Source: "The Miracles of the Qur'an" Shaykh M Mitwalli Al-Sharawi.
The language of the Qur’an is unsurpassed in its accuracy of meaning and expression.
Each letter and word has its place while the language is free from fault. These unique
features are found manifested in the use of one single letter or a preposition, as is
demonstrated in the following verses:
Ya bunayya aqimi alssalata wa/mur bialmaAAroofi wainha AAani almunkari waisbir AAala
ma asabaka inna thalika min AAazmi al-omoori
“...and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage; ”
(Qur’an 31:17)
Walaman sabara waghafara inna thalika lamin AAazmi al-omoori
“And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily is (of) the steadfast heart of
things.”
(Qur’an 42:43)
In the second verse the preposition “of” (LAMIN) may pass unnoticed or be taken as an
emphatic synonym. But this is not so, because every letter or word in the language of
the Qur’an is selected with the utmost care to convey one intrinsic meaning and definite
purpose. There is no such thing as synonymity in the Qur’an. Each letter and word has
its own fixed meaning which no other word can express as accurately, irrespective of
their seeming similarity. If we consider thoughtfully the meticulous selectivity of the words
in the above verses and their underlying meaning, we soon come to realize that there
are two kinds of patience. In the first kind there is no direct adversary or person
responsible for hardship or misfortune; for example a brick falling from a building under
construction onto the head of an unsuspecting pedestrian, or the collapse of a newly-
built house over peacefully sleeping tenants. In all incidents and mishaps of this nature
no individual bears the responsibility for the victim’s misfortune. It is therefore easy for
the unfortunate man to restrain his anger and accept his misfortune as an act of Allah.
This kind of patience does not require a great deal of energy and can be easily
achieved. But patience which is “ verily of the steadfast heart of things “ is that which
involves an antagonist against whom a victim has the freedom to retaliate and avenge
himself, but prefers to suppress his anger and vengeful tendencies and forgive him. This
kind of patience is deemed by Allah to be worthier than the first, because in this kind the
aggrieved is dominated by his instinctive anger and feelings of injustice, and has to
exercise a great deal of self-restraint. He is restrained by his fear of Allah, and refrains
from responding to evil with evil. In the above verses, Allah defines the merits of the two
types of patience and their corresponding heavenly rewards. He also describes the
human responses of retaliation that ought to be observed in each case by the faithful.
Thus, in the first case they are commanded to accept what befalls them with humility and
resignation to His will. In the second they are commanded to be forgiving and to maintain
their faith in Allah’s justice.
The preposition ‘of’ has obviously been used to accentuate the distinction between the
kind of patience in which forgiveness is not a necessity, and that in which forgiveness
represents a test of endurance of injustice and of the believer’s trust in Allah’s
providence and will. This shows how a single letter or preposition can bear such dept of
meaning and discriminating power in the language of the Qur’an.
The language of the Qur’an is unsurpassed in its accuracy of meaning and expression.
Each letter and word has its place while the language is free from fault. These unique
features are found manifested in the use of one single letter or a preposition, as is
demonstrated in the following verses:
Ya bunayya aqimi alssalata wa/mur bialmaAAroofi wainha AAani almunkari waisbir AAala
ma asabaka inna thalika min AAazmi al-omoori
“...and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage; ”
(Qur’an 31:17)
Walaman sabara waghafara inna thalika lamin AAazmi al-omoori
“And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily is (of) the steadfast heart of
things.”
(Qur’an 42:43)
In the second verse the preposition “of” (LAMIN) may pass unnoticed or be taken as an
emphatic synonym. But this is not so, because every letter or word in the language of
the Qur’an is selected with the utmost care to convey one intrinsic meaning and definite
purpose. There is no such thing as synonymity in the Qur’an. Each letter and word has
its own fixed meaning which no other word can express as accurately, irrespective of
their seeming similarity. If we consider thoughtfully the meticulous selectivity of the words
in the above verses and their underlying meaning, we soon come to realize that there
are two kinds of patience. In the first kind there is no direct adversary or person
responsible for hardship or misfortune; for example a brick falling from a building under
construction onto the head of an unsuspecting pedestrian, or the collapse of a newly-
built house over peacefully sleeping tenants. In all incidents and mishaps of this nature
no individual bears the responsibility for the victim’s misfortune. It is therefore easy for
the unfortunate man to restrain his anger and accept his misfortune as an act of Allah.
This kind of patience does not require a great deal of energy and can be easily
achieved. But patience which is “ verily of the steadfast heart of things “ is that which
involves an antagonist against whom a victim has the freedom to retaliate and avenge
himself, but prefers to suppress his anger and vengeful tendencies and forgive him. This
kind of patience is deemed by Allah to be worthier than the first, because in this kind the
aggrieved is dominated by his instinctive anger and feelings of injustice, and has to
exercise a great deal of self-restraint. He is restrained by his fear of Allah, and refrains
from responding to evil with evil. In the above verses, Allah defines the merits of the two
types of patience and their corresponding heavenly rewards. He also describes the
human responses of retaliation that ought to be observed in each case by the faithful.
Thus, in the first case they are commanded to accept what befalls them with humility and
resignation to His will. In the second they are commanded to be forgiving and to maintain
their faith in Allah’s justice.
The preposition ‘of’ has obviously been used to accentuate the distinction between the
kind of patience in which forgiveness is not a necessity, and that in which forgiveness
represents a test of endurance of injustice and of the believer’s trust in Allah’s
providence and will. This shows how a single letter or preposition can bear such dept of
meaning and discriminating power in the language of the Qur’an.
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