3:199

Salaam all,

This is 3:199
وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلّهِ لاَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً أُوْلَـئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ
Wainna min ahli alkitabi laman yuminu biAllahi wama onzila ilaykum wama onzila ilayhim khashiAAeena lillahi la yashtaroona biayati Allahi thamanan qaleelan olaika lahum ajruhum AAinda rabbihim inna Allaha sareeAAu alhisabi

The Aya says:
And indeed amongst the people of the book (are those) who make themselves safe in Allah and what was brought down to you (plural) and what was brought down to them, manifestly submitting to Allah. They do not exchange a cheap price for Allah’s signs. Those, to them belongs their compensation at presence of their nurturing Lord. Indeed Allah is rapid in the accounting.

My personal note:
This passage is important in bringing about one important rule in reading the Qur’an. The rule is that general statements are subject to particular exceptions. So, the statements in the Qur’an which may be speaking negatively about Christians and Jews should not be taken as absolutes or as talking about all Christians and Jews, but more as general statements that are open to many exceptions. This particular Aya reveals that there are indeed other statements in the Qur’an that show us the exceptions.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Wainna: and indeed
Min: from
Ahli: people of/ family of
Note: the root is Hamza-H-L and one concrete meaning to the word is the fat that surrounds the back of the animal. It is used conceptually to mean family or any of the people that are closely associated with the entity being discussed. This could be because they are like the fat as in they engulf and protect and so forth and gain protection at the same time.
Alkitabi: the book
Note: the root is K-T-B and it means writing. ALKITAB means the process of writing and that means anything that is related to writing from the ink to the paper to the ideas that are written. The most common use of the word is the book, but it can mean the process of writing.
Laman: indeed who
Yuminu: makes oneself safe
Note: the root Hamza-M-N and it means safety. YUMINU is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making oneself safe is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person singular).
biAllahi: in Allah
Note: Bi denotes that what comes after is a tool and/or an object or an association with an action that was mentioned. If is the object of the action then it makes it stronger. In here the action is making become safe. ALLAH is Allah.
Wama: and what/ including what
Onzila: was brought/ was descended
Note: the root is N-Z-L and it carries the meaning of arrival to stay and descent. One concrete meaning is the descent of the person from his or her horse or camel as they arrive at the place where they plan to stay. ONZILA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means the action of arrival or descent was happened to the object (ma=what and points to the books that were sent from God) by an undeclared subject.
Ilaykum: To you (plural)
Wama: and what/ including what
Onzila: was brought/ was descended
Note: the root is N-Z-L and it carries the meaning of arrival to stay and descent. One concrete meaning is the descent of the person from his or her horse or camel as they arrive at the place where they plan to stay. ONZILA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means the action of arrival or descent was happened to the object (ma=what and points to the books that were sent from God) by an undeclared subject.
Ilayhim: to them
khashiAAeena: manifesting submission
Note: the root is KH-SH-Ain and in a concrete sense, it means to lower your head, your gaze and your voice. Another concrete meaning is the land that is uncovered by plants and is open to the effect of nature. The conceptual meaning then takes vulnerability, acknowledging own weakness and manifesting submission to (GOD, but it could be others). KHASHIAAeeN are the people that are humble/acknowledge their weakness and submission to authority in all their body (including eyes and voice) and minds.
Lillahi: to Allah
La: not
Yashtaroona: they buy/ the exchange/ they take in exchange
Note: the root is SH-R-Y and it means selling something to get something in return or buying something and paying with something else or taking something and giving in return something else. YASHTAROONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of taking an object (thamanan qaleelan= cheap price) in exchange for (AYATI ALLAHI= the signs of Allah) is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural). Because it is preceded by LA= not, then it is a negation of action.
Biayati: Signs of/ by signs of
Note: Bi suggests that what comes after it is either an association with the action, a tool of the action or an object of the action or any combination of the three. If bi serves as an object of the action that it serves as an emphasis of the action. AYATI is derived from the root Hamza-Y-H and it means sign. AYATI means signs of. So, here there is emphasis on the act of rejection of the signs.
Allahi: Allah
Thamanan: price
Note: the root is TH-M-N and it means eight as the number eight. This is the concrete and for the abstract it is used to mean price or at times pricey.
Qaleelan: a little/ cheap
Note: the root is Qaf-L-L and it means becoming few in quality or quantity. QALEELAN is little or few in quality and in quantity.
Olaika: those
Lahum: to them belongs
Ajruhum; compensation/ Compensation for work
Note: the root is Hamza-J-R and it means compensation for work done. AJRU means compensation of work or just compensation of. HUM means them.
AAinda: at/ at presence of
Note: AAiNDA means at, but carries the meaning of at, or at presence of or at possession of according to the situation. AAiNDA here means at presence or place of.
Rabbihim; their nurturing Lord
Note: the root is R-B-B and it means nurturing and Lordship as two components of the meaning that can be present together or one at a time according to the context of the sentence. RABBI is nurturing Lord of. HIM means they or them.
Inna: indeed
Allaha: Allah
sareeAAu: Quick in
Note: the root is S-R-Ain and it means quick and fast. The concrete words related to this root include the neck and the back of the horse where one taps to make them go faster. SAReeAAu means quick in or quick of.
Alhisabi: the accounting/ the measure
Note: the root is Ha-S-B and it means calculation or accounting or measure. This word then takes many other meanings according to the plane of thought that is talked about. It takes the form of thought and so forth. ALHISABI means the measure or the account.


Salaam all and have a good day.

Hussein