3:111

Salaam all,

This is 3:111
لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلاَّ أَذًى وَإِن يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الأَدُبَارَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُنصَرُونَ
Lan yadurrookum illa athan wain yuqatilookum yuwallookumu aladbara thumma la yunsaroona

The Aya says:
They will never harm you (plural) except transient/ mild hurt, and if they fight you (plural), they direct their behinds at you/ run away, then they will not be aided.

My personal note:
This Aya continues regarding the people of the book who drifted from the path of God or a certain group of them. It mentions that they will be unable to inflict harm except in a mild or transient manner, and if they do fight, then they will run away and will not have help or support.

This Aya is directed to the prophet and his companions at a particular time and incident in his history with some of the people of the book of his time. It reassured him that those particular people will not have the ability to harm him or his people in a significant manner. The message still stands. It reassures those Muslims who hold true to the message of Islam, that no lasting or severe harm will touch them from the people of the book who drifted from God’s path.

Yuwallookum Aladbar means direct their behinds at you (plural). This in turn means run away or move away.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Lan: Never
Yadurrookum: will they cause harm to you
Note: the root is Dhad-R-R and it means harm or no benefit. YADURROO is an action that is derived from the root that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of causing harm is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural) to the object Kum= plural you.
Illa: except
Athan: transient hurt/ mild hurt
Note: the root is Hamza-TH-Y and it means mild harm or hurt in all it’s forms, physical and emotional and so forth. One concrete word is the waves or the wake of the sea that is a nuisance or mild harm, but rarely dangerous. ATHAN means harm or transient hurt or mild harm and so forth.
Wain: and if
Yuqatilookum: they fight you/ they kill you in an interactive fashion
Note: the root is Qaf-T-L and it means killing. YUQATILOO is an action that is happening or will be happening that is derived from the root. It means: the action of killing in an interactive fashion is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural) opposite the object KUM which is a plural you.
Yuwallookumu: they direct the “behinds” to you
Note: the root is W-L-Y and it means direction or following direction with being assured of some kind of guarantee. YUWALLOO is an action that is being completed or will be completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of directing one object (aladbar= the behinds) to another KUM=plural you, is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural)
Aladbara: the behinds
Note: the root is D-B-R and it means the end of an entity in a conceptual manner. This could be the behind of the entity or it could be the conclusion of a matter or business and so forth. Here, AlADBAR takes the meaning of the behinds or the backs.
Thumma: then
La: not
Yunsaroona: will they be aided/ helped
Note: the root N-Sad-R and it means aid or help or support at the time of need. YUNSAROONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of aid or support at time of need is happening or will be happening by an undeclared subject to the object (third person plural).

Salaam all and have a great day.


Hussein