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Juz 3 (Surah Al Baqarah end/ Al-Imran beginning)
The surah introduced in this Juz is Al Imran (آلِ عِمْرَانَ) (the family of Imran). They are a noble Jewish family from which Mary hails. The miraculous story of Mary and the birth of Jesus is a key part of this section.
1. Kafir (كَافِرٌ) linguistically means farmer 🧑🌾. It comes from the root (ك - ف - ر), which originally means “to cover up something.” A farmer covers up a seed 🌱, whereas a Kafir (loosely translating as disbeliever) covers up the truth. It’s an active process, not a passive one. In the Quran, the word كَفُور can also mean an ungrateful person, not necessarily a disbeliever. This word كَفُور is on the pattern of the Noun of Intensity/Hyperbole (اِسْمُ المُبَالَغَة), thereby indicating that its meaning is “an extremely ungrateful person.” This relates to the root meaning in that a كَفُور is someone who is so ungrateful that they “cover up” the blessings that God bestowed upon them.
2. Hub (حُبٌّ) means love 💚, but Hab (حَبٌّ) means seed 🌱 (its plural being حُبُوب). The root (ح - ب - ب) is the same, but one harakah/vowel change makes all the difference in meaning. From this root, we obtain other derived words as well, such as “أَحْبَاب,” which is the plural of حَبِيب meaning “beloved.” We also obtain the word مَحْبُوب, which also means “beloved,” and is on the receiver pattern (اسم المَفْعُول).
3. Al-Islam (الإِسْلَام) is a verbal noun in the fourth (IV) pattern, indicating an active process that requires work. The root is salama (س - ل - م), which involves the meaning of “peace.” The fourth form past tense (أَسْلَمَ) means "to submit" linguistically, but in the Islamic sciences, it refers to the act of becoming a Muslim. Hence, we obtain the word مُسْلِمٌ, which is the doer form (اسم الفاعل) of this fourth verb pattern, since a Muslim is actively in submission. The tenth form (اِسْتَسْلَمَ) means to surrender (like in a battle 🏳️ ). Thus, by actively working to surrender one’s lower desires and whims to God, one arrives at true peace and alignment with the natural order of the universe.
4. ‘Ilm (عِلم) means “knowledge” 📖 , and its root is (ع - ل - م). Notice that this word is very similar in spelling to عَمَل, but the root letters (ع - م - ل) are transposed. While عِلمٌ means knowledge, عَمَلٌ means “action/deed.” The plural of عِلْمٌ is عُلُوم (“sciences”), and the plural of عَمَل is أَعْمَالٌ (“actions/deeds”).
5. Nur (نُور) is light 💡 and its root is (ن - و - ر); from this root, we obtain the word Nar (نَارٌ), which means “fire: 🔥. These are connected in their property of light, but one brings benefit and the other destruction. Like people and covers of books, the outward can be deceptive and ambiguous, but the inward state makes all the difference. Some attribute humility to the form of the letter و (as it is lower and bent) and arrogance to alif (ا), given its standing nature. The alif is also upon which the hamza (ء) sits in أنا, which was part of Satan’s statement: ‘I am better than him.” Ironically, the letter alif is quite a weak letter, to the extent that it cannot be part of the root, and often changed or dropped. You will find some spiritual sages avoid using the word ‘I’ (أنا) altogether.
6. The phrase رُوح القُدُس means “The Holy Spirit,” and it referring to Archangel Jibril (Gabriel). The word القُدْس means “holy” and is the name given to Jerusalem. The word رُوح “soul” indicates an entity that we don’t know much about. In fact, the Quran states: وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا (“They ask you about the spirit. Say, ‘Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you have been given but little knowledge’”) [17:85]. The رُوح is an enignmatic entity that we have been given very little knowledge of.
7. The word أَحَاطَ - يُحِيطُ - إِحَاطَةٌ is a verb on the pattern of Verb Form IV, and it means “to encompass entirely”. From this pattern, we obtain the اسم الفَاعل (doer pattern) of مُحِيطٌ (“ocean”), called as such because the ocean 🌊encompasses much of the Earth. This verb is used in the Quran as such: وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءۚ (“but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills”) (2:255). This verb is often used with the context of the all-encompassing nature of God’s Knowledge.
8. The word وَلِيٌّ = Protector or Friend. It comes from the root (و - ل - ي), which indicates a meaning of closeness and proximity (قُرْبٌ). Therefore, a وَلِيّ is someone who is “close” in Friendship with God. A related word is وِلَايَةٌ (which is the مَصْدَر version), which can mean “state/governorship” or “state of closeness with Allah”.
9. The verb اِطْمَأَنَّ ("to be consoled, to have one’s heart ♥️ at rest”) is seen in the Quran, such as in the ayah: أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ ("Indeed with the Remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace") (13:28). Its root is (ط - م - ن), which gives the meaning of “calmness/tranquility,” which the verse above mentions comes from Remembrance of God.
10. Mihrab (مِحْرَاب) is generally a place devoted to prayer and commonly refers specifically to the small niche at the front of a mosque 🕌 where the imam stands. The Mihrab of Mary is associated with prayer, but also a place of miracles. The root for this word is (ح - ر - ب), which revolves around the meaning of “war”. The word مِحْرَاب is اسم الآلة (the noun of instrument), so called because prayer is the tool used to battle against evil and ego. It is a place of prostration and proximity to God, our weapons against Satan, who refused to prostrate and thus was distanced from God. Whereas we draw nearest to God when we put our nose to the ground, Satan grew distant by metaphorically pointing his nose up in arrogance, and literally refusing to lower his head and earning the title Shaytan, ‘one who is away and distant.’