Tafsir of At-Tur 52:30

"Or do they say"—that is, "Rather, do they say?"—"A poet," meaning: He is a poet.

"We await," meaning: We wait for him.

"The vicissitudes of time (Rayb al-Manun)."

Al-Manun signifies time (al-dahr). It is a noun form on the pattern of fa‘ul derived from al-mann, meaning "severing," because it severs lifespans and other things. From this comes the expression "a severed rope" (habl manin), meaning cut.

Al-Rayb is the verbal noun from raba-hu, meaning "it disturbed/anxied him." It is intended here to mean the events and turns of time, because they disturb the soul. It is expressed using the verbal noun as an intensifier. It is also permitted that it be derived from the expression "Time has afflicted him" (raba ‘alayhi al-dahr), meaning: "has it descended upon him?"—where "descending" here is intended as "destroying."

The interpretation of al-manun as time is narrated from Mujahid, and in support of this is the poet's saying: "Wait upon her for the vicissitudes of time, perhaps she may be released one day, or her wearer may die." Likewise, the verse of Abu Dhu'ayb: "Are [the vicissitudes of] al-Manun and its anxiety cause for lament? Yet time does not appease the one who laments." It is said: Its apparent meaning is that, as is the statement of Al-A'sha: "Is it that she saw a blind man, whom the vicissitudes of time have harmed? And time is a wearying, ruinous thing." This is why Al-Jawhari cited it as evidence for that [interpretation].

Ibn Jarir and others recorded from Ibn Abbas an interpretation of it as "death." It is common to both meanings. Al-Marzuqi said in his explanation of the aforementioned verse of Abu Dhu'ayb: "Al-Manun may be intended as time, thus it is masculine, and the narration is 'its anxiety' (raybu-hu). It may be intended as death (al-maniyyah), thus it is feminine, and it has been narrated as 'her anxiety' (raybu-ha). Sometimes the plural pronoun is returned to it to intend the various types of death and their occurrences." Thus, do not be heedless.

It is also derived from al-mann, meaning "severing," for it severs hopes and pleasures. Therefore it was said: "Death (al-maniyyah) cuts off the wish (al-umniyyah)." And rayb al-manun refers to the occurrence of death. It is also permitted that it is in the sense of an explanatory genitive construction for the incident of death.

It is narrated that the Quraish gathered in the Dar al-Nadwa, and their opinions regarding him—peace be upon him—were numerous, until one of them said (and they were the Banu ‘Abd al-Dar, as Al-Dahhak said): "Wait for the vicissitudes of time to befall him, for he is a poet; he will surely perish just as Zuhayr, Al-Nabigha, and Al-A'sha perished." So they departed upon this statement, and this [verse] was revealed.

Zayd ibn ‘Ali read yutarabbasu (to be awaited) in the passive voice, and raybu was read in the nominative case as the deputy subject (na'ib al-fa'il).