9:113

Salaam all,

9:113
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُواْ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ أُوْلِي قُرْبَى مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ

Ma kana lilnnabiyyi waallatheena amanoo an yastaghfiroo lilmushrikeena walaw kanoo olee qurba min baAAdi ma tabayyana lahum annahum ashabu aljaheemi

The Aya says:
It is not for the prophet and the faithful to ask forgiveness for the polytheists even if they were relatives after it became clear to them that they were companions of Hell.

My personal note:
The Aya states that the community of believers do not have the right to ask forgiveness for polytheists if the faithful came to the realization that those particular polytheists are going to Hell. There are two important things for consideration here related to being sure someone is going to Hell:

1- We as Muslims are prohibited from declaring someone going to Hell or Heaven as long as they are living. So, the Aya only applies to those who died at the polytheistic religion.
2- Also, while Muslims can say that a believer of so and so if they die on that belief then they are going to Hell, they cannot declare any particular person, even if a believer of such belief, that they are going to Hell. That is because the knowledge of the particularities of that person are between him/ her and God.
In this light one can see certain rulings coming out of this Aya:
1- We can pray for the polytheists as long as they are living but cannot when they die.
2- There is a difference in opinion with the majority saying we cannot ask forgiveness while the minority says that we can ask forgiveness but cannot pray ritual prayers on their bodies.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Ma kana: it was not to be/ it should not/ it is not
be
Note: MA is for negation of what comes after. KANA is derived from the root K-W-N and it means being. KANA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means: the action of being happened by the subject (third personal singular). MA KANA gets the meaning: was not to be/ should not be

Lilnnabiyyi: for the prophet/ to the prophet
Note: Li means to or for. ALNABIYYI is derived from one of two roots either The first is N-B-Hamza and it means news. The other is N-B-Y and it means elevated. The word NABIYY means a prophet, and it could be because the prophet brings news or that he is elevated over others or both. ALNNABIYYA means the prophet and the AL signifies that the person talked about is known to the listener or listeners.

Waallatheena: and those who
amanoo: made themselves safe/ caused safety/ caused trust/ attained faith
Note: the root is Hamza-M-N and it means safe or safety. AMANOO is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: the action of making the object (not mentioned and therefore the subject and the object can be the same entity here) become safe happened by the subject (third person plural). So, it ends up meaning: they made themselves safe but it can also extend to making safety and trust situation for others as well.
An: to / that
Yastaghfiroo: seek protective cover/ seek forgiveness.
Note: the root is GH-F-R or Ghain-F-R and it means covering for protection. The concrete word is the helmet of the fighter. In the Qur’an the usual context is protection from the consequences of poor actions or sins. YASTAGHFIROO is an action that is happening or will be happening. It means: Seeking protective cover or forgiveness is happening by a third person plural.

Lilmushrikeena: for the polytheists
Note: LI means for or to. ALMUSHRIKEENA is derived from the root SH-R-K and it means partner or partnership and with this partnership is a measure of equality or being on par. ALMUSHRIKEENA are the ones who make partners to God in worship or in action and that includes the polytheists.
Walaw: even if
Kanoo: 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/ they happened to be.

Olee: people of
Note: OLOO is derived from the root Hamza-W-L and it means ultimate as a concept and takes different shapes and specific meanings according to the situation including first and so on. It often takes the meaning of first because that is the most ultimate. OLOO means people of priority and that means relatives.

Qurba: nearness
Note: the root is Qaf-R-B and it means nearing or becoming near. QURBA is affinity or nearness / more affinity/ closer. OLEE QURBA points to relatives

Min: from
baAAdi: after
Note: the root is B-Ain-D and it means further in time or space. In space it means farther in distance and in time, it means after. BaAADI here means: after.

Ma: that
Tabayyana: became clear
Note: the root is B-Y-N and it means in concrete between. The action of the verb is betweening. This betweening can mean clarifying because one can know better the difference between two things. It also can mean distancing because the betweening makes things become apart. TABAYYANA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of becoming clear or self-evident happened or revealing itself to the subject (lahum= to them).

Lahum: to them
Annahum: that they
Ashabu: companions of
Note: ASHABU is derived from the root Sad-Ha-B and it means companion or companionship. ASHABU means companions of.
Aljaheemi: The intense fire/Hell
Note: the root is J-Ha-M and it means to burn intensely. ALJAHIM is the intensely burning fire.

Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein