Session Eighteen, Verses 58 and 59, The Five Parts of Verse 58, Part Five

Session Eighteen

Verses 58 and 59 – The Five Parts of Verse 58 – Part Five: “So That We May Forgive You Your Sins, and We Shall Surely Grant Increase to Those Who Do Good” – Point Four: The Difference Between “Khati’ah” and Similar Terms – 3. “Dhanb” – 4. “Ma’siyah” – 5. “Sayyi’ah” – The Meaning of “Khataya” in the Verse

December 27, 2024

Summary of the Previous Session

A lengthy gap occurred since the last session of this exegesis course; the topic of our discussion happened to be precisely the question you had raised, namely, what is the difference among the terms “khati’ah,” “ithm,” “dhanb,” “sayyi’ah,” and “ma’siyah.” We encountered the closure of the days of Fatimiyyah, and for one week I was also unable to attend due to illness; a further week was likewise unavailable on account of holidays.

Of these five terms, we have already given a brief explanation regarding “khati’ah” and “ithm“; the occasion for entering into this discussion was the question that was raised here, prompting a brief treatment of these two or three terms. The meaning of “ithm” and “khati’ah” was set forth in summary.

3. “Dhanb”

The original meaning of the word “dhanb” derives from “dhanab,” meaning the tail or hindmost part of an animal. If it is applied to sin, this is because sin (whether in the form of a crime or an injustice) has a trailing effect and consequences — both worldly punishment and punishment in the hereafter; it may even bring about retaliation from the victim of the crime or the wronged party. That is, apart from worldly and conventional punishments and the punishment of the hereafter, this effect is also present: that the victim or the wronged party may have a reaction toward this person, and this is naturally regarded as a trailing consequence and effect of that deed, statement, or conduct. Naturally, if “dhanb” is applied to disobedience and transgression of the divine command, the abandonment of an obligatory duty, or the commission of a forbidden act, it is worth noting that it is considered from this very perspective.

4. “Ma’siyah”

“Ma’siyah” means disobedience and defiance; the root of this word derives from “‘isyan,” and from a meaning related to a staff (‘asa). “‘Isyan,” in contrast to obedience (ta’ah), means disobedience. Perhaps the notions of withdrawal and separation from others, when expressed with the word “‘asa,” or “shaqq al-‘asa” (“breaking the staff,” i.e., causing division), or “shaqq ‘asa al-jama’ah” — breaking away from the community, the gathering, and the Muslims — derive from this very sense, namely that one separates from the community, much as someone might use a staff to block another’s path and thereby cause their separation from others.

5. “Sayyi’ah”

“Sayyi’ah” likewise derives from the root “su’” or “saw’,” its plural being “sayyi’at,” meaning anything in which there exists an element of badness — anything characterized by the quality of badness and ugliness. This term, used in the Qur’an with either the vowel pattern “su’” (with damm on the sin) or “saw’” (with fath on the sin), occurs in both forms; the usage of “su’,” however, is considerably more frequent than that of “saw’.” The word “su’” is used roughly fifty times, whereas “saw’” occurs only around nine or ten times in the Qur’an. Some lexicographers, such as the authors of al-Sihah, al-Qamus, and Aqrab al-Mawarid, regard “su’” as a noun and “saw’” as a verbal noun (masdar); some, however, disagree with this. There have also been discussions concerning its transitive and intransitive senses; the Mufradat of al-Raghib assigns to “su’” an agentive meaning — that is, anything that causes grief. If someone does something distasteful toward another and causes them grief, it is said “sa’ahu” (he grieved him); hence, with damm on the sin, it carries this very nominal and agentive sense. A great deal of discussion has taken place regarding the usages of these two forms in the Qur’an — in which instances it occurs with damm on the sin and in which with fath, and whether, when it carries a nominal sense, it always carries this agentive meaning as well.

The Meaning of “Khati’ah” in This Verse

What is of concern here, however, is this: while there exist differences among these terms — that is, “dhanb,” “ithm,” “‘isyan,” “sayyi’ah,” and “khati’ah” — … “so that We may forgive you your sins, and We shall surely grant increase to those who do good” («نَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ»); regarding “khata,” this question was raised — what “khata” and “khati’ah” mean — and, following from this, the discussion of the difference between the term “khata” and “khati’ah,” used in this verse, and those several other terms, namely “ithm,” “dhanb,” “‘isyan,” and “sayyi’ah.” While all five of these terms are applied to sin, error, and ugly and distasteful conduct, there are nevertheless differences among them — that is, in some places, the term “ithm” is used; in another place, “dhanb“; in another, “sayyi’ah” — these are all distinct. Here, the word “khatayakum” is used; we have noted that “khata” admits of three categories:

1. One is that someone performs an act deliberately and out of disregard; this is an error that entails responsibility, and one is held to account for it. As in verse 31 of Surat al-Isra’: “And do not kill your children for fear of poverty; We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is a great sin” («وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَاقٍ نَحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْئًا كَبِيرًا»); this verse relates to the polytheists and those who killed their own children with intent and design. Here, while intent and design were present in this act, it was nevertheless an improper and distasteful act, and, moreover, one that entails responsibility. Here, the term carries the meaning of an improper and distasteful act.

Question:

Professor: Apparently, this relates to the polytheists, who used to commit this act… this verse concerned them; whether a further application can be drawn from this verse or not is a separate discussion; this verse related to the polytheists.

2. The second meaning of “khata” is that they perform an act, but the act itself, in and of itself, was not undertaken with the intent of that particular outcome and is not, in itself, improper. There was no intent of wrongdoing, but rather, the result turned out to be wrong and improper. As in verse 5 of Surat al-Ahzab: “And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred, but only for what your hearts intended; and God is Forgiving and Merciful” («وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَكِنْ مَا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا»); here, in fact, the person had intended to perform a different act altogether — for instance, intending to hunt an animal, but a human being was struck instead and perished. Hence, one meaning is that a person intends to perform a good deed, but the opposite of it occurs.
3. The reverse of the second meaning likewise falls under the category of “khata“: a person intends a wrongful act, but, by chance, a good outcome results. In other words, the act possesses goodness in its result (husn fi’li) but lacks goodness in its agent and intention (husn fa’ili).

In any case, what is here emphasized as “khatayakum,” with God stating that We shall forgive your sins, is, given these preliminary points, in fact “khata” in the first sense — that is, the improper acts which the Children of Israel performed with deliberate intent; all the acts they performed were of this kind, and were neither of the second kind nor of the third.

Topic of the Next Session

As for why the terms “ithm,” “dhanb,” and “ma’siyah” were not used here, and this particular term was used in their place — this is a point we shall address in the coming session.