Saba · Makki · ayah 32 of 54

Saba 34:32

قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوٓا۟ أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَـٰكُمْ عَنِ ٱلْهُدَىٰ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَكُم ۖ بَلْ كُنتُم مُّجْرِمِينَ

“Those who were arrogant will say to those who were oppressed, "Did we avert you from guidance after it had come to you? Rather, you were criminals."”

Saheeh International

Essence

The proud deny ever barring anyone from guidance and call their followers criminals, admitting without meaning to that the guidance had come.

A reflection

One verb, two directions, one argument

The verb at the heart of this ayah is ṣadda, and its first picture is a landscape. The lexicons, with an established image, describe the ṣadd as the flank of a valley or a mountain. Streams meet it and cannot climb, so they turn and run elsewhere. One poet's line pictures men kept back as water channels are turned from a mountain pass.

Now the grammar. The grammarians point out something unusual about this verb. Ṣadda means to turn away yourself. Ṣadda also means to turn someone else away. Same letters, same shape. Only the sentence tells you which is meant.

Read the ayah with that in mind and the whole quarrel comes into focus. The followers have just said: you turned us away. The leaders answer: a-naḥnu ṣadadnākum? Was it we who turned you away? You turned yourselves.

They are arguing about which meaning of the verb applies. Was the mountain in the way, or did the stream choose another valley?

One classical commentator notes how the question is built. 'We' is placed straight after the question word. The denial is aimed squarely at themselves as the cause. As he paraphrases it: did we force you, and stand between you and your freedom to choose? No, you denied yourselves your own share.

A modern concise commentary puts their claim simply. You entered disbelief by your own will, choosing it.

The next ayah will show that the leaders did press, day and night. So neither side is wholly honest. Yet the verb holds a lesson for us before that day. Every turning away has both senses in it. Someone may stand in my path. But I am the one who turns.

When you notice yourself drifting from something good, ask which ṣadda it is. Is a mountain truly blocking you, or have you chosen the easier valley?

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.