LessonsFurther Forms of Ibdāl: Definiteness, Agreement, Iltifāt and Word OrderQuiz

“Yadʿū la-man ḍarruhu aqrabu min nafʿihi”
“He calls upon one whose harm is nearer than his benefit.” (al-Ḥajj 22:13, excerpt)

The “lām” in “la-man,” its relationship to “yadʿū,” and the connection with the surrounding passage have attracted grammatical explanations. The basic contextual meaning concerns calling on an object of false worship whose harm outweighs any imagined benefit.

A paraphrase can make this point plain without removing the preposition from the revealed expression. Where more than one grammatical account exists, the paraphrase should not be presented as having settled all technical possibilities.

Opening interactive controls...

“He calls upon one whose harm is nearer”: a prepositional issue

Further Forms of Ibdāl: Definiteness, Agreement, Iltifāt and Word Order

“Yadʿū la-man ḍarruhu aqrabu min nafʿihi”
“He calls upon one whose harm is nearer than his benefit.” (al-Ḥajj 22:13, excerpt)

The “lām” in “la-man,” its relationship to “yadʿū,” and the connection with the surrounding passage have attracted grammatical explanations. The basic contextual meaning concerns calling on an object of false worship whose harm outweighs any imagined benefit.

A paraphrase can make this point plain without removing the preposition from the revealed expression. Where more than one grammatical account exists, the paraphrase should not be presented as having settled all technical possibilities.