some Questions about alRahman

[chadiga]

Salam
i read an interesting question in another forum- please anybody can bring light in the dark?? thanks!

Salaam,

I have a question about Sura AlRahmaan. InshaAllah someone can help me out.
Please take a looki at the next verses.

55:62  وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ
55:63  فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
55:64  مُدْهَامَّتَانِ
55:65  فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
55:66  فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ
55:67  فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
55:68  فِيهِمَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ
55:69  فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
55:70 فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ

The question is, why this switch 
Anyone any ideas.

Salaam,

There are still some questions.

55:68 فِيهِمَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ

According to Corpus Quran we have the following:

 فَاكِهَةٌ   : nominative feminine indefinite noun
وَنَخْلٌ    : nominative masculine  indefinite noun
وَرُمَّانٌ    : nominative masculine  indefinite noun



55:70 فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ

According to Corpus Quran

فِيهِنَّ    : third person feminine plural  object pronoun



If فِيهِنَّ    is referring to all 3 of them how is this possible? Can someone please give me similair usage like this please.


At the moment I have two explanations:
1) فِيهِنَّ    is only referring to  فَاكِهَةٌ    . As that is the only feminine word.
2) Who gave the genders to words? And how did they derived them? With other words, are وَنَخْلٌ     and وَرُمَّانٌ     in The Quran masculine?


I came across this verse:
26:148  وَزُرُوعٍ وَنَخْلٍ طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌ

According to Corpus Quran
وَنَخْلٍ   :  genitive masculine  indefinite noun
طَلْعُهَا   :  third person feminine  singular possessive pronoun

How is this possible?
It looks to me without question that َنَخْلٍ   is feminine, unless someone comes with something I overlooked.

If no one can come up with an explanation then I am afraid that we have to investigate every word of The Quran for it's gender.

Last question, to what is فِيهِنَّ   referring in 55:56?
55:56 فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ

Salaam and thanks to anyone who tries to help.

Salam and peace

[Joseph Islam]

May peace be with you.

The subject reference of the plural pronoun in 'fi'hinna' (in them) of verse 55:56 is the cumulative delights such as the gardens (55:46), with a plethora of possible delights one can possibly conceive within these luscious gardens such as trees, orchards which bear fruits (55:48; 55:52), the springs and fountains flowing (55:50) and other delights mentioned in other parts of the Quran such as flowing rivers / streams and mansions / palaces (qasurun) (25:10) etc. (The Quran must be studied holistically).

Within them (fi'hinna - plural) will be found companions (55:56). Such a cumulative reference is not atypical in my humble opinion. This is further seen in verse 55:70 which similarly includes a cumulative reference of the delights in Paradise including the many different gardens (55:62).

I hope that helps, God willing.
Joseph.

[chadiga]

Salam Brother Joseph and all

thank you for your answer. It helps a little bit when i understand you right, you point to the same fact  as M.Asad in his tafsir :

Muhammad Asad - End Note 28 (55:62)
Most of the commentators assume - not very convincingly - that the "two other gardens" are those to which believers of lesser merit will attain. As against this weak and somewhat arbitrary interpretation, it seems to me that the juxtaposition of "two other gardens" with the "two" previously mentioned is meant to convey the idea of infinity in connection with the concept of paradise as such: gardens beyond gardens beyond gardens in an endless vista, slightly varying in description, but all of them symbols of supreme bliss.

the fi-hinna as reverence to the 'gardens beyond gardens beyond gardens in an endless vista..." ?

so fi-hima : the two mentioned gardens
and fi- hinna: all the gardens
peace

[Joseph Islam]

Dear Chadiga,

May peace be with you.

Yes, I think similar sentiments are resonated in what you have shared. It is a reference to cumulative delights in an endless sea of bliss, some which have been alluded to in the Surah and elsewhere in the Quran.

Regards,
Joseph.

[HOPE]

Peace to you all,

Paradise including the many different gardens

Isn't this surah also addressing the jinn? Thus there are two separate gardens.  Then one for the right hand and another for the sabiqun?

[Joseph Islam]

Isn't this surah also addressing the jinn? Thus there are two separate gardens.  Then one for the right hand and another for the sabiqun?

Dear Hope,

May peace be with you.

When the abode of felicity will be the expanse of the heavens and the entire Universe known today (3:133) and the gradation of ranks is even greater and more excellent than that on Earth (17:21), one is forced to interpret an immense multitude of diversity in Paradise. Gardens of not only eternal timely abode, but also almost of physical space. The immense degrees in accordance to deeds are also alluded to in verse 76:16.

Therefore, the literal interpretation of a mere 4 gardens (not 2) in verse 55:62 can seem to be unduly restrictive but not necessarily ‘impossible’.

If we allow a literal interpretation and we interpret 2 gardens for humans and 2 gardens for the jinn (given the 4 in total mentioned in verse 55:62), then one could argue that 1 garden is for the exalted category, those 'foremost' in the race to good mentioned in verses 56:10-11, 56:13-14 and the second garden is for the people of the 'right hand' (69:19, 90:18, 56:39-40).

One is then forced to interpret the other two gardens (out of the four) for the jinn. If one assumes that a similar categorisation exists for the second of the two gardens for the jinn, then this interpretation is a little questionable when seen under the scope of verses 55:62ff which does not seem to be addressing the jinn exclusively, given that 'tukadhiban' (will you both deny) is a 'dual' address to both the humans and the jinn (55:63).

Alternatively, to assign 2 gardens to the 'foremost' in the race and then '2 gardens' to those of the right hands of humans exclusively also seems to be a little restrictive in light of the above paragraph and that viewed from the lens of the verses shared in the first paragraph.

Also, it is important to remember that the Jinn and mankind are not the only creation of God. That is a very earth-centric view.

The Universe is abundant with God’s creation (42:29) teeming with life and all will be brought back to him on the Day of Judgment (36:83, 39:44). This also includes all the living creatures (animals, birds etc) ever created and have resided on Earth (6:38).

The gardens of abode will indeed be immense (3:133) and even if a literal interpretation is allowed of 4 for both humans and jinn, given the plethora of life in the Universe, the actual number could be tremendous.

In the end and as always, God knows best.

Your brother in faith,
Joseph. 

[HOPE]

Salaam Joseph,

Thanks.  I agree with you that there maybe other beings above, below, in, or out there.  Yet the joys of the Garden or the punishments of the Fire were designed for beings that can discern with free will.  Neither the angels nor the animate or inanimate creations of God that we know of in the universe fits the definition other than the jinn and insan.  I must be missing something. 

I did not restrict it to 4 anyway though it may sound like it. I wanted to stress the fact that jinn are in the same boat with us.

 









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.