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This is part one of a [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part Two#Part Two: What do Qur’an 18:86 and 18:90 say happened next?|two-part]] article providing a comprehensive survey of the different interpretations of [[Qur'an]] 18:86 and 18:90. | This is part one of a [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part Two#Part Two: What do Qur’an 18:86 and 18:90 say happened next?|two-part]] article providing a comprehensive survey of the different interpretations of [[Qur'an]] 18:86 and 18:90, detailing a lot of arguments and evidence not found in other discussions of the topic. | ||
The Dhu'l Qarnayn episode in Surah al-Kahf, or “The Cave”, {{Quran-range|18|83|101}}, is derived from the [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance|mid-6th century Syriac Alexander Legend]] according to the consensus of historians. This Quranic passage says that Allah empowered a person called Dhu’l Qarnayn, “Possessor of the two horns”, and gave him means or ways to all things. He is said to have used these to reach three unusual places where people live | The Dhu'l Qarnayn episode in Surah al-Kahf, or “The Cave”, {{Quran-range|18|83|101}}, is derived from the [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance|mid-6th century Syriac Alexander Legend]] according to the consensus of historians. This Quranic passage says that Allah empowered a person called Dhu’l Qarnayn, “Possessor of the two horns”, and gave him means or ways to all things. He is said to have used these to reach three unusual places where people live. Regarding the first two destinations in this story, the meanings of verses 18:86 and 18:90 are a matter of considerable controversy. Critics argue that according to these verses, Dhu'l Qarnayn reached the physical locations where the sun sets and rises, and in particular found that the sun sets into a muddy spring, whereas Muslims typically propose alternative interpretations. | ||
===Translation (Yusuf Ali)=== | ===Translation (Yusuf Ali)=== | ||
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The word a'''l'''shshamsi, which immediately follows the words maghriba and matliAAa in 18:86 and 18:90, means “of the sun”. Maghrib and matliAA are nouns derived from the roots of the verbs gharaba, to set, and talaAAa, to rise, respectively. They are special types of nouns meaning either the place where the action of the verb happens or the time when it happens (the place or time of the sun setting or rising). If it indicates a place, such a noun is called an ism makan. If it means a time, it is called an ism zaman. In either case, these nouns are formed by adding the ma- prefix and using a ''kasrah'' (transliterated as ‘i’) after the 2<sup>nd</sup> letter to create the words maghrib and matliAA.<ref>Rev. Thatcher, G. W., Arabic Grammer of the Written Language (2<sup>nd</sup> Ed.), pp.240-241, (London: Julius Groos), 1922</ref> | The word a'''l'''shshamsi, which immediately follows the words maghriba and matliAAa in 18:86 and 18:90, means “of the sun”. Maghrib and matliAA are nouns derived from the roots of the verbs gharaba, to set, and talaAAa, to rise, respectively. They are special types of nouns meaning either the place where the action of the verb happens or the time when it happens (the place or time of the sun setting or rising). If it indicates a place, such a noun is called an ism makan. If it means a time, it is called an ism zaman. In either case, these nouns are formed by adding the ma- prefix and using a ''kasrah'' (transliterated as ‘i’) after the 2<sup>nd</sup> letter to create the words maghrib and matliAA.<ref>Rev. Thatcher, G. W., Arabic Grammer of the Written Language (2<sup>nd</sup> Ed.), pp.240-241, (London: Julius Groos), 1922</ref> | ||
The ''fatha'', or “-a” suffix is added to maghrib and matliAA in 18:86 and 18:90 for the accusative grammatical case to indicate that they are the objects of the verb balagha, "he reached" | The ''fatha'', or “-a” suffix is added to maghrib and matliAA in 18:86 and 18:90 for the accusative grammatical case to indicate that they are the objects of the verb balagha, "he reached". The definite article, “al” as in al maghrib, is missing but implied in these verses. That’s because in the genitive construction called ''’idāfa'' (indicating possession, as in the X of Y), the definite article is implied for the first word when it is used for the genitive word, which in this case is a'''l'''shshamsi, meaning “of the sun”.<ref>See for example Mohtanick Jamil - [http://www.learnarabiconline.com/arabic-phrases.shtml Arabic Phrases] - LearnArabicOnline</ref> | ||
==First interpretation: He reached the west and east== | ==First interpretation: He reached the west and east== | ||
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The word a'''l'''shshams means “the sun”, and the -i suffix (an Arabic ''kasrah'') in 18:86 and 18:90 is for the genitive case, which indicates possession (“of the sun”). Looking at how maghrib is used elsewhere in the Qur’an to mean west (see list above), it is always used as a stand-alone word without a'''l'''shshams, in contrast to 18:86. Critics question why is a'''l'''shshamsi added in 18:86 when it is not in the other instances if not to emphasize a literal meaning. A'''l'''shshams is not even used with maghrib when it means the west anywhere in the major hadith collections.<ref name="hadith">Based on searches of the Sunni hadith collections in Arabic using [http://www.ekabakti.com ekabakti.com] and [http://hadith.al-islam.com al-Islam] and [http://www.sunnah.com sunnah.com]</ref> | The word a'''l'''shshams means “the sun”, and the -i suffix (an Arabic ''kasrah'') in 18:86 and 18:90 is for the genitive case, which indicates possession (“of the sun”). Looking at how maghrib is used elsewhere in the Qur’an to mean west (see list above), it is always used as a stand-alone word without a'''l'''shshams, in contrast to 18:86. Critics question why is a'''l'''shshamsi added in 18:86 when it is not in the other instances if not to emphasize a literal meaning. A'''l'''shshams is not even used with maghrib when it means the west anywhere in the major hadith collections.<ref name="hadith">Based on searches of the Sunni hadith collections in Arabic using [http://www.ekabakti.com ekabakti.com] and [http://hadith.al-islam.com al-Islam] and [http://www.sunnah.com sunnah.com]</ref> | ||
Lane’s Lexicon of classical Arabic, long regarded as authoritative and drawing on many classical Arabic dictionaries and sources, says that al maghrib can signify the west, and also the time of sunset, but originally signified the place (or point) of sunset, as also the phrase maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi.<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf Volume 6 page 2241] - StudyQuran.org</ref> That is what the words in this phrase are used to mean | Lane’s Lexicon of classical Arabic, long regarded as authoritative and drawing on many classical Arabic dictionaries and sources, says that al maghrib can signify the west, and also the time of sunset, but originally signified the place (or point) of sunset, as also the phrase maghriba a'''l'''shshamsi.<ref>Lane’s Lexicon - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000025.pdf Volume 6 page 2241] - StudyQuran.org</ref> That is what the words in this phrase are used to mean in hadiths, where they explicitly mean the place where the sun physically sets. Such was a common belief at that time and region where one finds other versions of the same story (all of this evidence is detailed below in the section on [[Dhul-Qarnayn_and_the_Sun_Setting_in_a_Muddy_Spring_-_Part_One#Third_interpretation:_He_reached_the_places_where_the_sun_sets_and_rises|the third interpretation: places where the sun sets and rises]]). | ||
===MatliAA was not used to mean the east in the Quran nor hadith=== | ===MatliAA was not used to mean the east in the Quran nor hadith=== | ||
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Unlike the commentators quoted above, Ibn Ishaq here neither affirms nor denies that Dhu’l Qarnayn reached the setting and rising places of the sun and simply uses the general words for east and west. However, in the Arabic it also says literally that there was nothing from creation behind these places, which seems to imply the edges of a flat Earth. The setting-place would be at the western edge and the rising place at the eastern edge. Interestingly, he uses a different word order: mashriq then maghrib rather than maghrib then matliAA as in the Qur’an. This could suggest he was simply quoting a common phrase to summarize Dhu’l Qarnayn’s adventure. | Unlike the commentators quoted above, Ibn Ishaq here neither affirms nor denies that Dhu’l Qarnayn reached the setting and rising places of the sun and simply uses the general words for east and west. However, in the Arabic it also says literally that there was nothing from creation behind these places, which seems to imply the edges of a flat Earth. The setting-place would be at the western edge and the rising place at the eastern edge. Interestingly, he uses a different word order: mashriq then maghrib rather than maghrib then matliAA as in the Qur’an. This could suggest he was simply quoting a common phrase to summarize Dhu’l Qarnayn’s adventure. | ||
Incidentally, at the beginning of the same work in a section about pre-Islamic traditions<ref>Guillaume op. cit. p.12</ref>, Ibn Ishaq quotes some lines of poetic verse which say that Dhu’l Qarnayn "witnessed the setting of the sun in its resting place into a pool of black and foetid slime". See section | Incidentally, at the beginning of the same work in a section about pre-Islamic traditions<ref>Guillaume op. cit. p.12</ref>, Ibn Ishaq quotes some lines of poetic verse which say that Dhu’l Qarnayn "witnessed the setting of the sun in its resting place into a pool of black and foetid slime". See the end of the [[Dhul-Qarnayn_and_the_Sun_Setting_in_a_Muddy_Spring_-_Part_One#Hadith|section on hadith]] below for a full quote by al-Tabari of these same lines. | ||
==Second interpretation: He reached [a place at] the time of sunset and sunrise or he reached those times== | ==Second interpretation: He reached [a place at] the time of sunset and sunrise or he reached those times== | ||
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===Interpretation that balagha means “it reached”=== | ===Interpretation that balagha means “it reached”=== | ||
An alternative version of the time interpretation also appears in | An alternative version of the time interpretation also appears in Abdallah's article on this topic when he attempts to use the following argument from common usage: | ||
{{Quote||The word ‘balagha’ when referring to any heavenly object was mainly used for determining the time of the day. For instance, when the Muslims talk about the pink or reddish line in the sky appearing so that they can start the evening daily prayer and end the fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, they say a phrase such as:<BR><BR>“Balagha al-khattu al-ahmar haddah”, which means “The red line has reached its limit”<ref name="Answering Christianity"></ref>}} | {{Quote||The word ‘balagha’ when referring to any heavenly object was mainly used for determining the time of the day. For instance, when the Muslims talk about the pink or reddish line in the sky appearing so that they can start the evening daily prayer and end the fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, they say a phrase such as:<BR><BR>“Balagha al-khattu al-ahmar haddah”, which means “The red line has reached its limit”<ref name="Answering Christianity"></ref>}} | ||
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Some of the hadith that describe the sun having setting and rising places which it goes into and comes out from were already shown above. The following hadith is graded Sahih (authentic) by Dar-us-Salam (Hafiz Zubair 'Ali Za'i) and has a chain of narration graded as Sahih by al-Albani. It is from Sunan Abu Dawud, book XXV - Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira’at (Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur’an): | Some of the hadith that describe the sun having setting and rising places which it goes into and comes out from were already shown above. The following hadith is graded Sahih (authentic) by Dar-us-Salam (Hafiz Zubair 'Ali Za'i) and has a chain of narration graded as Sahih by al-Albani. It is from Sunan Abu Dawud, book XXV - Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira’at (Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur’an): | ||
{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud||4002|darussalam}}|Abu Dharr said: I was sitting behind the Apostle of Allah who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked: Do you know where this sets? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He said: It sets in a spring of warm water.<ref>Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira’at [Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur’an], Chapter 1498, p. 1120 in Prof. Ahmad Hasan (trans.), Sunan Abu Dawud – English Translation With Explanatory Notes, Volume III. Chapters 1338-1890, XXV, hadith 3991, Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1984</ref> [The references section includes a link with the sahih in chain grading<ref>For the Arabic, English, and grading by al-Albani, see [http://sunnah.com/abudawud/32/34 here]</ref>]}} | {{Quote|{{Abu Dawud||4002|darussalam}}|Abu Dharr said: I was sitting behind the Apostle of Allah who was riding a donkey while the sun was setting. He asked: Do you know where this sets? I replied: Allah and his Apostle know best. He said: It sets in a spring of warm water.<ref>Kitab Al-Ahruf Wa Al-Qira’at [Book of Dialects and Readings Of The Qur’an], Chapter 1498, p. 1120 in Prof. Ahmad Hasan (trans.), Sunan Abu Dawud – English Translation With Explanatory Notes, Volume III. Chapters 1338-1890, XXV, hadith 3991, Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1984</ref> <BR />[The references section includes a link with the sahih in chain grading<ref>For the Arabic, English, and grading by al-Albani, see [http://sunnah.com/abudawud/32/34 here]</ref>]}} | ||
There is also another version of the hadith in Musnad Ahmad (this time the spring is muddy rather than warm - the Arabic words sound similar and the same variant readings exist for Qur’an verse 18:86). The same hadith is also recorded by al-Zamakhshari (1075-1143 CE) in his commentary on the Qur’an, al-Kashshaf.<ref>For a translation see Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf 3rd Edition, Volume 2, p. 743, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1987 quoted in (trans.) [http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/science11.htm Science in the Quran/ Chapter 11: The Sun & Moon and Their Orbits] - Sam Shamoun, Answering Islam (''The phrase translated “spring of slimy water” is actually, “hot spring” in the Arabic. For the Arabic, click [http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=2&tSoraNo=18&tAyahNo=86&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1 here]'')</ref> Regardless of whether this is an authentic report about Muhammad, for proponents it is at least further evidence that early Muslims understood 18:86 to mean a literal setting place, and the possibility that Muhammad ever claimed a different interpretation thus further diminishes. | There is also another version of the hadith in Musnad Ahmad (this time the spring is muddy rather than warm - the Arabic words sound similar and the same variant readings exist for Qur’an verse 18:86). The same hadith is also recorded by al-Zamakhshari (1075-1143 CE) in his commentary on the Qur’an, al-Kashshaf.<ref>For a translation see Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Kashshaf 3rd Edition, Volume 2, p. 743, Lebanon: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, 1987 quoted in (trans.) [http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/science11.htm Science in the Quran/ Chapter 11: The Sun & Moon and Their Orbits] - Sam Shamoun, Answering Islam (''The phrase translated “spring of slimy water” is actually, “hot spring” in the Arabic. For the Arabic, click [http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=2&tSoraNo=18&tAyahNo=86&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1 here]'')</ref> Regardless of whether this is an authentic report about Muhammad, for proponents it is at least further evidence that early Muslims understood 18:86 to mean a literal setting place, and the possibility that Muhammad ever claimed a different interpretation thus further diminishes. | ||
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Till on Judgement Day they shall awake at last<ref>Hāssan b. Thābit quoted in R. A. Nicholson (transl.), [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LBY0AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q&f=false A Literary History of the Arabs], p. 18, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1907</ref>}} | Till on Judgement Day they shall awake at last<ref>Hāssan b. Thābit quoted in R. A. Nicholson (transl.), [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LBY0AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q&f=false A Literary History of the Arabs], p. 18, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1907</ref>}} | ||
A literal setting in a spring is mentioned (in the Arabic those lines are literally, “he followed the sun nearby its sunset to observe it in its spring while lowly”).<ref>The Arabic text which Nicholson translates is from: Von Kremer, Alfred, [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TsAoAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Altarabische Gedichte uber die Volkssage von Jemen, als Textbelege zur Abhandlung] “Ueber die sudarabische Sage.”, pp.15-16, VIII, lines 6-11, 1867<BR/>See also [https://web.archive.org/web/20170713044809/http://www.ye1.org/forum/threads/34164 here] for the arabic text of the poem</ref> See also the poem at the end of section | A literal setting in a spring is mentioned (in the Arabic those lines are literally, “he followed the sun nearby its sunset to observe it in its spring while lowly”).<ref>The Arabic text which Nicholson translates is from: Von Kremer, Alfred, [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TsAoAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Altarabische Gedichte uber die Volkssage von Jemen, als Textbelege zur Abhandlung] “Ueber die sudarabische Sage.”, pp.15-16, VIII, lines 6-11, 1867<BR/>See also [https://web.archive.org/web/20170713044809/http://www.ye1.org/forum/threads/34164 here] for the arabic text of the poem</ref> See also the poem at the end of the [[Dhul-Qarnayn_and_the_Sun_Setting_in_a_Muddy_Spring_-_Part_One#Hadith|Hadith section]] above for another example quoted by Ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari ("He witnessed the setting of the sun in its resting place into a pool of black and foetid slime"). We only have these poems from Islamic sources, and it is likely that they were composed or edited after Muhammad’s death. Even so, these too demonstrate how the story was understood in the early Islamic era. | ||
===Arguments against this interpretation=== | ===Arguments against this interpretation=== | ||
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The Arabic word daibayni is translated as the phrase “both diligently pursuing their courses”. This does not actually conflict with the setting and rising place interpretation according to its proponents since the commentators and other hadith quoted above showed a belief that the sun keeps moving after passing through its setting place (springs in al-Tabari’s History) and into heaven (or according to the Ibn ‘Abbas hadith quoted above, under the earth, or along an underground spring according to Abu al-Aliya in al-Thalabi's tafsir also quoted above) and continues back to its rising place. Unlike the hadith, the Qur’an does not mention the sun stopping to prostrate (even in the hadiths, that seems to be a stage of its daily course which happens reliably every day until judgement day). Either view is compatible with the setting and rising places interpretation of 18:86 and 18:90. | The Arabic word daibayni is translated as the phrase “both diligently pursuing their courses”. This does not actually conflict with the setting and rising place interpretation according to its proponents since the commentators and other hadith quoted above showed a belief that the sun keeps moving after passing through its setting place (springs in al-Tabari’s History) and into heaven (or according to the Ibn ‘Abbas hadith quoted above, under the earth, or along an underground spring according to Abu al-Aliya in al-Thalabi's tafsir also quoted above) and continues back to its rising place. Unlike the hadith, the Qur’an does not mention the sun stopping to prostrate (even in the hadiths, that seems to be a stage of its daily course which happens reliably every day until judgement day). Either view is compatible with the setting and rising places interpretation of 18:86 and 18:90. | ||
Another possible explanation is that these verses are not consistent with a single cosmology. Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah tells us that the question about Dhu’l Qarnayn and other stories in Surah al Kahf was asked by Jews to test Muhammad’s claim of prophetic knowledge (though some academic scholars suggest the questioners in Surah al-Kahf were Christians). If, per this tradition and verse 83, Muhammad was challenged to give a recitation about Dhu’l Qarnayn, any need for it to neatly fit existing verses may have been of less importance. The already known story of the great traveler had Dhu’l Qarnayn reaching these places, so Muhammad's version had to do so as well in order to pass the test of the questioners, some argue. Various verses have been used to argue that the Quranic story was nevertheless meant to be understood recounting historical events (see part two of this article). | Another possible explanation is that these verses are not consistent with a single cosmology. Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah tells us that the question about Dhu’l Qarnayn and other stories in Surah al Kahf was asked by Jews to test Muhammad’s claim of prophetic knowledge (though some academic scholars suggest the questioners in Surah al-Kahf were Christians). If, per this tradition and verse 83, Muhammad was challenged to give a recitation about Dhu’l Qarnayn, any need for it to neatly fit existing verses may have been of less importance. The already known story of the great traveler had Dhu’l Qarnayn reaching these places, so Muhammad's version had to do so as well in order to pass the test of the questioners, some argue. Various verses have been used to argue that the Quranic story was nevertheless meant to be understood as recounting historical events (see part two of this article). | ||
====Multiple setting and rising places==== | ====Multiple setting and rising places==== | ||
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==Notes on translations, transliterations, and sources== | ==Notes on translations, transliterations, and sources== | ||
{{refbegin}} | {{refbegin}} | ||
For the original source from which both parts of this article are derived, see the [http://quranspotlight.wordpress.com/articles/dhul-qarnayn-sunset-sunrise/ quranspotlight] website. In most cases the arguments of critics mentioned above are specifically those made originally by its author, Martin Taverille. | |||
Unless otherwise stated, the original 1934 translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali<ref>Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, The Holy Qur’an: Translation and Commentary, Lahore: 1934</ref> is used for quotations from the Qur’an due to its widespread distribution. Word for word translations are those used on [http://corpus.Quran.com/ The Quranic Arabic Corpus]. However, these are used only to explain in English the arguments in this article, which are founded on analysis of the Arabic words of the Qur’an. | Unless otherwise stated, the original 1934 translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali<ref>Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, The Holy Qur’an: Translation and Commentary, Lahore: 1934</ref> is used for quotations from the Qur’an due to its widespread distribution. Word for word translations are those used on [http://corpus.Quran.com/ The Quranic Arabic Corpus]. However, these are used only to explain in English the arguments in this article, which are founded on analysis of the Arabic words of the Qur’an. | ||
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All transliterations of the Arabic Qur’an into Latin characters are from the free, widely used Muslimnet transliteration used by many popular websites such as [http://www.muslimaccess.com MuslimAccess], which has a transliteration table,<ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/index.htm Transliteration of the Qur'an] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref><ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/table.html Transliteration Table] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref> and [http://www.islamicity.com IslamiCity]. There do not seem to be any available sources for transliterations of the commentaries and hadith, so here this has been done from the Arabic using the same transliteration rules. Hadith and tafsir (commentaries) are not used here as authoritative sources on the meaning of the Qur’an, but rather for near contemporary examples of language usage and beliefs. | All transliterations of the Arabic Qur’an into Latin characters are from the free, widely used Muslimnet transliteration used by many popular websites such as [http://www.muslimaccess.com MuslimAccess], which has a transliteration table,<ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/index.htm Transliteration of the Qur'an] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref><ref>[http://www.muslimaccess.com/quraan/transliterations/table.html Transliteration Table] - MuslimAccess.Com</ref> and [http://www.islamicity.com IslamiCity]. There do not seem to be any available sources for transliterations of the commentaries and hadith, so here this has been done from the Arabic using the same transliteration rules. Hadith and tafsir (commentaries) are not used here as authoritative sources on the meaning of the Qur’an, but rather for near contemporary examples of language usage and beliefs. | ||
{{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||