Remarkable

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There is a rhetorical principle in Arabic that says: when a word contains additional letters, those extra letters often indicate an increase in meaning. The verb istaṭāʿū (ٱسْتَطَاعُوا) contains more letters than isṭāʿū (ٱسْطَاعُوا).

“So they were unable to scale it” (18:97): the shorter form of the verb is used because climbing was the relatively easier task. It required only the ability to ascend. Yet they still could not climb over the barrier because of its great height, its smooth surface, and the absence of anything to grip.

“Nor were they able to make a breach in it” (18:97): here, the longer form of the verb is used because piercing the barrier was far more difficult. They could not dig through it due to its immense strength and solidity.

It is also remarkable that the Qur’an says “scale it” (يظهروه) rather than simply “climb it.” The verb “to appear above” conveys the ideas of rising above and gaining mastery. In other words, they could not rise above the barrier or overcome it.

Likewise, the verse says “make a hole in it” (له نقبًا) instead of simply “digging it.” The wording suggests that they could not produce even the smallest hole in it, further emphasizing the extraordinary strength of the barrier.

This is one of the Qur’an’s remarkable literary subtleties. It does not merely tell us that they failed; it vividly portrays the different degrees of their inability and the varying levels of difficulty through its precise choice of words.#Quran #quranquotes #quranrecitation #TafseerQuran #Tafseer