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Juz 13 (Surah Yusuf and Surah Ibrahim)

Here are 10 fruits 🍐 from the language of the Quran:

1.) The word المُحْسِنِين means “the doers of good,", as appears in the following verse: نُصِيبُ بِرَحْمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ (“We shower Our mercy on whoever We will, and We never discount the reward of the good-doers” (12:56)]. It also refers to those who do things excellently, which is where we get the derived word إِحْسَان, which is a state of excellence (Form IV gerund or مَصْدَر). The root of this word is (ح - س - ن) also means “to do something excellently.” Believers are encouraged to do all actions with excellence.

2.) The word كَيلٌ means “measurement ⚖,” and involves the measuring of various entities, for example, on a scale for merchandise. Its root is (ك - ي - ل), which suggests a meaning of measurement. This word is seen in the following verse: فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِۦ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ (“But if you do not bring him to me, I will have no measure for you, nor will you ever come close to me again.” (12:60)], with this meaning of measurement, specifically of the measure of grain 🌾. And perhaps the word "kilo" may come from the Arabic word كَيلٌ! Additionally, this verb is seen in verse 83:3, in which God states وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ ("but give less when they measure or weigh for buyers"), in that some give less in measure when selling than they ought to.

3.) The root (ق - ر - ب) means “to come close to,” and indicates nearness and proximity. From this, we obtain the verb قَرُبَ, which means “to come near,” and the adjective قَرِيبٌ, which means “near.” This word is seen frequently in the Quran, such as in the following verse: فَإِن لَّمْ تَأْتُونِى بِهِۦ فَلَا كَيْلَ لَكُمْ عِندِى وَلَا تَقْرَبُونِ [“But if you do not bring him to me ˹next time˺, I will have no grain for you, nor will you ever come close to me again” (12:60)].

4.) The root (ر - ح - م) indicates a meaning of tenderness, gentleness, and compassion. From this root, we obtain the verb رَحِمَ, which means “he was merciful,” as is indicated in this verse: وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلنَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌۢ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ٥٣ [“And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord. Surely my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (12:53)]. The past tense verb is commonly seen in the dua رَحِمَهُ اللهُ (“May God have mercy upon him,”) commonly said for the deceased. We also obtain the word رَحْمَةٌ, which means “mercy” and the word رَحِمٌ, which can mean “womb” or “kinship 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦,” (and from this we get the word for relatives, which is أَرْحَام, such as in أُولُو الأرحام) and its relation to the root meaning is that there is compassion that the mother shows to her fetus in the womb, and there is also compassion between kinsfolk in family relations.

5.) The root (و - ج - د) means “to find something.” The past tense verb is وَجَدَ, which means “to find,” but can also mean “to exist.” This verb is seen in its passive form in the following verse: قَالُوا۟ جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥ مَن وُجِدَ فِى رَحْلِهِۦ فَهُوَ جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ [“Joseph’s brothers responded, “The price will be the one in whose bag the cup is found. That is how we punish the wrongdoers” (12:75)]. The word وُجُود also comes from this root, which means “existence,” and is a common word used in the field of theology (كَلَامٌ). This word also has other more nuanced meanings. In the world of Tasawwuf (Sufism), وَجْدٌ means “love,” and also refers to a higher state of connection with God. The relationship here is that this higher state of connection is our way of metaphorically “finding” God.

6.) The verb تَوَكَّلَ means “to rely upon.” It is a commonly-known verb (Verb Form V on the pattern of تَفَعَّلَ), as the Quran frequently enjoins the believers to rely upon God, as is seen in the following verse: عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ (“In Him [God] I put my trust. And in Him let the faithful put their trust” (12:67)]. Those who rely on God are called المُتَوَكِّلُون. Its root is (و- ك - ل), which also means to rely on something. Interestingly, the adjectival version of this root is the word الوَكْلُ, which when describing a person, describes them as weak, hence their reliance on God. And another related word is الوَكِيلُ, which refers to a representative who is entrusted with a matter, called as such because he/she is relied upon for the fulfillment of that matter. There is also a common expression that many Muslims know: حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الوَكِيلُ [“God is sufficient for us, and how Perfect He is to be relied upon” (3:173)], which uses this word.

7.) The word حَاجَةٌ refers to a need that someone has, as appears in the following verse: وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا۟ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُم مَّا كَانَ يُغْنِى عَنْهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةًۭ فِى نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَىٰهَا ۚ [“Then when they entered as their father had instructed them, this did not help them against ˹the Will of˺ God whatsoever. It was just a desire in Jacob’s heart which he satisfied” (12:68)]. The root is (ح - و - ج), which refers to the necessity of something, such that one cannot do without said thing. The verbal version of this root is اِحْتَاجَ إِلَى, which means “to need”.

8.) The root (ر - ف - ع) means to raise something. Its opposite is the root (و - ض - ع), which means “to lower something” (among other meanings). Its past tense verb is رَفَعَ, and its present tense is يَرْفَع, which is seen in a similar variant in the following verse: ٱللَّهُ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ مَّن نَّشَآءُ ۗ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِى عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌۭ [“We elevate in rank whoever We will. But above those ranking in knowledge is the One All-Knowing” (12:76)]. Another meaning of this root is “proximity,” such as in the following verse: وَفُرُشٍ مَرْفُوعَةٍ [“Elevated Furnishings” (56:34)], but also can mean “nearby furnishings” (in Paradise). This root can also give the meaning of arrogance, as when one raises himself, he can do so out of arrogance. In fact, there is a common Arab proverb to this effect that uses both this meaning and its opposite: مَنْ وَضَع نَفْسَهُ رَفَعَها، وَمَن رَفَعَ نَفْسَهُ وَضَعَهَا (“whoever humbles himself, raises himself (in rank); and whoever raises himself (arrogantly), lowers himself (in rank)”. This root also means to remove if there is the preposition عَنْ after it. For example, رَفَعَ نَفْسَهُ عن الضَّلَالِ would mean “he removed himself from error”.

9.) The verb سَرَقَ means “to steal,” as appears in the following verse: قَالُوٓا۟ إِن يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌۭ لَّهُۥ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ (“Joseph’s brothers argued, ‘If he has stolen, so did his brother before’” (12:77)]. Its root is (س - ر - ق), which gives the meaning of taking something in secret and in a hidden manner. A thief is referred to as السَّارِق, and this word is found in several verses, such as in verse 12:70, in which the brothers of Yusuf (Joseph) عليه السلام are accused of theft. And in verse 15:18, the verb comes as verb form VIII (on the pattern of اِفْتَعَلَ), which means “to eavesdrop,” which refers to the jinn who eavesdrop in the Unseen World and are then driven out. Also, interestingly, the word السَّرَقَةُ (and its plural of السَّرَقُ) means “a thread of silk,” and the classical sources state that this an uncommon meaning that is not seemingly related to the root, stating that it is شاذّ عن هذا الباب, which literally means that it is “deviant from this root meaning”

10.) The root (ع - و - ذ) refers to resorting to something as a place of refuge, consolation, and trust. From this root meaning, we get the commonly-known verb عاذ - يَعُوذ, which means “to seek refuge in.” This is commonly seen in the dua أَعُوذُ بِالله مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ (“I seek refuge in God from the Accursed Satan”). There is also a common expression among the Arabs: مَعَاذَ الله (“[we seek] the protection of God”), which is also seen in the verse: قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ أَن نَّأْخُذَ إِلَّا مَن وَجَدْنَا مَتَـٰعَنَا عِندَهُۥٓ إِنَّآ إِذًۭا لَّظَـٰلِمُونَ [“Joseph responded, “God forbid that we should take other than the one with whom we found our property. Otherwise, we would surely be unjust” (12:79)]. This expression effectively has the same meaning as أَعُوذُ بالله, but just uses the verbal noun (مَصْدَر) instead of the verb. Another common way to express this is العِيَاذُ بِالله, which also uses another verbal noun, and which gives the same meaning: “[we seek] the Protection of God.”