002:003

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                      002:003

ذٰ لِكَ الۡڪِتٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَۛۚۖ فِيۡهِۛۚ هُدًى لِّلۡمُتَّقِيۡنَۙؕ‏

Zaa-lay-ka  ul-kay-taa-bo  laa  rai-ba  fee  hay   ho-daun  lay  il  moot-ta-qee-n

This is the Book … No doubt … in it … Guidance for the Righteous

• ذٰلِكَ — Zaa-lay-ka … (ul) — This (= Here; refers to an aforesaid fact, person or statement; it was because; right here; such is this; that is how it is)
• الۡڪِتٰبُ — Kay-taa-bo — The Book (= n., s., 1. The Decreed part of a religion. The Divine  Directive of Commandments, Prohibitions, Rules and Regulations. The Holy Scriptures. The Perfect Bok. The Testament that holds good and is operative eternally.  The Spiritual Code codifying the rules of universal application.  2. The Collection of mandated, ordered,  prescribed, preserved, recorded or written do’s and don’ts.  3. Authentic penned down material in black and white)
  

Text in the next four (4) words is also in many verses including 004:088 and 006:013

•  لَا– Laa — No (= Naught; neither; never; none; nor; not at all; absolute denial and total negation)
• رَيۡبَۛ — Rai-ba — Doubt (= n., Absence of faith. Dubious. Dubitable. Element of dispute. Grey area. Inadequacy. Incomplete. Open to suspicion. Something lacking or missing. Uncertainty. Unclear)
• فِىۡ  — Fee — In (= Contained in or amidst a duration, event, time, place, period, thing or situation; inside. Also, concerning; for the sake of;’ in reference to; pursuant to; regarding; relative to. See Note 002:028)
  
• هِۛ — Hay — It (= pro., s., m., 3rd person. Ref is to the Book, the Direction)
  
• هُدًى– Ho-daun … (lay) — Guidance (= n., The action, direction, instruction, means, measure,  method, pointer or set up showing the best beacon, correct course, enlightened entry, linear lines, proper path, right road, wise ways or the knowledge about what is the best. The criteria judging things appropriately.  The way of life that the Creator chose for all He created. See Commentary Islam – 101)
• لِّ — Lay … (il) — F or  (= For benefiting those who are, intend, pursue or try to be)
• لۡمُتَّقِيۡنَۙؕ — Il-moot-ta-qee-n — The righteous (= n., pl., Those who avoid angering Allah, become God-fearing, pious and righteous, clean their inner self, do duty to God, guard against and ward off evil’. See Commentary The Righteous for more meanings) 

** Note 002:003a. Arabic language mushrooms from its words which are Roots. Each Root produces many words which are derivatives. Each derivative can be in any one of the forms like verbs, nouns (Baab for single or ab-waab for plural), adjectives, adverbs or others recognized in other languages.

Correctly translating any Arabic word requires knowing all those basics. Failure to know the basics invariably result in mistranslation.

Some help is available in our Commentaries on Arabic Grammar: 1 – Alphabets, 2 – Basics, 3 – Pronouns, 4 – Preciseness, 5 – Punctuations and 6 – Material Mistakes. Commentary Arabic Grammar4 – Preciseness in Arabic show that precision is imbedded in every derivate.

A derivate verb may in addition to its form be (a) in the active voice or passive voice, (b) in the past tense, present tense or future tense, (c) of masculine gender or feminine gender and (d) for 3^rd, or 2^nd or 1^st person.

For example verbs in active voice and past tense from root ك   ت   ب   are the following 14.                                                      Male Gender                        Female Gender       

Plural / Singular          1           2              3+                      1            2            3+

3^rd person                     ڪَتَبنۡ       ڪَتَبتاَٰ         کَتَبَتۡ                 ڪَتَبوۡا        ڪَتَباۡ      ڪَتَبَ

2^nd person                  ڪَتَبنۡ       ڪَتَبتمَا      ڪَتَبتِ                ڪَتَبُنۡتُم      ڪَتَبتمَا      ڪَتَبتَ

1st person                   ڪَتَبنَآۡ                     ڪَتَبتُ

Another example of Verbs from  root  ق  ا  ل   in the active voice and past tense translated.                                                              Male Gender                        Female Gender                             Plural / Singular                  1                2              3+                   1                 2                3+                                 3^rd person             قُلۡنَ              قَا لَتا            قَا لَتۡ                  قَالُوۡاۤ           قَالَا              قَا لَ                                                               One        The 2         All                  One           The 2             All                                                            Male       Males       Males           Female     Females      Females                                                        Said          Said          Said               Said          Said              Said

2^nd person.                           قُلۡتُنَّ              قُلۡتُما                  قُلۡتِ                قُلۡتُمۡ              قُلۡتُما             قُلۡتَ                                                            You           You           You               You                You            You                                                         One           Two           All                 One               Two            All                                                            Male        Males       Males          Female       Females    Females                                                        Said          Said         Said                Said              Said          said

1^st person.                             قُلۡنَاۤ                              قُلۡتُ                 For Both                                                                                               I                              We               Males and                                                                                           Said                           Said               Females

Important things required to correctly translate any of the above words are as follows.

1. The Fatha on top, Kasra under or Zomma above the last letter of words قُلۡتَ , قُلۡتِ and قُلۡتُ precisely shows their different meanings.
2. The text precisely shows how the same word قُلۡتُما means “You Two males” or “You two females.”
3. The word قُلۡنَ means “All females in the 3^rd person said” and that precisely differs from the word قُلۡتُنَّ which means “All females in the 2^nd person said.”
4. The last letter ا distinguishes  قَالَا  from  قَا لَ  and  قُلۡنَاۤ  from  قُلۡنَ and what precisely each word means.

** Note 002:003b. Our Commentary Punctuations and Vowels shows how disregarding a punctuation alters the essence, message and result of a written communication.   To understand a message it is essential to abide by a punctuation indicating where to pause.   The two clauses ‘No doubt’ and ‘In it’ in this verse have punctuations for specific purposes.   It is imperative to know the effect of such punctuations for anyone who translates a scripture.   All translators, interpreters or extrapolators must follow them to translate the verse correctly.   Connecting such punctuations with antecedent clause or precedent clause changes meanings.   How big can the difference be is best illustrated by taking the same words in two sentences.   Relocating the coma in Stop, not let go and Stop not, let go produces the opposite meanings.   Moving the coma ahead one word and reading it by pausing there makes a huge difference.   It would be okay if it stays at a scholarly difference but that is not shown in Moslem history.   Conflicts don’t arise if the Holy Qor-aan is read correctly by following the punctuations.  See The Holy Qor-aan and Different Translations.

** Note:002:003c. The word  لِ  (lay) has many meanings including For; for the benefit, object, person, purpose or reason of; intended for; meant for; concerning; regarding; and relative to. Also, because; on account of; so that.