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to it. Therefore it is an obligation to believe in it as being the from Quran and likewise to act upon it. [Refer to
Baydawi, Abu Hayyan, Ibn Atiyah, Ibn Ashur, al-Alusi and others]
The Usage of the Singular Form of Rasul
As for the usage of the singular from of rasul in the ayat as opposed to the dual form. This is acceptable in the Arabic
language and the scholars of tafsir mention linguistic proofs for this type of usage in the works of the tafsir. Upon
explaining the soundness of the usage of the singular, as in this case, they mention that the word rasul in its
linguistic usage is a verbal noun (masdar) which has a shared meaning indicating both the meaning risalah (a
message/mission) as well as mursal (messenger/something sent).
This being the case (as they demonstrate with various others words in Arabic) then its usage in the singular, dual or
plural forms is acceptable. [Refer to Baydawi, Abu Hayyan, Ibn Atiyah, Ibn Ashur and others]
Quranic Eloquence
So the question arises, why is the singular form used and not the dual form? What is the significance of usage of the
singular form in this ayat?
Consider the context in which this verse comes as Allah (swt) mentions in the preceding verses:
He (Ms) said, My Lord, I fear that they will reject me. My heart gets straitened, and my tongue is not fluent; so
send for Hrn. Moreover, they have (leveled) a charge of offense against me, and I fear they will kill me;He (Allah)
said, Never! (They will not be able to kill you.) So go, both of you, with Our signs. We are with you, listening (to the
conversation you will have with him. [26:12-15]
We see that Prophet Musa (as) was reticent in going to Pharaoh and asked Allah (swt) to send Harun (as) with him.
So it was a time of worry, concern, and anxiety as the weight of delivering the message was heavy for Musa. So the
eloquence of the Quran displays to us that in that state of trial and test Allah (swt) guaranteed to Musa (as) that He
was close to make firm the heart of Musa (as) and give him reassurance.
Allah (swt) then commands him in this ayat (26:16) So go, both of you, to Pharaoh and say, Indeed We are a
messenger of the Lord of all the worlds. The usage of rasul in the singular indicates strength in this context more
so than the dual. Allah (swt) also honors Musa and Harun (as) in using the genitive construction (mudaf wa mudaf
ilayhi).
Imam al-Baydawi as well as other scholars of tafsir mention a number of benefits of this usage:
1. The singular usage emphasizes the strength of the brotherhood bond of Musa and Harun (as).
2. It signifies the unity and strength between the messenger and the message (ie risalah and mursal)
3. It emphasizes that both Musa and Harun are messengers sent to Pharaoh. Both having God-given authority.
4. The erudite scholar Ibn Ashur mentions, [singularizing rasul] points to both Musa and Harun being commanded
with delivering the message even if individually [Tahrir wa Tanweer]. Here the focus being the certainty of the
message reaching.
5. The great scholar of tafsir al-Baqa`i says, [The usage of the singular] points to their unity and oneness in
opposition and agreement as if they were one person [nafsa wahida].
A General Principle
The late scholar Ibn Ashur (ra) mentions a general principle of Quranic exegesis that is worthy of pointing out here.
Namely, The multitude of meanings that are implied in sentences of the Quran are sought after. The Quran,
because of its unique nature, is constantly giving birth to new meanings.
If these meanings fall within the acceptable methods of Quranic exegesis then the multitude of meanings are sought
after. Since, in this case, the various meanings of rasul mentioned by the scholars of tafsir do not conflict and fall
within the realm of the acceptable methods of Quranic exegesis then all of these meaning are intended and sought
after. Each of these meanings provides us different perspective by which to reflect and ponder the words of the
Quran.
Conclusion
1. Grammatical mistakes do not occur in the Quran.
2. The usage of rasul in the singular form in describing a dual in this context is permissible according to the scholars
of Arabic language and scholars of tafsir.
3. The eloquence of the Quran in using rasul in the singular form is appropriate for the context and gives birth to
various meanings as mentioned above.
and Allah (swt) knows best
Tariq Abdul-Rasheed
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Ali Hani
FILED UNDER: GENERAL COUNSELTAGGED WITH: ELOQUENCE OF THE QUR'AN, GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THE QUR'ANJoin
us online for a special Ramadan program live from SeekersHub Toronto with guest scholar Shaykh Ahmed Saad AlAzhari.
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