RENAISSANCE MAY 2023

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 27 | Monthly Renaissance May 2023 Those who are adept in classical Arabic poetry know that the deception of which these verses warn is one with which many poets were afflicted and would thereby regard the Day of Judgement to be ﻓﺔ † ﺣﺪﻳﺚ (a baseless thing). I am intentionally abstaining from citing relevant couplets and perhaps there is no need for it. This is because this matter is not just specific to the age of j ā hiliyyah . Even today people are under this deception. The Qur’ ā n has warned people of precisely this. ﻧﺴﻔﺎ﴿ D° ًۡو ﻳﺴـﻠﻮﻧﻚﻋﻦ ﻟﺠﺒﺎلﻓﻘﻞﻳﻨﺴﻔﻬﺎ ر $ۡ $ $ $ $ۡ ) ' $ $ & & )ۡۡ $ ) $ )ۡ $ ) $ۡ & $ ¯ ١٠٥ۙ﴾ ًﻓﻴﺬرﻫﺎﻗﺎﻋﺎﺻﻔﺼﻔﺎ ﴿ $ۡ $ً $ $ $ & $ $ ١٠٦ۙ﴾ ٰﻵﻹ ﺗﺮي $ $ ' ًﻓﻴﻬﺎﻋﻮﺟﺎوﻵﻹ ﻣﺘﺎ﴿ $ۡ $ۤ $ 'ً $ ) $ۡ ) ١٠٧ ﴾ 22 The word ۡﻧﺴﻒ $ means to uproot something, separate grain from chaff, make something into straw and ash and have it blown away. The antecedent of the pronoun in ﻓﻴﺬرﻫﺎ $ & $ $ $ is land. Pronouns are used in this way for obvious and famous things. Several instances of such pronouns can be seen in the Qur’ ā n for the sky and the earth. Thus in verse 45 of S ū rah al-F āṭ ir: S ﻣﺎ ﺗﺮكﻋ $ $ $ $ $ $ Dٰ ْ ﻇﻬﺮﻫﺎ ﻣﻦ ) $ )ْ $ ٍد ﺑﺔ $ ' $ the antecedent of the pronoun ﻫﺎ $ is the earth though it is not mentioned. ﻗﺎعﺻﻔﺼﻒ $ۡ $ $ refers to barren and flat land, which does not have any high or low surfaces, vegetation or trees. The word ۡﻣﺖ $ refers to high ground. Regarding the Day of Judgement, the Arabs had another misconception: they thought that the mountains could never be destroyed. Even their intellectuals had this view, let alone the masses. Zuhayr whose compositions belong to the category of wisdom poetry is reported to have said: 23 S أﻵﻹأرىﻋ D ً ﻟﺤﻮ دثﺑﺎﻗﻴ ) ) $ $ ﺎ وﻵﻹﺧﺎﻟ)ﺪ ﻹ ' ﻵ ﺒﺎل ) ﻟﺠ $ ﻟﺮو ﺳﻴﺎ $ ) ' (Except for these mountains implanted so deeply, I do not regard anything else to withstand the calamities of time) 22. And they ask you about the mountains. Say: My Lord will scatter them away in the form of dust and level the earth flat. You will neither see any bend in it nor a high place. 23. Al-Zuhayr, D ī w ā n , 48.