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10. THE USE OF REPETITION IN THE QUR’ĀN (5)

We continue dealing with some examples of repetition in the Qur’ān in Shaykh Maḥmūd al-Kermānī’s book where he mentions 590 examples, as follows:

تعلمونااسوفااكلا .(575) 9 (“Nay! You shall come to know!”) is repeated twice in sūrat al-Takāthur (chapter 102) as follows:

ا(2-1ا:التكاثرا)االمقابراازرتمااحتىا.التكاثراالهاكماأاThe mutual rivalry (for piling up of worldly

things) diverts you, until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die) (Q. 102:1-2)

While the Prophet s.a.w. was citing “The mutual rivalry diverts you…” he said: “The son of Adam says: ‘My wealth, my wealth.’ But do you get anything (of benefit) from your wealth except for that which you ate and you finished it, or that which you clothed yourself with and you wore it out, or that which you gave as charity and you have spent it?” He also said: “If the Son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire another like it…”

(4-3:االتكاثرا)اتعلمونااسوفااكلااثماا.تعلمونااسوفااكلا

Nay! You shall come to know! Again nay! You shall come to know!ا(Q. 102:3-4)

Al-Kermānī mentions three different views concerning this repetition “Nay! You shall come to know!”: (a) repetition is for emphasis; (b) it deals with two different times and places: the grave and he Resurrection, and therefore, there is no repetition here; (c) the first one is directed to disbelievers as a

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threat, and the second is directed to believers as a promise (according to al-Ḍaḥḥāk).

.الجحيماالتروناا.اليقينااعلمااتعلموناالوااكلا

(7-5:االتكاثرا)االيقينااعيناالترونهااثما

Nay, if you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have

been occupied yourselves in worldly things). Verily, you shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)!

And again you shall see with certainty of sight! )Q. 102:5-7)

The term كلا (“nay”) is repeated three times as prevention and rebuke from piling up worldly things ا االتكاثر( اعن االزجر او according to one )الردعopinion, and as an oath according to another.

There are three views concerning seeing the blazing Fire: (a) the repetition of seeing indicates emphasis; (b) seeing before entering the Fire, and the second seeing is after entering the Fire; (c) seeing with heart, namely, knowing, and the second one is seeing with one’s eye, namely, witnessing.1

Then the chapter ends with:

(8:االتكاثرا)االنعيمااعناايومئذ االتسألنااثما

Then on that Day you shall be asked about the delights (you indulged in, in this world)! (Q. 102:8)

1 The Muslim scholar Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728/1263-1328) divides yaqīn (certainty) into three levels: (a) ‘ilm al-yaqīn اعلمااليقين(اا, knowledge with certainty), for example, we know for certain that fire burns; (b) ‘ayn al-yaqīn ا,ع االيقين( ين seeing with certainty), namely, seeing is believing, for example, we see fire burning; (c) ḥaqq al-yaqīn ,اا ا االيقين( حق absolute truth with certainty), which is the highest level of certainty, for example, when your finger is burnt by fire, and you feel the pain.

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10 (578) اوتواصواا (“and they recommend one another”) is repeated twice in sūrat a-‘Aṣr (chapter 103) as follows:

اوعملوااآمنوااالذينااإلا ا.خسر االفياالنسانااإنا ا.والعصرا

ا(3-1صر:العا)ابالصبرااوتواصواابالحق ااوتواصوااالصالحاتا

By the time. Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and recommend

one another to the truth, and recommend one another to patience (Q. 103:1-3)

There are three views about the meaning of al-‘aṣr: (a) “evening time” according to al-Ḥasan and Qatādah. It is the time when the traders go home and calculate their profit from their trades that day – but Allah says they all will get lose with some exceptions. ‘Aṣr prayer is performed in late evening. (b) “a period of time of the day,” according to Ibn Abbās without specification; (c) “time” in general which is the opinion of Qur’an commentators in general.

Allah swears by time that man is in loss (in disaster, according to al-Akhfash), non-believers in general (including a group of idolaters, such as: al-Walīd ibn Mughīrah, al-‘Āṣ ibn Wāil, etc.), except those who believe in Islam, and do good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (namely, tawḥīd, the Oneness of Allah according to Ibn ‘Abbās, the Qur’ān according to Qatādah, and Allah according to al-Suddī), and recommend one another to patience (namely, in obeying Allah, and avoiding what Allah prohibits, according to Qatādah).

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. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b said that he read this surah before the Prophet s.a.w. and asked its meanings. He said:

“By the Time” is an oath from Allah, your Lord made an oath by the end of the day. “Verily, man is in loss” is Abū Jahl. “Except those who believe” is Abū Bakr. “And do good deeds” is ‘Umar. “And recommend

one another to the truth” is ‘Uthmān, and recommend one another

to patience” is ‘Alī.

This interpretation was adopted by al-Kermānī. He added that the repetition of “and they recommend one another” is necessary because each of it deals with different objects, namely, “the truth” and “the patience.” it is also said so because each of them has different subject.

شر اامنا .(589) 11 (“from the evil of”) is repeated four times in sūrat al-Falaq (chapter 109), as follows:

.وقبااإذااغاسق ااشر ااومناا.خلقاامااشر اامناا.الفلقاابرب ااأعوذااقلا

حاسد ااومناا.العقداافياالنفاثاتااشر ااومنا (5-1:االفلق)احسدااإذااشر Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of the rising dawn ,morning, according to Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujāhid , الفلقا]

al-Ḥasan, Qatādah and others]. From the evil of what He has created. And from the evil of the black darkness whenever it descends [ وقبااإذااغاسق ا ,

the night whenever the sun sets, according to to Mujāhid]2. And from the evil of the

2 Other interpretations of وقبااإذااغاسق ا are: (a) the star when it sets, accoding to Abḍ Hurayrah as reported by Abū ‘l-Muhazzim. (b) According to Ibn Zayd the Arabs used to call غاسق ا the declination of the heavenly body known as the Pleiades )ريا whenever it would decline the ;)الث

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blowers in knots. And from the evil of the envier when he

envies. (Q. 113:1-5)

Al-Kermānī says that the term شر اامنا (“from

the evil of”) is repeated five times because it deals

with different kinds of evil.

is repeated five times in (”men, people“) الناسا .(590) 12

sūrat al-Nās (chapter 114), as follows:

الوسواساامنا .الناسااإلهاا.الناسااملكا .الناساابرب ااأعوذااقلا . الخناسا شر ا(6-1:الناس)اوالناسااالجنةاامنا.الناسااصدوراافيايوسوسااالذي

I seek refuge with the Lord of men, the King of men, the God of men, from the evil of the

whisperer who withdraw, who whispers in the breast of men, of jinn and men (Q. 114:1-6)

Al-Kermānī says that repetition here is used to indicate: (a) respect for them; (b) each of the verse is separated from the other, indicated with the absence of conjunction, namely, “and.” (c) the first “men,” namely, in الناساارب اا are the children, as the term رب ا (rabb) translated as “Lord” above originally means “educator, namely, the one who brings something into being from one state to another until it reaches its perfection (maturity)”3 ; therefore, الناساارب ا is in this sense “He is the One Who raises and educates

number of people who were ill would increase, and when it would rose their number would lessen. (c) the moon as reported by ‘Ā’ishah r.a. that the Prophet s.a.w. showed her the moon when it rose and said: “Seek refuge with Allah from the غاسق اا when it becomes dark. 3 ما)أنظرامفرداتاألفاظاالتمااحداإلىافحالاحالاالشيئاإنشاءاوهو,االتربية:ااألصلافياالربا

(336صااعلمةاالراغباالصفهانيللالقرآنا

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children”; the second “men,” namely, in الناسااملكا " (“King of men”) are the youth, as this period of time they like to have authority and are difficult to control, and it is Allah as their King Who would be able control and have authority on them; the third “men,” namely, in الناسااإلها (“the God of men”) are old people, as the term ilāh (god) is associated with worship; the fourth “men,” namely, those who are protected from the temptation of whisperers in their breasts are pious and devout people; the fifth “men” are corrupt and bad people who tempt others to do evil.

There is a variant reading for الناسااصدوراافي which isا

االناسااصدوراافي ي “in the heart of the forgetful” (from remembering Allah)” where, for the sake of rhyme or easy reading, the ending يا is dropped and becomes There are many examples in the Qur’an where .الناساletter يا is dropped, such as: ا56ا)الذاريات:اليعبدونااإلا ) ,

(17الكهف:)االمهتداافهوا , (ا186البقرة:ا دعانااإذااالداعا افيهااالعاكفا ,

اا(25)الحج: والباد اأهلاالبادية( )البادي: اآل)اوأطيعونااللااافاتقوااا ,

ااا(55:عمران (CIVIC, 11 March, 2016)

:الشاملةاالمكتبة

)اهـا315.ات(االطبرياتفسير )اهـا671.ات(االقرطبىاتفسير )هـا774.ات(اكثيراابناتفسير

ادراسة.االقرآناافياالتكرارااأسرارا.احمزةابنامحموداالقراءاتاجا,االكرماني

.1378\1338,االعتصامادار:االقاهرة.اعطااأحمداالقادراعبداتحقيقاوا(1132\425)ت.االصفهانياالراغباعلمةللااالقرآناألفاظامفردات

Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur’ān. Gibraltar: Dār al-Andalus Ltd, 1984ا

http://www.alsh3r.com/encyclopedia/view/115ا