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Juz 16 (Surah Al Kahf and Surah Ta Ha)

Here are some beneficial fruits 🍐 from the Quran:

1.) The verb تَسْتَطِيعُ means “to be able to do,” and occurs in its present tense form in verbs 18:72 and 18:82. In the former verse, the standard spelling of this verb is given. In the latter verse, however, the middle ت is not present, as the verb in this verse is تَسْطِع. Why is this ت deleted? Some scholars have posited that this is to show the urgency in the verse. In ayah 18:82, Khidr is explaining the rationale of his actions that seemed to be illogical at first. He ends by saying “This is the explanation of what you could not bear patiently”. Here, it is fitting that the middle ت is deleted, thus giving تَسْطِع, as a deletion of a letter in the Quran from its conventional spelling is sometimes done for the purpose of expressing haste/urgency (عَجَلَةٌ) 💨, as if there is not enough time to even pronounce the full version of the verb. Here, Khidr is expressing the haste that Musa showed in his inability to observe quietly what Khidr was doing.

2.) The root (ف - ق - ه) means “to understand” and “to realize.” The word الفِقْهُ linguistically means “understanding” (فَهْمٌ). This word has now also come to mean the usually understood implication of the science of legal rulings (عِلْمُ الفِقْهِ)

3.) The word السَّفِينَة (as appears in verse 18:79) means “ship.” 🚢 Its root is (س - ف - ن) refers to the removal or distancing of something from something else. The سَفِينَة is called this because it separates the waves of water from each other, thereby propelling it.

4.) The word بَحْرٌ means “ocean” 🌊 (as appears in verse 18:79). Its root is (ب - ح - ر), which indicates a meaning of vastness and spaciousness. The word بَحْرٌ aptly describes an ocean of vastness. Interestingly, another (less common) root meaning for ب - ح - ر is that of disease, and is often used to refer to the diseases of animals and livestock 🐎

5.) The word غُلَامٌ refers to a young boy or lad who has not yet reached puberty. Its root is (غ - ل - م) has two meanings: 1.) that of youthfulness, and 2.) agitation/commotion involving one’s carnal desires. Both root meanings are apt for the word غُلَام, because a غُلَام is a young boy, and young boys are known for having a surge of hormonal and emotional fluctuations.

6.) The word حُسْنَى means “Beautiful,” and is the feminine version of the comparative word أَحْسَنُ. This word حُسْنَى is commonly used in the expression الأَسْمَاءُ الحُسْنَى (“the Most Beautiful Names”), such as occurs in verse 20:8. Its root is (ح - س - ن), which means “to be good, wholesome, pure”. The word أَحْسَنُ is also a common male name, as is its feminine version حُسْنَى. Another related word is إِحْسَانٌ, which means “excellence,” as believers are enjoined to do everything with excellence.

7.) The word مُقَدَّس means “sacred.” It is used to refer to several sacred places, such as in verse 20:12, which it refers to the Sacred Valley of Tuwa (طُوًى), in which Musa عليه السلام “spoke” to God. The root is (ق - د - س), which refers to cleanliness and purity. In the Arabic language, one can refer to the Earth as الأَرْضُ المُقَدَّسَةُ to mean “pure land” (المُطَهَّرَةُ). Jannah (Paradise) can also be referred to as القُدْس, meaning “purity.” We also refer to Jerusalem as القُدْسُ, thus named after the idea of purity and sacredness. Archangel Jibril (Gabriel) is also referred to as رُوحُ القُدُس (“the soul of purity”) with this same idea of purity and sacredness. One of the names of God is القُدُّوس (“The Most Holy”), and He is called as such because He is far beyond having any partners or blemishes or deficiencies.

8.) The word عُقْدَةٌ means “knot,” and it appears in verse 20:27, referring to the “knot” on the tongue of Musa عليه السلام. Where does this idea of a “knot” come from? According to some tafsir sources, when Musa was a child and was being raised in the palace of Firawn, Musa had grabbed the beard of Firawn, which had angered him. Firawn was a hot-tempered man by disposition, and he was notorious for killing anyone he wished on a whim. He was about to kill Musa for this minor thing, but his wife persuaded him not to harm Musa, stating that he is just a boy and does not understand what he has done. To prove this to Firawn, his wife gave him a proposition: place in front of Musa a hot ember 🔥 and a stone 🪨. If he chooses the stone, that means Musa has intellect, and he should be “punished.” However, if he chooses the ember, that means he does not have intellect (as he chose something that hurts him), and he should not be punished. Musa ended up choosing the hot ember and put it in his mouth. Firawn was convinced and let Musa live. From this, it is believed that Musa obtained his stuttering problem, which is why Musa wanted his brother, Harun (Aaron), to come with him when he confronted Pharaoh, and Harun was more well-spoken than Musa.

9.) The expression قُرَّة أَعْيُن is seen in various forms, such as how it occurs in verse 20:40 as: تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا (using the present tense form). It literally means “coolness of the eyes,” with the intended meaning of tranquility and peace of mind. The root of the verb is (ق - ر - ر), which means “to settle down and stabilize,” which relates to this meaning in that when one settles down, one is able to enter a state of tranquility and peace. In verse 20:40, this expression is being used to describe the peace of mind that the mother of Musa receives when she is reunited with her son

10.) The verb فَطَرَ means “to create and originate”, and appears in verse 20:72. Its root (ف - ط - ر) refers to opening something up and making it prominent. It also refers to splitting something open. From this root meaning, we obtain the word إِفْطَار (breaking of the fast), called as such because it “splits open” the fast. God is referred as to as فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ (“Originator of the Heavens and Earth”). There are several ways of saying “Creator,” three of which are: 1.) بَديعٌ and 2.) خَالِقٌ and 3.) فَاطِرٌ. What is the linguistic difference between these? A خَالِق is One who creates, but a بَدِيع is One who creates something out of nothing (“originating”). Therefore, while a person can be a “creator” of something, only God is the True Originator, as only He can create something out of nothing. As for فَاطر, this means “to create something by splitting something open,” thus relating to its root meaning. God is فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ (“Originator of the Heavens and Earth”) in that He created the Heavens and the Earth by splitting them up, as according to some sources, the Heavens and the Earth were considered to be joined together before God split them up.