5:79

Salaam all


Kanoo la yatanahawna AAan munkarin faAAaloohu labisa ma kanoo yafAAaloona

The Aya says:
They were not asking each other to desist from objectionable they did. How bad is what they happened to be doing.

My personal note:
This Aya continues the theme of why the rejecters amongst the children of Israel were distanced or expelled from God’s mercy. This time the reason is not helping each other cease the objectionable actions that are committed.
This brings a very important principle in Islam which is called Amr bi maroof wa nahi AAan munkar= Enjoining good and ceasing the objectionable/evil. It is considered part of good citizenship to do the above. It is basically one important principle of checks and balances in helping any society move on safely forward.

Of course, one has to know what he or she is talking about when they want to indulge in such activities. For doing the above while ignorant of what they are talking about or the different views regarding it can lead to the action backfiring. This is a common error that many Muslims fall into. That is why scholars emphasize first deep knowledge about the matter before venturing in the area of enjoining good and forbidding evil.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Kanoo: they happened to be/ they were
Note: the root is K-W-N and it means being. KANOO is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of being happened by the subject (third personal plural). This in turn means: they were or they happened to be

la yatanahawna: not advising each other cessation/ not help each other cease/ ask each other to desist
Note: LA is for negation of the action coming after. YATANAHAWNA is derived from the root H-Y and it means stopping or ending or desisting. This then takes different form according to the plane of thought of the sentence. YATANAHAWNA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of asking the object (third person plural) desist or cease in an interactive manner what they are doing is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural). This in turn takes the meaning of asking each other to cease or desist and so on.

AAan: from/ away from
Munkarin: objectionable deed or act
Note: The root is N-K-R and it means no recognition. This is the concept and it takes several meanings according to the context. They can mean not recognized as unknown. It can also mean not recognized as being good or acceptable and so forth. This is what the context here dictates. MUNKAR is the unrecognized as being good or acceptable and I used objectionable.

faAAaloohu: they did him
Note: FAAaLOOHU is derived from the root F-Ain-L and it means doing. FAAaLOOHU is an action that is completed. It means: the action of doing happened by the subject (third person plural) of the object (HU=him and points to MUNKAR).
Labisa: how harshness/ badness
Note: LA is used to emphasize what comes after. BISA is derived from the root B-Hamza-S and it means lion for concrete. The word is used to mean hardship or hard depending on the situation. BISA is a term that is used to point the badness of the situation or decision and so on.

Ma: what
Kanoo: they happened to be/ they were
Note: the root is K-W-N and it means being. KANOO is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of being happened by the subject (third personal plural). This in turn means: they were or they happened to be
yafAAaloona: to do
Note: YAFAAaLOONA is derived from the root F-Ain-L and it means doing. YAFAAaLOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of doing is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural)

Salaam all and have a great day.

Hussein