Verse 8
The Morning Hours • makkah
View Aspects
Important Words:
ضال (wandering) is derived from ضل which means, he erred or went astray; he was perplexed and was unable to see the right course; he was entirely engrossed or was lost in the love of a thing; he wandered in search of a thing and persevered in the search. ضل الماء فی اللبن means, the water became hidden in the milk, etc. (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat).
Commentary:
In view of different meanings of the word ضل given above under Important Words, the verse may be interpreted thus: (1) The Holy Prophet wandered in search of the ways and means to attain to God, and God revealed to him the law which guided him to the desired goal. (2) He was perplexed and did not know how to find the path that led to the attainment of his quest and God guided him to it (42:53). (3) He was entirely lost in the love of God and did not know how to find Him but God led him to Himself (12:9). (4) He was hidden from the eyes of the world. God discovered him and chose him for the task of leading people to Him. Thus the word ضال has not been used in disapprobation but in praise of the Holy Prophet. The word in the sense of 'gone astray' does not and cannot apply to the Holy Prophet since according to another Quranic verse (53:3) he was immune to error or going astray. Moreover, the six concluding verses of the Surah reveal a certain sequence—vv. 7, 8 & 9 standing in close relationship and corresponding to vv. 10, 11 & 12 respectively; the ضال of verse 8 being substituted by سائل of verse 11, explains the significance of the former word which is, "one who sought God’s help to be guided to Him."
The verse may also be interpreted as: And He found thee lost in thy love for thy people, and provided thee with guidance for them.
Dalla (lost in love) means, he was perplexed and was unable to see the course; he was entirely engrossed or lost in love or wandered in search of a thing and persevered in the search (Lane). In view of the different meanings of Dalla, the verse may be interpreted as: (1) The Holy Prophet wandered in search of the ways and means to attain to God, and God revealed to him the Law which guided him to the desired goal. (2) He was perplexed and did not know how to find the path that led to the attainment of his quest and God guided him to it. (3) He was entirely lost in the love of his people and God provided him with perfect guidance for them. (4) He was hidden from the eyes of the world and God discovered him and chose him for the task of leading men to Him. Thus the word Dalla has not been used in disapprobation but in praise of the Holy Prophet. In the sense of 'gone astray' the word does not and cannot apply to the Holy Prophet, since according to another Quranic verse (53:3) he was imm