Asalaam alaikum Warahmatulah
Wabarakatuh.
Allah (swt) says:
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ
وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
"While Allah has created you and what you make!"
(as-Saffaat 37: 96)
In Arabic, the word "maa " (in
green) has many meanings and can be used in many ways:
- In Arabic, the letter "maa ما " )
has many meanings and can be used in many ways:
a -
It could also be used as a maa masdariyyah
[which signifies Amazement and Astonishment]
how remarkable...
b - It could be used as an ism
al-Istifhaam (interrogative particle)
such as in the sentence: Maa haadhaa? - What
is this?
c - Another way it could be used is as an
ism al-mawsoolah for
example: what being made these? What kind of power must
He be?
d - It could also be a harf al-Nafi (negation) as in: Maa
katabtuhu - I did not write it.
[The word maa usually always implies a negation, i.e. What?
i don't, Really?!.. etc.]
Now the amazing thing here is that all the above ways of using the word "maa"
can be accommodated in this one ayah. It is possible that the maa in the ayah could be a maa masdariyyah, an
ism al-mawsoolah, a nafi
and an istifhaam.
A - So if it is taken as a maa
masdariyyah then the meaning would be as it is
the translation above. "While
Allah has created you and what you make!"
b - If it is an Istifhaam then it would
be translated as: "But Allah has created you
and what have you done?"
C - If
it is an ism
al-mawsoolah: what Being created these amazing actions [which you are able to
achieve].
d - And finally, if it is a nafi
then it would be: "But Allah has
created you and you have
not done (that which you claim)."
So
in this one small ayah all these various interpretations are possible
and the differences stem from just one word/letter: maa
( مَا.)
Also see [Tafsir al Qurtubi.
as-Saffaat 37:96];
http://quran.al-islam.com/Tafseer/DispTafsser.asp?l=arb&taf=KORTOBY&nType=1&nSora=37&nAya=96