Taraweeh Top 🔟 :
Juz 4 (Surah Al-Imran continued):
1.) The root (ح - ن - ف), which means “to incline towards.” From this root, we obtain the word الأَحْنَف, which refers to someone who is club-footed, in that his feet are inclined inward. We also have the word حَنِيف, which refers to the person who inclines away from evil and towards good. God says in the Quran: مَا كَانَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّۭا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّۭا وَلَـٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًۭا مُّسْلِمًۭا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ [Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he submitted in all uprightness and was not a polytheist” (3:67)]. Here, we see that Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام was referred to as حَنِيف in that he was rightly guided and inclined towards the Truth. This is also the namesake of the famous Imam Abu Hanifa, who is the eponym of the Hanafi School of Islamic Law.
2.) The word مُبَارَكًا appears in Surah Ali ‘Imran, ayah 96 (إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍۢ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًۭا وَهُدًۭى لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ) ("Surely the first House established for humanity is the one at _Bakkah_—a blessed sanctuary and a guide for people"). It comes from the root (ب - ر - ك), which revolves around the idea of the stability of something. From this root, we obtain the verb بَرَك, which means to make a camel 🐪 kneel down. Related word is بَرَكَة (“blessings”) and the common dua in the Arab World: بَارَكَ اللهُ فِيك (“May Allah bless you”) and the common expression of congratulations: أَلْفُ مَبْرُوكَ (literally “a thousand blessings to you”) 🎊
3.) The root (ح - ج - ج) means “intending towards something” (قَصَدَ). The word حَجٌّ refers to pilgrimage to Mecca 🕋, as pilgrims intend towards Mecca. The word الحَجّ (and its derivatives) are frequently used in the Quran, such as in the following verse: فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا [“So whoever makes the major or minor pilgrimage to the House, let them walk between the two hills”(2:158)]. Here, the verb حَجَّ is used to mean to intend for pilgrimage to the Ka’bah 🕋
4.) The word نِعْمَةٌ means “blessing”, and its opposite is نِقْمَةٌ (notice that one letter change from ع to ق gives the opposite meaning!). It comes from the root (ن - ع - م), which means “affluence, luxury.” Interestingly, in Surah Ali Imran, ayah 103 (وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ) ("Remember God's Favor upon you"), the word comes as نِعْمَتْ, which is not the conventional way to spell this word. The usual way to spell the word is with (ة) (taa' marbuta = التَّاءُ المَرْبُوطَةُ). Scholars of the Quran have posited that this spelling with (ت) (the open taa’ = التَّاءُ المَفْتُوحَةُ) suggests that the blessings are vast and open, and not constricted at all, which is one of the beautiful secrets in the orthography of the Quran.
5.) The word أُمَّةٌ (“community/society”) appears frequently in the Quran. Slight variations in spelling make all the difference in meaning. For example, removing the (ة) gives us أُمٌّ (“mother”), while saying أَمَةٌ gives us the meaning of “female servant.” The word أُمَّة can also be used to describe one person, as it was used to describe Prophet Ibrahim in the Quran: إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةًۭ قَانِتًۭا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًۭا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ [“Abraham was a model of excellence: devoted to Allah, upright, not a polytheist” (16:120)]. The word أُمّ is also used to refer to Surah Al Fatihah as أُمُّ القُرْآن (“the Mother of the Quran”) in that it contains the essence of the Quran.
6.) The word ذَوق means “taste.” It can refer to both the bodily sensation of taste, as well as to the metaphorical meaning of spiritual taste. It is also used in the Quran, such as in the following verse: "يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌۭ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌۭ ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ [“On that Day some faces will be bright while others gloomy. To the gloomy-faced it will be said, “Did you disbelieve after having believed? So taste the punishment for your disbelief” (3:106)]. Here, the verb ذُوقُوا (which is a command verb meaning “taste!”) is used in a frightening manner, in which God portrays the disbelievers as those who will taste the punishment of their disbelief.
7.) The past tense verb (شَاءَ) and its present-tense version (يَشَاءُ) mean “to will.” This verb is commonly used in the Quran, such as in the following verse: وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ [“To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. He forgives whomever He wills, and punishes whomever He wills. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (3:129)]. This verse is also in the common expression إِنْ شَاءَ اللهُ, which is translated as “if God Wills”.
8.) The root (ك - ظ - م) gives the meaning of constrainment and restriction. From this, we obtain the verb كَظَم, which means to suppress one’s anger . The Quran uses the words الكاظِمِين to refer to those who suppress their rage (الغَيظ) in this ayah: ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِى ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَٱلْكَـٰظِمِينَ ٱلْغَيْظَ وَٱلْعَافِينَ عَنِ ٱلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ (“They are those who donate in prosperity and adversity, control their anger, and pardon others. And Allah loves the good-doers” (3:134)]. These words are also frequently expressed in Ahadith in which the Prophet ﷺ explains about the benefits of suppressing rage and the adverse effects of not doing so.
9.) The root (ف - ح - ش) refers to something repugnant or undesirable. The derived word فَاحِشَةٌ refers to a heinous, unthinkable atrocity, and often refers to adultery (الزِّنَا), but really can be used to refer to any serious crime or sin. It is also common in the Arabic language to use the word الفَاحِش to describe a miserly person, as miserliness to be an undesirable trait.
10.) The root (ج - ز - ي) means “to reward or compensate.” The verb جَزَى means “to reward” and is seen frequently in the Quran, such as in this verse (along with a similar word (ثَوَاب), which also means “reward”): وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ كِتَـٰبًۭا مُّؤَجَّلًۭا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِى ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ [“No soul can ever die without Allah’s Will at the destined time. Those who desire worldly gain, We will let them have it, and those who desire heavenly reward, We will grant it to them. And We will reward those who are grateful” (3:145)]. The verb جَزَى is a common verb that many Muslims use when they say the expression: جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا (“May Allah reward you with Goodness”), though this verb can be used in both a positive and negative connotation. For the former, the meaning would be "to reward," but for the latter, the meaning would more aptly be "to recompense."