Ṭā-Hā 20:129
The verse
وَلَوْلَا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى ١٢٩
And but for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Lord, and a term already fixed, the judgment would have been inevitable (in this world). — Marmaduke Pickthall
The issue
There is disorder in the structure of this verse, clearly seen by Palmer’s attempt to add words, i.e., “(the punishment)…(at),” to make sense of it. The words “it would have been inevitable” should have been written at the end. Thus the verse would read, “And had it not been for thy Lord’s word already passed (at) an appointed time, it would have been inevitable.…” Had the syntax of this verse been written in this way, it would have been easier and less confusing for the reader to understand.
Arabic text of this item
في الآية تقديم وتأخير، وكان يجب أن تُكتب: «ولولا كلمةٌ سَبَقت من ربّك وأجلٌ مسمًّى لكان لزاماً»، ولو كانت قد كتبت هكذا لصار المعنى مفهوماً للقارئ، ووفّر عليه التشويش.
Sources cited
- al-Harīrī 221; compare with al-Ţabarī, Tafsīr 16: 208.
- الحريري، عالم المعجزات 221.
- الطبري، تفسير 16: 208.