وَأَنَّهُ لَمّا قامَ عَبدُ اللَّهِ يَدعوهُ كادوا يَكونونَ عَلَيهِ لِبَدًا
When the servant of Allah rose to pray to Him, they almost crowded around him.
EXEGESIS
Qāma is a verb that has a wide range of meanings in the Arabic language. It derives from the root qiyām that generally means to stand up or to rise. The different derivatives of the noun qiyām have occurred numerous times in the Quran. Qurashī lists six different meanings in which the noun qiyām has appeared in the Quran. In the verse under discussion, the verb qāma implies to stand up for prayers or to undertake the recitation of the Quran.
ʿAbd allāh: ʿabd is a noun that basically means a slave. It is one of the derivatives of the noun ʿubūdiyyah, which signifies to exhibit humility. A slave is called ʿabd due to his inferiority and compliance to his master. Al-Shartūnī is of the view that the term ʿabd was originally an adjective that implied one who is obedient, and gradually came to be used as a noun.
The term ʿabd has occurred in the Quran in two connotations; firstly as a slave who is owned either by God or another human being as in 2:178, 16:75, and 19:93; and the other as a worshipper and one who is obedient to God as in 17:1 and 17:3, 18:1, and 38:41. It is in this second meaning that the term ʿabd has been used in the verse under discussion. The phrase ʿabd allāh has appeared only two times in the Quran, in 19:30 where it refers to Prophet Jesus (a), and in this verse, referring to the Prophet Muhammad (s), as indicated by verse 20.
Yadʿū-hu is the imperfect tense of the verb daʿā that literally means to call or to summon. In the context of this verse, the verb implies to worship God through the act of praying and reciting the Quran. However, ‘calling upon God’ in the verse could also signify the proclamation of the divine message by the Holy Prophet.
Kādū is the third person plural form of the verb kāda that is used in Arabic to indicate that the verbal action is almost about to take place, irrespective of whether or not it actually took place. With negation, it suggests that the verbal action took place albeit with hesitation, as in 2:71.
Libad is a plural form of the noun lubdah, which denotes to stick and to become matted together. In the verse under discussion which is a conditional sentence, the result clause that contains the word libad would hence mean that the infidels and the Quraysh crowded around the Prophet as he stood to offer prayers and recite the Quran in such a manner that they almost climbed upon one another as a result of the congestion. In other words, the polytheists would circle the Prophet group after group, such that they appeared like layers one on top of the other.
EXPOSITION
The majority of exegetes maintain that this verse is the continuation of God’s words and not part of the narration of what the jinn had said.
Taking into account the context of the verses that follow, this verse is an account of the behaviour and attitude of the polytheists in Mecca towards the Prophet of God when he stood for prayer or recited the Quran in Masjid al-Ḥarām. The acts of devotion performed by the Prophet appeared very strange for them and made them suspicious of him for they had never witnessed the like of this conduct before. Hence, the idol worshippers used to express their surprise at him by gathering around him, raising their voices, and mocking at him, as reported in historical works.
This verse could also be referring to the general reaction of the Quraysh in Mecca, and the wider community of infidels in Arabia and beyond, to the call of Prophet Muhammad (s) in inviting different communities towards Islam. Based on this possibility, the verse would imply that when the Prophet proclaimed the message of truth, the Arabs and the enemies of God gathered against him to extinguish the divine light.
The verb qāma in the fragment the servant of Allah rose, subtly alludes to the fact that servitude to God requires determination and firmness, as this is also one of the lexical connotations of the word qiyām.
The reference to Prophet Muhammad (s) as the servant of Allah suggests that servitude to God is the cornerstone of all human perfections, including the position of prophecy.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Makārim Shīrāzī holds that this verse is an account of the speech of the jinn in which they describe the impact the Quran and the Prophet’s devotion had upon that group of jinn who listened to the Quran and witnessed the Prophet’s prayer at Baṭn Nakhlah.
A group of exegetes are of the view that though this verse is not a narration of the conversation of the jinn, it pictures the state of the jinn who had eagerly gathered around the Prophet of God as he stood for the morning prayer.
[1] Lisan, under q-w-m; Hans Wehr, under qāma.
[2] Qamus, under qiyām.
[3] Mizan, 20/50.
[4] There are several plural forms for the term ʿabd: ʿibād, ʿabīd, aʿbud, and ʿubud (Lisan, under ʿ-b-d).
[5] Hans Wehr, under ʿabada (ʿabd).
[6] Raghib, under ʿ-b-d.
[7] Tabrisi, 1/100.
[8] Aqrab al-Mawārid, cited in Qamus, under ʿibādah (ʿabd).
[9] Qamus, under ʿibādah (ʿabd).
[10] Tibyan, 10/155; Ithna Ashari, 13/350; Ahsan al-Hadith, 11/389; Safi, 5/237; Kashif, 7/441; Mizan, 20/50; Tantawi, 15/142; Tabrisi.J, 4/377; Fadlallah, 23/165; Nemuneh, 25/126; Tabari, 29/75; Qurtubi, 20/23; Sabzawari, 7/251; Alusi, 15/103; Shawkani, 5/371; Zamakhshari, 4/630; Tabrisi, 10/561; Razi, 30/674.
[11] Mizan, 20/50.
[12] For more information on the meaning of this word, see tadʿū under the Exegesis of verse 18.
[13] Hans Wehr, under daʿā.
[14] Thaalabi, 5/498; Qurtubi, 20/23; Shawkani, 5/371; Zamakhshari, 4/630; Tabrisi.J, 4/377; Tantawi, 15/142.
[15] Mizan, 20/50.
[16] Kashif, 7/441.
[17] Lisan, under k-w-d.
[18] Tahqiq, under l-b-d.
[19] Mizan, 20/50.
[20] Tibyan, 10/155; Sabzawari, 7/251; Ahsan al-Hadith, 11/389. See also Zamakhshari, 4/630; Shawkani, 5/371; Alusi, 15/103.
[21] Fadlallah, 23/165.
[22] Tabari, 29/75; Qurtubi, 20/23; Alusi, 15/103; Shawkani, 5/371; Zamakhshari, 4/630; Tabrisi.J, 4/377; Tantawi, 15/142. See also Razi, 30/674. According to Thaalabi (5/498), this verse could be an account of the speech of the jinn.
[23] Mizan, 20/50; Ahsan al-Hadith, 11/389. See also Safi, 5/237.
[24] Mizan, 20/50-51.
[25] Kashif, 7/441; Tabari, 29/75; Ibn Kathir, 8/257.
[26] Qaraati, 10/256.
[27] Qamus, under qiyām.
[28] Qaraati, 10/256.
[29] Nemuneh, 25/121, 127.
[30] Nemuneh, 25/126.
[31] Tantawi, 15/142; Tabrisi.J, 4/377; Qurtubi, 20/23; Sabzawari, 7/251; Alusi, 15/103; Shawkani, 5/371; Zamakhshari, 4/360; Tabrisi, 10/559, 561.