Surat al-Rahman: The Two Seas Tradition, Q25:53 and Quranic Arabic v Classical Arabic, Part 3

Submitted by dhimmi no more (United States), Jul 13, 2022 at 07:54

Now let us read Q25:53:

1. وهو الذي مرج البحرين

The author is correcting: مرج البحرين يلتقيان (Q55:19) which is a rather odd Arabic syntax/grammar and the new sentence is real 3rd century Classical Arabic

So وهو الذي مرج البحرين can be rendered as: And He who Maraj the two seas

This is the correct Classical Arabic

Here is how al-Qurtubi defines the word مرج or Marj and the reader might recall that al-Qurtubi defines it as: خلى وخلط وأرسل or he vacated, mixed and sent! then al-Qurtubi, as expected, provides different opinions including that the word Marj means أرسلهما وأفاض أحدهما في الآخر or He sent them (dual) and flooded one in the other.

So what we have here is correct Classical Arabic which could mean that the older version of the Tradition is Q55:19-20

2. هذا عذب فرات وهذا ملح أجاج Or: This is sweet Furat (the meaning is unclear and al-Qurtubi tells us that it means: حلو شديد العذوبة or Very sweet) and this salt Ajaj (al-Qurtubi tells us that Ajaj means: ملوحة ومرارة or salty and sour)

Notice that this sentence is not mentioned in the older version of the tradition in Q55:19-20

So what do we have here is Tafsir of the unclear tradition: Q55:19-20

3. وجعل بينهما برزخا or: And he made/created between them (dual) a Barzkh (barrier or land between two bodies of water.

Very good 3rd century Arabic grammar. Compare with the unclear Arabic of Q55:19-20: بينهما برزخ لا يبغيان

Notice that the strange word لا يبغيان is gone.

4. وحجرا محجورا Or And a stone (this is the literal meaning of the word Hajr): (to) obstruct

Ghali translates it as: (the Isthmus or the Barzkh leads to) Obstruction Obstructed

https://www.alquranenglish.com/quran-surah-al-furqan-53-qs-25-53-in-arabic-and-english-translation#Dr.-Ghali

And more Variant Traditions in the Qur'an but in this case clearly Quranic Arabic v 3rd century Classical Arabic

So what does this verse really mean? The short version? Only Allahu A'lam.

Next? More from Surat al-Rahman

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