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OUR MISSION:
UNCOVERING the original message of the Arabic Qur'an by using Lexicons compiled more than 1,000 years ago.

ISOLATING Fact from Fiction.


RECOVERING Hope and regaining the perspective where Humanity is one, God's Message is one, and our Future CAN become one we all look forward to!












© 2010 IQRATHECHALLENGE: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTED BY D.M.C.A. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

© 2010 IQRATHECHALLENGE: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTED BY D.M.C.A. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Image: 14th C. Qur'an, Mamluk origin, Library of Congress; Rights obtained.

A BREAKTHROUGH project which helps understand the Qur'an AS REVEALED -not just 'as explained.'

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Friday, November 26, 2010

Day 256; Qur’an 49: 1-18; page 515-516


Welcome Friends:  Ahlan wa sahlan

Yusuf Ali’s Translation of this Chapter.
Muhammad Asad’s Translation of this Chapter
Their commentaries can only be read in verse by verse view.

سورة الحجرات
The Chambers

From the Introduction of Yusuf Ali:

“This is the third of the group of three Madinah Surahs, which began with Surah 47.
Its subject matter is the manners to be observed by the members of the rapidly-growing Muslim community, among themselves and towards its Leader. The keyword "Hujurat" (Chambers) occurs in verse 4.
Its date is referred to the Year of Deputations, A.H. 9, when a large number of deputations of all kind visited Madinah to offer their allegiance to Islam.”


From the Introduction of Muhammad Asad:

“REVEALED, in the consensus of most of the authorities, in the year 9 H., this surah deals predominantly with social ethics. Beginning with the reverence due to the Prophet and – by implication - to the righteous leaders of the community after him, the discourse culminates in the principle of the brotherhood of all believers (verse 10) and, in its widest sense, the brotherhood of all mankind (verse 13). The concluding passage (verses 14 ff.) points out the difference between true faith and a mere outward observance of religious formalities.
The title is derived from the mention of the word al-hujurat in verse 4.”


COMMENTS:

What a Chapter, dear Reader!
This chapter begins with two verses, each calling upon ‘Those who have attained Faith’ with injunctions NOT to behave in a certain way.  Indeed, many verses in this chapter do the same, and as we proceed we feel that there is a list of behaviors which should not – or simply CANNOT- be part of the record of anyone working to earn the label ‘Faithful.’
(New Readers: Put ‘label faithful’ in ‘Search this Site.’)

It is not only one of the three Qur’anic chapters (Ch:5, 49, 60) which begin with the direct address:  ‘O you who have attained faith! but the address is also most concentrated .. 5 times in 3 pages ([i]).   

How difficult it must have been for some ‘rugged’ individuals to change their habits and learn civilized manners, especially when speaking to the Prophet:  They actually had to be told not to raise their voices above his, and not to holler to get him out of his home to meet them!

Aside:
Dear Reader, if you happen to have had a western upbringing, the following may help you understand why some ‘Muslims’ revere their scholars to the point of adulation:   

When we begin reading we get the impression that the people addressed are only those who were interacting with the Prophet at the time, which is perhaps one reason why scholars -to extend these injunctions to ALL times- have postulated that people should respect and treat their ‘religious scholars,’ ‘imams’ and ‘sheikhs’ just as if they were the Prophet himself. 
Note that Muhammad Asad (above) said : ….by implication - to the righteous leaders of the community after him…” Extending by implication this particular command from the Messenger to all ‘righteous leaders’ has added to peoples’ natural tendency to revere those in higher position, and has made the questioning of an elder unlikely.  Another reason for such adulation is that, with relation to a reported ‘Hadeeth/ saying of the Prophet’ ([ii]), scholars have narrowed the interpretation of the word ‘al-ulamaa’ which means ‘the Learned/ the Knowledgeable/ the Scientists’ as ‘heirs to Prophets’….making it apply solely to individuals who are adept at ‘religious sciences.’  That is why in recent times only ‘religious scholars’ were revered, while other sciences were considered inferior and even at times, unnecessary or ‘unlawful!’  This is so sad, especially when we think farther back to the Middle Ages when, in order to be recognized as a scholar in Europe, one would have had to graduate first from an ‘Islamic university,’ and would have returned home wearing the ‘abaya’ and the ‘fez’... STILL proudly donned today (with tassle !) in graduation ceremonies all around the world. 

Therefore, I do agree that we should pay due respect to our elders and our teachers, and it certainly is true that (in a way similar to Prophets) certain people of learning/knowledge/ science have positively impacted humanity, bringing us information which has raised our standard of Awareness. ..but  I do not agree that whatever the Qur’an mentions as specific to the Prophet or his wives should apply to anyone else.

(Examples: I do not agree that any woman other than the Prophet’s wife should never remarry, or remain in her home while her outdoor errands are  run by others, or that a barrier/screen should be imposed upon  men who wish to speak to her in her home.. [iii].  And I do not agree that any woman other than the Prophet’s wife should think that she has such a heightened responsibility and heightened reward that in case she might ever commit a 4-person witnessed-adultery, her suffering should be double that of other women -meaning 200 lashes instead of 100- or that her reward for good deeds would automatically be double that of other women.. see HQ 33:30-34:   Doesn’t the Qur’an clearly tell the Prophet’s wives ‘YOU ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER WOMEN?’).

And the Prophet too was unlike any other man, so his specifically sanctioned multi-marriages after the age of fifty did not apply to others (HQ 33: 50).  Also, as we see in today’s chapter, the fact that a person would bring upon oneself a PAINFUL VOIDING of one’s deeds by raising one’s voice above the Prophet’s or interrupting him does not apply to anyone raising their voice or interrupting another person, no matter how high that person happens to be in the hierarchy of knowledge:  We owe people of knowledge due respect but none of them is the Prophet, and we certainly can (and sometimes should) question them, correct them, and hold them responsible to the point of condemnation, judgment, and stripping off of their titles and degrees if that happens to be what they deserve (the only people on earth who should feel immune from our contempt are our own elderly parents.  Put ‘elderly parent’ in ‘Search this Site.’)

Back to our verses:

This must have been such an ‘ethically-enlightening’ chapter to the earliest of Those who attained Faith (may we be counted among them). 

PAGE 515 Arabic Qur’an.

1.  This Chapter seems to present us with a list of behaviors which cannot be part of our record IF we wish to earn the label ‘Faithful.
Beginning with two verses, each calling upon ‘Those who have attained Faith’ we get the impression that the people addressed are only those who were interacting with the Prophet at the time, but that is not necessarily so for two reasons:

·       Ethical conduct is  timeless.

·       Although personal contact with any Prophet can only take place when someone is living in that Prophet’s proximity, yet we find certain verses speaking of the ‘Messenger of God,’ which relate to his bearing of this Living Message, the Qur’an.  At this ‘frequency’ (God à Messenger with Message à Recipient) we have direct contact with the Message and indirect contact with the Messenger ([iv]). 

New Readers:  Please put ‘difference between prophet messenger’ in ‘Search this Site.’  Also check out ‘every messenger is prophet.’

That is why I see Verse 1 as applying to ALL Those who have attained Faith, past and present, telling us NOT to seek precedence over what has already preceded from God and His Messenger, and to be aware of God, for indeed God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Indeed, whenever we hear the call:  “O you who have attained faith” we should listen carefully:  It is either something beneficial we are told to pursue, or something detrimental we are told to avoid ([v]).

And then Verse 2 switches from calling him ‘Messenger of God’ to calling him ‘Prophet,’ by which we understand that this is about his every-day life, and that those around him were raising their voices above his and interrupting him as he conversed and instructed, and NOT while he was reciting Qur’an (the Message.  Indeed, none could have “raised their voice above the Messenger’s…” as that would indicate the failing of both Message and Messenger!). 
Whenever I wish to myself that I had known the Prophet personally, I remember such verses and think of the great responsibility his companions were bearing:  Being impulsive around him might bring upon oneself a PAINFUL VOIDING ([vi]حبط) of deeds!

Verse 3 mentions the best of his companions:  They are the ones who speak softly([vii]غض)  when in the company of the Messenger of God; it is they whose hearts/minds God has ‘tried for Awareness’ and who have earned absolution and great reward. 

Compare them to others mentioned in Verses 4, who holler to him from behind the private quarters (of his home): Most of them ‘lack understanding/ do not use their reason’ (Ali/ Asad.  ‘Aqala actually means to use one’s intellect so as to secure knowledge.)

Then Verse 5 says that it would have been better for them had they been patient and waited for him to come out to them, concluding with the statement that God is indeed Forgiving and Unceasingly Compassionate:  This indicates that their outward behavior stemmed from a lack of discernment and knowledge, rather than a lack of faith.

2.     Verse 6 again calls upon Those who attained Faith, presenting them/us with a general rule: 
To always verify any news brought by a deserter (faasiq).  Without verification, one could inadvertently strike an ‘irreparable blow’ at a people, and then end up regretting what one had done (put ‘ssawaba’ in ‘Search this Site’).

Verse 7 tells Those who attained Faith to ‘mark/ impress upon themselves/ know’ that in their midst is the Messenger of God (!) and that if he were to obey them in many a  matter, they would be in hardship, but that God has endeared the faith to them and adorned it in their hearts/ minds, and has made detestable to them Denial, Desertion, and Disobedience, and that it is they who are the ‘Rashidoon/ well-directed’ (literally: those who are steady on the path straight to destination).  This verse shows us that the Prophet used to consult with his companions, but also went ahead with what he thought was best.

Verse 8 elaborates by saying that (all) that is a ‘bounty/ faDdl’ from God and is a ‘grace/ advantage/ privilege/ ni’mah.’

Verse 9 gives us another rule, one which is of paramount importance: 

If two ‘operating groups/ action teams’ were to fight each other, and we know them both to be ‘trustworthy/ faithful,’ our duty is to arbitrate between them and bring them to accord. But if one were to wrongfully assault the other, then we should fight the wrongful assailants until they return to God’s command. (God’s command ما أمَرَ الله is about NOT breaking our bond with God, our ties to each other, or corrupting the earth).  The rest of the verse tells us what to do after the assailant has returned to God’s command.  Well- explained by both Ali and Asad (I found what Yusuf Ali said about the United Nations interesting).

Verse 10 gives us a statement (also see Yusuf Ali’s note):

“Indeed The Faithful are but brothers, so reconcile between both your brothers; and be aware of God, that you may receive Mercy.”

What an important concept, which served to make the ‘Faithful’ throughout the centuries feel kinship to each other, despite our different tongues, color, and the distances that separate us in life!  Anyone who goes to Mecca for Pilgrimage feels this quite distinctly:

“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white an d the non-white...America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white -- but the "white" attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color.”

(Malcolm X/ El-Hajj Malik al-Shabazz) 

3. Verse 11 again calls upon ‘Those who have attained Faith’ with another directive, telling them/ us NOT to  ridicule anyone; the persons ridiculed may actually be better than ourselves… and not to defame, insult, or call each other names.  What an important directive!  Then the verse-ending prods towards repentance without which they would be ‘wrong-doers,’ and also indicates that when we defame others we replace ‘Faith’ with ‘Desertion;’ an offensive name/ characteristic indeed!
Here we recall HQ:14: 24- 27 which we read earlier discussing the difference between a wholesome and an unwholesome word.

PAGE 516 517 Arabic Qur’an.

4.   Verse 12 is an oft-quoted verse.  It calls on Those who have attained Faith and bids them/us:

·  To avoid much of presumption, indeed certain PRESUMPTION IS HINDRANCE.
·       Not to spy on others; covertly/subtly probe into others’ affairs.
·   Not to speak ill of each other in absentia. ‘…Would any of you be tempted to eat a dead brother’s flesh? You would find that odious!’
·  To be Aware of God, indeed God is Oft-Returning, Unceasingly Compassionate.
                                        
What beautiful moral principles! 
Can you imagine, dear Reader, how much more healthy and relaxed your life would be if every person you knew were to abstain from negative presumption, spying, meddling, and back-biting … holding themselves accountable to God in the awareness that He knows and sees all? 
 
Think, dear Reader:  These are the standards which the Faithful hold themselves up to, and which we should too, IF we aim to be in their number.  Self-restraint is required here, and more of it from those who had not been raised since childhood on such characteristics.  But what I said in the previous paragraph is not entirely accurate: These standards in others alone would not make your life more healthy and relaxed… it is these standards in yourself alone that can do that!

The Qur’an is ALL about guiding us to happiness and fulfillment, in this life before the Hereafter.  It has been calling upon Believers and guiding them for the past 1400 years… but only about a decade ago has parts of its instruction been ‘discovered’ by modern psychology as a path to happiness and fulfillment.  This new branch of the discipline is called: POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY.

As described by Positive Psychology Center at Pennsylvania University:

 “Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual traits consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom. Understanding positive institutions entails the study of the strengths that foster better communities, such as justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance.”


Note, dear Reader:
This Wikipedia article acknowledges the ‘historical roots’ for Positive Psychology found in all ‘religions’ … yet fails to mention ‘Islam.’  What ignorance or bias on their part as ‘researchers’ and what ‘inefficiency’ on our part as ‘Muslims!’ 
Prejudice still rules every aspect of our lives, including education (see ‘Setting the Record Straight’).

Back to our verses:
Presumption (thann) is the opposite of certainty (yaqeen). We spoke earlier about negative presumption/ conjecture and how it ‘hinders’ us.  Put ‘Thann’ in ‘search this Site.’  When we presume something to be correct we do so without evidence, and when we spend our energy and time following it we end up wasting both, and losing the opportunity to do the right thing.  BIG hindrance!  The Qur’an shows us how those who follow presumption/ conjecture end up being misguided.

5.    Verse 13 is another oft-quoted verse.  While the previous verse dealt with the smaller scale of society, this verse deals with our entire world-view!

First of all, it calls upon Cognizant Humans, telling us that God has indeed created us from male and female and rendered us peoples and tribes for one reason:  SO THAT (li) we may ‘mutually acknowledge, recognize, and find comfort in one another!’ (see definition of ‘arafa’ below (عرف[viii].

Wow.  So our diversity (male and female, different cultures, peoples, and tribes) is all part of our learning and growing process, and should give us pleasure in life.  Diversity is to be acknowledged, learnt about, recognized and enjoyed! 
We read something about that before in (HQ 35: 27-28), where we were told that all creatures, including Cognizant Humans, ARE OF DIFFERENT  FEATURES [ix] لون)) and that indeed, those who are in awe of God ARE the Knowledgeable!  … may we be among them…

لون
(You might be wondering, dear Reader of Arabic, how that explanation just came about:  Well, I just looked up the definition of ‘la-wn/لون’ in our more than 1,000 year old Lexicon whereas before, I had relied on common knowledge just like everyone else, and thought that it meant color… but no:  It turned out to be about ALL distinguishing features, color included!  But I should have known better:  We constantly ask each other: ‘sh-la-wn-ak’ meaning ‘How are you?’ and we call each dish we cook a ‘la-wn…’ Just to show us once again how familiarity influences intellect!)

Secondly (after telling us that God had created us from male and female and rendered us peoples and tribes so that we may ‘mutually acknowledge, recognize, and find comfort in one another), it follows up by the statement that indeed, the most EMINENT among us are the most AWARE.  So our awareness of this fact, that diversity is a gift from God and a learning-opportunity which we can truly enjoy, adds to our eminence as Cognizant Humans. 

Aside:
What a sad state we are in:  If Awareness is our goal, why are we not seeking positive stimulus?  Why do so many of us claim our love for God and our desire to help mankind, yet huddle in familiarity, and end up dimming our senses?  
 
New Readers:  Put ‘awareness’ in ‘Search this Site.’ 

Finally, the verse ends by telling us that indeed God is All-Knowing, Fully- Acquainted with the subtleties (‘Khabeer.. [x]’).  So whatever we hide… He has full-knowledge of.

6.  Verse 14 (onwards) relates to the Bedouin Arabs’ assertion that they had ‘attained Faith,’ and the Prophet’s response that while they could assert that they have attained ‘Pure Reverence’ (of God)…..Faith had NOT YET ([xi]) entered their hearts/ minds. This clearly shows us the more advanced state of ‘Imaan’ (Belief/Faith/Trust) and what should precede it, ‘Islaam’ (Pure Reverence to God):

Regular Readers already know that:

‘Imaan/ Attaining faith/trust ’إيمان is a description of the heart/ mind (qalb) which believes in God, has faith in Him, and therefore fully TRUSTS Him and feels SECURE in His care.  It is a status following the status of ‘Islaam,’ which is about purely revering God.  In other words, Islaam is the basic belief of ‘Pure Reverence to God,’ in NOT associating Him with anything or anyone.  That ‘pureness’ either is, or it isn’t:  Islaam can be present, or Islaam can be absent, but it neither fluctuates nor grows.
Upon Islaam’s sturdy foundation, Imaan is built. 
Imaan/Faith/ trust DOES fluctuate, and it certainly does grow when we consciously observe the measures God has set for us (to the benefit of all Creation), and we hearken to His guidance.

Asad‘…its meaning extends to all people, at all times, who think that their mere profession of faith and outward adherence to its formalities makes them “believers.”

Verse 15 gives us a definition of who THE honest/truthful Faithful are:  They are those who had complete Faith and Trust in God and His Messenger AND SUBSEQUENTLY NEVER DOUBTED, and exerted themselves both financially and personally (literally: in ‘their wealth and themselves’) in the path of God/ for God’s ‘sake’… The verse ends by pointing out that it is they who are Truthful.

It is heartwarming to note, dear Reader, that this verse could be about us, IF we had the above characteristics… in which case we would be similar in our Truthfulness/ Honesty to those early Believers who emigrated from Mecca seeking to uphold the word of God!!  (May we be with them!  See أولئك هم الصادقون)   
To see more characteristics of the Faithful, check the Chapter by that name ‘Al Mu’minoon’ and the recurrences in Qur’an of  إنما المؤمنون.

7.  Verse 16 asks (the Bedouin Arabs and others like them) whether it is they who would be ‘impressing upon’ God their ‘standard of accountability/ deen,’ while it is He who knows everything in the exalted expanses and in the earth and is of everything All-Knowing?
(New Readers:  Put ‘Deen’ in ‘Search this Site.’)

It seems that the Bedouin Arabs might have argued with the Prophet when he told them that they had not yet attained Faith because Verse 17 informs the Messenger of their feelings: 
They were looking upon their ‘Islam’ as a favor to him, which they thought he should feel beholden to them for!  In this verse he is told to respond by telling them not to see their Islam as a favor to him, but rather to know that it is God who is granting them His favor by guiding them to ‘Imaan/ Faith’ IF they were indeed Truthful! 
This also shows us that Truthfulness is the condition:

Being truthful in ‘Islam’ leads to ‘Iman.’     

The final verse informs us that God knows everything that is beyond perception (gheyb) in the exalted expanses and the earth, and that He sees everything that we do.

Enough said!
 
Our next Reading is from HQ 45:1-45.

Peace unto all!





[i] Actually the Chapter in which this address appears most is Chapter 5, the ‘Repast/Table-spread,’ where ‘O you who have attained Faith’ appears 16 times.  As I write this I realize that we should put all these verses and the directions they give in a list… study them, and consider it incumbent upon ourselves to respond to what the Qur’an is calling us to…IF- If -if we consider ourselves among ‘Those who have attained Faith!’
Remind me, dear Reader, to post such a list when this project is done.

[ii] The Prophet, peace upon him, is reported to have said in a ‘Hadeeth’ prodding people to partake of Knowledge- that ‘the Knowledgeable/ the Scientists’ are the ‘heirs of Prophets’ and that whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, God shall ‘easen’ for him a path to the Garden / ‘Paradise.’
   
".....الْعُلَمَاءَ هُمْ وَرَثَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ مَنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ وَمَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَطْلُبُ بِهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ...."

[iii] Excerpt from our earlier post:

Many meetings took place in the Prophet’s quarters, and many meals were cooked and consumed there.  The Prophet’s wives bore the brunt of the inconvenience.  The ‘hijaab’ –which was a kind of indoor partition like a screen or curtain, was placed as a divider so that each of them could move about freely inside her home, knowing that visitors would never trespass even if they needed something from within (they could still talk through the screen).  Contrary to what one might suppose, this indoor Hijaab was imposed upon the visitors, and not upon the lady of the house!  Read the verse again, and note that the entire responsibility is delegated to visiting Believers.

Today, we mistakenly use the word ‘hijab’ to describe the head-cover.  By using the connotation of a ‘barrier/ partition’ for something which should in reality have remained a ‘khimar/ cover,’ we have made this yard of cloth into something it isn’t.
Certainly, there are Muslim women in certain parts who are forced either to put it on, or to take it off (see quoted article and revisit our important discussion of Aug 24th, where we mourned for the girls forced back into the burning building). 
But as many of us know:  Most Muslim women are free to do with their hair what they want.  Westerners should realize that the head-cover is ultimately a personal choice, and incidentally, many women would agree that:
Wearing it is a declaration of independence!

[iv] As for God, we are always in direct contact with Him at all ‘frequencies:’
·         Creator à Creature.
·         Source of all Being à Being.
·         Giver à Dependent.
·         Etc…… we can go on an on…

HOWEVER it is only at the above ‘frequency’ –through the Message- that we can receive His actual Words.

[v] قال ابن مسعود وغيره من السلف: إذا سمعت الله تعالى يقول في القرآن { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا } فأوعها سمعك فإنه خير ما يأمر به أو شر ينهى عنه.

[vi]   حبط: أصلٌ واحدٌ يدلُّ على بطلانٍ أو ألَمٍ.
يقال: أحبط اللهُ عملَ الكافر، أي أبطله.
  وأمّا الألَم فالحَبَط: أن تأكل الدَّابةُ حَتَّى تُنْفَخ لذلك بطنُها. قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: "إنّ مما يُنبِت الرَّبيعُ ما يقتُل حَبَطاً أو يُلِمّ".

[vii]  غض: أصلانِ صحيحانِ، يدلُّ أحدُهما على كفٍّ ونَقْص، والآخر على طراوة.
فالأوّل الغَضّ: غضُّ البصر. وكلُّ شيءٍ كففتَه فقد غَضَضْته. ومنه قولهم: تلحقُه في ذلك غَضَاضةٌ، أي أمر يَغُضُّ لـه بصرَه. والغَضْغَضة: النُّقْصان. وفي الحديث: "لقد مرَّ من الدُّنيا بِبطنته لم يُغَضْغَض". ويقولون: هو بحرٌ لا يُغَضْغَض.
وغَضْغَضْت السِّقَاءَ: نقصتُه. وكذلك الحقّ.
والأصل الآخر: الغَضُّ: الطريُّ من كلِّ شيء. ويقال للطَّلْع حين يطلُعُ: غَضيض.

[viii] عرف) أصلان، يدلُّ أحدُهما على تتابُع الشيء متَّصلاً بعضُه ببعض، والآخر على السكون والطُّمَأنينة. · فالأوّل العُرْف: عُرْف الفَرَس. وسمِّي بذلك لتتابُع الشَّعر عليه. ومن الباب: العُرْفة وجمعها عُرَف، وهي أرضٌ منقادة مرتفِعة بين سَهْلتين تنبت، ...
عرف) السكون والطُّمَأنينة. المعَرِفة والعِرفان. تقول: عَرَف فلانٌ فلاناً عِرفاناً ومَعرِفة. وهذا أمر معروف. وهذا يدلُّ على ما قلناه من سُكونه إليه، لأنَّ مَن أنكر شيئاً توحَّشَ منه ونَبَا عنْه. والعُرْف: المعروف، وسمِّي بذلك لأنَّ النفوس تسكُن إليه. (نكر) خلاف المعرفة
[ix] لون: اللام والواو والنون كلمةٌ واحدة، وهي سَحْنَة الشَّيء: من ذلك اللَّون: لونُ الشَّيء، كالحمرة والسواد، ويقال: تلوَّن فلانٌ: اختلفت أخلاقُه.

[x] خبر:  أصلان: فالأول العِلم، والثاني يدل على لينٍ ورَخاوة وغُزْرٍ.
  فالأول الخُبْر: العِلْم بالشَّيءِ. تقول: لي بفلان خِبْرَةٌ وخُبْرٌ. والله تعالى الخَبير، أي العالِم بكلِّ شيء. وقال اللهُ تعالى: {وَلاَ يُنَبِّئكَ مِثْلُ خبِيرٍ} [فاطر 14].
  والأصل الثاني: الخَبْراء، وهي الأرض الليِّنة.  والخَبِير: الأكّار، وهو مِن هذا، لأنّه يُصْلِح الأرضَ ويُدَمِّثُها ويلَيِّنها. وعلى هذا يجري هذا البابُ كلُّه؛ فإنهم يقولون: الخبير الأكّار، لأنه يخابر الأرض، أي يؤاكِرُها.  و[من] الذي ذكرناه من اللِّين تسميتُهم الزَّبَدَ خبِيراً. والخَبير: النَّبات الليِّن.

[xi] ‘Lamma’ means ‘not yet.’  
Note that the verses do not say ‘lam’ which means ‘not,’ nor do they say ‘lan’ which means ‘never.’  They say ‘lamma’ meaning ‘not YET,’ showing them that they are only steps away from their destination!

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