Verse 5
The Overthrowing • makkah
View Aspects
Important Words:
عشار (she-camels, ten months with young) is the plural of عشراء which means, a she-camel that has been ten months with young. عشار is applied to she-camels until some of them have brought forth and others are expected to bring forth. Such she-camels were considered to be a very valuable possession by the Arabs (Lane & Aqrab).
عطلت (are abandoned) is derived from عطل. They say عطل الأجیر i.e. the hired man was without occupation. عطل الشیء (attala) means, he left the thing unattended or neglected. عطل البئر means, he left off going to the well for taking water (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
The reference in the verse is to the replacement of camels by better and swifter means of transport—railway trains, steamships motor cars, aeroplanes, etc. Or the verse may signify that, in Promised Mahdi’s time, camels—she-camels ten months with young—will lose their importance, even in Arabia. There is a pointed reference to camels being replaced by other means of transport in a saying of the Holy Prophet which is to the effect: ولیترکن القلاص فلا یسعی علیھا i.e. the camels will be abandoned and will not be used for going from one place to another (Muslim).
‘Ishar is the plural of ‘Ushara’ which means, a she-camel that has been ten-months with young. ‘Ishar is applied to she-camels until some of them have brought forth and others are expected to bring forth (Lane). The verse means that when she-camels will lose their importance even in Arabia. The reference seems to be to the replacement of camels by better and swifter means of transport—railway trains, steamships, motor cars, aeroplanes, etc. There is a pointed reference to camels being replaced by other means of transport in a saying of the Holy Prophet which is to the effect: 'The camels will be abandoned and will not be used for going from one place to another' (Muslim).