Does “La Uqsimu” Contradict Qur’anic Oaths?
Does “La Uqsimu” Mean Allah Does Not Swear in the Qur’an?
Some skeptics claim that there is a contradiction between the words of Allah Almighty:
“And the star when it goes down.”
And His words Almighty:
“And this secure city.”
And His words Almighty:
“And the promised day.”
And between His words Almighty:
“So I swear by the positions of the stars.”
And His words Almighty:
“I swear by this city.”
And His words Almighty:
“I swear by the Day of Resurrection.”
Their aim behind this is to claim that the Qur’an is a creation of humans.
The Way to Refute the Doubt
There is no contradiction. The issue depends on the Arabic meaning ofla in the expression la uqsimu. The scholars explained it through four possible linguistic interpretations.
The scholars have four views on the meaning of la:
- La is a relative pronoun or redundant, and the meaning is affirmative, so there is no negation in it.
- La is a response to the words of the polytheists who denied the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the phrase “I swear” is a renewed affirmation.
- La is used to negate what the oath indicates of the greatness and magnificence of what is sworn by.
- La is the lam of initiation, and its fat-ha is fully pronounced, so an alif is generated from it. This is well-known in the Arabic language.
The Four Views on the Meaning of “La”
The scholars have four views on the meaning of la, which are explained by Dr. Anwar Al-Hadidi.
Allah, Glory be to Him, swore by the secure land, by the Day of Resurrection, and by the positions of the stars. The discussion concerning la has four aspects.
First View: “La” Is Additional and Used for Emphasis
The first view is thatla is a connection or an addition according to the custom of the Arabs. They may pronounce the word la without intending negation. Rather, it is used to strengthen and confirm the speech.
An example of this is the saying of Moses, peace be upon him, to his brother Aaron, peace be upon him, when he found his people worshipping the calf during his absence:
“He said, O Aaron, what prevented you when you saw them going astray from following me? Did you disobey my command?”
The meaning is: what prevented you from following?
Another example is the statement of Allah, Glory be to Him, to Iblis when he refused to prostrate to Adam as Allah commanded him:
“He said, ‘What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?’”
Meaning: what prevented you from prostrating?
This is supported by His statement, Glory be to Him:
“He said, ‘O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands?’”
Another example is His statement, Glory be to Him:
“So that the People of the Scripture may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah.”
Meaning: so that the People of the Scripture may know.
Another example is His statement, Glory be to Him:
“But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you, O Muhammad, judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full, willing submission.”
Meaning: By your Lord.
The addition ofla is also frequently mentioned in Arabic poetry. It can appear in speech without carrying the meaning of negation.
An example is the saying of Al-Ajjaj:
In a well without Houris he ran away
And he did not realize his lie until he saw the dawn, Jashar.
Here, Houris means destruction. So the meaning is: in a well of destruction. In this usage, la is redundant.
Second View: “La” Responds to the Polytheists
The second view is thatla is a response to the words of the polytheists who denied the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The phrase I swear then comes as a renewed affirmation.
This is like the saying of a speaker:
No, by Allah.
Here, no is a response to the words that came before it.
From this is the saying of the poet:
No, by your father, the daughter of Al-Amiri,
The people do not claim that I flee.
However, this interpretation is weakened by the fact that deleting the name of la and its predicate is not permissible.
Third View: “La” Negates the Magnification of What Is Sworn By
The third view is thatla is for negation, but it does not negate the oath itself. Rather, it negates what the oath indicates of the greatness and magnificence of what is sworn by.
According to this view, the meaning of I do not swear by such-and-such is not that there is no oath. Rather, it negates the imagined independent greatness of what is being sworn by.
Fourth View: It Is the Lam of Initiation
The fourth view is that thelam is the lam of initiation, and the original wording is la-aqsam. Its fat-ha was prolonged, and an alif was generated from it.
The Arabs may sometimes pronounce the fat-ha with an alif, the kasra with a ya’, and the damma with a waw.
An example of this in the fat-ha is the rajaz poet’s saying:
If the old woman gets angry, divorce her,
And do not please her, and do not flatter her.
The original is turdihā, because the verb is made jussive by the prohibitive la.
An example of saturation of the kasra with a ya’ is the saying of Qays ibn Zuhair:
Did not the news spread
About what the camels of Banu Ziyad encountered?
The original is ya’tik, because of the presence of the jussive.
An example of saturation of the damma with a waw is the rajaz poet’s saying:
If Amr intended to sleep,
Then he got up and tied the knotted belt.
Meaning: sleep.
This interpretation is indicated by the reading of Al-Hasan and Al-A’sha:I swear, without an alif.
The first interpretation is the most correct of them all.
The Oath Still Indicates Glorification
Linguists said that this oath indicates the glorification of what is sworn by, as in Surat Al-Balad.
It is also like the words of Allah Almighty:
“So I swear by the positions of the stars. And indeed, it is a great oath, if you only knew. Indeed, it is a noble Qur’an.”
And His words:
“I swear by the Day of Resurrection. And I swear by the self-reproaching soul.”
All of these are oaths.
This is not from the hidden subtleties of Arabic. Rather, it is from the basics of the language, but many people do not know.
If la is considered negative and the sentence is declarative, then it is restricted. Meaning: I do not swear by it while you are in it, but I swear by it when you are not in it. Therefore, there is no contradiction either.
Conclusion
There is no contradiction between the verses in which Allah Almighty swears by Mecca, the Day of Resurrection, and the positions of the stars, and the verses whose appearance may suggest that there is no oath.
The word la in these verses does not go beyond four aspects:
- It may be a relative clause or redundant, spoken without the intention of negation, but rather for emphasis.
- It may be a response to the words of the polytheists who denied the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
- It may be used to negate what the oath is based on, namely magnifying and glorifying what is sworn by.
- Or the lam may be the lam of initiation, with its fat-ha fully pronounced, which is well-known in the speech of the Arabs.
Source Notes
Jashar means: came out.
Adapted fromAl-Bayan fi Refutation of the Imagined Contradiction Between the Verses of the Qur’an, Dr. Muhammad Abu Al-Nur Al-Hadid, Al-Amanah Library, Cairo, 1401 AH / 1981 CE, pp. 86-88, with some modifications.