A Study on the Exegesis of the Verse: "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful." [ al-Tawbah/ 128]

 

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the one sent as a mercy to all creation, and upon his pure and righteous family and companions. 

This noble verse highlights for us Allah's great favor upon this nation (ummah), in that He sent to them a Messenger from among their own kind — one whose lineage they knew, whose standing among them they recognized, and whose honor and virtue over them was established. He was the noblest of the Arabs in lineage, the most excellent of creation in rank and worth, and the best of all the worlds in status and generosity. Allah singled him out with magnificent qualities and supported him with noble miracles, all pointing to his elevated status and lofty rank. This verse was revealed to demonstrate Allah's favor and grace upon the Arabs, in that He sent to them the Seal of His Prophets, the most excellent of His chosen ones, and the one most eager for the guidance of His creation. It was therefore incumbent upon them to believe in him, and all the more fitting that they follow his path — for he (peace and blessings be upon him) strove to bring them good and benefit, and to remove from them every hardship and difficulty. Allah combined in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) these praiseworthy traits and unique qualities that distinguished him from all other prophets and set him apart from all the worlds, so that in his conduct and inner disposition he was, as Allah described him, "kind and merciful to the believers."

Context of Revelation: "When the sūrah opened by declaring Allah's and His Messenger's disassociation from the polytheists, and gradually recounted the conditions of the hypocrites, Allah addressed the Arabs by enumerating His blessings and favors upon them — that a Messenger had come to them of their own kind, or of their own lineage, an Arab from Quraysh, conveying to them the message from Allah, characterized by beautiful attributes: that their suffering and ultimate ruin through falling into punishment weighs heavily upon him, that he is eager for their guidance, and that he is gentle and merciful toward them."([1]) This verse thus served as a motivation to believe in him and affirm his message, rather than to disbelieve, act hypocritically, or deny him.

General Exegesis

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted, described the Beloved, the Chosen One, the Prophet elect (peace and blessings be upon him) in this verse with six qualities, arranged in an order built upon coherence and correspondence as required by the Qur'anic context, mentioning each in its proper sequence.

The first and greatest of these qualities: that he is a Messenger (Rasūl). Since this quality is the noblest of attributes and the most excellent of distinctions, it was mentioned first. Abū Ḥayyān says: "Messengership (al-risālah) is the attribute of human perfection, encompassing as it does the perfection of the Messenger's essence, the purity of his wholesome soul, and his being among the elect — such that he was made fit to be an intermediary between Allah and His creation."([2])

The second quality: that he is "from among yourselves" — thereby identifying him by his lineage, his virtue, and his standing among them, for no lineage among the Arabs surpassed his. This entails praise of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) lineage, and that he was among the chiefs and nobles of the Arabs. "This is a quality that has a powerful effect on conveying the message, understanding it, and finding familiarity with him. If the address is to the Arabs, then this quality draws attention to their honor and spurs them to follow him; and if the address is to all of Adam's children, then it points to their being singled out for honor, and to the gentleness in the way the news reached them — that he was known among them for truthfulness, trustworthiness, chastity, and integrity."([3]) The attribute of noble lineage is a necessary characteristic among the prophets.

The third quality: that it grieves him (peace and blessings be upon him) when his people are obstinate toward him and his call. Having established that he is one of their own, from their own kind, the Qur'anic text goes on to explain what follows from this — his desire to bring them guidance, his fear for them, and his gentleness toward them — in His statement: "Grievous to him is what you suffer" ('azīzun 'alayhi mā 'anittum), meaning that whatever hardship or rejection of his call causes you distress weighs heavily upon him. Al-Rāzī says: "'Izzah (here) means overpowering force and intensity; the meaning is: it is intensely difficult for him that any of the afflictions of this world or the next should reach you."([4]) This description follows naturally from his being a Messenger, for it is human nature to desire good for one's own people and to dislike harm befalling them, as Abū Ḥayyān states: "For one who is from among you, and guides you to good, finds it difficult to bring you anything that would harm you."([5]) This quality thus carries added motivation and incentive to follow him (peace and blessings be upon him), given his deep desire for their guidance, his eagerness to bring them good, and his aversion to anything that would cause them to reject and resist his call and message.

The fourth quality: his eagerness for their guidance (ḥarīṣun 'alaykum). "Al-ḥarīṣ means one who is intensely eager — the meaning being: he is intensely concerned that you not enter the Fire. It is also said: eager for you to enter Paradise. What is meant is that he is eager to bring you good in this world and the next."([6]) He (peace and blessings be upon him) was intensely eager for their guidance, longing for their faith and the rectitude of their affairs. Allah the Exalted describes the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) state, saying {what means}: "Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief over their footsteps, [i.e., their departure] if they do not believe in this message" [al-Kahf/ 6], and elsewhere: "So do not let yourself perish over them in regret. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what they do" [Fāṭir: 8] — such was the intensity of his eagerness for their guidance.

As for his eagerness on their behalf in the Hereafter, regarding their entry into Paradise and salvation from the Fire, it is recorded in the authentic hadith found in al-Bukhārī, narrated by Anas ibn Mālik in the ḥadīth of intercession: "O Muhammad, raise your head; speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted." So I will say: "O Lord, my ummah, my ummah!" And He will say: "Go and bring out from it whoever has in his heart faith equal to the weight of a grain of barley." So I will go and do so, then return and praise Him with those praises, then fall down before Him in prostration. Then it will be said: "O Muhammad, raise your head; speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted." So I will say: "O Lord, my ummah, my ummah!" And He will say: "Go and bring out from it whoever has in his heart faith equal to the weight of a speck of dust — or a mustard seed." So I will go and do so, then return and praise Him with those praises, then fall down before Him in prostration. Then He will say: "O Muhammad, raise your head; speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted." So I will say: "O Lord, my ummah, my ummah!" And He will say: "Go and bring out whoever has in his heart even the very least, least, least particle of faith, [equal to] a mustard seed."([7]) This is but a small portion of his eagerness (peace and blessings be upon him) on their behalf on the Day of Judgment.

The fifth quality: gentleness (al-ra'fah). Al-Ghazālī says: "Al-Ra'ūf is one possessed of ra'fah, and ra'fah is intense mercy — so it carries the same meaning as al-Raḥīm (the Merciful) but with added intensity."([8]) Having established his desire to call them to Islam and his eagerness for their guidance, the verse then affirms "that he is gentle and merciful to the believers."([9]) It follows necessarily from the nature of Messengership that its bearer possess a gentle heart — showing tenderness to the weak and compassion to the simple-hearted, even though they had rejected the message without understanding its meaning, and fought against the call without listening to it. Despite all this, he remained gentle toward their condition, their ignorance, and their obstinacy toward his call.

The sixth quality: mercy toward the believers. Having mentioned his eagerness for them and his gentleness toward them, the verse then mentions his mercy toward them — a quality that comprehensively gathers together every good trait, and is the very emblem and mantle of his message, as Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds" [al-Anbiyā'/ 107].

These qualities came to encourage the Arabs toward the necessity of following him and the imperative of supporting him — for his honor (peace and blessings be upon him) was their honor, his standing was their standing, and his might was their might; his call and his message were their pride. Al-Ṭanṭāwī says: "The purpose of this noble statement is to encourage the Arabs to believe in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to obey him, and to support him — for their honor was completed by his honor, their might by his might, and their pride by his pride. They themselves had, moreover, testified in his youth to his truthfulness, trustworthiness, chastity, purity of lineage, and noble character."([10]) It was thus most fitting for them to submit to his command and hold fast to his guidance, since he was one of them, from their own kind.

Rhetorical Dimensions

This noble verse opens with two particles of emphasis — the lām and qad — even though the verse does not, in its content, address any denial, nor does its meaning entail such a connotation. Rather, this emphasis is employed to draw attention to the importance of this statement and the significance of the purpose for which it was revealed, treating what was not actually denied as though it were being denied. Ibn 'Āshūr says: "This emphasis places those being addressed in the position of deniers of his coming, insofar as they failed to benefit themselves from this coming."([11]) That is, they did not actually deny these noble traits or reject them outright, but their failure to submit to the call and to benefit from it lowered them to the rank of those who deny and reject these very attributes.

This address also carries an intimation of the approaching departure [of the Prophet], as Ibn 'Āshūr states: "Since the news of his coming is repeated here, though it had already taken place many years earlier, this serves as a metonymy (kināyah) for the nearing of its conclusion — a documentation directed at the believers, and a warning to the hypocrites and remaining polytheists."([12]) This emphasis thus carried both an encouragement to the Arabs who had not yet believed to hasten toward faith, so that they might be counted among those upon whom Allah bestowed the favor of following His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and a warning to the hypocrites who outwardly displayed the opposite of what they concealed within, that the departure was near, the appointed time drawing close, and the opportunity soon to be lost.

The word "coming" (al-majī'): this term carries both a literal and a figurative sense. Taken literally, as in our saying "the traveler has come" — meaning he arrived from a distant place, not having been present among the people before. Taken figuratively, as Ibn 'Āshūr explains: "Coming is used here metaphorically in reference to addressing [people] with the call to the religion. His turning toward them with an address they had not anticipated is likened to the arrival of a visitor coming to people from another place."([13]) His call and address to them is thus likened to a person or a delegation arriving from afar, whose coming was unexpected — a rhetorical touch that illustrates the depth of misguidance, ignorance, and distance from the sound path and true religion in which they had been immersed before his mission (peace and blessings be upon him) to them.

"From among yourselves" (min anfusikum): the preposition min here serves to clarify — meaning: from among you, not from others. This carries four possible interpretations:

The first: meaning "of the human race, not of the angels, for like inclines toward like, and finds familiarity and comfort with it."([14]) On this reading, the address is directed to all of humanity.

The second: meaning "of your own clan, whom you know for truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity." Mentioning this quality draws attention to his purity, "as if it were said: he is of your own clan, whom you know for truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity, and whom you know to be eager to ward off harm from you and bring you good."([15]) He is thus counted among those of noble lineage, honor, and virtue, and on this reading the address is directed to Quraysh specifically.

Supporting this view is the addition of the possessive pronoun of address in His statement "anfusikum" (yourselves); Ibn 'Āshūr says: "The word nafs (self) is annexed to the pronoun, indicating the tribe to which the pronoun refers — that is, he is counted among those of their lineage."([16]). The address thus indicates that he is one of them, known to them, knowing them, and that they are aware of his lineage among them and his standing there.

Muslim and others narrated on the authority of Wāthilah ibn al-Asqa' that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted chose Ismā'īl from among the descendants of Ibrāhīm, and chose Banū Kinānah from among the descendants of Ismā'īl, and chose Quraysh from among Banū Kinānah, and chose Banū Hāshim from among Quraysh, and chose me from among Banū Hāshim."([17])

The third: meaning "of the believers, untouched by any trace of associating partners with Allah."([18]). On this reading, the address is to the believers specifically, not to others.

The fourth: meaning "of all the Arabs," since there was no Arab tribe that had not, through some line of grandmothers, given rise to him — this being the lineage traced through female ancestry. Ibn 'Abbās said: "There is no Arab tribe but that it gave birth to the Prophet (peace be upon him) through the line of grandmothers — whether of Muḍar, Rabī'ah, or Yemen. The Muḍarīs and Rabī'īs are the 'Adnānīs, and the Yemenis are the Qaḥṭānīs. What is intended by this is to encourage the Arabs to support him and to devote themselves to his service."([19]) On this reading, the address is to the Arabs generally, as indicated elsewhere in the verse: "It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves" [al-Jumu'ah/2] — encouraging them to follow his call and hold fast to his law.

Regarding "mā 'anittum": the particle mā here functions as a verbal noun (maṣdariyyah), and being paired with the past-tense verb, it indicates that the killing and captivity that occurred at the beginning of the call and after the Hijrah — at Badr and other battles — was not something he approved of or sought, but rather that it was your own obstinacy that brought it about. Ibn 'Āshūr says: "Had a plain verbal noun been used, it would not have pointed to any specific hardship or to any hardship that had actually occurred, since the verbal noun carries no temporal reference and could imply merely that it would grieve him were he to spare them from it. But the coming of the verbal noun as derived from the past-tense verb restricts its meaning to something that had already occurred in the past."([20]) This obstinacy, this stubbornness, this rejection and denial, is not something the Messenger of mercy and guidance would ever have wished for, nor something that ought to have come from his own relatives, family, and clan (peace and blessings be upon him).

"Ḥarīṣun 'alaykum" (concerned over you): Ibn 'Āshūr says: "Al-ḥirṣ (eagerness/concern) is an intense desire for and craving toward something. Since it is here transitively connected to the pronoun of address, which denotes persons — and persons themselves are not the object of ḥirṣ in this context — an implied noun must be understood, drawn from the context of legislation; thus it is understood as: eager for your faith, or your guidance."([21]) His concern (peace and blessings be upon him) was thus a spiritual concern, not a material one, unlike the concern of worldly people.

Al-ḥarīṣ, or the covetous person, is one who spends his life and squanders his time amassing wealth without benefiting from it or parting with any of it, out of intense love for it and desire to preserve it. His concern (peace and blessings be upon him) for this ummah is likened to that person who spent his life and consumed his time being possessive over what was in his hand — except that the Prophet spent his time and his life calling to Allah the Exalted and offering sincere counsel to this ummah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was thus even more concerned than that person — concerned with guiding this ummah, bringing them good in this world and the next, and warding off every harm from them. His aim, his goal, and his striving in this world and the next was to bring good to his ummah and to repel every evil from them; he was (peace and blessings be upon him) intensely eager for their guidance, desiring their faith and the soundness of their affairs.

The preposition "'alaykum" (over you) is used to indicate specificity — that is, eager for your guidance, O assembly of Arabs — even though his message was universal, for his concern for your guidance was even greater than his concern for the guidance of others, since among you were his family, his clan, and his kinsfolk.

Since his message (peace and blessings be upon him) was universal, these two particular qualities — "gentle" (ra'ūf) and "merciful" (raḥīm) — are specifically introduced by the prepositional phrase which conveys restriction. Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "to the believers is gentle and merciful" — meaning that his gentleness and mercy are for the believers alone; as for the disbelievers, he holds no such gentleness or mercy toward them. "This serves as a complement to the degree of severity found elsewhere in this sūrah, as if to say: even though I have been severe in this sūrah, that severity is directed at the disbelievers and hypocrites, whereas My mercy and gentleness are reserved for the believers alone. It is for this subtle reason that the expression shifts to this particular construction."([22])

The attribute of gentleness (ra'fah) is mentioned before mercy (raḥmah), even though their meanings are closely related, albeit with a difference between them — the more emphatic of the two being placed first, in accordance with the principles of eloquence. Al-Bayḍāwī says: "The more emphatic of the two is placed first — namely al-Ra'ūf — since ra'fah is intense mercy."([23]). Thus, the more emphatic description is placed before the lesser one.

Al-Ālūsī, however, held that ra'fah means compassion (al-shafaqah), while raḥmah means beneficence (al-iḥsān). Based on this, ra'fah is placed first because its effect is to ward off harm, while raḥmah is placed second because its effect is to bring about benefit — and warding off harm takes precedence over bringing benefit. This is why it is likewise placed first in His statement {which means}: "compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated" [al-Ḥadīd/ 27], as al-Ālūsī (may Allah have mercy on him) states.([24]) Accordingly, his description (peace and blessings be upon him) entails warding off harm from his ummah and bringing them benefit — ra'fah and raḥmah converge in their general meaning while differing in their particulars: there are matters that ward off harm, and matters that bring benefit. His description as ra'ūf is thus grounded in warding off what harms through trial, and his description as raḥīm is grounded in bringing what benefits through blessing. This is the basis for the ordering between these two attributes: ra'fah is the removal of what harms through trial and hardship, while raḥīm is the one who brings what benefits through blessing and elevation.

Abū Ḥayyān held yet another interpretation — that the pairing of these two attributes conveys a distribution of meaning, each attribute applying to a different group of people rather than the same group. He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "Gentle to the obedient, merciful to the sinners. It is also said: gentle to those who saw him, merciful to those who did not see him. It is also said: gentle to his relatives, merciful to others."([25]). All of these meanings may be understood together, without contradiction or opposition between them.

Conclusion

Allah the Exalted bestowed upon His Prophet distinguishing traits, adorned him with noble qualities, and disciplined him most excellently, such that his character was the Qur'an itself, and his path was the message for which he strove and which he defended. This noble verse, through these magnificent attributes, has outlined for us his methodology in calling to Allah — particularly significant given that Sūrah al-Tawbah is among the last revelations sent down to the Beloved, the Chosen One, the Prophet elect (peace and blessings be upon him), after the Battle of Tabūk. He is, first, a Messenger; second, from among their own kind; third, one to whom their obstinacy and denial was grievous; fourth, intensely eager for their guidance; and, gentle and merciful to the believers. These praiseworthy traits and magnificent qualities were sufficient to draw any person of sound nature to follow this Arab Prophet, who was formed with this character and distinguished by these traits according to principles that came to him from a divine source. The foundation of this character, as the noble verse indicates, is built upon the message itself, its pillar is guidance, its emblem is concern for the people, and its purpose is mercy toward them.

And our final call is: all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

 

Endnotes

(1) Abū Ḥayyān Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf ibn 'Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Ḥayyān, Athīr al-Dīn al-Andalusī (d. 745 AH), al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ fī al-Tafsīr, ed. Ṣidqī Muḥammad Jamīl, Dār al-Fikr, Beirut, 1420 AH, vol. 5, p. 532.

(2) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 532.

(3) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 532.

(4) Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Umar ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Taymī al-Rāzī, known as Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Khaṭīb al-Rayy (d. 606 AH), Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, Beirut, 3rd ed., 1420 AH, vol. 16, p. 178.

(5) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 532.

(6) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 532.

(7) al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad ibn Ismā'īl Abū 'Abdillāh al-Bukhārī al-Ju'fī, al-Jāmi' al-Musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Mukhtaṣar min Umūr Rasūl Allāh ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa sallam wa Sunanihi wa Ayyāmihi [Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī], Dār Ṭawq al-Najāh, 1st ed., 1422 AH, Chapter on the Speech of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, on the Day of Resurrection, Ḥadīth No. 7510, vol. 9, p. 146.

(8) al-Ghazālī, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī al-Ṭūsī (d. 505 AH), al-Maqṣad al-Asnā fī Sharḥ Ma'ānī Asmā' Allāh al-Ḥusnā, ed. Bassām 'Abd al-Wahhāb al-Jābī, al-Jaffān wa al-Jābī, Cyprus, 1st ed., 1407–1987, p. 140.

(9) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 532.

(10) Muḥammad Sayyid Ṭanṭāwī, al-Tafsīr al-Wasīṭ li al-Qur'ān al-Karīm, Dār Nahḍah, Cairo, 1st ed., vol. 6, p. 432.

(11) Ibn 'Āshūr, Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir al-Tūnisī (d. 1393 AH), al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr ["The Verification of Sound Meaning and the Illumination of the New Mind, from the Exegesis of the Glorious Book"], al-Dār al-Tūnisiyyah li al-Nashr, Tunis, 1984, vol. 11, p. 71.

(12) Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 11, p. 71.

(13) Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 11, p. 71.

(14) al-Naysābūrī, Niẓām al-Dīn al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al-Qummī (d. 850 AH), Gharā'ib al-Qur'ān wa Raghā'ib al-Furqān, ed. Shaykh Zakariyyā 'Umayrāt, Dār al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1st ed., 1416 AH, vol. 3, p. 550.

(15) al-Naysābūrī, Gharā'ib al-Qur'ān, vol. 3, p. 550.

(16) Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 11, p. 71.

(17) Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj Abū al-Ḥasan al-Qushayrī (d. 261 AH), al-Musnad al-Ṣaḥīḥ al-Mukhtaṣar bi-Naql al-'Adl 'an al-'Adl ilā Rasūl Allāh ṣallā Allāh 'alayhi wa sallam [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim], ed. Muḥammad Fu'ād 'Abd al-Bāqī, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, Beirut, Chapter on the Virtue of the Prophet's Lineage, Ḥadīth No. 2276, vol. 4, p. 1782.

(18) al-Māwardī, Abū al-Ḥasan 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb al-Baṣrī al-Baghdādī (d. 450 AH), al-Nukat wa al-'Uyūn, ed. al-Sayyid ibn 'Abd al-Maqṣūd ibn 'Abd al-Raḥīm, Dār al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut, vol. 2, p. 417.

(19) al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, vol. 16, p. 178.

(20) Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 11, p. 72.

(21) Ibn 'Āshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 11, p. 72.

(22) Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Umar ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Taymī al-Rāzī, known as Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Khaṭīb al-Rayy (d. 606 AH), Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, Beirut, 3rd ed., 1420 AH, vol. 16, pp. 178–179.

(23) al-Bayḍāwī, Nāṣir al-Dīn Abū Sa'īd 'Abdullāh ibn 'Umar ibn Muḥammad al-Shīrāzī (d. 685 AH), Anwār al-Tanzīl wa Asrār al-Ta'wīl, ed. Muḥammad 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Mar'ashlī, Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, Beirut, 1st ed., 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 103.

(24) Shihāb al-Dīn Maḥmūd ibn 'Abdillāh al-Ḥusaynī al-Ālūsī (d. 1270 AH), Rūḥ al-Ma'ānī fī Tafsīr al-Qur'ān al-'Aẓīm wa al-Sab' al-Mathānī, ed. 'Alī 'Abd al-Bārī 'Aṭiyyah, Dār al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1st ed., 1415 AH, vol. 6, p. 49.

(25) Abū Ḥayyān, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, vol. 5, p. 534.