Ikhbāt: A Study of its Meaning and Cognates in the Qur ān

The Qur’ān has thrice used various cognates of ikhbāt, for which commentators and philologist have given several different definitions. Its basic lexical meaning is to be placed in a vast stretch of barren wasteland. In the usage of the Qur’ān, however, it has a specific meaning which is the focus of this article. Other similar terms have also been discussed and compared. A supplementary section by the translator examines the three syntactically variant uses of the term (its derivatives) and asks if this is indicative of a more profound difference than mere syntactic diversity. Another interesting aspect is the widely differing renditions in Persian translations, none of which seem to adequately account for the full scope of the term’s meaning. This may ultimately be due to the underlying lack of a proper equivalent in the Persian language.