Ali Salimi; Shahriar Hemmati; Mohammad-Nabi Ahmadi
Volume 3, Issue 6 , March 2013, , Pages 13-28
Abstract
The translators and commentators of the Qur'an since long ago have translated the phrase ‘Akadu Ukhfiha’ [I Almost Conceal It] in various and even contradictory ways. Most of such translators and commentators have translated the above-mentioned phrase as ‘I want to conceal’. They ...
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The translators and commentators of the Qur'an since long ago have translated the phrase ‘Akadu Ukhfiha’ [I Almost Conceal It] in various and even contradictory ways. Most of such translators and commentators have translated the above-mentioned phrase as ‘I want to conceal’. They assume that ‘Kaad’ here indicates the intensity of the action of ‘concealing’ (Ukhfiha). By the same token, another group of such commentators have adopted an opposite view in their translations. They believe that within this very phrase, ‘Kaad’ neutralizes the overall meaning of ‘concealing’ and, accordingly, the acceptable meaning of the phrase is ‘to reveal’. Based on an analysis of the various uses and functions of ‘kaad’ in Arabic and the Glorious Qur'an, this present paper attempts to take a look into this issue with the purpose of further elaborating upon the exact meaning of this Quranic phrase. In other words, the research intends to indentify the right interpretation of this verse; the one which is consistent with other verses of the Holy Qur'an. The results indicate that the verb ‘Kaad’ in this verse has the same common meaning of ‘Kaad’ in Arabic. In positive form, it refers to nonoccurence of a verb, and in negative form, it shows that a verb hardly occurs. Considering the uses of this verb in Arabic and the Holy Qur'an, far-fetched interpretations of this verse is not justifiable and is not consistent with the language of the Qur'an.
