Verse 10
The Jinn • makkah
View Aspects
وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَٰعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ ۖ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ ٱلْءَانَ يَجِدْ لَهُۥ شِهَابًا رَّصَدًا
Important Words:
رصدا (in ambush) is noun-infinitive from رصد (rasada). They say أرصده i.e. he watched or waited for him; lay in ambush for him. مرصاد and رصد and مرصد all mean, a hiding place; an ambush قعد له با لمرصد or کان له بالمرصد means, he lay in ambush for him. An Arab poet says: إن المنایا للرجال بمرصد i.e. verily deaths are lying in ambush for men (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
Before the appearance of a Divine Reformer, soothsayers and diviners dabble in occult sciences, and with the help of their questionable practices seek to hoodwink simple people by posing to be able to have access to the secrets of the unknown, and as they are generally quite adept in the art of cheating they succeed in playing upon people’s credulity. But with the advent of the heavenly Reformer they are exposed and their counterfeit knowledge of the unseen becomes unmasked as only a superficial and fragmentary acquaint-ance with astrology. For a detailed explanation, however, of this and the preceding verse see 15:17.19 and 37:7-8.
The word الآن (now) is used here particularly with respect to the time of the Holy Prophet, but it may also signify the time of every great Divine Reformer.
Before the appearance of a Divine Reformer, soothsayers and diviners dabble in occult sciences, and with the help of their questionable practices seek to hoodwink simple folk by posing to be able to have access to the secrets of the unknown and, being adept in the art of cheating, succeed in playing upon their credulity. But with the advent of a Heavenly Reformer their deceit is exposed and their counterfeit knowledge of the unseen becomes unmasked as only a superficial and fragmentary acquaintance with astrology. The word "now" is used here particularly with respect to the time of the Holy Prophet, but it may also signify the time of every great Divine Reformer. See also 37:7-10.