7:138

Salaam all,


Wajawazna bibanee israeela albahra faataw AAala qawmin yaAAkufoona AAala asnamin lahum qaloo ya moosa ijAAal lana ilahan kama lahum alihatun qala innakum qawmun tajhaloona

The Aya says:
And We took the children of Israel across the sea, so they arrived at a people dedicated to idols of theirs. They said: O Moses, make for us idol just as they have idols. He responded: You are ignorant people.

My personal note:
The Aya may show the draw of idols or having something concrete that people want to attach to and worship whereas the constant issue with Monotheism is worshipping the God that they cannot see or touch. However, one needs to open his or her senses to feel the presence of God and how God communicates with us all the time. May Allah always protect us from falling into idol worship or falling into ignoring His presence.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Wajawazna: and we crossed
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. JAWAZNA is derived from the root J-W-Z and it means crossing a road or a river or any obstacle in the abstract sense. JAWAZNA is an action that is completed and that is derived from the root. It means that the action of crossing happened in an interactive manner by the subject (first person plural).

Bibanee: with children of
Note: BI signifies an attachment or close linkage between what is before and what is after it. In a Verbal sentence it can mean attachment to the action or to the subject as it does the action. This attachment can then signify many things according to the verb and to the sentence and so on. BANEE is derived from the root B-N-Y and it means building and it also mean son or child. The relationship between the two meanings is that the son is the product of building the family. Here, it is used to mean child or son. BANEE: means sone of or children of
Israeela: Israel (Jacob)
Albahra: the sea/ the big water
Note: ALBAHRA is derived from the root B-Ha-R and it means big water. It is used to mean the sea or any big body of water.

Faataw: so they came/ so they arrived
Note: FA means so or therefore or then. ATAW 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. ATAW is an action that is completed. It means: the action of coming of the subject (third person plural) happened.

AAala: upon
Qawmin: people
Note: QAWMIN is derived from the root Qaf-Y-M and it means standing or standing upright. QAWMIN are the people that stand together and that makes the group or people or nation, basically, any group of people that stand together or form a group.
yaAAkufoona: staying in dedication
Note: the root is Ain-K-F and it means staying in a place or with someone with the intent of that stay being for dedication to the person or the place. YaAAKUFOONA is an action that is happening or will be happening. It means: the action of staying dedicated is happening by the subject (third person plural)
AAala: upon
Asnamin: idols / statues/ pictures
Note: the root is Sad-N-M and it means any entity that has a two or three dimensional look or body and that is worshipped, whether it is picture or statue.
Lahum: of theirs
Qaloo: they said/ they communicated
Note: QALOO is derived from the root Qaf-W-L and it means saying in any way possible. QALOO is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means the action of saying happened by the subject (third person plural). This, in turn means: They said/ communicated.
ya moosa: O Moses
ijAAal: make/ transform
Note: the root is J-Ain-L and it means making, forming or transforming something that already exists. Conceptually, it takes the meaning of transformation more often than formation. IJAAaL is an order or request addressed to a singular. It means: Make or form or transform
Lana: for us
ilahan: a God/ an entity worthy of worship/ an idol
Note: the root is Hamza-L-H and it means worthy of worship. ALLAH is the entity worthy of Worship and that is one of the names of God in Arabic and the most commonly used in Arabic by Muslim Arabs and non Muslim Arabs. ILAH means entity worthy of worship. In this context they were asking for an idol
Kama: like/ as
Lahum: for them
Alihatun: Gods/ idols
Note: the root is Hamza-L-H and it means worthy of worship. ALLAH is the entity worthy of Worship and that is one of the names of God in Arabic and the most commonly used in Arabic by Muslim Arabs and non Muslim Arabs. ILAH means entity worthy of worship. ALIHATUN is plural of that. In this context it points to idols

Qala: He said/ communicated/ he responded
Note: QALA is derived from the root Qaf-W-L and it means saying in any way possible. QALA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means the action of saying happened by the subject (third person singular). This, in turn means: He said or responded or communicated.
Innakum: you (plural)/ you indeed
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
Tajhaloona: ignorant/ not knowing
Note: the root is J-H-L and it means to become lacking in knowledge/to become ignorant for the verb. The noun means lack of knowledge/ignorance. TAJHALOON is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of being ignorant or lacking knowledge is happening or will be happening by the subject (second person plural).

Salaam all and have a great day.

Hussein