4:27

Salaam all,

This is 4:27
وَاللّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الشَّهَوَاتِ أَن تَمِيلُواْ مَيْلاً عَظِيمًا
WaAllahu yureedu an yatooba AAalaykum wayureedu allatheena yattabiAAoona alshshahawati an tameeloo maylan AAatheeman

The aya says:
And Allah seeks that He aids you in repentance, while those who follow the bodily desires seek that you tilt great tilting.

My personal note:
The Aya brings about the theme of Islamic moderation, where we do not tilt to one direction more than another and therefore we end up in imbalance. So, the Aya is not to be understood that bodily desires are to be completely forgotten or inhibited, but that they should be regulated or put in check so that we will not tilt greatly away from the balanced straight path.

Following Allah's path does provide us for our bodily needs, including our bodily desires, within an Islamic legal framework. This is opposite to following our desires without heeding Allah's path.

Translation of the transliterated words:
WaAllahu: And Allah/ while Allah
Yureedu: He seeks/ wants/ desires
Note: the root is R-W-D and it means in concrete the person that goes ahead of the people looking for resources. Therefore, the word has within it the meanings of pioneering, seeking and desiring. YUREED is an action that is being completed or will be completed that is derived from the root. It means that the action making seeking/desiring/wanting is happening by the subject (third person singular pointing to Allah). This in turn means: He desires/He wants and He seeks.

An: that
Yatooba: He makes repentance/ accepts repentance/ aids repentance
Note: YATOOBA is derived from the root 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. YATOOBA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of repentance is happening or will be happening the subject (third person singular). In the context of this sentence, where it is followed by AAalaykum= upon you, the meaning takes the shape of accepting/ aiding and making repentance happen.
AAalaykum: upon you (plural)
wayureedu: and they seek/ desire/ want
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. YUREEDU is derived from the root R-W-D and it means in concrete the person that goes ahead of the people looking for resources. Therefore, the word has within it the meanings of pioneering, seeking and desiring. YUREED is an action that is being completed or will be completed that is derived from the root. It means that the action making seeking/desiring/wanting is happening by the subject (third person plural pointing to Allatheena=those who). This in turn means: They desire/ want/ seek.
Allatheena: those who
yattabiAAoona: follow
Note: the root is T-B-Ain and it means following footsteps or join and follow footsteps. YATTABiAAooN is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of making oneself follow footsteps or join and follow footsteps of the object (Alshahawat= the desires) is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural).
Alshshahawati: the bodily desires
Note: the root is SH-H-W and it means what the body desires. It is also used in concrete for the great tasting food and so, where the concept is something desired by our bodies. Often times, it is used to point to sexual desire according to the context. ALSHSHAHAWATI are the bodily desires.
An: that
Tameeloo: you (plural) tilt
Note: the root is M-Y-L and it means tilting of the land. One concrete understanding means the distance as far the eye can see. Conceptually, it takes the meaning of a tilt towards something or towards one extreme over another, instead of maintaining balance. TAMEELOO is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means the action of the tilting is happening or will be happening by the subject (second person plural) towards the object (not mentioned but understood to be the bodily desire).
Maylan: tilting/ a tilt
Note: the root is M-Y-L and it means tilting of the land. One concrete understanding means the distance as far the eye can see. Conceptually, it takes the meaning of a tilt towards something or towards one extreme over another, instead of maintaining balance. MAYLAN means tilting or a tilt.
AAatheeman: great
Note: the root is Ain-TH-M and it means great/hard/strong. The concrete word is AAaTHM and that is the bones or the hard/strong/firm core of things. AAaTHEEM means great.

Salaam all and have a great day.


Hussein