8:23

Salaam all,

8:23

وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَّأسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

Walaw AAalima Allahu feehim khayran laasmaAAahum walaw asmaAAahum latawallaw wahum muAAridoona

The Aya says:
And had Allah known for fact that there is good in them then He would have made them listen but if He did make them listen then they would have moved away avoiding.

My personal note:
This is very interesting and also revealing and that is Allah is not helping them listen or understand because if they did then they would still move away and then they would be in worse shape that moving away while being ignorant. This is because the guilt of moving away when you know exactly what you have heard is much greater.

May Allah help us listen and understand and work according to His teaching and may He make us always open minded to His commandments and advice.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Walaw: and if
AAalima: He knew for fact/ He had known for fact
Note: AAaLIMA is derived from the root Ain-L-M and it means knowing/knowledge or knowledge of facts. AAaLIMA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of knowing for fact happened by the subject (third person singular).
Allahu: Allah
Feehim: in them
Khayran: goodness/ potential for good
Note: the root is KH-Y-R and it means choice. It is also understood as good or as better, because one would chose the good over the bad. KHAYRAN means: goodness or potential for it.

laasmaAAahum: then He would have made them listen/ understand
Note: LA is a response to the conditional that was brought up earlier. ASMaAAaHUM is derived from the root S-M-Ain and and it means hearing or hearing and understanding or knowing and retaining at the same time. It also can mean hearing and approving or concurring at times. ASMaAAa is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: The action of making the object (HUM= them) hear and understand would have happened by the subject (third person singular) if the condition is met.
Walaw: and if
asmaAAahum: He made them listen/ understand
Note: ASMaAAaHUM is derived from the root S-M-Ain and and it means hearing or hearing and understanding or knowing and retaining at the same time. It also can mean hearing and approving or concurring at times. ASMaAAa is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: The action of making the object (HUM= them) hear and understand happened by the subject (third person singular)
Latawallaw: then they would have moved away
Note: LA is again a response to the conditional. It carries the meaning of would have. TAWALLAW is derived from the root W-L-Y and it means direction or following direction with some guarantee. It comes close to guardianship. WALI is either the one who is a guardian or the one who receives guardianship of another or both. TAWALLAW is an action that is being comleted or will be completed. It means: the action of dirceting oneself is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural). In here carries the meaning of moving away.
Wahum: while they
muAAridoona: avoiding
Note: the root is Ain-R-Dhad and it means width. As a conceptual meaning 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. It also gives the potential meaning of moving away or avoiding because one is giving the width rather than the front. One understands the meaning from the context. MuAARIDOON in this context carries the meaning of avoiding.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein