He means by his statement, “nor even” (wa-lā zakā), that it did not turn them into an even number from an odd one, by its occurrence among them (1).
And Zakat was only named Zakat—while it is wealth extracted from wealth—because God causes what remains of the wealth-owner's property to increase through its extraction from what it was taken from. And it is possible that it was named Zakat because it is a purification for whatever remains of a man's wealth, and a freeing of it from containing any injustice toward the entitled beneficiaries (2), just as He, Majestic is His Praise, said, reporting about His Prophet Moses, blessings of God be upon him: {Have you killed a pure soul} [Surah al-Kahf: 74], meaning innocent of sins and pure. And just as it is said of a man: 'He is a just, pure (zakī) man,' for that same meaning (3). And this view is more agreeable to me—regarding the interpretation of the Zakat of wealth—than the first view, even if the first view is acceptable in its interpretation.
And its giving: giving it to those entitled to it.
As for the interpretation of bowing, it is submission to God in obedience. It is said of it: 'So-and-so bowed (rakaʿa) to such-and-such,' when he submitted to it. From this is the poet's saying:
It was sold for a mean loaf of bread, and she was called upon for help
... from emaciation by her father after he bowed down (4)
Notes
- (1) His statement: "by its occurrence among them", i.e. by its existence in these people. And al-ʿadīd (in the rajaz verse) is from their saying "so-and-so is ʿadīd of Banū So-and-so", meaning he is counted among them but is not of them. He means that if he enters among a people, he is not counted as anything among them: if they are an even number, his entry does not make them an odd number, and if they are an odd number, he does not make them an even number; he is like nothing in count. He satirizes him and deems him worthless.
- (2) Al-sihmān is the plural of sahm, like sihām: it is the share and portion.
- (3) In the printed edition: "with that meaning", which is nothing of value.
- (4) This verse is from verses by ʿIṣām ibn ʿUbayd al-Zamānī (from Banū Zamān ibn Mālik ibn Ṣaʿb ibn ʿAlī ibn Bakr ibn Wāʾil) narrated by Abū Tammām in al-Waḥshiyyāt, no. 130 (a manuscript in my possession), and narrated by al-Jāḥiẓ in al-Ḥayawān 4/281, where it occurs: "Al-Ziyādī said", which is a distortion and misspelling as you see. These verses are from a poetical duel that took place between al-Zamānī and Yaḥyā ibn Abī Ḥafṣa. That is because Yaḥyā married the daughter of Ṭulaba ibn Qays ibn ʿĀṣim al-Minqarī, so ʿIṣām al-Zamānī satirized him, saying:
I see Ḥajr has changed and shuddered... and after a sweet life was exchanged for bitterness.
So Yaḥyā answered him with verses, among which were:
Is there anyone to convey to ʿIṣām on my behalf... that I will undo what he twisted tight?
Thus al-Marzubānī narrated in Muʿjam al-Shuʿarāʾ: 270; and Abū al-Faraj narrated in his Aghānī 10/75 that Yaḥyā proposed to Muqātil ibn Ṭulaba al-Minqarī for his daughter and her two sisters, and he granted him that. So Yaḥyā sent for his sons Sulaymān, ʿUmar, and Jamīl, and they came to him, and he married them to his three sons, and they consummated the marriages with them and then carried them to Ḥajr (which is a place).
And the verses of ʿIṣām al-Zamānī and their counter-poem by Yaḥyā are of fine poetry; read them in al-Waḥshiyyāt, al-Ḥayawān, and al-Shiʿr wa-l-Shuʿarāʾ: 740. The wording in al-Ḥayawān and al-Waḥshiyyāt is "She was sold for a paltry reduction, and he departed with her".
Al-waks: depreciation of price in a sale. In the manuscript and the printed edition it is "with a mean fraction", which is a meaningless corruption; I think the correct reading is what I have established by scholarly effort. Al-kasr: the lowest fraction. And his statement: "she was sold"—the pronoun refers to the daughter of Muqātil ibn Ṭulaba al-Minqarī whom Yaḥyā or one of his sons married. He says: Her father sold her for a meager, low, and despicable price, marrying her off seeking relief through her sale from the hardship and poverty that befell him, so he married her off to this vile, despicable rich man to seek help through her mahr.
This translation was produced with AI assistance and is part of an ongoing human-review process. Found a mistake? Use the feedback option in the reader menu.
