reynolds-the-quran-in-its-historical-context-2

290 Christoph Lu.x:enbergthe verb twab >tab ("to return," and figuratively, "to repent," whence thetab). Yet as t.9mm /th.9mm does not occur as an adverb in contemporarydialects, the defective Qur'anic orthography, even while it privileges thisciation, could also correspond to a vocalization identical to the MandaeanIonian) tiim, from which it is most likely derived. 22 The pronunciationwith the doubling of them and a final a is improbable, as the Qur'anmarks amma, for example, or lamma with a final alif.The verb dana has the same meaning in Arabic and Syro-Aramaicnamely "to approach," and in Arabic, furthermore "to come down, ut::s,;t:nu.reflexive tadalla (Syro-Aramaic etdallf) likewise has a shared etymology,this context it has the Arabic meaning of "to hang = to persist, tosuspense," which the Syriac verb does not share.The Qur' anic editor, who seems indeed to have been familiar with theNew Testament, makes here a clear reference to Isaiah 11:2 and 42:1, asto Matthew 3:16 and John 1:32-33. These Biblical passages help provide andation of this succinct Qur'anic text that alludes to the Spirit of Goddescends and remains suspended above His messenger.Blachere was right to contradict Tab an by translating logically, 23 and inthe Biblical references: "Puis ii s 'approcha et demeura suspendu." As for thewho approached in this way, Tabari reports two opinions: the first, supportedthree chains of transmission (based on the authority of al-I:Iasan, Qatada,al-Rabi'), is that the referent is (the angel) Gabriel; the other, with reference to'Abbas and Anas Ibn Malik, is that the reference is to the Lord in person.9. fa-kiina qiiba qawsayn aw adniiAs regards the verb kiina ("he was"), Tabari believes that the implied(the angel) Gabriel. As for the locution qiiba qawsayn, he explains: "Gabrielat the distance of two arcs ('ala qadri qawsayn), or less, that is to say,him." 24 In order to explain this locution, which he understands as anto him: qaba qawsayn and qfba qawsayn and qfda qawsayn and qadaAll of these have the meaning of 'at a distance of two arcs.' "Others interpretfa-kiina qaba qawsayn with the meaning of, "He was thedistance from him as the cord is from the arc." Tabari presents five chainsmission, some of which understand this locution similarly. Othersqaba qawsayn with the meaning of "by one or two cubits," and still othersqab means a measure, according to one opinion half of a finger's length. 25A new Syro-Aramaic reading of Verses 1-18 291locution qiiba qawsayn, evidently taken as ancient, or so-called Classicalis recorded in Arabic dictionaries according to this imagined meaning. 26 Qiib.·S:UTJPO:sed to mean "a short dista.rice" and 'alii qabi qawsayn is taken as a locution"extremely close," "at the distance of two finger lengths." Still all of theseat interpretation, each less probable than the last, clearly demonstrate thatand the cited commentators, convinced that they were working with clearnever suspected that the locution is Syro-Aramaic, as we will here explain.context of this verse the subject of kiina is not Gabriel, regarding whomcites a l:zadith according to which the Prophet saw him with his six hundredNeither is the subject the same as that of the previous phrase, namelyof God." It is rather the Messenger himself. The logic of the context willdemonstrate that the subject changed here without any explicit transichangethat is con:fusing to a typical reader but is a common feature ofstyle. Finally the word kana here does not have the simple Arabic meaningwas" but rather, under the influence of Syriac, "he remained."is not an Arabic word, and it is neither an adverb of place nor of measure,a false reading of a Syro-Aramaic active participle. Instead of qab,should be read, which is a Syro-Aramaic verb meaning "to freeze, to remain· :to remain immobile.'m However, the Qur'anic grapheme qiit correspondsthe Syriac present participle, and thus one should read qaeth (cf. qaem =qayim/qa'im), which means "immobilized, immobile, still.;' Preceded byverb kana the phrase signifies "He became" or "he remained still."traditional reading qawsayn is erroneous and has nothing to do with one or" This word not being Arabic, one of the two diacritical points of the qbe removed to form a Syriacf(or p) and three diacritical points should beto the sfn to form a shin, which leads to the Syriac reading, with a dualsuffix, pawshayn/fawshayn, which means, according to Manna under"a stop, pause, interruption." 28 The word therefore means "two pauses=·· · instants." Thus instead of the traditional Arabic reading, fa-kiina qabaaw adna, "he was two arcs or less," we should read fa-kana qaetilii 'abdilzi(i) ttiii awl}iiverse is clear in itself and its meaning conforms with the translation of"II revela alors a son Serviteur ce qu'il revela." ("He then revealed toT!c ··--·--·what He revealed").22 Cf. Theodor Noldeke, Mandiiische Grammatik, Halle: Buclihandlung des Waisenhauses,204,14.23 Tabari is followed by Bell and Paret, who translate: "Then he drew near and .!E!..!!!!J!.lli!1J!!...!!\l.ll::lli"Hieraufnaherte er sich und kam (immer weiter) nach unten lfa-tadallif)." ·24 Tabari, 27:54.25 Ibid..E.g. H. Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Wrillen Arabic, ed. J. Milton Cowan,Ath edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1979, 930a.Manna, 712b. Brockelmann, Lexicon syriacum (704a): (Ar. waqt tempus definitum): haesit ("to. remain still, to freeze"); Thesaunts (2:3774): qat immotus mansit ("to remain immobile"); qal: piish. zaw' akh . .. aynii d-melli;ed b-giihrittii (gal: ''to remairi inui:Jobile, as one who is stupefied."):58 Ia.