9:118

Salaam all,

9:118
وَعَلَى الثَّلاَثَةِ الَّذِينَ خُلِّفُواْ حَتَّى إِذَا ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَظَنُّواْ أَن لاَّ مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللّهِ إِلاَّ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ تَابَ عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَتُوبُواْ إِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
WaAAala alththalathati allatheena khullifoo hatta itha daqat AAalayhimu alardu bima rahubat wadaqat AAalayhim anfusuhum wathannoo an la maljaa mina Allahi illa ilayhi thumma taba AAalayhim liyatooboo inna Allaha huwa alttawwabu alrraheemu


The Aya says:
And upon the three that stayed behind until the earth constricted on them despite its expanse and their own selves constricted on them and they concluded that there is no refuge from Allah except towards Him. Then He re-bonded upon them so that they return. Indeed Allah is the re-bonder, the merciful.

My personal note:
The strongest message of this Aya is that Allah is the only refuge for us including from our biggest transgressions. There is no other refuge.

The context of the Aya is about three men who dragged their feet and did not join the army for a battle. When the army of the prophet (pbuh) came back those three did not make up excuses as others did but just confessed that they did miss the battle for no good reason. They were made to wait for Allah’s response for a few days or weeks. During those days they felt very remorseful. The Aya is the one that announced that their repentance was accepted to their great relief.

Translation of the transliterated words:
WaAAala: and upon
Alththalathati: the three
Allatheena: who
Khullifoo: stayed behind/ were behind
Note: the root is KH-L-F and it means behind in time or place or any other plane of thought. For time, it takes the meaning of what happens after or the future. KHULLIFOO is an action that is complete. It means: it means the action of being made to stay behind happened by an undeclared subject to the object (third person plural). In here the subject and the object are the same but they were not declared as the subject.
Hatta: until
Itha: when
Daqat: narrowed/ squeezed/ tightened/cpnstricted
Note: DAQAT is derived from the root Dhad-Y-Qaf and it means narrow or tight in space, time and all other feelings of narrowness and tightness. DAQAT is an action that is completed. It means: the action of becoming narrow and tight and difficult happened by the subject (ALARDU= the earth/ the land).
AAalayhimu: upon them
Alardu: the earth/ the land
Note: ALARDU is derived from the root Hamza-R-Dhad and it means earth or land. ALARDU is the earth/ the land.

Bima: by what/ despite
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. In this context it carries the meaning of despite.

Rahubat: expanded/ width
Note: the root is R-HA-B and it means when something is wide open and expansive. RAHUBAT is an action that is completed: it means: the action of becoming expansive happened by the subject (ALARDi= the land). The idiom: DAQAT ALAYHIM ALARDU BIMA Rahubat means: the land tightened on them despite its expansiveness.

Wadaqat: and narrowed/ and became difficult/ and tightened/ and squeezed
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 is often translated as an addition (and), but inclusion probably covers the meaning a little better. DAQAT is derived from the root Dhad-Y-Qaf and it means narrow or tight in space, time and all other feelings of narrowness and tightness. DAQAT is an action that is completed. It means: the action of becoming narrow and tight and difficult happened by the subject (ANFUSUHUM= their own selves).

AAalayhim: upon them
Anfusuhum : themselves/ each other
Note: ANFUSUHUM is derived from the root N-F-S and it means to breath but is extended to mean self since the self-breathes and that defines her existence. ANFUSU is a noun that is derived from this root and it means Selves of. HUM means them.

Wathannoo: and they concluded/ and they thought
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 is often translated as an addition (and), but inclusion probably covers the meaning a little better. THANNOO is derived from the root Tha-N-N and it means conclusion without certainty or conclusion without verification. Therefore, it includes theory, suspicion and all thoughts that are not conclusively proven. THANNOO is an action that is completed. It means: the action of thinking or suspecting or believing but without confirmation happened by the subject (third person plural)
An: that
La: No
Maljaa: refuge
Note: the root is L-J-Hamza and it carries with it the meaning of resorting to a place or person where you feel safer or better. It can also carry the meaning of being forced to somewhere or someone or saying something and so on. So, it takes the meaning of running away and being forced to a corner that may save you or not and so on. MALJAA is a refuge or a place of last resort or hiding place and so on.

Mina: from
Allahi: Allah
Illa: except/ if not
Ilayhi: towards Him
Thumma: then
Taba: He facilitated return/ He rep-bonded/ He facilitated re-bonding
Note: TABA is derived from the root T-W-B and it means repentance or the ultimate return to GOD. The concrete word that is related is TABOOT and it means coffin which is what takes us to our ultimate return to GOD or repentance. TABA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of facilitating or accepting repentance or ultimate return or re-bonding (to God) happened by the subject (third person singular)

AAalayhim: upon them
Liyatooboo: in order that they re-bond
Note: LE means to or in order to. YATOOBOO is derived from the root T-W-B and it means repentance or the ultimate return to GOD. The concrete word that is related is TABOOT and it means coffin which is what takes us to our ultimate return to GOD or repentance. YATOOBOO is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of return or ultimate return is happening or will be happening by the subject (third person plural).
Inna: indeed
Allaha: Allah
Huwa: He
Alttawwabu: the acceptor/ enabler of repentance
Note: the root is T-W-B and it means repentance or the ultimate return to GOD. The concrete word that is related is TABOOT and it means coffin which is what takes us to our ultimate return to GOD or repentance. ALTTAWWABU can mean the one who repents a bit or the one who enables and accepts repentance. In this context, it points to the accepter/enabler of repentance.
Alrraheemu: the merciful/ the graceful
Note: the root is R-Ha-M and it means womb in concrete. This term is used to mean mercy and all the good that the womb provides. ALRRAHEEM is the one with the womb-like mercy.


Salaam all and have a great day

Hussein