002:012

The Holy Qor-aan                                                                                                                   002:012

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وَاِذَا قِيۡلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُوۡا فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِۙ قَالُوۡاۤ اِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُوۡنَ

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Wa  aiy-zaa  qee-la  la  hoom  laa  too-say-doo  fee  il-ur-dzay                                                          Qaa-loo  in-na-maa  nah-no  moos-lay-hoon

And when it was said to them, “Make no mischief on earth”                                     They said, “Really we are the reformers.”

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• وَ — Wa — And (= Conj.,  This word connects words, phrases or clauses; also; but; additionally; though; when; while; yet; whereupon)
  
• اِذَا — Aiy-zaa –When (= Any time or event; now that; whenever)
• قِيۡلَ — Qee-la — Was said (= v., past., pass., s., 3^rd person. It was conveyed, declared, stated or told)
• لَ  — La — To (= For any item, person or thing)
• هُمۡ — Hoom — Them (= pro., pl, .m., 3rd person. Refers to the aforesaid people)
  
• لَا — Laa — Do not (= Never; no; not at all)
• تُفۡسِدُوۡا — Toof-say-doo — Make mischief (= v., pres., pl., 2^nd person. Cause, commit, create, make or spread corruption, evil, disorder, law-and-order situation or mischief
  
• فِىۡ — Fee … (il) — On (= In the instant case stating ‘On earth’ is more appropriate [See Note at 002:028] to convey in English the intent of original text.  Otherwise literally:- 1. Inside, amidst or contained in a duration, time, place, period, thing or situation. 2. Concerning; relative to; regarding)
  
• الۡاَرۡضِ — Ur-dzay — Earth (= Area; country; earth; ground; land; territory. Life on earth; nation, people or society in general)
  
• قَالُوۡا — Qaa-loo — They said (= v., past., pl., m., 3^rd person. Announced; conveyed; declared; informed; invoked; prayed; professed; replied; responded; specified; stated; told. See below Note 002:012)
• اِنَّمَا — In-na-maa — Most certainly (= Combination of two words. The first word  اِنَّ (inna) means absolutely; definitely; doubtlessly; earnestly; indeed; positively; really; seriously; surely; truly; verily. The second word  مَاۤ  (maa) means all that, what; whatever. whatsoever. Thu s اِنَّمَا  (inna-maa) lays great emphasis on the statement that follows it as absolutely, positively and most certainly accurate’)
• نَحۡنُ — Nah-no — We are (= Pl., Refers to first person)
• مُصۡلِحُوۡنَ — Moos-lay-hoon — Reformers (= n., pl., Do-gooders who do things right. Peacemakers. Those who make improvements in the prevailing conditions)

** Note 002:012: Each Root in Arabic language produces many words. Each derivative is of one of many forms (Baab for single or ab-waab for plural) of verbs, nouns, adjective, adjective or other forms recognized in other languages. Help is in our 6 Commentaries on Arabic Grammar: 1- Alphabets, 2 – Basics, 3 – Pronouns, 4 – Preciseness, 5 – Punctuations and 6 – Material Mistakes.

Commentary Arabic Grammar 4 – Preciseness in Arabic shows that the precision is imbedded in every derivate. Correctly translating any Arabic word requires knowing that.

A derivate verb may in addition to its form be in (a) active voice or passive voice, (b) in 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 from the root ك   ت   ب   following are the 14 words in the active voice and past tense.

   Female Gender                               Male 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  ل  ا  ق  in the active voice and past tense translated.

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 and Zomma above the last letter of words قُلۡتَ , قُلۡتِ and قُلۡتُ precisely show 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 3^rd person said” and that precisely differs from the word قُلۡتُنَّ which means “All females in 2^nd person said.”
4. The last letter ا distinguishes قَالَا from قَا لَ and قُلۡنَاۤ from قُلۡنَ and their meanings.