Without seeking familiar talk (Arabic: liḥadīthin)

[Orange]

Peace be on you dear brother Joseph,

Please elaborate on the subject part of the following verse:

33:53 part
 
“O you who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses,- until leave is given you for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when you are invited, enter; and when you have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk (Arabic: liḥadīthin). Such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but God is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth..."

Is it indicating to companions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) to avoid seeking "hadith" that are used today in context of following the prophet?

[Joseph Islam]

Dear Orange,

Peace to you.

The Arabic word 'Hadith' means a report, tale, story, statement, narration, a communication or a discourse. Its plural form is 'Ahadith'.  In common parlance, 'Hadith' has now become synonymous with a specific body of work within Islamic literature which constitutes narrations that depict the words and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and are attributed to him.

However, this is not the manner in which the Quran uses the term in the verse you have shared. Hadith can also mean conversation, talk depending on its usage in context. Please see verse 6:68.

"fa-arid anhum hatta yakhudu fi hadithin ghayrihi" - "Then turn away from them until they engage in a talk / conversation other than it"

In the verse you have shared, please also note the prefix preposition lam, which is best rendered as 'for'. So 'li-hadithin' would better translate as 'for conversation / talk' in my humble opinion.

I hope that helps, God willing.
Joseph.






UPDATE BY QM FORUM MODERATOR

13th March 2013

This thread is now closed and a direct link to this post is now available at the dedicated Q&A page.

http://quransmessage.com/articles/q&as%20FM3.htm

Thanks.