Parsing the word (Sabians) and responding to those who say that it is a grammatical error in the Qur’an

 

Praise be to Allah, the word

"the Sabians" came with the letter "ya" in the accusative case in Surat Al-Baqarah and Surat Al-Hajj; In the words of Allah the Most High: (Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans - those who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.) Al-Baqarah/62, and the words of Allah the Most High: (Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans or Sabeans - indeed, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is Witness over all things (Al-Hajj: 17). The same word was mentioned with the nominative waw in Surat Al-Ma’idah, in the statement of Allah the Most High: (Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians - those who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve) (Al-Ma’idah: 69). As for the first two verses, there is no problem in their parsing, because the word in them is conjoined with the waw to a word whose place is in the accusative case, which is “alladhina” (those who), the noun of “in,” so it was in the accusative case, and the sign of its accusative case is the ya’, because it is a sound masculine plural. The problem is with the third verse, the verse of Surat Al-Ma’idah. It occurred in the same position in the first two verses, and yet it came in the nominative case. Grammarians and commentators have mentioned several aspects to clarify this problem, and they have mentioned their known counterparts in the Arabic language. We will suffice here with three of them, which are among the most famous things said about it: The first: That the verse contains an advancement and a delay, and accordingly the context of the meaning is: Indeed, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians - whoever believes in Allah... there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. And the Sabians are the same, so it is parsed as a nominative subject, and the sign of its nominative case is the waw, because it is a sound masculine plural. An equivalent to that in the Arabic language is the saying of the poet: So whoever spends the evening in Medina, then I and Qayyar are strangers there . The place of the evidence is his saying “Qayyar,” which is the name of his horse or camel. This word came in the nominative case as a subject, and it did not come in the accusative case as it was conjoined with the subject of “in” which is the accusative “ya” of the speaker in his saying (for I) . The second: “ the Sabians ” is a subject, and the Christians













The predicate of the subject “the Sabians” is conjoined to it, and the sentence “whoever believes in God…” is the predicate of “the Sabians.” As for the predicate of “in,” it is omitted and is indicated by the predicate of the subject “the Sabians.” An example of this in the Arabic language is the saying of the poet: “

We are satisfied with what we have,

and you are satisfied with what you have.” The matter is different, and the evidence for this is that the subject “we” did not mention its predicate, as the predicate of the conjoined “you” was sufficient. So its predicate “satisfied” indicates the predicate of the first subject, and the meaning of the statement is: “We are satisfied with what we have, and you are satisfied with what you have. ”

The third: “ the Sabians ” is conjoined to the position of the noun “in.” So the abrogating letters, “in” and its sisters, enter the nominal sentence consisting of a subject and a predicate, and the subject of “in” is in its original position, before the entry of “in,” it is subject to the nominative because it is a subject. Hence, “the Sabians” was raised considering that it is conjoined to the position of the noun of “in.” [See: Awda Al-Masalik, by Ibn Hisham, with the explanation of Muhyi Al-Din, 1/352-366, the interpretation of Al-Shawkani and Al-Alusi, on this verse.] What you mentioned, about the strength of your certainty and your trust in the words of Allah, the Most High, is what is obligatory upon every Muslim. Allah, the Most High, said: {Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy?} [An-Nisa’: 82]. Shaykh Ibn ‘Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his interpretation: (And what must be certain is that this wording was revealed in this way, and the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, spoke it in this way, and the Muslims received it from him and read it, and it was written in the copies of the Qur’an, and they were pure Arabs. So it was a basis for us to learn from it a style of the styles of the Arabs’ use of conjunctions, even if it was not a common usage, but it is very eloquent and concise…) End quote. Ibn ‘Ashur sought out the rhetorical benefit of using the word “ the Sabians ” in the nominative case, and he said something to the effect that the nominative case in this context is strange, so it is worth noting. The reader may ask: Why did he raise this particular name, even though it is customary for such a thing to be in the accusative case? It is said: This strangeness in raising the name of the Sabians is consistent with the strangeness of the Sabians being included in the promise of forgiveness, because they worship the planets, and they are further from guidance than the Jews and Christians , to the point that they almost despair of the promise of forgiveness and salvation. Thus, he pointed out that Allah’s forgiveness is great. It includes everyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous deeds, even if he is a Sabian. [See the interpretation of the verse of Al-Ma’idah from Ibn Ashur’s interpretation.]











To know who the Sabians are, see the answer to question no. (49048)

. However, there are lessons that we should not miss in this context:

First: We must pay attention to Islamic knowledge; it is not enough for a person to hold fast to what he has of prior certainty, even though that is the greatest refuge and protection. Rather, if he adds Islamic knowledge to that, he will be, Allah willing, safe from these doubts and the like that which the enemies of his religion stir up, shaking his faith.

Secondly: Such a situation alerts us to a degree of neglect of one of our greatest duties towards the Book of Allah, the Most High, which is the duty of contemplation and study, not just recitation. Allah the Most High says: {This is a Book which We have revealed to you, full of blessings, that they may ponder its verses and that those of understanding may be reminded} [Surah Sad: 29]. Sheikh Ibn Sa`di, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “That is, this is the wisdom behind its revelation, so that people may ponder its verses, extract their knowledge, and contemplate their secrets and wisdom. By contemplating it, pondering its meanings, and thinking about it again and again, we will realize its blessing and goodness. This indicates the urging to contemplate the Qur’an , and that it is one of the best deeds, and that reading that includes contemplation is better than speedy recitation that does not achieve this purpose.” The evidence from this position for what was mentioned is that if we were to perform this duty from time to time, such verses would soon stop us, so that we would ask about them, or research them, before we are faced with problems from our enemies. Third: If we perform the two previous duties, we would be qualified to take the initiative, to call others, and inform them of the truth that we have, and to expose to them, in the best way, the falsehood that they have, instead of standing in a defensive position, as the weak and defeated do.



And Allah is the Grantor of success.

Islam Question and Answer

http://www.islam-qa.com/ar/ref/49860