Question:
as-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
Sayyidi, I wanted to ask you if knew of a reference I can check to see how the `ulama‘ dealt with the possible differences and/or similarities in meaning between the use of “yad” in the following verses:
قَالَ يَـٰٓإِبۡلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسۡجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقۡتُ بِيَدَىَّ
and
وَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّا خَلَقۡنَا لَهُم مِّمَّا عَمِلَتۡ أَيۡدِينَآ أَنۡعَـٰمً۬ا
Usually, the mufassirun seem to indicate that in the former, it is used for tashreef and that Adam (`alayhi al-salam) was created without any means. But I’m trying to understand how the same word is used differently in the second verse for cattle.
barakAllahu feekum,
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
Yad used in the plural in Arabic means qudra, power, or great means. I.e. no other had the power to do that, as in the verse stating they cannot even create the wing of a gnat. In addition, the personal ascription “Our” denotes intensive specialness and exclusive origination.
Al-Baydawi:
{ أَوَ لَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَا لَهُم مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا } مما تولينا إحداثه ولم يقدر على إحداثه غيرنا ، وذكر الأيدي وإسناد العمل إليها استعارة تفيد مبالغة في الاختصاص ، والتفرد بالإِحداث .
Hajj Gibril Haddad
