Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Etymology of al-Aṣnām: Deciphering Unspoken Qurʾān Commentaries

Document Type : Original article

Author
Ahmad Pakatchi
Associate Professor, Department of Qur'an Sciences, Research Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/naghdeara.2024.479916.1244
Abstract
The term aṣnām is a Quranic word that, while often simply translated as idol, presents significant linguistic ambiguities and questions. This term requires thorough investigation both in terms of its etymology and its cultural context during the time of revelation. This study aims to address these issues. Methodologically, this research employs historical linguistics, focusing on Semitic and Sumerian etymology, and in some aspects, textual analysis of the Quran. As a result, it can be said that in the history of Semitic languages, the word ṣanam traces back to the root ṣlm, which has a meaning similar to its Quranic usage and is common among many of these languages. Ultimately, however, all these cognates trace back to an Akkadian word that spread through Aramaic to Nabataean and then to ancient northern Arabic. The Akkadian term itself does not have a Semitic origin but is derived from a Sumerian word, which in its literal and pre-terminological sense means carved, shaped, constructed (object). While in the Arabic of the Qurʾān, al-awthān refers to the common idols of the polytheists within Arabia, al-aṣnām evokes more specific idols, often larger and sometimes made of materials like metal. The construction of such idols was only possible with the technology and arts of surrounding civilizations, such as Mesopotamia and the Levant.
Keywords
Etymology
Semitic Languages
Sumerian
Elamite
al-awthān

Subjects

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Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis
Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 9
September 2024
Pages 214-240

  • Receive Date 23 September 2024
  • Revise Date 30 September 2024
  • Accept Date 30 September 2024