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Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:29

Surah Ad-Dhariyat 51:29

ﳓ ﳔ ﳕ ﳖ ﳗ ﳘ ﳙ ﳚ ﳛ

And his wife approached with a cry [of alarm] and struck her face and said, "[I am] a barren old woman!"

Tafsir

Mafatih al-Ghayb

Verse range: 51:29

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Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51): Verse 29

Original Text Segment:

ثم قال تعالى : { فأقبلت امرأته فى صرة فصكت وجهها وقالت * يوم عقيم } . أي أقبلت على أهلها ، وذلك لأنها كانت في خدمتهم ، فلما تكلموا مع زوجها بولادتها استحيت وأعرضت عنهم ، فذكر الله تعالى ذلك بلفظ الإقبال على الأهل ، ولم يقل بلفظ الإدبار عن الملائكة ، وقوله تعالى : { فى صرة } أي صيحة ، كما جرت عادة النساء حيث يسمعن شيئا من أحوالهن يصحن صيحة معتادة لهن عند الاستحياء أو التعجب ، ويحتمل أن يقال تلك الصيحة كانت بقولها يا ويلتا ، تدل عليه الآية التي في سورة هود ، وصك الوجه أيضا من عادتهن ، واستبعدت ذلك لوصفين من اجتماعهما . أحدهما : كبر السن . والثاني : العقم ، لأنها كانت لا تلد في صغر سنها ، وعنفوان شبابها ، ثم عجرت وأيست فاستبعدت ، فكأنها قالت : يا ليتكم دعوتم دعاء قريبا من الإجابة ، ظنا منها أن ذلك منهم ، كما يصدر من الضيف على سبيل الأخبار من الأدعية كقول الداعي : الله يعطيك مالا ويرزقك ولدا ، فقالوا : هذا منا ليس بدعاء . وإنما ذلك قول الله تعالى : { قالوا كذلك قال ربك } <

Translation and Exegesis (Tafsir)

{Then his wife came forward, crying out, and struck her face, saying, "A barren old woman!"}

  1. "Then his wife came forward" (فأقبلت امرأته):
    • This means she turned towards her household/family members. This is because she was serving them. When they spoke to her husband about her giving birth, she became shy and turned away from the angels.
    • Allah the Exalted mentioned this using the term of approaching (الإقبال) her family, and did not use the term of turning away (الإدبار) from the angels.
  1. "Crying out" (فى صرة):
    • This means a sharp cry or shriek (صيحة).
    • This is the usual custom of women when they hear something concerning their affairs; they let out a customary shriek out of shyness or astonishment.
    • It is also possible that this cry was her utterance: "Woe is me!" (يا ويلتا), which is indicated by the verse in Surah Hud.
  1. "And struck her face" (فصكت وجهها):
    • This action is also customary for women (as an expression of shock or distress).
  1. "A barren old woman!" (يوم عقيم):
    • She expressed disbelief because two conditions combined:
      • First: Her advanced age (كبر السن).
      • Second: Her barrenness (العقم), as she had never conceived even in her youth and prime, and now she was old and had lost all hope.
    • She rejected the news, as if she were saying: "I wish you had made a supplication closer to being answered." She assumed the news came from them (the guests) as a form of friendly pronouncement or blessing, like when a guest says, "May Allah grant you wealth and grant you a son."
    • The angels responded: "This is not from us [as a mere wish]; rather, this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: {They said, "So it is; your Lord has said so"}." (This concluding part refers to the subsequent verse, confirming the divine decree.)