verily, our

312

Sustainer's promise has been fulfilled." (Q.17:108, Asad).

545

c. (since, as, because), as in "...,

and give up all outstanding gains from usury, since ye are truly

believers." (Q. 2:278).546

This meaning is based on the views of

unspecified Qur‟ānic commentators by Ibn Qutaybah. He asserts that philologists do not put idh as the meaning of in in the above or similar

verses; therefore, the meaning of the above verse is "whoever becomes a

true believer will stop practising usury."547

There are three other meanings of in which are not treated by Ibn Qutaybah in this section, as follows:

a. (the conditional "if"), as in

"[And We said:] 'If you persevere in doing good, you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you do evil, it will be [done] to yourselves....'"

(Q. 17:7, Asad), and “Say [O

Muh.ammad, to mankind): 'If ye love Allah, follow me;...'" (Q. 3:31,

Pickthall).548

b. (in as additional), as in "And

yet, We had established them securely in a manner in which We have

never established you, [O people of later times;]..." (Q. 46:26, Asad).549

c. ("verily", "surely"), as in "... saying [to one

another]: 'These two are surely sorcerers..." (Q. 20:63, Asad), based on

the variant reading of H.afs. and Ibn Kathīr.550

(!ha! hey! look! there) هـا .23

According to Ibn Qutaybah the particle hā is synonymous with the imperative khudh ("take!") and tanāwal ("take!", "accept!"), such as in the

imperative expression "Take [it], man!"). The example in the Qur‟ān

is as follows: "... Take, read my book!" (Q. 69:19,

Pickthall). The origin of hā‟um is hākum where the letter kāf is substituted

with the letter hamzah.551

Another view, as stated by Ibn Manz.ūr, is that ha is h.arf tanbīh ("the

letter of alertness"), namely, an interjection at the beginning of the

sentence used to attract the listener's attention similar to the English

"hey". For example, (lit., "Hey, this is your brother") and

(lit., "Hey, indeed, this is your brother").552

According to Ibn Zayd

and Ibn „At.īyah hā means ta„āl ("come!"), while according to Muqātil it

313

means halumma ("come on!").

553

According to Ibn Qutaybah, the dual of hā‟um is hā‟umá.554

This is

also the view of Ibn al-Sikkīt and al-Kisā‟ī who say that the Arabs say

for the singular, for the dual, and for the plural; for

the feminine gender, they say , , and . 555

24.

According to Ibn Qutaybah, hāti is synonymous with the imperative

"give me", as in ".... Say: Give me your

proof (of what you are claiming) if what you say is true!" (Q. 2:111). He

quotes al-Farrā‟ who said that he had never heard of , the dual number

for , but the singular and plural only, namely, and (for singular

feminine), and and (for plural feminine). Negation is expressed by

meaning ("I shall not give you"), but the Arabs do not say it

for the past tense, such as ("I have given"), nor in the negative

imperative, such as ("do not give!").556

25. (lit., "be elevated!", "come up!” "come!")

The original meaning of ta„āl, according to al-Farrā‟, as quoted by Ibn

Qutaybah, is ("come up to us!"), but through popular usage the term

became synonymous with ("come!"), so much so that it can be said to a

person on an elevated place ("come up!"), when we actually mean

"come down!". It can be used for the singular feminine gender ( ), for the

dual ( ), the plural masculine ( ), and the plural feminine ( ).

Although it cannot be used for the negative imperative, it can be used in the

past and the present tenses, such as ("I came"), and ("To

what thing shall I come?"). The example from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"..., say: Come:! Let us summon our sons

and your sons,..." (Q. 3:61, Asad).557

26. (come!, come on!, onward!, up!, get up!)

Halumma means (come!, come up!). The people of H.ijāz do

not make it dual or plural, as it is invariably used for the singular, the dual, the plural, masculine and feminine. The Banū Tamīm people of Najd,

314

however, make dual and plural of it, and say for singular feminine,

for dual, for plural masculine, and for plural feminine. can be

followed by la, for example, and .558

There are two Qur‟ānic verses mentioning this term, neither of which

is given by Ibn Qutaybah as an example. They are

"Say: 'Bring forward your witnesses...'"(Q. 6:150, Asad) and

"..., as well as those who say to their brethren, 'come

hither to us...'"(Q. 33:18, Asad). It is used here invariably, namely, in the

language of H.ijāz, although it indicates plural in both verses.

Philologists have different views about the origin of halumma. Al-

Khalīl asserts that its origin is the combination of for calling attention

( ), and (imperative verb from meaning "to collect", "to settle").

The alif of is dropped, and it becomes . Al-Farrā‟, on the other hand,

asserts that it is the combination of the words hal and ‟umma. It is like

allāhumma which is originally from ("O Allah, lead us well").559

Ibn Fāris states that, according to some philologists whom he does not

identify, this term is originally from meaning "shall I lead (the way)?";

it was originally an expression given by a person who is going to bring the

meal. This expression develops and later becomes an invitation to a meal.

However, in Ibn Fāris's view, the term is ambiguous.560

27. (not at all!, on the contrary!, by no means! certainly not!,

never!, no!)

The term kallā indicates prevention ( ) and rebuke ( ).561

Ibn

Qutaybah cites six Qur‟ānic verses as examples, two of which are as

follows:

a. "thinking that his wealth

will make him live for ever. Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall

indeed be abandoned to crushing torment!" (Q. 104:3-4, Asad). Here, Ibn

Qutaybah asserts, kallā means "his wealth will not make him live for ever". Therefore, it rejects the previous statement in the verse preceding

it.

b. "… and then, behold, it will

be for Us to make its meaning clear. Nay, but [most of] you love this

315

fleeting life." (Q. 75:19-20, Asad). Kallā here means "stop hurrying" إ

. 562

In other words, kallā in this verse reproves the earlier

statement indicating that the Prophet moved his tongue in haste in

repeating the revelation, namely, "Move

not thy tongue in haste, [repeating the words of the revelation:]" (Q. 75:16, Asad).

Ibn al-Jawzī cites two meanings of kallā, as follows: (a) (not) which

is found in fourteen verses of the Qur‟ān, among which is Q. 104:4

mentioned above; (b) (truly, verily) which is found in nineteen verses

of the Qur‟ān, among which is Q. 75:20 mentioned above.563

28.

(slowly, gently, leisurely)

The term ruwaydan means (slowly, gently, leisurely). Ibn

Qutaybah cites only one example from the Qur‟ān, namely

“Let, then, the deniers of the truth have their will: let them

have their will (amhilhum) for a little while." (Q. 86:17, Asad). However, he

says that here ruwaydan means qalīlan (for a little while).564

If the term is not preceded by amhilhum in the above verse, then it means mahlan. It is

always in the diminutive form (tas.ghīr), and in imperative mood, except in

the following poem where it is neither in diminutive form nor in imperative

mood: "She is like a drunk walking slowly."565

29. (a particle indicating alertness)

The term alā is used and added to the sentence to indicate alertness.

The expression means "Understand (ifham) that people are

going out." The example in the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"Oh, verily, on the Day when it befalls them there will be nothing to

avert it from them; ..." (Q. 11:8, Asad).566

Al-Suyūt.ī mentions three functions of alā, one of which is to alert the

listener ( ), as mentioned above. The other two are to incite ( ), and

to offer ( ), as in the following respective examples:

"Would you, perchance, fail to fight against people who have

broken their solemn pledges, ..." (Q. 9:13, Asad), and

316

"... do you not desire that God should forgive you your sins,..?" (Q.

24:22, Asad).567

30. (affliction, distress, woe)

Al-wayl, as stated by Ibn Qutaybah, is a word that combines all bad

things ( ). He quotes al-As.ma„ī's view who says that the term

indicates taqbīh (the act of denouncing something as ugly or disgraceful),

such as “.... But woe unto you for all your

[attempts at] defining [God]." (Q. 21:18, Asad). The expression

means "woe and moaning to him". It is also used to express tah.assur

(regret) and tafajju„ (agony, affliction, grief), as in

"And they could only cry: 'Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we were

wrongdoers!'" (Q. 21:14, Asad).568

There are many different views about the meaning of wayl, among which are the following: al-Khalīl: the severity of evil (shiddat al-sharr); al-

As.ma„ī: agony (tafajju„); Abū Zayd: disaster; Sībawayh: a person who is in

disaster; Ibn „Arafah: sadness; this view is similar to that of al-Farrā‟ who

says that the origin of wayl is way, meaning sadness.569

31. (by your life)

The expression la„amruk (by your life) and la„amr Allāh (by the everlasting existence of Allah, by the Eternal God) are oaths.

570 Ibn

Qutaybah does not mention the only example from the Qur‟ān which is as

follows: "Verily, by thy life (O Prophet),

in their wild intoxication, they wander in distraction, to and fro." (Q. 15:72,

Ali). Ibn „Abbās was reported to have said that Allah never swears with the life of a person except with that of Prophet Muh.ammad.

571

32. (yes, yea)

According to Ibn Qutaybah iy means balá (yes, indeed, certainly,

surely). It is used before an oath572

, as in

"And some people ask thee, 'Is all this true?' Say: 'Yea, by my

Sustainer! It is most certainly true, ...'" (Q. 10:53, Asad).573

Sometimes we

hear people join إي with the that follows it and sayإيو meaning

"yes".574

317

33. (on, at, upon, from)

Ladun means „inda (on, at, upon, from), as in

"...[for by] now thou hast heard enough excuses from me." (Q. 18:76,

Asad). The letter in can be dropped, as in the following poem of

Ghaylān ibn H.ārith al-Rub„ī in describing the camel he was driving:

*

“It takes two elbows long upon its rope from its two jaws

to its upper chest [namely, it has a long neck].”575

Ibn Qutaybah also mentions ladá which is similar to ladun, meaning

„inda, as in "... - and [lo!] they met her lord at

the door." (Q. 12:25, Asad).576

So far, we have seen how Ibn Qutaybah dealt with the thirty-three particles and uninflected verbs in his work Ta‟wīl. Most of them were

mentioned very briefly. For example, the term la„amruk, was covered in less

than two lines, iy in two, kayfa and ayyāna in four, awlá and alā in five, lā, al-wayl and hā in six lines. We have also seen that other scholars, such as

Ibn al-Jawzī, Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Qurt.ubī and al-Suyūt.ī gave much more

details regarding these terms than Ibn Qutaybah. However, despite his

brevity, we note that some of his contributions highlight his deep understanding of this subject. Ibn al-Jawzī in his work Nuzhah, for example,

mentions Ibn Qutaybah by name and quotes his interpretations of several

terms and particles more than forty times.

D. The Substitution of Particles in

the Verses of the Qur’ān

According to Ibn Qutaybah there are particles in the verses of the Qur‟ān that substitute each other. Besides Ta‟wīl, this topic is also discussed

by him in his work Adab al-Kātib, although in some cases he does not give

examples from the Qur‟ān in it. However, I shall also include in this study some examples which have not been quoted by him but have been quoted by

other scholars.

These particles were not treated by later scholars as substituting or being

in the sense of (synonymous with) each other, but as having many wujūh.

These particles are: and . They are dealt with as

follows:

1. (to; toward; up to; as far as; till, until)

318

a. Ilá in the sense of ma„a (with),577

as in

"And when Jesus became aware of their refusal to

acknowledge the truth, he asked: 'Who will be my helpers in God's cause?'..." (Q. 3:52, Asad). The verse means, according to Ibn Qutaybah,

"... who will be my helpers with Allah ( ).578

The example from the

Arabs' expression is the proverb which means "a small

group of camels (from three to nine heads) with another small group

makes a larger group of camels (ibil).579

b. Ilá in the sense of fī, as in the expression meaning .580

The example given by al-Suyūt.ī is the following verse:

“.... [God] … will surely gather you all together on the Day of

Resurrection..." (Q. 4:87, Asad).581

There are two more particles substituted by mentioned by Ibn

Qutaybah in his work Adab al-Kātib but without any example from the Qur‟ān, as follows: (a) Ilá in the sense of min, as in the following poem of

Hanī„ ibn Ah.mar al-Kinānī: “He was given drink, so

there is no drink from me, Ibn Ah.mar." (b) Ilá in the semse of „inda, as in

the expression ("it is more delicious to me than such and

such") in which ilayya ("to me") is in the sense of „indī ("for me").582

2. (in, at, on; with; through, by means of)

a. Bi in the sense of „an, as in ".... Ask, then, about

Him, [the] One who is [truly] aware." (Q. 25:59, Asad). Here bihi is in the sense of „anhu.

583 The example from poetry is the following poem of

„Alqamah ibn „Abadah:

*

“And if ye ask me regarding [the diseases of] women,

verily, I ppossess knowledge of the diseases of

women, [I am] a physician.”

Here bi ‟l-nisā‟ is in the sense of ‘an al-nisā'.584

b. Bi in the sense of li (for), as in “We created

them not save with truth [namely, for the truth]." (Q. 44:39, Pickthall).585

The creation of the heavens and the earth bi‟l-h.aqq (lit. "with truth") is

mentioned in Q. 6:73, 14:19, 16:3, 29:44, 39:5, 45:22 and 64:3. In other

verses it is stated that Allah did not create the heavens, the earth and all

319

that is between them, namely, the entire universe, except bi‟l-h.aqq (Q.

15:85, 30:8 and 46:3). On the other hand, Allah says that He has not

created heaven and earth and all that is between them bāt.ilan (lit. "in

vain") (Q. 38:27). Moreover, those who are endowed with insight and

keep remembering Allah will say after reflecting the creation of the

heavens and the earth: "Our Lord! Thou

createdst not this in vain (bāt.ilan)." (Q. 3:191, Pickthall). Here the term

bāt.ilan, meaning "without meaning and purpose" (as translated by Asad)

is the opposite of bi‟l-h.aqq, which means, "with a definite purpose and

meaning". Bi’l-h.aqq also means lil-h.aqq, "for a definite purpose and

meaning" if we assume that bi is in the sense of li in the above verses as

stated by Ibn Qutaybah.

c. Bi in the sense of min, as in “A fountain from

which the servants of God shall drink." (Q. 76:6, Lane). According to Ibn

Qutaybah, the expression yashrabu bihā in this verse is in the sense of

yashrabu minhā. It is similar to the expression which

means ("I drank such and such water").586

From poetry

he quotes the poem of Abū Dhu‟ayb al-Hudhalī describing the clouds as

follows:

*

“ They [namely, the clouds] drank from the water

of the sea, then rose up from the green depth of

the sea passing quickly and noisily.”587

d. Bi meaning fi, as in the following poem of al-A„shá:

meaning "what is (the benefit of) the old man's crying over the ruins" in

which bi‟l-at.lāl means fī ‟l-at.lāl.588

The examples given by Ibn al-Jawzī

and al-Suyūt.ī respectively are as follows: ".... In

Thy hand is all good...." (Q. 3:26, Asad), and

"for indeed God did succour you at Badr,..." (Q. 3:123, Asad).589

e. Bi meaning „alá, as in the poem of „Amr ibn Qami‟ah when he says

("On your affection to my people..."), in which bi means „alā, and mā

is additional.590

The examples from the Qur‟ān given by Ibn al-Jawzī and

al-Suyūt.ī respectively are as follows:

"On that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the

320

messenger will wish that the ground would become levelled on them" (Q.

4:42) and "... who, if thou trust him with a

treasure,..." (Q. 3:75) in which biqint.ār means „alá qint.ār.591

f. Bi meaning min ajl (for the sake of, because of), as in the poem of Labīd

when he said: "acts of conquering were scattering for the

sake of blood revenge."592

The examples from the Qur‟ān given by Ibn al-

Jawzī and al-Suyūt.ī are respectively as follows:

"..., and those who, because of him (Satan) become polytheists."

(Q. 16:100) in which bihi means min ajlihi; and

“Each one of them We seized for his crime: ..." Q. 29:40, Ali), in which bidhanbihi means min ajli dhanbihi.

593

3. (on, upon, at, by, in; to, toward, for)

a. „Alá in the sense of (meaning) min (from), as in

"Who, when they take by measure from men, take fully"

(Q. 83:2, Lane), in which ‘alá ‟l-nās means min al-nās.594

The example from poetry is the poem of S.akhr al-Ghayy, as follows:

*

“[I am going to tell you about an essay (maqālah) you cannot deny],

whenever you deny it you will know that blood will spill from its sides

[namely, an essay that will kindle war and spill blood].”595

b. „Alá meaning „inda (at, near, by, with, on; upon), as in

) “And (further), they have a charge of crime against me,

so that I fear they may slay me." (Q. 26:14, Ali), in which ‘alayya dhanb

means ‘indī dhanb.596

c. „Alá meaning fī, as in the expression ("It was so in the

time of So-and-so"), in which ‘alá „ahd means fī „ahd, and in

“And they followed what the devils related

(or recited) in the time of (or during) the reigh of Solomon..." (Q. 2:102,

Lane). Here ‘alá mulki means fī mulki.597

d. „Alá meaning bi, as in the expression meaning

("Mount thou in the name of God." Lane).598

Al-Dāmaghānī cites the

following verse as an example: "....So

put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers." (Q.5 :23, Pickthall),

321

in which ‘alá Allāh means bi Allāh.

599

e. „Alá meaning ma„a, as in the poem of al-Shammākh as follows:

“And two special kinds of garments and seventy dirhams;

with that, a goat's skin thong tanned with pods of

acacia nilotica (a species of sant tree).”600

Al-Suyūt.ī cites the following example "...; and

giveth his wealth, (accompanied) with his love, ..." (Q. 2:177), in which ‘alá h.ubbihi means ma‘a h.ubbihi as translated above.

601 Al-Qurt.ubī

suggests two meanings for h.ubbihi in the above verse: "his love for his

wealth", and "his love for the persons mentioned later: his kinsfolk, orphans, etc".

602 Pickthall and Ali, however, translate „alá h.ubbihi

respectively as "for love of Him" and "out of love for Him", namely,

Allah.603

Ibn Qutaybah mentions two more examples of substitutions of particles

with „alá in his work Adab al-Kātib, without giving any example from the Qur‟ān, as follows: (a). „Alā in the sense of „an, as in the expression

meaning ("I have been pleased with you"), and

meaning “I shot [the arrow] from the bow").604

(b) „Alá

in the sense of li, as in the poem of al-Rā„ī („Ubayd ibn al-H.usayn al-

Numayrī), ("She took care of him for months and he

devoted himself to her"), in which khalá ‘alayhā means khalá lahā.605

4. (off, away, from; out of, about; for)

a. „An in the sense of bi (in, at, on, with), as in the expression

meaning ("I shot with the bow"),606

and as in

“And neither does he speak out of his own desire.” (Q. 53:3,

Asad).

b. „An in the sense of min, as in the expression meaning

(“have taken this from you”), and in

“And it is He who accepteth the repentance from His

servants..." (Q. 42:25, Asad).607

c. „An in the sense of „alá, as in the following poem of Dhū al-Is.ba„ al-

„Adwānī:

322

*

“To God be attributed the excellence of the son of thy paternal

uncle, thou hast not become possessed of superiority, on grounds

of pretension to respect (or honour), above me [ ], nor art thou

my governor that thou shouldst rule me.”

(Lane's translation).608

The only example from the Qur‟ān given by Ibn al-Jawzī and Al-Suyūt.ī

is the following verse: ".... And yet, he

who acts niggardly [in God's cause] is but niggardly towards his own

self..." (Q. 47:38, Asad).609

Here ‘an nafsih means ‘alá nafsih.

d. „An in the sense of ba„da (after), as in the expression أ

meaning أ ("I shall do that after a while").610

An

example from the Qur‟ān is given by al-Zarkashī and al-Suyūt.ī as

follows: “.... distorting the meaning of the

[revealed] words after [knowing] their context..." (Q. 5:13). This interpretation is apparent if we compare it with another similar verse

using min ba‘di mawād.i„ihi instead of ‘an mawād.i„ihi, namely, Q.

5:41.611

Al-Qurt.ubī's commentary on this second verse is that the Jews

distorted the meaning of the context of the Torah dealing with the

stoning of the adulterer after the Prophet had explained to them what

Allah meant by this penal law and after they had understood it. Through their interpretation they wanted to change the ruling of stoning for forty

lashes.612

Asad and Pickthall render the same translation of „an

mawād.i„ihi and min ba„di mawād.i„ihi in the above verses respectively

as "out of their context" and "from their context". Ali translates the former as "from their (right) places" and the latter as "from their (right)

time".613

Ibn Qutaybah mentions other substitutions of particles with „an, but

without any example from the Qur‟ān, as follows: (a) „an in the sense of min ajl (for the sake of, because of), as in the following poem of Labīd:

“for a watering place because of which the fields

become diminished."614

(b)„an meaning fawqa (above, on), as in the

following poem:

*

“If you threwest colocynths upon our helmets they would roll

along from what is gilded thereof, they being near together.

323

(Lane‟s translation).”

615

5. (in; at; on; near; by; within; during)

a. Fī in the sense of „alá as in the expression meaning

("The signet-ring cannnot be inserted into [namely, fit

on] my finger"), and in "And I will

assuredly crucify you upon the trunks of palm-trees" (Q. 20:71, Lane) in

which fī judhū„ al-nakhl means ‘alá judhū„ al-nakhl.616

b. Fī in the sense of ilá , as in “And they put

their hands to their mouths" (Q. 14:9) in which fī afwāhihim means „alá

afwāhihim.617

c. Fī in the sense of bi, as in the following poem of al-A„shá:

“And if he is requested [to give] the parchments [namely, the

books of the prophets] he will respond." Here fī ‟l-mahāriq means bi’l-

mahāriq. 618

The example from the Qur‟ān cited by al-Dāmaghānī and

Ibn al-Jawzī is as follows:

“Are they waiting until Allah comes to them with the shadows of the clouds...?" (Q. 2:210) in which fī z.ulal means bi-z.ulal.

619 This is one

interpretation. The other interpretation is that there is no substitution of particles in this verse, so that the verse means: "Are they waiting until

Allah reveals Himself unto them in the shadows of the clouds?" This is

the interpretation adopted by Asad, Pickthall and Ali,620

which appears to be the more appropriate one.

d. Fī meaning min, as in the following poem of Imru‟ al-Qays:

*

“Can anyone [i.e., the former inhabitant of the consumed (effaced)

ruins] be happy whose most recent time [in happiness] was

thirty months in [i.e., from] the last three years [i.e., the

impossibility of happiness after seperation]?”

Here fī thalāthati ah.wāl means min thalāthati ah.wāl.621

The example

from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"One day We shall raise from all peoples a witness against them from

amongst themselves..." (Q. 16:89, Ali)622

in which fī kulli ummah means

min kulli ummah.

e. Fī meaning ma„a, as in the expression meaning

("So-and-so is intelligent as well as gentle").623

The example from the

324

Qur‟ān is as follows: ".... [And thou

shalt go] with nine [of My] messages unto Pharaoh and his people..." (Q. 27:12, Asad).

624 Asad's interpretation of āyāt as "messages" is based on

the opinion of some unidentified commentators who "see in it a reference to nine specific commandments or ethical principles...".

625 Others render

āyāt as "signs", the miracles performed by Prophet Moses. Therefore, the

verse means, according to this view, that the radiant hand, as mentioned in the previous verse, is one in addition to nine other miracles. However,

according to other commentators fī means min ("among") rather than

ma„a in this verse, so that the two miracles mentioned earlier, namely, the radiant hand and the staff, are included in the nine miracles. This is the

view of al-Nah.h.ās, al-Mahdāwī, al-Qushayrī, and Ibn Kathīr, and on

which Pickthall and Ali render their translations.626

Al-Zarkashī mentions other meanings of fī, among which are as

follows:

a. (at, with), as in

“Pharaoh said: „Did we not bring thee up among us when thou wert a

child? And didst thou not spend among us years of thy [later] life?‟” (Q.

26:18, Asad). Here means .

b. (after), as in “… and his weaning is after two

years” (Q. 31:14), namely, the baby stops his total dependance on his

mother‟s milk after two years. Here fī „āmayn means ba‘da „āmayn.

c. ( about, from), as in

“Amd whoever is blind in these [namely, Allah‟s blessings in this

mentioned mentioned earlier], he will also become blind about [His blessings in] the Hereafter, [because of his disbelief in them]...” (Q.

17:72).627

However, translators like Ali and Pickthall, translate in the

above verse in its original sense in their respective translations, as

follows: “But those who are blind in this world, will be blind in the Hereafter…”, and “for whoever is blind [of heart] in this [world] will be

blind in the life to come [as well]…”628

6. (for)

a. Li in the sense of „alá, as in the expression meaning

("So-and-so fell upon his mouth"), and in

"... and neither speak loudly to him, as you would speak

325

loudly to one another, ..." (Q. 49:2, Asad) in which lahu means „alayh.

629

b. Li in the sense of ilá , as in the expression ("I guided him to it").630

The example from the Qur‟ān is as follows: “as

thy Sustainer will have inspired her to do." (Q. 99:5, Asad) in which awh.á lahā means awh.á ilayhā.

631

c. Li meaning min ajli, as in the expression ("I did that for you")

meaning ("I did that for your sake").632

Ibn al-Jawzī

mentions lām al-sabab in the following verse:

“(Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only." (Q. 76:9, Pickthall)

which is probably one example from the Qur‟ān.633

Another probable

example from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

"He will say: Ah, would that I had provided beforehand for my life [to

come]." (Q. 89:24, Asad) in which lih.ayātī means min ajli h.ayātī fī ‟l-

ākhirah ("for the sake of my life in the Hereafter") according to one interpretation; however, according to another, such as that of al-Zarkashī,

it means fī h.ayātī ("in my life").634

There are two more substitutions mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah solely in his work Adab al-Kātib and without any example from the Qur‟ān,

most probably because they occur only in Arabic literature and poetry, as follows:

(a) Li meaning ma„a, as in the following poem of Mutammim ibn

Nuwayrah al-Yarbū„ī:

*

“When we separated it was as if Mālik and I did not stay

the night together in spite of the length of the meeting.”

(b) Li meaning ba„da (after), as in the poem of al-Rā„ī, as follows:

*

“Until they [namely, the sheep], after completing five distant [pastures],

reached a frontier seized with severe wind successively.”

Here litimmi khimsin means ba‘da tamāmi khimsin. 635

The example from the Qur‟an is given by al-Zarkashī as follows:

“Establish [your] prayer after the sun‟s decline …”

(Q. 17:78).636

7. (from)

326

a. Min in the sense of „alá, as in “And

[We] delivered him from the people who denied Our revelations..." (Q.21:77, Pickthall) in which min al-qawm means ‘alá ‟l-qawm.

637

b. Min in the sense of „an, as in the expression meaning

("So and so related to me from so and so").638

Although no

example is given by Ibn Qutaybah from the Qur‟ān, al-Zakrkashī and al-

Suyūt.ī cite the following verse as an example:

".... We were indeed heedless of this [promise of resurrection]!..." (Q.

21:97, Asad) in which min hādhā means ‘an hādhā .639

c. Min in the sense of bi, as in

“For him are angels ranged before him and behind him, who guard

him by Allah's command" (Q. 13:11, Pickthall) in which min amr Allāh

means bi-amr Allāh.640

There are four views concerning the person who

is guarded in this verse: every human being, the Prophet, and every prophet. They are all protected till Allah's decree is imposed on them. The

other view is that the protectors in the verse are not guardian angels, and

the protected person is every ruler who is surrounded by his bodyguards but cannot protect him from Allah's decree. This is the view of Ibn

„Abbās and „Ikrimah as quoted by al-Qurt.ubī.641

d. Min in the sense of fī, as in ".... Show me

what it is that they have created on earth..." (Q. 35:40, Asad) in which min al-ard. means fī ‟l-ard..

642

We have seen that in this section Ibn Qutaybah discussed the substitution of particles with others very briefly and incompletely. For

example, in his work Ta„wīl he mentions only one particle that is substituted

by fī, namely, „alá whereas in his Adab al-Kātib he mentioned five particles that are substituted by fī, including „alá and ilá. However, he does not give

any example from the Qur‟ān for the other three particles, as others did in

their works. This number is still small compared to that of al-Dāmaghānī, who mentions eight, and Ibn al-Jawzī as well as al-Suyūt.ī who mentioned

ten particles in their works.

327

ENDNOTES TO CHAPTER IV

1. Ibn Qutaybah‟s Ta‟wīl, pp. 299-300 and al-Zarqānī, Manāhil al-„Irfān, vol. 1,

p. 228.

2. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 156.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibn Qutaybah., Ta‟wīl, p. 301; and al-Zarqānī, Manāhil al-„Irfān, vol. 1, p.

229.

5. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 301.

6. Ibid., p. 302.

7. Ibid. For further details and other interpretations, see al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 16,

pp. 32-35. 8 Ibid., p. 309.

9Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 155. 10

Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 299. 11

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 502

12 Al-Qurt.ubī al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 156.

13. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 309; Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 61.

14. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 114, 117 and 118, and Ibn „Abbās,

Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 61.

15. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 154.

16. Ibid.

17. For further details, see Dr. Mus.t.afá Zayd, Dirāsāt fī ‟l-Tafsīr, pp. 49-50.

18. See Theodor Noldeke and Friedrich Schwally, Geschichte des Qorans i-ii

(Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1961), vol. 2, p. 72.

19. See Morris Seale, Qur‟ān and Bible (London: Croom Helm Ltd., 1978), pp

34-35.

20. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 1, pp. 268 and 171; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān,

vol. 1, p. 195.

21. James A. Bellamy, "The Mysterious Letters of the Koran: Old Abbreviations

of the Basmalah", JAOS xciii (1973), pp. 277-278.

22. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 1, pp. 267-268.

23. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 1, p. 195.

24. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, pp. 32-33. This is also the

interpretation of „Ikrimah, see Noldeke, Geschichte, vol. 2, p. 73.

25. See W. Montgomery Watt, Bell's Introduction to the Qur‟ān (Edinburgh:

Edinburgh University Press, 1970), pp. 61-65. For further studies on Western scholars'

points of view on this subject, see A. Jeffery, "The Mystic Letters of the Koran", MW

xiv (1924), pp. 247-260; Alan Jones, "The Mysterious Letters of the Qur‟ān", SI 16

328

(1962), pp. 5-11; and R. Marston Speight, "The Opening Verses of the Chapters of the

Qur‟ān", MW 59/3-4 (1969), pp. 205-209. Among Muslim writers on this subject are

al-Zarqānī, Manāhil al-„Irfān, vol. 1, pp. 225-236; Dr. Hāshim Amir „Ali, "The

Mysterious Letters of the Qur‟ān", IC 36 (Jan. 1962), pp. iii-iv; and „Alī Nas.ūh. al-

T.āhir, "Abbreviations in the Holy Qur‟ān", IR (Dec. 1950), pp. 8-12.

26. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 394-5; idem, Qurrah, p. 161; and Ibn Qutaybah,

Ta„wīl, p. 461.

27. For further details, see Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 46-48 (al-Rād.i's

introduction) and pp. 83-84.

28. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 122.

29. See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 8, p. 2989 (supplement)

30. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 441; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 187.

31. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 441; ibid., Tafsīr, p. 253; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 374; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 406; al-Zamakhsharī,

al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 764; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 506. 32

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 409. 33

Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf: Tafsīr al-Qur‟ān mimā ‟shtabahat Asmā‟uh

wa Tas.arrafat Ma„ānīh, presented and edited by Hind Shalabī (Tunis: al-Sharikah al-

Tūnīsiyyah lil-Tawzī„ ,1979), p. 340. 34

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 37.

35. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 441; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

370; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 116; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt,

p. 406; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 506; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 399; Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 27; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 129; idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3,

p. 173 and Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 340.

36. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 441 and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p.

406.

37. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 441; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 406;

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 7. Yah.yá ibn Sallām and Ibn al-Jawzī use

the term khalq (creation) for the meaning of qad.á in the above verse, see al-Tas.ārīf, p.

343 and Nuzhah, pp. 508-509. According to al-Farrā‟, the term qad.á in the above verse

means "He created and controlled them (khalaqahunna wa h.akamahunna), see Ma„ānī

‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 13. As another example, Ibn Qutaybah cites Q. 41:12, and as a

shāhid, he cites the poem of Abū Dhu‟ayb where qad.á means "to make", as follows

* "With both of them two coats of mail made

by David or [i.e., and] the perfect expert (blacksmith) Tubba„." See Ibn Qutaybah,

Ta‟wīl, pp. 441-442 and idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 2, pp. 17-18; see also [al-

329

Mufad.d.al al-D.abbī], al-Mufad.d.alīyāt, p. 881. This poem is also cited by Ibn Fāris as a

shāhid to indicate that the term qad.á in the verse in question means "He decided their

creation" ( ); see Maqāyis vol. 5, p. 99. Tubba„ was the title of the kings of

Yemen, like the Pharaohs of Egypt, and the Caesars of the Roman empire. Tubba„ did

not make the coats of mail by himself, but by his blacksmiths who were experts in this

profession. See also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 186; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol.

1, p. 87. Al-Suyūt.ī cites Q. 80:23 as an example of qad.á meaning "to do", see al-Itqān,

vol. 2, p. 129.

38. According to Ibn Qutaybah qad.á nah.bahu means qutila (he was killed),

since the verse in question deals with martyrs; see Ta‟wīl, p. 183; and idem, Tafsīr, p.

349. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 14, pp. 158-160.

39. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 443; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 628; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 474; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 297; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 124.

According to Yah.yá ibn Sallām, this is the meaning given by Qatādah, see al-Tas.ārīf,

p. 100.

40. Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 304; „Ikrimah says that Moses was to

choose one of four roads before him; when he made his choice and chose the correct

one, he said the verse mentioned above; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 247.

41. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 443; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 297; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 626; and idem, Qurrah, p. 241.

42. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 8-9.

43. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, 443; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 473; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 627; idem, Qurrah, p. 242; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 298; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān,

vol. 1, p. 103; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 123.

44. See Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 278.

45. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 444; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 475-476; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 629; and idem, Qurrah, p. 244.

46. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 444; idem, Tafsīr, p. 279; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 13; and al-Farrā‟, see Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 181.

47. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 299 and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 123.

48 . See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 13; and Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-

Tas.ārīf, p. 103.

49. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 444; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 103; al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 474; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 256;

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 299; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 629.

50. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 444. This is also the view of al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī,

Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Zarkashī, and al-Suyūt.ī; see Qāmūs, p. 475; Wujūh, p. 299; Nuzhah, p.

629; al-Burhān, vol. 1, p. 104; and al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 123.

330

51. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 625-30; idem, Qurrah, pp. 241-244; Yah.yá ibn

Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, pp. 96-123; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 1, pp. 102-104; al-Suyūt.ī,

al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 122-124; idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, pp. 307-8; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp.

295-300; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 473-476; and Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 443-444.

52. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 72; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p.

143; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, pp. 306-307; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 1, p. 134; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 29; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 3, pp. 30-33; Ibn Kathīr,

Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 257; Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 445; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-

Mufradāt, p. 23.

53. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 445; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, pp.

99 and 313; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 47; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 28;

al-Zamakshsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 660; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 144. 54Ibn Qutaybah, Tafsīr, pp. 202 and 218.

55. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, 238.

56. Ibn Qutaybh, Ta‟wīl, p. 445. 57

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 49. 58

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 29 59

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 144; idem, Qurrah, p. 56; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

p. 43.

60. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 9, p. 201; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān,

vol. 1, p. 313; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 660. See also Ibn Fāris,

Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 136; Ibn Qutaybah, Tafsīr, p. 218; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-

Mufradāt, p. 23; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 103.. 61

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 51

62. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 445; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 30; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p.

144; idem, Qurrah, p. 56; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 43; and Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-

Tas.ārīf, p. 152. According to Ibn „Abbās the term ummah meaning imām in this verse

is the language of the Quraysh, see Gharīb al Qur‟ān, p. 53.

63

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al Qur‟ān, p. 53.

64. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 445 and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 23.

Here Ibn al-Jawzī is quoting Ibn Qutaybah, see Nuzhah, p. 144. Al-Qurt.ubī says that

the ummah is the person who combines good things in himself ( ), see

al-Jāmi„, vol. 10, p. 197.E

65. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 445; idem, Tafsīr, p. 249; al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 755; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 391; and al-Farrā‟,

Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 114.

66

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 612.

67. See al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 23.

68. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 446; idem, Tafsīr, p. 108; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„,

331

vol. 4, p. 165. Al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī, and Tiflīsī mention neither this verse nor

any other in which the word ummah means a group of „ulamā‟.

69. Al-Zamakshsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 224; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 1, p. 483.

70. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 446; idem, Tafsīr, p. 397; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr,

vol. 4, p. 136. 71

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, 203 72

Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 30. 73

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1324.

74. Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 90.

75. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta„wīl, p. 446 and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 23.

76 Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 28.

77

Lane, Lexicon, pt. p. 90.

78. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 446; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 43; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 143; idem, Qurrah, p. 56; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 12, p. 129.

79. See Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 151; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4. 109. See also Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 257 and vol. 4, p. 136.

80. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 447; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 447; and Ibn Manz.ūr,

Lisān, vol. 3, p. 312. 81

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 209 82

Al-Suyūt.ī Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 628.

83. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 447; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 350;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 448; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 209; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp.

336-337. Ibn „Abbās says that the term „ahd includes a promise; see al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 382.

84. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 447; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 350;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 447; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 209; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 15,

p. 47. Al-T.abarsī's interpretation of the said verse is as follows: "Have I not

commanded you ( ) through the tongues of prophets and messengers in the

revealed books not to worship Satan...?"; see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, 430.

85. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 337. No Qur‟ānic verse was given as an example

by Ibn Qutaybah. For the h.adīth, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 312.

86. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 447. Again, no Qur‟ānic verse was given by Ibn

Qutaybah as an example here.

87. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 448 and al-Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 209.

88. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 201 and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 448. For further details on the meanings of of „ahd see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, pp.

2182-2183 (s.v. ).

89. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 449; Sufyān al-Thawrī, Tafsīr al-Qur‟ān al-Karīm,

332

ed. and annot. Imtiyāz „Alī „Arshī, 1st ed. (Rampur: Hindustan Printing Works,

1385/1965), p. 81; and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 21.

90. See al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 20.

91 Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 75.

92 Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 47.

93 Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 394-395.

94 Ibn Qutaybah, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 2, p. 532

95 Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 21.

96 Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 109.

97. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 449 and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 21. 98

Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 395.

99. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 450; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz, vol. 1, p. 253; and Ibn

al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 395. Al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī mentions "pact" as well as

"kinship" as the meaning of ill in the above Qur‟ānic verse; see al-Mufradāt, p. 20.

100. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 530.

101. See Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, pp. 73-74

102. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 452; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p. 171; and

Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 31.

103. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 342.

104. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 451; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 484; Ibn Manz.ūr,

Lisān, vol. 2, p. 73; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2566. According to al-Rāghib al-

As.bahānī the term qunūt in this h.adīth means "keeping oneself busy with worship and

avoiding any other activity" ( ), see al-Mufradāt, p. 413. The

h.adīth was reported by Muslim, al-Nasā‟ī, Ibn Mājah, al-Tirmidhī and Ah.mad on the

authority of Jābir ibn „Abd Allāh; see Wensinck, al-Mu„jam, vol. 5, p. 473 (s.v. ); it

was also reported by al-Bayhaqī, see al-Sunan al-Kubrá, vol. 3, p. 8.

105. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 451; idem, Tafsīr, p. 382; and al-Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p.

241. 106

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 51. 107

Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 451.

108. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 452; Abū al-H.usayn Sa„īd Hibat Allāh al-

Rāwandī, Fiqh al-Qur‟ān, ed. al-Sayyid Ah.mad al-H.usaynī, 2 vols. (Qumm: al-

Mat.ba„ah al-„Ilmiyyah, 1397 A.H.), vol. 1, p. 100; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 241; and Ibn

Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 31; Lane translated the above verse as follows: "And stand ye

unto God, in the divinely-appointed act of prayer, refraining from talking"; see

Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2566. 109

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 163.

110

Al- Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 391; Ibn al-Jawzī , Nuzhah, p. 483; and al-

333

Suyūt.ī, Asbāb al-Nuzūl (Cairo: Dār al-Tah.rīr lil-T.ab„ wa ‟l-Nashr, 1382 A.H.), p. 33.

111. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 452; idem, Tafsīr, p. 340; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-

Tas.ārīf, p. 147; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 391; and al-Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 241.

According to Ibn „Abbās and Abū „Ubaydah the term in the said verse means

(obedient); see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 302; and Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 121.

112. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta„wīl, p. 452; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 147. Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 484; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 242; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2566. 113

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 358. 114

Al-Suyūt.ī Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 173.

115. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 453; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

23; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 9; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p.

24; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 101; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 298; and idem, Qurrah, p. 115

116. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 453; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 13, p. 169 (s.v.

).

117. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 453.

118

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 234; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 513

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 286.

119. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 453-454; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān,

vol. 1, p. 255; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 101; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 298; and idem, Qurrah,

p. 116. Al-Zamakhshsarī, however, mentions "the religion of Islam which is the truth"

as the meaning of dīn al-h.aqq in the above verse, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 537.

120. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 454 and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 101. According to Ibn

al-Jawzī, dīn here means "number" („adad); see Nuzhah, p. 298; and idem, Qurrah, p.

115. Both Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Dāmaghānī mention al-h.isāb as one of the meanings of

the dīn, with different examples; the former with Q. 24:25, and the latter with Q. 83:11;

see Nuzhah, p. 297; idem, Qurrah, p. 115; and Qāmūs, p. 178.

121. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 541.

122

See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3, p. 943.

123. Beside millah, al-Dāmaghānī mentions also as another meaning of

dīn; Qāmūs, pp. 178-179; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 298; idem, Qurrah, p. 116; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 102; al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 102; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol.

1, p. 1625; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 523. Al-Qurt.ubī mentions

t.ā„ah and millah as the meaning of dīn on the said verse, see al-Jāmi„, vol. 4, p. 43.

124. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 455; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 278; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 498. Abū „Ubaydah's and al-Tabarsi's interpretation of mawālīkum in the

said verse is "your paternal cousins" and "associate (allies)"; Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2,

p. 134; and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 337.

334

125. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 455; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 498; and Ibn

Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 408. This is the meaning of mawālī in this verse in the

language of the Quraysh, according to Ibn „Abbās, see Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 43; and

Abū „Ubayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-Qabā‟il al-Wāridah fī ‟l-Qur‟ān al-

Karīm: Riwāyah „an al-S.ah.ābī ‟l-Jalīl Ibn „Abbās Rad.iya ‟llāh „anh. Edited,

commented, and annotated by Dr. „Abd al-H.amīd al-Sayyid T.alab (Kuwayt:

Mat.bū„āt Jāmi„at al-Kuwayt, 1985), p. 82.

126

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 1; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p.

47; and al-Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 278.

127. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 455; and Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 46. The

h.adīth was reported by al-Dārimī and Abū Dā‟ūd, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah and Ah.mad

ibn H.anbal; see Wensinck, al-Mu„jam, vol. 1, p. 190 (s.v. ); it was also reported by

al-Bayhaqī, see al-Sunan al-Kubrá, vol. 7, p. 138.

128. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 455; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

215; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1365; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 5, p. 100. 129

Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 497; and al-Dāmaghānī, Wujūh, p. 278.

130. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 455; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1343;

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 67. However, according to al-Dāmaghānī

and al-Tiflīsī, mawlá in this verse means "a relative among the disbelievers", see

Qāmūs, p. 497, and Wujūh, p. 278.

131. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 456; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 49; and Ibn

Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 409.

132. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 455-456. 133

Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 335.

134

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 338.

135. For further details of the term mawlá, see al-Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 278; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 496-498; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 46-50; and al-Suyūt.ī,

Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 265. 136

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 390.

137. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 457; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 409 and idem,

Qurrah, p. 164.

138. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 457 and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 1796. 139

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 409; and idem, Qurrah, pp. 196-197. See also al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1616; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p.

506.

140. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 457; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 347; Abū

„Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 82; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 184;

al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 182; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p.

335

398; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 393; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 293; al-Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 183; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 409; and idem, Qurrah, p. 166. See also Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 343; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 1797.

141. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 45; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 408. Ibn al-Jawzī

mentions also Q. 18:104 as an example, while al-Dāmaghānī mentions Q. 47:1 and 8,

and Q. 18:104; see Qurrah, p. 166; and Qāmūs, p. 293.

142. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 131; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 331; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 466; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 2, p. 1112; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 328; see also Ibn Manz.ūr,

Lisān, vol. 11, p. 392.

143. The example of d.alāl meaning jahl but nisyān according to Ibn Qutaybah is

Q. 26:20. The example of d.alāl meaning khusrān is Q. 36:24 and 40:25; see Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, pp. 181-182; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 407-409; idem, Qurrah, pp. 165-166;

and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 292.

144. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 459; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 102;

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 201. See also Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 126,

and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 91.

145. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 459 and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 126. According

to Ibn Kathīr this is the view of Abū al-„Āliyah, al-H.asan and al-D.ah.h.āk, see Tafsīr,

vol. 3, p. 574.

146. Abū „Ubaydah, however, also mentions another interpretation, namely "the

book", as mentioned earlier; see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 386. Lane also mentions

the four interpretations above; see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 91.

147. See Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 430; see also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 1, p. 778.

148. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 459; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 148; and

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 91. Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī simply interpret imām as

lawh. (tablet), whereas Abū „Ubaydah interprets it as kitāb (a book); see al-Kashshāf,

vol. 2, p. 1184; Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 418; and Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 158.

149. See Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 149; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 3, p. 343; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 91; Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 459;

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr vol. 2, p. 576; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 724. See

also al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 45; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 126 and idem, Qurrah, p.

50. 150

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 52; and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-

Qabā‟il, p. 158, n.1.

151

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 354. For more details on the

meanings of imām, see Ibn Manz.ūr, vol. 12, pp. 24-26; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 91.

152. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 460; idem, Tafsīr, p. 192; idem, Mukhtalif al-

H.adīth, p. 237; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p, 167; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

336

Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 268; Al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 80; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 1, p. 562; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 67; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 173; Ibn

al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 395; idem, Qurrah, pp. 160-161; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

125; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, pp. 464-465; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-

Mufradāt, p. 285. According to Yah.yá ibn Sallām, the meaning of in the above

verse is ا (asking forgiveness), see al-Tas.ārīf, p. 633.

153. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 460; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, pp. 1720-1721. 154

Al- Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, 125

155 Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 28; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 394-395; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 161. 156Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1635. 157

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 173. 158Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, p. 465. For further details, see Lane, Lexicon, pt.

4, pp. 1720-1721. If s.alāh here means istighfār, in other verses of the Qur‟ān, the term

istighfār means s.alāh (prayer), as in Q. 3:17, 8:33, and 51:18, see Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 90; and idem, Qurrah, p. 30; see also al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 341.

159. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 461; idem, Tafsīr, p. 208; Tiflīsū, Wujūh, p. 173;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 395; idem, Qurrah, p. 161; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

125. Ibn Qutaybah mentions also the other meaning of s.alāh in the above verse,

namely, "reading" which is the view of al-A„mash; see Ta‟wīl, p. 461; al-T.abarī,

Jāmi„, vol. 12, p. 62; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 9, p. 87.

160. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 188.

161. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 626.

162

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 525 and idem, Qurrah, p. 205.

163. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 462. 164

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 247; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 400.

165. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 462; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2,

p.255; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 514-515; and idem, Qurrah, p. 206. 166Al- T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 255.

167

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1462.

168. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 462; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 247; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 515; idem, Qurrah, p. 206; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 699. . 169

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 265.

170. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 462; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 352; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 514; idem, Qurrah, p. 206; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 248. Other

examples given by Ibn Qutaybah are Q. 3:53 and Q. 7:156 171Al-Zamakhsharī, al- Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1462 and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 5, p. 255.

337

172. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 178; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 160; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 38.

173. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 463; see also Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 514; idem,

Qurrah, p. 206; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 248.

174. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 178.

175. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wil, p. 463.

176. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 178.

177. See al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 424.

178. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 464; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 458.

179. See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1825.

180. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 464; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 490;

al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 813; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol.

1, p. 413. Al-Dāmaghānī suggests "the stopping places of the roads" ,

whereas Tiflīsī states that it is "the roads and the stopping places of the land" (

) for the meaning of sabab in the above verse; see Qāmūs, p. 225, and

Wujūh, p. 126.

181. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 464; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 225; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 126; al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 247 ("places of ascent and roads" rather

than "doors" in p. 113); "their roads and doors", according to al-Zamakhsharī, see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1280; "their places of ascent" (marāqīhā) or "their regions" ,

see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 458. 182Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 524. 183

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1285.

184. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 464; instead of wa law nāla it is written wa in

yurqá in Zuhayr's Dīwān, see Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmá, Dīwān (Beirut: Dār Bayrūt lil-

T.ibā„ah wa ‟l-Nashr, 1406/1986), p. 87. For the meanings of sabab see al-Suyūt.ī,

Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 257.

185. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 464 and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 67. 186

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 223. 187

Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 116. 188

Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 4, p. 159.

189 Al- T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 482.

190. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 464-465; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 67. H.abl min

Allāh according to al-Dāmaghānī means "the religion of Islam", see Qāmūs, p. 116.

According Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, al-H.asan, Qatādah and Abū „Ubaydah h.abl in this

verse means „ahd (covenant); see al-S.ābūnī, Mukhtas.ar, vol. 1, p. 311; al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 488; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 101.

According to al-Zamakhsharī the term h.abl in the said verse means dhimmah

338

(covenant of protection); see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 227.

191. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 465; al-A„shá, Dīwān, p. 151; Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 101; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 135; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi„, vol. 4, p. 158.

192. See al-Murs.ifī, Raghbat al-Āmil ([Cairo]: al-Nahd.ah, 1348/[1929]), vol. 4,

p. 52, with the commentary of Mah.mūd Muh.ammad Shākir, quoted by al-Sayyid A.

S.aqr in Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 465, n. 2; see also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 135.

193. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 467; idem, Tafsīr, pp. 28-9; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 426; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 373.

194. Ibn al-Jawzī, however, gives many examples, among which are: Q. 2:35,

3:57, and 4:10; see Nuzhah, p. 427; and idem, Qurrah, p. 173.

195. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 467; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 215; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 308; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 195; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 427; idem,

Qurrah, p. 173; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 316.

196. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 327.

197

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 413

198. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 467-468; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 216;

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 402; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 87; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 800; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 468;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 309; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 316; Lane,

Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 1920 (s.v. ); Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 427; and idem, Qurrah, p.

174. Other examples given by Ibn Qutaybah are Q. 2:57, 19:60 and 36:54.

199. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 468; idem, Tafsīr, p. 165; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 196;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 428; idem, Qurrah, p. 174; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 2, p. 399. Al-Zamakhsharī interprets yaz.limūn in this verse as ("they

wrongly deny it"), see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 439.

200. Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 310; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 196-197; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 428; and idem, Qurrah, p. 174. 201

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p.; 503.

202. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 469-470. This explanation of Ibn Qutaybah is

quoted by Ibn al-Jawzī, see Nuzhah, p. 189 and idem, Qurrah, p. 71.

203Al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 4, p. 24.

204. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 469; idem, Tafsīr, p. 373; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

p. 77; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 49.

205. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 469; Al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 217; and Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 49. The above verse, however, is treated by Ibn Qutaybah as an example for

the term balā‟ meaning "a test", see Ta‟wīl, p. 469. The other example given by Tiflīsī

is Q. 7:168. Al-Suyūt.ī uses the term makrūh instead of al-sharr for the meaning of

fitnah in the above verse, see Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 261.

339

206. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 370; al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 217; al-Farrā‟,

Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 69; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 77; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 49.

This meaning is also advanced by Al-Suyūt.ī on the authority of Ibn „Abbās in the

above verse, see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 6 and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 620. 207

Al-Zamakhsharī , al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 75; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

1, pp. 105-106.

208. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 469;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 191; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 110; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 313;

idem, Qurrah, p. 124; al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 137; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol.

5, p. 352. 209

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 38 and ibid., n. 1; see also Abū „Ubayd

ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-Qabā‟il, p. 47 and ibid., n. 1.

210. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471; idem, Tafsīr, p. 177; al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak,

vol. 2, p. 173; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 314; and idem, Qurrah, p. 124; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-T.abarsī and Tiflīsī give here (Satan's temptation) instead

of as the meaning of , see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 504, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 2, p. 526, and Wujūh, p. 110. Ibn Kathīr mentions "temptation" ( ) and

"evil idea" ( ) as the meaning of rijz in the verse in queston; see Tafsīr, vol. 2, p.

304. Yah.yá ibn Sallām mentions (pl. of ) only, see al-Tas.ārīf, p. 321.

211 Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 46; and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt

al-Qabā‟il, p. 112, n. 1.

212. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471, Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 321; and

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 110. Al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī use here the term al-s.anam (the

idol, the image) instead of al-awthān, see Qāmūs, 191, Nuzhah, p. 314; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 124; al-Suyūt.ī puts it in plural, namely al-as.nām (the idols), see Mu„tarak,

vol. 2, p. 137, as well as in singular, see Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 563.

213. See al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, pp. 200-201. Another interpretation

is that of al-Jubbā‟ī, namely, "avoid bad deeds and blameworthy character", whereas

an unidentified commentator who is probably of s.ūfī leaning says that the verse means

"take out the love of the world from your heart because it is the head of every sin". See

al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 385.

214. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471; idem, Tafsīr, p. 495; and al-Zamakhsharī,

al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1546.

215. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 6, pp. 94-96.

216. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 471; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 110; and al-Suyūt.ī,

Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 137. See also al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 84; and al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 572. According to Ibn Kathīr the meaning of rijs

in the above verse is "doubt"; see Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 417.

340

217. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 472; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 13, p. 320; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 478-479; idem, Qurrah, p. 193; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127;

and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169. Yah.yá ibn Sallām and al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī

call it al-ibtilā‟ (trial) instead of al-ikhtibār, see al-Tas.ārīf, p. 180, Qāmūs, p. 348 and

Wujūh, p. 216. Both al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī use the term al-imtih.ān (test) for

the interpretation of the term fitnah in the above verse.

218. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 472; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 348; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 217; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 479; idem, Qurrah, p. 193; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān,

vol. 2, p. 127; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169. Yah.yá ibn Sallām uses the term

(punishment), whereas Abū „Ubaydah and al-T.abarsī use the term (offense) and

(pl. of ) as the meaning of fitnah in the above verse. See al-Tas.ārīf, p. 18, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 114 and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 274.

219. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 472; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1595;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, 348; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 479; idem, Qurrah, p. 193; and

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 217. Al-Suyūt.ī mentions a different example, namely,

“(It is) the day when they will be tormented at the Fire, ..." (Q. 51:13,

Pickthall); see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169. This

example is also given by Yah.yá ibn Sallām, see al-Tas.ārīf, p. 181

220. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 468 and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6,

p. 2335. 221

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 529.

222. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 473; others mention al-s.add only, see Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 217; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 479; idem, Qurrah, p. 194; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 349; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 126; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169.

223 Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 168; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 363.

224. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 473; others use the term al-shirk rather than al-

ishrāk; see Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 179; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 347-

348; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 216; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 478; idem, Qurrah, pp. 192-193;

al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 126; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169.

225. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 287.

226. See Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 233.

227. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 68; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p.

2336. For further details on this verse, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 132.

228. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 473. Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī respectively

interpret fitnah here as mih.nah (severe trial, affliction) and "an affliction (balīyah)

which appears in their hearts, such as hypocrisy"; however, T.abarsī gives also another

interpretation, namely, "punishment in this world". See al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 964; and

341

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 158. According to Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Suyūt.ī the term

fitnah in this verse means „uqūbah (punishment), see Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 480 and

idem, Qurrah, p. 195; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol.

3, p. 169. Al-Suyūt.ī does not include kufr as one of the fifteen meanings of fitnah in his

al-Itqān. Al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī cite Q. 3:7 as the example from the

Qur‟ān in which fitnah means kufr, but according to al-Suyūt.īit means al-id.lāl

(misleading), see al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 348; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 216; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 478; idem, Qurrah, p. 193; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 126.

229. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 473; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

261; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 216; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 480; idem, Qurrah, p. 194; al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127 (in idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169 it is written al-d.alālah

which is a misprint and should be al-ithm); al-Dāmaghānī suggests kufr, whereas al-

T.abarsī suggests as the meaning of fitnah in this verse, see, Qāmūs, p. 348

and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 37.

230. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 473-474; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 218; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 480; idem, Qurrah, p. 194; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127; and idem,

Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169. According to al-Dāmaghānī, the term fitnah in this verse

means fitnah itself, namely, temptation.

231. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 474. 232

Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 8, p. 370.

233Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 150; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol.

1, p. 595; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 128; and Ibn Manz.ūr Lisān, vol. 13,

p. 317.

234. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 6, p. 402.

235. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 473; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, pp. 179-182;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 348-9; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 216-218; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

pp. 479-480; Qurrah, pp. 193-194; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 126-127; and idem,

Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 169.

236. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 475; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 188; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1139; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 220; al-Dāmaghānī.

Qāmūs, p. 355. Ibn al-Jawzī uses the term al-ilzam (duty, obligation) as the meaning of

al-fard. in the above verse, see Nuzhah, p. 468. Ibn Qutaybah includes in this category

of meaning the following verse: “.... It is an injunction from

Allah..." (Q. 4:11, Pickthall), whereas according to al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī, the term

farīd.ah here means farīd.ah itself, namely, religious duty. See Ta‟wīl, p. 475; Qāmūs,

356; and Wujūh, p. 221.

237. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 475; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 188; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 355; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 220; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 468; and

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2373.

342

238

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 271

239. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 475; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 12, p. 158; al-

Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 244; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p.

376.

240. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 63; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 124; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 7, p. 302 and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, pp.

2373-2374.

241. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 475-476; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 189;

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 112; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 356; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 221; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 468. The term farad.a in the verse could

also mean the injunction to follow the contents of the Qur‟ān, see Ibn Qutaybah,

Ta‟wīl, p. 476; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1068; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 269; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 376.

242. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 476; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 188; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 355; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 220; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 468.

Al-T.abarsī's interpretation on this verse is that Allah allowed or enjoined the Prophet

to marry the divorced wife of his adopted son; see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 361. A

similar view is that of al-Zamakhsharī, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1133.

243. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 477; and idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 35.

244. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 94; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 166; and Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 282.

245. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 477-478; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 178;

al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 414; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p.

553; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 93-4; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 167; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 282.

246. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 478; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 177; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 93; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 166; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 281-282. 247

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 536.

248. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 479; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 245; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 136; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1414. 249

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 313. 250

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 95.

251. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 479; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 245.

252

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 138. For further details, see Ibn Kathīr,

Tafsīr, vol. 4, pp. 234-235.

253. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 479; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 244.

254. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 481; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

303; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 488; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 645; and

al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 218. It is also the interpretation given by

343

Tiflīsī, al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn Fāris, see Wujūh, p. 41; Qāmūs, p. 47; and Maqāyīs, vol.

1, p. 135.

255. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 481; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 108; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 41; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 47.

256. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1486; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„

al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 291.

257. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 481; and Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, pp. 108-

109.

258. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 481-482, and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 47-48. 259For further details, see Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, pp. 512-513; al-Zamakhsharī,

al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 680; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 268.

260. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 338; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 290; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 180-1. Ibn al-Jawzī makes the distinction

between d.urr and d.arr; the former is used for misfortune, the latter for the opposite of

benefit as in the above example; see Nuzhah, p. 403.

261. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 289; and Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 179. It includes sickness according to al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī, see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 397; and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 281.

262. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483. Al-Dāmaghānī cites Q. 6:42 as an example,

see Qāmūs, p. 289; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 404. Like in the previous verse, al-

T.abarsī and Ibn Kathīr interprets d.arrā‟ in this verse as shiddah and balā‟, including

drought; see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 101. Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr. vol. 2, p.

427. Pickthall translates it as "adversity".

263. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 289; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 180; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 427; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 404.

264. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 289; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 180; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 404.

265. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 483; al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī mention Q. 3:144

and 4:113 as examples, see Qāmūs, p. 289; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 180; and Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 405.

266. Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 290; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 404-405. 267Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 674; and al-T.abarsī Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 3, p. 260.

268. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 69; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān,

vol. 2, p. 233.

269. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 484; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 124; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 71; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 239. 270

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qurān, p. 57; and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-

Qabā‟il, p. 90.

344

271. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 484; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.2, p. 395;

al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 370; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 437;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 123; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 71; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 239. 272

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 209. 273

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 45; and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-

Qabā‟il, pp. 98 and 101. 274

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 210.

275. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 484; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 155;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 124; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 72; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 239.

276. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 485; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, p. 462.

277. Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 213; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 117; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 322; idem, Qurrah, p. 132; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 128.

278. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 486; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, pp.

782-783; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 437. See also Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr,

vol. 3, p. 65.

279. See M. Asad, The Message, p. 432, n. 101.

280. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 486; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 284;

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 360; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 304; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 116; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 323; idem, Qurrah, p. 132; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs,

vol. 2, p. 454; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 128; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3, p. 1180; al-

Dāmaghānī cites Q. 2:253 which is also mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, see Qāmūs, p.

212; and Ta‟wīl, p. 486.

281. Ibn Qutaybah cites also Q. 17:85 as an example, see Ta‟wīl, p. 486; Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, pp. 496-497; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 116; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p.

212; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 323; and idem, Qurrah, p. 132. 282

Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 19, pp. 186-187; see also al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 30,

pp. 15-16; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 427; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 2, p. 1573; and M. Asad, The Message, p. 924. 283

Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 128.

284. See Carlile H. Macartney, ed., Dīwān Shi„r Dhī ‟l-Rummah (Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 1919), p. 176; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, p. 460; and al-

Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 205.

285. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 487; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 117; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 323; idem, Qurrah, p. 133.

286

Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 892; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 62.

287. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 487. 288Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1274, Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 116; and al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 212. Ibn al-Jawzī cites Q. 16:2 as the example of rūh. meaning

345

wah.y; see Nuzhah, p. 323; and idem, Qurrah, p. 132.

289. Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 6; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 4, p. 517.

290. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 487; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 212; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 116; Ibn al-Jawzī, Qurrah, p. 133; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 128.

291. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 255.

292. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 488; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

253; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 131; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 323-324;

idem, Qurrah, p. 133; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 128.

293 Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1337.

294 Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 228.

295. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 323; idem, Qurrah, p. 133; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān,

vol. 2, p. 127; and idem, al-Mu„tarak, vol.2, p. 122. 296

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 145.

297. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 127.

298. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 487.

299. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 16, p. 54. According to al-T.abarsī, Qatādah's and

al-Suddī's interpretation of rūh. in this verse is respectively the Qur‟ān and the Holy

Spirit (Gabriel), see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 37.

300. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489; 301

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 379. 302

Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 11, pp. 85-86.

303. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 621; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 237.

304. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 119; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 622; idem, Qurrah, p. 237; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p.

505; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 380; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 305-306. This is the

view of Qatādah, al-Kalbī and Ibn Munabbih. The other view is that of Mujāhid and

„Ikrimah, that the term awh.á in this verse means respectively, "wrote on the ground",

and "wrote in a scroll", see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 11, p. 85. 305

Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 11, p. 85.

306

Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489.

307. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 325;

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 119; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 263; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 306; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 622; and idem, Qurrah, p. 237. 308

Al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 516.

309Abū Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 182; and al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p.

390.

346

310. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 489; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 26;

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 306; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 622; and idem, Qurrah, p. 238.

311. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 490; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 423;

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 306; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 515; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 622; and idem, Qurrah, p. 238.

312

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 385.

313.Ibn Kathir, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 577. 314

Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 490; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 306; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p.

622; and idem, Qurrah, p. 238. It is noteworthy that Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīsī, give us

respectively seven and ten meanings of the term wah.y.

315. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 526; and al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-

Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 283.

316. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 491; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 244; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 220; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 353.

317. Ibn Qutaybah Ta‟wīl, p. 491; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 243; al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 109; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 219-220; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 353; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2361.

318. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 491; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 410; al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 266; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 219; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp.

352-353; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2361. 319Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 410.

320. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 492; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 250; Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 580; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 215; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 462; and

idem, Qurrah, p. 186. 321

Al-Zamakhsharī al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1268.

322. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 492; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 250; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 215; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 463; idem, Qurrah, p. 186; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 347. "Conquest and victory over the enemies ( ) " is the

meaning of the above verse according to al-T.abarsī's interpretation, see Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 2, p. 127.

323. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 492; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 249; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh. p. 215; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 347; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 462; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 186. 324

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 149; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p.

546; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 390.

325

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 215; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 347.

326. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 494; Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention h.asan

(good) as the translation of the term karīm in the above verse, see Wujūh, p. 250; and

Qāmūs, p. 403.

347

327. See Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 38. This is also the interpretation rendered

by Ibn al-Jawzī, see Nuzhah, p. 522.

328. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 494, and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 522.

329

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 224.

330. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 494 and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 250. Here Ibn al-Jawzī

is quoting Ibn Qutaybah, see Nuzhah, p. 522;

331. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 495; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 37; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 522; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 250. 332Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 250, and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 403.

333. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 496; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 284;

and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 610. Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīsī cite Q. 14:24 as the

example of the term mathal meaning shabah. See Qurrah, p. 216; and Wujūh, p. 264.

334. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 496; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 254; al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 52; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 612; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 428; Ibn al-Jawzī, Qurrah, p. 216; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 265.

This is the interpretation of Mujāhid; see Ibn Kathir, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 141.

335. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 496; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 296;

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 611; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 428-9; and Ibn al-Jawzī,

Qurrah, p. 217. 336

Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 189. 337

Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 60.

338. According to Ibn al-Jawzī the basic meaning of d.arb is striking with

something like a whip, see Qurrah, p. 163.

339. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 397; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 179; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

pp. 401-402; and idem, Qurrah, p. 164. Al-Dāmaghānī cites Q. 8:12 as an example see

Qāmūs, p. 288; see also Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 1778.

340. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 497; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 382;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 288; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 178; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p.

398; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 401; and idem, Qurrah, p. 163.

341. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 497. 342

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 402; idem, Qurrah, p. 164; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 179; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 288; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 375.

343Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 288; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 179. For other meanings

of d.arb, see al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 619.

344. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 498 and 340; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 123.

According to Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Dāmaghānī the meaning of azwāj in Q. 4:12 and Q.

2:25 is "wives". See Qurrah, p. 140; and Qāmūs, p. 219.

345. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 498; idem, Tafsīr, p. 365; idem, Mukhtalif al-

H.adīth, p. 16; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1190; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 424; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 123; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 337; idem,

348

Qurrah, p. 140; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 219-220.

346. For another example, see Q. 81:7. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 498; idem,

Tafsīr, p. 370; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 220; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 123; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 336; and idem, Qurrah, pp. 139-140.

347. See al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 23:31. 348

Al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 441.

349. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 339-340; idem, Tafsīr, p. 162; idem, Adab al-

Kātib, p. 641; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 373 (no. 281); al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 8, p. 48;

al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 7, p. 113; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, p. 291. 350

Al- Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 430. 351

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3, pp. 1266-1267, and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 2, p. 35.

352. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 499; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 108; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 319; idem, Qurrah, p. 128; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 188.

353. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 499; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 45;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 320; idem, Qurrah, pp. 128-129; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 108; and

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 188.

354. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 499; and idem, Tafsīr, p. 128. 355Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 108; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 189, al-Zamakhsharī al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 293; and al-Zamakhsharī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 53. Among

the examples of meaning "have not you been informed" given by al-Dāmaghānī,

Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī are Q. 2:258 and Q. 105:1, see al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 189;

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 108-109; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 320-321; and idem, Qurrah, p.

130.

356. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 320 and idem, Qurrah, p. 129. 357

S.I. Hayakawa, Choose the Right Word: A Modern Guide to Synonyms (New

York: Harper & Row, 1968), p. 610. 358

For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 5, pp. 246-247 and 263-264;

and al-S.ābūnī, Mukhtas.ar, vol. 1, pp. 402-403 and 408-409; see also Asad, The

Message, p. 113, n. 66.

359. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 500; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 285; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 455; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 580; and idem, Qurrah, p. 226.

360. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 500; idem, Tafsīr, p. 283; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 193; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 285; al-Dāmaghānī. Qāmūs, pp. 454-455; Ibn

al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 379-380; idem, Qurrah, p. 226; and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5,

pp. 422-423. Al-Zamakhsharī also mentions "forget" as the other meaning of nasiya in

this verse, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 868.

361. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 32.

362. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 501; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 69; al-Rāghib al-

As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 281; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 508; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 391; idem, Qurrah, p. 160; and Tiflisi, Wujūh, p. 169. Al-

349

Dāmaghānī, mentions the meaning as (death at the appointed time

without being punishment), see Qāmūs, p. 281, whereas Ibn Fāris renders the meaning

of s.a„iqa in the above verse as "death caused by lightning", see Maqāyīs, vol. 3, pp.

285-286. Lane mentions several meanings, namely, "shall die", "shall fall down dead"

or "in a swoon", or "shall lose their reason"; see Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1690. According to

Ibn „Abbās, the word meaning “death” is the language of Ghassān, see Ibn

„Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 38, and in the language of Oman, see Abū „Ubayd ibn

Sallām, Lughāt al-Qabā‟il, P. 46.

363. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 501; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 392; idem, Qurrah,

p. 160; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 169; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 281; and al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 280. Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī interpret s.ā„iqah

respectively as "a severe punishment like a thunderbolt" and "a punishment like that

inflicted on „Ād and Thamūd", see al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1293, and Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 5, p. 7.

364. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 501; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 392; idem, Qurrah,

p. 160; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 170; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 281; and al-Rāghib al-

As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 281.

365. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 392; idem, Qurrah, p. 160; and al-Zamakhsharī,

al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 475. Al-Dāmaghānī uses Q. 2:55-56 as the example of the term

s.ā„iqah meaning "death from punishment other than the appointed time, and the person

concerned returns to the world", namely, "unconsciousness", see Qāmūs, p. 280.

366. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 475.

367. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 502.

368. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 12. Both al-Zamakhsharī and mention akhraja ("take

out") as the meaning of akhadha in this verse, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 489; and

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 497.

369. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 502; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 20; Tiflīsī, Wujūh,

p. 10; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 133.

370. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 502 and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 28. According to

al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīsī, the meaning of the term in this verse is "arrest"

only, not "taking a prisoner", see Qāmūs, p. 21, Nuzhah, p. 133, and Wujūh, p. 11. Ibn

Kathīr mentions the meaning of khudh in the above verse as baddil (exchange), see

Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 504.

371. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 503; al-Dāmaghānī, Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīsī use

the meaning „adhāb (punishment, torture) instead of ta„dhīb for the term akhdh in the

above verse, see Qāmūs, p. 21, Nuzhah, p. 134; and Wujūh, p. 11.

372. Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 21; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 134; and Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 11. See also al-T.abarsī, Maj ma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 514 and Ibn Kathīr,

Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 77.

373

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 30.

374. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 504; idem, Tafsīr, p. 33; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

350

p. 345. Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention mulk only as the meaning of the term, see

Wujūh, pp. 133-134 and Qāmūs, p. 243,

375. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 504; idem, Tafsīr, p. 33; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4,

p. 83; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1276; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

4, p. 519; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 133; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 242-243.; and Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 345.

376. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 505; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 185. Tiflīsī

suggests (drought and hardship) as the meaning of in the above

verse. Al-Dāmaghānī mentions different verses, namely Q. 7:94 and 2:14, in which

, according to him, means (poverty and hardship); see Qāmūs, 62.

377. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 505; and Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 184. Ibn Kathīr,

Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention „adhāb as the meaning of the term in the above

verse, see Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 97; Wujūh, p. 42 ; and Qāmūs, p. 62. Lane mentions both

"punishment" and "severe punishment" as the meaning of the term ba‟s; see Lexicon,

pt. 1, p. 146.

378. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 505; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 146. Ibn al-Jawzī

mentions al-shiddah fī ‟l-qitāl, whereas Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī simply suggest al-

qitāl (the fighting) as the meaning of the term in the above verse; see Wujūh, p. 42; and

Qāmūs, p. 62.

379. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 507; Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, pp. 799-800; Ibn

Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 2, pp. 213-214; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 157; and

Zuhayr, Dīwān, p. 29 in which it is written instead of . What the poet means,

according to Ibn Manz.ūr, is as follows: "If you consider doing something you execute

and accomplish it, while others consider but they do not execute it, because they do not

have a firm decision, while you are firm in your decision." See Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān,

vol. 10, p. 87.

380. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 506 and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 10. p. 88.

381

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, p. 800.

382. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 506; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 198;

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 10, p. 88; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 91; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 284;

idem, Qurrah, p. 107; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 163.

383. Al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 19. p. 60, and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, pp. 125-

126. See also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1004.

384. See al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 281; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol.

3, p. 355.

385. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 506; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 119; al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 262; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 91; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 284;

idem, Qurrah, p. 108; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 163.

386. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 507; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 10, p. 85. Ibn al-

Jawzī uses the term al-ījād (making, bringing into being) here, see Nuzhah, p. 284; and

351

Qurrah, p. 107. Quoting Q. 32:4 and 23:12, al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī give the example

in the Qur‟ān in which al-khalq means al-khalq fī ‟l-dunyā (creation in the world); see

Qāmūs, p. 164; and Wujūh, p. 90.

387. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 507; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1094;

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 10, p. 85; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 90; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 285;

and idem, Qurrah, p. 108.

388. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 14, p. 31; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

4, p. 303; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, p. 801.

389. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 14, p. 31. There are two h.adīths in which the

Prophet prohibited castrating domestic animals: one on the authority of Ibn „Abbās,

and the other, on the authority of Ibn „Umar. For further details, see ibid., vol. 5, pp.

390-1.

390. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 227.

391. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 111; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 318; idem, Qurrah, p. 127; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 197.

392. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1508; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3,

p. 1048.

393. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 111; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 318; idem, Qurrah, p. 127; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 196. 394

Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508.

395. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 419; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr,

vol. 3, p. 575.

396. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 111; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 318; idem, Qurrah, p. 128; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 197; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī,

al-Mufradāt, p. 190; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 227; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3, p.

1047. Both interpretations are also mentioned by Ibn Fāris, see Maqāyīs, vol. 2, p. 494.

397. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 517; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 169; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 130.

398. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 508; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 796;

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 227; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 112; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p.

319; idem, Qurrah, p. 128; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 197; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-

Mufradāt, p. 190; al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p. 134 and vol. 13, p. 563; and Lane,

Lexicon, pt. 3, p. 1048. According to Ibn „Abbās the term meaning is the

language of Hudhayl, see Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 54.

399. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 460; and Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 398. 400

Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 54.

401. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 111; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 318; idem, Qurrah, p. 128;

al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 197; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 190; and Lane,

352

Lexicon, pt. 3, p. 1049.

402. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 509; idem, Tafsīr, p. 330; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 246; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 349; idem, Qurrah, p. 143; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 130; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 238; and al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 228.

403. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 509; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 309; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh. p. 130; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 237; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1366.

404. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 452; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4,

pp. 16-17; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 171; and Ibn Qutaybah, Tafsīr,

p. 373

405. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 510; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 310; Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 553; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 501; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 350; idem, Qurrah, p. 143; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 130; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 237.

406. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 510, and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1366. Tiflīsī and

al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī use the word jahd (exertion, effort) instead of jidd for the

meaning of sa„y in the above verse, whereas al-T.abarsī uses both words; see Wujūh, p.

130, al-Mufradāt, p. 233; and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 377. Yah.yá ibn Sallām and

al-Dāmaghānī keep the meaning „amal for the term sa„y in the above verse, while Abū

„Ubaydah mentions "disbelieving", see al-Tas.ārīf, p. 310; Qāmūs, p. 237; and Majāz

al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 142.

407. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 510; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 349; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 143.

408. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 511; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 282;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 553-554; idem, Qurrah, p. 218; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 266.

For al-Dāmaghānī, the meaning of the term in the above verse is al-h.arā‟ir (free

women), see Qāmūs, p. 135.

409. See Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 260; and Jāmi„, vol. 5, pp. 2-7.

410. See Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 2, p. 69.

411. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 511; idem, Mukhtalif al-H.adīth, p. 193; Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 486; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 34; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 553; idem, Qurrah, p. 218; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 266; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, pp. 134-135.

412. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 511; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 126;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 553; idem, Qurrah, p. 217; and al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 2, p.

288. Instead of Q. 24:4 above, al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī cite the verse

(chaste not debauched) in Q. 4:25, see Qāmūs, p. 135; and Wujūh, p. 266.

413. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512. Al-Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī give al-

balāgh (reaching the end) as the meaning of matā„ in this verse, although Ibn al-Jawzī

also mentions Ibn Qutaybah's interpretation; see Qāmūs, p. 427, and Nuzhah, pp. 558-

353

559.

414. See Tafsīr Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 46. This is also the meaning given by al-

Qurt.ubī, see al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 321.

415. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 70; Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 87; and Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 263.

416. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, 553; al-Rāghib al-

As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 461; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 287. Al-

Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī specify the "useful substances", namely, minerals, such as gold,

iron, and brass as the meaning of matā„ in the above verse, see Qāmūs, p. 428 and

Wujūh, p. 264.

417. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 249; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 947; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 427; Tiflīsī, Wujūh,

p. 263; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 8, p. 332; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 293, and Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 559. Al-T.abarsī's inter-pretation of matā„ here is istimtā„

(enjoyment), see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 136.

418. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p.

345.

419. See al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 428; al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p.

461; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 263; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 559; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, pp. 163-164.

420. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 72; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 128. Ibn Kathīr, Al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī and Ibn al-Jawzī interpret al-kāfī

(sufficient) for the meaning of h.isāb in the above verse, see Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 496; al-

Mufradāt, pp. 116-117; Nuzhah, p. 251; and Qurrah, p. 95. Ibn Manz.ūr interprets the

meaning of as "an abundant and sufficient gift"; the expression

means "something sufficient"; in the language of the Hudhayl tribe the expression

means "a large group ( ) of people came to me". See Lisān, vol. 1,

p. 313, s.v. . Besides "sufficient" Abū „Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī mention

another meaning of h.isāb in the above verse, namely, "recompense" and "based on the

reckoning of their deeds" ( ) respectively; see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

283; and al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1572. Qatādah's interpretation of h.isāb here is

"abundant", whereas that of Mujāhid is "recompense", see al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 30, p.

14.

421. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 512; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 72; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

p. 128; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 251; and Qurrah, p. 94.

422. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 513; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 251; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 94. Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī give different meanings of h.isāban in the

above verse, namely, ا (easy number) and (easy presentation)

respectively, see Wujūh, p. 72; and Qāmūs, p. 129.

354

423. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 514; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 233; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 31; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem, Qurrah, p. 63; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 40. Al-Zamakhsharī and al-T.abarsī also give the similar meaning; see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 450; and Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 428.

424. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 514; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 231; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 926; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 109;

Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 30-31; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 173; idem, Qurrah, p. 62; and al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 38-39.

425. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 514; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 231; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 33; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 173; idem, Qurrah, p. 62; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 39. They disputed among themselves concerning the resurrection, whether it

will be the soul only or body and soul; another interpretation is that they disputed

among themselves concerning the length of time the people of the cave had spent in

their cave and what to do with them. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 794,

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 490.

426. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 514; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 232; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 31; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 173; idem, Qurrah, p. 63; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 39. According to Ibn „Abbās and al-H.asan qud.iya ‟l-amr means "the matter

has been decided and the companions of Heaven and Hell enter their respective place".

See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 311.

427. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 514; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 233; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 31; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem, Qurrah, p. 63; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 40; and al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, al-Mufradāt, p. 25.

428. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 348 and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol.

4, p. 581.

429. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 514-515; Ibn Kathīr, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī give

exclusively “death” for the meaning of amr in the above verse, see Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 331;

Wujūh, p. 31; Qurrah, p. 64; and Nuzhah, p. 174. Other interpretations of amr Allāh in

this verse are: "the punishment of disbelievers in Hell", and "Allah's assisting His

religion and Prophet" and "conquering the disbelievers"; see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 5, p. 237.

430. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 515; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 233; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 31; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem, Qurrah, p. 64; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 40.

431. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 515; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 234; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, pp. 31-32; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 175; idem, Qurrah, p. 64; and al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 40. Al-T.abarsī mentions kufr as the meaning of amr in this

verse, see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 309.

432. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 515; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 31. Ibn al-Jawzī and al-

Dāmaghānī mention the meaning of amr as sha‟n (affair, case), see Qurrah, p. 64, and

355

Qāmūs, p. 41, whereas in Nuzhah Ibn al-Jawzī mentions (affair and

condition), see Nuzhah, p. 175.

433. Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 232; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem,

Qurrah, p. 63; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 39; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 32. It is said that the

term amr in verse 42 indicates the victory of Muslims in the battle of Badr, whereas in

verse 44 it indicates the continuation of victory; however, it is also said that the

repetition of amr is for emphasis; see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 547.

434. Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 232; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem,

Qurrah, p. 63; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 40; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 32.

435. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 534, and al-T.abarsī, Majma„

al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 16.

436. Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, pp. 2322-2323; al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 97; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 174; idem, Qurrah, p. 63; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 39; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 32. This interpretation is that of Ibn

„Abbās; see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 185.

437. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 242; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 1, p. 523; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 175; idem, Qurrah, p. 64; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 41; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 32.

438. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 175; and idem, Qurrah, p. 65. The expression

could be expressed by the nobles among themselves, by them to the Pharaoh, or by

him to them; see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 461.

439. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 546; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 3, p. 37; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 175, and idem, Qurrah, p. 65.

440. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 175; idem, Qurrah, p. 65; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 41. Al-T.abarsī does not interpret amr here as "drowning" but as

"punishment"; see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 164.

441. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 176; idem, Qurrah, p. 65; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 40.

442. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 176; idem, Qurrah, p. 65; and al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 41.

443. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 405; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„,

vol. 10, pp. 232-233.

444. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 519; idem, Tafsīr, p. 471; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz

al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 117; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 309; Ibn Fāris, al-

S.āh.ibī, p. 161; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 223-224; and al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-

Lughah, p. 243.

445. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 519. Al-Qurt.ubī mentions four variant readings of

ka‟ayyin based on dialects: (1) which is the reading of Ibn Kathīr; it is originally

356

with the transformation of letter yā‟ into alif; (2) which is the drop of the alif

in which is the reading of Ibn Muh.ays.in; (3) which is also the reading of Ibn

Muh.ays.in; (4) which is the original reading. Apart from these four variant

readings, al-Qurt.ubī also mentions another but unidentified reading, namely, . See

al-Jāmi„, vol. 4, pp. 228-229.

446. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 520. This is also the view of al-Zarkashī, see al-

Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 331-332.

447. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 65; and Ma„ānī al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 23.

According to al-Suyūt.ī, quoting al-Rāghib al-As.bahānī, the particle kayfa in the above

verse means tawbīkh (reproach), see al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 224-225; and idem, Mu„tarak,

vol. 2, p. 196. Al-T.abarsī mentions both tawbikh and ta„ajjub with his explanation, see

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 70.

448. Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 159-160.

449. See al-Zarkashi, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 331.

450. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 521. C. Macartney (ed.), Dīwān, p. 248. Ibn

Qutaybah does not give an example from the Qur‟ān, because, as stated by al-Suyūt.ī,

there is no sawā‟ in the Qur‟ān meaning "except", see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 199.

451. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 521; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

20; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 857; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

4, p. 14. This is one of the four interpretations of makānan suwan given by A.Y. Ali.

The other three are: (1) "a place equaly convenient to both sides"; (2) "an open level

plain, where the people can collect with ease"; and (3) "a place where both sides shall

have even chances", namely, "a fair place" as Palmer translates it. Although he states

that all these four interpretatiosns are possible meanings, he adopts the last which he

considers more comprehensive and includes the others. See A.Y. Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān,

p. 801, n. 2582. According to Ibn Fāris makānan suwan means "a place where people

know how to reach it and get out of it "; see Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p. 112. Makānan suwan is

the reading of Ibn „Āmir, „Āsim and H.amzah, whereas Ibn Kathīr, Nāfi„, Abū „Amr and

al-Kisā‟ī read it as makānan siwan; see Ibn Mujāhid, al-Sab„ah, p. 418.

452. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 522; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, pp. 98-99;

al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 732; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3,

p. 355. See also al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 242; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 135.

453. Al-Suyūt.ī, al -tqān, vol. 2, p. 182.

454. Ibid, pp. 181-182 and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 619.

455. Al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 468; and Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp.

523-524. Here Ibn Qutaybah is quoting al-Farrā‟ extensively.

456. Al-Suyūt.ī also says that there is a discrepancy on the function of the definite

article al in the term al-ān; some say that it is to indicate the present, others say it is

only additional. See al-Itqān vol. 2, p. 161. It is noteworthy that al-ān was originally a

noun, according to the grammarians of Bas.rah, whereas according to those of Kūfah, it

357

was originally a verb. See Muh.ammad al-T.antawī, Nash‟at al-Nah.w, p. 163.

457. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 525; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 142; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh

al-Lughah, p. 242; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 249; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 54;

al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 175; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 611. Yah.yá ibn

Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 198. Instead of "how", Ibn al-Jawzī suggests matá ("when") as

the meaning of anná in the above verse, see Qurrah, p. 38.

458. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 525; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 429. As

examples, Abū „Ubaydah and al-Suyūt.ī use the verse Q. 3:37, while al-Dāmaghānī uses

Q. 5:75; see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 91; al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 175; and Qāmūs, p. 54.

According to Ibn Fāris and al-T.abarsī, besides "wherefrom" and "whence", "how" is

also the meaning of anná in the above verse, see al-S.āh.ibī, p. 142; and Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 2, p. 343.

459. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 321; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-

Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 144; Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 525; Ibn al-Jawzī, Qurrah, p. 39; and

al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 175.

460. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 321; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2,

p. 175; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 120.

461. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 526, and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2,

p. 112. An unidentified shaykh from Bas.rah said to al-Farrā‟ that he had heard a woman

asking her husband the following question: ("Where is your son, woe unto

you?"), and her husband answered: meaning ("Don't you see

him behind the house?"), see al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 312.

462. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 526. According to Qatādah, reported by al-T.abarī,

there are two meanings of wayka‟anna, namely, and , as mentioned by

Ibn Qutaybah above, see al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 20, p. 77.

463. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 527.

464. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 258; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 449. For

further details on the term wayka‟anna see al-Farrā, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, pp. 312-

313; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, pp. 1067-8; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 4, p. 268; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, pp. 318-319; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol.

15, pp. 418-419.

465. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 528, and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 13, p. 33 (s.v.

ننا ). Ibn Qutaybah does not mention examples from the Qur‟ān which are Q. 27:42 and

10:12. For further details, see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 217-218; and Ibn Fāris, al-

S.āh.ibī, pp. 161-162.

466. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 529; and al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

397. According to Ibn „Abbās, the word meaning agrees with that in the Coptic

language, see Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 63, or Nabatean language, see Abū

358

„Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-Qabā‟il, p. 240 and n. 3.

467. Ibid., p. 530.

468. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 531. The purpose of this additional tā‟ is to

balance the meter of the poem.

469. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 176; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān,

vol. 15, p. 468, s.v. الت . For further details, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p.

1223; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 230-231.

470. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 532.

471. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 532; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 250. The

term mah is an expression indicating reproach and prevention from talking or acting on

the part of the listener; see Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 174. For more details on mahmā see

al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, 470; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p.

467.

472. Similarly, mā means man in Q. 91:5 and 6; see Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, pp. 30-31; Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 533; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 567;

idem, Qurrah, p. 221; and Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 171.

473. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 533; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 261. Instead of Q. 92:3

above, Ibn al-Jawzī mentions Q. 2:159 as an example; see Nuzhah, p. 567; and Qurrah,

p. 221.

474. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 5-11. Moreover, the reading of

Ibn Mas„ūd says al-ladhī instead of mā, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p.

1612.

475. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 533; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 567; and al-Qurt.ubī,

al-Jāmi„, vol. 30, p. 140. Al-Tha„ālibī mentions a variant expression of the people of

Makkah when they heard the thunder, namely, Subh.āna mā sabbah.at lahu ‟l-ra„d

("Glory to Whom the thunder has glorified"). Instead of al-ladhī, he interprets man as

the meaning of mā in the above expression; see Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 244. On hearing the

thunder the Prophet used to say Subh.āna man yusabbih.u al-ra„du bih.amdih ("Glory to

Whom the thunder is glorifying with its praising"), whereas „Alī and Ibn „Abbās said

respectively Subh.āna man sabbah.ta lahu and Subh.āna ‟l-ladhī sabbah.ta lahu which

have the same meaning; see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 686; and al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 283.

476. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 533; and al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p.

270. Al-T.abarī mentions the two meanings of mā in the above verse, namely, man and

mā mas.darīyah, see Jāmi„, vol. 30, p. 140. Pickthall follows the first, while A.Y. Ali

follows the second in their respective translations. Asad follows the second, but says in

the footnote that literally it means the first.

477. Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 195-197. However, according to al-

Zamakhsharī, the function of ma in the above verse is for emphasis, as it means h.aqqan

("truly") and al-bāttah ("definitely"), see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 61.

359

478. For further details, see Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 195-197; Tiflīsī, Wujūh,

pp. 260-262; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 565-567; idem, Qurrah, pp. 220-221; Ibn Fāris,

al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 171-2; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 242-244.

479. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 261.

480. A.Y. Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān, p. 1688.

481. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1579; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān,

vol. 4, p. 404; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 243.

482. M.M. Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān, p. 686.

483. See al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 237; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 5, p. 438.

484. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 566; and idem, Qurrah, p. 221.

485. See H. Moch. Anwar, Tarjamah Matan Alfiyah [Ibn Mālik] (N.p.: Pt.

Alma„arif, 1981), p. 94.

486. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 534; and al-Murtad.á, al-Amālī, vol. 2, p. 11. Lane

translates in the above verse as "and they were not near to doing (it)"; see

Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2636.

487. According to al-Qurt.ubī, kāda can be followed by an in Arabic language

except in the Qur‟ān, see al-Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 222.

488. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 534; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 446; Lane, Lexicon,

pt. 2, p. 2636; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 342. According to al-Qurt.ubī, kāda

without an in the above poem would be better, because an indicates the future, see al-

Jāmi„, vol. 1, p. 222. Ibn Mālik asserts that kāda should not be followed by an, although

it does occur rarely, see Anwar, Matan Alfiyyah, pp. 94-95.

489. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 534-535. See also Macartney, ed., Shi„r Dhī ‟l-

Rummah, p. 392.

490. See al-Murtad.á, al-Amālī, vol. 2, p. 11.

491. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 215; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 382,

s.v.

492. See Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 145.

493. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 779 and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-

Bayān, vol. 3, p. 431. Al-Suyūt.ī quotes the view of Ibn „Abbās who says that every

kāda, akādu, or yakādu in the Qur‟ān means the action does not take place. See al-

Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 215-216.

494. I am choosing Rodwell's translation of the verse in question, as it agrees

with al-Suyūt.ī's interpretation; see J.M. Rodwell, The Koran (London: J.M. Dent & Son

Ltd, 1976), p. 447. Asad and „Ali translate it as "he can hardly see it", whereas Dawood

and Pickthall translate it as "he can scarcely see it" and "he scarce can see it"

respectively.

495. This is also the view of Abū „Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī; see Majāz al-

360

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 67, and al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 955. Al-Farrā‟ and al-T.abarsī mention

two views: the first is similar to that of Abū „Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī above; the

second is that the verse in question means "he sees it tardily" according to al-Farrā‟, and

"with difficulty" according to al-T.abarsī; see al-Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 255, and

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 146. It is like the expression “he hardly

(scarcely, or tardily) rose" when one has risen after difficulty; see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 7,

p. 2636.

496. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 215.

497. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 216; al-Murtad.á, al-Amālī, vol. 2, p. 12; and

Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 97. See also Lane, Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2636.

498. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 216. For further details on kāda, see al-

Murtad.á, al-Amālī, vol. 2, pp. 11-14; Lane, Lexicon, pt. 7, p. 2636; and Ibn Manz.ūr,

Lisān, vol. 3, pp. 382-385 (s.v. and ).

499. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 536. See also al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 185-

186.

500. Al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 242. See also Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp.

145-146; and al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 637-638. For further details on bal see

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, pp. 242-244.

501. It is, as stated by Ibn al-Anbārī, a question of what is unknown to the

questioner in order to know and remove doubt, for example, ("Did „Abd

Allah stand up?" See al-Ad.dād, p. 191.

502. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 538; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 302; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

p. 623; idem, Qurrah, p. 239; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 477.

503. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 538; idem, Tafsīr, p. 502; Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 279; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 19, pp. 118-119; al-Farrā‟,

Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 213; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 4, p. 1558; al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 406; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 433; Ibn al-

Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 191-192; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 301-302; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p.

624; idem, Qurrah, p. 239; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 476; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol.

2, p. 253.

504. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 538-539; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p.

387; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 433; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 301; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah,

624; idem, Qurrah, p. 240; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 476; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

254; and Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 193.

505. This is one of the meanings of alā. Its other meanings are: (1) interjection to

emphasise the statement, such as "behold", "verily", as in

“Behold, they are indeed the foolish..." (Q. 2:13); (2) interjection indicating alertness,

such as "oh", as in أ ("Oh, you who are waking up, stand up!"); and (3)

361

interjection indicating strong demand, as in "Hey, will you repent and

stop doing transgression?", see al-Munjid, p. 15 (s.v. اال).

506. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah. p. 625; idem, Qurrah. p. 240; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

p. 476; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 302.

507. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 625; and idem, Qurrah, p. 241. Al-T.abarsī

mentions three interpretations of the above verse, as follows: (1) It indicates the

vastness of Hell, that if it were asked whether it is already full, if it could talk, it would

answer that it is not yet full and is still vast enough for more people to enter; (2) Allah

creates a means with which Hell will answer when it is asked by Allah; and (3) The

question is addressed to the keepers of Hell; they answer that it is already full, to

indicate Allah's promise to fill it. See Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 147-148.

508. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 540; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 301;

al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 243; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 163; Yah.yá ibn Sallām,

al-Tas.ārīf, p. 141; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 532; and idem, Qurrah, p. 209. According

to Ibn „Abbās, the word meaning is the language of the Quraysh, as in Q.

24:13, see Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur‟ān, p. 58, and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt

al-Qabā‟il, p. 206.

509. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 541; idem, Tafsīr, p. 235; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz

al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 346; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 716; and Ibn Fāris, al-

S.āh.ibī, p. 163. According to al-Tha„ālibī, mā in law mā is either additional or s.ilah, see

Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 243.

510. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 541; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 533; idem, Qurrah,

p. 209; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 239-240. Ibn Fāris mentions two meanings of

law lā in the above verse, hallā and lam, see al-S.āh.ibī, p. 164.

511. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 541; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 533; and Ibn Fāris,

al-S.āh.ibī, p. 164. The jumhūr of the commentators, however, do not agree with this

interpretation. They say that law lā in the above verse indicates reproach for

disbelieving before the coming of punishment. This is supported by Ubayy's variant

reading fahallā instead of falaw lā in the above verse; see al-S.uyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

240. Al-Zamakhsharī mentions hallā as the interpretation of law lā, whereas al-T.abarsī

mentions both lam and hallā; see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 598; and Majma„ al-Bayān,

vol. 3, p. 134.

512. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 542; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1226;

and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 234. Instead of the above verse, Yah.yá ibn Sallām,

Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī give other examples, among which is Q. 62:3. Al-Tha„ālibī

and Ibn Fāris assert that lammā means lam only if it indicates the future, as in the above

example; see Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 243; and al-S.āh.ibī, p. 164.

513. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 542; al-Qayrawānī, I„rāb al-Qur‟ān, pt. 2, p. 756;

Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 143; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 422; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-

Itqān, vol. 2, p. 235. Ibn Qutaybah mentions a variant reading of lammā, which is lamā.

362

The word lamā is the combination of la (which acts as emphasis) and mā which is s.ilah

that can be dropped. The above verse, then, based on this reading means

"Verily, all of them are a provision of the life of the world." We notice

here that in is light inna (meaning "verily"). See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 542; see also

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 46; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1326.

514. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 542; Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 143; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 422; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 257. Al-Tha„ālibī and Ibn Fāris assert

that lammā can mean h.īna only if it indicates the past, see Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 243 and

al-S.āh.ibī, p. 165. Al-Suyūt.ī states that apart from the occurrence in the past, there

should also be two clauses, the validity of one depends on the other, as in

"... but when He brought you safe to land, ye turned away, ..."

(Q. 17:67), see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 234.

515. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 543. Ibn Qutaybah does not mention any example

from the Qur‟ān, such as "They will answer: „We

have spent there a day, or part of a day;..‟" (Q. 23:113, Asad). See al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak,

vol. 1, p. 612. Ibn Fāris explains the distinction between the expression

("Is Zayd with you or Bakr?"), and “Is Zayd with you or [rather] „Amr?".

In the first expression the questioner is in doubt whether one of the two persons is with

us; the answer will be yes or no. In the second expression the questioner knows that one

of the two persons is with us, but he wonders whether it is Zayd or „Amr; the answer

will be one of the two, Zayd or „Amr. See al-S.āh.ibī, p. 127.

516. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 543; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 127; Yah.yá ibn

Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 259; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 1209; idem, Qurrah, p. 41; al-

Dāmaghānī cites Q. 5:89 as an example, see Qāmūs, p. 56.

517. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 543; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 222; al-

T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 415; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 38-39; al-Dāmaghānī,

Qāmūs, p. 56; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 109-10; idem, Qurrah, p. 42; Yah.yá ibn

Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p. 258; and al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 241, citing Q. 76:24 as

an example.

518. See al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 362.

519. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 543-544; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol.

2, p. 175; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 239;Yah.yá ibn Sallām, al-Tas.ārīf, p.

258; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, p. 54; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 241; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, vol. 2, p. 241; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 56; Ibn al-Jawzī cites the view of

Abū Zakariyyā who says that the function of aw in this verse is to indicate obscurity

( ), see Nuzhah, p. 110. It means that the exact number is known by Allah, but He

made it secret when He added aw yazīdūn (or more), see Qurrah, p. 42. Ibn Fāris

mentions three interpretations of aw in the above verse: wa, bal, and ibāh.ah

363

(permission), namely, if someone says that the number is one hundred thousand, he is

right, and if the other says even more than that, he is also right, see al-S.āh.ibī, p. 127.

Al-T.abarsī mentions four meanings, namely, al-ibhām, al-takhyīr, wa, and bal. For

further details, see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 459. According to Ibn „Abbās the

meaning of aw in the above verses is bal in the language of Kindah tribe, see Gharīb al-

Qur‟ān, p. 62 and Abū „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-Qaba‟il, p. 238.

520. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 543-544 and idem, Tafsīr, p. 375. It is also the

view of Abū „Ubaydah, that the particle aw in this poem means wa, see Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 148.

521. See Muh.ammad al-T.ant.āwī, Nash‟at al-Nah.w, p. 163.

522. See Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 128.

523. See ibid., pp. 128-129. For more details, see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4,

pp. 209-214.

524. See ibid., pp. 127-128.

525. According to Ibn Fāris, aw in this poem means illā an, so that it means

"unless we die", instead of "till we die". See ibid., p. 128.

526. See Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 241. For more details on aw, see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān,

vol. 2, pp. 175-178; idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 612-614; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 54-

55; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, pp. 122-123.

527. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 546; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 105; and idem,

Qurrah, p. 37. Al-Dāmaghānī cites this verse saying that am in this verse means

istifhām (question), see Qāmūs, p. 37.

528. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 546; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

130; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 105-106; and idem, Qurrah, p. 38. This is the view of

Sībawayh, according to al-Tha„ālibī, citing Q. 2:108 as an example, see Fiqh al-

Lughah, p.241. Al-T.abarsī inteprets am in this verse as bal, see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

2, p. 61.

529. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 546-547. According to Abū „Ubaydah, however,

am in this verse is synonymous with the conjunctions wa and bal; see Majāz al-Qur‟ān,

vol. 2, p. 130.

530. Al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, pp. 240-241; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 233; and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 167. Ibn Fāris refers

to the view of al-Farrā‟ who says that the Arabs put bal in the sense of am and vice

versa if the sentence starts with a question, see Fiqh al-Lughah, pp. 125-126; al-

Dāmaghānī and Ibn al-Jawzī cites Q. 13:33 as an example, see Qāmūs, p. 37; Nuzhah,

p. 106; and Qurrah, p. 38.

531. This is the view of Abū „Ubydah, see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 278.

532. This is the view of Abū Zayd, see Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 126, whereas

according to Abū „Ubaydah, it means bal, see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 204. For

further details on the particle am, see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 180-186; al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 163-165; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 598-603.

364

533. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 548; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 243; and Ibn

Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 165.

534. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 631-632; and idem, Qurrah, p. 245

535. See al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 374; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 439.

536. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 211; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-

Ad.dād, p. 211; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 2, p. 211; and al-Qayrawānī, I„rāb al-Qur‟ān, pt.

1, p. 132; see also al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 229; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 7, p.

170.

537. Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 166.

538. Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 215-216; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 166; Abū

„Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 277; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 207;

and al-Qayrawānī, I„rāb al-Qur‟ān., pt. 1, p. 133. As a unit, the Qur‟ān mentions the

allegation of the infidels in one sūrah, and rejects the allegation in the other. For

example, "And yet, they [who deny

the truth] say: 'O thou unto whom this reminder has [allegedly] been bestowed from on

high: verily, thou art mad!'" (Q. 15:6, Asad), is rejected with

“Thou art not, by thy Sustainer's grace, a madman!" (Q. 68:2, Asad). See al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 229. However, al-Farrā‟ states that it is also correct to read

, see Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 207. In this case, la is what is called by Ibn

Jinnī (lām used for starting a sentence), see al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol.

5, p. 394. For more details on , see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 351-361.

539. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 549; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 179; and idem,

Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 616. Abū „Ubaydah says that the meaning of awlā is (threat),

see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 278.

540. For further details, see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 179; and idem,

Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 616-617.

541. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 550; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, p. 412. Instead of an

yaghd.abū it is also written an taghd.abā, see idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 63. However, both

are translated as al-ghad.ab, since it is the object (maf„ūl) of the verb jaramat.

According to Sībawayh, Khalīl, Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn Fāris in his work al-S.āh.ibī, the

term jaramat means ah.aqqat, so that the verse means "... it was right that the Fazārah

tribe would be angry ...", while according to al-Farrā„, Ibn Qutaybah and Ibn Fāris in his

other work, Mayāqīs, it means kasabat, namely, the killing caused the Fazārah tribe to

be angry ( ). See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 358; Ibn Fāris,

al-S.āh.ibī, p. 150; idem, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 446; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p.

9; and Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 550. However, both meanings are correct, according to

365

Ibn al-Sayyid, although he leans to al-Farrā‟s view, when he gives the meaning of the

second part of the poem as , as translated above. Instead of t.a„antu it

should be read t.a„anta (you have stabbed), as the poet in the preceding line addressed

the assassin, yā Karzu ("O Kurz"). For further details, see Ibn al-Sayyid, al-Iqt.idāb

(Beirut: N.p., 1901), p. 313, quoted in Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 550-551, nn. 3 and 4.

542. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 551. Al-Farrā‟ said that he heard the Arabs saying

meaning “a provider for his family", and meaning

“he went out to provide for them". See Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 299. The

word commonly used for "crime" is jarīmah.

543. See al-Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 362-363, and al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 231.

544. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 552; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 217; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 53; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 36; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 129-130; and

idem, Qurrah, p. 52. Yah.yá ibn Sallām cites also many other examples, such as Q. 67:

9 and 20, see al-Tas.ārīf, pp. 195-196. See also al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 603-

604 with different examples.

545. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 552; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 220; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 53; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 36; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 130; and

idem, Qurrah, p. 52. This is the view of Qut.rub, according to al-Suyūt.ī, citing Q. 87:9

as an example; see Mu„tarak, vol. 1, pp. 605-606. According to al-Farrā‟, in can mean

qad if it is accompanied with the particle la or alā, as in the above example, and in the

expressions such as and meaning , see Ibn al-

Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 189-190. Al-T.abarsī's interpretation of in in the verse in question

is innahu, see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 446.

546. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 552; idem, Garīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, pp. 211-212;

al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 219; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 52; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp.

35-36; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 130-131; and idem, Qurrah, p. 53. See also al-Suyūt.ī,

Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 605 with the example from Q. 3:139 and 48:27.

547. See Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 332-333.

548. See Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 36; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 129; idem, Qurrah, p. 52;

and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 167-168.

549. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 169; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 605. The

particle mā in this verse means "not". According to Ibn al-Anbārī it is not correct to

interpret as in which mā means al-ladhī (which), and

in means qad in the above verse, but rather as and in

which mā means al-ladhī, and in means mā (not). For further details, see al-Ad.dād, pp.

189-190, and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 215-222. This is also the view of al-

Farrā‟, see Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 56.

550. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 169; and idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 604. For

further details on in, see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, pp. 106-108.

366

551. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 554.

552. See Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 475.

553. See al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 306; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 18, p.

269.

554. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 554.

555. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 18, p. 269. According to Ibn Manz.ūr, Ibn al-

Sikkīt's view is hā‟iyā and hā‟unna instead of respectively hā‟uma and hā‟umna for the

feminine dual and plural; see Lisān, vol. 15, p. 482. It is said that hā‟um indicates

activity and pleasure. When a Bedouin called the Prophet loudly, he answered with a

long hā‟um; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 18, p. 269. For further details on ha see al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 253 and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 482, s.v. . Ibn Fāris's

dealing with hā is similar to that of Ibn Qutaybah, almost verbatim, see, al-S.āh.ibī, p.

175.

556. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 555; however, according to Ibn Manz.ūr, it is also

said hātiyā for the dual masculine as well as feminine of the term hāt, see Lisān, vol. 2,

p. 107. Ibn Fāris's reliance on Ibn Qutaybah's Ta‟wīl is also apparent in dealing with the

term hāt, see al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 175-176.

557. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 556; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 147-148; al-Qurt.ubī,

al-Jāmi„, vol. 7, p. 130; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, pp. 2143-2144

558. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 557; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p.

208; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 7, p. 129 and vol. 14, p. 151; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12,

p. 617; al-T.abarī, Jāmi„, vol. 8, p. 59; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 432

and vol. 2, p. 1124.

559. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 557; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 254; Ibn

Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, pp. 617-618; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 7, p. 129.

According to al-Suyūt.ī, the well-known origin of allāhumma is yā Allāhu in which yā is

dropped and replaced with mma (stressed mim) after Allāh, see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 163.

560. See Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 6, p. 60.

561. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 558. This is the view of Sībawayh and others, such

as al-Akhfash and al-Zajjāj, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 231 (s.v.. ). According

to them there is no other meaning of kallā in the Qur‟ān, so that a group of them say

that whenever kallā is mentioned in a sūrah in the Qur‟ān, it indicates that it belongs to

the Meccan sūrahs. This is because it signifies warning and threat, most of which were

revealed in Mecca (Makkah) since wickedness mostly occurred in that city. Sībawayh

and the majority of the philologists also believe that kallā is a simple word, whereas

according to Tha„lab, it consists of ka (meaning "like") and lā (meaning "not"); the lā is

doubled with tashdīd to emphasise the new meaning and to repel the assumption that

the basic meanings of the two words still remain. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 221.

562. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 558; and Al-Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p.

367

1556.

563. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah pp. 511-513. Among those who interpreted kallā

as synonymous to h.aqqan was al-Kisā‟ī, whereas according to Abū H.ātim the term

means alā ("know!"); see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 221-222; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi„, vol. 11, pp. 147-148. Al-Kisā‟ī makes a distinction between lā and kallā, as

follows: Lā indicates a simple negation, whereas kallā indicates negating something,

but at the same time affirms something else. For example, somebody said to you, "You

have eaten something," and you said, "Lā" (similar to the Indonesian "tidak"), it means

you denied the occurrence of the action of eating anything. But if another person said to

you, "You have eaten a date," and you said, "Kallā" (similar to the Indonesian "bukan"),

because you denied eating a date, but affirmed eating something else, such as honey;

see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 231, (s.v. ).

564. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 559; al-Zamkahsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1596;

and al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 472. This is the interpretation of ruwaydan

in this verse according to Qatādah, whereas according to Ibn „Abbās it means qarīban

(shortly); see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 20, p. 12.

565. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 559. Ibn Qutaybah as well as Ibn Fāris misquoted

the poem when they mentioned which is incorrect; see ibid. and Ibn Fāris, al-

S.āh.ibī, p. 153 and Maqāyīs, vol. 2, p. 458. The correct word is as quoted by Ibn

Manz.ūr as well as al-Qurt.ubī, and as translated above. For further details on ruwaydan,

see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 189 (s.v. ); see also al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 20, p.

12.

566. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 560; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 76.

567. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 159; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 75.

568. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 561; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 258-259; and

idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 449. Al-T.abarsī interprets al-wayl in both verses as

"disaster"; see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, pp. 41 and 42.

569. For further details, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, pp. 737-740 (s.v. );

and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 2, p. 8.

570. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 5621; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 4, pp. 601-602

(s.v. ).

571. See al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 342. Al-Zamakhsharī cites two

interpretations: the first is as mentioned above, and the second is that the expression

la„amruk in the above verse was said by the angels to Prophet Lot; see al-Kashshāf, vol.

1, pp. 723-724. The angels' expression was most probably a du„ā‟, meaning "may Allah

prolong your life span", since it is inconceivable that they would swear other than by

Allah. Asad, using the second interpretation given by al-Zamakhsharī, translates the

verse in question as follows: "[But the angels spoke thus:] 'As thou livest, [O Prophet

Lot, they will not listen to thee:] behold, in their delirium [of lust] they are but blindly

368

stumbling to and fro!'"; see M. Asad, The Message, p. 390.

572. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 562. According to Ibn al-H.ājib, the term should

also be preceded by a question, since iy means "yes"; see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

180; see also idem, Mu„tarak, vol. 3, p. 449.

573. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 562. Instead of balá, as asserted by Ibn Qutaybah,

according to Ibn Fāris, al-Qurt.ubī, and al-Suyūt.ī, the meaning of iy is na„am (yes). See

al-S.āh.ibī, p. 129; al-Jāmi„, vol. 8, p. 351; and al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 180. Although both

mean "yes", they are used differently. Balá is used in two places: (a) to reject a negative

statement, as in “They who are bent on

denying the truth claim that they will never be raised from the dead! Say: 'Yea, by my

Sustainer! Most surely will you be raised from the dead, ...'" (Q. 64:7, Asad); (b) to

invalidate the negation in the interrogative sentence; the question is either real (h.aqīqī),

reproach (tawbīkh), or establishment (taqrīr). It is like doch in German and si in French.

Their respective examples are as follows: "Is not Zayd standing? Yes, he

is"; "Does man think that We cannot [resurrect

him and] bring his bones together again? Yea, indeed, ..." (Q. 75:3-4, Asad); and

".... 'Am I not your Sustainer?' - to which they answer: 'Yea,

indeed, ...'" (Q. 7:172, Asad). Should they say na„am instead of balá in the last

example, they would have become disbelievers, because na„am in this case would mean

"Yes, You are not our Sustainer." This is the view of Ibn „Abbās and others. See al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 186-187. Since Q. 10:53 quoted above is the only verse in

which iy is used, and since this verse does not belong to any of the above categories, the

word iy in the above verse, in its strict sense, in my view, should mean na„am instead of

balá. Why, then, did not Ibn Qutaybah mention na„am as the only meaning of iy instead

of balá, or at least, include it? Probably because, as we have seen, na„am is also used to

confirm a negative statement so that it means "no", whereas balá always means "yes",

whether in confirming an affirmative statement or in negating a negative statement.

Moreover, iy meaning balá is mentioned before an oath only as a ilah of it to

emphasise the truth of the statement, in this case, that Allah would punish the idolaters

in the Hereafter for their wrong-doings as mentioned in the previous verse (Q. 10:52).

This may indicate Ibn Qutaybah's deep understanding of the subject, and this is one of

his contributions in the Qur‟ānic exegesis.

574. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 588.

575. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 563; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 169; and Ibn Manz.ūr,

Lisān, vol. 13, p. 383. According to al-Zamakhsharī, ladunnī can also be read ladunī

and ladnī, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 810.

576. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 563. For further details on ladun, ladā and „inda,

see al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 206-207.

577. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 571; see also al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 233.

Instead of , Ibn Qutaybah in his Adab al-Kātib uses , see Adab al-

369

Kātib, p. 544. Apparently, there is no difference between the two expressions, although

the latter is used by later writers. However, out of fifteen cases in his Ta‟wīl, Ibn

Qutaybah only once used , whereas in his Adab al-Kātib he used both fifteen times.

578. Asad and Pickthall translate respectively as "in God's cause" and "in

the cause of Allah"; see Asad, The Message, p. 75 and Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān,

p. 55. These translations are probably based on the interpretation of al-H.asan al-Bas.rrī

who says that means ; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 4, p. 97. Ibn

Qutaybah's interpretation is based on what he thinks is Abū „Ubaydah's interpretation;

see Adab al-Kātib, p. 544. But Abū „Ubaydah states that means

, so that, instead of ma„a, the term ilá here means fī; see Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 1,

p. 94. It is possible that Ibn Qutaybah means al-Farrā‟ rather than Abū „Ubaydah, as al-

Farrā‟ accepts the interpretation of ilá as ma„a in the above verse as a good one (

); see Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 218. Moreover, this is also the interpretation of

the grammarians of Kūfah to which al-Farrā‟ is said to belong or to lean; see al-Suyūt.ī,

al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 162. In addition, this interpretation has been adopted by al-Tha„ālibī,

al-Qayrawānī, al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī, Ibn al-Jawzī and Ibn Fāris; see Fiqh al-Lughah, p.

241; I„rāb al-Qur‟ān, pt. 1, p. 806; Qāmūs, pp. 36-37; Wujūh, pp. 26-27; Nuzhah, p.

103; Qurrah, p. 40; and al-S.āh.ibī, p. 132.

579. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 571; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 544; al-Farrā‟,

Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 218; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 169 (s.v. ).

580. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 536-537.

581. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 162. According to Tiflīsī, al-Dāmaghānī, and

Ibn al-Jawzī, the particle ilá here means li (for); see Wujūh, p. 27; Qāmūs, p. 37;

Nuzhah, p. 103; and Qurrah, p. 40.

582. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 540.

583. Idem, Ta‟wīl, p. 568; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 538; al-Qayrawānī, I„rāb al-

Qur‟ān, pt. 2, p. 142; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 210; idem, Qurrah, p. 176; and al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 183. According to al-Qurt.ubī, this is the view of al-Zajjāj and

an unidentified group of grammarians. See al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, p. 63.

584. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 568; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 538; Ibn Fāris,

Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p. 407; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 208-209; and [al-Mufad.d.al al-

D.abbī], al-Mufd.d.alīyāt, p. 392. Instead of bas.īr in the poem, al-Qurt.ubī uses khabīr

(an expert), see al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, p. 63.

585. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 578; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 42; Ibn

al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 209-210; and idem, Qurrah, p. 82. This is the interpretation of al-

Kalbī and al-H.asan adopted by Ibn Qutaybah. Another interpretation, however, is that

of Muqātil, who says that means . See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 16, p. 147.

586. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 575; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 543; and Lane,

370

Lexicon, pt. 1, p. 143; here al-Qurt.ubī is quoting Ibn Qutaybah with the expression

qālahu ‟l-Qutabī, see al-Jāmi„, vol. 19, p. 126; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 209; idem,

Qurrah, p. 82; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 184. Besides Ibn Qutaybah's

interpretation, al-Qurt.ubī and al-T.abarsī also mention the view of al-Farrā‟ who says

that the expression yashrabu bihā and yashrabuhā have the same meaning; it is like the

expression ("Verily he speaks with a good speech") and

("he speaks a good speech"). It is said that bi in this verse is additional; see al-Jāmi„,

vol. 19, p. 126; Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 407; and al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol.

3, p. 215. This view is also mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah, see Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 2,

pp. 105-106. See also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 487. In rejecting the above views

Ibn Taymiyyah contends that if bi is additional in this verse, the verse would mean that

the drinker may drink the drink without quenching his thirst. On the other hand, if it is

said that bi is in the sense of min, there would not be any indication that the drinker is

quenching his thirst. Therefore, according to Ibn Taymiyyah, it is said that the bi in

yashrabu bihā indicates that the quenching of the drinker's thirst occurs with this special

drink. See Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmū„ Fatāwā ibn Taymiyyah, ed. „Abd al-Rah.mān ibn

Muh.ammad al-H.anbalī (Riyadh: N.p., 1382 A.H.), 1st ed., vol. 20, p. 474. This is also

the view of the effective investigators (al-muh.aqqiqūn) according to al-Zarkashī. He

states that the meaning of the preposition bi in the verse in question is to indicate

inclusion (tad.mīn) of the meaning of yarwī (he quenches the thirst) in the verb

yashrabu (he drinks). As the verb yashrabu is itself a transitive verb, it does not need

the preposition bi except for a purpose. This purpose is to include the quenching of the

thirst in its meaning. Therefore, the verb yashrabu bi includes both literal and

metaphorical meanings; see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 3, p. 338. Besides the above

interpretations al-Qayrawānī also mentions another interpretation, namely, the

preposition bi indicates the location of the fountain, and the term „aynan means mā‟

„ayn (water of a fountain), so that the verse in question means "Water of a fountain

where the servants of God shall drink"; see I„rāb al-Qur‟ān, pt. 2, p. 672.

587. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 575; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 543; and al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 407; see also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 487. Ibn al-

Sayyid says that there are two views concerning the meaning of the word matá in this

poem, min (from) and wasat. (amidst), see al-Iqtid.āb. p. 447, quoted by A. S.aqr in Ibn

Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 575, n. 3. Nūrah Shamlān, in her work on the life and poems of

Abū Dhu‟ayb, chooses the first view, whereas Ibn Fāris chooses the second; see

Shamlān, Abū Dhu‟ayb al-Hudhalī: H.ayātuh wa Shi„ruh (Riyadh: „Imādah Shu‟ūn al-

Maktabāt, Riyadh University, 1400/1980), p. 104 and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 296.

It is said, however, that matá in the language of the al-Hudhayl tribe means fī (in, at);

see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 19, p. 126, n. 1; and al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p.

215, n. 3.

588. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 543. It is written ilá bima„ná fī which is a

misprint, and should be bi instead of ilá as has been corrected here.

371

589. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 210; idem, Qurrah, p. 82; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-

Itqān, vol. 2, p. 183.

590. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 547.

591. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 210; idem, Qurrah, p. 83; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-

Itqān, vol. 2, p. 183.

592. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 547.

593. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 211; idem, Qurrah, p. 83; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān,

vol. 2, p. 183. For further details on bi and its meanings, see al-Suyūt.ī, Mu„tarak, vol. 1,

pp. 634-637.

594. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 573; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 545; Lane, Lexicon,

pt. 5, p. 2145; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 3, p. 246; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4,

p. 283; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 442; and idem, Qurrah, p. 178. According to Ibn

Manz.ūr the particle „alá in the above verse means min as well as „an; see Lisān, vol.

15, p. 89. Al-Dāmaghānī gives Q. 16:9 as an example: it reads “It is

from Allah the direction of the right path."; see Qāmūs, p. 332.

595. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, pp. 573 and 380, and idem, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 545-

546. Al-Qurt.ubī also cites this poem, but he says that means , rather

than , see al-Jāmi„, vol. 6, p. 359.

596. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 578, and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2,

p. 83. The criminal charge meant in this verse is the accidental killing of an Egyptian by

Prophet Moses. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, p. 92.

597. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 542; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 3, pp.

703-704 (with an example from poetry); al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 187; Ibn

al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 442-443; and idem, Qurrah, p. 178. Al-Suyūtī goes further and

says that the interpretation ("in the kingdom of Solomon") means

, namely, "in the time of his reign" as translated by Asad above; see al-Itqān, vol. 2,

pp. 201-202. This meaning agrees with that given by al-Zajjāj who says that

means ("at the time of Solomon's reign"); see al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi„, vol. 2, p. 42. Al-T.abarsī mentions two interpretations: "against the kingdom of

Solomon" as translated by Pickthall, and "in the time of Solomon's reign" mentioned

above; see Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 174.

598. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 544; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 2145.

599. See al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 333. Al-Suyūt.ī cites a different example,

namely, "Hence, place thy trust in the Living

One who dies not,..." (Q. 25:58, Asad), and calls the substituted particle (the

particle bi used for seeking help); see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 202.

600. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 545.

601. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 201; see also al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol.

372

4, p. 285.

602. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 2, p. 242.

603. Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān, p. 27; and Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān, p. 69

604. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 537; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, p. 88.

Lane translates the expression as ("I shot with the bow") rather

than ("from the bow"); see Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 2145.

605. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 540. For further details on „alá see Lane,

Lexicon, pt. 5, pp. 2144-2145.

606. However, according to Ibn Manz.ūr, it is correctt to say , but not

; see Lisān, vol. 15, p. 88.

607. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 577; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 287; Ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 439; idem, Qurrah, p. 176; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 183; and

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 2164.

608. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 541; C.J. Lyall, ed., The Mufad.d.aliyyāt, p.

160; and Ibn Fāris, Mayāqīs, vol. 2, p. 179. According to Ibn Fāris, the word lāh is the

name of Allah; with the addition of the definite article al, it makes the word Allāh; see

Maqāyīs, vol. 5, p. 227. Lane translated lāh as lillāhi darru, as translated above; see

Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 2164.

609. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 439; idem, Qurrah, p. 176; al-Zarkashī, al-

Burhān, vol. 4, p. 287; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 203; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p.

2164.

610. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 542.

611. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 287; and al-Suyūt.ī al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

203.

612. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 6, pp. 181-182.

613. See Asad, The Message, pp. 144 and 151; Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān,

pp. 103 and 107; and Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān, pp. 245 and 254.

614. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 542-543.

615. Idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p. 358; and Lane Lexicon, pt 4, p.475 (s.v.

).

616. Idem, Ta‟wīl, p. 567; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 536; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur‟ān, vol. 1, p. 14 and vol. 2, p. 23; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 303; al-T.abarsī,

Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 21; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 476; idem, Qurrah, pp. 190-

191; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 367; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 244; al-Suyūt.ī, al-

Itqān, vol. 2, p. 211; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 230; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2467. Ibn Fāris

mentions the reason for the use of fī in the above verse. He says it is because the trunks

for the crucified persons are like graves for the buried ones; see al-S.āh.ibī, p. 158.

According to al-Farrā‟ means that the crucifixion is done by putting the

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persons to be crucified on lengthwise on the tree trunks, whereas means

that they are lifted and put on the trunks; see Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 186. Another

view is that of al-Mubarrad and al-Qayrawānī that the particle fī is used to indicate that

the trunks surrounded (contained) him; see al-Mubarrad, al-Kāmil, vol. 2, p. 823; and

I„rāb al-Qur‟ān, pt. 3, p. 806.

617. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 539; Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2467; al-

Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 303; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 476; idem, Qurrah, p. 191;

and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 212. Al-Dāmaghānī and Tiflīsī cite Q. 4:97 as an

example, see Qāmūs, p. 367; and Wujūh, p. 230. This idiomatic phrase, according to

Asad, indicates "one's inability to refute a reasonable proposition by cogent, logical

counter arguments". For further details, see Asad, The Message, p. 372, n. 10.

618. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 539-540 in which tunūshida is written is

probably nūshida as cited above. See also al-A„shá, Dīwān al-A„shá, p. 55 in which

yunāshadu is written rather than tunūshida or nūshida.

619. Al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 368; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 477; and idem,

Qurrah, pp. 191-192.

620. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 3, pp. 25-26; Asad, The Message, p. 45;

Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān, p. 31; and Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān, p. 82.

621. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 546. Translation rendered by Tengku

Jusoh, Tengku Ghani. A Critical Examination of five Poems by Imru al-Qays (Kuala

Lumpur: Penerbitan Pustaka Antara, 1990), pp. 15 and 62. This is also the view of al-

As.ma„ī according to al-Qurt.ubī, see al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, pp. 162-163. However,

according to Muh.ammad Abū al-Fad.l Ibrāhīm, fī is in the sense of ma„a in this poem,

so that the verse means "thirty months apart from three years"; see M.A. Ibrāhīm, ed.,

Dīwān Umru‟ al-Qays, 2nd ed. (Cairo: Dār al-Ma„ārif, 1384/1964), p. 27.

622. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 476; idem, Qurrah, p. 191; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

p. 367; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 230-231; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 3093, and al-

Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 212.

623. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 546.

624. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 476; idem, Qurrah, p. 190; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs,

pp. 366-367; al-T.abarsī, Majma„ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 213; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol.

4, p. 302, and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 211. Tiflīsī does not quote this verse, but

quotes many others, see Wujūh, p. 230.

625. For further details, see Asad, The Message, p. 434, n. 119.

626. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 13, pp. 162-3; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p.

370; Pickthall, The Glorious Qur‟ān, p. 393; and Ali, The Holy Qur‟ān, p. 980. With

regard to those nine signs or miracles, they are, according to Ibn „Abbās in one of his

interpretations and Mujāhid, as follows: the rod (Q. 7:107), the radiant hand (Q. 7:108),

the years of drought or shortage of water (Q. 7:130), shortage of crops (Q. 7:130),

epidemics among men and beasts, locusts, lice, frogs, and the water turning to blood (Q.

7:133). Another interpretation attributed to Ibn „Abbās, is that he includes the split of

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the sea as substitute for shortage of crops which is probably included by him in the

category of drought and shortage of water, as done by al-H.asan al-Bas.rī; see al-S.ābūnī,

Mukhtas.ar, vol. 2, p. 403. The first interpretation was adopted by Ali, see The Holy

Qur‟ān, p. 378, n. 1091.

627

For further details, see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 302-304.

628

See Ali, The Holy Qur‟an, p. 715; and Asad, The Message, p. 430

629. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 569; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 540; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, pp. 537-8; and idem, Qurrah, p. 211. Al-Suyūt.ī cites Q. 13:25 as an example

from the Qur‟ān, see al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 225.

630. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 544; here it is written which is

misprinted, and should be . Cf. idem, Ta‟wīl, p. 522 in which it is written

.

631. Idem, Ta‟wīl, p. 572; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 540; al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1616; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 538; idem, Qurrah, p. 212; al-

Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 341; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 225; and idem,

Mu„tarak, vol. 1, p. 552. Another example cited by Ibn Qutaybah is Q. 7:43 in which

means ; see Adab al-Kātib, p. 544.

632. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, p. 547.

633. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 539; and idem, Qurrah, pp. 212-213.

634. See al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 225; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p.

341.

635. Ibn Qutaybah, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 546-547.

636. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 342. In fact, there are many other

meanings of li mentioned by al-Zarkashī. For further details, see ibid., pp. 339-350.

637. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 577; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 577; idem, Qurrah,

p. 224; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 443; al-Tha„ālībī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 244; Tiflīsī,

Wujūh, p. 276; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 172; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 248.

638. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 578 and idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 538.

639. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 420; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p.

248. Ibn al-Jawzī cites Q. 12:87 and 50:19; see Nuzhah, p. 577; and Qurrah, p. 225.

640. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 574; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 60;

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 324; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p. 420;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 576-577; idem, Qurrah, p. 224; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p.

442; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 275; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 248, citing Q. 42:45 as an

example.

641. For further details on this verse, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi„, vol. 9, pp. 291-

293. See also Asad, The Message, p. 60, n. 25.

642. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta‟wīl, p. 577; al-Farrā‟, Ma„ānī ‟l-Qur‟ān, vol. 2, p. 370;

Ibn al-Jawzī, Qurrah, p. 224; and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, p. 248, citing Q. 62:9 as an

375

example. For more details on the meanings of min, see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4,

pp. 415-426.