وَهُمُ السُّعَاةُ إِذَا الْعَشِيرَةُ أَفْظَعَتْ وَهُمُ فَوَارِسُهَا وَهُمْ حُكَّامُهَا
When calamity overtakes the tribe, they are its active helpers, its horsemen, and its judges.
Suʿāh are those who strive or undertake a task, afẓaʿat indicates severe crisis, fawāris riders or fighters, and ḥukkām judges or arbiters.
The three repeated wa-hum phrases assign three public functions: practical action in crisis, defence, and arbitration. The rhetorical repetition underlines communal competence.
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Labīd ibn Rabīʿah: Hospitality, Justice, Trust and Tribal Leadership (Verses 70–88)
وَهُمُ السُّعَاةُ إِذَا الْعَشِيرَةُ أَفْظَعَتْ وَهُمُ فَوَارِسُهَا وَهُمْ حُكَّامُهَا
When calamity overtakes the tribe, they are its active helpers, its horsemen, and its judges.
Suʿāh are those who strive or undertake a task, afẓaʿat indicates severe crisis, fawāris riders or fighters, and ḥukkām judges or arbiters.
The three repeated wa-hum phrases assign three public functions: practical action in crisis, defence, and arbitration. The rhetorical repetition underlines communal competence.