The Researcher’s Companion
I Meaning & Morphology (الصرف و
اللغة)
1.
أِمْلاَل and إِمْلا.
The word
أِمْلاَل means “to dictate” and so
does the word إِمْلا. Both
words have been used in the Qur’an in this meaning. The question arises: Are
these two independent words which are synonyms are or they a changed form of one
anther? According to authorities,
since the root م ل ي is
devoid of this meaning (ie to dictate), whereas this meaning is found in the
root م ل ل hence the word
أِمْلا cannot be regarded to
be an independent word which is synonymous to أِمْلاَل .
It is actually a changed form of أِمْلاَل
and has been formed by changing the ل
of أِمْلاَل with
الف. Ghamidi has referred to this
very aspect (note. 13).
II Eloquence & Style (الاساليب و
البلاغة)
1. Unreal
Feminine Gender
As pointed out by Ghamidi (note. 4), the verb for the word
مَوْعِظَةٌ is masculine
because the feminine gender of مَوْعِظَةٌ
does not connote actually femininity and for such words, a
verb can be used to convey the meaning regardless of the gender.
Another instance of this usage can be seen in the following
verse:
كُتِبَ
عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمْ الْمَوْتُ إِنْ تَرَكَ خَيْرًا الْوَصِيَّةُ
لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ (٢
:١٨٠)
When death approaches any one of
you and you are leaving behind some wealth, it is incumbent upon you to make a
will in favour of your parents and relatives according to the conventions [of
society]. This is an obligation imposed upon the God-fearing.
Here since the feminine gender of word
الْوَصِيَّةُ is not real, it is not
necessary for the verb كُتِبَ
to be in the feminine form.
2. Tadmin
As pointed out by Ghamidi (note. 13), there is a tadmin in
the expression since the preposition ب
does not collocate with فُسُوْق.
The tadmin can be unfolded as فَإِنَّهُ فُسُوقٌ
يُلْصَقُ بِكُمْ.
Another example of tadmin is the expression (29:2)
ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى إِلَى السَّمَاءِ.
Here, the preposition إِلَى does
not collocate with the verb اسْتَوَى.
The expression encompasses the meaning of another verb which collocates with
إِلَى. The implied meaning
can be expressed as: ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى وَ تَوَجِّهَ إِلَى
السَّمَاءِ.
III. Scriptures and Testaments
1. Interest in the Bible
You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother
Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your
hand to in the land you are entering to possess. If you make a vow to the LORD
your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand
it of you and you will be guilty of sin. (Deuteronomy 23:20-21)
When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not
go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. Stay outside and let
the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the man
is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. Return his cloak
to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will
be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy
24:10-13)
He lends at usury and takes excessive interest. Will such
a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he
will surely be put to death and his blood will be on his own head. (Ezekiel
18:13)
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