Hūd 11:70
The verses
And when he saw their hands reached not to it, he mistrusted them and conceived a fear of them. They said: Fear not! Lo! we are sent unto the folk of Lot. — Marmaduke Pickthall
And his wife, standing by laughed when We gave her good tidings (of the birth) of Isaac, and, after Isaac, of Jacob. — Marmaduke Pickthall
The issue
Regarding the story’s elements and sequence, this verse has two issues:
Alternate versions
The text of Q 11.70 states that when the guests of Ibrāhīm (Abraham) did not eat of his food, “he could not understand them, and harboured fear of them.” His wife was standing among them and was given the good news (upcoming pregnancy) of Isaac. However, the Old Testament presents a different version, stating that Abraham fellowshipped with his guests and they ate of his food. Sarah was not with them but in the tent. The good news about Isaac was given to Abraham, not Sarah (Gen. 18.1-16).
Strange sequence
The verse states that while Ibrāhīm’s wife “was standing by, laughing,” the good news was given to her. Compare Shakir translation: “And his wife was standing (by), so she laughed, then We gave her the good news of Ishaq...” (emphasis added). The expression should have been in the following and more logical order: “We gave her the good news and she laughed.” According to Islamic commentaries, she laughed when she was given the good news about Isaac, an opinion supported by linguists who also suggest that the verse is out of sequence.
This illogical order, which undermines linguistic conditions for eloquence, apparently embarrasses Islamic commentators. They offer several suggestions to solve the issue, but these submissions seem superfluous or unsubstantiated given the context of the verse. For instance, they state that Ibrāhīm’s wife laughed about the discussion of the guests.
They also state that she laughed because of Ibrāhīm’s fear “and trembling because of three men, while he was among his entourage and servants". The most amusing solution offered is “‘then she laughed’ here means ‘she menstruated".
Arabic text of this item
ضيوف إبراهيم لم يأكلوا من طعامه و إبراهيم أوجس منهم خيفةً: جاء هذا في نص الآية 70، وكانت امرأته قائمة معهم فبُشّرت بِإِسْحَاقَ وبيَعْقُوبَ من بعده. وبحسب الرواية التوراتية، فقد استأنس إبراهيم بضيوفه الذين أكلوا من طعامه، ولم تكن سَارَةُ قائمةً معهم بل «كَانَتْ سَارَةُ...فِي بَابِ الْخَيْمَةِ»؛ وكانت البشرى بِإِسْحَاقَ لإبراهيم وليس لسَـارَة.
<قَائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ>: تقول الآية إنه بينما كانت امرأة إبراهيم <قَائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ>، فجاءتها البشرى. والعبارة يجب أن تكون بالترتيب التالي: «فبشّرنَاها فضَحِكتْ»، لأنه جاء في التفاسير أنها ضَحِكت حين بُشّرت بإسحاق. وهو رأي يؤيده أهل اللغة، الذين يقولون إن في الآية تقديمٌ وتأخير.
إن تعارض التقديم والتأخير مع شروط البلاغة قد سبّب ـ على ما يبدو ـ إحراجًا لكثير من الشارحين، فقدموا تأويلات بعيدة عن سياق الآية، فقالوا مثلاً إن امرأة إبراهيم ضحكت من حوار الضيوف، وقالوا أيضًا إنها «ضحكت من خوف إبراهيم ورِعْدته من ثلاثةٍ نفرٍ، وإبراهيمُ في حَشَمه وخَدمَه». وأطرف حل طرحه البعض يقول: «<فَضَحِكَتْ>. في هذا الموضع: حاضت». [نعم «حاضت»!]
Sources cited
- al-Ţabarī, Tafsīr 12: 473-477.
- al-Qurţubī 11: 164.
- Gen 18.161
- سفر التكوين 18: 1 16.
- القرطبي، تفسير 11: 163-164.
- الطبري، تفسير 12: 473-477.
This item merges 2 entries of the original site that carried the same text across the passage (old ids 245, 246; the old ids redirect here).