4:16

Salaam all,

This is 4:16
وَاللَّذَانَ يَأْتِيَانِهَا مِنكُمْ فَآذُوهُمَا فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُواْ عَنْهُمَا إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
Waallathani yatiyaniha minkum faathoohuma fain taba waaslaha faaAAridoo AAanhuma inna Allaha kana tawwaban raheeman

The Aya says:
And the two who make it (the ugly word or deed) come then hurt the two. So, if they repented and caused goodness, then stop. Indeed, Allah happened to be supporter of the return (To him), Merciful.

My personal note:
The Aya is a continuation of the issue started in the previous one related to Fahisha= ugly word or deed. The Aya here uses the dual masculine which is sex inclusive and includes in it males and females. There are several issues here.

Athoohuma is translated as hurt them. This is open to interpretation and includes mild irritation or more than that, depending on the nature of what happened and so on.

The other issue is that this aya continues the one before it. The first one mentions women and this one mentions the two. This made the traditional scholars understand the two Ayat as pointing to Fahisha here as a sexual act between members of the two sexes. Fahisha includes definitely any sexual act outside of legal authority. It may even include sexual act within legal authority, but in an inappropriate public manner. This brings back the issue of the four witnesses mentioned in the previous Aya.

Some understood the two Aya as including sexual acts between members of the same sex and that is possible. If we understand the word Fahisha as a sexual act outside of legal authority, as in marriage, or in a public manner, one would then ask: can sex between members of the same sex be ever within a legal authority (marriage or the like) that is accepted within Islam? Those ayas do not give the answer to this important question.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Waallathani: and the two (male and female or two males) who
Yatiyaniha: make her (the ugly word or deed) come// bring it about
Note: the root is Hamza-T-Y and it means in concrete the water that comes from the rain of another land. In concrete it means the coming of something or someone with many of it’s implications. YATIYANI is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making come or bringing about the object (HA= her and points to the ugly deed or word) is happening of will be happening by the subject (third person dual form masculine which covers males and females).
Minkum: from you (plural)/ amongst you (plural)
Faathoohuma: then hurt the two/ bother/ irritate
Note: FA means then or therefore or so. ATHOOHUMA is derived from the root Hamza-TH-Y and it means 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. ATHOO is an order or a request addressed to a group. It means hurt the object (huma= the two)
Fain: so if
Taba: they repented/ the two repented/ they returned to Allah's path
Note: the root is T-W-B and it means repentance or the ultimate return to GOD. The concrete word that is related is TABOOT and it means coffin which is what takes us to our ultimate return to GOD or repentance. TABA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of repentance happened by the subject (third person dual form masculine).
Waaslaha: and caused benefit/ goodness/ and fixed it
Note: Note: WA is a letter that links what is before with what is after. This link is through inclusion, either one is included in the other or they are all included in the bigger sentence or bigger picture. WA often corresponds with “and/ addition” but the more encompassing meaning is in inclusion one in another or all in a bigger picture or sentence. ASLAHA is derived from the root Sad-L-Ha and it means becoming helpful or useful in a good direction. This means mainly: becoming one of benefit as in benefiting oneself and others. Included in this meaning is becoming fixed after having been broken. ASLAHA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of causing benefit or of correcting what needs correction happened by the subject (dual form masculine).
faaAAridoo: then make width
Note: Fa means then or therefore or so. aAARIDOO s derived from the root Ain-R-Dhad and it means width. As a conceptual meanings it has many applications such as: standing in the way or closing the road, but it also means presenting and make something seen, because things are seen better if one sees their width. aAARIDOO is an order or a request addressing a group of people. It means: make width. This word will then combine with the next to become meaningful.
AAanhuma: away from them
Note: aAARIDOO AAaNHUMA together carry the meaning of leave them alone or stop.
Inna: indeed
Allaha: Allah
Kana: happened to be
Note: the root is K-W-N and it means being. KANA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of being happened by the subject (third personal singular). This in turn means: He was or He happened to be
Tawwaban: supporter of the repenting/ supporter of the returning to Him
Note: the root is T-W-B and it means repentance or the ultimate return to GOD. The concrete word that is related is TABOOT and it means coffin which is what takes us to our ultimate return to GOD or repentance. TAWWABAN means the one who makes return to Allah. This then carries the meaning of the one who helps people return as well as the one who accepts those who return.
Raheeman: merciful
Note: the root is R-Ha-M and it means womb in concrete. This term is used to mean mercy and all the good that the womb provides. RAHEEM is the one with the womb-like mercy.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein