Towards a method for understanding the meanings of the Holy Qur’an by analysing its verses according to the language of the Arabs and their methods of speaking, as Arabs understood them at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an.
(Note: In brackets are sub-matters or meanings derived from the general meanings of the verse in the light of linguistic analysis, and red colour is used to distinguish it from the meaning in the light of linguistic analysis)
Surat Al-An’am 151 – 153
۞ قُلۡ تَعَالَوۡاْ أَتۡلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ أَلَّا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡٔٗاۖ وَبِٱلۡوَٰلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَٰنٗاۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَكُم مِّنۡ إِمۡلَٰقٖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُكُمۡ وَإِيَّاهُمۡۖ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُواْ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِي حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ ١٥١وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥۚ وَأَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡكَيۡلَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۖ وَإِذَا قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ كَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ وَبِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡفُواْۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ ١٥٢ وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطِي مُسۡتَقِيمٗا فَٱتَّبِعُوهُۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمۡ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ ١٥٣
151- Qul taAAalaw atlu ma harrama rabbukum AAalaykum alla tushrikoo bihi shayan wabialwalidayni ihsanan wala taqtuloo awladakum min imlaqin nahnu narzuqukum waiyyahum wala taqraboo alfawahisha ma thahara minha wama batana wala taqtuloo alnnafsa allatee harrama Allahu illa bialhaqqi thalikum wassakum bihi laAAallakum taAAqiloona
152- Wala taqraboo mala alyateemi illa biallatee hiya ahsanu hatta yablugha ashuddahu waawfoo alkayla waalmeezana bialqisti la nukallifu nafsan illa wusAAaha waitha qultum faiAAdiloo walaw kana tha qurba wabiAAahdi Allahi awfoo thalikum wassakum bihi laAAallakum tathakkaroona
153- Waanna hatha siratee mustaqeeman faittabiAAoohu wala tattabiAAoo alssubula fatafarraqa bikum AAan sabeelihi thalikum wassakum bihi laAAallakum tattaqoona
The meaning in the light of linguistic analysis:
قُلۡ تَعَالَوۡاْ أَتۡلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡۖ أَلَّا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡٔٗاۖ وَبِٱلۡوَٰلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَٰنٗاۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَٰدَكُم مِّنۡ إِمۡلَٰقٖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُكُمۡ وَإِيَّاهُمۡۖ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُواْ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِي حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ (151)
151- Say: Come, if you come forward, I read to you, what your Lord has forbidden you: that is; your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to join with worshipping your Lord something or someone, or to engage in any type of polytheism. This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter.
Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to offend your parents with any type of ill-treatment. That is: I command you to show kindness and to do good for your parents, an obligatory duty that does not change or alter.
Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to kill your children because of poverty you fear. This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter, as we provide livelihood for you and them.
Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you from commencing in any heinous obscenities which the perpetrator deserves to be punished for, whether they say or commit them. That is: I forbid you to do the obvious sins, that reason and common-sense judge as sins which Allah will punish for, (this includes every indecent act in the judgment of mind and common-sense, and every act that the Qur’an stated as being prohibited), and I forbid you to do the hidden sins which one hides in his heart and intends to do with his limbs.
And your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to kill the soul that Allah forbids killing in any case, except in the case of justice (that is: killing based on fair retribution). This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter.
What confirms the obligation of commitment to all this, is that these commandments of Allah’s covenant to you should be obeyed, in order for you to realise the truth about what your Lord has prohibited you from, what is forbidden to you, and what is permissible for you, so you will realise that all of this is based on preventing harm from you and bringing benefit to you in this world and the hereafter, and this is what is required of you.
وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ مَالَ ٱلۡيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِي هِيَ أَحۡسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥۚ وَأَوۡفُواْ ٱلۡكَيۡلَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۖ وَإِذَا قُلۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡدِلُواْ وَلَوۡ كَانَ ذَا قُرۡبَىٰۖ وَبِعَهۡدِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡفُواْۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَذَكَّرُونَ (152)
152- Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to use orphan’s money in any way, only in the case of using it in the best way to save and invest it, until the orphan reaches the age in which his mental, psychological and physical strength takes control, (which is reaching the age of maturity with the ability to act properly with his money). This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter.
Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to deduct from people some of their rights in measure and weight, and I command you as a duty to fulfil what you measure and weigh to people with full justice, (The meaning of this command of completing the measure and the weight in fairness indicates that it is an obligation to fulfil the rights for everyone in fairness in all kinds of transactions). This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter. In reality, we do not impose upon a person the difficult matter of completing measurement, weighting and in all other transactions to people with justice, only to the extent of their ability. So, strive diligently to the extent of your ability in this.
Your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to speak injustice in your words or judgment on anyone, and if you spoke or judged anyone, then it is obligatory on you to be fair and just in saying and judging.
What confirms this, is that even if the person being judged is a relative of you, then it is obligatory to say and do justice on them. This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter.
And your Lord says: I strictly forbid you to break or violate the covenant of Allah, (and this is all what Allah has commanded, forbade, and what he enjoined as obligatory). I command you with a duty to follow the covenants of Allah which you have entrusted upon yourselves by oath, and I forbid you to break or violate them. This is an eternal prohibition that does not change or alter.
What confirms that it is a duty of commitment to all of this, is that these are the commands of Allah’s covenants to you which you are obliged to obey. So that you recall what your Lord forbade and prohibited you from, and what he premised for you, is based on preventing harm from you and bringing benefit to you in this world and the hereafter, and this is what is required of you.
وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطِي مُسۡتَقِيمٗا فَٱتَّبِعُوهُۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلسُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمۡ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ وَصَّىٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (153)
153- Your Lord says: Know that this Qur’an from which the messenger recites to you these verses, is a religion path, for which I have sent you my messenger Muhammad, as being a straight, moderate, and even path, responsible for people in all their affairs, everywhere and in every time in which they achieve happiness. Its rulings and laws are on a straight path, and is steady and stable all the time, (that is: there are no other religion or path that changes or alters its rulings and laws).
So, if the Qur’an is like that, then I command you to be obliged to follow it in all its duties, rulings, and legislations, and in all that it has commanded and forbade. And I forbid you to follow other paths and doctrines that oppose the Qur’an, which will take you away and far from the straight path of the Qur’an.
What confirms that it is an obligatory commitment, is that what has been mentioned earlier of the commandments of the covenant of Allah, which you are obliged to obey, in order to protect yourselves from the torment of this world and the hereafter, and this is what is required of you.
