Levels of Astonishment ﻋﺠﺐ و ﻋﺠﺎب و ﻋﺠﻴﺐ ٌ َ ُ ٌ َ َ ٌ ِْ َ َ

Levels of Astonishment
ِ
‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
‫و‬
‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
‫و‬
‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ٌ ََ ٌ َُ َ ٌ ْ َ
In the Arabic language some nouns are stronger than
others due to a pattern they may be on. When a noun
has an intensified meaning from its regular form that is
what we call a hyperbole. Sometimes a word is not a
hyperbole but due to how it is used and its placement
in the sentence it can give off a very intensified
meaning.
ِ
In Arabic we have a verb ‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
َ َ [a3jiba] which is
‘To be amazed or astonished’ ‘To find
something strange’ etc. Its verbal noun, which in
Arabic is called a ‫ﻣﺼﺪر‬
ٌ َ ْ َ [mas’darun], is ‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
ٌ َ َ [a3jabun]
which means ‘amazement, bewilderment, strangeness’.
Now, when a ‫ﻣﺼﺪر‬
ٌ َ ْ َ [verbal noun] is used in the place
of an adjective in the Arabic language it gives off a
very intensified meaning. More so than a noun that is
originally hyperbolized.
The noun we will be discussing first in the following
ِ َ [a3jeebun] meaning ‘amazing,
ayaat is ‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ْ
ٌ
astonishing, strange’. We will look at this word and
the some different forms and patterns it comes on so
we can better understand the ayaat that it comes in.
Depending on what context this word comes in it will
either mean ‘amazing, wonderful, marvellous’ etc. or
‘strange’.
ِ
‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ٌ ْ َ [strange]
But rather the case is that they find it strange that there has come to
them a warner from among themselves, and the disbelievers say, "This
is a strange/amazing thing.
[Surah Qaf Ayah 2]
‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
ٌ َ ُ [really strange]
Has he made the gods [only] one God? No doubt that’s’ a really strange
thing."
[Surah Sad Ayah 5]
In this ayah ‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
ٌ َ ُ is being used. It is the
ِ
hyperbolized form of the word ‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ٌ ْ َ . The idea of
Muhammed ‫ﺳﻠﻢ‬
ّ ‫ﺻﻠﻰ اﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ و‬
ّ telling his people to
worship ALLAH alone and leave their gods was so
absurd to them. It was a belief that they considered so
foreign to what they were used to and to their
customs. This is why the word comes in a
hyperbolized form here so as to express their complete
and utter bewilderment of this concept.
‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
ٌ ََ
[amazement/astonishment/strangeness]
Say, [O Muhammad], "It has been revealed to me that a group of the
jinn listened and said, 'Indeed, we have heard a really extremely
amazing Qur'an.
[Surah Al-Jinn Ayah 1]
In this ayah we have the verbal noun ‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
ٌ َ َ acting as
an adjective to the word ‫ـﺮآن‬
ٌ ْ ُ‫ ﻗ‬in the ayah. The
َِ
expected construction would have been ‫ﻋﺎﺟﺒﺎ‬
ً
or ‫ﻋﺠﻴﺒﺎ‬
ًْ ِ َ
‫ـﺮآﻧﺎ‬
ً ْ ُ‫ ﻗ‬etc.
‫ـﺮآﻧﺎ‬
ً ْ ُ‫ﻗ‬
Due to the fact the verbal noun ‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
ٌ َ َ comes as the
ِ َ and or ‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ِ َ or even
adjective instead of ‫ﻋﺎﺟﺐ‬
ْ
ٌ
ٌ
‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
ٌ َ ُ it gives off a stronger meaning than any of
these, even the hyperbolized form.
So, a description using a verbal noun [‫ﻣﺼﺪر‬
ٌ َ ْ َ ] is
stronger than just using an adjective even though that
adjective may be a hyperbole.
In this ayah, ALLAH tells us about how amazed the
jinn were with the Quran. This amazement was so
much that ALLAH described their amazement with
the Quran by using the word ‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
ٌ َ َ . This means that
the jinn considered the Quran in every single sense of
its being from every angel, a miraculous amazing
recital. Using the verbal noun here to describe the
Quran gives the meaning that the Quran in of itself is
actually a miracle and marvel in every sense of the
word. It couldn’t be anymore more of a miracle with
this type of description is what is being conveyed.
Let’s look at some other examples from the Quran
where a thing is being described by using a verbal
noun [‫ﻣﺼﺪر‬
ٌ َ ْ َ ] instead of a regular adjective.
ALLAH says:
Sahih International
And they brought upon his shirt false blood. [Jacob] said, "Rather, your
souls have enticed you to something, so patience is most fitting. And
Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe."
[Surah Yusuf Ayah 18]
Here the ‫دم‬
ٌ َ [blood] that was on Yusuf’s ‫ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ اﻟﺴﻼم‬shirt
is being described using a verbal noun [‫ﻣﺼﺪر‬
ٌ َ ْ َ ], which
ِ َ which means ‘falsehood, lie, deceit, and
is ‫ﻛﺬب‬
ٌ
untruth’. The expected construction would have been
ِ] to
ٍ َ ِ using the active participle [‫ْﻔﺎﻋﻞ‬
ٍ ِ َ ‫ﺑﺪم‬
ِ ِ َ ‫اﺳﻢ اﻟ‬
‫ﻛﺎذب‬
ُْ
describe the blood on his shirt. However, ALLAH
opted to describe the blood by using the verbal noun
which conveys the meaning that this blood was in
every sense of the word, a complete and utter lie, as if
the blood itself was an actual palpable ‘lie’.
An everyday example outside of the Quran is as
follows:
ِ ‫رﺟﻞ‬
‫ﺻﻮم‬
ٌ ُ ٌ‫رﺟﻞ‬
ُ َ instead of ‫ﺻﺎﺋﻢ‬
ٌ َ ٌ َُ
ِ ‫‘ رﺟﻞ‬a fasting man’ is understood that he is
‫ﺻﺎﺋﻢ‬
ٌ َ ٌ َُ
currently fasting and fasting that day. If you use the
verbal noun of the verb ‫ﺻﺎم‬
َ َ ‘to fast’ which is
ٌ‫ﺻﻮم‬
َ or
ِ
‫ﺻﻴﺎم‬
ٌ َ ِ instead of the active participle ‘‫ﺻﺎﺋﻢ‬
ٌ َ ’ to describe
ِ َ ‫َﻛﺜِْﻴـﺮ ﱢ‬
the man, then it means that he is ‫اﻟﺼﻴﺎم‬
ُ
‘Fasts a lot’ and most of his days are observed while he
is fasting.
Here are some more examples from the Quran:
ALLAH says:
Sahih International
Indeed, this is the true narration. And there is no deity except Allah .
And indeed, Allah is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
[Surah Aal Imraan Ayah 62]
‫ْﻘﺼﺺ اﻟْ َ ﱡ‬
‫ْﻘﺼﺺ اﻟ َ ﱡ‬
‫ْﺤﻖ‬
ُ َ َ ‫ اَﻟ‬or
ُ َ َ ‫ اَﻟ‬instead of ‫ﺤﺎق‬
‫ َ ﱞ‬is the verbal noun of the verb
‫ْﺤﻘﻴﻘﻲ‬
‫ْﻘﺼﺺ اﻟ َ ِ ْ ِ ﱡ‬
ُ َ َ ‫اَﻟ‬. ‫ﺣﻖ‬
‫‘ َ ﱠ‬to be true, right, correct, confirmed’ etc.
‫ﺣﻖ‬
Using the verbal noun here conveys the meaning that
this narrative/narration is absolutely the truth and
nothing but in all sense of the word ‘truth’.
ALLAH says:
Sahih International
O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people;
perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other]
women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one
another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched
is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not
repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.
[Surah Al-Hujuraat Ayah 11]
ِ
‫ْﻔﺴﻮق‬
ُ ُ ُ ‫اﻻﺳﻢ اﻟ‬
ُ ْ َْ ‘a disgusting/wretched/ugly name in
every sense of the word’ comes in this ayah with the
verbal noun ‘‫ﻓﺴﻮق‬
ٌ ُ ُ ’ from the verb ‫ﻓﺴﻖ‬
َ َ َ ‘to act
immorally, be sinful’ etc, instead of using the word
ِ
‫ﻓﺎﺳﻖ‬
ٌ ُ ْ َ to describe this ugly name.
ٌ َ or ‫ﻣﻔﺴﻮق‬
Summary
ِ َ – 1st degree [strange/amazing]
‫ﻋﺠﻴﺐ‬
ْ
ٌ
nd
‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
–
2
degree [very strange/very amazing]
ٌ َُ
[hyperbole]
rd
–
When
used
as
an
adjective
is
the
3
degree
*‫ﻋﺠﺐ‬
َ
ٌ َ
stronger than ‫ﻋﺠﺎب‬
ٌ َ ُ.
*Taken from the series*
ِ َ ‫ﻟﻠﺪﻛﺘﻮر‬
ِ ُ ْ ‫ﻟﻤﺴﺎت ﺑـﻴََﺎ ِﱠﻧﻴﺔٌ ِ ﱡ‬
‫اﻟﺴﺎﻣﺮِاﺋﻲ‬
‫ﻓﺎﺿﻞ ﱠ َ ﱠ‬
ٌ َ ََ
Lamasaat Bayaaniyyah By. Dr. Faadhil As-Saamaraa’i
[May ALLAH preserve him.]
Abu Ezra
ٍ َْ‫َُأﺑﻮ ﻋُﺰ‬
‫ﻳﺮ‬