«وَكَانَ بَاقِعَةً عَلَى مَا يُقَالُ»
He was, as people say, exceptionally shrewd.
Bāqiʿa may describe unusual cleverness or craftiness. In this setting it prepares for the father’s evasion of responsibility, so it is not simply admiration for intelligence.
The phrase ʿalā mā yuqāl (“as the saying goes”) also frames the description as something reported or characterised, rather than an independent finding by the narrator. This distinction matters in the forthcoming claims.
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The Kūfan Maqāmah: The Lost-Son Claim and the Gathering’s Generosity
«وَكَانَ بَاقِعَةً عَلَى مَا يُقَالُ»
He was, as people say, exceptionally shrewd.
Bāqiʿa may describe unusual cleverness or craftiness. In this setting it prepares for the father’s evasion of responsibility, so it is not simply admiration for intelligence.
The phrase ʿalā mā yuqāl (“as the saying goes”) also frames the description as something reported or characterised, rather than an independent finding by the narrator. This distinction matters in the forthcoming claims.