Both These Lights — Study Session 1
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Introduction to the book: Arabic text studying the hadith of Umm Salama on the migration to Abyssinia
- Reading and translating page 1: the Quraysh send two envoys to Najāshī with gifts of prized Makkan leather
- Vocabulary: زَوْج (spouse), أَدَم (tanned leather), رَجُلَيْن, نَجَاشِي, جَلِيد (tough/resolute)
- Grammar: لَمَّا — temporal particle; conditions for its following verb and jawāb
- Grammar: زَوْج as gender-neutral; إِمْرَأَة for wife; زَوْجَة as acceptable alternative
- Grammar: كَان وأخواتها — كَان acting as a tāmm (complete verb)
1. About the Book and Series
The book being studied is Dr. Abdul Rahim's Arabic-medium text examining the hadith of Umm Salama (رضي الله عنها) about the first Hijra — the early Muslim migration to Abyssinia (Habasha). It follows his established approach: شرح المفردات (vocabulary explanation) followed by التحليل النحوي (grammatical analysis).
The key challenge at this level is medium: the explanation is entirely in Arabic. The English companion covers translation and context; the Arabic text is the focus in class.
The title
The title Both These Lights (كِلَا هَذَيْنِ النُّورَيْنِ) comes from the Najāshī's statement when Jaʿfar recited Sūrat Maryam — that both the Quran and the original Injīl come from the same divine niche. This is revealed later in the series.
2. The Narrative: Migration to Habasha
The hadith is narrated by Umm Salama (رضي الله عنها). The early Muslims, persecuted in Makkah, had taken refuge in Abyssinia under Najāshī (the Negus, king of Ethiopia). When news reached Quraysh that the refugees were safe and comfortable, they decided to send two men to demand their extradition.
"They consulted each other (تَشَاوَرُوا) and agreed to send two staunch men from among them to Najāshī with gifts of the prized goods of Makkah — tanned leather (الأَدَم) — and they would not leave a single general of his without giving him a gift before presenting their case."
Key narrative points established in this session: - The word نَجَاشِي (Najāshī) is a royal title, not a personal name — like "Pharaoh" for any king of Egypt. Any king of Abyssinia bore this title. - The personal name of the Najāshī contemporary with the Prophet ﷺ was أَصحَمَة (Aṣḥama), which means "gift" in the Ethiopic language. - مَكَّة is a foreign (non-Arab) name, which is why it takes فَتحة even in the genitive (it is mamnūʿ min al-ṣarf).
3. Key Vocabulary
3.1 زَوْج — Spouse
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| زَوْج | spouse (gender-neutral: husband or wife) |
| زَوْجَة | wife (a valid but less classical form) |
| إِمْرَأَة | the classical Arabic word for wife (lit. "his woman") |
In the Quran, أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الجَنَّة (Baqara) uses زَوْج for Eve — showing it refers to the wife of Adam. In Surah Al-Ahzab, the spouses of the Prophet ﷺ are called أَزوَاجُهُ (his spouses), and this plural is used in our prayers when we say أُمَّهَات المُؤمِنِين.
A woman who is someone's wife is زَوْجُهُ (with the masculine form). The feminine form زَوْجَة is attested in classical poetry but is more common in modern Arabic.
Quranic examples
- أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الجَنَّة (Baqara) — You and your spouse [i.e. Eve] in Paradise
- وَأَزوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُم (Al-Ahzab 6) — his wives are their mothers
3.2 أَدَم — Tanned Leather
أَدَم is a collective noun (ism jins jamʿī) with a singular meaning of hides/leathers in bulk. It is a grammatically singular word despite referring to many hides. Makkah was renowned for its leather-tanning industry — this is what made it a coveted gift.
Kāna and the mudāf
The text has the construction وَكَانَ مِن أَفضَلِ مَا يُؤتَى بِهِ مِنهَا الأَدَمُ — and the most pleasing of what was brought from it [Makkah] was the leather. Here الأَدَمُ is the اسم كَان (subject) and مِن أَفضَلِ مَا... is the خَبَر كَان. The fronted predicate is for emphasis — stressing what was brought over the object itself.
3.3 جَلِيد — Resolute / Tough
جَلِيد is on the pattern فَعِيل (ṣifat mushabbaha) from the root ج-ل-د (endurance, toughness). It describes someone who has inner toughness — not just physical strength but the kind of resilience that cannot be shaken. The envoys were chosen precisely because they were جَلِيدَيْن — resolute men who would not be swayed.
3.4 نَجَاشِي — The Negus
A royal title of Ethiopian/Aksumite origin (nagasi = king). The variant readings are all acceptable:
| Reading | Form |
|---|---|
| النَّجَاشِيُّ | with shaddah on the yāʾ (more emphatic) |
| النَّجَاشِي | without shaddah (the lighter reading, considered more eloquent) |
Both forms appear in classical sources. The name of the specific Negus contemporary with the Prophet ﷺ was Aṣḥama, which in Amharic means a gift.
4. Grammar Points
4.1 زَوْج — Gender-Neutrality
In Arabic, زَوْج can refer to either spouse — but the grammar depends on context:
| Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| زَوْجُ المَرأَةِ | the husband (of a woman) |
| زَوْجُ الرَّجُلِ | the wife (of a man) |
The sentence إِمرَأَةٌ زَوجُهَا كَذَا uses زَوج for the husband. This mirrors English where "spouse" works for both, but "husband" and "wife" are specific. The more classical word for wife is إِمْرَأَتُهُ (his woman).
Rule
In classical Arabic, the word زَوْجَة is valid but considered slightly less eloquent than زَوجُهُ when referring to a wife. In Quranic Arabic, the simple زَوْج is always used for both genders.
4.2 لَمَّا — Temporal Particle
لَمَّا introduces a past-time relationship: when [something happened], [then something else occurred]. It is a ظَرف زَمَاني (temporal adverb) or حَرف depending on the scholar.
Rules for لَمَّا:
- The verb following لَمَّا must be فِعل مَاضٍ (past tense) — affirmative, or negated with لَم (which carries past meaning)
- It must have a جَوَاب (response clause)
The five forms the jawāb can take:
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| فِعل مَاضٍ مُثبَت | ...the news reached me, I was sad |
| فِعل مَاضٍ مَنفِي بِمَا | ...whenever a warner came, it increased them in nothing but aversion |
| فِعل مَاضٍ مَنفِي بِلَم | — |
| جُملَة إِسمِيَّة بِإِذَا الفُجَائِيَّة | — |
| فِعل مَاضٍ بَعدَ الوَاو | — |
From the text
لَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ قُرَيشًا — when that [news] reached Quraysh — the jawāb is the main clause that follows: they consulted among themselves.
4.3 كَان التَّامَّة
كَان has two functions:
| Type | Takes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| كَان النَّاقِصَة | اسم + خَبَر | كَانَ بِلَالٌ مَرِيضًا — Bilal was sick |
| كَان التَّامَّة | فَاعِل only | كَانَ اللَّيلُ — Night fell / It was night |
In كَان التَّامَّة, there is no predicate — just the event of being/occurring. This is used to simply state that something happened or was present without describing its condition. Example: When it was night (كَانَ اللَّيلُ), I returned to the hotel.
5. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- زَوْج is gender-neutral in classical Arabic — context determines who it refers to. The most eloquent word for wife remains إِمرَأَتُهُ.
- لَمَّا always requires a jawāb; the verb after it must be in the past tense (or carry past meaning via لَم).
- أَدَم is a collective noun: singular in grammar, plural in meaning — the agreement follows the grammatical singular.
- كَان can function as a complete verb (تَامَّة) taking only a subject — it simply asserts existence or occurrence.
- The royal title نَجَاشِي is not the man's name; the man's name was Aṣḥama — just as "Pharaoh" is a title, not a name.
Next session: Completing the vocabulary of page 1, and the grammar of لَمَّا in detail — specifically the five forms its jawāb can take.