Friday Notes From The Quran The Word Arsh

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Non Muslims can skip this posting. But if you want to understand how idle minds with too much free time (and 15% salary increments for nothing) argue about nothing  then you can read this. It is not too plodding. For Christians there is one Bible reference today.

For this Friday lets look at the word 'ARSH' or 'ARASH' in the Quran.  This word ARSH is the subject of much controversy among the Wahhabis and other psychos who often like to make a fuss over nothing.


By most English translations, this word is generally understood as referring to a THRONE in the English language. 
What I always do is I look up ALL the occurrences of a word and its grammatical forms in the Quran and then see how the same English language translators translate the same word throughout the Quran. The results could be surprising. Often times the same word is translated differently in different verses.
There are 33 occurences of the word ARSH and its derivatives in 33 verses of the Quran. 
Here are  11 of those 33 verses.
Do remember this : Always double check how the translators translate the same word and its derivatives in different verses in the Quran.


27:26  "Allah!- there is no god but He!- Lord of the Throne (ARSH) Supreme!"

85:15 Possessor of the Throne (ARSH) of Glory
2:259  Or the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs (ARSH). He said: "Oh! how shall Allah bring it to life, after its death?

18:42  So his fruits were ruined, and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his property, which had tumbled to pieces to its very foundations (ARSH).. .
22:45  How many populations have We destroyed, which were given to wrong-doing? They tumbled down on their roofs (ARSH). And how many wells are lying idle and neglected, and castles lofty and well-built?
6:141  It is He Who produceth gardens, with trellises (MA'RUSHATIN, ARSH) and without trellises (MA'RUSHATIN, ARSH), and dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar and not similar: eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the wasters.

7:137  And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both east and west, - lands whereon We sent down Our blessings. The fair promise of thy Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy, and We levelled to the ground the great works and fine buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected (YA'SHIRUN, ARSH).

16:68  And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its hive in hills, on trees, and in erected buildings (YA'SHIRUN, ARSH).

12:100  And he (Joseph) raised his parents high on the throne (ARSH), and they fell down in prostration before him. He said: "O my father! this is the fulfilment of my vision of old

27:38  He (Solomon) said : "Ye chiefs! which of you can bring me her throne (ARSH) before they come to me in submission?




11:7  He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days - and His Throne (ARSH) was over the waters - that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct.
"and His Throne (ARSHUHU) was over the waters"
Just as a point of interest only (dont get too excited ok) here is the Bible,  Genesis 1-2 :

New International Version - The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
"and His Throne (ARSHUHU) was over the waters" (Quran)  and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Bible).


 
So in these 11 verses above the word ARSH and its grammatical forms (ARSHUHU, YA'SHIRUN, MA'RUSHATIN etc) are translated as :  throne, roof, foundation, trellises, erected, erected buildings.
So before you get yourself twisted up in all these time wasting arguments about the meaning of this word and that word,

Do remember this : Always double check how the translators translate the same word and its derivatives in different verses in the Quran.

It may save you from wasting your time and maybe even save you from wasting your life.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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