Al-Mu'minun · Makki · ayah 66 of 118

Al-Mu'minun 23:66

قَدْ كَانَتْ ءَايَـٰتِى تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ تَنكِصُونَ

“My verses had already been recited to you, but you were turning back on your heels”

Saheeh International

Essence

The words came to them one after another, inviting them to follow; they backed away on their heels, eyes still on what they fled.

A reflection

Following forward, stepping back

In a dance class, a nervous pupil is told to mirror the teacher. Every time the teacher steps forward, the pupil steps back. By the end of the song he has crossed the whole studio, still facing her, still retreating.

The ayah sets two movements against each other. The first is tutlā, recited. The lexicons give tilāwa an established picture: following close behind. A young goat just weaned, trotting after its mother, was a tilw. Reciting is named from this, because each verse follows the one before.

So the recitation moves forward, one ayah after another, inviting the listener to follow.

The second movement is nakaṣa ʿalā ʿaqibayhi: to go back on one's heels. The lexicons describe it as retreating backwards, holding back from something in fear. Some say it is used only of turning away from a good one had set out on. Several commentators gloss it as going back in reverse, al-qahqarā.

Put the two together and you have the scene. The words step forward. The listeners step back. They are still facing the recitation. They are not unaware of it. They simply keep retreating as it advances.

One commentator quotes a line of verse that fits exactly. They claim they are on the paths of salvation, yet they are only going backwards on their heels.

Another commentator says the image is a proverb for anyone who distances himself from the truth as far as possible. They fled from the signs, he says, and from the one who recited them.

The posture is worth noticing in yourself. Have you ever kept facing a truth while backing away from it? Listening to the reminder, nodding, and quietly stepping back? The pupil in the studio had the right music and the right teacher. He just needed to step forward once.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.