"And she certainly determined [to seduce] him." [Yusuf 12:23]

Asalaamu alaykum waRahmatullah waBarakaatuh.

I'll tel you one Gem which amazed me at the depth of the Quranic Arabic;


In surah Yusuf, ayah [12:]23, Allah tells us [in translation of the meaning in english]:

وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الَّتِي هُوَ فِي بَيْتِهَا

"And she certainly determined [to seduce] him." [Yusuf 12:23]

That's a common English translation, it seems boring and simple. But now I'll tell you the word in arabic and its deep meaning;

The word Allah used for 'attempted seduce' [on the pattern of muFaa'alah = 'attempted'] is: رَاوَدَ

The Root letters of this word are; رودَ

1st meaning: ( رود) Ra-Waw-Dal = to seek, ask a thing gently, search (for food), go to and fro in a pasture, go round about.

2nd meaning: rawada - to long after, desire, seduce, entice, seduce against the will

3rd meaning: The word iradah is used for power and capacity with reference to subjugation as well as to option and choice. i.e. ruwaidan = to leave someone for a little while, go gently with them (even though you have authority to punish them.) [i.e. see surah Tariq 86:17])


4th meaning: راود from Lisan Al 'arab that the prophet PBUH “ rawada “ his uncle Aba Talib , meaning he kept talking to him [to convince him] about Islam , so did Moses with his people.

قال الليث: وتقول راوَدَ فلان جاريته عن نفسها وراوَدَتْه هي عن نفسه إذا حاول كل واحد من صاحبه الوطء والجماع؛ ومنه قوله تعالى: تراود فتاها عن نفسه؛ فجعل الفعل لها. وراوَدْتُه على كذا مُراوَدَةً ورِواداً أَي أَردتُه. وفي حديث أَبي هريرة: حيث يُراوِدُ عمَّه أَبا طالب على الإِسلام أَي يُراجعه ويُرادُّه؛ ومنه حديث الإسراء: قال له موسى، صلى الله عليهما وسلم: قد والله راودْتُ بني إِسرائيل على أَدنى من ذلك فتركوه

So we're not trying to do a Tafseer of the ayah, but just for personal reflection, we see the depth of the ayah so the wife of al Azeez could probably fit all those descriptions when trying to seduce Yusuf:


She would show him hints that; she likes him, she would go around him and give him attention, she would entice him, she would go around him 'to and fro' (like a person who in hunger searches for food), she would try to subjugate him while giving him abit of choice so that he might start getting attracted to her. She would even talk to him to convince him to like her.
Subhaan Allah, the depth of Allah's speech! This is all explained - just through one word Root; Raawada - رود / رَاوَدَ



[I got the definitions from Lane's Lexicon [PRL Online], which is an Arabic-English Lexicon with definitions from Classical Arabic dictionaries.]

So when Our command came.. [Hud 11:82-83]

Watch: 4mins onwards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCysR2YyxIs

فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنضُودٍ

مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ

[Surah Hud 11: 82-83]

Allah decided to destroy the nation of Lut [Lot] because of their evil, and opposition against His Messenger.

When Our decision came, We made the highest part (of their tall buildings) the lowest part. [Hud 11:82]

So at the time Allah prepared to destroy them - they now had nowhere to hide.

In an Earthquake, you find somewhere to hide, but they never had any place to hide. You're also supposed to lie down on the floor;

Then We started raining upon them stones from the sky, manDuwd (a full bucketful excessively thrown time after time, repeatedly).


Ayah 11:83:

Musawwamatun - Marked; specifically, intensively, repeatedly - (with every person who is being targeted's name marked upon it.

Like a sniper fire, targeting the individual people who have nowhere to hide.

What a horrible destruction! What a horrible ending.. a disastrous punishment to end this life for each individual enemy specifically, and a humiliating arrival to their next life. This is what Allah did with them evildoers.

وَمَا هِيَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ
'and they are not far from those who do wrong'

Allah is warning all of us listeners, especially those who first heard it (the Quraysh polytheists) that Allah's snipers are not far away from the wrongdoers...

 

 

And (with) Thamud (people), who cut (hewed) out rocks in the valley (to make dwellings)? [Al-Fajr 89:9] (WITH PICS!)

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh162/speed2kx/madain-saleh1.gif

In the Qur'an, 'Ad and Thamud are always mentioned together. Moreover, the verses advise Thamud to take warning from the destruction of 'Ad.

To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: "O my people! worship Allah: ye have no other God but Him" "And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave you habitations in the land: ye build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and carve out homes in the mountains; so bring to remembrance the benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth.

—Qur'an 7:73–74

image links;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Thamudi.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh162/speed2kx/Thamudi.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh162/speed2kx/010_L.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh162/speed2kx/009-1.jpg

From the Sealed Nectar (Raheeq al Makhtoom) by Mubarakpuri:

On their way to Tabuk, the army of Islam (of the Messenger of Allah) passed by Al-Hijr — which was the native land of Thamud who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley; that is "Al-Qura Valley" of today. They watered from its well but later the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] told them not to drink of that water, nor perform the ablution with it. The dough they made, he asked them to feed their camels with. He forbade them to eat anything whatsoever of it. As an alternative he told them to water from that well which Prophet Salih’s she-camel used to water from.

On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar: "Upon passing by Al-Hijr the Prophet [pbuh] said:

"Do not enter the houses of those who erred themselves lest what had happened to them would afflict you, but if you had to do such a thing let it be associated with weeping."

Then he raised his head up and accelerated his strides till he passed the valley out." [Sahih Al-Bukhari 2/637]

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch7s3.html#The%20Muslim%20Army%20is%20leaving%20for%20Tabuk


More pictures and information on the people Thamud:
http://www.zubeyr-kureemun.com/SaudiArabia/MadainSaleh.htm

http://www.iqrasense.com/islamic-history/madain-saleh-cities-inhabited-by-the-people-of-thamud.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamud

Or simply do a search on Thamud.