RENAISSANCE MAY 2023

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 18 | Monthly Renaissance May 2023 و ن ﻟﻚﻣﻮﻋﺪ ﻟﻦﺗﺨﻠﻔﻪ ﻘﻮل ﻵﻹ ﻣﺴﺎس ﻟﺤﻴﻮة ن Dj ﻗﺎلﻓﺎذﻫﺐﻓﺎن ﻟﻚ $ $ $ۡ $ $ & $ $ $ۡۡ $ 'ً )ۡۡ $ $ $ $ $ ' $ ' ) $ $ $ $ $ ) &ۡ $ۡ $ )ٰۡ $ ) ) > ۡ و ﻧ &ۡ $ ﻟـﻬﻚ ﻟﺬيﻇﻠﺖﻋﻠﻴﻪﻋﺎ )ﻔﺎ Dwً $ $ٰ ) ) )ۡ $ $ۡ $ۡ V ) $ ' $ ) ﻟﻴﻢﻧﺴﻔﺎ﴿ Dj ﻗﻨﻪﺛﻢﻟﻨﻨﺴﻔﻨﻪ ً ﻟﻨ $ $ۡ $ ) ' ' $ۡ $ ) $ $ ' ' $ )ۡ & $ $ & ) ' $ ٩٧﴾ 15 This excuse was enough for Moses (sws) to understand S ā mir ī ’s clever trick. The word ۡﻓﺎذﻫﺐ $ۡ $ here means “to go and get lost.” The words ﻟﺤﻴﻮة Dj )ٰ $ۡ ) imply that the punishment in which he would continuously be cursed was not a temporary one; he would have to endure it for the rest of his life. The words ﻘﻮل ﻵﻹ ﻣﺴﺎس ن $ $ ) $ $ۡ & $ۡ $ refer to the fact that S ā mir ī would himself call out to people that he was impure and thus should not be touched nor could he himself touch anyone. In the Mosaic shar ī ‘ah , there exists a punishment to sever someone from the community. After stating certain prohibitions in chapter 7 of Leviticus, it is said about those who are guilty of them: When anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the L ORD , that person shall be cut off from his people. A person who was administered this punishment virtually became untouchable; he would neither be allowed to participate in any social gathering of grief or festivity nor allowed to enter worship places; also, no one would be allowed to make arrangements for his burial. A punishment which is even more harsh than this has been prescribed for patients of leprosy. It is stated in the book of Leviticus: Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they 15. Moses said: “Then be off with you. Now, for life, you will continue to say: ‘No one should touch me,’ and there is another promised time too for you which will never be deferred from you. And look at this deity to which you strongly had attached yourself. We shall burn it; then scatter it in the sea.’”