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Mu!li#! belie"e that llah re"ealed a boo$ to ea%h of braha#& Mo!e!& 'a"id and
(e!u!. )*ut the *oo$ of the prophet braha# wa! lo!t. +he *oo$! of 'a"id ,theP!al#!& Mo!e! ,the +orah& and (e!u! ,the o!pel were %hanged.)/10
t i! only the 2ur3an that wa! re"ealed to Moha##ad by the angel abriel that wa!
pre!er"ed& and indeed )Not a !ingle word of it ha! been %hanged or lo!t. t i! found
today e4a%tly a! it wa! re"ealed to the Prophet Moha##ed.)/50 ! !u%h it i! not
Moha##ed3! per!onal a%hie"e#ent. Rather it i! a di"ine #ira%le. +he prophethood of
e"ery prophet wa! atte!ted to by di"ine #ira%le!. t i! belie"ed that the 2ur3an i! od3!
#ira%le %onfir#ing the prophethood of Moha##ed.
)+he only #ira%le Moha##ad %lai#ed wa! the 2ur3an ... +he 2ur3an i! the
only in!pired !%ripture that ha! %o#e down to u! inta%t a! re"ealed to the
prophet. +here ha! been no ta#pering of the te4t and the original purity of the
language ha! !tayed undefiled.)/0
Mu!li#! do belie"e that the 2ur3an i! a literary #ira%le and that it i! un#at%hed
a#ong any other literature. t i! not a hu#an #a!terpie%e but a di"ine #ira%le& where
e"ery letter and dot wa! re"ealed fro# hea"en& with no differen%e between what wa!
re"ealed and what we ha"e in our hand!.
Ma!terpie%e! are the wor$ of hu#an!. Mira%le! are the wor$ of od. #ira%le& any
#ira%le& i! !uperior to the be!t of #a!terpie%e!. l!o #ira%le! %annot be )i#pro"edupon) by hu#an effort! !in%e that would be the !a#e a! a%$nowledging that the
#ira%le& i.e. the wor$ of od& wa! flawed.
#a!terpie%e !urpa!!e! other wor$! in one parti%ular area. 7or e4a#ple& a #a!tepie%e
of engineering doe! not ne%e!!arily ha"e to ha"e an ae!theti% appeal. 8r a #a!terpie%e
in art doe!n3t ha"e to %onfor# to engineering !tandard!. #a!terpie%e in flower
arrange#ent doe! not ne%e!!arily ha"e to !#ell good.
Mu!li#! %lai# the 2ur3an not u!t to be a hu#an literary #a!terpie%e& but a di"ine
literary #ira%le. *ut thi! %lai# doe! not !quare with the fa%t!. 7or the 2ur3an whi%h
we ha"e in our hand! %ontain! ob"iou! gra##ati%al error! whi%h i! plain to !ee for allwho $now rabi%.
The First Error
n :;69
)<urely they that belie"e& and tho!e of (ewry& and the <abaean!& and the
Chri!tian!& who!oe"er belie"e! in od and the =a!t 'ay& and wor$!
righteou!ne!! - no fear !hall be on the#& neither !hall they !orrow.) ,rberry
?ou noti%e that the word wa! written Saabi'uuna in :;69 and wa! written Saabi'iina in
5;65 and 55;1@. n the la!t two "er!e! the word wa! de%lined %orre%tly be%au!e the
word inna in the beginning of the !enten%e %au!e! a for# of de%len!ion %alled )na!b)
,a! in %a!e! of a%%u!ati"e or !ubun%ti"e and the )yeh) i! the )!ign of na!b). *ut the
word Saabi'uuna in :;69 wa! gi"en the 'uu, waw whi%h i! the !ign of )raf3a) ,a! in%a!e! of no#inati"e or indi%ati"e. +hi! then i! an ob"iou! gra##ati%al error.
The Second Error
n A;165
)*ut tho!e of the# that are fir#ly rooted in $nowledge& and the belie"er!
belie"ing in what ha! been !ent down to thee& and what wa! !ent down before
thee& that perfor# the prayer and pay the al#!& and tho!e who belie"e in od
and the =a!t 'ay - the# Be !hall !urely gi"e a #ighty wage.) ,rberry
<u%h rea!oning defie! logi%. Bhy would one di!tingui!he prayer whi%h i! a bran%h ofreligion& and not faith whi%h i! the funda#ental and root of religionE *e!ide! %an thi!
logi% apply to the error of de%len!ion in the pre"iou! "er!eE 'o we %on%lude that the
<aabi3iin are #ore di!tingui!hed than tho!e who belie"e& and the People of the *oo$E
nd why do they get di!tingui!hed in one "er!e and not the other a! we ha"e !eenE
od i! #u%h higher than thi! !i%$ logi%. +hi! again i! an ob"iou! gra##ati%al error.
The Third Error
n 5F;6
)+hey %o##uned !e%retly !aying& 3+he!e two #en are !or%erer!3.) ,rberry
+he abo"e "er!e when tran!lated into Gngli!h a! it appear! in rabi% would be; )+he
li$ene!! of (e!u! with llah i! a! the li$ene!! of da#. He %reated hi# of du!t& then
He !aid to hi# 3*e&3 and he i!.) +he abo"e i! Pi%$thall3! tran!lation. Plea!e note that he
tran!lated yakuun ,i! a! it appear! in rabi%& i.e. in the pre!ent ten!e.
+he word yakuun ,)i!) in Gngli!h !hould be kana ,)wa!) to be %on!i!tent with the pa!t ten!e of the pre"iou! "erb )!aid) a! it wa! %orre%ted by rberry& Rodwell and
?u!uf li in their tran!lation! of that "er!e. +hi! i! the fifth error.
The Sixth Error
n 51;
)+he e"ildoer! whi!per one to another ...)
)=aahiyatan - quluubuhu#. Ba 3a!arrun-nawalla>iin >ala#uu...)
+he word 'asarru !hould be 'asarra. +he abo"e i! a "erbal !enten%e& and the rule for
!u%h a !enten%e& where the "erb %o#e! before the ,#a!%uline !ube%t& i! that the "erb#u!t be in the third ,#a!%uline !ingular for#& if the a%ti"e !ube%t of the "erbal
!enten%e i! !tated in the !enten%e. ,+he !a#e rule hold! for !ub!tituting the two
#entioning! of )#a!%uline) by )fe#inine). *ut the "erb in the abo"e 2ur3ani% "er!e
%a#e in the plural for#. <ee how the abo"e rule wa! ob!er"ed in the following
)8 #y =ord& if only +hou would!t defer #e unto a near ter#& !o that #ay
#a$e freewill offering& and !o #ay be%o#e one of the righteou!.) ,rberry
)... Rabbi law laaa 3a$hartaniii 3ilaaa 3aalin-qariibin-fa-3a!!addaqa wa 3a$u#-
#ina!-!alihiin.)
+he "erb 'akun wa! in%orre%tly %onugated. t !hould be 'akuuna& i.e. the la!t%on!onant #u!t ha"e the "owel )a)& in!tead of being "owelle!!& be%au!e the "erb
'akun& i! in the !ubun%ti"e. ndeed the pre"iou! "erb ,'assaddaqa ha! been %orre%tly
%onugated and i! in the !ubun%ti"e. +he rea!on i! that in rabi% the pre!ent ten!e i!
pla%ed in the !ubun%ti"e #ood if it i! pree%eeded by %ertain word! ,huruf na!ebah.
8ne of !u%h word! i! the )%au!ati"e fa).
The Tenth Error
n 91;:
)*y the hea"en and that whi%h built it.) ,rberry
)wa!-!a#aaa-3i wa #aa ba-naahaa.)
+he word ma in the rabi% language i! u!ed for the i#per!onal. *ut the !ube%t of the
abo"e "er!e i! od. <o the word whi%h !hould be u!ed i! the rabi% word man
,#eaning )hi# who). rberry tran!lated that "er!e a! follow!; )*y the hea"en and
that whi%h built it) #eaning od. Pi%$thall howe"er %orre%ted the i#per!onal ,#a&
that whi%h and tran!lated the "er!e a! follow!; )*y the hea"en and Hi# Bho built
it.)
ndeed Pi%$thall al!o %orre%ted the two "er!e! that follow;
nd the earth and Hi# Bho !pread it. 2. 91;6.
nd a !oul and Hi# Bho perfe%ted it. 2. 91;@.
?u!uf li& to get out of the proble#& tran!lated the abo"e "er!e a! follow!; )*y the
fir#a#ent and it! wonderful !tru%ture). <o the !ube%t 3od3 doe! not appear at all in
hi! tran!lation of that "er!e. He gi"e! hi! rea!on for hi! tran!lation in a footnote
!aying; +he ma masdariya in rabi%& in thi! and the !ub!equent %lau!e!& i! be!t
tran!lated in Gngli!h by noun!.) *ut the word bana in banaha i! not a noun but a "erb
in the pa!t ten!e a! tran!lated %orre%tly by rberry and Pi%$thall. +he word ma !hould
ha"e been man ,#eaning )who) and in that %onte4t it !hould ha"e been )Bho) with a
%apital B.
The Eleventh Error
n A1;11
)+hen He lifted Hi#!elf to hea"en when it wa! !#o$e& and !aid to it and to the
earth& 3%o#e willingly& or unwillinglyI3 +hey !aid& 3we %o#e willingly.3)
)... faqal laha wa lel-rad 3iteya taw3aan aw $arha qalata atayna ta3e3een.)
Hea"en and earth in rabi% are fe#inine noun!& the "erb !aid in )they !aid) i!
a%%ordingly fe#inine and dual ,qalata& but the ade%ti"e )willing) at the end of the
"er!e i! #a!%uline and plural ,ta'e'een& being at "arian%e with the rule that the
+he rabi% 2ur3an refered to in the abo"e noti%e i! the one pro"ided in the li#
!oftware pa%$age.
No doubt #any learned people ha"e gone o"er thi! rabi% 2ur3an to %he%$ it for
#i!ta$e!& li$e any good publi!her would do. f e"en with the ad"an%ed te%hnology
they ha"e& there are !till error! in it& how %an we ha"e any %onfiden%e that the fir!tedition of the 2ur3an in a ti#e when "ery few people %an read and write rabi%& wa!
written down error freeE Moha##ad hi#!elf !aid )we are a nation that doe! not $now
how to write or do a%%ounting.) nd the Mu!li# in early !la# u!ed to !et free !o#e
(ew! a#ong their war %apti"e! if they would in turn tea%h a few rab! how to read
and write rabi%.
"eferences:
1. +ea%hing of !la#& !la#i% Coun%il of New <outh Bale!& p.1:.
5. +ea%hing of !la#& !la#i% Coun%il of New <outh Bale!& p.1J.
. ntrodu%tion to Pi%$thall3! tran!lation with tran!literation& the *urney %ade#y&
Hyderabad& p.44i".
A. l-7urqan by Moha##ad M. 3abd al-=atif bn al-Datib& 'ar al-Dutub al-3el#iyah&
*eirut& p.9F
:. l-7urqan by Moha##ad M. 3abd al-=atif bn al-Datib& 'ar al-Dutub al-3el#iyah&
Examples from the Qur'ân of the above mentioned cases can be seen in M A S
Abdel Haleem's paper. The so-called-grammatical errors in ayahs 4:162, 5:69,
20:63 and 2:177 are already dealt by him. Interested persons can read his
paper. The site which deals with iltifat and other grammatical constructions is
at:
http://www.islamic.org.uk/grammar.html
Brother Muhammad Ghoneim from France had recently dealt with the issue
of grammatical errors at Newton's website. He has dealt the issue by quoting
the Islamic scholars. He has brought to our notice some very interesting
points. His refutation can be viewed at:
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/Alborhaan/Gram.html
Apart from this, we also have the first refutation by Brother Wail Ibrahim
which appeared on soc.religion.islam newsgroup that can be viewed at:
http://idt.net/~balboa19/newton/grammar2.htm
And Allah knows best.
There are grammar mistakes in the Qur'an!
This is indeed a very strange allegation!The grammar of the Arabic language is largely founded on the Qur'an andwas not put down in writing until well over a hundred years after the Qur'anwas revealed. The Classical Arabic language became a language we can talkabout as having a fixed grammar largely because of the Qur'an. ictionariesand grammar books were first written to preserve the language of the Qur'anand the hadiths from the changes to the Arabic language that were happeningas a result of the sudden growth of the slamic Caliphate into new populationsstretching from "what is now# $akistan to $ortugal. %y own pocket grammarbook uses &uotes from the Qur'an as its proofs for most of its (( grammarrules.
)ne further thing find strange is that this should come from Christians. Thereason is that the *ew testament is all written in a form of slang +reek called,emotic +reek, . This was a corrupted popular form of classical +reek whichpaid little heed to the grammar rules. Any grammatical analysis of the biblewould be hard pressed to find a sentence without a grammar deviation from
the rules of classical +reek.
*evertheless- the points raised may as well be explained
Muslims claim the Qur'an not just to be a human literary masterpiece, but a divine literarymiracle. But this claim does not square with the facts. For the Qur'an which we have in ourhands contains obvious grammatical errors which is plain to see for all who now !rabic.
"he First #rror
$n %&( )*urely they that believe, and those of +ewry, and the *abaeans, and the hristians,whosoever believes in -od and the ast /ay, and wors righteousness 0 no fear shall be onthem, neither shall they sorrow.) 1!rberry2
)$nnal0la3iina 'aamanuu wal0la3iina haaduu was0*aabi'uuna wan04asaaraa man 'aamanabilaahi wal05awmil0'!ahiri wa 'amila saali0hanfalaa haw0fun 'alay0him wa laa hum yah03anuun.)
"here is a grammatical error in the above verse. "he word *aabi'uuna has been declinedwrongly. $n two other verses, the same word, in e6actly the same grammatical setting wasdeclined correctly.
5ou notice that the word was written *aabi'uuna in %&( and was written *aabi'iina in 7&7and 77&89. $n the last two verses the word was declined correctly because the word inna inthe beginning of the sentence causes a form of declension called )nasb) 1as in cases ofaccusative or subjunctive2 and the )yeh) is the )sign of nasb). But the word *aabi'uuna in%&( was given the 'uu, waw which is the sign of )raf'a) 1as in cases of nominative orindicative2. "his then is an obvious grammatical error.
This change in case is similar to changes number and person and tense. Allthese are used in the Qur/an for rhetorical purposes in their contexts. This is afeature called iltifaat . )f which there are countless examples in Arabic. As forhow these rhetorical measures are used in the Qur/an 0 they have beencovered comprehensively in the largest book on Qur/anic sciences called Al01urhan by 2arkashi.
"he *econd #rror
$n :&87
)But those of them that are firmly rooted in nowledge, and the believers believing in whathas been sent down to thee, and what was sent down before thee, that perform the prayerand pay the alms, and those who believe in -od and the ast /ay 0 them ;e shall surelygive a mighty wage.) 1!rberry2
"he word muqiimiin should be muqiimuun. "he word should be declined by the )raf'a sign)lie the other nouns in the sentence. $ndeed the two nouns before it 1<aasi0huun and
Mu'0minuun2, and the noun after it 1mu'0tuun2 are declined correctly. *ome have argued thatthis word was declined as such to distinguish and praise the act of praying, but the scholar$bn al0>hatib says that this is a sic reasoning. 1al0Furqan by Mohammad M. 'abd al0atif $bnal0>atib, /ar al0>utub al0'elmiyah, Beirut, p.:?2. *uch reasoning defies logic. ;hy would onedistinguishe prayer which is a branch of religion, and not faith which is the fundamental androot of religion@ Besides can this logic apply to the error of declension in the previous verse@
/o we conclude that the *aabi'iin are more distinguished than those who believe, and theAeople of the Boo@ !nd why do they get distinguished in one verse and not the other as wehave seen@ -od is much higher than this sic logic. "his again is an obvious grammaticalerror.
This is the same feature which is covered by the answer to the first allegederror.
"he "hird #rror
$n 7&?
)"hey communed secretly saying, '"hese two men are sorcerers'.) 1!rberry2
)Qaaluuu in haa3aani la0saahiraani ...)
"he word saahiraan should be saahirayn. "he word saahiraan was declined incorrectlybecause the word in in the beginning of the nominal sentence causes a form of declensioncalled )nasb) to the nominative and the )yeh) is the )sign of nasb). "his is the thirdgrammatical error.
This is another rhetorical feature and has been exhaustively dealt with by Arab linguists. 3or example T 4asan in his book Al0lugha Al0/arabiyyah....
"he Fourth #rror
$n 7&899
)$t is not piety, that you turn your faces to the #ast and to the ;est. "rue piety is this& tobelieve in -od, and the ast /ay ... to give of one's substance ... and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms. !nd they who fulfil their covenant ... and endure withfortitude.) 1!rberry2
)aysal0birra 'an0tuwalluu wujuuhaum qibalal0Mashriqi wal0Maghrib wa laainnal0birra man'aamana billaahi wal05awmil0'!hiri wal0malaaa0'iati wal0>itaabi wan0nabiyyiin& wa 'aatal0maala 'alaa hubbihii 3awilqurbaa wal0yataamaa wal0masaaiina wabnas0sabiili was0saaa0'iliina wa fir0riqaab& wa'aqaamas0*alaata wa 'aata30=aaataC wal0muufuuna bi'ahdihim'i3aa 'aahaduu was0*aabiriina fil0ba'0saaa'i wa33arraaa0'i ...)
$n the above verse there are five gramatical errors. $n four of them the wrong tense was used,as the sentence begins in the present tense with the verb tuwalluu, while the other four verbs
were written in the past tense&
'aaman should be tu'minuuC
'aata shoud be tu'tuuC
'aqaama should be tuqimuuC
'aata shoud be tu'tuu.
"he above verse when translated into #nglish as it appears in !rabic would be& )$t is notrighteousness that ye turn your faces to the #ast and the ;estC but righteousness is he whobelieved in !llah and the ast day and the angels and the Boo and the ArophetsC and gavehis wealth, ... and performed prayer and paid the alms.) But the #nglish translators have
observed the tense, and the verbs )believed), )gave), )performed), and )paid) were corrected
and written in the present tense. 1For e6ample see !rberry, Aicthall, 5usuf !li and <odwell'stranslations2.
"he fifth error is the wrong declension of the word saabiriina. $t should be declinedsaabiruuna lie the preceeding word muufuuna.
The first instance must be in present tense "like following the word 5to/ in6nglish 0 , am going to eat, not , am going to will eat or , have gone to ate,.This is uncontentious as a rule of 6nglish grammar. 7imilar but different rulesapply to Arabic grammar. f 6nglish were literally translated including thetenses into Arabic it would be gramatically completely incorrect. This alledgederror is a basic misunderstanding of Arabic grammar. As for saabiuuna 0 seethe response to the first alledged error.
"he Fifth #rror
$n ?&%(
)the lieness of +esus, in -od's sight, is as !dam's lienessC De created him of dust, then
"he above verse when translated into #nglish as it appears in !rabic would be& )"he lienessof +esus with !llah is as the lieness of !dam. De created him of dust, then De said to him'Be,' and he is.) "he above is Aicthall's translation. Alease note that he translated yauun1is2 as it appears in !rabic, i.e. in the present tense.
"he word yauun 1)is) in #nglish2 should be ana 1)was)2 to be consistent with the past tenseof the previous verb )said) as it was corrected by !rberry, <odwell and 5usuf !li in theirtranslations of that verse. "his is the fifth error.
This a grammatical concept with an identifiable name in Arabic ,Al04ikaya,where you take a block and present it as it is without changing any part of it 8ust as you don/t change any part of an idiom to suit the different gender ornumber or tense. 3or example- when presume to teach my school teachersome mathematics he may reply ,don/t teach your grandmother to suckeggs,. 4e is not a grandmother and no eggs are being sucked. s this agrammatical error on his part9 *o 0 you couldn/t even change the idiom to,...suck an egg).
"he word 'asarru should be 'asarra. "he above is a verbal sentence, and the rule for such asentence, where the verb comes before the 1masculine2 subject, is that the verb must be inthe third 1masculine2 singular form, if the active subject of the verbal sentence is stated in thesentence. 1"he same rule holds for substituting the two mentionings of )masculine) by)feminine).2 But the verb in the above Qur'anic verse came in the plural form. *ee how theabove rule was observed in the following Qur'anic verses& ?&%7, 8&7, 8&79, 8&?%, ?&:7,:(&8:.
:- ;ou can take ,alla<iin <alamuu, as 5in apposition/ to the plural pronoun tocondemn them for their wickedness and declare that it was their wickednessthat led them to the act.
=- This is a recognised acceptable dialectical variation in classical Arabic-
known in all grammar texts as 5lughat akaluni al0baraghith/ where we have theplural pronoun "not singular# followed by the sub8ect as in the verse above.$erfectly acceptable usage of classical Arabic.
"he *eventh #rror
$n 77&8(
)"hese are two disputants who have disputed concerning their ord.) 1!rberry2
)haa3aani >hismani 'ihtasamuu fi rabbihim ...)
$n !rabic, lie #nglish words are declined or conjugated with respect to number. $n #nglishthere are two numbers& singular and plural. *o in #nglish two men are treated as plural. But
in !rabic there are three numbers& singular, dual, and plural. *o in !rabic the verbs andnouns are treated according to the singular or the dual or the plural. "he verb in that versewas conjugated as if the subject is more than two. But the verse speas only of two. *o therules of the dual should be followed and the word 'ihtasamuu should be 'ihtasamaa. *o thisis yet another error.
The dual refers to the two entities 0 the believers and the unbelievers and thenthe plural is refering to the plurality of the numerous individuals in each camp.n 6nglish we might say , t is german government who wants to ban 1ritishbeef which they say they is dangerous., +overnment is both single and hence,it wants, and plural because the government has many people in it hence,they say,.
"he #ighth #rror
$n :(&(
)$f two parties of believers fight, put things right between them.) 1!rberry2
"his error in this verse is lie the previous one. "he number again is dual but the verb wasconjugated as if the subject is plural. *o the verb 'eq0tatalu should be 'eqtatalata.
This is exactly the same as the previous alleged error.
"he 4ineth #rror
$n ?&8
)E my ord, if only "hou wouldst defer me unto a near term, so that $ may mae freewilloffering, and so $ may become one of the righteous.) 1!rberry2
)... <abbi law laaa 'ahartaniii 'ilaaa 'ajalin0qariibin0fa0'assaddaqa wa 'aum0minas0salihiin.)
"he verb 'aun was incorrectly conjugated. $t should be 'auuna, i.e. the last consonant musthave the vowel )a), instead of being vowelless, because the verb 'aun, is in the subjunctive.$ndeed the previous verb 1'assaddaqa2 has been correctly conjugated and is in thesubjunctive. "he reason is that in !rabic the present tense is placed in the subjunctive moodif it is preeceeded by certain words 1huruf nasebah2. Ene of such words is the )causative fa).
3irstly there is a valid reading "one of the standard seven readings# in whichthis is ,5akuuna,.
The explanation of this reading is that it is in con8unction with the mahall of'assadda&a which is 8a<m in the sense ,if you delay me- will give in charity
and be of the righteous,. 5atf 5ala al0mahall is a well known feature of Arabicgrammar.
"he "enth #rror
$n (8&%
)By the heaven and that which built it.) 1!rberry2
)was0samaaa0'i wa maa ba0naahaa.)
"he word ma in the !rabic language is used for the impersonal. But the subject of the aboveverse is -od. *o the word which should be used is the !rabic word man 1meaning )himwho)2. !rberry translated that verse as follows& )By the heaven and that which built it)
meaning -od. Aicthall however corrected the impersonal 1ma, that which2 and translated theverse as follows& )By the heaven and Dim ;ho built it.)
$ndeed Aicthall also corrected the two verses that follow&
!nd the earth and Dim ;ho spread it. Q. (8&.
!nd a soul and Dim ;ho perfected it. Q. (8&9.
5usuf !li, to get out of the problem, translated the above verse as follows& )By the firmamentand its wonderful structure). *o the subject '-od' does not appear at all in his translation ofthat verse. De gives his reason for his translation in a footnote saying& "he ma masdariya in !rabic, in this and the subsequent clauses, is best translated in #nglish by nouns.) But theword bana in banaha is not a noun but a verb in the past tense as translated correctly by
!rberry and Aicthall. "he word ma should have been man 1meaning )who)2 and in thatconte6t it should have been );ho) with a capital ;.
,ma, in this verse is not a relative pronoun refering to +od but ,masdariyya,meaning ,the building of it, not he who built it. ;usuf Ali having been broughtup on the madrasa tradition knows better Arabic than either Arberry or$ickthal.
"he #leventh #rror
$n :8&88
)"hen De lifted Dimself to heaven when it was smoe, and said to it and to the earth, 'come
willingly, or unwillingly' "hey said, 'we come willingly.')
)... faqal laha wa lel0!rad 'iteya taw'aan aw arha qalata atayna ta'e'een.)
Deaven and earth in !rabic are feminine nouns, the verb said in )they said) is accordinglyfeminine and dual 1qalata2, but the adjective )willing) at the end of the verse is masculine and plural 1ta'e'een2, being at variance with the rule that the adjectives should match their nounsin number in gender, thus ta'e'een which is used for plural, should be ta'e'atain which is usedfor feminine dual.
There are several 4eavens and serveral 6arths. n classical Arabic they canbe refered to as masculin or feminine. >hat you are talking about is a changethat has occured in modern Arabic. ;ou will be surprised for instance to know
that in classical Arabic it is correct to say ,&aala al0nisa/ and &aalat ar0ri8al,
bn Ma!ood and bn Datheer ,and a! )!ugge!ted) by the author of
the %riti%i!#. nother e4a#ple ta$en fro# the rabi% heritage i!
!aying ; "Inna haa'laa'i wa ikhwatka ykrimnanaa!" ,+he!e
people and your brother! are generou! with u!. +he word haa3olaa3i i!
in"ariable. +hu!& we %an !ay i$hwato$a or i$hwati$a and both are%orre%t. te# we $an a$$unt fr "ikhwatka" usin% the first
ar%ument # &hese ele, and yur brthers as well , are %eneruswith us!
n %on%lu!ion& the #i!ta$e #ade by Mr. Newton i! to %lai# that the
de%len!ion <aabi3uuna i! wrong and that the right de%len!ion i! !o and !o.
Maybe& he wa! not aware of !o#e a!pe%t! of the rabi% language. n fa%t& a
#aor %hara%teri!ti% of the rabi% language i! that it i! elliptical. Many
lingui!ti% !et! li$e )!hu$ran) ,)+han$ you.) or )afwan) ,)wel%o#e) are
e4a#ple! of o#i!!ion be%au!e the original !enten%e! are ) than$ you) and)?ou are wel%o#e). Bhile the!e e4a#ple! are rather rare in Gngli!h& theyare a %o##on pla%e in rabi% and they are %on!idered to be of better
lingui!ti% le"el. +he!e o#i!!ion! al!o a%%ount for the #ultipli%ity of
gra##ati%al analy!i! for the !a#e word in the !a#e !et a! it appear! #any
ti#e! in the Holy 2ur3an. +hi! al!o e4plain! that gra##arian! %an !ugge!t
different e4planation! for the !a#e de%len!ion of a word a! you #ay noti%e
through thi! arti%le. 8f %our!e& the e4i!ten%e of !e"eral e4planation! for the!a#e "er!e doe! not #ean it i! erronou!. +he only thing it #ean! i! that the
"er!e %an be under!tood in #any similar way! and that the reader %hoo!e!the #eaning depending on hi! !en!iti"ity.
Second claimed error :
erse :);
+<ut those of them that are firml& rooted in 1nowledge, and the
believers believing in what has been sent down to thee, and what was
sent down before thee, that perform the pra&er and pa& the alms, and
those who believe in God and the /ast 0a& 2 them =e shall surel& give amight& wage3+ 45rberr&6
1. %%ording to <eebaweih and all the gra##arian! of *a!rah& the %a!e!
of #uqii#iin i! +naSb+ 4accusative6 be%au!e of an o#itted "erb
!u%h a! #ean& or !pe%ify or point out or prai!e tho!e 3who
perfor# the prayer3. +hi! wa! what pre"iou!ly qualified a!)$hti<aa<) whi%h i! a %urrently u!ed figure of !tyle in rabi%.
5. <o#e gra##arian! li$e l-Di!aa3i did not agree with thi! po!ition.lDi!aa3i propo!ed that the %lau!e )that perfor# the prayer) ,wal
#uqii#iin a<-<alaata #ention! the Prophet! and that the waaw
,Gngli!h; and gi"e! #uqii#iin the de%len!ion of the pre%edent word
)#aa) ,what whi%h i! in a +@arr+ case 4prepositionalA63 8f %our!e&
thi! %a!e i! fairly a%%eptable fro# a gra##ati%al point of "iew and it
doe! #a$e !en!e a! well. n thi! per!pe%ti"e& the #eaning of the "er!e
%hange! !lightly; )*ut tho!e of the# that are fir#ly rooted in$nowledge& and the belie"er! belie"ing in what ha! been !ent down tothee& and what wa! !ent down before thee& and in those who perfor#
the prayer& and that pay the al#!& and tho!e who belie"e in od and
the =a!t 'ay - to the# Be !hall !urely gi"e a #ighty wage.) +hey
u!tified their interpretation %on%erning the Prophet! !aying that
a%%ording to "er!e 51;@ ) nd Be #ade the# leader!& guiding ,#en
by 8ur Co##and& and Be in!pired the# to do good deed!& toe!tabli!h regular prayer!& and to gi"e a$at and they %on!tantly
!er"ed K! ,and K! only.)& all Prophet! were ordered to perfor# a!pe%ifi% prayer.
Mre(er, the muqiimiin)muqiimuun differen$e refers t
the S$ien$e f Readin%s *+ilm al-qiraa'aat! &here is n
a$$etable $laim abut the falsehd f muqiimiin
be$ause it $mes frm a $ntinuus trusted $hain f
transmitters u t the rhet Muhammad *S! .n thether hand, the de$lensin muqiimuun is als
transmitted by "tawaatr" *$ntinuity and trustfulness
f the $hain f narratrs as in the readin%s f+abdullaah *Ibn Mas+d and Maalik Ibn /eenaar
and Al012dry and +eesaa Ath-thaqafy! 3ut f $urse,
the authr f the $riti$ism is likely t i%nre e(erythin%
abut readin%s! Fr mre infrmatin abut readin%s,
yu are kindly in(ited t $he$k the fllwin% addresshtt#))www!%e$ities!$m)Athens).lymus)456+)hafs!ht
was2saa'iliina wa fir2ri>aab: wa 'a>aamaS2Salaata wa 'aata929a1aataDwal2muufuuna bi!ahdihim idhaa !aahaduu waS2Saabiriina fil2ba'saa'i
wa00arraa2'i 333+
Con%erning thi! "er!e& Mr. Newton doe! not he!itate to !ay that there are
fi"e error!& one %on%erning the de%len!ion of the word )<aabiriina) and four
error! in the ten!e of the "erb! )aa#ana& aata& aqaa#a& aata). 8n%e #ore& in
#y hu#ble opinion& Mr. Newton i! either unaware of !o#e a!pe%t! of the
rabi% gra##ar ,whi%h i! what hope or trying to de%ei"e tho!e who do
not ha"e a !ound ba%$ground in that field.
Here are the e4planation! gi"en by #aor gra##arian!;
R.M& %hapter 5& page AA to AJ O +.D& %hapter :& page A to A:
1. %%ording to the gra##arian! l-farraa3 and >->aaa and 2otrob& it
i! %o##on pla%e to o#it the fir!t word ,)#o'aaf) - i.e. the po!!e!!edobe%t in a geniti"e %on!tru%tion when it! #eaning i! ob"iou!. 7or
e4a#ple& they %ite fa#ou! phra!e! !u%h a!; "Al-7du 2aatim, Ash- shi+ru 8uhayr, wa Ash-sha7aa+atu +antarah" whi%h i! tran!lated
word by word a! )+he genero!ity i! @aati#& the poetry i! uhayr andthe bra"ery i! antarah). better tran!lation i!; )+he genero!ity i! the
generosit& of @aati#& the poetry i! the poetr& of uhayr and the bra"ery i! the braver& of antarah). ! one %an !ee& in the rabi%
"er!ion& it i! better to o#it the )#o'aaf)& but a good Gngli!htran!lation ha! to !tate it. f the Gngli!h tran!lation of rberry wa!
#ore literal& the beginning of the "er!e would be; )t i! not piety& that
you turn your fa%e! to the Ga!t and to the Be!t. +rue piety i! tho!e
who belie"ed ,aa#ana in od& and the =a!t 'ay ... and ga"e ,aata of
one3! !ub!tan%e ... and to ran!o# the !la"e& and perfor#ed the prayer&and paid the al#!. nd tho!e who fulfil their %o"enant ... and endurewith fortitude.) =et u! fill in the blan$! in the quotation of Mr.
Newton to ha"e the full #eaning of the "er!e; )t i! not righteou!ne!!that ye turn your fa%e! toward! Ga!t or Be!t but it i! the
righteousness of tho!e who belie"ed in llah and the =a!t 'ay& and
the ngel!& and the *oo$& and the Me!!enger! and !pent of their
!ub!tan%e& out of lo"e for Hi#& for their $in& for orphan!& for the
needy& for the wayfarer& for tho!e who a!$& and for the ran!o# of
!la"e! and were !teadfa!t in prayer& and ga"e a$at ,regular %harity
and tho!e who fulfill the %ontra%t! whi%h they ha"e #ade and tho!ewho are fir# and patient& in pain ,or !uffering and ad"er!ity& and
tw! 3ut the (erse seaks nly f tw! S the rules f the dual shuld be
fllwed and the wrd 'ikhtaSamuu shuld be 'ikhtaSamaa! S this is yet
anther errr! ::
+he an!wer; n the!e two %a!e!& Mr. Newton %lai#! that the "erb!
)$hta<a#uu) and )iqtataluu) !hould be in the dual for# and not in the plural for# a! it i! in the 2uran. G"erybody will ad#it that in both %a!e! we
are dealing with +B8 antagoni!t!& fineII *ut ea%h antagoni!t i! a group of per!on! in reality. Con%erning the 1!t "er!e& we !hould read the following
"er!e!. Be will reali>e that the two antagoni!t! are& on one hand& tho!e who
deny their =ord and& on the other hand& the belie"er!. n the 5nd "er!e& the
rabi% word +aa3ifa #ean! group or party. <o& one %an put the "erb in the
plural for# !in%e we are dealing with M8RG +HN +B8 per!on! ,a! it i!
in the!e "er!e! or put the "erb in the dual for# a! Mr. Newton wi!he! !in%e
we are dealing with +B8 group!. *oth %hoi%e! are gra##ati%ally %orre%tand it i! !trange to %lai# it !hould be thi! way and not that way be%au!e itrefle%t! either the ignoran%e of the author or hi! willing to fool people li$e
you and #e.
.&<# As I ha(e stated re(iusly, it is rerted that Arab &ribes like
Kinaanah, and 3ani +dhrah, and Khath+am, and Mraad, and sme f
3ani Rabee+ah, and 3el2aarith Ibn Ka+b, ne(er de$lined dual wrds! *&K,
$hater =>, a%e 2> t ?6 &hus, in all the %rammati$al $ases, dual wrds
remain with an alef letter! @=Mr! ewtn is a %d student f Arabi$
%rammar, he states many rules but he fails t take e(erythin% int$nsideratin!
The nineth claimed error:
erse )!:B
+ m& /ord, if onl& Thou wouldst defer me unto a near term, so that #
ma& ma1e freewill offering, and so # ma& become one of the righteous3+
45rberr&6
+333 "abbi lawlaa a1hartanii ilaa a@alin >ariibin fa'aSSadda>a wa a1un
min aSSali8iin3+
7ir!t& let #e re#ind the reader about )@uruf ala+f) ,%oordination
%onun%tion!. +here are nine %onun%tion!; wa& fa& thu##a& laa$in& @attaa&aw& a#& bal and laa. +he!e %onun%tion! u!ually appear between two noun!&
or two "erb!& or two %lau!e! of the !a#e nature. Howe"er& !o#eti#e! theydo refer to the gra##ati%al lo%ation of a noun& "erb or %lau!e and not to the
noun& "erb or %lau!e the#!el"e!. +hi! i! what i! %alled )a+f alaa#aw'i).