7:81

Salaam all,

This is 7:81
Innakum latatoona alrrijala shahwatan min dooni alnnisai bal antum qawmun musrifoona

The Aya says:
You indeed come on to the men in lust short of the women. But instead, you are wasteful people.

My personal note:
The term “come on to the men in lust short of the women” suggests that the Aya is addressing the men in town or at least the vast majority of them. It also suggests that this vast majority decided to use the men for penetration, basically acting as active partners not passive partners. This understanding is agreed upon by the books of tafsir (exegesis). The other thing that the passage suggests is that they were planning to do whatever they wanted to do to the receiving men despite their assumed non consent. This is also agreed upon by the books of tafsir.

So, then the question becomes: If all the men of town or the vast majority of them are taking the active role in this, then who are the men that played the passive role:

1- In Tafsir Razi, he brings the opinion that the act was performed exclusively on outside men who crossed through that territory. This understanding is supported by other passges of the qur’an and also by what they planned to do to the angels who visited Lot

2- Another understanding suggests that although they did it to outsiders, they may have done it to locals as well. However, in this understanding is that the receiving men where a small minority that would then be subjected to penetration by the vast majority. A picture that would happen through coercion, prostitution, or taking advantage of the very few who truly wanted to play that role.

The term Musrifoon is used in the Qur'an often for any group that puts it's effort in sinful endeavors because that is an effort that is not going to bring benefit and is going to bring harm.

Translation of the transliterated words:

Innakum: you (plural)/ you indeed
Latatoona: you come/ you approach
Note: LA is for emphasis of the coming action. TATOONA is derived from the root 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. TATOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of coming is happening or will be happening by the subject (second person plural) with emphasis to the object (ALRRIJAL= the men).

alrrijala: the men/ people
Note: the root is R-J-L and it means legs. The word also means men depending on the situation. One possible link could be because when men and women are in the caravan and the ability to ride is limited, then the men will be on their legs, while the women will be riding the camels or so forth. ALRRIJALA means the men.
Shahwatan: bodily desire/ lusting
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. SHAHWATAN in this context points to bodily desire or lust.
min dooni: short of/ instead of
alnnisai: the women
Note: the word means the women. It has two potential roots that may be related to it. The first N-S-Y and it is the one used for women. This same root is used for the sciatic nerve as a concrete word and for forgetting. The relation between the different meanings is only in an indirect manner. Another root is N-S-Hamza and it means putting things behind in time or space of delaying things. Concrete words are the women that have a delay in the menses because of possibility of pregnancy. ALNNISAI are the women.

Bal: but instead
Antum: you (plural)
qawmun: people/ group
Note: the root is Qaf-Y-M and it means standing or standing upright. ALQAWM are the people that stand together and that makes the group or people or nation, basically, any group of people that stand together based on location rather than ideologiy or ideas. UN means people or group
Musrifoona: wasteful / frivolous/ spendors for no benefit
Note: the root is S-R-F and it means in concrete the throwing of the water without watering a tree or watering an animal. Conceptually, it is used for inappropriate expenditure or too much expenditure, since that is inappropriate. Basically it carries the concept of wasteful spending of resources and energy for the wrong cause and so on. MUSRIFOONA are the inappropriately wasteful or spending for no benefit or frivolous spenders.


Salaam all and have a great day.

Hussein