Blessing, Clinging, Familiarity, Custom - or Ship? A New Reading of the Word Īlāf in Q 106
The word in Q 106 (sūrat Quraysh) has been the subject of debate among Qur’ān commentators and scholars since the first centuries of Islam. There is uncertainty about the spelling, reading and meaning of the word. The ‘bewildering variety of meanings’ suggested for it include, among other things, b...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of Semitic studies
Year: 2017, Volume: 62, Issue: 1, Pages: 181-189 |
| RelBib Classification: | BJ Islam |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The word in Q 106 (sūrat Quraysh) has been the subject of debate among Qur’ān commentators and scholars since the first centuries of Islam. There is uncertainty about the spelling, reading and meaning of the word. The ‘bewildering variety of meanings’ suggested for it include, among other things, blessing, clinging, familiarity and custom. After providing a review of the literature I argue that īlāf is related to the Syriac word elaf ‘ship’. Consequently, the theme of the sūra seems to be simply a call to Quraysh to acknowledge God's favours in providing them with food and making safe their sea travel by which they obtain this food. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-8556 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Semitic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jss/fgw068 |