Asalaam alaikum waRahmatulah waBarakatuh.


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حُنَفَاءَ لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ


(Be) Inclining [only] to Allah , not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allah - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.

[Surah Hajj 22:31]





"This Saying doesn't make Sense.."


A famous Orientalist who critiqued the Qur'an said that the example given should make sense to the audience (i.e. He was saying this example of the Qur'an does not make sense.) However, he did not know Ancient Arabic. He only used his claim from the 'Proper Modern Standard Arabic' perspective. However, Ancient Classical Arabic had it's own sayings and idioms.

The Qur'an used expressions [idioms/figures of speech] of the ancient Arabs, who meant by this example the following;

Allah compares the Polytheist to the Example given above. But what did He mean by it?




The Average Polytheist 'Arab:

The average 'Arab at the time of Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam) never believed in an Afterlife, so Allah related their polytheism to Death - which they thought was the End of everything.

The Arabs took pride in their death and honor. The worst kind of death they could have is the death of a coward.


كَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ

..Like he fell from the Sky...


'Falling from the sky' meant by the polytheist arabs that;

If there are 2 groups in war, one group on a cliff and the other lower on the ground - the group on the top seemed to be on the advantage.

1 - If they were on the cliff and they still lost the battle, the arabs who won would throw the dead bodies of the enemy off the cliff.
2 - Or if they were fleeing in fear from the enemy, and tripped and fell off the cliff - they would also be humiliated.

These are the worst type of Legacies the arabs would want to leave behind.

The ugliest thing you can imagine - that is like falling from the sky.





فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ

..and was snatched by the birds...

When you die in battle, each side takes their side and gives them a proper burial.
Unless you think your soldier was a coward - you do not bury him. So what takes you instead? Birds. Especially birds like Vultures - who eat your meat.

So again, Allah is comparing their polytheism to a humiliating death, with no-one to bury you except birds eat your body.

Disgustings Birds eating from your humiliating corpse after falling from a cliff.





أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ

or the wind carried him down into a remote place.

Then even these disgusting birds do not finish your meat off, so the remainder of you left/some of your meat - is blown away with the wind - to a far off unknown place. - You have no honour or sign of good reputation left except humiliation and hatred and curses against you by the people of future generations.



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