Expert: Samy Wahib - 12/29/2006

Question
Thank you Samy for your quick response.  I have a couple of follow-up questions:

1) You said the verse reads "I praise the saabireena", but I do not understand where you found the "I praise" in this verse.  Which Arabic words here mean "I praise"?

2) If it is "saabireena", then why not "moofeena" instead of "moofoona", in the same verse?  Are we not dealing with the same grammatical situation here?

I am a student of the Quran, I am just trying to understand.  My first language is English, although I am at the advanced level in Arabic.

Thank you for your help.

Regards,
Tawab

-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi, my question concerns the grammar in the Quran.  Someone told me that in sura 2, verse 177, the word "saabireena" should be "saabiroona".  I checked the Arabic and it looks like he is correct.  Can you please tell me which is correct and why?  Thank you.
-----Answer-----
Dear Tawab
Besm Ellah El Rahman El Rahim
I found a good site about the respond to the apparent (non true)language mistakes in Quran. its URL is:
http://ebnmaryam.com/Lang-mistakes.htm
Check the mistake No 16 in this file.
It reads as follows:
The Surah means ( I - Almighty God- Praise the enduring people- I praise the Sabereen so Sabereen is object not subject so it is sabereen not Saberoon.
If your friend knows Arabic he can check the URL shown above.
By the way also the Quran puts the Arabic Grammar rules not vice versa.... I mean technically the Quran rules over Arabic Grammar , and Arabic Grammar does not rule over Quran.
By the way , I am Christian not Moslem , but I love Quran so much and studied it since my childhood.
Salam Alykom wa Rahmato Allah
Samy Wahib Malek

Answer
Authorised translation of the verse is:

[2:177] Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets; and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars, and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat); and they keep their word whenever they make a promise; and they steadfastly persevere in the face of persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful; these are the righteous.

Dear Tawab In Arabic you can understand it as follows:
The Righteous are keeping their words= Are MOOFOONA
they persevere = Its meaning is = How good are these people  I praise them because ...they persevere = SABEREENA
Please remember two points:
In Arabic poetry it is accepted and well known also to HIDE some parts of the sentence ... As you say when you see a pretty girl for example and say OHHHHH the FULL MOON !! or see a courageous Fighter and say .... WAWWW THE LION!!! the rest of the sentence to be understood.
Second: All prophetic books are poetry not science ..... It is not meant here to give A scientific!!! or Legal !!! definition of RIGHTEOUSNESS rather it is a Poetic or SPIRITUAL definition of the Righteousness.
Salamo Alycom wa Rahmatou Allah
Samy