Tarāwīh Top 🔟, Ramadan 2026🌙

Juz 3 (Surah Al-Baqarah and Ali Imran)

Here are 10 fruits 🍐 from the language of Quran:

1.) The root (د - ر- ج) revolves around the meaning of something entering into something else. From this root, we derive the verb مَضَى, which means “to elapse/transpire.” This root also gives the meaning of gradation (i.e., something occurring gradually), as it is entering into itself in a gradual manner. From this root, we obtain the Form V verb تَدَرَّجَ (“to enter into gradually”).  Also from this root, we obtain the word دَرَجَةٌ (“step”), such as the steps of a ladder 🪜, so called because the steps “enter” upon each other as one rises on a ladder. We see this word in its plural form (دَرَجَات) in ayah 2:253 in Surah Al Baqarah:  تِلْكَ ٱلرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ ۘ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ *دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ* ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ وَلَـٰكِنِ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ (“We have chosen some of those messengers above others. Allah spoke directly to some, and raised some high *_in rank_*. To Jesus, son of Mary, We gave clear proofs and supported him with the holy spirit. If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought ˹among themselves˺ after receiving the clear proofs. But they differed—some believed while others disbelieved. Yet if Allah had willed, they would not have fought one another. But Allah does what He wills”). However, in this ayah, دَرَجَات more aptly translates to “ranks.” 

2.) The root (ش - ف - ع) has one primary root meaning, which centers around the concept of *comparison* of two things and also the *joining or assimilation* of something to another thing.  From this root, we derive the word شَفَاعَة (“intercession”), so called because an intercessor intercedes for someone else by “joining” themselves to that person as a helper. We see this word used in ayah 2:254 in Surah Al Baqarah: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌۭ لَّا بَيْعٌۭ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌۭ وَلَا *شَفَـٰعَةٌ* ۗ وَٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ (“O believers! Donate from what We have provided for you before the arrival of a Day when there will be no bargaining, friendship, or *_intercession_*. Those who disbelieve are ˹truly˺ the wrongdoers”). 

3.) The word سِنَة is seen in Ayatul Kursi (“The Verse of the Throne”) (آيَة الكُرْسِيّ), stating ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ *سِنَةٌ* وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ (“Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither *_drowsiness_* nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest”). 

In this ayah, we see the word سِنَة being used to refer to “drowsiness.” The word سِنَة linguistically refers to the first stage of sleep 💤 and also refers to the fatigue that precedes sleep (and “sleep” is نَوم, which also comes in this verse). سِنَة is the lighter stage of sleep, whereas نَوم is a heavier phase of sleep. This ayah negates the possibility of God needing any sort of sleep or rest, as that would not be befitting to His Divine Majesty.

4.) The root (ك - ر - ه) has one primary root meaning, which is the antithesis of pleasure and love ♥️. This root meaning revolves around the concept of hatred and animosity.  From this root, we obtain the verb كَرِهَ, which means “to hate [a thing]”. In fact, from this root, we also obtain the word كُرْهٌ, which can mean “hatred” or a difficulty (مَشَقَّة). Also from this root, we obtain the word كَرِيهَة, which refers to the intensity of battle. Also from this root, we obtain the word كَرْهٌ, which refers to a camel with its head up high, as it to suggest that it dislikes being submissive. From this root, we obtain the Form IV verbal noun إِكْرَاهٌ (“coercion”), so called because compelling someone forces them to something they dislike. This word is seen in verse 2:256: لَآ *إِكْرَاهَ* فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (“Let there be no *_compulsion_* in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.  So whoever renounces false gods and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest, unfailing hand-hold. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing”).

5.) The root (ش - م - س) refers to something being colored and not stable in one place. This root is aptly seen in one of its derived words, which is شَـمْـسٌ (“sun”) ☀️, so called because the sun is always moving, never really in one stable spot. We see this word in ayah 2:258 of Surah Al Baqarah: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ فِى رَبِّهِۦٓ أَنْ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّىَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا۠ أُحْىِۦ وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْتِى *بِــٱلشَّمْسِ* مِنَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ ٱلْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ ٱلَّذِى كَفَرَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (“Are you ˹O Prophet ﷺ˺ not aware of the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had granted him kingship? ˹Remember˺ when Abraham said, “My Lord is the One Who has power to give life and cause death.” He argued, “I too have the power to give life and cause death.” Abraham challenged ˹him˺, “Allah causes the *_sun_* to rise from the east. So make it rise from the west.” And so the disbeliever was dumbstruck. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people”). 

6.) The root (س - ن - ه) revolves around the concept of time ⌚. From this root, we obtain the verb سَـنِـهَ (“to change”), so called because change occurs over time. Also from this root, we obtain the Form V verb تَـسَـنَّـهَ, which means “to rot or spoil,” and is often used for food rotting. This verb relates to its root meaning in that food spoils *_over time_*, and as such, is a temporal matter. We see this verb used in ayah 2:259, in which it states قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ *يَتَسَنَّهْ* (“He replied, “Perhaps a day or part of a day.” Allah said, “No! You have remained here for a hundred years! Just look at your food and drink—they have not *_spoiled_*”)

7.) The word أُمّ is commonly translated as “mother,” but this word can have other meanings as well. For example, the word أُمّ can also refer to the “essence” or “quintessence” or the “foundation” of something. This is because the word أُمّ can refer to something that is the beginning of everything else in its succession. This meaning is is seen in ayah 3:7 of Surah Ali ‘Imran: هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِنْهُ ءَايَـٰتٌۭ مُّحْكَمَـٰتٌ هُنَّ *أُمُّ* ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَـٰبِهَـٰتٌۭ ۖ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌۭ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـٰبَهَ مِنْهُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ ٱلْفِتْنَةِ وَٱبْتِغَآءَ تَأْوِيلِهِۦ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱلرَّٰسِخُونَ فِى ٱلْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلٌّۭ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ (“He is the One Who has revealed to you ˹O Prophet ﷺ˺ the Book, of which some verses are precise—they are the *_foundation_* of the Book—while others are elusive.  Those with deviant hearts follow the elusive verses seeking ˹to spread˺ doubt through their ˹false˺ interpretations—but none grasps their ˹full˺ meaning except Allah. As for those well-grounded in knowledge, they say, “We believe in this ˹Quran˺—it is all from our Lord.” But none will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason”). 

8.) The root (و - ق - د) refers to the ignition of a fire 🔥. From this root, we obtain the verb وَقَدَتْ النَّارُ (“the fire was ignited).” The Form X augmented verb pattern اِسْتَوقَدَ also carries this meaning (“it was ignited”).  This verb can also be used to mean “to shine brightly, to radiate, to glisten” ✨.  We also derive from this root the word وَقُود (“fuel”), so called because fuel is that which ignites a fire. We see this word appear a few times in the Quran, such as in ayah 3:10, in which the verse states: إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَن تُغْنِىَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَٰلُهُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًۭٔا ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ *وَقُودُ* ٱلنَّارِ (“Indeed, neither the wealth nor children of the disbelievers will be of any benefit to them against Allah—and they will be the *_fuel_* for the Fire”). The word وَقُود does not have to literal fuel for a fire 🔥. It can also refer to a figurative use of the word to refer to mankind being fuel for fire, as is occurring in this verse. 

9.)  The root (ق - س - ط) has two dually antagonistic root meanings: one root meaning is justice (العَدْل) ⚖️ and the other is that of injustice and oppression (ظُلْم). As for the first root meaning of justice, this is where we derive the Form IV verb أَقْـسَـطَ (“to be just”), such as how it is used in its doer pattern in this ayah 5:42 of Surah Al Ma’idah: نَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ (“Surely Allah loves those who are just”). However, the Form I base verb قَسَطَ means “to be unjust,” such as how it occurs in its doer form in verse 72:15 of Surah Al Jinn: وَأَمَّا ٱلْقَـٰسِطُونَ فَكَانُوا۟ لِجَهَنَّمَ حَطَبًۭا (“And as for the deviant, they will be fuel for Hell”).  Another related word from this root is قِسْط (justice”), as is seen in verse 3:18 of Surah Ali Imran as such: شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا *بِٱلْقِسْطِ* ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ (“Allah ˹Himself˺ is a Witness that there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—and so are the angels and people of knowledge. He is the Maintainer of *_Justice_*. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—the Almighty, All-Wise”). 

10.) The root (ص - ي - ر) refers primarily to the concept of returning to home base. From this, we obtain the verb صَارَ (“to become”), indicating the change or transfer of something to another state, hence its relation to its root meaning. Also from this root meaning, we derive the word مَصِير, which refers to the “final destination,” which we all hope is Jannah. The idea here is that the مَصِير is the point that we return to. This ayah is seen frequently in the Quran, such as in ayah 3:28 as follows: لَّا يَتَّخِذِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ فِى شَىْءٍ إِلَّآ أَن تَتَّقُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ تُقَىٰةًۭ ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۥ ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ *ٱلْمَصِيرُ* (“Believers should not take disbelievers as guardians instead of the believers—and whoever does so will have nothing to hope for from Allah—unless it is a precaution against their tyranny. And Allah warns you about Himself. And to Allah is the *_final return_*”).