Stem سَبِیۡلٍ - Quranic Morphology

English - Hazrat Molavi Sher Ali ^ra

O ye who believe! approach not Prayer when you are not in full possession of your senses, until you know what you say, nor when you are unclean, except when you are travelling along a way, until you have bathed. And if you are ill or you are on a journey while unclean, or if one of you comes from the privy or you have touched women and you find no water, then betake yourselves to pure dust and wipe therewith your faces and your hands. Surely, Allah is Most Indulgent, Most Forgiving.

اردو ترجمہ مرزا طاہر احمد خلیفة المسیح الرابعؒ

اے وہ لوگو جو ایمان لائے ہو! تم نماز کے قریب نہ جاؤ جب تم پر مدہوشی کی کیفیت ہو۔ یہاں تک کہ اس قابل ہو جاؤ کہ تمہیں علم ہو کہ تم کیا کہہ رہے ہو۔ اور نہ ہی ُجنبی ہونے کی حالت میں (نماز کے قریب جاؤ) یہاں تک کہ نہالو سوائے اس کے کہ تم مسافر ہو۔ اور اگر تم بیمار ہو یا مسافر ہو یا تم میں سے کوئی طبعی حوائج سے فارغ ہوا ہو یا تم نے عورتوں سے تعلق قائم کیا ہو اور تمہیں پانی نہ ملے تو خشک پاک مٹی سے تیمم کر لیا کرو۔ سو تم اپنے چہروں پر اور ہاتھوں پر مسح کرو۔ یقیناً اللہ بہت درگزر کرنے والا (اور) بہت بخشنے والا ہے۔

French

Ô vous qui croyez ! N’approchez pas la Prière quand vous êtes dans un état de confusion mentale jusqu’à ce que vous ayez pleine connaissance de ce que vous dites, ni quand vous êtes dans un état d’impureté – sauf si vous êtes en voyage – avant de vous être lavés. Et si vous êtes malades ou en voyage et que vous n’êtes pas purs ou si l’un d’entre vous revient après s’être soulagé ou si vous avez touché des femmes, et que vous ne trouviez pas d’eau, alors recourez à la poussière pure et essuyez-vous-en le visage et les mains. Assurément Allāh est Très-Indulgent et est Très-Pardonnant.

German

O die ihr glaubt, nahet nicht dem Gebet, wenn ihr nicht bei Sinnen seid, bis ihr klar versteht, was ihr sprecht, noch im Zustande der Unreinheit* – ausgenommen als Reisende unterwegs –, bis ihr gebadet habt. Und wenn ihr krank seid oder auf einer Reise (im Zustande der Unreinheit), oder einer von euch kommt vom Abtritt und wenn ihr Frauen berührt habt und findet kein Wasser, dann nehmt reinen Sand und reibt euch damit Gesicht und Hände. Wahrlich, Allah ist nachsichtig, allverzeihend.

Chinese

信仰的人啊! 在心神恍忽时, 不要礼拜, 直到你们知道你们自己所说的。身体不洁时 (也不要礼拜), 直到你们沐浴, 而旅行时例外, 在疾病或旅途中要是身体不洁或在入厕或性交而得不到水时, 那么, 要以手拍净土摸你们的脸和手以代水净。安拉确是消除 (罪过) 者, 宽恕者。

Italian

O voi che credete! Non accingetevi alla preghiera con la mente offuscata, finché non sappiate bene cosa dite; né quando siete impuri*, tranne quando siete in viaggio lungo una strada, finché non vi siate lavati. E se siete malati o siete in viaggio mentre siete impuri, o se uno di voi esce dalla latrina, o se avete avuto rapporti con le donne, e non trovate acqua, allora servitevi di terra pulita e con essa passate sulle vostre facce e le vostre mani. Certo, Allah è sommamente Indulgente, il Clemente.

Spanish

¡Oh vosotros, los que creéis! no os acerquéis a la Oración con la mente confusa hasta que sepáis lo que decís, ni cuando estéis impuros, y no recéis hasta que no os bañéis, excepto si estáis de viaje o nfermos. Mas si estáis enfermos o de viaje y no estáis limpios, o si uno de vosotros acaba de hacer sus necesidades o cohabitado con su mujer y no encuentra agua, recurrid a la arena pura y frotaos con ella la cara y las manos. En verdad, Al-lah es el Sumo Indulgente, Perdonador.

اردو تفسیرِ صغیر

اے ایماندارو! جب تک تم اپنے حواس میں نہ ہو نماز کے قریب نہ جاؤ اس وقت تک کہ تم جو (کچھ) کہہ رہے ہو اسے سمجھنے (نہ) لگو اور نہ ہی جنبی ہونے کی حالت میں (نماز کے قریب جاؤ) جب تک نہا (نہ) لو سوائے اس کے کہ تم راستہ پر چل رہے ہو۔ اور اگر تم مریض ہو یا سفر پر ہو (اور تم جنبی ہو تو تیمم کر لیا کرو) یا تم میں سے کوئی جائے ضرور سے آیا ہو (اور تم کو پانی نہ ملے) اور[2] تم عورتوں سے ہم صحبت[3] بھی ہو چکے ہو (یعنی جنبی ہو) اور تمہیں[4] پانی نہ ملے تو پاک مٹی کا قصد کرو (یعنی تیمم کرو) پھر (تم ان مٹی والے ہاتھوں کو) اپنے مونہوں اور ہاتھوں پر ملو۔ اللہ یقیناً بہت معاف کرنے والا (اور) بہت بخشنے والا ہے۔

English - Short Commentary Translation

O ye who believe! go not near Prayer when you are not in full possession of your senses,[609] until you know what you are saying, nor when you are unclean,[610] except when you are travelling along a way,[611] until you have bathed. And if you are ill or you are on a journey while unclean, or if one of you comes from the privy or you have touched women[612] and you find no water, then betake yourselves to pure dust and wipe therewith your faces and your hands. Surely, Allah is Effacer of sins, Forgiving.

Sukara is the plural of Sakaran which means, a person who is drunk; or is in a fit of anger; in raptures of love; is stricken with fear; or is overpowered by sleep or some other disturbing element which may distract his attention or obscure his reason, etc. (Lane).

The expression, "nor when you are unclean," means that just as a man cannot perform Prayers when he is not in full possession of his senses, similarly he cannot perform Prayers when he is unclean until he performs total ablution by bathing. Sexual intercourse creates a sort of uncleanness in the body which must be removed by bathing in order to ensure proper state of purity, cheerfulness, and vivacity necessary for worship.

The clause, except when you are travelling along a way, means that though ordinarily a person who is in a state of "uncleanness" cannot perform his Prayers except after proper bathing, yet if he becomes "unclean" when he is actually travelling on the way, bathing is not obligatory for him. He can in this case perform Tayammum as ordered in the concluding part of the verse.

Of the four classes, viz. the sick; those on a journey; those coming from the privy; and those having gone in unto their wives, only the last two, being in a state of uncleanness, need ablution or washing as the case may be, and if they do not find water, they can perform Tayammum. For the former two classes no condition as to water is necessary. They may resort to Tayammum even if they find water. This is why the words "while unclean" have been added after the words if you are ill or you are on a journey. It must be noted that the expression "on a journey" is the same as the expression "travelling along a way", both signifying the state of actual travelling when one is, as it were, on the wing. Dust has been chosen as a substitute for water because, just as water reminds a person of his origin (77:21), thus creating in him a sense of humility; similarly dust calls to his mind the other humble substance from which he is created (30:21).

English - Five Volume Translation

O ye who believe! approach not Prayer when you are not in full possession of your senses, until you know what you say, nor when you are unclean, except when you are travelling along a way, until you have bathed. And if you are ill or you are on a journey while unclean, or if one of you comes from the privy or you have touched women and you find no water, then betake yourselves to pure dust and wipe therewith your faces and your hands. Surely, Allah is Most Indulgent, Most Forgiving.[520]

Important Words:

سکاری (not in full possession of your senses) is the plural of سکران which is derived from سکر i.e. he was or became intoxicated, inebriated or drunken. They say سکر علی فلان i.e. such a one became angry or violently angry with him. سکرت الریح means, the wind, became still after blowing. سکر الباب means, he closed or stopped up the door. سکرة الموت means, the intoxication or agony of death which causes confusion of intellect and deprives the sufferer of reason. سکرة الھم والنومmeans, the oppressive sensation, etc. attendant upon anxiety and upon sleep. سکر (sukrun) which is the noun-infinitive from the verb سکر means, the state of intoxication, inebriation or drunkenness; a state that intervenes as an obstruction between a man and his intellect, mostly used in relation to intoxicating drinks but sometimes as meaning such a state arising from anger or from the passion of love, etc. (Lane). For further explanation see 15:73; 22:3. In view of the different meanings of this word a person would be called سکران (intoxicated) when he is drunk; or is in a fit of anger; or in raptures of love; or has received a great and sudden shock; or is stricken with fear; or is overpowered by sleep or some other disturbing element which may distract his attention or obscure his reason, etc.

جنبا (unclean) is derived from جنب. They say جنبه i.e. he led him or it by his side; he put him or it at a distance. جنب الیهmeans he was or became disquieted by a vehement desire to see or meet him. جنابة means distance; the stage of being unclean owing to sexual intercourse or discharge of semen, when it becomes obligatory for one to perform total ablution by bathing. جنب means, stranger; one who is distant and remote; or ( who is under the obligation of performing total ablution (bathing) by reason of sexual intercourse or discharge of semen. The word is used both as masculine and feminine, singular and plural (Lane).

عابری سبیل (are travelling along a way) عابری is really عابرین which is the plural of عابر which is derived from عبر. They say عبرہ i.e. he crossed it, went across it, or passed over it from one side to another. عبر السبیل means, he travelled or passed along the way or road. عبر also means, he died, as though he had travelled the road of life (Lane). The expression عابری سبیل signifies one who is actually travelling. Every person away from home cannot be called عابری سبیل. Again, if a person is away from home on a journey but halts at a place or decides to stay in a town or village for a few days, he will not be reckoner as one of the عابری سبیل (those travelling along a way); but if, while travelling, he halts for a night on the roadside, for example in a inn or at a rest-house or at a railway station, etc., he will be regarded as one.

غائط (privy) is derived from غاط which means, he or it became hidden in the ground; he dug, excavated or hollowed out in the earth; it sank or became depressed in the ground; it descended or sloped downwards in the ground. غائط therefore means:(1) a wide and depressed piece of ground having acclivities bordering it; (2) a place in which one satisfies one’s want of nature, the custom being to do so in a depressed place where one may remain hidden; (3) human excrement or ordure because it is cast away in a غائط (a depressed place). The expression اتی الغائط means, he responded to the call of nature; he satisfied the want of nature; he voided excrement or ordure (Lane).

تیمموا (betake yourselves to) is derived from یممه. They say یممه i.e. he aimed at it or desired it, or he betook himself to it. تیمم المریض means, the sick man, instead of performing the usual ablution for Prayer, betook himself to pure dust and wiped his face and hands therewith. تیمم (tayammum) is technically the process of striking the palms of the hands on the surface of pure earth and then wiping or passing them over the face, etc., in the prescribed manner (Taj).

Commentary:

According to this verse, Prayer cannot be considered to have been properly performed if the devotee simply repeats the words of Prayer without understanding what he says. It is also implicit in the verse that a non-Arab Muslim, besides praying in the prescribed Arabic words, should also pray to God and supplicate to Him in his own tongue, in the language which he usually speaks and in which he can best express his thoughts and feelings.

The word سکاری though primarily meaning "intoxicated" is, as shown under Important Words, much wider in its significance. Any state or condition in which one is not in full possession of oneself, either through anger or love or hunger or sleep, etc. is included in this expression. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: "If a man is sleepy, then he should not say his Prayers till the state of sleepiness has left him" (Bukhari, ch. on Wudu’). Again: "A man should not say his Prayers when he is hungry and the food has been placed before him (Bukhari, ch. on Salat), or when the call of nature demands his attention" (Dawud, ch. on Taharat).

The expression, nor when you are unclean, means that just as a man cannot perform Prayers when he is in a state of سکر (not in full possession of his senses). Similarly, he cannot perform Prayers in a state of being جنبا (for the meaning of which see Important Words above), until he performs total ablution by bathing. Sexual intercourse creates a sort of uncleanness in the body which must be removed by bathing in order to ensure proper state of purity, cheerfulness and readiness necessary for worship.

The clause, except when you are travelling along a way, means that though ordinarily a person who is in a state of "uncleanness" cannot perform his Prayers except after properly bathing, yet if he becomes "unclean" when he is actually travelling on the way, bathing is not obligatory on him for the performance of Prayers. He can in this case perform tayammum as ordered in the concluding part of the verse.

The sentence, if you are ill or you are on a journey (while unclean) or if one of you comes from the privy or you have touched women and you find no water, then betake yourselves to pure dust, mentions four classes of persons on whom وضوء (ablution) or غسل (total ablution) is not obligatory for the performance of Prayer, they being required to perform what is known as tayammum, i.e. betaking to pure dust and wiping therewith the face and the hands, as detailed in Hadith and Sunnah. These four classes are: (1) the sick; (2) those on a journey; (3) those coming from the privy; (4) those touching women, (i.e. having carnal knowledge of them). Out of these four classes only the last two are such as produce a state of uncleanness, necessitating the performance of وضوء (ablution) or غسل (total ablution), as the case may be. So the clause, and you find no water, only relates to them. The verse thus purports to say that if the last-mentioned two classes of men do not find water, they can perform tayammum, i.e. wipe their faces and hands with pure dust before saying their Prayers.

In the case of the former two clauses no condition as to water is necessary. These two classes of men may resort to تیمم (tayammum) even if they find water. This is why the words, "and you are unclean" have been supplied after the words, if you are ill or you are on a journey. It must be noted that the expression علی سفر (on a journey), in the present verse, is the same as the expression عابری سبیل (travelling along a way), both signifying the state of actual travelling when one is, as it were, on the wing.

Finally, it must be noted that dust has been chosen as a substitute for water because, just as water reminds a person of his origin (77:21), thus creating in him a sense of humility, similarly, dust calls to his mind the other humble substance from which he was created (He created you from dust, 30:21). But the dust used must be pure, which is a necessary condition for the performance of Prayers. Any excess should be blown away before it is used in order to ensure just the minimum quantity for the performance of تیمم.

From the verse it is clear that though performing proper ablution is ordinarily necessary for Prayers yet, Islam being a perfect religion, one is allowed to substitute tayammum in place of ablution in certain exceptional cases.

اردو ترجمہ مودودی

اے لوگو جو ایمان لائے ہو، جب تم نشے کی حالت میں ہو تو نماز کے قریب نہ جاؤ نماز اُس وقت پڑھنی چاہیے، جب تم جانو کہ کیا کہہ رہے ہو اور اسی طرح جنابت کی حالت میں بھی نماز کے قریب نہ جاؤ جب تک کہ غسل نہ کر لو، الا یہ کہ راستہ سے گزرتے ہو اور اگر کبھی ایسا ہو کہ تم بیمار ہو، یا سفر میں ہو، یا تم میں سے کوئی شخص رفع حاجت کر کے آئے، یا تم نے عورتوں سے لمس کیا ہو، اور پھر پانی نہ ملے تو پاک مٹی سے کام لو اور اس سے اپنے چہروں اور ہاتھوں پر مسح کر لو، بے شک اللہ نرمی سے کام لینے والا اور بخشش فرمانے والا ہے

English - Sahih

O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying or in a state of janabah, except those passing through [a place of prayer], until you have washed [your whole body]. And if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and your hands [with it]. Indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.

اردو ترجمہ احمد علی

اے ایمان والو! جس وقت کہ تم نشہ میں ہو نماز کے نزدیک نہ جاؤ یہاں تک کہ تم سمجھو سکوکہ تم کیا کہہ رہے ہو اور جنبی ہونے کی حالت میں مگر راستہ گزرتے ہوئے یہاں تک کہ غسل کر لو اور اگر تم بیمار ہو یا سفر میں ہو یا کوئی شخص تم میں سے رفع حاجت کر کے آئے یا عورتوں کے پاس گئے ہو پھر تمہیں پانی نہ ملے تو پاک مٹی سے کام لو اور اسے اپنے مونہوں پر اور ہاتھوں پر ملو بے شک الله معاف کرنے والا بخشنے والا ہے

English - Talal Itani

O you who believe[d]! (Do) not go near the prayer while you (are) intoxicated until you know what you are saying and not (when you are) impure except (when) passing (through) a way until you have bathed. And if you are ill or on a journey or came one of you from the toilet, or you have touched the women and not you find water, then do tayammum (with) earth clean and wipe (with it) your faces and your hands. Indeed, Allah is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving.

Chinese Commentary ^*

اردہ تفصیرِ صغیر نوٹس ^*

2

اَوْ کے معنے عربی میں کبھی ’’یا‘‘ کے ہوتے ہیں اور کبھی ’’اور‘‘ کے ہوتے ہیں۔ (مُغْنی اللَّبِیب جلد اول ص۶۰) اس جگہ ہم نے اس کے معنے ’’اور‘‘ کے کیے ہیں۔ کیونکہ اس کے ساتھ آیت کا مفہوم واضح ہو جاتا ہے۔

3

یہ جُنُـبًا کا ہم مطلب ہے مگر جُنُـبًا کا لفظ چونکہ دور ہو گیا تھا اس لئے اس کے ہم معنے الفاظ اَوْ لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَآءَ استعمال کیے‘ ورنہ مضمون ایک ہی ہے۔

4

فَلَمْ تَجِدُوْا مَآءً درحقیقت اَوْ جَآءَ اَحَدٌ مِّنْکُمْ مِّنَ الْغَآئِطِ کی بھی خبر ہے۔ اور لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَآءَ کی بھی‘ اس لئے ہم نے دونوں کے ساتھ اسے لگا دیا ہے تاکہ ترجمہ ٹھیک ہو جائے۔

English - Arberry

O believers, draw not near to prayer when you are drunken until you know what you are saying, or defiled -- unless you are traversing a way -- until you have washed yourselves; but if you are sick, or on a journey, or if any of you comes from the privy, or you have touched women, and you can find no water, then have recourse to wholesome dust and wipe your faces and your hands; God is All-pardoning, All-forgiving.

English - Maududi

Believers! Do not draw near to the Prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying nor while you are defiled - save when you are travelling - until you have washed yourselves. If you are either ill or travelling or have satisfied a want of nature or have had contact with women and can find no water, then betake yourselves to pure earth, passing with it lightly over your face and your hands. Surely Allah is All-Relenting, All-Forgiving.

English - Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not perform your service of prayer when you are intoxicated until you are sure of what you are saying, nor when in a state of seminal pollution, until you have taken a bath, except when you are travelling. But in case you are ill or are travelling, or you have relieved yourself of nature's call, or cohabited with a woman, and cannot find water, then take wholesome dust and pass it over your face and hands: God is benign and forgiving.

English - Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (Except when travelling on the road), until after washing your whole body. If ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands. For Allah doth blot out sins and forgive again and again.

English - Five Volume Commentary ^*

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