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CHAPTER III

IBN QUTAYBAH’S TREATISE OF THE PHENOMENA

OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

In this chapter the phenomena of figurative language in the verses of the Qur‟ān will be dealt with. They will be divided into six categories based

on Ibn Qutaybah‟s treatment. They are: metaphor (majāz and isti‘ārah),

inversion (maqlūb), ellipsis (h.adhf) and brevity (ikhtis.ār), repetition

(takrār) and pleonasm (ziyādah), metonymy (kināyah) and allusion (ta‘rīd.),

and the idiomatic expression entitled “the disagreement of the word with its

literal meaning” ( ).

A. Metaphor

Metaphor is the use of words to indicate something different from their

basic meanings. For example, if we speak of somebody who is stubborn,

merciless or cruel, we can say “he has a heart of stone”. Although Ibn Qutaybah put majāz and isti‘ārah in a separate chapter both are entered here

under metaphor, since both are, as we shall see, closely related. He said that

many of the majāz fall into the category of isti‘ārah.1

1. Majāz

The basic meaning of the term majāz is “a crossing”, “a passage”. It is

derived from the verb jāza, yajūzu, meaning “to pass”, “to travel (through)”.

2 In classical terminology it means “the way of expression”.

Abū „Ubaydah in his Majāz al-Qur’ān used this terminology in this sense

rather than its later meaning as figurative speech which is in contrast with h.aqīqah (the real meaning).

3 Ibn Qutaybah still used this term in this sense

when he said that the Arabs had majāzāt (pl. of majāz) in their expression,

meaning “the ways and sources of expression” ( ). Among

these majāzāt he mentioned isti‘ārah, tamthīl, - simile, known in modern

terminology as tashbīh, which he did not treat in a particular chapter - maqlūb, takrār, and others.

4 On the other hand, he also used it in contrast

with h.aqīqah, as we shall see later.

According to Ibn Taymīyah, the division of words into h.aqīqah and

majāz was not found in the statements of the salaf, but in those of scholars in later generations. Neither the s.ah.ābah nor the tabi‘īn had ever used these

technical terms. They were not found in the statements of early Muslim legists, such as Abū H.anīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfi„ī and al-Awzā„ī, as well as

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philologists, such as al-Khalīl, Sībawayh, and Abū „Umar ibn al-„Alā‟. They appeared in the third/ninth century, or probably at the end of the

second/eighth century, and became well-known in the fourth/tenth century.5

Ibn Qutaybah wanted to prove that majāz as a figure of speech and, in contrast with h.aqīqah, did actually occur in the verses of the Qur‟ān. This

was to counter the existing view in his time that rejected such a possibility. We know that he was a contemporary of Dā‟ūd ibn „Alī ibn Khalaf al-

As.bah.ānī (d. 270/884), the founder of the Z.āhirī school of law. This school

insists on the literal meanings of the Qur‟ān, and as such, was said to have

rejected the occurrence of majāz in the Qur‟ān. This view of rejecting the occurrence of majāz in the Qur‟ān was also held later by some scholars from

different schools, such as Abū ‟l-„Abbās Ah.mad ibn Ah.mad al-T.abarī,

better known as Ibn al-Qas.s. (d. 335/947) of the Shāfi„ī school, Ibn Khuwayz

Mundhādh (d. ca. 400/1010) of the Mālikī school, and Abū Muslim

Muh.ammad ibn Bah.r al-As.bahānī (d. 370/981) of the Mu„tazilī school of

theology. Their main argument was that a speaker would only resort to

majāz if he were unable to express himself properly by using h.aqīqah, and

such a weakness obviously could not be attributed to Allah.6

On the other hand, Ibn Qutaybah wanted to repudiate what he

considered the excessive use of majāz which, in his view, led to misinterpreting the verses of the Qur‟ān. Although he did not mention the

people who held this view, it is possible he had the Mu„tazilīs in mind. He

said that some people interpreted black magic (sih.r) as being merely a trick,

rejected the existence of the interrogation and the punishment by the two angels (Munkar and Nakīr) in the grave, the statement that the shuhadā’

(martyrs) were alive, the sound of demons, and the harm caused by ghouls

(desert demons appearing in ever varying shapes). They said that when people were alone in the desert they could easily imagine seeing and hearing

something that did not really exist.7

In modern terminology, the definition of majāz is as follows: “It is a

word not used in its proper meaning (context) due to the [existence of] coherence or indication which prevents it from having the basic meaning as

the intended one ).”

The example from poetry is as follows:

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“A person dearer to me than myself stood to protect me from the sun. He stood

to protect me; amazingly, „a sun‟ was protecting me from the sun.”8

What the poet means by „a sun‟ is a man of great personality who is very dear to him.

If there is an affinity between the original and the intended meanings

in the majāz, it is called isti‘ārah. Otherwise it is called majāz mursal. An

example of isti‘ārah can be seen in the following Qur‟ānic verse:

( :٧) “…, to lead you out of the deep darkness into the

light..” (Q. 57:9, Asad). The verse is a metaphor for bringing people from

ignorance and error into guidance and truth. There is an affinity between darkness and ignorance, and between light and guidance. An example of

majāz mursal can be seen in the following poem: “My

country, although it wronged me it is [still] dear to me.” What the poet

means with his country is its inhabitants. Here, there is no affinity between the country and its inhabitants.

After illustrating majāz in modern technical terminology, we come to

Ibn Qutaybah‟s view and see what he meant by this term. Stating the

occurrence of majāz in Arabic expression as well as in the Qur‟ān, Ibn Qutaybah gave the example of the word umm (“mother”). When the Arabs

say that their land is their mother, it is because, like their mother, it was from

it they started their lives, to it they would return, and from it they obtained their food and provision. In poetry he cited the poem of Umayyah ibn Abī

al-S.alt as follows:

“And the land is our refuge and was our mother. In

it our grave will be, and in it we are born.”9

The example from the Qur‟ān given by Ibn Qutaybah is the verse:

( :٩) “his mother will be an abyss” (Q. 101:9). As the mother is

the sponsor, the sustainer, the shelter, and the nurse to her baby, so is Hell to

the unbeliever to which he will be brought.10

Another example is that the

Prophet‟s wives are “the mothers of the believers” (Q. 33:6), meaning that reverence should be due to them as to their own mothers.

Ibn Qutaybah rejects the views of an unspecified group of people who

say that Allah‟s statements in the Qur‟ān are metaphors, and not intended in

the real sense. There are those among them who say that Allah‟s order to the

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angels to prostrate to Adam (Q. 2:34) was only an inspiration, like His inspiration to the bees to choose habitations in the hills and trees (Q. 16:68).

They refer to Allah‟s statement:

( :) “And it is not given to

mortal man that God should speak unto him otherwise than through sudden

inspiration, or [by voice, as it were,] from behind a veil, or by sending an

apostle to reveal, by His leave, whatever He wills [to reveal]: for, verily, He is exalted, wise.” (Q. 42:51, Asad). Here they say that He did not really say

to the heaven and earth “come [into being] both of you

willingly or unwillingly!”, and they did not really answer ( :)

“we do come in obedience” (Q. 41:11). According to them this expression

merely means “We created them both, and so they exist.” In poetry, it is like

the poem “My camel complained to me against the long

journey” in which the camel did not actually complain to the poet, but rather

the poet spoke about his frequent journeys and of tiring his camel, and that if it were able to speak it would have complained to him.

11 Similarly, Allah

did not actually say to Hell “Art thou filled?” and Hell did not

actually say ( :) “[Nay,] is there yet more [for me]?” (Q.

50:30), but the statements merely indicate the vastness of Hell. In addition,

Hell does not actually call the sinful person who turns away (Q. 70:17), but

the expression indicates that Hell would be their future abode as if it called them to it. It is like the fly calling its friend in the following poem:

“I have descended the two valleys and another valley where the „mute

and tender‟ creature [i.e., the fly was buzzing as if it were] calling [its]

close friend [to the plant and water].”12

Here the fly did not actually call, but buzzed to indicate the existence of

plants and water in the valley.

Before refuting the above statements, Ibn Qutaybah makes a clear

distinction between “saying” and “speaking” in regard to the occurrence of majāz. He says that majāz can occur on the word “saying” but not on

“speaking”. We can say, for example, “the wall says, so it leans” (

); “say (it) to me with your head” meaning “tilt it” ( يإن كسأرب مقـ

ـههمأ يأ ) and “the camel says... [or complains]” as mentioned earlier in the

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poem. But we cannot say that the wall speaks, since the word denotes the act of speaking. However, Ibn Qutaybah asserts, exception occurs in one

case, namely, when the speaker is an animate being giving advice or moral

lessons, so that we can say that it informs, it spoke, and it reminded. The example in poetry is the poem of Abū ‟l-„Atāhiyah as follows:

“Silent tombs advised you, hidden tongues reproached you. They spoke

about decayed faces and resting images. They showed you your grave

in the graveyard, while you are [still] alive, not dead.”13

The example from the Qur‟ān is as follows:

( :) “Have We ever bestowed upon them from on high a divine

writ which would speak [with approval] of their worshipping aught beside

Us?” (Q. 30:35, Asad). Here the verse means “Or have We revealed to them any evidence from which they will seek guidance that will guide them?”

14

Ibn Qutaybah gives us two conditions for a word to become majāz: it

shall not be accompanied with its mas.dar, and it shall not be emphasised

with takrār (repetition). For example, we say “the wall will fall down” and

we do not say “the wall will fall down with strong willingness”. He does not give us an example for the use of repetition here. The example for the use of

mas.dar in the Qur‟ān is as follows: literally means “And

Allah spoke to Moses with speaking,” translated by Asad as: “...: and as God

spoke His word unto Moses” (Q. 4:164). Here the verb kallama is

accompanied with its mas.dar, namely, taklīm to indicate that the speaking is

real and actually happens, not majāz. Moreover, the expression kallama (to speak to) itself, as mentioned earlier, indicates that it is real. The example for

the use of takrār in the Qur‟ān is as follows:

“And Our word unto a thing, when We intend it, is only that

We say unto it: Be! and it is.” (Q. 16:40, Pickthall). Here the word qawlunā

is emphasised with takrār (repetition of qawl with naqūl), and the statement

itself is emphasised with the word innamā.15

Despite the frequent occurrence of majāz in the Qur‟ān, Ibn Qutaybah was extremely cautious with it. He rejects the view that the order of Allah to

the angels to prostrate themselves to Adam in Q. 2:34 was an ilhām

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(inspiration), because, according to him, it involved dialogues of events: Allah‟s order to the angels and Iblīs to prostrate, Iblīs‟s refusal to comply,

his expulsion from the Garden (Jannah), and his plea for the postponement

of punishment to Judgement Day.16

Ibn Qutaybah also rejects the interpretation of qawl in the above verse as a subjection (taskhīr) because, he

contends, it cannot be applied to something which refuses to comply, and in

this case, Iblīs.17

With regard to the verse Q. 42:51 Ibn Qutaybah asserts that wah.y

includes: things shown by Allah to His prophets in their vision; speaking

behind the veil such as His speaking to Prophet Moses; and speaking with a message by sending the Trustful Spirit (al-Rūh. al-Amīn, i.e. Gabriel). What

he means here is that Allah actually spoke to Prophet Moses, not majāz.

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah rejects the occurrence of majāz in

many Qur‟ānic verses such as Q. 41:11 and 50:30 mentioned above. He

bases his argument on several Qur‟anic verses and h.adīths according to his

understanding without applying majāz. The Qur‟ānic verses state that Allah

would make parts of the bodies of wrong-doers testify against them on the Last Day (Q. 24:24, 36:65 and 41:20-1), that He makes the mountains, birds

and everything praise Him (Q. 17:44, 34:10 and 38:18-9), and that Prophet

Solomon understood the language of ants (Q. 27:18-9); that Hell would burst with rage (Q. 67:8) and its crackling and roar would be heard by the

wrong-doers (Q. 25:11-2). In a h.adīth it was reported that when Hell saw

those who denied the coming of Doomsday, they heard its crackling and

roar, saying “qat, qat” which means “enough, enough (h.asbī, h.asbī)."18

In

other h.adīths it was reported that the food informed the Prophet that it had

been poisoned, and that a camel complained to him that its master had

starved and overworked it. All these, in Ibn Qutaybah‟s view, are h.aqīqah

and have no room for majāz.19

2. Isti‘ārah

The term isti‘ārah literally means “borrowing, loan, or lending”. It is

borrowing one meaning of a word other than its basic or primary meaning. According to „Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī (d. 470/1078) isti’ārah is “a word

which in the language has a known basic meaning, is temporarily lent, as it

were, to something other than the original object. Therefore metaphor in Arabic is called „loan‟”.

20 It is lending the meaning of one object to another

object, the aim being the attribution of the dominant trait in the first object to

the second one. For example, if we want to say that a person is brave, we

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lend and associate the meaning of the object lion to that person, so that the lion's dominant trait, namely, bravery, can be attributed to him. So, we say

ا (“I saw a lion”), meaning a brave man.

With regard to isti‘ārah in its early development, Ibn Qutaybah gave us his understanding of it. He said that the Arabs used to borrow a word and

put it in place of another, if this borrowed word is the cause of, close to, or

similar to the word it replaces. For example, they said

“We kept walking on the pasture [al-samā‘ lit., 'the sky'] until we came to you." Here the pasture is called samā’ which is the rain that causes the

existence of the pasture, and in turn, the rain itself is called samā’ from

which it falls down, and which is the cause of it. The poet Mu„āwiyah ibn Mālik ibn Ja„far ibn Kilāb calls the rain “the sky” in his following poem:

“When the rain [lit., „the sky‟ that causes it to fall] falls on the land of a

tribe [so that it becomes fertile], we care for it [namely, we move to that

fertile land and care for the plants which grow because of the rain],

although they are angry [about our coming].”21

Ibn Qutaybah mentions in his Ta’wīl fifty main examples of isti‘ārah

in the verses of the Qur‟ān. Some of them will be dealt with here as follows:

a. ( :) “..., and their hearts (as) air.” (Q. 14:43,

Pickthall). The air is a metaphor for emptiness, namely, their hearts are empty of good things, because they do not pay attention to anything, like

an empty place which contains nothing but air.22

b.

( :) “Is then he who was dead [in spirit] and whom We

thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up a light whereby he might

see his way among men - [is then he] like one [who is lost] in the

darkness deep, out of which he cannot emerge?” (Q. 6:122, Asad). Here death, life and light are respectively metaphors for infidelity, guidance

and faith.23

c. ( :-) “and lifted from thee the burden

that had weighed so heavily on thy back?” (Q. 94:2-3, Asad). The word

wizr originally means “something a person carries on his back”, used

here as a metaphor for sin,24

or specifically, the sin in the Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic) period.

25

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d. ( :٧) “But as for

those with faces shining, they shall be within God's grace, therein to

abide.” (Q. 3:107, Asad). The grace here is a metaphor for Paradise, as it is through Allah's grace that one can enter it.

26 This verse, however, is

used in our time as an example of majāz mursal where the condition

(h.āl), in this case, Allah‟s grace, is used as a metaphor for the place

(mah.all), namely, Paradise.

The term rah.mah can also be a metaphor for rain and sustenance

respectively in the following verses:

( :٧) ”And He it is who sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of

His coming grace...” (Q. 7:57, Asad), and

( :) “Whatever grace God opens up to man, none can withhold it...”

(Q.35:2, Asad).27

Rah.mah which means grace on the needy can be a metaphor for many

different things. In this case, it is said that the term has wujūh,

homonyms. Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 598/1201), al-H.usayn ibn Muh.ammad al-

Dāmaghānī, and Abū al-Fad.l H.ubaysh ibn Ibrāhīm Tiflīsī (d. ca.

600/1203) mentioned respectively sixteen, fourteen, and thirteen wujūh

of rah.mah in various verses of the Qur‟ān. All of them included what

have been mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah above, namely: Paradise, rain

and sustenance. Others, to mention a few, are: Islam (Q. 2:105), faith (Q. 11:28), prophethood (Q. 38:9), the Qur‟ān (Q. 10:5), and well-being

(Q. 39:38).28

e. ( :) “And, verily, this [revelation] shall indeed

become [a source of] eminence for thee and thy people...” (Q. 43:44,

Asad). The word dhikr (remembrance) is a metaphor for sharaf

(eminence) which is something to be remembered.29

Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Dāmaghānī, and Tiflīsī mentioned respectively twenty, eighteen and

seventeen wujūh of dhikr, including the term sharaf and its three

examples from the Qur‟ān as mentioned above. Among them are: remembering (Q. 3:135), mentioning (Q. 2:200), tawh.īd (monotheism)

(Q. 20:124), the Qur‟ān (Q. 21:2, 50), the Torah (Q. 16:43 and 21:7) the

Friday prayer (Q. 62:9), and the Preserved Tablet (Q. 21:105).30

f. ( :٩) “And neither the heaven

nor the earth wept for them, nor were they reprieved.” (Q. 44:29). Ibn

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Qutaybah‟s commentary on this metaphorical verse is as follows: If the Arabs want to emphasise the awful condition, especially the failing

health of a great and noble king they say: “The sun was becoming

darkened, the moon was becoming eclipsed, and the wind, the lightning, the sky and the earth [all] were weeping for him.” The listener will

understand this hyperbole, that the disaster was so severe and extensive

that the elements of nature almost shared the grief of the people. On the contrary, with regard to Pharaoh and his followers, neither the sun nor

the earth wept for them. In poetry, such hyperbole was also employed,

as in the following poem:

“The sun, weeping for you, is rising without veiling

the brightness of the stars and the moon.”

As the sun is rising without light, the day appears to be like the night, and the light of the moon and the stars is not diminished by the lightless

sun.31

Ibn Qutaybah gives us three interpretations of the above verse as

follows: (a) When Allah destroyed Pharaoh and his people by drowning them and destroying their houses and gardens, no one was left to weep

for them, mourn or miss them; (b) The expression “the heaven and the

earth” in the verse means “the inhabitants of the heaven and the earth”, so that the verse means “nobody among the inhabitants of the heaven

and the earth wept for them”. The argument of the upholders of this

view is that it occurs in other Qur‟ānic verses where the word

“inhabitants” or “people” is not mentioned, such as the verse

( :٨) “…and ask the township” (Q. 12:82, Pickthall), which means

“its inhabitants”,32

and ( :) “... till the war lay

down its burdens” (Q. 47:4, Pickthall) which means “till the people at

war lay down their arms”. This view, as we have seen earlier, belongs to

the category of majāz mursal, according to the modern terminology; (c) The interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, that every believer has a door in

heaven through which his deeds ascend and his sustenance (rizq) descends; when he dies, this door, his traces and places of prayer weep

for him. As for the unbeliever, no deed will ascend to heaven for him,

no door in heaven will open for him and no trace of his on the earth will weep for him.

33

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g. ( :)

“Hence, [be patient,] even though they who are bent on denying the

truth would all but kill thee with their eyes whenever they hear this reminder, and [though] they say, „[As for Muhammad,] behold, most

surely he is a madman!.‟” (Q. 68:51, Asad). Pickthall and Ali translate

yakādu layuzliqūnaka respectively as “would fain disconcert thee” and “would almost trip thee up”. Ibn Qutaybah‟s commentary on this verse

is that the disbelievers looked at the Prophet with hostility so stern that

they almost made him slip and fall down.34

This kind of hyperbole had been used in classical poetry. Some unidentified grammarians were said

to have criticised it as an excess and an exaggeration, but Ibn Qutaybah

defended it, saying that it was quite possible and a good way of expressing one‟s view. He cited many examples from the classical

poetry, one of which is as follows:

“When they met in a place their looking at

each other [almost] removed the ground”,

meaning that their looking at each other was extremely hostile and

malicious so that it almost brought them to the ground. 35

Ibn Qutaybah states that there are many Qur‟ānic verses indicating hyperbole (mubālaghah fī ’l-was.f) which he includes in the category of

the figure of speech called isti‘ārah, by using the word kāda (almost),

either explicitly or by implication. For example, in order to show the

graveness of the Christians‟ statement that Allah has a son, He said:

( :٩-٨٩) “Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing,

whereby almost [takādu] the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, that ye ascribe unto the

Beneficent a son, when it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent

that He should choose a son.” (Q. 19:89-92, Pickthall). Here the word takādu (the present tense of kāda) is mentioned. The example in which

the word kāda exists by implication, is as follows:

( :) “[Remember what

you felt] when they came upon you from above you and from below

you, and when [your] eyes became dim and [your] hearts came up to

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[your] throats, ...” (Q. 33:10, Asad). The verse portrays the seriousness of the situation in the battle of the Trench, that "[their] hearts almost

reached to [their] throats.”36

When the word kāda exists only by

implication in such a case as above, Ibn Qutaybah asserts it can be replaced with ka’anna (as if), so that the verse means “as if the beats of

violently agitated hearts reached the throat”.37

In fact, among the fifty

examples of the isti‘ārah from the Qur‟ān, this hyperbole is the longest treatment given by Ibn Qutaybah to demonstrate its significance. He

gives more than twenty examples from classical poetry, such as the

poems of Imru‟ al-Qays, al-Nābighah, „Antarah, Dhū al-Rummah, and others.

38 His objective is clear: to show that hyperbole is not a lie, but a

figure of speech indicating the greatness, severity or seriousness of a

statement or an event.

h. ( :) “... for there is no living creature

which He does not hold by its forelock....” (Q. 11:56, Asad). It means

that He subjugates and controls it.39

The origin of this meaning is that if you grasp its forelock you subjugate and control it. From this idea it

can be said in the du‘ā' (supplication) (“my forelock is in your

hand”), meaning “you are my sovereign and conqueror”.40

Here the

forelock is representing the whole body when we say

“This is a graceful forelock.”41

This example, then, belongs to the

category of majāz mursal in modern terminology.

To sum up, Ibn Qutaybah‟s understanding of majāz and isti‘ārah is rudimentary. For example, he puts majāz mursal, homonyms, and

hyperbole in the category of isti‘ārah, since they do not represent their

basic meanings. This instance is comprehensible, as Ibn Qutaybah was giving the transitional meanings of the terms from classical to modern

terminology.

B. Inversion (Maqlūb)

Ibn Qutaybah mentions us four types of inversion in his Ta’wīl, as

follows: ascribing something with its opposite quality ( ),

such as calling a foolish person a bright one; designating two contradictory

things having one basic meaning with one name (

), such as calling amām (before) warā’ (behind), as the basic meaning of

warā’ is what is absent from our eyes, either before or behind us; advancing

what will be clear by retarding, and retarding what will be clear by

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advancing in the word order ( ), such as

the Qur‟ānic verse ( :٨) “Then he drew nigh and came down”

(Q. 53:8) which is clearly understood by inversion, namely, “then he came

down and drew nigh”); and lastly, the inversion of words by mistake (

), such as the expression “adultery is a religious duty for stoning”

which should be “stoning is a religious duty for adultery”. Ibn Qutaybah‟s

treatment of them is as follows:

1. Ascribing something with Its Opposite Quality

Ibn Qutaybah mentions three motives for ascribing something with its

opposite quality, as follows:

a. (for pessimism and optimism), such as saying to the sick “good

health” encouraging (countering) pessimism about the sickness and

optimism to health.

b. (for hyperbole, lit., “for exaggeration of description”), such

as calling the sun jawnah (black) because of its intense light, and the crow a‘war (one eyed) for its keen sight. It means that even one eye is sharp

enough for the crow, as if it does not need the other eye.

c. (for sarcasm), such as the answer of „Ubayd ibn al-Abras. to Imru‟

al-Qays ibn H.ajar of the Kindah tribe, as follows:

“Why do you not ask the troops of the Kindah tribe the day they fled

away [and were called]: „where, where [are you going]?‟”,

meaning “come back!”. „Ubayd ibn al-Abras.‟s tribe Banī Asad had killed

Imru‟ al-Qays‟s father. Imru‟ al-Qays threatened the Banī Asad tribe with

retaliation, but „Ubayd ibn al-Abras. disregarded the threat, ridiculing the

Kindah‟s defeat in the battle and citing the above poem. 42

The example in

the Qur‟ān is as follow:

( :-) “And, when they felt Our might, behold them

fleeing from it! (But it was said unto them): Flee not, but return to that

(existence) which emasculated you and to your dwellings,..” (Q. 21:12-3).43

2. Designating Two Contradictory Things Having One Basic Meaning

with One Name

The Arabic language is known as lughat al-ad.dād (the language of

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opposite meanings), because it has many words which have opposite meanings. Apart from words, some sayings also seem to be contradictory,

such as (“Whoever has good faith will live long”) and

(“Good faith will lead to destruction”), for good faith cannot lead

to long life and destruction at the same time. For the Arabs, these two

expressions are not contradictory, since they are used to emphasise two

different situations. With regard to the words which have contradictory meanings, one of the two meanings is usually more prevalent than the other,

although both are derived from one basic meaning. Words of this type are

called by Arabic philologists al-ad.dād (words which have opposite

meanings).

Ibn Qutaybah cites thirteen ad.dād only in his Ta’wīl, three of which

are without examples from the Qur‟ān. We shall trace their basic meanings

and see how Ibn Qutaybah treats them, as follows:

a. (dawn, night, or part of the night)

The basic meaning of s.arīm is “something cut”. The verb s.arama and

s.aruma mean “to cut, to leave, to separate”. The word al-s.armān or al-

as.ramān (lit. “the two separating things”) means “the night and the day”,

because they are separated from each other; it can also mean “the wolf and the crow”, because they isolate themselves from people.

44

Ibn Qutaybah gives us the meanings of s.arīm, namely, the morning

and the night. Day and night are called s.arīm, because one of them is

departing when the other is approaching. The example from the Qur‟ān

in which s.arīm means “night” is as follows: ( :)

“And in the morning it became [burned and black] like [the blackness of] night.” (Q. 68:20).

45

b. (darkness, twilight, dusk, light; curtain)

The verb sadafa in the expression sadafa al-h.ijāb means “he loosened

the curtain”. The word sadfah and sudfah mean “darkness” as well as

“light”. Sudfah also means “the door” as well as “the curtain put on the door to protect it from the rain”.

46

According to Ibn Qutaybah, the basic meaning of sudfah is “a curtain”.

It means both “light” and “darkness” as if the darkness when it comes

becomes “a curtain” for the light, and vice versa.47

115

c. (a shouter, a crier out)

S.ārikh applies to a person who asks help as well as the person who

responds to give help, as both of them cries out to each other. No

example is given by Ibn Qutaybah, neither from poetry nor from the

Qur‟ān.48

Ibn Fāris, however, gives us an example from the Qur‟ān, as

follows: ( :)ا “… It is not for me to

respond to your cries, nor for you to respond to mine...” (Q. 14:22, Asad). Here mus.rikh which is like s.ārikh, is translated as the person who

responds to the crier for help.49

d. (opinion, belief, doubt, assumption, uncertainty)

Z.ann means both yaqīn (certainty) and shakk (doubt), because,

according to Ibn Qutaybah, z.ann has a part of certainty, as in the

following Qur‟ānic verse: ( :) “I was sure that

I should have to meet my reckoning.” (Q. 69:20).50

The example from

poetry is the poem of Durayd ibn al-immah, as follows:

“So I told them: be sure that [the enemy of] two thousand well-equipped

warriors [will come to you], the best among them are with armour.”51

It means “be sure of their coming to you”.

According to Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī the term z.ann has four

homonyms, namely: (1) yaqīn (certainty), as in ( :

) “I was sure that I should have to meet my reckoning.” (Q. 69:20) as

mentioned above; (2) shakk (doubt), as in ( :) “We think it

no more than an empty guess ...” (Q. 45:32, Asad), namely, doubt it; (3)

tuhmah (accusation), as in ( :) “... and ye imagined

various (vain) thoughts about God”. (Q. 33:10, Ali), namely, accusing Him

of not going to help them; and (4) h.usbān (consideration, thinking), as in

( :) “he never thought that he would have to return to

God”. (Q. 84:14, Asad). Ibn al-Jawzī mentions three homonyms of z.ann,

namely, yaqīn, shakk, and kadhib (falsehood). The examples given for the

first two are the same as those mentioned above. The example for the last,

which, according to Ibn al-Jawzī, is the view of al-Farrā‟, is

( :٨) “They follow nothing but falsehood; yet,

116

falsehood can never take the place of truth.” (Q. 53:28).52

e. and (may be, perhaps)

Both ‘asá and la‘alla according to some scholars whom Ibn Qutaybah

does not identify indicate certitude as well as doubt. He gives us only one

example with la‘alla in the Qur‟ān as follows:

( :) “... and [that] We have appointed thereon broad paths, so that

they might find their way.” (Q. 21:31, Asad).53

Al-Suyūt.ī gives more details about ‘asá and la‘alla. He said that

these words signify hope for something desirable and fear of something

undesirable ( ). He mentions the opinion of

some scholars about the term ‘asā as follows: Ibn Fāris: The term is used for

something imminent, as in ( :٧)

“Say thou: „It may well be that something of that which [in your ignorance] you so hastily demand has already drawn close unto you‟.” (Q. 27:72,

Asad). Al-Kisā‟ī: Every ‘asá in the Qur‟ān signifies khabar (report, news);

in this case, it is in singular form; when it is interrogative, it is in plural form,

such as in the following verse where the word ‘asaytum is used:

( :) “[Ask them:] 'Would you,

perchance, after having turned away [from God‟s commandment, prefer to revert to your old ways, and] spread corruption on earth, and [once again]

cut asunder your ties of kinship?‟” (Q. 47:22, Asad). This rhetorical question

is an allusion to the moral darkness and chaotic conditions of pre-Islamic Arabia. Ibn „Abbās, as reported by Ibn Abī H.ātim and al-Bayhaqī: Every

‘asá in the Qur‟ān is bound to happen. Ibn al-Anbārī: Similar to Ibn

„Abbās‟s view, with the exception of the following verses: (a)

( :٨) “Your Sustainer may well show mercy unto you; ...” (Q.

17:8, Asad) where Allah did not bless the Jews of Banū al-Nad.ir, but

punished them; and (b) ( :) “[O

wives of the Prophet!] Were he to divorce [any of] you, God might well give

him in your stead spouses better than you...” (Q. 66:5, Asad), where the Prophet‟s wives were not replaced with others. Some scholars reject this

exception on the grounds that blessing and replacement mentioned

respectively in the above verses were conditional: that they did not commit such transgression again in the first verse, and that the Prophet divorced his

117

wives in the second. Since none of these conditions was fulfilled, the general rule that the verb ‘asá in the Qur‟ān is bound to happen has no exception.

Al-Zarkashī: Both ‘asá and la‘alla are about something bound to happen

with certainty when the expression comes from Allah. When it comes from people, it contains hope and wish, since they are subject to uncertainty and

assumption, whereas Allah is not. Since Allah's statements always contain

certainty, He can express them directly without using ‘asá or la‘alla, as in

( :) “... If you ever

abandon your faith, God will in time bring forth [in your stead] people whom He loves and who love Him...” (Q. 5:54, Asad) where the word saufa

(“will”) is used. He can also give the impression of uncertainty for those to

whom Allah is speaking, as in ( :) “… But God

may well bring about good fortune [for the believers] ...” (Q. 5:52, Asad).54

Al-Zamakhsharī, commenting on the verse :٨) )

“... it may well be that your Sustainer will efface from you your bad

deeds, ...” (Q. 66:8, Asad), said that apart from the fact that it is bound to happen, ‘asá (as well as la‘alla) also gives a moral lesson that the Muslims

should put greater weight on their position between fear and hope (

).55

With regard to la‘alla, al-Suyut.ī says that it has many meanings, the

most common of which are: (1) expectation, namely, hope for something

desirable ( ), as in ( :٨٩) “... so that you might

attain to a happy state”. (Q. 2:189, Asad), and fear of something undesirable

( ), as in ( :٧) “..., the Last Hour may well

be near”. (Q. 42:17, Asad); (2) motivation ( ), as in

( :) “But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might

bethink himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension.” (Q. 20:44, Asad);

here the motive of speaking in a mild manner to Pharaoh is to make him

heed or fear Allah; (3) question, as in ( :) “But what

could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual

understanding)?” (Q. 80:3, Ali). Al-Suyūt.ī says further that according to al-

Wāqidī as reported by al-Baghawī and quoted from al-Zarkashī, every

la‘alla in the Qur‟ān signifies motivation, except in ( :٩)

(Q. 26:129) where it signifies a simile, namely, which means “as

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if ye will last forever”. This exception is an isolated view, according to al-Zarkashī, since no grammarian has ever held this view, although it is

mentioned in the S.ah.īh. of al-Bukhārī. Other scholars say that la‘alla in this

verse signifies plain hope. Supporting al-Wāqidī‟s view and countering al-

Zarkashī‟s, al-Suyut.ī relates a view similar to that of al-Wāqidī, namely, the

view of „Abd Mālik. It is reported by Ibn Abī H.ātim from al-Suddī, that

according to „Abd Mālik la‘alla in the Qur‟ān means kay (“in order that”,

“so that”), except one verse, namely, which means

as mentioned above. Moreover, Qatādah says that in one of the variant

readings it is read (“as if ye will last forever”).56

f. (buyer) and (seller)

The root-word shará or ishtará is the synonym of bā‘a, meaning “to

sell” or “to buy”. Ibn Qutaybah states that and , both mean “buyer”

and “seller”, because the buyer himself is a seller, namely, a trader of money with something, and vice versa. The example from the Qur‟ān is as

follows: ( :) “And they sold him for a

paltry price - a mere few silver coins:...”(Q. 12:20, Asad). The example

from poetry is the poem of Yazīd ibn Rabī„ah ibn Mufarrigh al-H.imyarī,

known as Ibn Mufarrigh (d. 69/689) as follows:

“And I sold [the servant called] Burd, I [regretfully] wish I were vermin

[after I had sold him]."57

Ibn al-Jawzī and al-Dāmaghānī mention three homonyms of al-shirā’

(buying, or selling), namely: (1) (buying, purchasing), as in

( :) “Behold, God has bought of the

believers their lives and their possessions,...” (Q. 9:111, Asad); (2)

(selling), as in ( :٩) “Vile is that [false pride] for

which they have sold their own selves ...” (Q. 2:90, Asad), and (3)

(preference, choice), as in ( :) “[for] it

is they who have preferred error to guidance ...” (Q. 2:16).58

In selling and buying people exchange something for something else they prefer. In this

sense the above verse is translated by Asad, as follows: “[for] it is they

who have taken error in exchange for guidance.” (Q. 2:16, Asad).

119

We notice that Ibn Qutaybah does not treat the term bay‘ here other than as a homonym of shirā’, which might be better translated as

“trading” as it includes buying, selling and exchanging.

g. (behind)

According to Ibn al-Anbārī the term warā’ belongs to the category of

al-ad.dād, as it may mean “behind” as well as “before”,59

whereas

according to Ibn Qutaybah it has basically one meaning, namely, “what is concealed from someone”. Ibn Qutaybah says further that this term means

“behind” as well as “before”, because anything absent from our sight is

warā’, whether before or behind us. The word al-muwārāh (disguise) and al-tawārī (concealment) are derived from it. The example from the

Qur‟ān is as follows: ( :٧٩ ) “...

because [I knew that] behind them was a king who is wont to seize every

boat by brute force”. (Q. 18:79, Asad). The term warā’ in this verse,

according to Ibn Qutaybah, means “before”, which, according to al-Zarkashī, belongs to the Coptic language.

60

Ibn al-Jawzī and Tiflīīi mention five homonyms of warā’, whereas

al-Dāmaghānī mentions six, among them being: (1) khalf (behind), as in

( :٨٧) “But they cast this [pledge] behind their

backs, ...” (Q. 3:187, Asad); (2) amām, quddām (before), as in

( :) “Hell is before him, ...” (Q. 14:16), meaning “awaiting for

him”; (3) siwá (other than), as in ( :٧)

“But those who desire other than that are truly transgressors.” (Q. 23:7);

(4) ba‘d al-mawt (after death), as in ( :) “Now,

behold, I am afraid of [what] my kinsfolk [will do] after my death, ...” (Q.

19:5); and (5) al-dunyā (the world), as in ( :

) “… They will be told: „Turn back to the world and seek for light!...‟”

(Q. 57:13), meaning “you should have sought light while you were on earth, not here in the Hereafter”.

61

h. (significant)

Jalal is applied to both small and big, because small is big compared to what is smaller than itself, so that it is both small and big. No example is

given by Ibn Qutaybah.

i. . (some) and (all)

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The word ba‘d. and kull may mean “some” or “all”, because something in

its entirety, as a whole thing, is only “some”, a part of something else, so

that it becomes “some” and “all” at the same time. The examples from the

Qur‟ān in which ba‘d. means kull and vice versa, are as follows:

( :٧) “... he said: „I have now come

unto you with wisdom, and to make clear unto you all of that on which

you are at variance...” (Q. 43:63); here ba‘d. means kull.62

( :) “Behold, I found there a woman ruling

over them; and she has been given [abundance] of some [good] things,...” (Q. 27:23); here kull means ba‘d.. No example is given by Ibn Qutaybah

from poetry.63

j. (above)

Fawqa means also dūna (below) compared to what is above it, as in the

following Qur‟ānic verse ( :

) “Behold, God does not disdain to propound a parable of a gnat, or of

something [even] less than that....” (Q. 2:26, Asad). The expression

(even something above it), means (even something below it),

namely, even something less than a gnat as translated above. This is the

view of Ibn Qutaybah, Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn al-Anbārī.64

Al-Farrā‟ mentioned the fly and the spider as examples of things “above the gnat”.

For him, it is possible to interpret fawqa as “smaller” in this verse, but he prefers to interpret it as “larger”, as a gnat is extremely small.

65 Lane

translates in the above verse as “a gnat and what exceeds it in

smallness or in largeness; what is smaller than it, or what is larger than it,

by the latter being meant the fly (Q. 22:72) and the spider (Q. 29:40)”.66

Both Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī mention nine homonyms of fawqa - whereas Ibn al-Jawzī mentions eight - among which are as follows: (1)

akbar (greater, bigger), as in Q. 2:26 above in which means

“something bigger than a gnat”; it is similar to the interpretation of

Qatādah and Ibn Jurayj who say that means

(“something greater than a gnat”). 67

None of them say that fawqa here

means dūna as claimed by Ibn Qutaybah, Abū „Ubaydah and Ibn al-

Anbārī; (2) akthar (more), as in ( :) “...; but if

there are more than two females...” (Q. 4:11, Asad); (3) afd.al (better), as

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in ( :) “The Hand of God is better than their hands.”

(Q. 48:10), namely, what Allah did for them is better than what they did in

the pledge of H.udaybīyah; (4) arfa‘u fī ’l-manzilah (higher in position), as

in ( :) “But they who are conscious of God

shall be above them on Resurrection Day...” (Q. 2:212, Asad), namely,

their position will be higher than that of non-believers; and (5) fawqa

ru’ūsihim (above their heads), according to al-Dāmaghānī, as in

( :٧) “And [did We not say,] when We caused

Mount Sinai to quake above the heads of the children of Israel as though it were a [mere] shadow, ...” (Q. 7:171).

68

k. and (to fear)

Khashiya and khāfa both mean “to fear”, but may also mean ‘alima (“to

know”), because fear is a part of knowing, as in

( :٨) “... and we knew that he would bring bitter grief upon them

by [his] overweening wickedness and denial of all truth.” (Q. 18:80), and

( :) “And warn hereby those who

know that they will be gathered unto their Sustainer” (Q. 6:51).69

As a shāhid, Lane cites a poem and its translation in which the term khashiya

means „alima, as follows:

“And I know assuredly that he who follows the right direction shall

dwell in the Gardens of Paradise with the Prophet Mohammad.”70

l. (hope)

Rajā’ which means “hope” may also mean khawf (fear), because a person

who hopes is in doubt and has a part of fear that what he hopes will not be

fulfilled, as in ( :) “What is amiss with you that

you do not fear Allah's majesty, ...” (Q.71:13, Asad). The example from

poetry is the poem of Abū Dhu‟ayb al-Hudhalī, as follows:

“When the bees sting him he fears not their stings.”71

The above verse according to al-Qurt.ubī means, “what is amiss with

you that you do not fear Allah‟s majesty and His ability to punish you,

namely, what is your excuse for not fearing Him?” He quotes the interpretation of Ibn „Abbās, Sa„īd ibn Jubayr, Abū al-„Āliyah, „At.ā‟ ibn

122

Abī Rabāh., as follows: “What is amiss with you that you do not look

forward to reward from Allah and do not fear punishment from Him?”

The term is also interpreted as (“you do not see”) by Ibn

„Abbās in another report and Mujāhid, as well as (“you do not

care”) by Ibn Mujāhid in another report and al-D.ah.h.āk. This last

interpretation is based on the language of H.ijāz, as asserted by Qut.rub.

Similarly, in the languages of Hudhayl, Khuzā„ah and Mud.ar the

expression means (“I do not care”).72

According to al-Farrā‟, the Arabs use the word rajā’ meaning “fear”

only if it is accompanied with jah.d (denial, negation), as in the examples

above, and in the expression meaning I did not fear

him”).73

Ibn al-Jawzī, Tiflīsī, and al-Dāmaghānī mention respectively two,

three, and five homonyms of rajā’: (1) amal (hope), rajā’, and t.ama‘

(ambitious desire) according to Ibn al-Jawzī, Tiflīsī and al-Dāmaghānī

respectively, as in ( :٨) “... they have the hope of the

mercy of God; ...” (Q. 2:218, Ali); (2) khawf which is also the language of Hudhayl according to Ibn „Abbās, (khashyah, fear, according to Tiflīsī and

al-Dāmaghānī), as in ( :) “And whoever

feared the meeting with his Sustainer...” (Q. 18:110); (3) al-t.ama‘,

according to Tiflīsī, as in ( :٧) “... they strive for His

mercy” (Q. 17:57); (4) al-h.abs (arrest), as in ( : ؛

(33: انشعراء “They said (unto Pharaoh): Arrest him and his brother“ (Q.

7:111 and 26:36); (5) al-nawāh.ī (sides), as in ( :٧)

“And the angels [will appear] on its sides,...” (Q.69:17, Asad); and (6) al-

tark (leaving), as in ( :) “Thou mayest put off

for a time whichever of them thou pleasest, ...” (Q. 33:51, Asad).74

m. (to give up all hope)

Ya’isa may also mean ‘alima (to know), for knowing and being sure of

something make a person abandon all hope for other things, as in

( :) “Have, then, they who have

attained to faith not yet come to know that, had God so willed, He would

indeed have guided all mankind aright?” (Q. 13:31, Asad). The example

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from poetry is the poem of Suh.aym ibn Wathīl al-Yarbū„ī, as follows:

“I told them at the mountain path when they captured me: „Do you not

know that I am the son of the rider of the horse Zahdam?‟”75

We have seen that many words belonging to al-ad.dād treated by Ibn

Qutaybah were included later in the category of words having many

homonyms. They were treated by writers in the field of

(homonyms and synonyms in the Qur‟ān).

3. Advancing what will Be Clear by Retarding, and Retarding what will

Be Clear by Advancing.

Ibn Qutaybah quotes thirteen Qur‟ānic verses, several examples from

poetry and one example of an Arabic expression of the time to illustrate this

category of inversion, thus evidencing the existence of such inversion in the Qur‟ān, Arabic poetry and in common use. These examples will be

discussed as follows:

a. Arabic Expression

The expression meaning “present the she-camel to

the water basin” is the inversion of (“present the water

basin to the she-camel”). As a matter of fact, they are presented to each other.

b. Arabic Poetry

An unidentified poet said: “You see the bull

in it making the shade enter his head,” is the inversion of

“making his head enter the shade”. As the bull's head and the shade become intermingled, they enter one into the other, leading Ibn Qutaybah to observe

that though the first expression is not incorrect, the second one is more

appropriate.76

Al-A„shá said: “Until it burned

up and the firebrand became (hot) like its dust.” It means

“its dust became (hot) like (the heat of) its firebrand”.77

c. Qur’ānic verses

(1) ( :٧ ) “So think not that Allah will fail to

keep His promise to His messengers” (Q. 14:47, Pickthall) in which

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inversion is claimed to take place, namely, the inversion of

(“... He will fail to keep to His messengers His promise”). According to

Ibn Qutaybah, inversion occurs because the verb akhlafa (to violate) applies equally to the promise as well as to the messengers. We can say

“I fail to keep the promise”, and “I fail [to keep

promise with] the messenger”.78

(2) ( :٧٧) “Now [as for me, I know that,] verily,

these [false deities] are my enemies, [and that none is my helper] save the

Sustainer of all the worlds” (Q. 26:77, Asad) in which the inversion of

(“I am their enemy”) takes place. This is because, Ibn Qutaybah

asserts, “whomsoever you treat as an enemy will also treat you as such.”79

(3) ( :٨) “and then [he] drew nearer, and came close”

(Q.53:8, Asad) is the inversion of (“and then he came close and

drew nearer”), because Gabriel came close by drawing nearer, and drew nearer by coming close.

80 This view is similar to that of al-Farrā‟ who

states that the meaning of the verse is . However, he states further

that it is possible to say, for example, (“he came close, so he came

nearer”), or (“he came nearer, so he came close”), because both

verbs have similar or nearly similar meanings. Therefore, it could be claimed that inversion does not occur in the above verse.

81

(4) ( :) “Nay, but man shall against himself be

an eye-witness” (Q. 75:14, Asad) is said to be the inversion of

meaning “nay, but the one who will be an eye-witness against

man will (come) from himself”, namely, his limbs. Because his limbs are parts of him, they took his place, namely, “himself” in the above verse.

82

(5) ( :) (“old age has already reached me” Q. 3:40)

is claimed to be the inversion of (“I have reached old age”).83

Abū „Ubaydah gives the same interpretation but does not acknowledge inversion has taken place here, but rather that this is the Arabic way of

expression.84

Al-Zamakhsharī who does not see any inversion here says

that the verse means (“old age has affected me and

weakened me”); it is like the expression “the high [namely,

125

old] age has reached him”.85

According to al-T.abarsī both expressions are

correct, because old age reaches you when it happens, and you reach old

age through the passing of time. It is unlike the expression (“I

have reached the town”) which cannot be inverted by saying (“the

town has reached me”), in as much as the town does not reach or come to

us.86

(6) ( :٧ ) “Man is created out of haste” (Q. 21:37) is the

inversion of “Haste is made with man.” It means that

haste is made as part of human nature. This is the view of Abū

„Ubaydah.87

Al-T.abarsī gives two main views about the meaning of the term

insān in the above verse: Adam and man. Those who say that it is Adam, have three views regarding the meaning of the above verse: (a) Adam was

created after the creation of other creatures at the end of the day of the

year of creation; it was Friday and Adam was created after sunset; (b) Adam was created not through the slow process of creation of babies; (c)

when Adam was created his spirit filled most parts of his body; he became

physically active and grasped at the fruits of Paradise. Those who say that it is man, have four different interpretations: (a) Man was created with the

impatience to rush when dealing with his affairs. This is the view of

Qatādah, Abū Muslim, and al-Jubbā‟ī. The type of expression in this verse

is common among the Arabs. For example, they say of a sleeper

“he was not created but of sleep”, and of a criminal, “he

was not created but of evil”. (b) There is inversion in this verse, namely,

“the haste was created out of man”, which is the view of

Abū „Ubaydah and Qut.rub. This vew, however, is weak according to al-

T.abarsī, because in order to put Allah‟s words into inversion one needs

ta’wīl, whereas no ta’wīl is needed here; (c) The term ‘ajal means

(clay), so that the verse means that man was created from clay, which is,

according to al-T.abarsī, also the view of Abū „Ubaydah and a group of

linguists. As a shāhid from poetry they cite the following poem:

“and the date palms grow between water and clay (soil)”. (d)

Man was created in haste, as Allah said (“be and it is”).88

126

(7) ( :-) “Praise be to

Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave, and hath not placed

therein any crookedness. (But hath made it) straight...” (Q. 18:1-2,

Pickthall) is the inversion of “... Who hath

revealed the Scripture ... made it straight, and hath not placed therein any

crookedness.” This is the view of the majority of scholars, such as al-

Akhfash, al-Kisā‟ī, al-Farrā‟, Abū „Ubayd, as well as al-T.abarī, who

based his view on Ibn „Abbās‟s interpretation. Qatādah, however, says

that there is no inversion in this verse, as the verse means

, as translated by Pickthall above.89

(8) :٧) ) “And his wife was standing

(there), and she laughed. But We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, ...” (Q.

11:71, Ali) is the inversion of (“We gave her glad

tidings of Isaac then she laughed”).90

What made Sarah laugh? Al-Farrā‟

mentions two views: She laughed because of the glad tidings that she

would have a son; this is the interpretation of those who state that there is inversion in the verse above. According to al-Qurt.ubī, this is also the view

of al-Farrā‟ who said that Sarah laughed because she was happy after

hearing the good tidings. The other view is that there is no inversion in the

above verse. Al-Qurt.ubī said further that at the time of Prophet Abraham

people who did not touch food presented to them were suspected of being

enemies or robbers. Since the angels who appeared like human beings did not touch the food presented by Prophet Abraham, he became afraid. His

fear was noticed by the angels who told him not to be afraid. So, his wife

Sarah laughed.91

According to Muqātil, Sarah laughed because she saw Abraham who could challenge one hundred men by himself being afraid

of three men, his guests. The best view according to al-Nah.h.ās, is that

when the angels told Abraham not to be afraid, he became happy; Sarah

laughed because she was pleased with his happiness.92

According to Qatādah she laughed because she was amazed to see that her guests whom

she was serving did not touch the food. According to al-Zajjāj she laughed

because she was amazed and happy to learn that Lot's people would be punished. She had advised Abraham to take his nephew Lot with him, for

she feared punishment might come to his people.93

(9) ( :) “But they gave him the lie, and cruelly

127

slaughtered her ...” (Q. 91:14, Asad) is the inversion of (“But

they cruelly slaughtered her and gave him the lie”). However, Ibn

Qutaybah says that it is also possible that there is no inversion here. This is also the view of al-T.abarī and al-Qurt.ubī. Al-T.abarī said that it is

possible to mention the motive before or after the deed, for example

(“You gave, so you did good”) and (“You did good,

so you gave”).94

(10) ( :٧) “Thus have their

(so-called) partners (of Allah) made the killing of their children to seem

fair unto many of the idolaters ...” (Q. 6:137, Pickthall). This is the reading of the jumhūr of the qurrā’, of the peoples of Makkah, Madīnah, Kūfah,

and Bas.rah. Ibn Qutaybah said that “some reciters”, namely, Ibn „Āmir,

read the verse as follows: which

means that the killing of the idolaters‟ children by what they called

“partners” of Allah has been made to seem fair to the idolaters.

The difference between the two readings is as follows: In the first

reading it reads (a verb in active voice), (the object of the verb هيز ),

(genitive case), and (the subject of ). In the second reading

it reads (a verb in passive voice), (nā’ib fā’il of ), (the object

of قتم), and (in genitive case, but is the subject of the verbal noun

). In the first reading the so-called partners of Allah made the killing of

the idolaters‟ children by their own parents seem to be fair. But in the second reading the so-called partners of Allah are only indirectly the

killers, because of the idolaters' belief in their existence, influence, and

will. To this second reading Ibn Qutaybah said that is the

inversion of .95

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions four variant readings for the above verse,

follows: (1) the reading of the great majority of qurrā’ mentioned above in

which the idolaters killed their own children, and this act was made to

seem fair by the so-called partners of Allah to the parents;

means , “their killing of their (own) children” where the pronoun

hum is hidden. The ellipsis of the pronoun is also found in the verse

128

( :٩) “Man never tires of asking for the good [things

of life]:...” (Q. 41:49, Asad), meaning (“of his asking for good

[things of life]”). The (partners) in the above reading according to al-

Farrā‟ and al-Zajjāj are the people who serve the idols. Another view says

that they are the tempters, and it has also been said that they are the devils;

(2) the variant reading of al-H.asan

which is also a possible reading according to al-Qurt.ubī.

is similar to the expression (“Zayd was beaten by

„Amr”) meaning (“he was beaten by „Amr”). As a shāhid from

poetry is Sībawayh‟s poem:

So that Yazid was made to cry by D.āri„ because of an argument,

and was beaten in such a way that would make people perish.

meaning (“D.āri„ made him cry”). As a shāhid from the Qur‟ān

itself is the variant reading of Ibn „Āmir and „Ās.im from the report of Abū

Bakr who read - instead of ( : -٧) ... -

meaning “He was offered praise ... by men” (Q. 24:36-7); (3)

the variant reading of the people of Shām

in which means the idolaters‟ children whom they killed

and with whom they shared kinship and inheritance. This reading is also acceptable; (4) the variant reading of Ibn „Āmir and of the people of Shām

(Syria) as reported by Abū „Ubayd as mentioned above.96

The reading of Ibn „Āmir is disputable. Among those who reject this

reading are: al-Nah.h.ās, al-Farrā‟, Abū Ghānim Ah.mad ibn H.amdān, al-

T.abarī and al-Zamakhsharī. Al-Nah.h.ās said that the grammarians allow

the separation between (the annexed, the first of the governed noun

of the genitive construction) and (what is annexed to, namely, the

second of the governed noun of the genitive construction) with (an

adverb denoting place or time), not with nouns. In Ibn „Āmir‟s reading

is separated from with a noun ( ), and therefore, his reading is

not acceptable.97

129

Al-Mahdāwī justifies Ibn „Āmir‟s reading by comparing it with the following line of poetry:

“I cast at her [my wife] with a small arrow the way Abū Mazādah cast

at the young camel.

Here as is separated from its , namely, with a

noun which is the object.98

Al-Farrā‟ rejects this argument, saying

that this is only the view of the grammarians of H.ijāz, and nothing similar

to it is found in Arabic.99

Abū Ghānim Ah.mad ibn H.amdān al-Nah.wī said that Ibn „Āmir‟s

reading is a mistake and should not be followed. The separation between

the and the with a z.arf is allowed only for the reason of

poetic necessity, because the does not separate, as in the following

poem of Abū H.ayyah al-Numayrī:

“It [the house] is [so well designed] like the book written one day

by a Jewish scribe who makes some of his writings close to

each other, and others well separated”.

Here the word yahūdī is separted from kaff by yawman. Al-Qushayrī

said that a group of people rejected this view, as this reading was

reported mutawātir from the Prophet. Moreover, it was written in the

„Uthmānic codex (with ) indicating the soundness of Ibn

„Āmir‟s reading.100

Al-T.abarī and al-Zamakhsharī who rejected the reading of Ibn

„Āmir of the above verse101

were opposed by many ‘ulamā‟, such as Ibn al-Munayyir al-Iskandarī, Abū H.ayyān al-Nah.wī, Niz.ām al-Dīn al-

Nisābūrī, and Ibn al-Jazarī. Ibn al-Munayyir asserted that al-Zamakhsharī thought that Ibn „Āmir‟s variant reading was based on his

own ijtihād, whereas, in fact, it was revealed to the Prophet, and the

Prophet read it to Gabriel and to people with tawātur, as with the rest of the seven variant readings.

102

Niz.ām al-Dīn al-Nisābūrī, defending the variant reading of Ibn

„Āmir, said:

130

The right view according to me, in this case, is that the Qur‟ān is a h.ujjah

(proof) on others, and not the others being a h.ujjah on it. As the seven

variant readings are all mutawātir, how could it be then possible to say that

some of them are wrong? If such a variant reading [of Ibn „Āmir] has been

reported in the miraculous Qur‟ān then it is necessary to assert that it is

right and eloquent.103

Ibn al-Jazarī who disagreed with al-Zamakhsharī on Ibn „Āmir‟s

reading on the above verse said that the right view was not what al-

Zamakhsharī said, and he asked Allah‟s protection from reading the Qur‟ān with ra’y (personal opinion) and al-tashahhī (personal wish). He

said further that it would be impossible to reject the reading of Ibn „Āmir

who was one of the great tābi‘īn who took the learning from the s.ah.ābah,

like „Uthmān ibn „Affān and Abū al-Dardā‟.104

(11).

( :) “Let not, then, their worldly goods, or [the happiness

which they may derive from] their children excite thy admiration: God but

wants to chastise them by these means in this worldly life, and [to cause] their souls to depart while they are [still] denying the truth.” (Q. 9:55,

Asad). According to Ibn „Abbās‟s interpretation on the authority of al-

Kalbī referred to by Ibn Qutaybah the above verse means “Do not let their riches and their children in the world please you; on the contrary, Allah

will punish them because of them [i.e., their riches and children] in the

Hereafter.” Therefore, the inversion occurred between

and , so that the above verse means that the occurrence of

punishment will not be in this world, but in the Hereafter.105

This is also

the interpretation of al-Farrā‟.106

According to al-Qurt.ubī, Ibn „Abbās‟s view is also shared by

Qatādah. This is also the view of the majority of Arabists ( )

according to al-Nah.h.ās. However, there is also another view which states

that there is no inversion in the above verse. The punishment occurs in

this world, namely, in their toil of collecting wealth and in spending it by

force in order to conceal their hypocrisy.107

(12). ( :٩) “And but for a decree

that had already gone forth from thy Lord, and a term already fixed, the judgement would (have) been inevitable (in this world).” (Q. 20:129,

131

Pickthall). The inversion here occurs between and as

translated by Pickthall above. This is also the view of Qatādah.108

Instead

of “the judgement”, the inevitable thing according to Ibn Qutaybah and al-

T.abarī respectively is “the punishment” () and “the destruction”

() .109

Another view specifies the inevitable punishment, namely, the

death of the leaders of the unbelievers in the battle of Badr. Had it not been decreed by Allah regarding the fixed terms of the rest of the

unbelievers and the promise of punishing them in the Hereafter, they

would have been killed the way their leaders were (in the battle of Badr).

110

(13)

( :٨).

"And if any [secret] matter pertaining to peace or war comes within their ken, they spread it abroad - whereas, if they would but refer it

unto the Apostle and unto those from among the believers who have

been entrusted with authority, such of them as are engaged in obtaining intelligence would indeed know [what to do with] it. And but for

God‟s bounty towards you, and His grace, all but a few of you would

certainly have followed Satan." (Q. 4:83, Asad).

According to Ibn Qutaybah the inversion in the verse occurs between

and , so that the verse becomes

(“… such of them as are engaged in obtaining

intelligence would indeed know [what to do with] it but a few of them

[would not know]).”111

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions three views on this verse:

(1) It means “they spread it abroad except a few ( ) which are

not spread abroad and revealed”; this is the view of Ibn „Abbās and a group

of grammarians, such as al-Kisā‟ī, al-Akhfash, Abū „Ubayd, Abū H.ātim,

and al-T.abarī. (2) Similar to the view of Ibn Qutaybah above, which is also

that of al-H.asan.112

We notice that these two views state the occurrence of

inversion. The words are put together after and

according to the first and the second view respectively. Al-Farrā‟ and al-Kalbī prefer the first view, whereas al-Zajjāj prefers the second. (3) It means

“had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy on you by sending you

132

a messenger among yourselves who brought evidence on you, you would have become unbelievers and idolaters, except a few among you.” There is

no inversion here.113

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah‟s treatment of this topic was very

brief and limited. Scholars of later generations had more things to say and gave more elaborate explanations.

4. Inversion by Mistake

Ibn Qutaybah asserts that inversion by mistake occurs in poetry,

because the poets invert and omit words by mistake or by necessity for the

sake of rhyme or the correctness of the meter of the verses. As an example is the poem of an unidentified poet as follows:

“What you have said is obligatory like adultery is obligatory for

stoning”

which is the inversion of “like stoning is obligatory for adultery” (

).114

Did any of the philologists or Qur‟ānic commentators ever explicitly mention the occurrence of inversion by mistake in the Qur‟ān? As far as we

know, none of them. However, by implication, the way some Qur‟ānic

verses were explained, this type of inversion seems to occur. Abū „Ubaydah, for example, when he illustrated the occurrence of inversion in some

Qur‟ānic verses never claimed that this inversion is by mistake, because

inversion is itself one of the ways of expression by the Arabs.

Ibn Qutaybah in rejecting the occurrence of inversion by mistake in the verses of the Qur‟ān, states that Allah does not make any mistake nor is

compelled to. However, he treats briefly four Qur‟ānic verses suspected to

belong to this category of inversion, as follows:

a. ( :

٧) “And so, the parable of those who are bent on denying the truth is as that of the beast which hears the shepherd‟s cry, and hears in it nothing

but the sound of a voice and a call [lit. „him who cries unto what hears

nothing but a cry and a call‟]. Deaf are they, and dumb, and blind: for they do not use their reason.” (Q. 2:171, Asad)

According to Abū „Ubaydah whom Ibn Qutaybah referred to as

133

“some philologists” () ,115

the word yan‘iqu, “the one who calls”,

namely, the shepherd, should mean yun‘aqu, “the one which is called”,

namely, the sheep. Therefore, the verse means that the similarity of unbelievers when they are called to Islam is like the deaf sheep which do

not hear except a shout and cry when they are called by the sheep-tender,

as translated by Asad above.116

What Abū „Ubaydah means is that although it is read yan‘iqu it means yun‘aqu, and this inversion in

meaning is not a mistake, because it is used by the Arabs. They say, for

example (“this dress is not sufficient for my size”, namely,

“it does not fit me” when it is meant “my size does not fit the dress”

They also say (“I put my head into the cap”), when they

mean “I put the cap onto my head.”117

This interpretation of Abū „Ubaydah is also that of Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid,

„Ikrimah, al-Suddī, al-Zajjāj, Sībawayh and al-Farrā‟. Al-Farrā‟ gives an

example in the Arabic expression , meaning, “So-and-

so fears you like the fear of the lion”, which means (“... like his

fear of the lion”).118

Ibn Qutaybah rejects this interpretation and contends that the verse means “the likeness of those who disbelieve and our likeness in their

preaching are like the one who calls to someone who does not hear.” The

expression “and our likeness” ( ), is omitted in the verse as the mode

of expression in the verse gives an indication of its existence.119

This view

is similar to that of Ibn Zayd, Qut.rub, and al-T.abarī, namely, the

disbelievers calling their idols is like calling to the deaf.120

Ibn Qutaybah gives another interpretation of al-Farrā‟, namely, “the likeness of

preaching of those who disbelieve” which means “the likeness of

preaching to those who disbelieve”;121

it is like the expression

(“If you meet So-and-so greet him the emir‟s greeting”).

The expression (“the emir‟s greeting”) here means

(“the way you greet the emir”). Therefore, it means “the way the emir

is greeted”, not “the way the emir greets”.122

b. ( :٧) “...that his treasure-chests alone

would surely have been too heavy a burden for a troop of ten men or even more.” (Q. 28:76, Asad). There is an inversion here according to Abū

134

„Ubaydah, that the verse means “a troop of ten men or even more would

have too heavy a burden with the treasure-chests” ( ).123

The word is the plural of (a treasure-chest or a store) and (a

key).124

Asad, Ali and Arberry use the first meaning as seen above,

whereas Pickthall uses the second. The size of a troop ( ) according to

Ibn „Abbās consists of people between three and ten, whereas according to Mujāhid, Qatādah and Abū S.ālih. it is respectively between ten and

fifteen, between ten and forty, and forty people.125

Asad translates it as

"ten men or even more" as noticed above, since this term “is used here

metonymically, pointing to the great weight involved...”126

According to Ibn Qutaybah and al-Farrā‟, there is no inversion in this verse, as it means that the treasure-chests, due to their heaviness, made the

troop of mighty men who were carrying them bend down.127

Here Ibn

Qutaybah disagrees with Abū „Ubaydah.

c. ( :٨) “for, verily, to the love of wealth is he most

ardently devoted.” (Q. 100:8, Asad) is claimed to be the inversion of

(“for, verily, his love of wealth is ardent”) or, according to al-

Farrā‟, , meaning (“for, verily, he is

ardently in love of wealth”). Ibn Qutaybah rejects the occurrence of

inversion here, because, like Abū „Ubaydah and al-Kalbī, he translates

as (miserly), so that the verse means “Verily, for his love of wealth

he is miserly ( ).”128

Here Ibn Qutaybah leans towards the

view of Abū „Ubaydah rather than that of al-Farrā‟.

d. ( :٧) “... and make us examples to the righteous”.

(Q. 25:74). There is inversion here according to Mujāhid, namely,

“and make those who are righteous examples for us”.129

Ibn Qutaybah‟s interpretation of the above verse in refuting the

occurrence of inversion in it is that it means “and make us examples in good things by which the righteous will follow”. To support his view Ibn

Qutaybah cites the following verse:

( :) “and [as] We raised among them leaders, so long as

they bore themselves with patience and had sure faith in Our messages,

guided [their people] in accordance with Our behest.” (Q. 32:24, Asad).

135

Here a’immah means qādah (leaders), according to Ibn „Abbās‟s interpretation.

130 However, Ibn Qutaybah also gives Mujāhid‟s

interpretation as reported by al-T.abarī, that the verse in question means

“make us follow the examples of people before us so that people who

come after us will follow our example.”131

We have seen how Ibn Qutaybah treated the Qur‟ānic verses in which

inversion by mistake seemed to occur. Through his philological explanation he proved the absence of inversion, much less inversion by mistake.

Unfortunately, Ibn Qutaybah‟s treatment of this topic is very brief and lacks

detail. More explanation on this topic would have been valuable and helpful. This brevity is probably due to his conviction that there is no inversion by

mistake in the Qur‟ān and that no philologist explicitly mentions its

occurence in the verses of the Qur‟ān.

C. Ellipsis (H.adhf) and Brevity (Ikhtis.ār)

Ibn Qutaybah in his Ta’wīl mentions nine categories of ellipsis and

brevity which occur in the Qur‟ān. They are as follows: (1) the ellipsis of

the mud.āf whose function is replaced by the mud.āf ilayh (

), for example, ( :٨) “And ask the

township” (Q. 12:82), meaning “ask the inhabitants (ahl) of the township”; (2) the effect of a verb on two things when it is actually intended for one of

them, while the verb of the other is hidden (

), such as ( :٧) “So decide upon your

course of action, you and your partners” (Q. 10:71), meaning “so decide

upon your course of action and call (wa ad‘ū) your partners”; (3) the ellipsis

of the main clause of a conditional or an incomplete sentence due to its

clarity to the listener (

), such as ( :) “And were it not

for God's favour upon you and His grace and that God is compassionate, a Dispenser of grace...” (Q. 24:20, Asad) with the ellipsis of the main clause

“He would have punished you” ( ) according to Ibn Qutaybah; (4) the

ellipsis of one or two words, such as (

:) “And as for those with faces darkened, [they shall be told:] „Did

you deny the truth after having attained to faith?‟” (Q. 3:106, Asad), with the

ellipsis of the words (“it will be said to them”) in the Qur‟ānic text;

136

(5) the ellipsis of the main clause of an oath when there is an indication of its

presence in the sentence ( ) such as

( : -)

“By those angels who drag forth souls with violence, and by those who with joyous release release them; by those who swim swimmingly along; by

those who are foremost with foremost speed; by those who conduct the

affairs of the universe!” (Q. 79:1-5, Rodwell) with the ellipsis of the words

“you will be surely raised” ( ) at the end of these verses; (6) the ellipsis of

the word lā (no, not) while the sense of the sentence indicates its presence (

), such as ( :٧) “God makes

[all this] clear unto you, lest you go astray; ...” (Q. 4:176, Asad) with the

ellipsis of the word la in the text, namely, ; (7) the use of a pronoun

for something which has not been mentioned before ( ), such

as ( :) “Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power!”

(Q. 97:1, Pickthall) with the ellipsis of the pronoun “it” (hu) referring to the

Qur‟ān which was not mentioned beforehand; (8) the ellipsis of

propositions, such as :) “And Moses

chose out of his people seventy men” (Q. 7:155, Asad) with the ellipsis of

the word min (among, from, out of) in the text, namely, ; and lastly,

(9) the complex ellipsis which is unspecified by Ibn Qutaybah due to its

complexity, such as ( :) “He who desires

might and glory [ought to know that] all might and glory belong to God

[alone]....” (Q. 35:10, Asad) with the ellipsis of the expression

(“he will know to whom power belongs”) according to Ibn Qutaybah, and

“ought to know that” as put by Asad. These categories of ellipsis will be

discussed with some selected examples, as follows:

1. The Ellipsis of the Mud.āf whose Function is Replaced by the Mud.āf

Ilayh

As mentioned earlier, the omitted mud.āf and its function are replaced

by the mud.āf ilayh in its relation to its verb. Ibn Qutaybah mentions ten

Qur‟ānic verses and five verses of poetry which belong to this category of

ellipsis. Three Qur‟ānic verses and one verse of poetry will be discussed as follows:

137

a. ( :٩) “... for their hearts are filled to overflowing

with love of the [golden] calf...” (Q. 2:93, Asad). According to Ibn

Qutaybah, as translated by Asad, the verse means “the love of the calf” with the ellipsis of h.ubb (love).

132 This is also the view of al-Farrā‟ and

Abū „Ubaydah.133

b. ( :٩٧) “For the H.ajj are the months well known....”

(Q. 2:197, Ali). According to Ibn Qutaybah the verse means “the time of pilgrimage” (waqt al-h.ajj) with the ellipsis of the word waqt.

134 This is

also the opinion of al-Farrā‟, who heard al-Kisā‟ī saying

(“verily the summer is two months, and verily the t.aylasān

is three months”), meaning “the summer time

and the time for wearing the t.aylasān (a shawl-like garment worn over

head and shoulders)...135

Instead of , it is also said

(“the time for performing the pilgrimage”).136

c. ( :٧) “in which case We would

indeed have made thee taste double [chastisement] in life and double [chastisement] after death, ...” (Q. 17:75, Asad) with the ellipsis of ‘adhāb

(punishment), rendered as “chastisement” by Asad. This is the view of Ibn Qutaybah, Abū „Ubaydah and al-Zamakhsharī.

137 This is also the view of

Ibn „Abbās, Mujāhid, and others.138

d. As evidence from poetry is the following poem of Abū Dhu‟ayb:

“They brought him [the wine‟s owner] with profit which he had tried [to

obtain], so that it became kept [and] permissible [to drink], and drinking

it became easy.”

The words means (“they brought its owner”) with the

ellipsis of the word s.āh.ib (owner).139

2. The Ellipsis of the Verb

It is the ellipsis of a verb which belongs to one of two objects. These

objects are literally affected by another verb, although in meaning, only one

of them is affected by it ( ). Ibn

Qutaybah mentions examples from two Qur‟anic verses and four verses of

poetry. The Qur‟ānic verses and two verses of poetry will be discussed as

138

follows:

a.

و (-٧: ) “Immortal youths will

wait upon them with goblets, and ewers, and cups filled with water from

unsullied springs by which their minds will not be clouded and which will not make them drunk; and with fruit of any kind that they may

choose, and with the flesh of any fowl that they may desire. And [with

them will be their] companions pure, most beautiful of eye.” (Q. 56:17-22, Asad).

According to Ibn Qutaybah the fruit, the flesh of fowls and the

companions pure are brought to the inhabitants of Paradise, with the

ellipsis of the verbs wa yu’tūna bi (“and it will be brought to them”) which affects the fruit, the flesh and the companions pure.

140

b. The poem heard by al-Farrā‟ from Banī Dubayr: “I

foddered it [the animal] with straw and [watered it] with cold water,” with

the ellipsis of the verb (I watered it).141

c. The verse of „Ubayd ibn al-H.usayn al-Numayrī, better known as al-Rā‘ī

(“the Shepherd”), as follows:

When the pretty girls appeared one day and pencilled (their) eyebrows and eyes

with the ellipsis of the verb kah.alna (smeared with kohl). The verse

means “and they pencilled their eyebrows and smeared their eyes with

kohl.”142

3. The Ellipsis of the Main Clause of a Conditional or an Incomplete

Sentence

The main clause of a conditional sentence is omitted for brevity, as

the hearer knows it. Ibn Qutaybah gives us four examples of Qur‟ānic verses and three from poetry. Two Qur‟ānic verses and one verse of poetry will be

discussed as follows:

a. ( :) “If there were

a Qur‟ān with which mountains were moved, or the earth were cloven

asunder, or the dead were made to speak, (this would be the one!)....” (Q. 13:31, Ali)). We notice the omitted main clause given by Ali is “this

would be the one”. Ibn Qutaybah expresses a similar view when he states

139

that the omitted words are (“it would have been this

Qur‟ān”),143

which is also the view of al-Zubayr ibn al-„Awwām,

Mujāhid, Qatādah and al-D.ah.h.āk.144

According to Abū „Ubaydah, there are many omitted main clauses in

this verse, so that it means that if there were a Qur‟ān with which

mountains were moved, they would have moved () , or the earth were

cloven asunder, it would have been cloven asunder () , or the dead

were made to speak, they would have been resurrected () .145

According to some grammarians the omitted main clause is in the

previous verse, namely, (“for [in their ignorance] they

deny the Most Gracious...” Q. 13:30, Asad). Therefore, the verse means

that they would still disbelieve Allah even if He sends a Qur‟ān with which the events mentioned above occured. However, this view is not

preferred by al-Farrā‟ who states that it is possible that the omitted clause

is (“they would have disbelieved”).146

Similarly, according to al-

Zajjāj, the omitted clause is (“they would not believe”), as the

omitted clause is revealed in another verse which reads:

( :)

"And even if We were to send down angels unto them, and if the dead were to speak unto them, and [even if] We were to assemble before them,

face to face, all the things [that can prove the truth], they would still not

believe unless God so willed....” (Q. 6:111, Asad). This is the interpretation adopted by Asad when he rendered the omitted clause as

“they ... would still refuse to believe in it.”147

b.

:٩) “Is, perchance, he who worships [God] throughout the

night, prostrating himself or standing [in prayer], ever-mindful of the life

to come, and hoping for his Sustainer‟s grace, [equal to one who denies

the truth]? Say: „Can they who know and they who do not know be deemed equal?‟” (Q. 39:9, Asad). The main clause omitted in the above

verse, according to Asad, is “equal to one who denies the truth”. Ibn Qutaybah does not mention it precisely, but says that it is the opposite of

what is mentioned in the verse. This is self-evident, as the verse continues

with the two opposite things, namely, those who know and those who do

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not know.148

Al-Zajjāj states that since those who know are above those who do not know, so those who obey are above those who disobey.

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c. An unidentified poet says the following line:

I [come to] see you, for I do not know whether it is anxiety which is

worrying me, and a worried man in olden times was humble and lean.

In this verse, the poet does not mention the main clause, namely, other than

anxiety.150

4. The Ellipsis of One or Two Words

Ibn Qutaybah in this category of ellipsis mentions ten Qur‟ānic verses

and four verses from poetry as examples. Three Qur‟ānic verses and one verse from poetry will be treated as follows:

a. ( :٧)

“And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the

Temple, (they prayed): „O our Sustainer! Accept Thou this: for, verily,

Thou alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!‟” (Q. 2:127, Asad). According to

al-Farrā‟, Ibn Qutaybah and al-Qayrawānī, the omitted words are

(“both saying”), namely, both Abraham and Ishmael said the prayer, as

translated by Asad above.151

In addition, the words (“and both are

saying”) are found in the variant readings of Ubayy and „Abd Allāh ibn Mas„ūd.

152

b. ( :) “for thy Sustainer has

ordained that you shall worship none but Him. And do good unto [thy]

parents.” (Q. 17:23, Asad). According to Ibn Qutaybah and al-Farrā‟, the

omitted word is respectively was.s.á and aws.á, both meaning “He

enjoined”.153

The verb was.s.á for parents is explicitly used in other verses;

for example, ( :) “Now [among the best of

the deeds which] We have enjoined upon man is goodness towards his

parents....” (Q. 46:15, Asad), and ( :) “And [God

says:] We have enjoined upon man goodness towards his parents: ...”

(Q.31:14, Asad). Moreover, instead of it is written in Ibn

Mas„ūd‟s codex and Ibn „Abbās‟s variant reading.154

c. ( :٧) “So, when the prediction of the

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second [period of your iniquity] came true, [We raised new enemies against you, and allowed them] to disgrace you utterly, ...” (Q. 17:7,

Asad). We notice here the ellipsis of the words ba‘athnāhum (“We sent

them”) as the word ba‘athnā (“We sent”) has been mentioned in the

previous verse which reads: ( :)

“Hence, when he prediction of the first of those two [periods of inquity] came true, We sent [ba‘athnā] against you some of Our bondmen...” (Q.

17:5).155

d. The poet al-Namir ibn Tawlab said in his poem:

“For verily, death will meet the person who fears it wherever [he is or

he goes].”

In this verse the ellipsis of the word kāna or dhahaba occurs after

aynamā.156

5. The Ellipsis of the Main Clause of an Oath

Ibn Qutaybah mentions only two examples of the ellipsis of the main

clause of an oath from the Qur‟ānic verses and does not give an example from poetry, as follows:

a. ( :

-) “By those angels who drag forth souls with violence, and by those who with joyous release release them; by those who swim swimmingly

along; by those who are foremost with foremost speed; by those who

conduct the affairs of the universe!” (Q. 79:1-5, Rodwell). We notice, as

said by Ibn Qutaybah, the ellipsis of the main clause (“you will be

surely raised”) at the end of these verses. Al-Qurt.ubī adds with

(“and you will be surely accounted for [your actions]”). This main clause is easily understood by the listener as stated by al-Farrā‟, and is indicated

in the succeeding verse “even though we may have become

[a heap of] crumbling bones?” (Q. 79:11, Asad) with the ellipsis of

(“shall we be raised?”).157

b.

. ( : -) “Qāf. By the Glorious Qur‟ān (thou art God's

Apostle). But they wonder that there has come to them a warner from

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among themselves. So the unbelievers say: „This is a wonderful thing! What! When we die and become dust, (shall we live again?) That is a

(sort of) return far (from our understanding).‟” (Q. 50:1-3, Ali).

Ibn Qutaybah interprets here the main clause of the oath as

(“shall we be resurrected?”).158

Al-Farrā‟ mentions his interpretation and

the ellipsis of the main clause of the oath in this verse as follows: “Qaf. By

the glorious Qur‟ān, you will be surely raised after death ... Shall we be raised when we are dead and have become dust?”

159

6. The Ellipsis of the Word Lā

Ibn Qutaybah mentions four examples of the ellipsis of ال from the Qur‟ān and two from poetry. Two examples from the Qur‟ān and one from

poetry will be treated as follows:

a. (:) “Verily, it is God [alone] who

upholds the celestial bodies and the earth, lest they deviate [from their

orbit]...” (Q. 35:41, Asad). We notice here the ellipsis of lā, so that the

verse means (“so that they do not deviate”).160

However,

according to al-Zajjāj, there is no need for the ellipsis of lā here, as the meaning of upholding in the verse is preventing, so that the verse means

“Allah prevents... from deviating.”161

b. ( : )

“...and neither speak loudly to him, as you would speak loudly to one

another, lest all your [good] deeds come to nought without your perceiving it.” (Q. 49:2, Asad). According to Ibn Qutaybah the verse

means (“[so] that your good deeds will not come to

nought”).162

This is the view of the grammarians of the Kūfan school.

The grammarians of the Bas.ran school, however, say that the verse means

(“because it will bring your good deeds to nought.”).163

c. The poet Imr‟ al-Qays says:

“So, I said with oath: by Allah I will remain sitting, even if they beat

my head and limbs in front of you.”

The expression lā abrah.u (abrah.u with the ellipsis lā) means “I shall

continue”.164

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7. The Use of the Pronoun for Something, Which Has Not Been

Mentioned Before

Ibn Qutaybah mentions eight examples from the Qur‟ān and six from

poetry for this type of ellipsis. Three Qur‟ānic verses and two verses of

poetry will be dealt with as follows:

a. (:) “Now if God were to

take men [at once] to task for whatever [wrong] they commit [on earth],

He would not leave a single living creature upon its surface....” (Q. 35:45, Asad). We notice that the pronoun hā refers to the earth, although the

earth has not been mentioned before in this verse.165

b. ( : ) “thereby raising clouds of dust.” (Q. 100:4, Asad).

The pronoun “it” in bihi [lit. by it, with it, or in it] in this verse, according

to Ibn Qutaybah, refers to the valley () .166

Al-Qurt.ubī and Ibn Kathīr

simply said that it is referring to the place where the morning raid

mentioned in the previous verse (Q. 100:3) occurred.167

Al-T.abarsī

mentions both views,168

whereas al-Zamakhsharī mentions two more

interpretations of in the verse, namely that the pronoun is referring to the

act or the time of raiding.169

c. ( :) “Then which of the favours of your Lord will

ye deny?” (Q. 55:13, Ali). The pronoun of the dual كما refers to both man and demon (jinn). Man has been mentioned earlier in the previous verse,

but jinn has not been mentioned yet; it is mentioned later in verse 15.170

Man and jinn are later referred to as (“the two dependents”, lit., “the

two burdens”, because they burden the earth).171

d. The poet T.arafah said: “I wish I could free you from

it and become free [myself].” The pronoun (it), according to Ibn

Qutaybah, refers to (the waterless desert, the open country).172

e. The poet al-Muthaqqib al-„Abdī said in his poem:

I do not know when I go to a country whether a good thing [or a bad

thing] is intended [to me], which of the two will follow me: whether the

good thing which I seek, or the bad thing which awaits [lit. seeks] me.

144

The pronoun ayyuhumā (which of the two) in the above poem refers to the good thing and the bad thing. The latter is mentioned later only, in the

second verse, not in the first.173

8. The Ellipsis of the Prepositions

This category of ellipsis is called by Ibn Qutaybah [ ]

(the ellipsis of the prepositions). H.urūf al-s.ifāt is the Baghdādī technical

term for the h.urūf al-jarr (prepositions), three of which are dealt with here

by Ibn Qutaybah. They are, as we shall see from the examples given by Ibn

Qutaybah, li, ‘an, and min. Two examples from the Qur‟ān and one from poetry are dealt with as follows:

a. ( :) “But when they have to measure or

weigh whatever they owe to others, [they] give less than what is due!” (Q.

83:3, Asad). The verse means . as translated

by Asad above with the addition of the preposition “to” and “for”. 174

This is also the view of al-Akhfash and al-Farrā‟. They say that like the

verb wazana and kāla we can say or (“I advised you”), and

or (“I ordered you [to do] it”), with or without the preposition

la and bi respectively. Al-Farrā‟ was reported to have said that he heard a

bedouin woman saying

“When people left we came to the merchant so that he measured us one or

two mudds [of grain]”, instead of saying (“he measured for us”).

This is the language of the people of H.ijāz and the surrounding Qays

tribe.175

b. ( :) “For (every) engagement will be enquired into

(on the Day of Reckoning).” (Q. 17:34, Ali), with the ellipsis of the

preposition ‘an, so that the verse means . 176

c. The poet al-„Ajjāj said: “Under what Allah has

chosen for him [among] the trees”, with the ellipsis of the preposition min,

so that the verse means as translated above with

the addition of “among”.177

9. Complex Ellipsis

The complex ellipsis includes what Ibn Qutaybah calls the expression

which becomes obscure and difficult to understand due to its brevity and

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ellipsis ( ). He mentions ten examples from

the Qur‟ān, and five from poetry. This type of ellipsis also includes an

unspecified category of ellipsis from which he gives four examples from the Qur‟ān, but no example from poetry. For the first type of complex ellipsis

two examples from the Qur‟ān and one from poetry will be discussed, and

two examples from the Qur‟ān for the second type as follows:

a.

( :٨) “Is, then, he to whom the evil of his own

doings is [so] alluring that [in the end] he regards it as good [anything but

a follower of Satan]? For, verily, God lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], just as He guides him that wills [to be guided]. Hence, [O

believer,] do not waste thyself in sorrowing over them: verily, God has full

knowledge of all that they do!” (Q. 35:8, Asad)

Asad mentions the omitted words “anything but a follower of Satan” as we notice above. But according to Ibn Qutaybah the omitted words in

the verse are , so that the above verse means: “Would,

then, he to whom the evil of his own doings is [so] alluring that [in the

end] he regards it as good, waste thyself in sorrowing over him?"178

Al-Kisā‟ī has the same view and says that the word man is the subject

(mubtada’) of an omitted khabar, namely, (“you

would waste yourself in sorrowing over him”). He says further that this is

an uncommon Arabic expression known only to a few people. This is also

the view of al-Zajjāj.179

The clue of this missing clause is “do not waste thyself in sorrowing over them” mentioned in the second part of the verse.

b. ( : ) “Say: „They are

[lawful] in the life of this world unto all who have attained to faith - to be

theirs alone on Resurrection Day....‟” (Q. 7:32, Asad).

According to Ibn Qutaybah and al-Farrā‟, there is an omitted word in

this verse, namely, mushtarikah, meaning “shared (with non-believers)”. Therefore, the verse means that the adornment of Allah is for the

believers and shared with non-believers in this world, but on

Resurrection Day it is only for the believers.180

This is also the view of Ibn „Abbās, al-D.ah.h.āk, al-H.asan, Qatādah, al-Suddī, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn

Zayd. The other view is that of Sa„īd ibn Jubayr who says that the verse means that the beauty which Allah has brought forth for His creatures in

this world, will be on the Day of Resurrection exclusively for those who

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believed while they were in this world.181

c. The poet al-Shanfará said before he was executed:

So, do not bury me, verily, burying me is forbidden for you,

but [leave me to the hyena to which it is said after hunting it]:

„Hide yourself O Umm „Āmir‟ [i.e. the hyena].

The poet wanted his corpse to be left to the hyena.182

d. ( : )

“Art thou not aware of those who, having been granted their share of the divine writ, now barter it away for error, and want you [too] to lose your

way?” (Q. 4:44, Asad). The verse means, according to Ibn Qutaybah,

“barter away guidance for error”. The words “with guidance () ” is

omitted, but mentioned in another verse, namely

( :) “[for] it is they who have taken error in exchange for

guidance; ...” (Q.2:16, Asad).183

e. ( :) “Thereupon God

sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might

conceal the nakedness of his brother‟s body....” (Q. 5:31, Asad). Ibn

Qutaybah mentions the full meaning of the verse as follows: “Then Allah sent a raven scratching on the ground to hide a dead raven to show him

how to hide his brother‟s naked body.”184

According to Ibn „Abbās, Ibn Mas„ūd and Mujāhid, Allah sent two

ravens fighting each other until one of them was killed and buried by the other. Another commentary states that the raven scratched on the ground

to hide his food for further use, as it is the habit of the ravens to do so.185

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah divided ellipsis and brevity into

categories and gave examples from the Qur‟ān and classical poetry. Although, being a man of letters, he gave many examples from poetry, his

treatment of this topic lacks detail. More elaborate treatment is given by commentators of later generations, like al-T.abarī and al-Qurt.ubī.

D. Repetition (Takrār) and Pleonasm (Ziyādah)

1. Repetition

Like ellipsis, repetition is also one of the characteristics of the Arabic language. It is used to emphasise something. In the Qur‟ān it is used

generally for emphasising and elaborating meaning. Ibn Qutaybah mentions

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two categories of repetition: repetition of words and repetition of meaning. They will be dealt with as follows:

a. Repetition of Words

Ibn Qutaybah cites seven examples from the Qur‟ān in which repetition

of words occurs. Two of them will be discussed hereunder:

(1

( :- ) . Say: “O you who deny the

truth! I do not worship that which you worship, and neither do you

worship that which I worship. And I will not worship that which you

have [ever] worshipped, and neither will you [ever] worship that which I worship. Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine!” (Q. 109:1-6,

Asad).

Ibn Qutaybah‟s commentary on these verses is that the disbelievers

seemed to have said to the Prophet: “Surrender to some of our idols so that we shall believe in your God.” So, Allah revealed to him: “I do not

worship that which you worship, and neither do you worship that which

I worship.” It means that they would not believe until he did what they had suggested. Time elapsed and they came again to the Prophet,

saying: “If you worship our idols for a day, a month, or a year, we shall

worship your God for a day, a month, or a year.” For this, Allah revealed: “And I will not worship that which you have [ever]

worshipped, and neither will you [ever] worship that which I worship,”

denouncing their readiness to believe in Allah at one time and associate Him with others at the other.

186

The repetition in these verses serves many purposes, among which

are: (a) for emphasis; this is the view of al-Farrā.187

(b) for rendering in

line with the disbelievers‟ statement “You worship our idols and we will worship your God, then you worship our idols and we will worship your

God, so that we shall go on like this year after year.” The repetition in

the verses in question is used in accordance with the disbelievers‟ repetition; (c) for indicating the difference of time, namely, “I do not

worship now what you worship, and you do not worship now what I

worship. And in the future I shall not worship what you worship, and in the future you will not worship what I worship.” This is the view of al-

Akhfash and al-Mubarrad; (d) for indicating the difference of idols; in

pre-Islamic Arabia when people became bored with worshipping the same idols they replaced them with new ones. Therefore, the verses

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mean: “I do not worship the idols you worship today, and you do not worship what I worship, for you worship the idols you have now; and I

shall not worship the idols you worshipped yesterday which you have

abandoned, and you will not worship what I worship, for I worship my God”; and (e) for indicating the existence of distinction between the two

ways of worship; the particle in and which follows it is

, so that they respectively mean “your way of worship” ( ) and

“our way of worship” ( ).188

(2) ( :) “Then which of the favours of your Lord

will ye deny?” (Q. 55:13, Ali).

The above verse is repeated 31 times in Sūrat al-Rah.mān (chapter

55). The purposes of this repetition according to Ibn Qutaybah is to

remind people of Allah‟s favours to them and to call their attention to

His power and mercy to His creatures. The verse is repeated after mentioning the favours of Allah so that they would understand and

acknowledge them.189

It is, Ibn Qutaybah states further, like telling a

man to whom you have given your favours and assistance continuously and who still denies your favours: “Didn‟t I provide you

accommodation when you were outcast? Do you deny this? Did I not

pick you up when your leg was injured? Didn‟t I make you perform the pilgrimage (a lam ah.ijj bika) when you had not performed it? Do you

deny this?.”190

b. Repetition of Meaning

According to Ibn Qutaybah the repetition of a meaning or an idea by

using different wording is intended to elaborate the meaning and to

extend the expression, such as , meaning, “I order

you to fulfil (your promise) and I forbid you from betraying (it).” The

order to fulfil one‟s promise is itself the prohibition from betraying it. He mentions three examples from the Qur‟ān and one from poetry. Two

examples will be discussed as follows:

(1) ( :٨) “In both of them will be [all kinds of]

fruit, and date-palms and pomegranates.” (Q. 55:68, Asad). Although

the date-palms and the pomegranates are fruit, Ibn Qutaybah states, they are specially mentioned to indicate their excellence.

191

(2) ( :٨ ) “Or do

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they, perchance, think that We do not hear their hidden thoughts and their secret confabulations? Yea, indeed, [We do,] and Our heavenly

forces are with them, recording [all].” (Q. 43:80, Asad).

The meaning of the word sirr (a secret) is repeated in this verse with

the word najwá (a confidential talk), as najwá is itself sirr, a secret. It is also possible, Ibn Qutaybah asserts, that sirr means a personal secret,

while najwá means what is discussed secretly by people and kept for

themselves.192

2. Pleonasm

Pleonasm is the redundancy of words, namely, the use of more words

than are needed to express the meaning; for example, “divide something into four quarters” and “each of the two twins”. Here the words “four” and “two”

are redundant, since things divided into quarters will become four quarters,

and the twins are two children.

Ibn Qutaybah gives us two categories of pleonasm in his Ta’wīl: general and specified. The general pleonasm is the addition of unspecified

words in the statement, while the specific one is the addition of a certain

word in it. There are fifteen examples of pleonasm mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah. In this study two Qur‟ānic verses for each category (whenever

Ibn Qutaybah mentions more than one) and one verse of poetry (whenever

available) will be discussed as follows:

a. General Pleonasm

Ibn Qutaybah cites seven examples of general pleonasm in the Qur‟ān, two of which are as follows:

(1) ( :٧) “uttering with their mouths

something which was not in their hearts, ....” (Q. 3:167, Asad). Ibn

Qutaybah asserts that the expression “with their mouths” is to

emphasise that they actually said what is not in their hearts, not just in writing or gesture.

193 The purpose of this expression is to emphasise

hypocrisy by showing the contrast between what is said and what is

truly believed by means of mentioning its respective place.

(2) ( :٩) “whereas

he who cannot afford it shall fast for three days during the pilgrimage

and for seven days after your return: that is, ten full [days]....” (Q. 2:196, Asad). According to Ibn Qutaybah, the expression “ten full” is

for emphasis.194

However, according to al-Zajjāj and Abū al-Qāsim al-

Balkhī, it is to remove obscurity, since the particle wa (and) could also

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mean aw (or); in the above expression it becomes clear that it does not mean a fast of either three days on the pilgrimage or seven days after

returning home, but both, ten days in all. The example in which و means

(: ) :is in the following verse أو

“... then marry from among [other] women such as are lawful to you -

[even] two, three, or four:...” (Q. 4:3, Asad).195

(3) The poet al-Shammākh said:

When a banner was hoisted for a glorious cause „Arābah took it

vigorously.

The words bi’l-yamīn literally mean “with the right hand”, and since the power is in the right hand, the words here mean “vigorously and

enthusiastically”.196

b. Specific Pleonasm

The fifteen additional words given by Ibn Qutaybah are as follows:

(1) Additional ال. This lā (no, not) should be dropped in meaning,

although added in the text due to the occurrence of rejection (ibā’) or

negation (jah.d) in the statement. For example

( :) “[And God] said: „What has kept thee from prostrating

thyself when I commanded thee?‟...” (Q. 7:12, Asad).

The expression means so that the verse means “What

prevented you from prostrating thyself...?” where lā is not translated. However, as Iblis (Satan) did not prostrate himself the word lā is added

in the verse.197

According to al-Farrā‟, the verse means “What

prevented you from prostrating,” and the word lā in allā is s.ilah. It is

also possible that the second negation is used to emphasise the first,

such as the following poem:

Verily, we have not seen like them, a group of black head

two-humped camels and elephants.

Both mā and in in this verse mean “not”, but the second is meant for

emphasis.198

151

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions three main views about lā in the above verse:

(1) It is additional, according to Abū „Ubaydah199

and some

grammarians of both of the Bas.ran and the Kūfan schools; (2) It is not

additional, as the word mana‘a has the meaning of saying or appealing, so that the verse means “who appealed to you for not falling prostrate”

or “who told you not to fall prostrate”; this is the view of al-Farrā‟.200

Moreover, in al-Farrā‟‟s view, the significance of lā here is that it indicates the existence of rejection in the previous verse, namely, Iblis‟s

refusal to fall prostrate. (3) There is an ellipsis in the verse; it means

“What hindered you from obeying and compelled you not to prostrate?”

201 Al-Tabari‟s view is similar to this when he said that the

verse means “What hindered you from prostrating so that it compelled

you not to prostrate?”202

Al-Zamakhsharī‟s interpretation is “What hindered you from carrying out the prostration and (from) forcing

yourself to (do) it?”203

According to al-Sakkākī (d. 626/1229) this verse

is a metaphor (majāz); the particle lā is neither additional nor s.ilah, but

rather an indication (qarīnah) of the existence of metaphor. Therefore,

the meaning of this verse according to him is

“What called you up for not prostrating?”204

The example from poetry is Abū al-Najm‟s poem as follows:

I do not blame the [women with] white [hair] for ridiculing when they

saw the ugly [person with] white hair [mixed with baldness].

The word is translated as (or ( according to Abū

„Ubaydah) with the omission of the additional lā. The word lā at the end

of the verse is additional.205

An additional lā also occurs at the beginning of verses starting with oaths, the purpose of which, in Ibn qutaybah‟s view, is to disprove

the disbelievers. For example: ( :

-) “Nay! I call to witness the Day of Resurrection! But nay! I call to

witness the accusing voice of man‟s own conscience!” (Q. 75:1-2,

Asad) and “Nay, I call to witness this land.”

(Q. 90:1, Asad). Therefore, such verses give a sort of expression similar to the following one: “Nay, by Allah, it is not as you say.”

Although it is possible to drop the “nay”, its presence in the statement

152

makes it stronger. 206

The position of the additional lā preceding an oath like the verse lā uqsimu mentioned above is a widely controversial issue among Arabic

grammarians. According to Ibn Jinnī, it is lām al-ibtidā’ (lām used for

starting a sentence), so that lā uqsimu is originally la’anā uqsimu, then the personal pronoun anā is dropped, and finally it becomes

la’uqsimu.207

Moreover, it is written (la without alif) in the

„Uthmānic recension.208

According to al-Kisā‟ī lā is additional,

whereas according to al-Farrā‟ it is not additional. Rather, it is

necessary to indicate a reply to the disbelievers‟ statements, belief, and rejection of faith, such as Paradise, Hell, and the Resurrection, as if it

states that what they think is not right. This view is adopted by Ibn

Qutaybah as mentioned above.209

(2) Additional . The word alā which means “verily,” “indeed,” is an

intensifying interjection. It is introduced at the beginning of the sentence to alert the listener to what is about to be said. It should not be confused with

alā consisting of two particles, a (intorregative) and lā (negative). The

examples of the additional alā given by Ibn Qutaybah are as follows:

(a) ( :) meaning “Oh, verily, [even] when they

cover themselves with their garments [in order not to see or hear],...” (Q.

11:5, Asad).210

(b) ( :٨) meaning “Oh, verily, on the Day when

it befalls them there will be nothing to avert it from them;...” (Q. 11:8, Asad).

211

© The poem of T.arafah:

Verily, O my rebuker for my attending the battle

(that I might be killed) and for enjoying my wealth (that

I might become poor), are you my immortaliser?

What the poet means is that since his rebuker cannot make him immortal,

he is free to go to war and to spend his wealth. 212

(3) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah asserts that this additional bi, meaning

“by”, “in”, should not be interpreted. Some examples of this additional bi

are as follows:

(a) ( :) “Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who

153

has created.” (Q. 96:1, Asad), which means, according to Ibn Qutaybah,

Abū „Ubaydah and al-T.abarsī, “Read the name of thy

Sustainer who has created."213

Al-Qurtubi mentions three views on this verse: (1) as mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah above; (2) “Read (the Qur‟ān) by opening with the name

of your Lord (Sustainer);” here the expression is in the accusative

case as an adverb ( ), and (3) “Read (the Qur‟ān) in the name

of your Sustainer,” ( ).214

(b) :) ) “A fountain from which the

servants of Allah will refresh themselves and make it gush forth

abundantly.” (Q. 76:6, Dawood), which means, according to Ibn

Qutaybah and al-Farrā‟, “a fountain which the servants

of Allah will drink (from) ...”215

(4) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah mentions one example only of the

additional min (“of”, “from”), as follows: ( :٧)

meaning “...no sustenance do I ever demand of them...” (Q.

51:57).216

(5) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah mentions example only where the additional

li (“for”) occurs in the Qur‟ān, as follows:

( :) meaning “... and

in their inscription there was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.” (Q. 7:154, Pickthall).

217

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions three views on this li, as follows: (1) it is

additional as mentioned above, which is the view of the grammarians of

Kūfah; (2) it means “for the sake of” ( ), so that the verse means

“for those who fear for the sake of their Lord”, and this

is the view of al-Akhfash; (3) it is added to the noun that precedes its verb

which becomes weak and intransitive; it is like the verse

( :) “if you are able to interpret dreams!” (Q. 12:43, Asad).218

(6) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah mentions one example only from the Qur‟ān

in which the additional ka (as, same) occurs, as follows:

154

( :) meaning “There is nothing like unto Him.” (Q.

42: 11, Asad).219

According to Tha„lab instead of the addition of ka in the

above verse, it is the addition of mithl that occurs, the purpose of which is

for emphasis. Therefore, the verse means .220

(7) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah mentions one example from poetry, and

none from the Qur‟ān where the additional ‘alá occurs, as the following

verse of H.umayd ibn Thawr:

Allah rejected [any claim or statement] except that the Sarh.at

tree of Mālik is superior to all kinds of thorny trees.221

(8) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah gives us one example only where the

additional ‘an (“from”, “against”) occurs, as the following Qur‟ānic verse:

( :) meaning “Let those

who disobey His orders beware,...” (Q. 24:63, Dawood).222

This is the

view of Abū „Ubaydah223

and al-Akhfash. However, according to al-Khalīl and Sībawayh, the preposition ‘an in the verse is not additional, as the

verse means “disobey after [giving] His order”, namely “after

He has given the order”.224

(9) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah gives two examples from the Qur‟ān and

one from poetry in which the additional inna (“verily”) which is called

“the heavy inna (إن انثقيهة)” occurs, as follows:

(a) ( :) “[But,]

behold, as for those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds - verily,

We do not fail to requite any who persevere in doing good.” (Q. 18:30). The second inna is additional.

225 Al-Zamakhsharī mentions three

interpretations of the above verse which indicate that, contrary to Ibn

Qutaybah‟s view, inna in this verse is not additional, as follows: (1) The

verse is an which is in modern technical

terms called (a parenthetical clause), so that the meaning of

the verse is completed with the khabar (predicate) in the succeding verse,

namely, ( :) “theirs shall be gardens of perpetual

bliss ...” (Q. 18:31, Asad); (2) Instead of being a parenthetical clause, it is also a khabar, the first khabar, whereas the preceding verse is the

155

second. The connection (s.ilah) between the subject “those who attain to

faith” and the first predicate is the expression (“who persevere

in doing good”) which is identical to “those who attain to faith”.

Therefore, the verse means “As for those who attain to faith... We do not fail to requite them, for theirs shall be the gardens of perpetual bliss;” (3)

The preceeding verse is not a khabar, but an explanation of the term ajr

(reward).226

(b) ( :٨) “Say: „Behold, the death from

which you are fleeing is bound to overtake you...‟” (Q. 62:8, Asad).

Here, the second inna is also additional.227

Al-Zamakhsharī mentions

two other variant readings: (1) without , which is of Ibn

Mas„ūd; this is the khabar of the subject, the death ( ), in the verse;

(2) (without ), which is of Zayd ibn „Alī. This is a new

sentence, because is the khabar, so that the verse means:

“Say, the death is the thing from which you are fleeing.Verily, it is bound

to overtake you.”228

(c). The poet Jarīr said:

The caliph has been covered by Allah with a garment of power

with which seal-rings [of authority] are enforced. 229

According to al-Farrā‟ it is not correct to say, for example,

("Verily, Zayd, verily his brother is departing"); however, it is

correct in the Qur‟ānic verses, such as Q. 22:17, because it contains

recompense. The verse runs as follows:

( :٧) “Verily, as for

those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], and those who

follow the Jewish faith, and the Sabians, and the Christians, and the

Magians, [on the other hand,] and those who are bent on ascribing divinity to aught but God, [on the other,] verily, God will decide between

them on Resurrection Day...” (Q. 22:17, Asad).

On the contrary, Abū Ish.āq allows it and says that it is possible for

every mubtada’ to be emphasised with inna; therefore, according to him,

we can say, for example, (Verily, Zayd, he is departing),

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then we emphasise huwa (he) and say , as in the poem

mentioned above.230

(10) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah gives us two examples of the occurrence

of the additional in (“not”) which is called by Arabic grammarians “light

in” ( ), one from the Qur‟ān and the other from poetry, as follows:

a. ( :) “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).” Ibn Qutaybah mentions two

interpretations on the above verse: (1) by considering in as non-additional, meaning “never” as translated by Asad above, and (2) by

considering it as additional, and therefore, the verse means: “And yet,

We had established them securely in a manner in which We have established you,...”

231 The first view belongs to al-Mubarrad, al-Farrā

232

as well as Ibn „Abbās and Qatādah; 233

the second, to al-Qutabī, namely,

Ibn Qutaybah, according to al-Qurt.ubī.234

Al-Qurt.ubī mentions the third

view, namely, is conditional ( ) with a hidden apodosis ( ,

namely, a clause answering to an if-clause in syntax), so that the above

verse means: “And yet, We had established them securely in a manner that which if We established you [too], your injustice would increase and

your obstinacy would be intensified.”235

b. Durayd ibn al-S.immah said:

I have neither seen nor heard like [what I have seen and heard] today:

coating with henna she-camels infected with skin disease! 236

Here, the particle in is additional and therefore is not translated.

(11) Additional . Ibn Qutaybah mentions three examples of the occurrence

of the additional idh (“when”, “then”, and “since”), two from the Qur‟ān, and one from poetry, as follows:

(a) ( :) “And lo! Thy Sustainer

said unto the angels...” (Q. 2:30, Asad).237

The word idh (when) which is translated by Asad as the interjection “lo”, should be omitted in meaning,

and the translation should be “And thy Sustainer said unto the

angels...”238

This view of Ibn Qutaybah which is adopted from that of Abū

157

„Ubaydah239

is rejected by many Qur‟ānic commentators. Al-Nah.h.ās, for

example, says that this view of Abū „Ubaydah is wrong, as this particle

is an (a noun in the Arabic grammar), a (an adverb denoting

time), and therefore cannot be additional. Another commentator, al-

Zajjāj, says that this is a wrong-doing ( , an offence) from Abū

„Ubaydah; as Allah mentions the creation of men and other creatures, the verse means “He began creating you when (idh) He said...”

240

The more acceptable explanation on this issue is probably that of al-

T.abarī. In rejecting Abū „Ubaydah‟s view without mentioning him by

name, al-T.abarī states that the verse in question is connected with the

previous one where Allah reminds people of what He has done for them

by bestowing them His bounty and blessings, and yet, they disbelieve

Him. Then He reminds them of what He did to their forefather Adam "when He said to the angels ...” as mentioned in the above verse.

241

However, another view is that the particle idh is connected with the

hidden word udhkur (remember), so that the verse means “And

remember when thy Lord said ...,”242

; this is the view of „Alī ibn „Īsá towards which al-T.abarsī leans.

243

(b) ( : ) “And, lo, Luqman spoke thus unto his son, ...”

(Q. 31:13, Asad). Here again, idh which is translated by Asad as the

interjection “lo”, according to Ibn Qutaybah, is additional.244

Some Qur‟ānic commentators such as al-Qurt.ubī say that the particle

idh is not additional, as the verse implies the existence of the word udhkur meaning “remember”, so that the verse means “And remember

when Luqman...” as translated by Pickthall. Instead of the word udhkur,

al-Zajjāj connects the particle idh with the preceding verse, namely,

( :) “And verily We gave Luqman wisdom ...” (Q.

31:12), and continues with “when he said” ( ). Al-Nah.h.ās rejects this

view on the grounds that the conjunction و (and) preceding إذ makes the

connection suggested by al-Zajjāj unlikely to occur.245

(c) Ibn Mayyādah said about digging and making a well:

“He was still saying: „take [the bucket] away, take [the bucket]

way.‟”246

(12) Additional . Two Qur‟ānic verses are given by Ibn Qutaybah as

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examples of the occurrence of the additional mā (“what,” “which”) as follows:

(a) ( :) “[And God] would say: „After a little

while they will surely be smitten with remorse!‟” (Q. 23:40, Asad). According to Ibn Qutaybah and Abū „Ubaydah, mā is additional in this

verse.247

(b) ( :) “... by whichever name you invoke

Him, [He is always the One - for] His are all the attributes of

perfection...” (Q. 17:110, Asad).248

(13) Additional . The additional wa (“and”) which is called by the

grammarians (conjunctive wa) in the Qur‟ān makes the expression

seem incomplete. Ibn Qutaybah provides five examples of the additional

conjunctive wa from the Qur‟ān, and two from poetry, among which are following:

(a) ( :٧) “... till, when they

reach it, and its gates will have been opened, and its keepers will say unto them: „Peace be upon you!...‟” (Q. 39:73, Asad). According to Ibn

Qutaybah, the last wa is additional, and therefore, the expression “its

keepers will say unto them...” makes the sentence complete.249

According to Abū „Ubaydah the khabar of the verse is not mentioned,

since the Arabs used to omit the khabar of sentences. This implies that

wa is not additional here.

The grammarians have different views concerning the wa in

which does not exist in the previous verse dealing with the

companions of Hell (Q. 39:71). Al-Qurt.ubī mentions four views as

follows: (1) The wa is in conjunction with the elliptical sentence

(“they became happy”) according to al-Mubarrad, and (“they

entered it”) according to al-Zajjāj. (2) It is additional according to the

grammarians of Kūfah, but this view is rejected by those of Bas.rah. (3)

It is the (the “and” of eight) according to Abū Bakr ibn „Iyāsh; it

is the tradition of the Quraysh tribe when they count from one and reach

seven they put wa before eight; they say: “one ... five, six, seven, and

eight” ( ). Many examples for this wa are found

in the Qur‟ān, such as Q. 69:7, 66:5, 9:112, and 18:22. (4) It indicates

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that the gates of Paradise will have been opened before its companions come to it as translated by Asad above. It is unlike the gates of hell

which will be open only when its companions come to it.250

This last

view is mentioned by al-Zamakhsharī with a shāhid from the Qur‟ān, as

follows: ( :) “gardens of perpetual bliss, with

gates wide-open to them”. (Q. 38:50, Asad).251

(b) ( :) “And [He is

aware, too, that] they who are bent on denying the truth speak [thus, as it were,] to those who have attained to faith: „Follow our way [of life], and

we shall indeed take your sins upon ourselves!...‟” (Q. 29:12, Asad).

According to Ibn Qutaybah the particle wa is additional, so that the

above verse means “follow our way so that we

shall indeed take your sins upon ourselves”.252

This view is adopted

from that of al-Farrā‟ and al-Zajjāj who say that the above verse means

“If you follow our way we shall take your sins upon

ourselves.”253

(c) Imru‟ al-Qays said:

Until your tribesmen increased (in number) and you saw

your sons growing up, you turned the shield to us [i.e., announced

hostility]; verily, the wicked one is the weak swindler.254

Here in is additional. However, according to al-Nah.h.ās, this

particle cannot be additional, because it belongs to the .255

We

see how al-Nah.h.ās insists on rejecting the idea of the existence of the

additional و in particular, and the additional particles in general, in the

verses of the Qur‟ān.

(14) Additional . The additional wajh (“face,” “countenance”) occurs

in the Qur‟ān before the name “Allah” or the pronoun referred to Him is

mentioned. The expression (“His countenance”) and (“the

countenance of Allah”) respectively means “Him” and “Allah”, such as in

the following examples given by Ibn Qutaybah:

(a) ( :٨٨) “Everything is bound to perish save His

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[eternal] Self” (Q. 28:88, Asad), meaning “Him”, Allah.256

This is the interpretation of Mujāhid,

257Abū „Ubaydah,

258 and al-Farrā‟.

259 Al-

Zamakhsharī‟s interpretation of is (“His Essence”).260

(b) ( :٩) means, according to Ibn Qutaybah, “We

feed you, for the sake of Allah alone...” (Q. 76:9).261

(15) Additional . According to Ibn Qutaybah the term ism (“name”)

can be additional. He quotes the view of Abū „Ubaydah who states that the

expression (“by the name of Allah”) means (“by Allah”).262

This view

is rejected by al-T.abarī.263

Al-Akhfash says that the significance of

mentioning ism here is to make it different from the oath .264

Ibn Qutaybah mentions one verse and one poem as examples of the

additional ism, as follows:

(a) ( :٧٨) “Hallowed be thy Sustainer‟s

name, full of majesty and glory!” (Q. 55: 78, Asad), meaning

“Hallowed be thy Sustainer!”265

„Āmir among the qurrā’ read instead of , making it

the s.ifah of the name (ism) in the verse in question. The name mentioned in

the opening of the sūrah of this verse is al-Rah.mān (the Most Gracious).

The sūrah itself speaks about the creation. This is to indicate that Allah

creates everything by His grace.266

(b) Labīd said:

Until next year, then, peace be upon both of you; and

whoever mourns for one year will be excused.267

Here the word ism is additional and is not translated.

E. Kināyah (Metonymy) and Ta‘rīd. (Allusion)

(metonymy) and (allusion) are parts of the art of expressing

oneself clearly and eloquently called (lit., "the science of clarity of

speech or expression"). It is one of the three branches of the (the

rhetorical science, the art of good style), the other two being (lit.,

"the science of notions") which deals with various kinds of sentences and

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their proper use, and which deals with "the beautification of literary

style", namely, "the embellishment of speech and figurative use of words".

In modern terminology both kināyah and ta‘rīd. deal with something

other than what is expressed by the speaker. However, the difference lies in

that in the kināyah something is mentioned by using a different term, such as "he opened his mouth" meaning "he spoke". In the ta‘rīd. something is

mentioned which indicates something else unmentioned; for example, an employer asked his employee who was late "what is the time?" when he

meant "you are late".

1. Kināyah (Metonymy)

Al-Sakkākī gives the definition of kināyah as follows:

It is abandoning the use of a clear statement of something by stating

something else attached to it, so that [the speaker] shifts from what is

mentioned to what is not mentioned; it is like saying "So-and-so has a

long suspensory cord to his sword", so that [the speaker] alludes to

something else attached to it, namely, the tall stature.268

Since a long suspensory cord to a sword fits only the tall person, the person

who has it would be tall. However, if the above statement is meant in its real

meaning, then it is h.aqīqah ("real") rather than kināyah.

Since both kināyah and majāz indicate allegorical meanings, what then

is the difference between the two? To this question, al-Sakkākī gives the following answer: (a) The statement in the kināyah could be real rather than

metaphorical, whereas in the majāz it can only be metaphorical. The

expression "So-and-so has a long suspensory cord to his sword" could be

real without meaning "he is tall", whereas the statement "we have

taken care of the rain" or "a lion is in the bath-room" cannot be

taken for real; here the rain and the lion are metaphors for the plants and the brave man respectively; (b) Kināyah is based on the shift from the dominant

trait of something to the thing itself ( ); in the above example,

instead of saying "So-and-so is tall" it is said that he has a long suspensory

cord to his sword, a dominant trait for a tall person, as a person who has a

long sword belt is usually tall. On the contrary, majāz is based on the shift from the dominant trait of something to something else which shares this

trait ( ); in the above example, the lion is mentioned, but its

dominant trait, the bravery in a person, is meant, namely a brave man.269

162

Although Ibn Qutaybah does not mention any definition of metonymy, he states that metonymy is divided into many categories without giving any

specification. However, he mentions two categories of metonymy which he

deals with in his Ta’wīl, namely, the (agnomen, allusive name) and the

substitution (So-and-so or Such a one) for an unidentified person.

a. Kunyah

Kunyah belongs to the category of kināyah, because by using it the real

name of a person is not revealed. Kunyah is the name consisting of Abū

(father of) or Umm (mother of) followed by a name - usually of a son or a daughter - or a word - describing some prominent characteristic of the

bearer. This latter type of kunyah had been used earlier than the former.

A man or a woman does not necessarily have a son or a daughter in order to be named with a kunyah. If a son or a daughter was born later he or

she does not have to adopt the name from the kunyah.270

This kunyah,

according to Ibn Qutaybah, serves two purposes: to support the identity of a person which distinguishes him from other persons who have the

same personal name, and to glorify him with this kunyah which indicates

his old age, experience, and maturity.271

A question may arise: If the purpose of the kunyah is glorification, why did Allah mention Abū Lahab in the Qur‟ān with his kunyah, not with his

personal name, „Abd al-„Uzzá 272

when he was the enemy of Prophet

Muhammad? And Allah mentioned the Prophet whom He loved with his personal name, not with his kunyah, Abū al-Qāsim? Ibn Qutaybah's

answer is that there are among the Arabs those who make the personal

name of a person also his kunyah. For example, several people reported to Ibn Qutaybah on the authority of al-As.ma„ī that Abū „Amr ibn al-

„Alā‟ and Abū Sufyān ibn al-„Alā‟ were personal names as well as

kunyahs.273

Moreover, a man may have both a personal name and a

kunyah, but his kunyah is so well-known that he becomes known by it, and his personal name becomes replaced by it. For example, the

personal name of Abū Sufyān, Abū T.ālib, Abū Dharr and Abū Hurayrah

are respectively Sakhr ibn H.arb, „Abd Manāf, Jundub ibn al-Sakan, and

„Abd Allāh ibn „Amr.274

With regard to the kunyah Abū Lahab (lit. "Father of the Flame") Ibn

Qutaybah contends that if it is true that the personal name of Abū Lahab

is „Abd al-„Uzzá (lit. "the servant of al-„Uzzá"), this name is not used by

163

Allāh because it indicates idolatry and falsehood, as all people are His servants. Moreover, this kunyah has become the name with which he is

well-known. It is true that he has no son called Lahab (the flame). But to

be called with this kunyah it is not necessary for him to have a son bearing that name. Otherwise, it would also be incorrect to name a

person with the name of an animal, such as Kalb (a dog), Qird (a

monkey), Ghurāb (a crow) and Dhubāb (a fly).275

Besides the above-mentioned reason, Al-Zamakhsharī adds another reason for using Abū Lahab as a kunyah. Since he is among those who

will be sent to the flaming hell, his condition is like his kunyah with

which he deserves to be mentioned. Calling him Abū Lahab is like calling an evil person (sharīr) Abū al-Sharr (lit., "the Father of Evil").

276

Another view states that Abū Lahab was popularly nicknamed with this

kunyah, even before the advent of Islam, due to his beauty, particularly his glowing countenance. This, however, is rejected by al-Qurt.ubī for the

reasons mentioned above. Moreover, al-Qurt.ubī contends, contrary to

Ibn Qutaybah's view, the personal name is nobler than the kunyah, and Allah wanted to put down Abū Lahab by calling him with his kunyah

which He never did with His prophets.277

b. Fulān

The word (So-and-so, Such a one) is considered metonymy by Ibn

Qutaybah, as it can be applied to any person as well as a particular one.

He gives an example from the Qur‟ān as follows:

( :٨) "Oh, woe is me! Would that I had not taken So-and-so for a

friend!" (Q. 25:28, Asad). Ibn Qutaybah says that a group of people whom he has not identified and who call themselves Muslims are said to

insist that the word fulān indicates a particular person, and not kināyah

for any person. They say that only hypocrites and people who are afraid of revealing the identity of that particular person insist on the use of

kināyah for this word fulān.278

Another unidentified group of people who seem to be among the Bāt.inīs say that the name of the person in the verse was mentioned,

namely, „Umar, but was replaced with fulān. They say that the preceding

verse says: ( :٧)

"And a Day on which the evildoer will bite his hands [in despair],

exclaiming: 'Oh, would that I had followed the path shown to me by the

164

apostle.'" (Q. 25:27, Asad), and the evildoer here, according to them, was Abū Bakr. He regretted taking fulān, meaning „Umar in their view, for a

friend (Q. 25:28) instead of the Prophet, and that „Umar had led him

astray from the Reminder when „Alī came to him as the Reminder. This is their interpretation of the verse succeeding the one in question, namely

( :٩) "Indeed, he led me astray from the

remembrance [of God] after it had come unto me!..." (Q. 25:29, Asad).279

Ibn Qutaybah answers with the following questions: "How can „Alī be

a reminder? Has anybody said that Abū Bakr did not become a Muslim,

and that he did not choose to follow the way together with the messenger of Allah?" Then he continues with the asbāb al-nuzūl of the above verse

according to Ibn „Abbās, as follows: „Uqbah ibn Abī Mu„ayt. invited the

nobles of Makkah, including the Prophet, for a meal. The Prophet

refused to eat until „Uqbah pronounced the testimony of truth ( ).

When he did, Ubayy ibn Khalaf came and asked him: "Have you become

a Sabaean?" „Uqbah answered: "No, but a man among the Quraysh is with us, and I do not want him to leave without eating." Ubayy said: "I

will not be pleased until you spit on his face." He did, and the above

verses were revealed.280

Ibn Qutaybah insists on the generic application of the term fulān as well as the definite article al ("the") in al-z.ālim (the evildoer) in the

verses mentioned above. He contends that each of these can be applied

to a person or a group of people. Should the word al-z.ālim in the verse

be specified with names, such as Korah, Hāmān and „Uqbah ibn Abī

Mu„ayt., who would later regret taking Pharaoh, Namrūd and Ubayy ibn

Khalaf for friends, there would have been no room left for other

evildoers who came later after the revelation of these verses. This is not the way the Arabs and other people express themselves.

281 This is also

the view of Mujāhid and Abū Rajā‟ who said that the term al-z.ālim is

general and applicable to any evildoer, whereas the term fulān is for

Satan.282

Ibn Qutaybah cites the Arabic expression as evidence that fulān means

a group of people, as follows: "Nobody comes to you

except So-and-so son of So-and-so," meaning, according to Ibn Qutaybah, the well-known nobles. In poetry he cites the poem of Abū al-

Najm al-„Ijlī (d. 130/747), as follows: "Restrain So-

165

and-so from So-and-so in the commotion," meaning, while people were the midst of evil and commotion, those who wanted to stop it told people

to restrain each other. The word (an evildoer) in the Qur‟ān is

applied to a group of evildoers ( ), and the word (an

unbeliever) is applied to a group of unbelievers ( ), such as the

following verse: ( :) "... and the unbeliever

will cry: 'Would that I were dust'" (Q. 78:40).283

2. Ta‘rīd. (Allusion)

Ta‘rīd., as stated by Lane, is

the speaking obliquely, indirectly, obscurely, ambiguously, equivocally,

... as when thou asked a man, 'Hast thou seen such a one?' and he,

having seen him, and disliking to lie, answers, 'Verily, such a one is

seen'; or the making a phrase, or the like, to convey an allusion, or an

indication not expressly mentioned therein; as when you say 'How foul

is niggardliness!' alluding to such a one's being a niggard.284

Ibn Qutaybah states that the Arabs often use ta‘rīd. in their discourse to

convey its meaning in a euphemistic way, namely in a gentler and better way

than the obvious one. He shows us the significance of ta‘rīd. that asking for

a woman's hand in marriage during her ‘iddah (the legally prescribed period

of waiting during which a woman may not remarry after being widowed or

divorced) is permissible if it is said through ta‘rīd. only, as it is forbidden

through clear statements. Allah says in the Qur‟ān as follows:

( :) "But you will incur no sin

if you give a hint of [an intended] marriage-offer to [any of] these women, or

if you conceive such an intention without making it obvious:..." (Q. 2:235, Asad). For example, a man says to a woman: "By Allah, verily, you are

beautiful, may Allah bless you with a suitable husband; indeed women are

among my needs."285

Ibn Qutaybah mentions seven Qur‟ānic verses in which allusion occurs. Four of them are illustrated as follows:

(a) ( :٧) “Said [Moses]: 'Take me not to task for

my having forgotten [myself], ...'" (Q. 18:73, Asad). Ibn Qutaybah cites the report of al-Minhāl from Sa„īd ibn Jubayr from Ibn „Abbās that Moses

did not forget to keep his promise to keep silent, but he gave only an

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allusion that he forgot it. What is meant by Ibn „Abbās according to Ibn Qutaybah is that Moses did not forget to keep his promise. Therefore, he

did not say "I forgot it," or he would have lied, but he said: "Take me not

to task for my having forgotten [myself]" which instilled an allusion that he had forgotten it. To prove that Moses did not lie by using the allusion

Ibn Qutaybah cites the well-known expression

("Verily, instilling allusions is an alternative to lying.")286

However, there

is also another view stating that Moses did really forget and therefore he

apologised, and the verse in question indicates that forgetting does not necessitate blame.

287

(b) ( : ) "He answered: 'Nay,

it was this one, the biggest of them, that did it: but ask them [yourselves]

- provided they can speak.'" (Q. 21:63, Asad). We notice a kind of

circumspection in this statement. He did not confess openly but through insinuation.

According to Ibn Qutaybah, what Prophet Abraham meant is that if

their idols could speak, then it was their chief that had destroyed them; so,

he told people to ask them. He made speaking a condition for the action, namely, if they could speak then their chief could have done it, and since

they could not, their chief could not have done it, and therefore, Abraham

was not lying.288

It is, as mentioned by al-T.abarsī, like saying "So-and-so

is right if there is no sky above us."289

(c) ( : ) ".... 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).

The above verse means, according to Ibn Qutaybah, that we (the Muslims) are on the right path or have clearly gone astray, and you (who

deny His Oneness) are also on the right path or have clearly gone astray,

but Allah knows that His messenger is on the right path, and those who disagree with him have clearly gone astray. It is like telling a person who

disagrees with us: "One of us must be a liar," when we mean him, but we

say it euphemistically. This is the view of al-Farrā‟ quoted by Ibn Qutaybah.

290

(d) ( :٩) "If thou

art in doubt of what We have revealed to thee, ask those who have read

the divine writ [revealed] before thee...." (Q. 10:94).

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Ibn Qutaybah provides us with two interpretations of the above verse as follows:

(1) The address is to the Prophet, but it is intended for others among the

doubters.The Arabs sometimes address a person with something

when they mean somebody else. This is what later commentators call iltifāt (sudden transition, such as turning the address from one person

or group of people to another). Such iltifāt occurs in many Qur‟ānic

verses, such as the following verse:

( :) "O Prophet! Remain conscious of God,

and defer not to the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites: for God is

truly all-knowing, wise." (Q. 33:1, Asad). The instruction and advice are directed to the Prophet but are intended for the believers. This is

apparent as the verse continues with

( :) "And follow [but] that which comes unto thee

through revelation from thy Sustainer: for God is truly aware of all

that you do [O men]." (Q. 33:2, Asad). Similarly, the address in the

above verse is to the Prophet but is intended for the believers. The

evidence is the use of the plural form in ("of what ye do")

instead of ("of what thou dost") in the singular form.291

(2) In the time of the Prophet there were people who believed,

disbelieved, and in doubt. In the verse in question Allah was addressing these doubters, saying that

If you O man are in doubt of the guidance We have revealed to you

through Muhammad, upon whom be Allah's blessing and peace, ask

leading personalities among the people of the Book and scholars

before you, like „Abd Allāh ibn Sallām, Salmān al-Fārisī, Tamīm al-

Dārī, and people like them. The stubborn persons among them

would not resist and would bear witness of his [Muhammad's]

truthfulness. They would inform you about his prophethood and

Allah's mentioning him in the [previous] Books.292

The evidence that the word "thee" in the verse "...of what We

revealed to thee" (Q. 10:94) above is intended for any person in general

and any doubter in particular, is that in another verse it is mentioned that a divine writ has been revealed to men in general (through the Prophet),

as follows: ( :) "[O men!] We have now

bestowed upon you from on high a divine writ containing all that you

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ought to bear in mind: ..." (Q. 21:10, Asad). Sometimes the singular

number is used for plural, such as the following verse:

( :) "[then,] O man - thou [that] hast, verily,

been toiling towards thy Sustainer in painful toil - then shalt thou meet Him!" (Q. 84:6, Asad).

293

The evidence from poetry in which a particular person is intended

for people in general, is the following poem of an unidentified poet:

If you are taking a friend, never take a Dārimī young man for friend.

Here the poet is not addressing a particular person, but he means that

whoever wants to take a friend should not take him from Dārim.294

Although Ibn Qutaybah considers the second interpretation possible and good, he prefers the first one. The reason is that the verse in question

continues the discourse until verse 99 as follows

( : ٩٩) "... dost thou, then, think that thou couldst compel

people to believe," (Q. 10:99, Asad). This verse in his view is definitely

directed to the Prophet - instead of the doubters - although it is intended

for the believers.295

Al-Farrā‟'s commentary on the verse in question is that Allah knew that the Prophet was not in doubt, and Allah did not ask him to question

those who had read the divine writ before him. It is like saying to your

servant who does not doubt your authority over him: "If you are my servant, listen and obey."

296

Al-Tabarsi mentions four different views of the interpretation of the

above verse, as follows: (1) Al-Zajjāj, al-H.asan and Ibn „Abbās: the

verse is directed to the Prophet but intended for people in general; (2) al-

Farrā‟ as mentioned above; (3) the verse is directed to other than the Prophet; it means "if you listeners are in doubt of what We sent to you

through Our Messenger...", and (4) It is reported by al-Zajjāj that it is

possible that the particle إن (if) means ما (not), so that the verse means "you are not in doubt of what We have sent to you, so ask those who read

the divine writ before you, so that your faith will increase".297

We have seen that Ibn Qutaybah's treatment of the kināyah and ta‘rīd.

is rudimentary and brief. He confines himself to the types of kināyah called

kunyah and fulān, as well as the generic application of the definite article al.

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Moreover, he does not include Umm or Ibn among the kunyah. In the field of ta‘rīd. Ibn Qutaybah mainly discussed the euphemistic and circumspective

expressions in the Qur‟ānic verses.

F. The Disagreement of the Word with Its Literal Meaning

Ibn Qutaybah mentions twenty-six categories of idiomatic expression

which can be condensed into ten categories in the chapter entitled

in his work Ta’wīl. They are as follows: imprecation, repetition of

words indicating sanction, rhetorical questions, imperatives, specifications,

number, iltifāt, juncture, tempora, and morphology. They will be discussed as follows:

1. Imprecation

The imprecation referred to here by Ibn Qutaybah is something which

is not meant to occur () . He cites three examples

from the Qur‟ān, namely, ( :) “Woe to the conjecturers”

(Q. 51:10),298

“Woe to man! What hath made him

reject God?" (Q. 80:17, Ali),299

and ( :) “God's curse

be on them: how they are deluded away from the truth."(Q. 9:30, Ali). 300

The literal meanings of the above verses are respectively as follows:

"May the conjecturers be killed!", "may man be killed!" and "may Allah fight them, how perverted they are!"

301 The use of the past tense in Arabic

may indicate imprecation as we have seen in the above verses and in the

du‘ā‟, such as the expression like ("may Allah reward you", used to

express thanks to somebody), and ("may Allah bless him" used after

mentioning the name of a deceased person).

However, Ibn Qutaybah's view that the imprecations in the above

verses are not meant to occur is rejected by Ibn Fāris. He contends that nobody should suggest what Allah said as a du‘ā‟ was not meant to occur.

On the contrary, these imprecations are intended by Allah to occur and they

actually occurred. Whoever is cursed by Allah will never escape. Ibn Fāris mentions as an example in the case of Abū Lahab. He was cursed in the

Qur‟ān as follows: ( :) "Perish the hands of the

Father of Flame! Perish he!" (Q. 111:1, Ali).302

Imprecation is also used to express wonder, and as such, according to

Ibn Qutaybah, it is also not meant to occur. When someone is right in his

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reasoning, knowledge, or contention, it is said (lit., "May

Allah fight him, what a good thing he has said!"), (lit., May

Allah disgrace him, how knowledgable he is!"), and

(lit., "His achievement is due to Allah, what a good argument he has

given!").303

2. Repetition

Among the words which disagree with their literal meanings are the

repeated ones which change their meanings to be jazā’ (recompense, reward,

punishment) for the first (original) meaning, such as ( :

) "The recompense of an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree)..."

(Q. 42:40, Ali). ( : ) "And they

schemed and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers." (Q. 3:54), in which Allah's scheme means His punishment by

destroying them according to Abū „Ubaydah,304

or His requital for their

scheme, according to al-T.abarsī,305

( :٩) “And one who attacketh you, attack him in the like manner as he

attacked you...." (Q. 2:194, Pickthall). Here the first attack is a hostile act

and a wrongdoing, whereas the second one is not, but a retaliatory measure.

306

3. Rhetorical Question

The significance of rhetorical questions is divided by Ibn Qutaybah

into three categories: (a) affirmation ( ), such as ( :

٧) “Now, what is this in thy hand, O Moses?" (Q. 20:17, Asad); Allah

already knew what was in Moses's hand when He asked him this question, but He wanted to remind him that what he had in his hand was only a staff

which later turned into a serpent;307

(b) wonder ( ), such as

( :-) "About what do they [most often] ask one another? About

the awesome tiding [of resurrection]," (Q. 78:1-2, Asad),308

and (c) reproach

( ), such as ( :

-) "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, and

leave those whom God has created to be your mates?" (Q. 26:165-6, Ali).309

Al Zarkashī in his work al-Burhān gives us more information about

the (asking a question) in the Qur‟ān. He divides the into two

types: one means (lit., "news"), and the other means (lit.,

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"composition"). He divides the meaning into (negation) and

(affirmation). He calls the former (in modern terminology,

, negative question) and the latter (in modern terminology,

, affirmative question) which has been dealt with briefly by Ibn

Qutaybah above. Al-Zarkashī goes further and divides the latter into twelve

divisions with examples from the Qur‟ān.310

With regard to the

meaning , al-Zarkashī divides it into eighteen divisions including wonder

and reproach briefly dealt with by Ibn Qutaybah above.311

4. Imperative

Ibn Qutaybah divides the significance of imperative into four

categories: (a) threat ( ), such as ( :) "Do what you will

..." (Q. 41:40, Asad); (b) admonition ( ), such as (

:) ".... And let two persons of [known] probity from among your own

community witness [what you have decided]; ..." (Q. 65:2, Asad), (c)

exemption ( ), such as ( :) "And when

the prayer is ended, then disperse freely on earth..." (Q. 62:10, Asad), and

(d) religious duty ( ) such as ( :) "... and be

constant in prayer, and spend in charity, ..." (Q. 2:43, Asad).312

5. Specification

Ibn Qutaybah mentions eight Qur‟ānic verses as examples of general

statement meant to be particular ( ) in time and person, among which are

as follows:

a. ( : ) "..., and I am the first of those who surrender

(unto Him)." (Q. 6:163, Pickthall), meaning that the Prophet was the first person who surrendered himself unto Allah in his time.

b. ( :) ("..., and I am the first of (true) believers." (Q.

7:143, Pickthall), meaning that Prophet Moses was the first believer in his

time.

c. ( : ) "Poets are followed by erring men"

(Q.26:224), meaning some of them only;313

d. ( :٧) "those who have

been warned by other people, 'Behold, a host has gathered against you; so

beware of them!'..." (Q. 3:173, Asad). According to one tradition Nu„aym

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ibn Mas„ūd al-Ashja„ī said to the companions of the Prophet: "People have gathered against you," meaning Abū Sufyān, „Uyaynah ibn H.is.n and

Mālik ibn „Awf. Therefore, the first (the people) is meant to be a

particular person, Nu„aym ibn Mas„ūd, while the second is intended

to be a group of people, namely, Abū Sufyān, „Uyaynah and Mālik

mentioned above.314

e. ( :) "I created the jinn and human-kind

only that they might worship Me." (Q. 51:56, Pickthall), meaning that only some of the jinn and human-kind, namely, the believers among them

are created to worship Him. Others are created for Hell. To support his

view, Ibn Qutaybah cites the following verse:

( :٧٩) "We have made for hell many of the jinn and

humankind..." (Q. 7:179). He gives the basic meaning of , namely,

"We create" in the above verse, so that it means “We created for hell...” 315

This is also the view of al-Qushayrī who said that children and insane

people are excluded from the injunction of worshipping Allah as well as those who are created for Hell. Moreover, in the variant reading of „Abd

Allāh ibn Ubayy it is written “I

created the jinn and human-kind among the believers only that they might

worship Me." This view is supported by al-Zajjāj who cites the verse:

( :) "... they were bidden to worship only One

God." (Q. 9:31, Pickthall).316

However, according to Ibn „Abbās, the

meaning of the verse in question is that the jinn and the humankind are created to confirm the bondage willingly or unwillingly.

317

6. Number

In this category Ibn Qutaybah shows us the application of number (singular, dual, or plural) to nouns, adjectives and verbs in the verses of the

Qur‟ān, so that their literal (ostensible) meanings are in disagreement with

their real meanings, as follows:

a. Noun

We can divide this section into two: 1) the plural noun meaning (a)

singular, (b) dual, (c) dual and plural, and (d) singular, dual, and plural; and 2) the singular noun meaning plural. They will be discussed as follows:

(1) The use of the plural which is meant:

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(a) singular, such as ( :)

"Verily, [O Prophet,] as for those who call thee from without thy private

apartments - most of them do not use their reason." (Q. 49:4, Asad), as there was only one person who called the Prophet from behind his

private apartments, saying: "O Muh.ammad, my praise is good, and my

abuse is disgracing" ( ); 318

That person,

according to al-D.ah.h.āk, was al-Aqra„ ibn H.ābis.319

There is also

another view that there was another person who called the Prophet

besides al-Aqra„, namely, „Uyaynah ibn H.is.n.320

However, according to

Mujāhid, the people who called the Prophet were the Banī Tamīm tribe

who entered the mosque and wanted him to come out of his

apartment.321

This view is supported by Ibn Mas„ūd's variant reading

("and the majority of them were Banū Tamīm, who

did not use their reason.").322

It is possible that one or two persons of

the Tamīm tribe called the Prophet on their behalf.

(b) dual, such as ( :) "[Say, O Prophet:]

'Would that you two turn unto God in repentance, for the hearts of both

of you have swerved [from what is right]...'" (Q. 66:4, Asad). Here the

expression is meant to be ("the two hearts of both of

you").323

(c) dual and plural, such as ( : ) "and if he has

brothers and sisters, then his mother shall have one-sixth..." (Q.4:11,

Asad). The term (brothers) includes (two brothers).324

(d) singular, dual, and plural, such as ( :)

"And let a group of the believers witness their chastisement." (Q. 24:2,

Asad). Here the term (a group, a band, a troop, a party) means one,

two, and more persons.325

(2). The use of the singular intended for the plural, such as

( :٨) "Exclaimed [Lot]: 'Behold, these are my guests: so put

me not to shame.'" (Q. 15:68, Asad). The term (my guest) is used to

mean (my guests). Another example is ( :) "...,

and then We bring you forth as infants ..." (Q. 22:5, Asad). The term

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(an infant) is used instead of أ (infants).326

As an example from poetry

Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of al-„Abbās ibn Mirdās al-Sulamī, as

follows:

Then we said: 'Surrender, verily, we are your brothers; the hearts have

been healed from the old feuds.'

The term (your brother) is intended to mean (your

brothers).327

b. Adjective (quality, attribute)

This section can be divided into two: 1) the adjective in the singular for

a plural object, and 2) the adjective in the plural for a singular object, as follows:

(1) The use of an adjective in the singular for a plural object, such as

( :) “.... And if you are in a state requiring total ablution,

purify yourselves." (Q. 5:6, Asad). The term junub (unclean) is in the singular but is used for the plural "you".

328 Another example is the verse

( :) “...; and furthermore the angels are his

helpers." (Q. 66:4, Pickthall). The term z.ahīr (lit. "a state of being

helpful") is an adjective and in the singular, and the noun "angels" is in the

plural. In poetry, Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of an unidentified poet, as

follows: “Verily, the reprovers are not consultant to me."

The term amīr (lit., "a person who is consulted") here is in the singular.329

(2) The use of an adjective in the plural for a singular object, such as the

poem of an unidentified poet, as follows: “The Winter

has come and my dress is worn out." The term the plural of

(shabby, threadbare, worn), but is intended for the singular, as it is

describing a single object, namely, the dress.330

c. Verb

We can divide this section into four, as follows: (1) a verb that refers to

two different things and is intended for one of them only; (2) a verb that refers to one of two different things but is intended for both of them; (3) an

imperative verb in dual but is intended for one, two, or more persons; and

(4) a verb with a plural pronoun intended for one person indicating respect. They are as follows:

175

(1) A verb that refers to two different things but is intended for one of them

only, for example: ( :) "But when they

reached the junction between the two [seas], they forgot all about their fish, ..." (Q. 18:61, Asad). It was Yūsha„ ibn Nūn only who had forgotten

the fish, for he said to Prophet Moses ( :) "..., I

forgot about the fish..." (Q. 18:63, Asad).331

Another example is as

follows: ( :) "O ye assembly of the

jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your

own...?" (Q. 6:130, Pickthall). Here it means that messengers came from humankind only.

332

(2) A verb that refers to one of two different things but is intended for both

of them is the same as the one in the following verse:

( :) "... - the while it is God and His Apostle whose pleasure

they should seek above all else,.." (Q. 9:62, Asad). Here the verb

("to please Him") is used for ("to please them both").333

Another

example is as follows: ( :) "Yet, [it does

happen that] when people become aware of [an occasion for] worldly gain

or a passing delight, they rush headlong towards it..." (Q. 62:11, Asad).

Here the verse means ("they rush headlong towards both of

them").334

As an example from poetry Ibn Qutaybah cites the poem of

„Amr ibn Imru‟ al-Qays al-Ans.ārī addressing Mālik ibn al-„Ajlān, as

follows:

We are content with what we have and you with

what you have, and the opinion is different.

Instead of in the plural form, the term in the singular form is

used for both (we) and (you).335

(3) An imperative verb in the dual but is intended for one, two, or more

persons is the same as that in the following verse: (

:) "[Whereupon God will command:] 'Cast, cast into hell every [such]

stubborn enemy of the truth.'" (Q. 50:24, Asad). Here the verb is in the

dual form but it is intended for one person only, namely, Mālik, the angel

who is in charge of Hell.336

It may also be intended for more persons,

176

namely, the zabāniyah (the infernal attendants of Hell),337

or the two

angels mentioned in the previous verse Q. 50:21, one is a driver ( ) who

drives people to do what Allah has ordered them to, and the other is a

witness ( ) who registers what people do; this is the view of Mujāhid,

„Uthmān338

and al-Zajjāj.339

Abū „Uthmān al-Māzinī and al-Mubarrad,

both of the grammarian school of Bas.rah, state that the verb is in the

dual to indicate repetition, namely, as translated by Asad above.340

Ibn Qutaybah states that according to al-Farrā‟ it is common among the Arabs to use imperative verbs in the dual when they are addressing one

person or more, such as the expression "Woe unto you!

Move her away and drive her away both of you."341

One of the examples

from poetry given by Ibn Qutaybah is the poem of Suwayd ibn Karrā„ al-

„Ukalī, as follows:

If you drive me away O Ibn „Affān, I shall go away, but if you leave me

alone, I shall protect my honour from those who hurt me.

Here ("you both drive me away") and (“you both leave me

alone”) are in the dual form when the poet meant Ibn „Affān only.342

Al-

Farrā‟ says that the number of people needed to form a company ( ) is

three people.343

In this case, the conversation occurs between one of them and the other two by using verbs in the dual form. Poets use them most

when they say ("O my two companions") and ("O my two

friends").344

(4) A verb with a plural pronoun intended for one person indicating respect

is like the king's statement when he said: "We did this" instead of "I did this". There are many examples in the Qur‟ān, among which are as

follows: ( ) “..., he prays: 'Oh my Sustainer! Let me

return, let me return [to life].'" (Q. 23:99, Asad). Here (namely,

) in the plural is used instead of (namely, ) in the singular

to indicate respect.345

Another example is

"We explain it to thee in the best possible way, ..." (Q. 12:3, Asad) in

which the expression ("We explain") refers to Allah alone.346

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7. Sudden Transition (Iltifāt)

Ibn Qutaybah deals with three categories of what is later called .

They are as follows: a. It is addressing a person who is present (namely, the

second person), then suddenly the address is changed into the wording of a

third person ( ); b. It is addressing

the third person by using the wording of the second person ( );

and c. It is addressing a person with something, then suddenly the address is

shifted to another person ( ); this includes:

addressing two persons then suddenly the address is directed to one of them

only, and addressing somebody, but the address is intended for somebody

else.347

They are dealt with as follows:

a. With regard to addressing a person who is present (the second person), then suddenly the address is changed into the wording of a third person,

Ibn Qutaybah gives three examples from the Qur‟ān, one of which is as

follows: ".... And

[behold what happens] when you go to sea in ships: [they go to sea in

ships,] and they sailed on in them in a favourable wind, and they rejoiced

thereat..." (Q. 10:22, Asad). Here the words ("they sail on in

them") and ("they rejoiced thereat") is a sudden transition from

("you sail on in them") and ("you rejoiced thereat")

respectively.348

We notice that in translating the above verse Asad says "they go to sea in ships" between brackets to indicate the occurrence of the

shift from the direct address and the second person plural "you" to the

third person plural "they". The purpose of this shift, as he stated it, is "to bring out the allegorical character of the subsequent narrative and to turn it

into a lesson of general validity".349

Ibn Qutaybah does not explain the purpose of the iltifāt in this verse,

but al-Zarkashī mentions three views concerning its purpose, as follows: (1) it is to indicate wonder about people's deeds and disbeliefs; (2) it is to

single out the rebellious among the people; before the iltifāt the address

was to people in general, believers as well as non-believers; then the iltifāt is used to indicate that the reproof is exclusively for those who

rebel wrongfully after being delivered from danger, as mentioned in the

above verse and that which follows it (Q. 10:23); (3) it is to indicate the two conditions of people: when they were on board a ship they felt

confined and feared perishing and changing wind; in this case they were

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addressed the way people who are present are addressed (in the second person); but when the danger passed with a favourable wind, they were

happy, and their presence was no longer required in referring to them;

therefore, the iltifāt is used, the address was given in the third person,

and it was said "and they sailed on in them".350

b. With regard to addressing the third person by using the wording of the

second, Ibn Qutaybah does not give us any example from the Qur‟ān, but one from poetry by Abū ‟l-Kabīr al-Hudhalī, as follows:

O woe unto myself, the wealth of Khālid and the whiteness of his

[lit. your] face are for the dust coloured soil [in which he is buried].

Here, after mentioning Khālid as a third person, the poet spoke to him in

the second person, when he said "the whiteness of your face".351

Al-Zarkashī mentions many examples from the Qur‟ān, one of which

is as follows: ( :٨٩-٨٨) “As it is,

some assert, 'The Most Gracious has taken unto Himself a son'! Indeed, [by this assertion] you have brought forth something monstrous."

(Q.19:88-9, Asad). Instead of ("they brought forth") it is used

("you brought forth") to indicate that whoever makes a statement like

theirs he is to be reproached and rejected. Here Allah is addressing them

directly as if they were present.352

c. With regard to addressing a person with something, then suddenly the address is shifted to another person Ibn Qutaybah gives us two examples,

as follows: "And if they do not respond to your call" which

was addressed to the Prophet, and then suddenly shifted to unbelievers, as

the verse continues with "then know that

[this Qur‟ān] has been bestowed from on high out of God's wisdom alone,

and that there is no deity save Him." This is evident as the verse

continues addressing the unbelievers thus ( :) "Will

you, then, surrender yourselves unto Him?" (Q. 11:14, Asad).353

The

other example is ( :٨ ) "Verily, [O

Muhammad,] We have sent thee as a witness [to the truth], and as a herald

of glad tidings and a warner." (Q. 48:8, Asad). This verse was addressed

to the Prophet; then the address was suddenly shifted from him to people

in the following verse: ( :٩)

179

"so that you [O men] might believe in God and His Apostle, and might honour Him, and revere Him, and extol His limitless glory from morn to

evening." Q. 48:9, Asad).354

With regard to addressing two persons and suddenly the address is

directed to one of them only, Ibn Qutaybah gives us two examples. They

are: ( :٩) He replied: 'Who, now, is this Sustainer of

you two, O Moses?'" (Q. 20:49, Asad). Here Pharaoh spoke at first to both Moses and Aaron, but later spoke to Moses alone, saying "O

Moses".355

Another example is the following verse:

( :٧) “And thereupon We said: 'O Adam! Verily,

this is a foe unto thee and thy wife: so let him not drive the two of you out

of this garden and render thee unhappy.'" (Q. 20:117, Asad). We notice

here that at the beginning the address was directed to Adam only, then to him and his wife, then again to him only.

356

With regard to addressing somebody, but the address is intended for

somebody else, Ibn Qutaybah mentions the following example:

( :) "... , and when He brings you into being out of dust." (Q.

53:32, Asad). Here Allah means Adam himself, not his descendants.357

Al-Zarkashī in his work al-Burhān examines the iltifāt in more detail.

He mentions its definition, advantages, and divisions. He says that the

iltifāt is the change from one style to another as a means to alert and attract the listener, to renew his energy, and to protect his mind from boredom and

discontent caused by listening to an incessant single style

.358

Al-Zarkashī divides the advantages of the iltifāt into general and particular. The general advantage is that it gives an opportunity to use

various styles and to shift from one style to another which alert the listener

and attract his interest, to broaden the flow of the speech, and to facilitate the

use of poetic measure and rhyme

. The particular advantages are: to

honour the position of the person who is spoken to (the second person), to direct attention to the significance of the statement, to complete the meaning

intended by the speaker and to indicate hyperbole, specification, significance

180

and reproach.359

Al-Zarkashī divides the iltifāt into seven divisions: from the first person (the speaker) to the second (the person spoken to), from the first

person to the third, from the second person to the first, from the second

person to the third, from the third person to the first, from the third person to the second, and the formation of a verb for the object after the expression or

the speech has been given by its subject .360

Al-Zarkashī also includes the shift of the speech from one subject to

another in what he calls "close to the iltifāt" . The purpose of

this shift is to stop the discussion of a particular subject with an ignorant and

fanatical opponent, and to bring him to a new and different subject, so that

he will keep his attention on the new subject and forget the previous one. This is because the more we enter into the discussion with him on that

particular subject; the more he will reject our view. Then the former subject

is introduced slowly within the new subject. Al-Zarkashī includes in this category of expression close to the iltifāt: the shift from addressing one to

two persons, from one to three persons, from two to one person, from two to

three persons, from three to one person, and from three to two persons. He also includes what are called tempora and morphology which will be dealt

with later.361

Ibn Qutaybah's treatment of this subject, the iltifāt, is very brief and

rudimentary. He does not even use the term iltifāt in his work Ta’wīl, since this technical term seems to have been unknown in his time. Commentators

like al-T.abarī, al-Qurt.ubī, al-T.abarsī, and al-Zamakhsharī did not mention

it, and often give different interpretations rather than using it.

8. Juncture

Juncture is the joining of two different statements of two different

persons, so that they appear to be the statement of one person or one group

of persons. Among the examples given by Ibn Qutaybah are the following Qur‟anīc verses:

a. ( :) "Said she: 'Verily,

whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject.'" (Q. 27.34, Asad). This statement of Queen

Bilqīs of Sheba is followed by Allah's statement "And

this is the way they [always] behave." (Q. 27:34).362

This is the view of Ibn

„Abbās. However, another view says that the latter statement also belonged

181

to Queen Bilqīs who had witnessed and heard the habits of kings in the past.

363

b. ( :) "They will say: 'Oh, woe unto us! Who

has roused us from our sleep [of death]?'" which will be the statement of righteous Muslims when they are resurrected. The verse continues with the

angels' following statement: ( :)

"[Whereupon they will be told:] 'This is what the Most Gracious has

promised! And His message bearers spoke the truth!.'" (Q. 36:52, Asad).364

This is the view of Ibn „Abbās and al-Farrā‟ adopted by Ibn Qutaybah.

However, it is also possible that the statement of the angels is shared by the

believers, or it is exclusively the statement of the muttaqīn according to al-H.asan. Another view suggests that the statement refers to the unbelievers

who, after asking each other who raised them from their sleep, will finally believe in the Resurrection Day, when this belief was now of no avail.

365

9. Tempora

Ibn Qutaybah mentions the use of a verb in the past-tense when it is meant for the present or the future. He cites seven examples, among which

are as follows:

a. ( :) "You are indeed the best community

that has ever been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: ..." (Q. 3:110,

Asad). The word (lit. "you were") means "you are" and "you will be".

The use of the verb "to be" in the past-tense indicating the present and the

future is found profusely in the Qur‟ān, such as:

( :٩) "They exclaimed: 'How can we talk to one who [as yet] is

[ , lit., "was" ] a little boy in the cradle?'" (Q. 19:29, Asad).366

There are several views concerning the use of the verb (in this case

) in the above verse. Some say that it is used for emphasis. The other

view is that kāna indicates the past, namely, the believers were the best

community in the sight of Allah as mentioned in the Preserved Tablet

( ) which is the interpretation of al-Farrā‟ and al-Zajāj; according

to al-H.asan they were the best community mentioned in the previous

Scriptures. Kāna is also interpreted as s.āra (has become) and wujida (to

be found) or khuliqa (to be created), so that the verse in question means

"You have become ( ) indeed the best community that has ever been

182

brought forth for [the good of] mankind, because you enjoin...", and "you have been found (or created) to be the best community...".

367

b. ( :)

"And lo! God said: 'O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, "Worship me and my mother as deities beside God"?'..." (Q. 5:116, Asad).

The verb قال is in the past tense but is meant in the future when Allah

speaks to Jesus on the Last Day. The evidence that the occurrence of the

dialogue will be in the future is the verse that which follows reads:

( :٩) "[And on

Judgment Day] God will say: 'Today, their truthfulness shall benefit all who have been true to their word: theirs shall be gardens through which

running waters flow,...'" (Q. 5:119, Asad). The day referred to in this verse

is the Last Day, the Judgement Day.368

This is the view of Qatādah, Ibn Jurayj, and the majority of the commentators, and is supported by al-

Qurt.ubī and al-T.abarsī. Another view is that the dialogue had taken place,

namely, when Jesus ascended to Heaven, which is the view of al-Suddī

and Qut.rub.369

c. ( :) "God's judgment is [bound to] come: do not

therefore, call for its speedy advent! ..." (Q. 16:1, Asad). The verb (lit.

"it came") which is in the past-tense proclaims the future, namely, "it will come to pass", translated by Asad as "is bound to come" as mentioned

above.370

Various interpretations of ("Allah's judgment") are given,

among which are as follows: (1) the Judgment Day which is the view of

Ibn „Abbās; (2) Allah's punishment to the idolaters which is the view of al-H.asan and Ibn Jurayj as stated by al-T.abarsī, whereas according to al-

Qurt.ubī it is the view of al-Zajjāj; (3) Allah's injunctions and laws which

is the view of al-D.ah.h.āk according to al-T.abarsī, whereas according to

al-Qurt.ubī, it is also the view of al-H.asan and Ibn Jurayj.371

d. (

:٩) "And [remember:] it is God who sends forth the winds, so that they raise a cloud, whereupon We drive it towards dead land and thereby give

life to the earth after it had been lifeless: even thus shall resurrection be!"

(Q. 35:9, Asad). We notice here that the verb ("He sent forth"),

("then We drove it") and ("thereby We gave life to it") are in the

183

past-tense, but they mean the present and the future.372

Ibn Qutaybah does not mention the opposite of the above tempora, namely, the use of the present or the future-tense for the past-tense, such as:

( :) "And follow [instead] that which

the evil ones used to practice during Solomon's reign..." (Q. 2:102, Asad), in

which in the present or future is meant to be in the past. 373

The other

example is: ( :٩) ".... Say: 'Why,

then, did you slay God's prophets aforetime, if you were [truly] believers?'"

(Q. 2:91, Asad), in which the verb ("you slay") in the present or future-

tense is meant to be ("you slew") as translated above.374

10. Morphology

Ibn Qutaybah briefly mentions four categories of words which

morphologically disagree with their literal meanings. They are as follows:

a. A passive participle in the form of an active participle

, such as: (1) ( :) “Said [Noah]:

'Today there is no protection [for anyone] from God's judgment, save [for]

those who have earned [His] mercy!'...." (Q. 11:43, Asad). The word

(lit. "protector") which is an active participle, means ("protected")

in a passive participle in the above verse, namely, "nobody is protected

from His judgment" ( ).375

This is one interpretation. The

second interpretation is that means ("no protector"), so that the

verse means "there is no protector from Allah's punishment except He

[Allah] Who has mercy" since it is on that day of reckoning that the unbelievers deserve punishment.

376 The third interpretation is mentioned

by al-T.abarsī, namely, "there is no protector except to whom Allah has

mercy," meaning that whom Allah has mercy for will be protected.377

(2) ( : ) "He is created from a gushing fluid." (Q.

86:6, Pickthall). The verb (gushing) is an active participle meaning

(gushed) in passive participle.378

(3) The following verse of Wa„lat

al-Jarmī:

When I saw the horses following each other in groups,

I realised that it was a hard impudent day.

184

The word (lit., immoral actor) is an active participle meaning a

passive participle (acted upon immorally), so that the verse means "a

hard day in which immorality was committed" ( ).379

b. The verb pattern which means (doer), such as: (1)

(: ؛ ٧: ) “The originator is He of the heavens and the

earth:..." (Q. 2:117, Asad and 6:101). The word badī‘ means mubdi‘

("originator", "creator");380

(2) ( : , ,٧٨) "a painful

punishment" (Q. 2:10, 104, and 178). 381

The word (painful) means

(causes pain); (3) The verse of „Amr ibn Ma„dīkarib who was longing for

his sister Rayh.ānah who was taken captive by al-S.immah ibn Bakr as

follows:

Is it from [listening to] the inviter who makes us listen

[to what he said] about Rayh.anah that makes me anxiously

sleepless while my companions are peacefully sleeping?

Here the word means (who makes people listen). However, this

is an isolated meaning, since means "all-hearing".382

c. The verb pattern which means the active participle , such as

(all-preserving), (all-powerful), (all-hearing), (all-seeing),

(all-knowing), (glorious), and (originator of creation). All

these are the (emphatic form) of (preserving), (powerful),

(hearer), (seer), (knower), (possessor of glory), and

(originator of creation) respectively.383

d. Active participle in the form of passive participle

which is very rare, such as: ( :) "... Verily, His

promise is ever sure of fulfilment..." (Q. 19:61, Asad) in which the word

(lit., "is being brought") means (lit. "is coming").384

Ibn Qutaybah's material of disagreement of a word with its literal

meaning is very brief. It lacks organisation and details. He divides it into twenty-six categories with examples, which I divide systematically into ten

categories. More details are available in literature of later times, such as al-

185

Burhān of al-Zarkashī, Jāmi‘ of al-T.abarsī and al-Jāmi‘ of al-Qurt.ubī.

Moreover, he does not mention the other views which are contrary to his.

The lack of details and systematic division, as well as different views is apparent in Ibn Qutaybah's treatise of the phenomena of figurative language.

186

ENDNOTES TO CHAPTER III

1. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 134.

2. See Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 5, p. 326.

3. For further details, see „Iwad. H.amad al-Qawzī, al-Mus.t.alah. al-Nah.wī:

Nash'atuhu wa Tat.awwuruhu h.attá Awākhir al-Qarn al-Thālith al-Hijrī (Riyadh:

„Imādat al-Shu‟ūn al-Maktabāt, Riyadh University, 1401/1981), pp. 15-16.

4. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 20.

5. For further details, see Ibn Taymīyah, Majmū‘ Fatāwá, vol. 7, pp. 87-90

(Kitāb al-Imān).

6. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 255.

7. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 115-120. See also al-Jāh.iz., al-H.ayawān, 7 vols.

(Cairo: Mus.t.afá ‟l-Bābī ‟l-H.alabī, 1366/1947), vol. 6, pp. 248-252 in which the author

indicated his disbelief in ghouls, and said that stories about them were invented by

bedouins in their poetry and laymen who did not make any distinction between what to

believe, doubt, and what to disbelieve. Some of them falsely claimed to have seen

ghouls; others, killed, accompanied, even married them.

8. See Abū Ya„qūb Yūsuf ibn Abī Bakr al-Sakkākī, Miftāh. al-‘Ulūm, ed. and

annot. Na„īm Zarzūr, 2nd ed. (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-„Ilmīyah, 1407/1987), p. 371.

For the definition of majāz according to al-Sakkākī which is slightly different from

what has been mentioned above, see ibid., p. 359.

9. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 104; Sayf al-Dīn al-Kātib, et al., eds. and comment.,

Sharh. Dīwān Umayyah ibn Abī al-S.alt (Beirut: al-Wat.anīyah, 1352 A.H.), p. 28; and

al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 112. Abū „Uthmān „Amr ibn Bah.r al-Jāh.iz. said

instead of in the above poem, see Kitāb al-H.ayawān, vol. 5, p. 437;

10. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 104. According to Ibn Zayd and Ibn „Abbās, Hell is

called "a mother" because to it the unbeliever will take refuge as a baby does to his

mother. See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 30, pp. 182-183; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20,

p. 167.

11. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 106-107; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān,

vol. 1, p. 303. The camel is said to complain when it is tired of walking, when it

extends its neck and moans very often, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, p. 440.

12. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 108.

13. Ibid., p. 110 and idem, ‘Uyūn al-Akhbār, 4 vols. (Cairo: Dār al-Kitāb, 1324

A.H.). vol. 2, p. 306. There are various versions of this poem: for example, in one

version it is written , and ة , instead of , and ; see Abū ‟l-

„Atāhiyah, Dīwān Abī ’l-‘Atāhiyah (Beirut: Dār S.ādir, Dār Bayrūt, 1384/1964), p. 92;

in another version, according to Mas„ūdī's report, it is written and instead

of and ; see Anonymous, al-Anwār al-Zāhiyah fī Dīwān Abī ’l-‘Atāhiyah

187

(Beirut: Mat.ba„at al-Ābā‟ al-Yasū„īyīn, [1304-1305]/1887), p. 53, n. 1.

14. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 110 and idem, Tafsīr, p. 342.

15. Idem, Ta’wīl, p. 111.

16. For further details on this dialogue and event, see Q. 7:11-8; 15:31-44;

17:61-5; 38:71-85.

17. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 112. Ibn Qutaybah cites an example in which the

term means from the poem of al-„Ajjāj (d. 144/762) dealing with the earth, as

follows: "He revealed [i.e., subjected] to it [the earth] to be

settled and it became settled." See also ibid., pp. 111-112 and 490. For further details

on this poem, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 15, pp. 380-1.

18. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 113.

19. Ibid., pp. 114-5. Al-T.abarī mentions the view of as well as of Ibn

„Abbās that Allah did actually talk to and order the heaven to raise its sun, moon and

stars, and to the earth to bring out its trees and fruit, and to split its rivers, see al-

T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 24, p. 64. The h.adīth mentioning the Jewish woman who tried to

poison the Prophet was reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dā‟ūd, al-Dārimi, Ibn

Mājah and Ah.mad ibn H.anbal; see Wensinck, al-Mu‘jam, vol. 2, p. 533 (s.v. ); the

h.adīth mentioning the camel that complained to him was reported by Abū Dā‟ūd; see

ibid., vol. 3, p. 168 (s.v. ).

20. See „Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, Asrār al-Balāghah fī ‘Ilm al-Bayān, ed. Ritter

(Istanbul: Mat.ba„at Wizārat al-Ma„ārif, 1954), p. 29.

21. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 135; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, pp. 439-440;

and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 216.

22. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 139. According to Abū „Ubaydah the verse means

that their hearts become empty of reasoning, for they have no intellect ( ), see

Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 344; Another interpretation is given by Ibn „Abbās, that

their hearts become empty due to their fright and terror, see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 3, p. 321.

23. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 140; al-Farrā‟ gives “misguidance” instead of

“infidelity” as the metaphor for "death" in this verse, see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

353.

24. This is the view of Ibn Qutaybah and Abū „Ubaydah, see Ta’wīl, p. 140 and

Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 303. This is also the view of Mujāhid and Qatādah.

According to al-D.ah.h.āk, wizr means shirk (polytheism). See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 30,

p. 150. According to al-Murtad.á, sin is called wizr because it is a burden for the sinner.

However, anything which can be a burden can be called wizr. Therefore, it is possible

that the term wizr in the above verse means the Prophet's sorrow of his people's

disbelief when he and his companions were still in a weak position; see al-T.abarsī,

188

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 508.

25. Ibn Qutaybah, Tafsīr, p. 532. This is also the view of Ibn Zayd when he said

that wizr means "the Prophet's sin before his prophethood". See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol.

30, p. 150. The word athqāl (load) is also a metaphor for sin in Q. 29:13; see Ibn

Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 140 and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p.331.

26. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 145; al-Zamakhsharī gives "the permanent reward",

whereas al-T.abarsī gives "Allah's reward" and "Allah's Paradise" for the meaning of

in the above verse, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 226 and Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol.

1, p. 485.

27. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl. pp. 145-146; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p.

431 and vol. 4, p. 400 and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 229 and vol. 14, p. 321.

28. For further details, see Jamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Faraj „Abd al-Rah.mān ibn al-

Jawzī, Nuzhat al-A‘yūn al-Nawāz.ir fī ‘Ilm al-Wujūh wa ’l-Naz.ā'ir, ed. Muh.ammad

„Abd al-Karīm Kāz.im al-Rād.ī, 2nd ed. (Beirut: Mu'assasat al-Risālah, 1405/1985), pp.

331-334; idem, Muntakhab Qurrat al-‘Uyūn ’l-Nawāz.ir fī ’l-Wujūh wa ’l-Naz.a'ir fī ’l-

Qur’ān al-Karīm (Summary of Qurrat al-‘Uyūn), ed. Muhammad al-Sayyid al-Saft.āwī

and Dr. Fu'ād „Abd al-Mun„im Ah.mad (Alexandria: Munsha'at al-Ma„ārif, n.d.), pp.

135-138; al-H.usayn ibn Muh.ammad al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs al-Qur’ān aw Is.lāh. al-

Wujūh wa al-Naz.ā'ir fī ’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm, ed. „Abd al-„Azīz Sayyid al-Ahl (Beirut:

Dār al-„Ilm lil-Malāyīn, [1403-4]/1983), pp. 199-202; and Abū al-Fad.l Hubaysh ibn

Ibrāhīm [al-] Tiflīsī, Wujūh (Vujūh-i) Qur’ān, ed. Dr. Mahdī Muh.aqqiq (Tehran:

1360/[194] ), 4th ed., pp. 112-114.

29. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 147; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 93; and al-

T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 49. Other Qur‟ānic verses in which dhikr is a

metaphor for sharaf according to Ibn Qutaybah are Q. 21:10 and 23:71.

30. See Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 302-6; idem, Qurrah, pp. 117-122; al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 180-3; and Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 103-107.

31. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 167-168; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, p. 83.

According to al-T.abarsī and al-Murtad.á the poem is the elegy of Jarīr on „Umar ibn

„Abd al-„Azīz, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 64; and Amālī, vol. 1, pp. 38-39.

32. For another example from the Qur‟ān, see Q. 11:84. The Arabs used to

mention a place when they mean its content. They say, for example, (I have

eaten a good pot). See al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, pp. 216-217. In the English

language we say "the kettle boils" when we mean the water in it.

33. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 169-170; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 25, pp. 74-75; al-

T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 64-65; see also al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16,

pp. 140-142 and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, pp. 153-154.

189

34. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 170. Ibn „Abbās's variant reading for is

, meaning “in order to kill and to destroy you”, see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 5, p. 341. Therefore, the verse means "they looked at you with a kind of

look that if they could kill or destroy you with it, they would have done it". Al-Qurt.ubī

asserts that is also the variant reading of Ibn Mas„ūd, al-A„mash, Abū Wā'il

and Mujāhid; see al-Jāmi‘, vol. 18, p. 255.

35. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 171; idem, Tafsīr, p. 482 and idem, Ta’wīl

Mukhtalif al-H.adīth, ed. M.Z. al-Najjār (Beirut: Dār al-Jayl, 1393-1973), pp. 342-343.

See also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 7, p. 218; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 18, p. 256.

36. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 171. Al-Farrā‟ says that the verse means "they were

so frightened that their lungs swelled and pushed their hearts upward to their throat",

see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 340. It is said that this happens when a

person is in the state of fear, so that a coward is said to have his lung swollen.

However, the expression is only to indicate the disturbance of the heart of a person

who is in such extreme terror that his heart almost reaches his throat; see al-Qurt.ubī,

al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 145.

37. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 172.

38. For further examples of hyperbole in poetry, see ibid., pp. 172-180.

39. Ibid., p. 181; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 290; al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 9, p. 52; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 170.

40. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 181 and 155.

41. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p.123.

42. See al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 177; see also Abū al-Faraj al-

As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 19, p. 85.

43. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp.185-186 and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4,

p. 41. Here al-T.abarsī is quoting Ibn Qutaybah. For another example of sarcasm in the

Qur‟ān, see Q. 11:87.

44. Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 336; al-Zamakhsharī, Asās al-Balāghah

(Beirut: Dār S.ādir - Dār Bayrut, 1965) p. 354 (s.v. ); and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p.

1684 (s.v. ).

45. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 186-7; idem, Tafsīr, p. 479; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-

Ad.dād, p. 8; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 336. This is also the view of Ibn

„Abbās, al-Farrā‟, and Abū „Amr ibn al-„Alā‟ī; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 18, p.

241; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 336. Al-Qurt.ubī quotes another view

of Ibn „Abbās, who said that the term in the above verse means "black ashes" in

the language of the Khuzaymah tribe. Another view is that of al-Thawrī who says that

it means "the harvested field"; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 18, p. 242; see also Ibn

190

Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p. 345; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 336.

46. According to Abū Zayd in the language of Banī Tamīm means

(darkness), while in that of Qays it means (light). Al-As.ma„ī was reported to have

said that in the language of Najd means "darkness", while in that of others it

means "light". According to Ibn Fāris means "the mixture of darkness" (

), see Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, p. 148. For further details, see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān,

vol. 9, pp. 146-8; and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1333 (s.v. ).

47. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 178; see also Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 9.

48. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 187.

49. See Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p. 348.

50. See also Q. 2:230 and 249; 18:53, and 21:31.

51. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 187-8; idem, Tafsīr, p. 406; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi',

vol. 1, p. 375 and vol. 11, pp. 3-4; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 3, p. 462; Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, pp. 39-40; and Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 14.

52. Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 198; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 311-312; Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, pp. 425-426; and idem, Qurrah, pp. 172-173. For further details on z.ann, see

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, pp. 1924-1925 (s.v. ).

53. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 188.

54. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 203-205; al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4, p.

159; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 157; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 134.

55. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1503.

56. Al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 2, pp. 232-233 and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 4,

pp. 392-394. Ibn Fāris said that according to some grammarians of the school of

Bas.rah la‘alla signifies hope; others said that it is motivation, as in Q. 16:15; see Ibn

Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 170.

57. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 188; idem, al-Shi‘r wa al-Shu‘arā’, ed. Ah.mad

Shākir, 2 vols. (Cairo: Dār Ih.yā' al-Kutub al-„Arabīyah, 1364 A.H.), vol. 1, p. 321;

Abū al-Faraj al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 17, p. 55; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān,

vol. 1, pp. 48 and 304; al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 2, pp. 95-96; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.

3, p. 21; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 373; and idem, Qurrah, p. 150.

58. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 373-374; idem, Qurrah, p. 150; and al-

Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 263. For further details, see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1544 (s.v.

.(شرى

59. Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 34.

60. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 189; idem, Tafsīr, p. 270; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 412; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 487; al-Zarkashī, al-

191

Burhān, vol. 4, pp. 288-289; and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 6, p. 104; see also Lane,

Lexicon, pt. 8, p. 2933 (s.v. ). According to al-Qurt.ubī, some commentators say that

in this verse means "behind", but the majority say it means ("before"), as Ibn

„Abbās and Ibn Jubayr read instead of . Al-Māwardī mentions three views

concerning the use of meaning , as follows: (1) It is possible in any condition and

place, because it belongs to al-ad.dād; (2) It is possible only with time, because it can

be passed by man, so that it becomes behind it; and (3) It is possible only with bodies

which have no direction ( ), such as two stones which are opposite

each other, so that they are behind each other; this is the view of „Alī ibn „Īsá. See al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 11, pp. 35-36.

61. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp. 608-9; idem, Qurrah, pp. 233-234 (mentions three

homonyms only); Tiflīsī, Wujūh, p. 307; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 486.

62. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 189-190; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān,

vol. 2, p. 205. However, according to al-Zajjāj and al-T.abarī, ba‘d will not mean kull,

see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 54; and al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 25, p. 55.

63. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 190. According to al-Qayrawānī there is an ellipsis

of the expression ("she liked") in the above verse rather than interpreting "all" as

"some", so that the verse means "she has been given all things she liked"; see Makkī

ibn Abī T.ālib al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān [mistakenly] attributed to al-Zajjāj; re-ed.

by Ibrāhim al-Abyārī, 3 pts. with continuous pagination (Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-

Lubnānī, 1406/1986), pt. 3, p. 783.

64. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 190; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 35;

and Ibn al-Anbārī. al-Ad.dād, pp. 249-250.

65. See al-Farrā„, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, pp. 20-1.

66. Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2462 (s.v. ).

67. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 67. Ibn „Abbās was reported to

have mentioned as something above the gnat. According to Abū „Ali al-Fārisī, fawqa is

possible to mean "smaller" if it refers to quality, such as the ("This is

small and above small") and ("This is little and above little"). But it is

not possible to say ("This is an ant and above the ant") and

("a donkey and above the donkey") to mean respectively smaller than the ant and

the donkey, because they are not qualities but nouns. See al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-

Qur’ān, pt. 1, pp. 107-108.

68. For further details, see T.iflisī, Wujūh, pp. 228-9; Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, pp.

473-4; idem, Qurrah, pp. 188-189; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 364-5.

69. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 190-191. For more examples, see Q. 2:182 and

229. See also Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 2, pp. 184-185 and Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, pp. 745

192

(s.v. ) and 823 (s.v. ).

70. Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, p. 745 (s.v. ).

71. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 191; idem, Tafsīr, p. 271; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 5,

p. 169; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 3, p. 50 and vol. 18, p. 303; see also Abū

„Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 73; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 2, pp. 494-495; and

Lane, Lexicon, pt. 2, p. 794 (s.v., ).

72. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 18, p. 303.

73. Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp. 9-10; see also „Ubayd ibn Sallām, Lughāt al-

Qur’ān, pp. 183-184, n. 5.

74. Ibn al-Jawzī, Nuzhah, p. 308; idem, Qurrah, p. 123; Tiflīsī, Wujūh, pp. 109-

110; al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, pp. 197-198; and Ibn „Abbās, Gharīb al-Qur’ān, pp. 55

and 65.

75. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 192; idem, Tafsīr, pp. 227-228; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr,

vol. 2, p. 534; Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 6, pp. 153-154; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 6, p.

260 (s.v. ); al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 3, p. 53; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 1, pp.

109-110. It is said that ya'isa meaning ‘alima is the language of Hawāzin tribe, see al-

Zarqānī, Manāhil al-‘Irfān, vol. 1, p. 390. Ibn Qutaybah does not give us any example

for the basic meaning of ya'isa in the Qur‟ān which is in Q. 12:87; see Ibn al-Jawzī,

Nuzhah, p. 633; idem, Qurrah, p. 246; and al-Dāmaghānī, Qāmūs, p. 501. There are

variant versions in the verse in question: (a) ibn fāris Zahdam; the horse Zahdam

belonged to Suh.aym ibn Wathīl al-Yarbū„ī; therefore, in this case, the poem belonged

to his son Jābir ibn Suh.aym; (b) ibn qātil Zahdam; Zahdam was a person killed by

Wathīl; in this variant version the poem belonged to Suh.aym; (c) ibn fāris Lāzim;

Lāzim was the horse of Suh.aym; in this variant version, the poem belonged to Jābir ibn

Suh.aym; see Ibn al-Kalbī, al-Khayl: Nasab al-Khayl fī ’l-Jāhilīyah wa ’l-Islām

(Leiden: N.p., 1928), p. 17, quoted by „Abd al-Salām M. Hārūn in Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs,

vol. 6, p. 154, n. 1.

76. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 194.

77. Ibid., p. 197; al-A„shā's version of the poem is

("Until it was kindled, then the firebrand was like its dust"); see Maymūn ibn

Qays al-A„shá, Diwān al-A‘shá (Beirut: Dār S.ādir, 1966), p. 18.

78. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 193. Al-Farrā‟ says that if a transitive verb has two

objects, and one of them is a person, the person should be mentioned first, although it

can be mentioned second; for further details, see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 79-80.

Al-Zamakhsharī said that wa‘d is mentioned first in the verse to indicate that Allah

does not break His promise, let alone breaking away from His messengers; see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 713.

79. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 193. Al-Farrā‟ gives the interpretation of the above

193

verse, namely, "if you worship them, they will be enemies for me [namely, Prophet

Abraham] till the Judgement Day". In this case, there is no inversion; see Ma‘ānī ’l-

Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 281.

80. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 193. See also al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2,

p. 725.

81. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 95. According to al-Zajjāj both words

have the same meaning, except that daná means "to be near" (qaruba), whereas tadallá

means "to become nearer" ( ), see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p.

173.

82. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 193 and idem, Tafsīr, p. 500. This interpretation of

Ibn Qutaybah is cited by al-T.abarsī under the name of al-Qutaybī, but without

mentioning the occurrence of inversion, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 396. Al-

Qayrawānī mentions two interpretations of this verse, also without mentioning the

occurrence of any inversion in it, as follows: (1) ("but man shall be

an eye-witness against himself") and (2) ("but man, [there] shall

be an eye-witness againnst himself"). The second interpretation is like the expression

("Zayd, there is a boy in his house"). This is the interpretation to which al-

Qayrawānī leans. See I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, pp. 536-537.

83. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 195.

84. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 92.

85. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 202.

86. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 439.

87. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 193, 195 and 197-198; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz

al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 38-39. From here, namely page 198, Ibn Qutaybah deals with the

inversion by mistake up to page 205 inclusively. He then begins examining this

particular inversion we are dealing with again.

88. For further details, see al-T.abarsi, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, pp. 47-48; see

also al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 2, pp. 115-119.

89. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 205-6; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 133;

al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 15, p. 126; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 10, p. 351; al-Qayrawānī,

I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 713; and al-T.abarsi, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 449.

90. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 206; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 10, p. 460; and al-

Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 725.

91. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 21-22.

92. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, p. 67.

93. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 180. This view of al-Zajjāj was

chosen by al-S.ābūnī, see M.A. al-S.ābūnī, S.afwat al-Tafāsīr (Beirut: Dār al-Qur‟ān al-

Karīm, 1402/1981), vol. 2, p. 24.

194

94. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 206; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 269; al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 79; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 30, p. 137; and al-Qayrawānī,

I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 725.

95. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 207-208.

96. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, pp. 91-92; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1,

p. 357; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, pp. 370-371.

97. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 92.

98. Ibid.

99. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 358.

100. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 93.

101. See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 33; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1,

pp. 437-438.

102. Ibn al-Munayyir, al-Ins.āf (in the margin of al-Kashshāf), vol. 2, p. 53,

quoted by Dr. Labīb al-Sa„īd, Difā‘, pp. 75-76.

103. Niz.ām al-Dīn al-Nīsābūrī, Gharā'ib al-Qur’ān wa Raghā’ib al-Furqān, in

the margin of al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 31.

104. For further details, see Ibn al-Jazarī, al-Nashr, vol. 2, pp. 263-264.

105. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 208; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p.

723.

106. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 442.

107. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 164; al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 3, p. 33; and

al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 39.

108. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 11, p. 260 and al-Suyūt.ī, al-Itqān, vol. 3, p. 33.

See also al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 725.

109. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 208-9; and al-T.abarsī, Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 167.

110. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 35.

111. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 209.

112. According to al-T.abarsī, this is also the view of the majority of the

philologists (ahl al-lughah), see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 82.

113. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 5, p. 292; see also al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān,

vol. 1, pp. 279-280. Al-T.abarsī mentions the fourth view which is almost similar to the

third, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 82.

114. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 199; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 99;

and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 15, p. 253.

115. This is one example of the expresssion "some" which means "one" in the

classical Islamic literature. It is said "some scholars say" or "some jurists say" when it

sometimes means "one scholar" and "one jurist".

195

116. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 199; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1,

p. 64.

117. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 63-64.

118. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2, p. 214; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol.

1, pp. 99-100.

119. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 203; and idem, Tafsīr, p. 68.

120. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi', vol. 2, pp. 214-215.

121. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 203.

122. Al-Farrā‟ mentions both views and says that both are correct; see, Ma‘ānī

’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, pp. 99-100. For further details on the above verse, see al-Murtad.á,

Āmālī, vol. 1, pp. 154-157.

123. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 64 and vol. 2, p. 39.

124. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, pp. 311-312. Lane mentions two Arabic

words for the "key", with its plural , and with its plural . is

also the plural of which means "a place in which things are reposited, stowed, laid

up, kept, preserved, or guarded (syn. and ); a hoard, a treasure, or a buried

property (syn. )"; see Lane, Lexicon, pt. 6, p. 2329 (s.v. ).

125. Al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 266. Ibn Qutaybah mentions

Qatādah's view only, namely, constitutes between ten and forty people, see

Tafsīr, p. 335.

126. See Asad, The Message, p. 603, n. 85.

127. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 199 and 203; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān,

vol. 2, p. 310.

128. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 200 and 204; idem, Tafsīr, p. 536; al-Farrā‟,

Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, pp. 285-286; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 307;

al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 30, p. 180; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 162; al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 530; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 3, p. 234.

129. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 200 and 205; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13,

p. 83.

130. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 205, and al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 19, p. 34.

131. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 205; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 274;

and al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 19, p. 34.

132. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 210. Al-Zamakhsharī says that the meaning of the

verse in question is "love and desire to worship the calf had penetrated into their hearts

like the penetration of gum into clothes", see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 90.

133. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 61; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 47; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 163; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 2, p. 31.

196

134. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 210.

135. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 119; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2, p.

405; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, p. 227.

136. What al-Qurt.ubī means is that, it is like , which means

, see al-Jāmi', vol. 2, p. 405.

137. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 210; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

386; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 779.

138. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 10, p. 301; see also al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 3, p. 431.

139. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 211; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 2, p. 79 (s.v.

).

140. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 212-3. It is assumed here that Ibn Qutaybah reads

also h.ūr ‘īin in dative case, like and , see Ta’wīl, p. 213. Al-Farrā‟, al-

Qurt.ubī, al-T.abarsī and al-Zamakhsharī mention three possible readings of :

(genitive), (accusative), and (nominative). (1) is the

reading of H.amzah and al-Kisā‟ī and others, because it is affected by a hidden verb,

namely, ("they enjoy") as if it is said ("They

enjoy bowls, fruit, flesh and companions pure, most beautiful of eye"). (2) is the

reading in Ubayy ibn Ka„b's and Ibn Mas„ūd's codices which is also the reading of al-

Ashhub al-„Uqaylī, al-Nakhā„ī, and „Īsá ibn „Umar al-Thaqafī. The noun is affected by

the hidden verb ("and they marry"). (3) which is the reading of the

jumhūr, as if it is said ("and with them companions pure, most beautiful

of eye"). For further details, see al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, pp. 123-124, al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, pp. 204-205; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp.

215-6. For a slightly different interpretation, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2,

pp. 1441-1442.

141. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 213; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p.

124. According to al-Qurt.ubī, the ellipsis of the verb is due to its being related to the

verb foddering, see al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 357.

142. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 213; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 123;

and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 205. Lane translates the above poem as follows:

"When the females content with their husbands (or with their beauty) shall go forth (or

went forth) one day, and shall lengthen (or lengthened) with black collyrium the

eyebrows and the eyes." See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 3, p. 1215 (s.v. ). Al-Numayrī was a

camel-herdsman ( ); see Brockelmann, Ta’rīkh, vol. 1, p, 217; and Nicholson, A

Literary History, p. 245.

143. Ibn Qutaybah. Ta’wīl, p. 214; this view was also mentioned by later

197

commentators, such as al-Qayrawānī, Ibn Kathīr and al-Zamakhsharī; see I‘rāb al-

Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 21; Tafsīr, vol. 2, pp. 533-4; and al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 691.

144. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, pp. 318-9. See also al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-

Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 21

145. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 331.

146. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, p. 319; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol.

2, pp. 7 ad 63.

147. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, p. 319; Asad, The Message, p. 465; and al-

T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 293.

148. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 215; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p.

491.

149. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.15, p.240. For further details, see al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, pp. 1349-1350.

150. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 215.

151. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 216; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 78;

and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 14. It was said that Ishmael was still young

at the time, and Abraham alone built the Ka„bah. This is an isolated view, and

therefore, according to al-T.abarsī, is unacceptable. Both Abraham and Ishmael built

the Ka„bah, although Ishmael merely handed stones to Abraham, according to Ibn

„Abbās. Moreover, both prayed that their duty be accepted by Allah, indicating that

both built it. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 207; see also al-Zamakhsharī,

al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 104.

152. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2, p. 126; al-Farrā‟ mentions the variant reading

of „Abd Allāh only, see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 78 and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 1, p. 207.

153. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 217 and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p.

120. Al-T.abarsī mentions the ellipsis of both terms wa qad.á and wa aws.á, in the

above verse, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, pp. 408-409.

154. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 10, p. 237.

155. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 218; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 116;

al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 19; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 10, p. 223; and

al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 759.

156. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 217; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 235; and idem,

Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p. 538. Al-T.abarī and al-Qurt.ubī mention dhahaba only, see

Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 154l; and al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 262.

157. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 224; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 19, pp. 194-195;

and al-Zamakshsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1574. Al-T.abarsī mentions the ellipsis of

either of the two main clauses, namely, ("they will verily be raised") or

198

("verily, there is an example in them"), see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 429.

158. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 223-224; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 4.

159. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 75. Al-T.abarsī mentions a similar

view to that of al-Farrā‟, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 140-141.

160. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 225. Beside the ellipsis of lā, both al-Qurt.ubī and

al-T.abarsī also mention the ellipsis of (lit, "disliking"), so that the verse means

("disliking them to deviate"), see al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, p. 356 and Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 412; see also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1181.

161. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, p. 356. Al-Zamakhsharī also mentions this

interpretation with the ellipsis of min, so that the verse means ; see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1181.

162. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 225 and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p.

70.

163. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 306. As in the previous verse (Q. 35:41),

al-T.abarsī also mentions the occurrence of the ellipsis of or ال (namely, ) in this

verse, see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 130. Al-Zamakhsharī gives two interpretations

of the verse , as follows: (a) ("because it brings your good deeds

to nought"), and (b) "for bringing your good deeds to nought,

namely, for fear of bringing them to nought"). He cites the variant reading of Ibn

Mas„ūd ("so that your good deeds come to nought"), see al-Kashshāf, vol.

2, p. 1385. According to Ibn „Abbās the occurrence of the ellipsis of ال in

in Q. 4:176 meaning is the language of the Quraysh, see Gharīb al-

Qur’ān, p. 43.

164. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, pp. 249-250 and al-

T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 28.

165. Ibn Qutaybah Ta’wīl, p. 226; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, p. 361, and vol.

15, p. 195; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 156; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, pp. 412-413; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1182. In fact,

the earth has been mentioned earlier in the previous verse (Q. 35:44). The above verse

was misquoted by Ibn Qutaybah when he used rather than ا . However, a

similar verse using the term and rather than ا and is as

follows: ( :) "Now, if God were to take

men [immediately] to task for all the evil that they do [on earth], He would not leave a

single living creature upon its face." (Q. 16:61, Asad).

166. Ibn Qutaybah Ta’wīl, p. 226.

199

167. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 158; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 579.

168. See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 529.

169. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1627.

170. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 228; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 159.

Asad translates ālā’ as "powers" since the repeated verse "bears not only on the

bounties which God bestows on His creation but, more generally, on all manifestations

of His creativeness and might...", and refers the dual ("of you both") to "the two

categories of human beings, men and women, ..." rather than man and jinn. For further

details, see The Message, pp. 824-825, n. 4.

171. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1436.

172. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 227.

173. Ibid., p. 228; idem, al-Shi‘r wa al-Shu‘arā’, vol. 1, p. 357; al-Farrā‟,

Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 231 and vol. 2, pp. 7-8; and al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 22, p.

98.

174. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 228; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2,

p. 289; see also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1588.

175. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, pp. 245-6; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘,

vol. 19, p. 252. Other examples are the people of Hijāz say and ,

whereas others say and ; see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān,

vol. 5, p. 451.

176. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 230; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

27; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 414; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 42.

177. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 229; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

229; and Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 4, p. 265.

178. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 219.

179. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, pp. 324-325. For other

interpretations, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1170; and al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 401.

180. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 222; al-Farrā‟, and Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

377. Instead of , al-Zamakhsharī interprets the ellipsis of the clause as "is not only

for them, because the idolaters are their partners in it (the world)", see al-Kashshāf,

vol. 1, p. 445.

181. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, pp. 199-200. See also al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 2, p. 413.

182. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 221; idem, al-Shi‘r wa ’l-Shu‘arā', vol. 1, p. 26;

Ibn „Abd Rabbih, al-‘Iqd al-Farīd, vol. 1, p. 101; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān.

vol. 1, p. 74. According to Abū al-Faraj al-As.bahānī and al-Mufad.d.al, instead of

khāmirī it is abshirī in the poem; see al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 21, p. 136; and C.J.

200

Lyall, ed., The Mufad.d.alīyāt: An Anthology of Ancient Arabian Odes; compiled by al-

Mufad.d.al son of Muh.ammad [al-D.abbī] according to recension and with the

commentary of Abū Muh.ammad al-Qāsim Muh.ammad al-Anbārī, 1st ed. (Oxford:

Clarendon Press, 1921), p. 197. According to al-Jāh.iz. the poem belongs to Ta‟abbat.a

Sharran, whereas according to al-Murtadá, it might belong to Ta‟abbat.a Sharran or al-

Shanfará; see al-Jāh.iz., al-H.ayawān, vol. 6, p. 450 and al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 2, p. 72.

183. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 230; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 5, p. 242; and Ibn

Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 519.

184. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 231.

185. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 6, p. 141.

186. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 238; and al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 1, pp. 83-84 in

which al-Murtad.á is quoting Ibn Qutaybah. The asbāb al-nuzūl of these verses as

reported by Ibn Ish.āq from Ibn „Abbās is that al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, al-„Ās. ibn

Wā'il, al-Aswad ibn „Abd al-Mut.t.alib and Umayyah ibn Khalaf met the Prophet and

said to him: "O Muhammmad, let us worship what you worship, and you worship what

we worship, so that we share all together in all of our matters. If what you are bringing

is better than what we have, then we will have our share from it by joining you. But if

what we have is better than what you have, then you will have your share by joining

us." Then Allah revealed: "Say: O disbelievers!...". See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p.

224.

187. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 552; and al-Murtad.á, Amālī,

vol. 1, p. 84.

188. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, pp. 225-9; al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 552; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1638; al-

Murtad.á , Amālī, vol. 1, p. 85; and Mah.mūd ibn H.amzah ibn Nas.r al-Kirmānī, Asrār

al-Takrār fī ’l-Qur’ān, ed. „Abd al-Qādir „At.ā (Cairo: Dār al-I„tis.ām, 1398/1978), pp.

226-227.

189. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 239. If the repetition of the above verse serves as

reminder to people about Allah's favours, why does it also occur after mentioning

something other than favours, even punishment or threat? To this, al-Murtad.á gives us

his answer as follows: Although the punishment is itself not a favour, but mentioning,

describing or giving a warning of it is a great favour. This is because punishment as

well as reward is intended only for those who deserve it. See al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 1,

p. 88 and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 206. Asad, however, renders the

translation of ālā’ here as "powers" adopting the interpretation of some of the earliest

commentators, such as Ibn Zayd; see p. 208, n. 170 above and Asad, The Message, pp.

824-825, n. 4.

190. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 240. Al-Qurt.ubī is quoting the interpretation of

201

Ibn Qutaybah, whom he called al-Qutabī, on the above verse, see al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, pp.

159-60. For other examples of repetition, see Q. 102:3-4; 94:5-6; 75:34-35; 82:17-18;

54:15, 17, 22, 32, 40 and 51. Partial repetition of words is also treated by Ibn

Qutaybah, namely, when a letter is substituted by another in the repeated word,

because the speaker does not like to repeat the same word, such as and ,

and , and and . However, he does not mention any example from the

Qur‟ān for this partial repetition, and hence, we do not deal with it in this study.

191. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 240; Abū Mans.ūr „Abd al-Mālik al-Tha„ālibī,

Fiqh al-Lughah wa Asrār al-‘Arabīyah (Egypt: al-Mat.ba„ah al-Adabīyah, 1318 A.H.),

p. 216; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 211; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-

Qur’ān, pt. 3, pp. 818-819. It is said that the date-palm and the pomegranate were

singled out in this verse because at that time they were people's main food and were

grown abundantly from Madinah to Makkah and Yaman. Another view is that both are

not only fruit; the date-palms are food and fruit, whereas the pomegranates are fruit

and medicine; this is the view of Abū H.anīfah. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p.

186. According to al-Farrā‟, the date-palm and the pomegranate were singled out in

this verse to attract the inhabitants of Paradise ( ), see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān,

vol. 3, p. 119. For further details, see al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1438.

192. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 240-241 and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol.

5, p. 57. It was reported by Muh.ammad ibn Ka„b al-Qurazī that three people were

talking together between the Ka„bah and its curtains. Two of them were Qurayshīs, and

the other was a Thaqafī, or two Thaqafīs and one Qurayshī. One of them asked: "Do

you think that Allah hears our conversation?" The other answered: "If you speak loudly

He will hear it, but if you speak secretly He will not." But another one said: "If He

hears you when you speak loudly He will also hear you when you speak secretly."

Then the above verse was revealed. See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 25, p. 60; and al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 119. Al-Zamakhsharī simply makes the distinction

between the two terms by saying that is something a person says to himself or to

others in privacy ( , lit. "in a vacant place"), and is something people talk

among themselves; see al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1335.

193. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 241; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p.

57.

194. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 243; see also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1,

pp. 135-136.

195. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 291.

196. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 242. See also Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 6, p. 158;

and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 251, vol. 14, p. 147, vol. 15, p. 75, and vol. 18, p.

275.

197. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 244; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 1, p.

202

132.

198. For further details, see al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 374.

199. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 211.

200. See Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, p. 216.

201. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 170.

202. Al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 97.

203. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 439.

204. See al-Sakkākī, Miftāh. al-‘Ulūm, p. 367.

205. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 245-6; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān,

vol. 1, pp. 26 and 211.

206. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 246-247.

207. Al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 394.

208. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1554. was also the reading of

al-H.asan, al-A„mash and Ibn Kathīr; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 59.

209. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 207; Ibn al-Anbārī, al-Ad.dād, pp.

215-216; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 19, pp. 91-2. See also al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-

Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 133; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 393-395; and al-

Zamakshsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1554.

210. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 247; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p.

143.

211. Idem.

212. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 247-248 and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol.

1, p. 149. For the location of the poem, see W. Ahlwardt (ed.), Kitāb al-‘Iqd al-

Thamīn fī Dawāwīn al-Shu‘arā’ al-Jāhilīyīn (al-Nābighah, ‘Antarah, T.arafah, Zuhayr,

‘Alqamah, Imru’ al-Qays) (Greifswald, 1870. Reprint of the edition 1870; Osnabrück,

Biblio Verlag, 1972), p. 57.

213. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 248; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 547; Abū „Ubaydah,

Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 304; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 513; and al-

Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 672.

214. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 119.

215. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wil, p. 248; idem, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 547-548; al-Farrā‟,

Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 215; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 19, p. 126; and al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 407. For further examples from the Qur‟ān mentioned by

Ibn Qutaybah, see Ta’wīl, pp. 248 and 250, (Q. 23:20, 19:25, 68:6, 60:1, and 22:25). It

is also possible that instead of omitting bi in the interpretation of the above verse, it is

put in place of min, so that the verse means as translated by Dawood

above. For further details, see below p. 298.

203

216. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 250. Although al-Qurt.ubī gives the same

interpretation, he says that the position of the particle min in this verse is ; see al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 56.

217. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 250; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p.

674.

218. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 293. The last view is

mentioned by al-Zamakhsharī, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 480.

219. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 250; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 24;

and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān., pt. 2, p. 673.

220. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 8.

221. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 250-1; idem, Adab al-Kātib, p. 549; the

translation of the verse is based on Ibn al-Sayyid's commentary. Sarh.ah is the name of

a kind of thorny tree, but is used here as a metaphor for a woman. Poets had promised

„Umar ibn al-Khat.t.āb not to celebrate a woman in their poetry, and the poet here uses

the name of a tree as a metaphor for his beloved. Here, the preposition is additional,

as the verb is a transitive verb which does not require a preposition. It is said

(the thing pleases me), not . See Ibn al-Sayyid, al-Iqtid.āb, p. 458,

quoted by al-Sayyid Ah.mad S.aqr in Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 250, n. 6. Lane gives us

some details of the Sarh.ah tree. He says that it is "a certain kind of trees, of great size,

or seldom eaten by the camels, &c. [sic], but used for their shade: they grow in Nejd, in

plain, or soft and in rugged ground, but not in sand nor upon a mountain; and have a

yellow fruit; or any tree without thorns". See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 4, p. 1344 (s.v. ).

222. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 251. According to al-Zamakhsharī, the pronoun hi

in amrihi belongs to Allah, as translated by Pickthall above, or to the Prophet, see al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 964.

223. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 69.

224. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Ijmā‘, vol. 12, p. 323.

225. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 251.

226. See al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 799. Al-T.abarsī gives slightly different

interpretations, also indicating that inna is not additional in this verse; see Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 3, pp. 466-7.

227. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 251.

228. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1482; see also al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 288; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 5, p. 24.

229. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 251; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 12, p. 23; and Ibn

Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 12, p. 164. According to Muh.ammad Ibrāhīm Jum„ah, instead of

, it reads ; see Jum„ah, Jarīr (Cairo: Dār al-Ma„ārif, 1965), p. 68.

204

230. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 12, p. 23.

231. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 251-2; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2,

p. 1360.

232. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 56.

233. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 61.

234. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 208; see also below, p. 290. It seems to

me that Ibn Qutaybah was not sure whether in in the above verse is additional or not. In

his work Ta’wīl, he mentioned the above verse as an example of the occurrence of the

additional , then said ("and some of them said") mentioning the first

interpretation (that is additional in the above verse); then, he said again ,

mentioning the second interpretation (that is original); see Ta’wīl, pp. 251-252.

However, in his work Tafsīr, Ibn Qutaybah commented on the verse with as an

original meaning ("not"), then said ("and it is also said") mentioning the view

that in this verse is additional; see Tafsīr, p. 408.

235. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 208.

236. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 251; idem, al-Shi‘r wa ’l-Shu‘arā’, vol. 1, p. 197;

al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 9, p. 11 and vol. 13, p. 136; and al-Jāh.iz., al-Bayān wa ’l-

Tabyīn, 3 vols. in one binding (Cairo: al-Mat.ba„ah al-Tijārīyah, 1926-7), vol. 1, p. 86

237. This is one of two interpretations given by al-Zamakhsharī; the other

interpretation is with the ellipsis of (remember) preceeding ; see al-Kashshāf, vol.

1, p. 67.

238. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 252 and idem, Tafsīr, p. 45.

239. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 36.

240. This is al-Qurt.ubī's version of al-Zajjāj's interpretation, see al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1,

p. 262. Al-T.abarsī's version is "The beginning of your creation was when He said...";

see Jāmi‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 73.

241. See al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 1, pp. 153-154; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p.

72.

242. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, pp. 261-262; and al-

Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 1, p. 12.

243. See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 73.

244. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 252.

245. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, pp. 62-63.

246. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 252.

247. Ibid.; Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 58; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 12, p. 124. According to al-Farrā‟, mā in this verse is , see Ma‘ānī ’l-

205

Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 133.

248. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 252. It is also said that in this verse is . For

further details, see Al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 446.

249. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 253.

250. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 15, p. 285. According to a h.adīth reported by

Bukhārī and Muslim on the authority of Ibn Sa„d al-Sa„īdī, Paradise has eight gates and

will be opened before its companions come to them. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 4, p. 511.

251. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 68.

252. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 253.

253. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 330. The expression "our way" in this

verse, according to al-T.abarsī, means "our religion", see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p.

275.

254. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 254; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 568 (s.v. );

and al-T.abarī, Jami‘, vol. 4, p. 85.

255. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 15, p. 104.

256. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 254, and al-Murtad.á, Amālī, vol. 3, p. 49.

257. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 322.

258. See Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 112. However, Abū „Ubaydah was said to

have been asked by al-Thawrī the meaning of in the above verse, and said that it

meant (His glory, dignity, honour). It is like the expression ,

meaning "Such-and-such has an honour among people". See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.

13, p. 322. In this case, I lean to what he himself wrote in his work Majāz al-Qur’ān

rather than what is reported to be his statement to al-Thawrī.

259. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 314. This is also the interpretation

given by al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī and Ibn al-Jawzī; see Qāmūs, p. 483; Wujūh, p. 304;

and Nuzhah, p. 618 and idem, Qurrah, p. 235. Although Ibn al-Jawzī mentions as

the meaning of , after giving examples from the Qur‟ānic verses, including the

above verse, he mentions . What he means is that means "Allah" Himself;

see Nuzhah, p. 618.

260. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1069.

261. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 254. This is also the view of al-Dāmaghānī, Tiflīsī

and Ibn al-Jawzī; see Qāmūs, p. 483; Wujūh, p. 304; Nuzhah, p. 618 and Qurrah, p.

235 .

262. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 255; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1,

p. 16.

263. Al-T.abarī, Tafsīr, vol. 1, p. 40.

206

264. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 99.

265. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 255.

266. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 193.

267. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 255; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, pp. 98-99.

Al-As.bahānī states that the above line of verse was recited by either Labīd, Ish.āq, or

Ibrāhīm to his two daughters while he was dying; the two daughters wore their

mourning dress and attended the court of Banī Ja„far ibn Kilāb for one year of

mourning for their father's death; see al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 14, pp. 101-102.

268. See al-Sakkākī, Miftah. Al-‘Ulūm, p. 402.

269. Ibid., p. 403. Sometimes what is thought to be h.aqīqah is in fact kināyah. A

friend said jokingly that in order to see a dentist a man had to go abroad, because in his

homeland he was not able to open his mouth; he had to keep his mouth shut.

270. The kunyah had become more commonly used since the second/eighth

century. With some exceptions, such as Anas ibn Mālik, it became impolite to address

someone directly with his name in this time, unless he was socially inferior to the

speaker. The honoric title (laqab), such as Fakhr al-Dīn ("Glory of the Faith") and

‘Alā’ al-Dīn ("Loftiness of the Faith") was intrduced, and the nisbah (lit., "kinship",

"affilication" or "affinity") developed. Besides the old tribal and genealogical nisbahs,

such as al-Qurashī (from the Quraysh tribe), there appeared other types of nisbahs,

such as the bearer's place of birth or residence (e.g., al-Rāzī, "from the town of Rayy"),

of his religious rite (e.g., al-Mālikī, "the adherent of the Mālikī rite") and of his

profession (e.g., al-Bāqillānī "the green-grocer"). The patronymic - namely, the name

derived from that of a parent, consisting of Ibn ("son of") or Bint ("daughter of")

followed by the name of one of the parents, usually the father, or ancestors - based on

profession also developed, such as the name Ibn al-Khāt.ib ("son or descendant of the

preacher"). An example of a complete name is „Imād al-Dīn (laqab) Abū al-Fidā'

(kunyah), Ismā„īl (name) Ibn al-Athīr (patronymic) is simply called Ibn al-Athīr. Since

more than one well-known person bears this name, his laqab or kunyah is added to it

and becomes „Imād al-Dīn Ibn al-Athīr and Abū al-Fidā‟ Ibn al-Athīr. See A.F.L.

Beeston, "Arabic Nomenclature," Arabic Literature, pp. 19-20. Al-Sakkākī includes

the patronymic in the category of kunyah; see Miftah. al-‘Ulūm, p. 402.

271. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 256.

272. Ibid.; al-„Uzzá is the name of an idol in pre-Islamic Arabia, see idem, al-

Ma‘ārif, ed. Tharwat „Ukāshah (Egypt: Dār al-Ma„ārif, [1969]), p. 75.

273. Idem, Ta’wīl, pp. 257-8; and idem, al-Ma‘ārif, p. 330.

274. See idem, al-Ma‘ārif, pp. 331, 70, 146. Abū Hurayrah's personal name

could also be „Abd al-Rah.mān, „Abd „Amr, „Umayr ibn „Āmir and others, see ibid, p.

158. Ibn Qutaybah states further that the kunyah which consists of Abū and the name of

the first son is sometimes considered a unit by the Arabs. They write, for example,

„Alī ibn Abū T.ālib and Mu„āwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān, rather than respectively ibn Abī

207

T.ālib and ibn Abī Sufyān in genitive case, see idem, Ta’wīl, p. 257. See also al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1641.

275. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 260. We are told that it was the Arabs' tradition to

name their children with the names of animals and things, such as the leopard, the

wolf, the lion, and the stone. When a child was born he was named with something

their parents saw or heard and with which they were optimistic, such as the stone

which is the symbol of solidness, patience and eternity; see al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-

Lughah, p. 248. At present we have Fahd (a cheetah, a panther, a lynx) who is the king

of Saudi Arabia, and Asad (a lion) who is the president of Syria. In the West we have,

for example, names such as: Leo (a lion), Deborah (a bee), Arthur (a bear) and Ursula

(a she-bear).

276. Al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1641.

277. See Asad, The Message, p. 983, n. 1; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, pp.

236-237.

278. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 260-1.

279. Ibid., p. 261.

280. Ibid., pp. 261-262. „Uqbah was killed by „Alī at the battle of Badr, and

Ubayy ibn Khalaf was killed by the Prophet at the battle of Uh.ud, see al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 166; al-Qurt.ubī and al-Suyūt.ī were not sure of the name

of the person meant here, either Ummayyah ibn Khalaf or his brother Ubayy; see al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 25 and al-Itqān, vol. 4, p. 88.

281. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 262-3. See also al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf,

vol. 2, p. 974.

282. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 26.

283. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 263.

284. See Lane, Lexicon, pt. 5, p. 2004 (s.v. ).

285. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 263-4; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1,

p. 160. Ibn „Abbās provides the example of ta‘rīd. in the above case as follows: "I want

to marry a woman who has such-and-such characteristics" by mentioning those that are

obviously hers; see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 338.

286. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 267; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p.

155. Ubayy ibn Ka„b was said to have held the same view with that of Ibn „Abbās; see

al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 484. The expression "instilling allusions is an

alternative to lying" is also the saying of the Prophet. „Umar said that by using allusion

the Muslims can avoid lying. In fact, the use of allusion as an alternative to lying is a

proverb among the Arabs. See Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 7, p. 183

287. Al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 11, p. 20; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol.

1, p. 809.

288. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 268; idem, Mukhtalif al-H.adīth, p. 35; and al-

208

Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 206-207. This statement of Prophet Abraham is,

in fact, a confession on his part that it was he and not the chief idol who had destroyed

the idols; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 11, p. 300. This is one of the three lies he is

alleged to have told. The other two are his statement after looking at the stars that he

was sick (Q. 37:88-89) and his telling the Pharaoh that his wife Sarah was his sister

because he feared for himself and his wife. A h.adīth mentioning these three lies was

reported by al-Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Dārimī, al-Tirmidhī, Abū Dā‟ūd and Ah.mad; see

A.J. Wensinck and J.P. Mensing, cont. J. Bergman, Al-Mu‘jam al-Mufahras li-Alfāz. al-

H.adīth al-Nabawī (H.adīth Concordance), 8 vols. (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1936-88), vol. 7,

p. 550 (s.v. ). It was also reported by al-Bayhaqī; see Abū Bakr Ah.mad al-Bayhaqī,

Kitāb al-Sunan al-Kubrá, appended with al-Maridīnī ("Ibn al-Turkmānī")'s work al-

Jawhar al-Naqī, and an index of h.adīths, ed. Dr. Yūsuf al-Mur„ishlī, 10 vols. (Beirut:

Dār al-Ma„rifah, n.d.), vol. 7, p. 366. According to Ibn Qutaybah, these statements of

Prophet Abraham are merely allusions. His statement ("verily, I am sick")

means ("verily, I shall be sick"). It is similar to the verse (lit. "verily

you are dead") which means ("verily, you will die"), see Q. 39:30. His

statement that his wife Sarah was his sister was not a lie, because human beings as

children of Adam are brothers and sisters. Moreover, Allah said that the believers are

brothers and sisters (Q. 49:10). Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 267-268; and idem,

Mukhtalif al-H.adīth, p. 35.

289. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 54. Al-Zamakhsharī mentions

four interpretations on the above verse, as follows: (1) It is like the answer of a

calligrapher to an illiterate or semi-illiterate person who asks him "Did you write this?"

with "You did it." (2) They should not deny the act of the big idol, since whoever is

worshipped and called a god has the right to be able to do such an act and more. (3) It

is reported that Prophet Abraham said: "The largest of them has done it, because he

was angry at being worshipped together with the small ones." (4) The variant reading

of Muh.ammad ibn al-Sumayfi‟ , meaning ("perhaps the

executor was the big one among them"). See al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 887.

290. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 269; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p.

389. According to al-Farrā‟ and Abū „Ubaydah the word aw (or) means wa (and), so

that the verse means "We [who believe in Him] are on the

right path, and you [who deny His oneness] have clearly gone astray." For further

details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 14, pp. 298-9; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 22, p. 65;

and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 362.

291. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 269-70. The use of generic "you" is common in

English. While talking about Lake Tempe near my home town (Sengkang, South

Sulawesi), Mrs. Messie Stock who taught me English at Cokroaminoto University

(Solo, Indonesia), asked me: "Can you swim in that lake?" When I answered: "No, I

209

can't," she said: "I mean, can people swim there?" Then I realised that "you" here

meant "people in general".

292. Ibid., pp. 272-3.

293. Ibid., p. 273. This is the view of Qatādah. However, according to Muqātil

the man referred to in the above verse is al-Aswad ibn „Abd al-Asad. Another view

says that it was Ubayy ibn Khalaf. Yet, another view says that it refers to all

disbelievers; see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 19, p. 271.

294. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 273.

295. Ibid., p. 274. This is also the view of al-T.abarī, see Jāmi‘, vol. 11, pp. 115-

6.

296. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 479. For further details, see al-

T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 11, pp. 115-6.

297. Al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 133.

298. The conjecturers meant in this verse according to al-Farrā‟ and Ibn Zayd

are those who made conjectures in belying the Prophet that he was a magician, a poet,

a soothsayer, and a tale-teller; see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 83; and al-T.abarī,

Jāmi‘, vol. 26, p. 119.

299. According to Mujāhid the expression in the Qur‟ān is meant to be

the disbelievers among the people. The verse was revealed, as reported by al-D.ah.h.āk

from Ibn „Abbās, in the case of „Utbah ibn Abī Lahab who became apostate after

converting to Islam. The Prophet's imprecation against him took place when he was

attacked by a lion on his business journey to Syria. His father mourned him, saying

"Whatever Muh.ammad has ever said happens." See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 19, pp.

217-8. A third view is attributed to al-D.ah.h.āk, that the person referred to in the verse

was Umayyah ibn Khalaf, see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 438. The verse

has two interpretations: (a) it is ta‘ajjub (wonder) of man's unbelief

(ungratefulness), as translated by Pickthall and Arberry respectively as "how

ungrateful!" and "how unthankful he is!"; Ibn Jurayj says that it means "how strong is

his disbelief"; this is also al-Zamakhshari's interpretation; (b) it is istifhām tawbīkh

(now called istifhām tawbīkhī, a rhetorical question indicating reproach) as reported by

Abū S.ālih from Ibn „Abbās, as translated by A. Yusuf Ali above. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 19, pp. 217-8; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 30, p. 35; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān,

vol. 3, p. 237; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 438; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1579.

300. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 275. According to Ibn „Abbās the expression

meaning “God‟s curse be on them” is the language of H.imyar, see Gharīb al-

Qur’ān, p. 71.

301. According to Ibn „Abbās the word qutila as in the above verses is meant

lu‘ina (curse be!). This is also the view of the majority of grammarians and

210

commentators, such as al-Farrā‟, al-Zamakhsharī and Ibn al-Anbārī who say that those

who are cursed by Allah are similar to dead and perished people. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 33; al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1409; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān,

vol. 3, p. 23 and vol. 5, p. 153.

302. Ibn Fāris, al- S.āh.ibī, p. 169. Abū Lahab did actually perish a week after the

battle of Badr. The term indicates the occurrence of the imprecation; see al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1640. This is supported by Ibn Mas„ūd's variant

reading with the emphasis ; see al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 558.

303. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 276. Even today the Arabs in Palestine and

Lebanon still use the expression ("may Allah make him disgraceful") or

("may Allah make his face ugly") in praising a smart person or blaming a tricky

one.

304. See Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 95.

305. See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 448.

306. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 277; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p.

288.

307. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 279; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p.

8. Al-Zarkashī places this type of question in the above verse into the category of إ

(intimacy), whereas Ibn Fāris places it as (giving understanding), namely, that there

was something important about Moses's staff which he did not know. See al-Zarkashī.

al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 343.

308. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 279; al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1569;

and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 421.

309. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 279-80.

310. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, pp. 328-38.

311. Ibid., pp. 338-44.

312. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 280-1. See also Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-

Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 197; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 15 and 288.

313. According to al-Farrā‟ the verse was revealed about Ibn al-Ziba„rá and

poets like him who ridiculed the Prophet with their satiric poems; see Ma‘ānī ’l-

Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 285.

314. Al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 247; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 1, pp. 250-1. There are many interpretations on the above verse, among

which are as follows: (a) The opinion of Mujāhid, Muqātil, „Ikrimah and al-Kalbī that

the person who informed the s.ah.ābah was Nu„aym ibn Mas„ūd al-Ashja„ī as

mentioned by Ibn Qutaybah above; (b) The opinion of al-Suddī that when the Prophet

and his companions were preparing to go out and fight Abū Sufyān and his allies, the

hypocrites came to them to stop them; (c) Abū Ma„shar said that they were a group of

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people from the Hudhayl tribe among the people of Tihāmah who came to Madinah

and informed the Prophet's companions about Abū Sufyān and his followers. See al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 4, pp. 279-80.

315. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 281-2. Al-Farrā‟'s commentary on this verse is

that Allah did not create the people among the two groups, the jinn and the human

beings, except to believe in the oneness of God; see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 89.

Al-Zamakhsharī's commentary is that Allah wants the people to worship Him based on

their free will and not by force, because they are created with the ability to choose, and

some of them choose not to worship Him; see al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1414.

316. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 55.

317. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 161.

318. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 283.

319. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 221.

320. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1387.

321. See Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 219; and al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 131. For further details, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16,

pp. 309-10 and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 70.

322. Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 219. According to Ibn Abī

Dā‟ūd al-Sijistānī this was the reading of Mujāhid, whereas Ubayy read ,

see Ibn Abī Dā‟ūd al-Sijistānī Kitāb al-Mas.āh.if, pp. 304 and 106.

323. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 283; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p. 232; al-

Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 219; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān., pt. 3, p. 787.

Al-T.abarsī mentions four views regarding the use of the plural instead of the dual

in in this verse, as follows: (1) The dual is plural in meaning, namely, more than

one, so that the plural form is used here for the dual; it is the same as the verse ,

( :٧٨) ("... and We bore witnesses to their judgement" Q. 21:78,

Asad) in which هم (their) is referring to two, namely, David and Solomon; (2) Most

members of the human body consist of pairs, such as hands, legs and eyes; if the these

pairs are mentioned in two persons (dual), such as their (dual) hands and their (dual)

eyes, it is said respectively and in which hands and eyes are used in the

plural instead of the dual. Although (the heart) is not a pair in human body, it is

annexed to and grammatically treated like the pair, so that it is said ; (3) Since

is already in the dual, it is not necessary to put another dual before it; therefore is

said in plural, because, the plural is simpler. Moreover, unlike the dual, the plural and

the singular forms have a similar i‘rāb. However, the Arabs also say qalbāhumā, and

even mix the dual and the plural, as in the following poem:

("Their two backs are like the backs of two shields"). Here is used in plural,

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although it is for the dual. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, pp. 312-3.

324. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 283; idem, Gharīb al-H.adīth, vol. 1, p. 232; Abū

„Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 118; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 5, pp. 72-3; al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 274; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p.

15. For more examples, see al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 3, pp. 787-90.

325. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 282. Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 212. The term طائفة

according to Ibn „Abbās is for one to one thousand people according to one report,

whereas according to another, from four to forty. However, there are different views

concerning the minimum number of people for the term in the verse in question,

as follows: (1) One person, according to Mujāhid and al-H.asan. It is because,

according to Mujāhid, the term in ( :) "From

within every group in their midst, some shall refrain from going forth to war, ... " (Q.

9:122, Asad) means one person. (Here is translated by Asad, Pickthall and Ali as

"some", "a party" and "a contingent" respectively). Moreover, the term (two

groups) in ( :٩) "Hence, if two groups of believers fall to

fighting, ..." (Q. 49:9) means two fighting people, as the verse was revealed about

them. (2) Two persons, according to „Ikrimah and „At.ā‟. This is also the established

view of Mālik who says that it is the same as that of bearing witness, where the

minimum of two witnesses are required. (3) Three persons, according to al-Zuhrī,

probably because it is the minimum number in Arabic plural. (4) Four persons,

according to Ibn Zayd who says that the case is like that of adultery where four

witnesses are required. This is also the view of Mālik in another report, al-Layth, al-

Shāfi„ī and Ibn Zayd. See al-Q urt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 12, p. 166; al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 936; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 124.

326. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 284; idem, Tafsīr, p. 316; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-

Lughah, p. 220; al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 765; and Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī,

p. 211. For more examples, see Q. 63:4 and 4:69; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p.

233.

327. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 285. See also Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 14, p. 21;

Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz, vol. 1, p. 79 and 131, vol. 2, pp. 44 and 195; and al-T.abarsī,

Majma‘, vol. 1, p. 365. However, it is also possible that the expression here

means "Verily, we are your brothers" (in plural) based on Sībawayh's view that the

term (brother), like (father), can also be formed in plural with ( ) and

( ) beside their respective broken plural and . See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2,

p. 138.

328. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 285. However, according to Abū „Ubaydah, the

term junub is invariably used disregarding gender and number; therefore, ( , ,

213

or ) junub is used; see Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 155. See also al-Munjid fī ’l-

Lughah wa ’l-A‘lām (Beirut: Dār al-Mashriq, 1969), p. 103 (s.v. ). However, some

Arabs also say (for the dual), and (for the masculine plural), and

(for the feminine plural); see Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 1, p. 279.

329. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 285; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 19, p. 34, al-Qurt.ubī,

al-Jāmi‘, vol. 13, p. 83; and Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 45 and 261.

For the meaning of amīr, see al-Munjid, p. 17 (s.v. ).

330. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 286; Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 11, p. 315; al-T.abarī,

Jāmi‘, vol. 14, p. 14, vol. 19, p. 47; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p. 427.

331. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 287; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 154

and 180; and Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 217 and 224. It is possible that both forgot the

fish; Yusha„ forgot to carry it, or to tell Moses that it had escaped, whereas Moses

forgot to tell Yusha„ to carry it. It is also possible that the term here means "both

postponed"; in the du‘ā’ it is said , meaning "may Allah postpone your

instant of death"; because both of them left the fish, both postponed it; see al-Qurt.ubī,

al-Jāmi‘, vol. 11, pp. 12-3; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 480.

332. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 287. There are different views concerning

messengers to the jinn, among which are as follows: (1) al-D.ah.h.āk: Allah sent

messengers to the jinn just as He sent them to mankind; (2) al-Kalbi: The messengers

are sent to mankind only, except Prophet Muhammad who was sent to mankind and

the jinn; (3) Ibn „Abbās: Messengers among the jinn are those who convey the

revelation they heard to their people; (4) Mujāhid: Messengers are from mankind, and

warners are among the jinn; this is the explanation of Ibn „Abbās's view. See al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 7, p. 86; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 2, p. 367; and al-

Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 426. Al-D.ah.h.āk‟s view is isolated; other views

complement each other and confirm Ibn Qutaybah's view. For another example, see Q.

55:20 where pearl and coral stones are said to come from both salt and fresh waters,

when it is meant from salt water only. (However, it is said recently that pearls are being

successfully cultivated in fresh water).

333. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 288; and al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 219.

According to al-Qayrawānī and al-T.abarsī the verse means ( ):

; al-T.abarsī explains further that the first is dropped for easing ( ),

brevity ( ), predominance ( ), and because it is indicated by the sentence itself.

See al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2, p. 610; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān,

vol. 3, p. 45 and vol. 1, pp. 89 and 100.

334. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 288; Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, p. 218; al-Farrā‟,

Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 157; and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān., pt. 2, p. 611.

214

According to Abū „Ubaydah the verse means: ("Yet, [it does

happen that] when people become aware of [an occasion for] wordly gain, they rush

headlong towards it, or a passing delight..."), see Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 258. Al-

T.abarsī mentions two views regarding this verse: (1) The pronoun ها is used here

exclusively for easing, brevity, and predominance, as the verse means:

("Yet, [it does happen that] when people become aware of [an occasion

for] worldly gain, they rush headlong towards it, or a passing delight, they rush

headlong towards it"), similiar to Abū „Ubaydah's view above; (2) The pronoun ها is

used exclusively for the (worldly gain) because the is more important for

them than the (the passing delight), in this case, the beating of the drum, which only

indicates the presence of the ; this is the view of al-Farrā‟ mentioned above. See

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 289; vol. 1, pp. 89 and 100.

335. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 289; see also al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 2,

p. 611; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, pp. 89 and 100; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-

Qur’ān, vol. 1, pp. 434 and 445; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 8, p. 127. Again, the

verse means ("we ... are content, and you ... are content"), see

al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 45.

336. See al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 239; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 5, p. 147; apparently, this is also the view of al-Khalīl and al-Akhfash

when they say that alqiyā is the dual intended for the singular, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘,

vol. 17, p. 16.

337. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 291. This is the view of al-Farrā‟ according to al-

Zarkashī, see al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 239.

338. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, pp. 14 and 16.

339. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 147.

340. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1403; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.

17, p. 16; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 2, p. 240.

341. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 291; and al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 78.

This is also the view of al-Khalīl and al-Akhfash, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p.

16; see also Ibn Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 218-9.

342. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 291; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol, 3, p. 78; Ibn

Fāris, al-S.āh.ibī, pp. 218-9; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 4, p. 241. According to al-

T.abarī, the verse was cited by Abū Tharwān; see Jāmi‘, vol. 26, p. 103.

343. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 292; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 3, p. 78;

and al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 26, p. 103. There is a tradition where the Prophet said:

"A person travelling alone is a satan, two travellers are two

satans, while three travellers make a travelling party." (Reported by Mālik, Abū Dā‟ūd,

215

al-Tirmidhī and Ah.mad ibn H.anbal); see Wensinck, al-Mu‘jam, vol. 3, pp. 125 and

130 (s.v. ).

344. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 292; al-T.abarī, Jāmi‘, vol. 26, pp. 103-4; al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 17, p. 16; and al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1403.

345. This is al-Farrā‟'s interpretation, see Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, pp. 241-2.

Another interpretation, however, is that the expression is (an appeal for help)

addressed to Allah, and is addressed to the angels. There is, then, an here,

or the expression is directed to both Allah and the angels; see al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān,

vol. 2, p. 235. This is the view of Ibn Jurayj. The third interpretation is that irji‘ūn

means the repetition of the word, namely , similar to meaning

mentioned above, which is the view of al-Māzinī and al-Mubarrad. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-

Jāmi‘, vol. 12, p. 149. See also al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p. 117. The term

is originally . The letter yā’ is dropped for the sake of the rhyme. Such

omissions occur several times in the Qur‟ān, such as the omission of in in Q.

3:50, 26:108, 110, 126, 144, 163, and 179, 43:63 and 71:3, and the omission of ي in

in Q. 21:25 and 94, and 29:56.

346. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 293. For other examples, see Q. 54:49, 10:83,

11:14, and 44:36.

347. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 290-1.

348. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 289; al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 101;

and al-Qayrawānī, I‘rāb al-Qur’ān, pt. 3, p. 923.

349. Asad, The Message, p. 293, n. 34.

350. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 3, p. 318. Al-Zarkashī mentions also the

mubālaghah (hyperbole) as the objective of the iltifāt in the verse in question, see ibid.,

p. 329. The remaining examples from the Qur‟ān given by Ibn Qutaybah are Q. 30:39

and 49:7, and the remaining ones given by al-Zarkashī are Q. 43:70-1, 21:92-3, and

21:92-3.

351. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 290.

352. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 3, pp. 322-3 and 330. According to al-T.abarsī,

there is an ellipsis of "say to them O Muh.ammad", then the verse continues

with "Indeed, [by this assertion] you have brought forth something monstrous.", see

Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 531. For other examples of this category of iltifāt from the

Qur‟ān, see al-Burhān, vol. 3, pp. 323-5.

353. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 290. Al-Qurt.ubī mentions three interpretations of

the pronouns in the words and , as follows: (1) both are for all the people; (2)

both are for the idolaters; (3) in it is for the Prophet and the believers, but in it

is for the idolaters, see al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, p. 13. Al-T.abarsī also mentions

216

three interpretations as follows: (1) both are for the Muslims; (2) both are for the

unbelievers; (3) in نكم it is for the Prophet, whereas in here is no commentary;

see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 147. Al-Zamakhsharī has the same interpretation as al-

T.abarsī regarding the term above, see al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 606.

354. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 290. The above reading is that of the majority of

qurrā', except Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Muh.ays.in and Ibn „Amr who read it with yā’, namely,

The first reading is chosen by Abū Hātim, the second by

Abū „Ubayd. According to al-D.ah.h.āk the pronoun "him" in ("you might honour

him") and ("you might revere him") refers to the Prophet, whereas ه ("you

might glorify Him") refers to Allah. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 16, p. 266. The

argument of those who read the above verse with is that at the end of the verse that

follows, it reads "He will bestow on him" (Q. 48:10), instead of "on you", see

al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 112.

355. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 290. Al-T.abarsī mentions two views on the above

verse: (1) It means ("Who, now, is this Sustainer of you and the

Sustainer of him, O Moses?"), and (2) It means ("Who, now, is

this Sustainer of both of you, O Moses and Aaron?"). See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, p.

13.

356. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 290.

357. Ibid., p. 291. However, there is also another interpretation that all human

beings are referred to here, since they are all created from dust as they eat food which

comes from it; see Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 5, p. 180.

358. Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 3, p. 314.

359. Ibid., pp. 325-30.

360. Ibid., pp. 315-25.

361. Ibid., pp. 333-7.

362. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 294; al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 2, p. 292;

and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 375.

363. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1036; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.

13, p. 195; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 4, pp. 220-1.

364. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 294.

365. See al-Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1193; al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol.

15, p. 42; and Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr, vol. 3, p. 582. For further examples, see Ibn

Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 294-5 and Q. 7:109-10 and 12:51-2.

366. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 295.

367. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 486 and al-Zamakhsharī, al-

Kashshāf, vol. 2, p. 1193.

217

368. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 295.

369. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 6, pp. 374-5; and al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-

Bayān, vol. 2, p. 268.

370. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 295; and idem, Tafsīr, p. 241.

371. See al-T.abarsī, Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 348; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘,

vol. 10, pp. 65-6.

372. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 296.

373. The verb tatlū in this verse means "to relate" and "to follow" according to

„At.ā' and Ibn „Abbās respectively. The commentators also have different

interpretations of ن . It means "against the laws and prophethood of

Solomon" according to Ibn al-„Arabī; it means "during Solomon's reign" according to

al-Zajjāj, as translated by Asad above; another view mentiond by al-Qurt.ubī says that

it means "stories, characters and accounts of Solomon's reign". What the evil ones used

to relate, to follow (or to practice, according to Asad) in this verse was sorcery. The

above verse means "the evil ones (men or jinn) practiced sorcery during Solomon's

reign", or "the evil ones related bad things about Solomon's reign, claiming that

Solomon was not a prophet, and his magic power was merely the product of sorcery

rather than a miracle from Allah". See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2, pp. 41-3. The first

interpretation was followed by Asad, the second by Pickthall and Ali.

374. See al-Farrā‟, Ma‘ānī ’l-Qur’ān, vol. 1, pp. 60-1; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-

Lughah, p. 221; and al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, vol. 3, pp. 373-4. Al-T.abarsī adds further

comment on this verse. He says that (imperfect verb) is also used to indicate

habit, such as saying of a criminal "he steals and kills" (which corresponds to the

English present simple tense indicating habitual actions); it is also a reproach for the

crimes he did in the past and not what he will commit in the future. However, the crime

committed by their ancestors in the verse in question is ascribed to them, namely the

killing of prophets, for one of the following reasons: their remaining and following the

same ways and religion of their ancestors suggested their participation in the crime; or

they were content with their ancestors' actions, and by so doing, they belong to them.

See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 1, p. 161.

375. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 297; and al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 221.

376. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 9, pp. 39-40.

377. See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 163.

378. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 297; al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 221; and al-

Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 20, p. 4.

379. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 296-7; Ibn „Abd Rabbih, al-‘Iqd al-Farīd, vol. 5,

p. 231; and Abū al-Faraj al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 15, p. 77. According to al-

Mufad.d.al, the poem belongs to al-H.ārith ibn Wa„lat al-Jarmī; see Lyall, ed., The

Mufad.d.alīyāt, pp. 330-1.

218

380. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 297; and al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 2, p. 86.

381. The expression is found in over fifty places in the Qur‟ān, such as:

Q. 3:77, 91, and 177; 5:36, 37, and 94; 6:70; and 7:73.

382. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 297; idem, al-Shi‘r wa ’l-Shu‘arā‟, vol. 1, p. 332;

Ibn Manz.ūr, Lisān, vol. 8, p. 164 (s.v. ); Abū „Ubaydah, Majāz al-Qur’ān, vol. 1, p.

282; al-T.abarī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 1, p. 95; Abū al-Faraj al-As.bahānī, al-Aghānī, vol. 14, p.

33; and Ibn Fāris, Maqāyīs, vol. 1, pp. 126-7.

383. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, pp. 297-8 and idem, Adab al-Kātib, pp. 586-7. Ibn

Qutaybah does not cite any example from the Qur‟ān due to the vast number of times it

appears, such as: h.afīz. in Q. 6:104, 11:57, 86, 34:21 and 50:32; qadīr in Q.2:20, 106,

109, 148, 259, and 284; samī‘ and ‘alīm in Q. 2:181, 224, 227, 244, and 256; bas.īr in

Q. 2:96, 110 233, 227, and 265; and majīd in Q. 11:73 and 85:21. With regard to

bādi’u ’l-khalq we do not find it in the Qur‟ān; what we find is bada’a ’l-khalq (Q.

29:20), yabda’u ’l-khalq (Q. 10:4, 34, 27:64, 30:11 and 27), and yubdi’u ... ’l-khalq (Q.

29:19).

384. Ibn Qutaybah, Ta’wīl, p. 298; and al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p. 222. The

object in this verse is also the subject , because, al-T.abarsī states, in Arabic

whatever you come to also comes to you, and vice versa. For example, it is said

("I have come to fifty years") can also be said ("Fifty years

have come to me"). See Majma‘ al-Bayān, vol. 3, p. 521. The other example is

"... a hidden barrier". (Q. 17:45). The word (hidden) means (hiding) of

what is behind it. This is the first interpretation. See al-Tha„ālibī, Fiqh al-Lughah, p.

222. The second interpretation, however, says that here is in its original meaning,

namely, hidden from our eyes. See al-Qurt.ubī, al-Jāmi‘, vol. 10, p. 271.