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Quran Maqasid

Surah Al-'Alaq, verse 18

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﴿١٨﴾

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سندع الزبانية

We will call On the angels of punishment (To deal with him)!

A translation is its translator's understanding of the Quran, not the Quran itself. Our method

  • Verse 18 of 19
  • Juz 30
  • Page 598

What Ibn Ashur says, in summary

al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir · التحرير والتنوير · One passage explains 96:17 to 96:18.

In short

Nadi is also applied to those who gather in it, which is the sense of Abu Jahl's saying that he was the most numerous in nadi in the valley — people sitting to him — meaning he was a chief to whom people repair; this is the sense intended here.

Arabic source

ويُطْلَقُ النّادِي عَلى الَّذِينَ يَنْتَدُونَ فِيهِ وهو مَعْنى قَوْلِ أبِي جَهْلٍ: إنِّي لَأكْثَرُ أهْلِ هَذا الوادِي نادِيًا، أيْ: ناسًا يَجْلِسُونَ إلَيَّ يُرِيدُ أنَّهُ رَئِيسٌ يُصْمَدُ إلَيْهِ، وهو المَعْنِيُّ هُنا.

  • The verse is a branch of the preceding threat, and its occasion is the report that Abu Jahl threatened the Prophet with the many people of his assembly.

    Arabic source

    تَفْرِيعٌ عَلى الوَعْدِ. ومُناسَبَةُ ذَلِكَ ما رَواهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ والنَّسائِيُّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبّاسٍ قالَ: «كانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُصَلِّي عِنْدَ المَقامِ فَمَرَّ بِهِ أبُو جَهْلٍ … أما واللَّهِ إنِّي لَأكْثَرُ أهْلِ هَذا الوادِي نادِيًا …» يَعْنِي أنَّ أبا جَهْلٍ أرادَ بِقَوْلِهِ ذَلِكَ تَهْدِيدَ النَّبِيءِ ﷺ بِأنَّهُ يُغْرِي عَلَيْهِ أهْلَ نادِيهِ.

  • The imperative lam in «fal-yad'u nadiyah» is for challenge (ta'jiz): Abu Jahl threatened the Prophet with the multitude of his supporters, the people of his nadi, so God answered him by commanding him to call his nadi.

    Arabic source

    ولامُ الأمْرِ في ﴿فَلْيَدْعُ نادِيَهُ﴾ لِلتَّعْجِيزِ؛ لِأنَّ أبا جَهْلٍ هَدَّدَ النَّبِيءَ ﷺ بِكَثْرَةِ أنْصارِهِ وهم أهْلُ نادِيهِ، فَرَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِأنَّ أمْرَهُ بِدَعْوَةِ نادِيهِ

  • If he calls them to assault the Prophet, God will call angels who will destroy him; this verse is a special miracle of the Quran, since it challenged Abu Jahl with this, and he and his supporters heard the Quran yet none of them came forward to assault the Messenger of God.

    Arabic source

    فَإنَّهُ إنْ دَعاهم لِيَسْطُوا عَلى النَّبِيءِ ﷺ دَعا اللَّهُ مَلائِكَةً فَأهْلَكُوهُ، وهَذِهِ الآيَةُ مُعْجِزَةٌ خاصَّةٌ مِن مُعْجِزاتِ القُرْآنِ فَإنَّهُ تَحَدّى أبا جَهْلٍ بِهَذا، وقَدْ سَمِعَ أبُو جَهْلٍ القُرْآنَ وسَمِعَهُ أنْصارُهُ فَلَمْ يُقْدِمْ أحَدٌ مِنهم عَلى السَّطْوِ عَلى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ

  • The zabaniya are those who push people forcefully; what is meant is the angels of punishment, and the term is also applied to the helpers of the police.

    Arabic source

    فالزَّبانِيَةُ الَّذِينَ يَزْبِنُونَ النّاسَ، أيْ: يَدْفَعُونَهم بِشِدَّةٍ. والمُرادُ بِهِمْ مَلائِكَةُ العَذابِ ويُطْلَقُ الزَّبانِيَةُ عَلى أعْوانِ الشُّرْطَةِ.

  • «Kalla» is a rebuke refuting what the saying «fal-yad'u nadiyah» implies — that is, he will not do it — and this confirms the challenge and the confounding.

    Arabic source

    و﴿كَلّا﴾ [العلق: ١٩] رَدْعٌ لِإبْطالِ ما تَضَمَّنَهُ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿فَلْيَدْعُ نادِيَهُ﴾، أيْ: ولَيْسَ بِفاعِلٍ، وهَذا تَأْكِيدٌ لِلتَّحَدِّي والتَّعْجِيزِ.

More points (8)

  • Al-Nadi is the place where people gather; the name is applied to the place only while the people are gathered in it, and once they disperse it is not a nadi.

    Arabic source

    والنّادِي: اسْمٌ لِلْمَكانِ الَّذِي يَجْتَمِعُ فِيهِ القَوْمُ … ولا يُطْلَقُ هَذا الِاسْمُ عَلى المَكانِ إلّا إذا كانَ القَوْمُ مُجْتَمِعِينَ فِيهِ فَإذا تَفَرَّقُوا عَنْهُ فَلَيْسَ بِنادٍ

  • Nadi is used for a people's daytime meeting-place, while their night meeting-place is called al-musamar.

    Arabic source

    ويُقالُ النّادِي لِمَجْلِسِ القَوْمِ نَهارًا؛ فَأمّا مَجْلِسُهم في اللَّيْلِ فَيُسَمّى المُسامَرَ

  • Qusayy made a house for the council of Quraysh called Dar al-Nadwa near the Sacred Mosque, for their consultation and important affairs.

    Arabic source

    واتَّخَذَ قُصَيٌّ لِنَدْوَةِ قُرَيْشٍ دارًا تُسَمّى دارَ النَّدْوَةِ حَوْلَ المَسْجِدِ الحَرامِ، وجَعَلَها لِتَشاوُرِهِمْ ومُهِمّاتِهِمْ

  • Applying nadi to its people is like applying qarya to its people, and majlis, maqama and majma' to their people.

    Arabic source

    وإطْلاقُ النّادِي عَلى أهْلِهِ نَظِيرُ إطْلاقِ القَرْيَةِ عَلى أهْلِها … ونَظِيرُ إطْلاقِ المَجْلِسِ عَلى أهْلِهِ … وإطْلاقُ المُقامَةِ عَلى أهْلِها … وإطْلاقُ المَجْمَعِ عَلى أهْلِهِ

  • Nadi is annexed to his pronoun because he was their chief and they gathered to him.

    Arabic source

    وإضافَةُ النّادِي إلى ضَمِيرِهِ لِأنَّهُ رَئِيسُهم ويَجْتَمِعُونَ إلَيْهِ

  • «Sanad'u al-zabaniya» is the answer to the challenging command: if he calls his nadi, We shall call the zabaniya for them.

    Arabic source

    وقَوْلُهُ: ﴿سَنَدْعُ الزَّبانِيَةَ﴾ جَوابُ الأمْرِ التَّعْجِيزِيِّ، أيْ: فَإنْ دَعا نادِيَهُ دَعَوْنا لَهُمُ الزَّبانِيَةَ

  • reported as one view

    Al-zabaniya is a plural of zabani, or of zibniya, or of zibniyy; it is said to be a plural noun with no singular from its own form, like ababil and abadid.

    Arabic source

    والزَّبانِيَةُ: بِفَتْحِ الزّايِ وتَخْفِيفِ التَّحْتِيَّةِ جَمْعُ زَبّانِي … أوْ جَمْعُ زِبْنِيَةٍ … أوْ جَمْعُ زِبْنِيٍّ … وقِيلَ: هو اسْمُ جَمْعٍ لا واحِدَ لَهُ مِن لَفْظِهِ، مِثْلَ أبابِيلَ وعَبادِيدَ.

  • The name is derived from al-zabn, which is forceful pushing; a she-camel that kicks whoever milks her is called zabun, and a war in which the two sides push one another is zabun.

    Arabic source

    وهَذا الِاسْمُ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنَ الزَّبْنِ وهو الدَّفْعُ بِشِدَّةٍ، يُقالُ: ناقَةٌ زَبُونٌ إذا كانَتْ تَرْكُلُ مَن يَحْلِبُها، وحَرْبٌ زَبُونٌ يَدْفَعُ بَعْضُها بَعْضًا بِتَكَرُّرِ القِتالِ.

A summary of the Arabic commentary, written with AI and checked against it point by point under our rules. Each point shows the Arabic words it rests on. It leaves out chains of narration, poetry and fine grammar; the full text has them.

Read Ibn Ashur's full commentary (Arabic)

Word by word

  1. سَنَدْعُWe will callsanadʿu
  2. ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَthe Angels of Helll-zabāniyata

Classical tafsir of this verse (in Arabic)

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