An-Naba · Makki · ayah 34 of 40

An-Naba 78:34

وَكَأْسًا دِهَاقًا

“And a full cup.[1827]”

Saheeh International

Essence

A cup that is never empty, filled to the brim and filled again, with none of the harm of this world's drink.

A reflection

Filled until it says 'enough'

At a village wedding, a young cousin is given one job for the evening: the water jug. He walks between the long tables for four hours. He watches every glass. No glass is allowed to fall below half before he is there, pouring again. By the end of the night his arm aches, and no guest has ever had to ask.

Both words in this ayah carry that kind of care. The lexicons say a kaʾs is a drinking cup with drink in it. Empty, the Arabs called it a qadaḥ. So by its very name a kaʾs is never empty. The root of dihāq pictures fullness that presses and moves: filling a cup to its brim, and pouring out in a rush. These are established senses.

The sources give three shades for dihāq. Most say full to the brim. One commentator says a basin is filled like this until it says 'enough'. A report tells of a Companion who asked his servant for a dihāq drink. When the boy brought it full, he said: this is dihāq. Others say it means continuous, one cup following another, like stones pressed tight together. A third view says pure and clear. One commentator quotes a line of poetry about a guest: when he came seeking our hospitality, we filled for him a brimming cup.

So the image is hospitality at its most generous. In this world, even the best host eventually runs out, or tires, or turns to other guests. The cup in this ayah is filled and filled again, without anyone having to ask.

There is a practice hidden here for this life too. Generosity in the Arab ideal meant pouring full, not half. Where can you be the cousin with the jug this week? Notice what someone needs before they have to ask, and fill it to the brim.

The full entry has 4 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.