Surah An-Noor — Study Session 17
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Tafseer of Ayahs 40–46 of Surah An-Noor
- The darkness metaphor for the deeds of the kuffar (Ayah 40)
- All creation makes tasbih of Allah; birds in flight (Ayah 41)
- Allah's exclusive ownership of the heavens and earth (Ayah 42)
- Allah drives, combines, and layers clouds; sends rain and hail (Ayah 43)
- The turning of night and day as a sign (Ayah 44)
- All creatures created from water (Ayah 45)
- Clear signs revealed in the Quran guiding to truth (Ayah 46)
- Grammar: khabar mukadam for emphasis; ta' ta'nith rules; Form VIII assimilation; iltiqaa al-sakinayn
1. Ayah 40 — The Darkness Metaphor
1.1 The Verse
"Or like darknesses in a deep sea covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds — darknesses, one above another. When he takes out his hand, he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light — for him there is no light."
1.2 Layers of Darkness
The deeds of the kuffar are compared to three compounding sources of darkness:
| Layer | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ (bahrin lujjiyyin) | A deep, fathomless ocean — no sunlight reaches the depths |
| 2 | مَّوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ (mawjun min fawqihi mawj) | Wave upon wave covering the surface |
| 3 | مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ (min fawqihi saḥāb) | Dense clouds above the waves blocking any remaining light |
The result: ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ — darknesses, some on top of others.
1.3 Grammar: Khabar Mukadam
Khabar Mukadam — Predicate Before Subject
When the mubtada' (subject) is indefinite, the khabar (predicate) must come first. This is the standard rule. Example from this ayah: ظُلُمَاتٌ as khabar precedes the indefinite mubtada'.
Khabar Before Definite Mubtada' for Emphasis
The khabar can also come before a definite mubtada' for rhetorical emphasis, as seen in Ayah 42. Compare:
- لِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ (normal) vs. وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ — placing لِلَّهِ first emphasises "to Allah alone belongs the kingdom."
1.4 Grammar: Ta' Ta'nith (Feminine Marker) in Verbs
The verb تَرَاكَمَ / تَرَاكَمَتْ (Form V, to pile up in layers) can appear either with or without the ta' ta'nith here.
Rule: Optional Ta' Ta'nith
When two conditions are both met, the ta' ta'nith on the verb is optional (either form is correct):
1. The fa'il (subject) is grammatically feminine but not a real female (مُؤَنَّث مَجَازِي — e.g. ظُلُمَات, darkness is neither male nor female).
2. The fa'il is separated from the verb by another word.
→ You may say تَرَاكَمَ الظُّلُمَاتُ or تَرَاكَمَتِ الظُّلُمَاتُ — both are correct.
If the fa'il were a real female person, the tau is obligatory.
1.5 Grammar: Iltiqaa al-Sakinayn (Collision of Two Sukoons)
Resolving Two Sukoons
The word يَكَدْ originally ends in a sukoon. The next word الْيَدَ also begins with a sukoon on the lam. When two sukoons collide, a kasra is inserted to separate them. This kasra is purely phonetic and does not change the word's meaning.
1.6 Grammar: Maa al-Nafi with Min
مِن here is the min of negation (مِن زَائِدَة للتَّأكِيد), making the negation universal:
وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ
How to Identify Min al-Zaidah
Remove مِن from the sentence. If the meaning still makes sense, the مِن is zaidah (extra, for emphasis). Here: "there is no light for him" still makes sense → it is min zaidah, intensifying the negation.
2. Ayah 41 — All Creation Makes Tasbih
2.1 The Verse
"Do you not see that to Allah prostrate whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the moving creatures, and many of the people?"
2.2 Alam Tara — A Form of Rhetorical Address
أَلَمْ تَرَ (alam tara) literally means "do you not see?" but idiomatically means "do you not know / consider?" It addresses Rasulullah ﷺ directly (singular تَرَ) but is by extension addressed to all believers.
2.3 Birds Making Tasbih
وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ — the birds spreading their wings in the sky are also engaged in the tasbih of their Lord.
Morphology: Saffat
صَافَّاتٍ is a سِيمَاء فَاعِل (active participle) with a small Form. The birds stretch their wings in a pattern that constitutes their own unique tasbih.
2.4 Grammar: Form VIII Assimilation
اصْطَفَى (Form VIII from ص-ف-و) — the ta' of Form VIII assimilates when the first root letter is ط, ظ, ض, or ص:
Form VIII: Ta' Assimilation
In Form VIII (اِفْتَعَلَ), if the first root letter is ص, ض, ط, or ظ, the ت of افتعل assimilates into that letter and becomes a doubled (shaddah) version:
- Root ص-ف-و → اِصْطَفَى (not اِصْتَفَى)
See the dedicated note: Form VIII
2.5 Grammar: Ma al-Mawsulah and Aid
يَعْلَمُ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ — the مَا here is a relative pronoun (مَا الْمَوْصُولَة). Its antecedent (العَائِد) is the entire relative clause.
Kull with the Relative Clause
كُلُّ عَبْدٍ and كُلُّ مُسَبِّحٍ — every worshipper, every one making tasbih. Allah knows whatever (ma) each one is doing. The مَا ties together the knowledge of Allah with every act of every created being.
3. Ayah 42 — Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
"And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to Allah is the destination."
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ — the khabar لِلَّهِ precedes the mubtada' مُلْكُ even though مُلْكُ is definite, for emphasis:
Emphasis Through Khabar-First Order
Even with a definite mubtada', bringing the khabar forward creates the meaning: "to Allah specifically and exclusively belongs the kingdom." Compare in English: "The kingdom belongs to Allah" vs. "To Allah belongs the kingdom."
4. Ayah 43 — Allah Drives and Combines Clouds
4.1 The Verse
"Do you not see that Allah drives clouds? Then He brings them together, then He makes them into a mass, and you see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the sky mountains [of clouds], within which is hail..."
4.2 Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| يُزْجِي (yuzjī) | ز-ج-و | To drive forward, to propel |
| يُؤَلِّفُ (yu'allifu) | أ-ل-ف | To combine, to bring together |
| رُكَامًا (rukāman) | ر-ك-م | Something piled up in layers |
| يُصِيبُ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ | — | He sends it upon whom He wills |
| وَيَصْرِفُهُ (wayaṣrifuhu) | ص-ر-ف | To turn away, to avert |
| حِسَاب (ḥisāb) | ح-س-ب | Calculation, precise measure |
Meaning of Hasab
بِحِسَابِهِ — according to His precise calculation. Just as a cook adds salt "as needed" (hasab al-dhawq), Allah distributes rain to different people and places according to His hikmah and divine plan.
4.3 Masdar from Form V
Form V Masdar Pattern
To form the maṣdar of Form V (تَفَعَّلَ), add a shaddah on the second root letter: the masdar is تَفَعُّل. The word تَفَرُّق (tafurruq, dispersal/separation) appearing in this context is a Form V masdar.
5. Ayah 44 — The Turning of Night and Day
"Allah alternates the night and the day. Indeed in that is a lesson for those who have vision."
يُقَلِّبُ اللَّهُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ — Allah turns the night and day in two ways:
- One replaces the other — as one comes, the other goes (perpetual cycle)
- Their durations change — in winter the night is long and day is short; in summer the reverse. Allah keeps altering the lengths.
Lesson for People of Vision
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّأُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ — عِبْرَة (ʿibra) means a lesson derived by observing the world around you. The same root appears elsewhere in the Quran: فَاعْتَبِرُوا — take a lesson, reflect on what you observe. Those with بَصِيرَة (inner sight / insight) extract lessons from the signs of Allah.
6. Ayah 45 — All Creatures Created from Water
"And Allah has created every creature from water. And of them are those that move on their bellies, and of them are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent."
| Category | Arabic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl on belly | عَلَىٰ بَطْنِهِ | Snakes, worms — crawl on their abdomen |
| Walk on two legs | عَلَىٰ رِجْلَيْنِ | Humans — رِجْلَيْن is the dual of رِجْل |
| Walk on four legs | عَلَىٰ أَرْبَعٍ | Cattle and other four-legged animals |
Dual Form: Rijlayn
رِجْلَيْنِ is the dual of رِجْل (leg/foot), meaning "two legs." This is one of many dual forms in the Quran. In the accusative/genitive the dual ending is -ayn (رِجْلَيْن).
7. Ayah 46 — Clear Signs Guiding to Truth
"We have certainly sent down to you distinct verses and an example from those who passed on before you and an admonition for those who fear Allah."
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا — the إِنَّ at the start functions like an oath, asserting with full certainty:
Inna as Emphasis / Oath Marker
Whenever a sentence begins with إِنَّ or أَنَّ, it introduces emphatic assertion — similar in force to taking an oath. The speaker (here, Allah) is affirming beyond doubt: "We have definitely sent down in this Quran..."
The revealed verses are described as مُبَيِّنَات (clarifying, making the truth manifest) pointing toward الْحَقّ. Allah guides whoever He wills toward the straight path (صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ), which is Islam.
8. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Pattern / Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| مَوْجٌ | م-و-ج | Noun | Wave |
| سَحَابٌ | س-ح-ب | Noun | Cloud |
| يُزْجِي | ز-ج-و | Form IV muḍāriʿ | He drives forward |
| يُؤَلِّفُ | أ-ل-ف | Form II muḍāriʿ | He brings together |
| رُكَامٌ | ر-ك-م | Noun (maṣdar) | A pile, layered mass |
| يَصْرِفُ | ص-ر-ف | Form I muḍāriʿ | He diverts / turns away |
| يُقَلِّبُ | ق-ل-ب | Form II muḍāriʿ | He alternates / turns over |
| عِبْرَة | ع-ب-ر | Noun | A lesson (derived by observation) |
| بَصِيرَة | ب-ص-ر | Noun | Insight, inner vision |
| مُبَيِّنَات | ب-ي-ن | Form II active participle (pl.) | Clear, clarifying signs |
9. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- The kuffar's deeds are wrapped in compounding layers of darkness — shirk, deviation, and corruption — each layer blocking the light further.
- Every created being makes tasbih of Allah in its own way — including birds in mid-flight.
- The khabar can precede the mubtada' for emphasis even when the mubtada' is definite.
- Ta' ta'nith on a verb is optional when the subject is a non-real feminine noun AND is separated from the verb.
- Allah's control of rain is precise — He gives to whom He wills by His exact calculation (ḥisāb).
- The alternation of night and day in cycle and in duration are two distinct signs of Allah's power.
The teacher mentioned plans for a short workshop on how certain words undergo phonetic transformations (especially in Form VIII) before the new series begins.