Al-'Alaq · Makki · ayah 16 of 19

Al-'Alaq 96:16

نَاصِيَةٍ كَـٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ

“A lying, sinning forelock.”

Saheeh International

Essence

One man's forelock becomes 'a forelock, lying, sinning', so that the warning reaches every proud face that lies and aims at wrong.

A reflection

From one man to a portrait anyone could fit

At a staff meeting, the results of an anonymous survey are read aloud. One comment says: 'Some managers take credit for work their teams did.' No names are given. Three managers shift in their seats. The comment was written about one person. It describes several.

Look at the grammar of these two ayat. The previous one said al-nāṣiya, the forelock, with 'the': a particular forelock everyone knew. This ayah repeats the word without 'the': nāṣiyatin, a forelock, and then describes it: lying, sinning.

One classical scholar explains why both forms are needed. The definite form makes sure the particular man in the story is included without doubt. The indefinite form, with its description, ties the warning to the description itself. So it reaches every forelock that lies and sins. The ayah came down about one man, as is said, and then its judgement attached to everyone who shares his traits. A classical grammarian adds that an indefinite word can stand in for a definite one like this only because it is described. The description carries the meaning.

So you cannot read this passage as history only. It is a portrait with an empty frame, and the question it leaves is whether your face fits.

That is not meant to make anyone paranoid. Most people reading this will never threaten someone at prayer. But lying and deliberate wrongdoing come in small sizes too. The exaggerated CV. The excuse rehearsed until it sounds true. The quiet sabotage of someone who outshone us. Each is a small version of the same face.

The managers in the meeting had a choice. They could spend the afternoon working out who wrote the comment. Or they could ask whether it described them. The ayah offers every reader the same choice, and only the second one is any use.

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.