5:83

Salaam all,



Waitha samiAAoo ma onzila ila alrrasooli tara aAAyunahum tafeedu mina alddamAAi mimma AAarafoo mina alhaqqi yaqooloona rabbana amanna faoktubna maAAa alshshahideena

The Aya says:
And when/ if they heard and comprehended to what was brought down to the envoy/messenger, you (singular) see their eyes overflowing with tears from what they recognized of the binding truth. They say: Our nurturing Lord we made ourselves safe (in you) therefore write us amongst the witnesses (to the truth).

My personal note:
In a sense this Aya continues the same theme that was present in the aya before it. It basically says that when a person who is genuinely seeking the truth while not burdened by false pride will recognize it when he sees it or hear it and will react to it.

This aya suggests that such a person is actually a Muslim. This is true. However this passage leaves open the possibility that such a person may have accepted the message of the prophet (pbuh) in secret without announcing loud and clear that he or she left their original faith. The Qur’an does mention such category of people in more than one occasion. Basically, it accepts that there may be some legitimate barriers that may prevent some people from leaving publicly their original religion.

One person that falls into such category was the Negus of Abyssinia who did convert to Islam in secret despite being the king of his country.

Translation of the transliterated words:
Waitha: and when/ and if/ and if and when
samiAAoo they heard/ they comprehended/ they listened
Note: The root is S-M-Ain and and it means hearing or hearing and understanding or knowing and retaining at the same time. SAMiAAoo is an action that is derived from the root and that is completed. It means: The hearing and understanding or listening happened by the subject (third person plural)
Ma: what
Onzila: was brought/ was descended
Note: the root is N-Z-L and it carries the meaning of arrival to stay and descent. One concrete meaning is the descent of the person from his or her horse or camel as they arrive at the place where they plan to stay. ONZILA is an action that is completed that is derived from the root. It means the action of arrival or descent was happened to the object (ma=what and points to the books that were sent from God) by an undeclared subject.

Ila: to/ towards
alrrasooli: the messenger/ the envoy
Note: ALRRASOOLI is derived from the root R-S-L and it means to envoy someone or a group of people or animals. The concrete word is RASL and it means a group of people or animals that were sent by their owners or senders. ALRRASOOLI means the envoy or the messenger.
Tara: You (singular) see
Note: the root R-Hamza-Y and it means viewing or seeing. TARA is an action that is being completed or will be completed. It means: the action of vision is happening or will be happening by the subject (second person singular.)

aAAyunahum: their eyes
Note: the root is Ain-Y-N and it means eye and water spring in the concrete. It could be that both are related in the fact that they have water oozing out of them. aAAYUNA means eyes of. HUM means them.

Tafeedu: overflow/ flood
Note: the root is F-Y-Dhad and it means flooding as the tears flooding the eyes or the river flooding it’s banks. This is the concrete and in the abstract, it means the flooding of something in the abstract sense as when many people or animals fill a certain place. TAFEEDU is an action that is being completed. It means: the action of flooding or overflowing is happening or will be happening by the subject (aAAYUNAHUM).
Mina: from/ of
alddamAAi: the tears
Note: the root is D-M-Ain and it means tears. ALDDAMAAi are the tears.
Mimma: from what/ of what
AAarafoo: they recognized/ they knew
Note: the root is Ain-R-F and it means the elevated place that will be known or recognized from a distance. MaAAROOF is what is recognized. This is also used to mean what is good or recognized as being good or appropriate. AAaRAFOO is an action that is completed. It means the action of recognizing or knowing (in this context) happened by the subject (third person plural).

Mina: of/ from
Alhaqqi: the binding truth/ the binding truth/ the truth
Note: ALHAQQI is derived from the root Ha-Qaf-Qaf and it means binding right where right means correct as well s what is due to one person (rights and obligations). ALHAQQ is binding right or binding truth or just right as the context suggests here.

Yaqooloona: they (plural) say/ communicate
Note: the root is Qaf-W-L and it means saying or communicating in any way possible whether in words or otherwise. YAQOOLOONA is an action that is being completed or will be 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 say or they happen to say or communicate.

Rabbana: Our nurturing Lord
Note: the root is R-B-B and it means nurturing and Lordship as two components of the meaning that can be present together or one at a time according to the context of the sentence. RABBA is nurturing Lord of. NA means us.
Amanna: We made ourselves safe (in You O Allah)/ trust in Allah
Note: the root Hamza-M-N and it means safety. Conceptually, it can also be extended to trust as well, because we feel safe in the entity we trust. AMANNA is an action that is completed. It means: the action of making oneself safe happened by the subject (first person plural).

Faoktubna: therefore write us/ register us/ decree us
Note: FA means therefore or so or then. OKTUBNA is derived from the root K-T-B and it means putting together of things or beings and so forth. It is understood as writing because writing is the putting together of letters, words and ideas. OKTUBNA is a request or demand addressed to a singular. It means literally: write us. Writing can take one of two meanings: one is decree and the other is the meaning of pre-knowledge/documentation but not necessarily a decree or it can be both. In this context it carries register us or decree us.

maAAa: with/ amongst
alshshahideena: the witnesses/ the witnessing
Note: alshshahideena is derived from the root SH-H-D and it means witnessing of truth and it also denotes that the witness knows very well what he or she is witnessing about. The concrete meaning is the honey mixed with wax therefore the wax is the witness of the truth that the honey is the honey. Another concrete meaning is the baby that was just born and is covered with a membrane. In both, there is close association which is proof or witness of the fact. alshshahideena means the witnesses or a group that is witnessing. In this context it points to witnesses to the truth.

Salaam all and have a great day.

Hussein