Arabic: ṣadda + ʿan. See note to 8:47(by sam)

Arabic: ṣadda + ʿan. See note to 8:47(by sam)

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Arabic: ṣadda + ʿan — forsake, turn away from; to hinder, prevent, divert, to turn away. A difficulty in understanding this verb is due to the fact that it has two related applications. It can mean to divert (e.g. a person turns away another person from something). But it can also mean to forsake (e.g. a person himself turns away from something).

(আৰবী: ṣadda + ʿan — ত্যাগ কৰা, পৰা আঁতৰি যোৱা;  বাধা দিয়া, প্ৰতিৰোধ কৰা, বিচ্যুত কৰা, আঁতৰি যোৱা।  এই ক্ৰিয়াটো বুজিবলৈ এটা অসুবিধা হ’ল ইয়াৰ দুটা সম্পৰ্কীয় প্ৰয়োগ আছে।  ইয়াৰ অৰ্থ হ’ব পাৰে ডাইভাৰ্ট কৰা (যেনে এজন ব্যক্তিয়ে আন এজনক কিবা এটাৰ পৰা আঁতৰাই পেলায়)।  কিন্তু ইয়াৰ অৰ্থ পৰিত্যাগ কৰাও হ’ব পাৰে (যেনে এজন ব্যক্তিয়ে নিজেই কিবা এটাৰ পৰা আঁতৰি যায়)।

For more on this ambiguity in the Arabic see Lane (p. 1668) where we find that the preposition ʿan offers nothing by way of concrete guidance. The Traditionalist typically renders in both senses but without any discernible system. My own understanding is: where there exists a human object I regard the verb in its first application (e.g. he diverts his friend from the road); where there is no human object I see the verb its second application (e.g. he forsakes the road). This approach fits all contexts and requires none of the interpolation which typifies Traditionalist translations, which is why I believe it to be correct. The complete set is found at 2:217, 3:99, 4:55, 4:61, 4:167, 5:2, 5:91, 7:45, 7:86, 8:34, 8:36, 8:47, 9:9, 9:34, 11:19, 14:3, 14:10, 16:88, 16:94, 20:16, 22:25, 27:24, 28:87, 29:38, 34:32, 34:43, 40:37, 43:37, 47:1, 47:32, 47:34, 48:25, 58:16, 63:2. In this edition, I render in the translation ‘to turn away from’ which allows the same ambiguity in the English as is in the Arabic, and I supply notes which reference this verse for all instances. The instances at 27:43, 43:57, 43:62, 63:5 do not use ʿan.