5:26

Salaam all,

This is 5:26
قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً يَتِيهُونَ فِي الأَرْضِ فَلاَ تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Qala fainnaha muharramatun AAalayhim arbaAAeena sanatan yateehoona fee alardi fala tasa AAala alqawmi alfasiqeena

The Aya says:
He (Allah) responded: then it is forbidden upon them forty years. They wonder unguided in the land. Therefore do not feel sad upon the people who drifted from the path.

My personal note:
I wanted to address the term FASIQOON which was mentioned in the Aya here and the one before it. This term is used often in the Qur’an and is different from the term Kafir=rejector or Mushrik= polytheist. In a sense the term Fasiq as drifter from the path is the wider covering term that can encompass all the Kafirs and Mushriks but not every FASIQ is a Kafir or Mushrik. A person can be a Muslim and Fasiq if they have proper belief and actions but are committing major sins or omissions.

In a sense to be called a FASIQ is better than to be called a KAFIR or MUSHRIK but it is not good either way.

TASA is a term that carries with it the feeling of sadness upon an affliction and the desire to relieve it. As if Allah was telling Moses that you will be tempted to feel sad for them and seek their relief but they will have to suffer this punishment until it is over.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Qala: He (Allah) said/ communicated
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.
Fainnaha: then she/ it (the land)
Muharramatun: was made forbidden/ forbidden to violate
Note: the root is Ha-R-M and it means “forbidding and forbidden to violate”. MUHARRAMATUN is a feminine entity that was made forbidden or forbidden to violate. The context suggests that they will be prevented from going in.
AAalayhim: upon them
arbaAAeena: forty
Note: the root is R-B-Ain and it means four. ARBaAAeeNA means forty.
Sanatan: years
Note: the root is S-N-H and it means year. SANATAN means year but it is meant for the plural.

Yateehoona: they wonder without guidance/sense of direction
Note: the root is T-Y-H and it is used in concrete for the land that lacks landmarks. Therefore one cannot navigate through it easily without good strong guidance. Conceptually, it is used for being lost or lacking a sense of direction as well as for arrogance because it is associated with ignorance and lack of appreciation of what others offer in sense of direction. YATEEHOONA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of moving or wandering without guidance or sense of direction is happening or will be happening to the subject (third person plural).
Fee: in
Alardi: the land
Fala: therefore not
Tasa: feel sad/ seek cure/ seek relief
Note: the root is Hamza-S-Y and it means feeling sad for an entity that may have been afflicted with or without seeking a cure for it or reprieve or relief. The root is also understood at times to mean: an example to follow. The context usually decides which of the above understandings apply. Often times if the word after is AAaLA= upon, then it is a feeling of sadness and a desire to give reprieve/relief, while if it is followed by a BI then it is an example to follow. LA TASA is an order or a request directed to a singular. FALA TASA means: so do not feel sad or do not seek cure/reprieve/relief.
AAala: upon
Alqawmi: the 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. Here. It points to the particular group that wants to get away from their obligation to fight.
Alfasiqeena: the ones who left God’s path/ drifted from the path/ putting harm in the path
Note: the root is F-S-Qaf and it means in concrete when the seed is out of it’s pod or when the rat is out of her house or causing harm to the regular path of the people. So, it is used for someone leaving the path or someone harming the safety of it. This is then understood as when one is out of the right place for them. In the Qur’an, it is used to mean being outside of God’s way. ALFASIQEEN are the one who left God’s path or are trying to put harm or obstacles in it.

Salaam all and have a great day.


Hussein