Words and meaning
The Precision and Depth of Qurʾānic Vocabulary
Allāh سبحانه وتعالى says:
إِذْ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْعَشِيِّ الصَّافِنَاتُ الْجِيَادُ
“When, in the late afternoon, the fine swift horses were displayed before him.”
[Ṣād 38:31]
الصَّافِنَاتُ — horses standing elegantly on three legs, with only the tip of the fourth hoof touching the ground.
This distinctive stance conveys an image of beauty, lightness and readiness.
الْجِيَادُ — fine, excellent and swift horses.
Thus, in only two words — الصَّافِنَاتُ الْجِيَادُ — the Qurʾān gives us a vivid and comprehensive picture of the horses displayed before Prophet Sulaymān عليه السلام: beautiful in their stance, excellent in quality, and swift in movement.
إِذْ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ بِالْعَشِيِّ الصَّافِنَاتُ الْجِيَادُ
“When, in the late afternoon, the fine swift horses were displayed before him.”
[Ṣād 38:31]
الصَّافِنَاتُ — horses standing elegantly on three legs, with only the tip of the fourth hoof touching the ground.
This distinctive stance conveys an image of beauty, lightness and readiness.
الْجِيَادُ — fine, excellent and swift horses.
Thus, in only two words — الصَّافِنَاتُ الْجِيَادُ — the Qurʾān gives us a vivid and comprehensive picture of the horses displayed before Prophet Sulaymān عليه السلام: beautiful in their stance, excellent in quality, and swift in movement.