An Ayah: much more than a verse
Allah ﷻ says in Surah Jathiya 47:6,
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ
These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth. Then in what statement after Allah and His verses will they believe?
Quran has no dots or commas. Its smallest individual part or unit is separated as an Ayah (plural ayaat). Quran refers to itself as well as previous revelations as a collection of ayaat. For example, Quran refers to its own ayaat in Surah Al-Anfal 8:2,
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely
There is a reference to ayaat of previous revelation in Surah Al-Qasas 28:45,
وَلَٰكِنَّا أَنشَأْنَا قُرُونًا فَتَطَاوَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعُمُرُ ۚ وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِيًا فِي أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ تَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا وَلَٰكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ
But We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message].
And in Surah Al-Imran 3:113,
لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً ۗ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ
They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer].
Different scholars have counted the ayaat of Quran in different ways. According to popular opinion, there are 6236 numbered ayaats in the Quran, some others count it as 6666. Depending on their respective surah, the ayaat typically rhyme and vary in length – some are long (2:282 is the longest at fifteen lines long), while others are short (20:1 is the shortest with only two Arabic letters).
Each ayah is a unique construct. As we approach the ayaat of Quran, it is helpful to understand what an ayah means. It is usually translated as a verse because of the lack of a more appropriate word in English language. The word verse has biblical or poetic connotations, but ayah is a lot more than a verse.
The word ayah is found all over the Quran, occurring almost four hundred times. It has several meanings in the Arabic language. It means a sign, a mark, a token, an indication, a miracle, a wonder, a marvel, an example, a lesson, a warning, exemplar, paradigm, and a masterpiece. It is a sign that points to something else. The word ayah also means valuable goods. When Arabs were travelling and they camped out, after they were done, they picked up their valuable things and left. They left behind only things like ash from fire and bones from the food that they ate, because these things were not valuable to them anymore. We would say that the group of people who just left took all their valuables with them – or they took all their ayaat with them.
The root analysis of the word ayah also reveals “Aiy” that implies – “to give meaning to something”. This means that every ayah gives some meaning, some purpose to us. Ayaat of the Quran are like the winds – sometimes cool, sometimes warm, sometimes blowing North, sometimes South, sometimes soft and sometimes harsh. Every ayah of the Quran teaches us something. It is purposeful. Islam teaches us to walk the straight path – the sirawtal mustaqeem. When walking on any path, we need signs. Signs tell us where we are, where we are heading, and which way to go. Ayaat are beautiful signs that guide our lives and help us strengthen our belief in God and the Hereafter.
Another related word “ee” from the same origin means an absolute convincing yes. The word ayah highlights conviction – a convincing yes. Another meaning also means to distinguish something. An ayah is distinctly the feature of its maker and every ayah is distinct from each other. It also has a meaning of “ta’jjub” i.e. something amazing, something that we are in awe of, something that is miraculous, that grabs attention and inspires curiosity.
Each of these meanings holds a special message for us. In short, ayaah is translated as two things: it means an awesome and convincing miracle, and it means a valuable sign - a miraculous sign! Allah ﷻ chose such a beautiful word with hidden deeper meanings for the smallest units of his Book. The word ayah and its meanings highlight our relationship with Allah ﷻ’s revelation.
We are always looking for signs. We are always asking for God to ‘speak’ to us if He is indeed there. If we look carefully, we will find that there are signs all around us. They are in everything. God is always ‘speaking.’ The question is whether we are listening, whether we are reading the ‘message inside the bottle.’ The Holy Quran is an answer to the human need for some special kind of "Sign" or "Miracle". When we see that a person who was blind, lame, deaf or dying is touched by God and becomes healthy at the spot, no human argument can deny it, no reasoning can stand up against it. Certainty of faith requires us to witness, explore, acknowledge, affirm and ponder over the miracles of God. All miracles of God are His signs that point to Him.
When we study the Quran, we realize that just like God calls the verses of His Quran His ayaat, He also calls many other things as His ayaat. For example, He calls the sun and the moon and their orbit – His miraculous signs; He calls the day and the night – His miraculous signs; He calls our bodies – His miraculous signs; He calls our insides – His miraculous signs; He calls our relationships – His miraculous signs; He calls the love between a husband and a wife – His miraculous sign; He calls the diversity in our skin colors, our languages, and our cultures – His miraculous signs. The word ayah is literally used for all reality. There are, two kinds of ayaat in this world:
These two ayaat are linked. Each one helps us understand the other better. Quran asks us to go out and explore the world to better understand what is mentioned in the Quran. When we study the Quran and then look in and around us, whatever we see and experience once again reminds us of the ayaat of the Quran. On the other hand, the light of the clear ayaat of Quran help us to study the universe around us in a different light. We start to discover more signs of God around us when we learn to think through the Quran. For example, motivations of Paradise that Allah ﷻ has told us in the Quran are – rivers, tress, amazing drinks, armies of servants taking care of us, friends and companions, beautiful and pleasing spouses, etc. If we had not experienced a waterfall or rivers or connections with our friends and spouses, if we never knew what milk or honey was, the descriptive descriptions and motivations of Paradise would not have made any sense to us. All the preview that we have in this life, helps to feed our craving for the next. Similarly, all the challenging moments of this life feed our craving to escape any more challenges of Hellfire in the next life. When we explore and ponder over miraculous signs of Allah ﷻ in both the Quran and the universe around us, new meanings, new connections and new perspectives start to open in our minds. Allah ﷻ says in Surah Fussilat 41:53,
سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?
The point of an ayah isn’t just to show us something cool and say ‘wow, that was awesome’. It goes beyond that. The greatness and magnificence of a thing points to the greatness and magnificence of its creator. Ayaat are God’s signs that point towards God. Allah ﷻ says in Surah Baqarah 2:118,
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا اللَّهُ أَوْ تَأْتِينَا آيَةٌ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ ۘ تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
Those who do not know say, ‘Why does Allah not speak to us or there come to us a sign?’ Thus, spoke those before them like their words. Their hearts resemble each other. We have shown clearly the signs to a people who are certain (in faith).
God in His divine messages to mankind commands us to contemplate about His universe, explore its harmony, flawlessness and perfect order, and seek His signs. Why does He command us to do this? Because every single sign in the universe testifies for His unity and His supreme powers.
A sign points to something else and removes doubts in our hearts and minds. For example, the birds flying away in fright and monkeys fleeing in a jungle is a sign that a predator like a lion is nearby. Black clouds in the sky are a sign that it is going to rain soon. If we enter a foreign land for the first time and said to someone, “I know your father.” The son who has never seen us might doubt us and ask, “How could you know my father?” To know if we are saying the truth, he might further ask, “Tell me, what my father is like? Is he tall, short, dark, fair? What is his temperament like?” Suppose he asks us a whole lot of questions, and we keep answering all the questions correctly, the son would have no choice but to say, “I guess you do know my father. I don’t know how you know him, but you do!” The situation is similar with the Quran. It states that it originates from the One who created everything. Our mind naturally says, “Convince me! If the author of this book really originated life and everything in the heavens and on the earth, then He should know about this, about that, and so on.” Inevitably, the more we research the information in the Quran, the more truths we start to discover, some that we knew and some that we did not know. Our doubts are removed, and our faith grows as we continue to check out and confirm the truths contained in the ‘miraculous signs’ of the Quran.
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۖ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ
These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth. Then in what statement after Allah and His verses will they believe?
Quran has no dots or commas. Its smallest individual part or unit is separated as an Ayah (plural ayaat). Quran refers to itself as well as previous revelations as a collection of ayaat. For example, Quran refers to its own ayaat in Surah Al-Anfal 8:2,
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely
There is a reference to ayaat of previous revelation in Surah Al-Qasas 28:45,
وَلَٰكِنَّا أَنشَأْنَا قُرُونًا فَتَطَاوَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعُمُرُ ۚ وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِيًا فِي أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ تَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِنَا وَلَٰكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ
But We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message].
And in Surah Al-Imran 3:113,
لَيْسُوا سَوَاءً ۗ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ
They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer].
Different scholars have counted the ayaat of Quran in different ways. According to popular opinion, there are 6236 numbered ayaats in the Quran, some others count it as 6666. Depending on their respective surah, the ayaat typically rhyme and vary in length – some are long (2:282 is the longest at fifteen lines long), while others are short (20:1 is the shortest with only two Arabic letters).
Each ayah is a unique construct. As we approach the ayaat of Quran, it is helpful to understand what an ayah means. It is usually translated as a verse because of the lack of a more appropriate word in English language. The word verse has biblical or poetic connotations, but ayah is a lot more than a verse.
The word ayah is found all over the Quran, occurring almost four hundred times. It has several meanings in the Arabic language. It means a sign, a mark, a token, an indication, a miracle, a wonder, a marvel, an example, a lesson, a warning, exemplar, paradigm, and a masterpiece. It is a sign that points to something else. The word ayah also means valuable goods. When Arabs were travelling and they camped out, after they were done, they picked up their valuable things and left. They left behind only things like ash from fire and bones from the food that they ate, because these things were not valuable to them anymore. We would say that the group of people who just left took all their valuables with them – or they took all their ayaat with them.
The root analysis of the word ayah also reveals “Aiy” that implies – “to give meaning to something”. This means that every ayah gives some meaning, some purpose to us. Ayaat of the Quran are like the winds – sometimes cool, sometimes warm, sometimes blowing North, sometimes South, sometimes soft and sometimes harsh. Every ayah of the Quran teaches us something. It is purposeful. Islam teaches us to walk the straight path – the sirawtal mustaqeem. When walking on any path, we need signs. Signs tell us where we are, where we are heading, and which way to go. Ayaat are beautiful signs that guide our lives and help us strengthen our belief in God and the Hereafter.
Another related word “ee” from the same origin means an absolute convincing yes. The word ayah highlights conviction – a convincing yes. Another meaning also means to distinguish something. An ayah is distinctly the feature of its maker and every ayah is distinct from each other. It also has a meaning of “ta’jjub” i.e. something amazing, something that we are in awe of, something that is miraculous, that grabs attention and inspires curiosity.
Each of these meanings holds a special message for us. In short, ayaah is translated as two things: it means an awesome and convincing miracle, and it means a valuable sign - a miraculous sign! Allah ﷻ chose such a beautiful word with hidden deeper meanings for the smallest units of his Book. The word ayah and its meanings highlight our relationship with Allah ﷻ’s revelation.
We are always looking for signs. We are always asking for God to ‘speak’ to us if He is indeed there. If we look carefully, we will find that there are signs all around us. They are in everything. God is always ‘speaking.’ The question is whether we are listening, whether we are reading the ‘message inside the bottle.’ The Holy Quran is an answer to the human need for some special kind of "Sign" or "Miracle". When we see that a person who was blind, lame, deaf or dying is touched by God and becomes healthy at the spot, no human argument can deny it, no reasoning can stand up against it. Certainty of faith requires us to witness, explore, acknowledge, affirm and ponder over the miracles of God. All miracles of God are His signs that point to Him.
When we study the Quran, we realize that just like God calls the verses of His Quran His ayaat, He also calls many other things as His ayaat. For example, He calls the sun and the moon and their orbit – His miraculous signs; He calls the day and the night – His miraculous signs; He calls our bodies – His miraculous signs; He calls our insides – His miraculous signs; He calls our relationships – His miraculous signs; He calls the love between a husband and a wife – His miraculous sign; He calls the diversity in our skin colors, our languages, and our cultures – His miraculous signs. The word ayah is literally used for all reality. There are, two kinds of ayaat in this world:
- Ayaat-e-Qawni: These are the signs of Allah ﷻ in the universe around us. For example, sun, moon, stars, earth, sky, rain, heat, cold, history, our own selves, our human experiences
- Ayaat-e-Qurani: Units of Quran that encourage us to explore the signs that prove its miraculous nature. There are several miraculous signs in the ayaat of the Quran.
These two ayaat are linked. Each one helps us understand the other better. Quran asks us to go out and explore the world to better understand what is mentioned in the Quran. When we study the Quran and then look in and around us, whatever we see and experience once again reminds us of the ayaat of the Quran. On the other hand, the light of the clear ayaat of Quran help us to study the universe around us in a different light. We start to discover more signs of God around us when we learn to think through the Quran. For example, motivations of Paradise that Allah ﷻ has told us in the Quran are – rivers, tress, amazing drinks, armies of servants taking care of us, friends and companions, beautiful and pleasing spouses, etc. If we had not experienced a waterfall or rivers or connections with our friends and spouses, if we never knew what milk or honey was, the descriptive descriptions and motivations of Paradise would not have made any sense to us. All the preview that we have in this life, helps to feed our craving for the next. Similarly, all the challenging moments of this life feed our craving to escape any more challenges of Hellfire in the next life. When we explore and ponder over miraculous signs of Allah ﷻ in both the Quran and the universe around us, new meanings, new connections and new perspectives start to open in our minds. Allah ﷻ says in Surah Fussilat 41:53,
سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?
The point of an ayah isn’t just to show us something cool and say ‘wow, that was awesome’. It goes beyond that. The greatness and magnificence of a thing points to the greatness and magnificence of its creator. Ayaat are God’s signs that point towards God. Allah ﷻ says in Surah Baqarah 2:118,
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا اللَّهُ أَوْ تَأْتِينَا آيَةٌ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ ۘ تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ
Those who do not know say, ‘Why does Allah not speak to us or there come to us a sign?’ Thus, spoke those before them like their words. Their hearts resemble each other. We have shown clearly the signs to a people who are certain (in faith).
God in His divine messages to mankind commands us to contemplate about His universe, explore its harmony, flawlessness and perfect order, and seek His signs. Why does He command us to do this? Because every single sign in the universe testifies for His unity and His supreme powers.
A sign points to something else and removes doubts in our hearts and minds. For example, the birds flying away in fright and monkeys fleeing in a jungle is a sign that a predator like a lion is nearby. Black clouds in the sky are a sign that it is going to rain soon. If we enter a foreign land for the first time and said to someone, “I know your father.” The son who has never seen us might doubt us and ask, “How could you know my father?” To know if we are saying the truth, he might further ask, “Tell me, what my father is like? Is he tall, short, dark, fair? What is his temperament like?” Suppose he asks us a whole lot of questions, and we keep answering all the questions correctly, the son would have no choice but to say, “I guess you do know my father. I don’t know how you know him, but you do!” The situation is similar with the Quran. It states that it originates from the One who created everything. Our mind naturally says, “Convince me! If the author of this book really originated life and everything in the heavens and on the earth, then He should know about this, about that, and so on.” Inevitably, the more we research the information in the Quran, the more truths we start to discover, some that we knew and some that we did not know. Our doubts are removed, and our faith grows as we continue to check out and confirm the truths contained in the ‘miraculous signs’ of the Quran.