The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 323
PT. 2 AL-BAQARAH outside other pilgrims went right up to Arafāt. Consequently if the commandment with regard to "pouring forth with the people" was at all needed, it was needed with regard to Arafāt and not with regard to Mash'arul-Ḥarām but in the verse under comment the Quran appears to mention it in connection with the latter. This difficulty has led some to interpret the word not as "then" but simply as "and" which the idiom of the Arabic language justifies (Lane). These commentators have translated CH. 2 be noted that in this case they would be taken to have been used merely to indicate that whereas the return from 'Arafāt is confined to those who adhere to the right custom and go right up to 'Arafat, the return from Mash'arul-Haram is general, including also the proud Hums who stopped short at Mash'arul-Harām and did not go further. This is further corroborated by the fact that whereas the Quran uses the word (you pour forth) with regard to the return from 'Arafāt, it uses the words pour forth from". . حيث افاض الناس | not as "then pour ثم افيضوا the words forth" but simply as "and pour forth". In this case the "pouring forth" spoken of may relate to 'Arafat and not to Mash'arul-Ḥarām as the clause under comment appears to indicate. This is certainly not an incorrect interpretation so far as the rules of the Arabic language go; but another interpretation is also possible in which the primary meaning of (then) is retained. This may be explained as follows. The preceding verse speaks of "pouring forth" or returning from 'Arafāt, thereby making it plain that going up to 'Arafāt is necessary. This completes the commandment with regard to the stay at and return from 'Arafāt. The verse under comment takes us further, speaking of the return from Mash'arul-Haram and not from 'Arafāt, and thus the primary significance of i. e. "then" 1s retained, for the obvious reason that the return from Mash'arul-Haram comes after the return from 'Arafāt. As to the words, pour forth from where the people pour forth, it may 323 where the people (i. e. all people) pour forth" with regard to the return from Mash'arul-Ḥarām which was at that time more general and extended to all. Thus the meaning of the word would also change with the change in the meaning of the word. If is taken to mean "and", and "the return" spoken of in this verse is taken to refer to the return from ‘Arafāt, then would mean "other people"; but if is taken to mean "then" and "the return" spoken of here is taken to refer to the return from Mash'arul- Ḥarām, then would signify "all people" and both these meanings are justified by the rules of the Arabic language. In short, before the advent of Islam the Quraish and the Banū Kinānah known as Hums did not accompany other pilgrims to Arafāt, but stopped short at Mash'arul-Ḥarām, waiting to join other people returning from Arafāt. In this and the preceding verse, they are bidden not to stop short at Mash'arul-Haram but to go up to 'Arafāt and do as other people