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Knowledge > Qur'ân
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The Meaning of The Pronoun "We" As Used in The Qur'aan
It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to
himself by the pronoun nahnu (we) for respect or glorification. He may
also use the word ana (I), indicating one person, or the third person
huwa (he). All three styles are used in the Qur'an, where Allaah
addresses the Arabs in their own tongue. ( Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah,
4/143).
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"Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes refers to Himself in
the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimes by use of
the plural, as in the phrase (interpretation of the meaning):'Verily,
We have given you a manifest victory" [al-Fath 48:1], and other similar
phrases. But Allaah never refers to Himself by use of the dual, because
the plural refers to the respect that He deserves, and may refer to His
names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to a specific number (and
nothing else), and He is far above that."
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( Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 75).
These words, innaa ("Verily We") and nahnu ("We"), and other forms of
the plural, may be used by one person speaking on behalf of a group, or
they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or glorification,
as is done by some monarchs when they issue statements or decrees in
which they say " We have decided…" etc. [This is known in English as "The
Royal We" – Translator]. In such cases, only one person is speaking but
the plural is used for respect. The One Who is more deserving of respect
than any other is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, so when He
says in the Qur'an innaa ("Verily We") and nahnu ("We"), it is for
respect and glorification, not to indicate plurality of numbers. If an
aayah of this type is causing confusion, it is essential to refer to the
clear, unambiguous aayaat for clarification, and if a Christian, for
example, insists on taking ayaat such as | |
"Verily, We: it is We Who have
sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur'an)"
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[al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation
of the meaning] as proof of divine plurality, we may refute this claim
by quoting such clear and unambiguous aayaat as (interpretation of the
meanings): | |
"And your god is One God, there is none who has the right to
be worshipped but He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful" [al-Baqarah 2:163]
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and | |
"Say: He is Allaah, the One" [al-Ikhlaas 112:1]
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and other aayaat which can only be interpreted in one way. Thus
confusion will be dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth. Every
time Allaah uses the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the
respect and honour that He deserves, and on the great number of His
names and attributes, and on the great number of His troops and angels.
(Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 109).
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The Mother of the Belivers, Sayyida `A'isha said (Allah be pleased with her):
"We [i.e. the wives of the
Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace)] used to remain a whole month
without a cooking-fire being lit. All we would have was dates and
water."
[Musannaf [8.192-194]of Imam Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba]
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