Olive and the Qur ān: A Semantic Case Study of Zaytūn in the Context of al-Nūr:35 (24:35)
Author(s):
Abstract:
In Arabic, zayt, derived from zaytūn, refers to all kinds of oil. Similarly in English, oil is derived from the Latin word olea, meaning olive. Olive is indigenous to the Mediterranean region, in particular Syria. The word zaytūn is used six times in the Qur’ān. In Sūrat al- Nūr:35 Allah expresses Himself as the light of a lamp which is lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree which is neither eastern nor western. Translators almost agree on interpreting “neither eastern nor western” as the qualifying adjective for the olive tree. Nevertheless, the commentators have failed to explain the occasion or reasoning behind the description. In this author’s opinion, however, “neither eastern nor western” is a characterization of the oil which is the origin of Divine light and certainly not the tree. The Divine existence is preeternal, therefore requires no “rise from the east” and is perpetual, having no “descent in the west” either. God is thus “neither eastern nor western” but rather eternally existent. Classical Persian poetry is also strongly indicative and supportive of this interpretation In al-Mu’minūn:20 (23:20) zaytūn is not directly mentioned, but contextual evidence hints that by tree and oil, olive tree and oil is actually meant. Specifically, verse 19 of the same sūrah speaks of gardens of date palms and grapevines. The names of the same fruits accompany olive (zaytūn) in four other verses throughout the Qur’ān. The second hint comes from the juxtaposing the fact that the particular tree under consideration is a native plant of the Mount Sinai with al- Tīn:1, 2 (95:1,2), where Allah swears by olive and the Mount Sinai.
Language:
Persian
Published:
دو فصلنامه ترجمان وحی, Volume:15 Issue: 1, 2011
Page:
37
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