Words and meaning
When Additional Letters Carry Meaning
There is a principle in the Arabic language:
زِيَادَةُ الْمَبْنَى تَدُلُّ عَلَى زِيَادَةِ الْمَعْنَى
“ An increase in a word’s structure indicates an increase in its meaning .”
Remarkable example of this principle appears in the final āyah of Sūrat al-Baqarah:
﴿لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ﴾
“ Allāh does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
It will have the reward of what it has earned, and it will bear the consequence of what it has acquired .”
[Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286]
Two closely related verbs are used:
كَسَبَتْ
and
اكْتَسَبَتْ
Both may carry the basic meaning of earning or acquiring .
However, اكْتَسَبَتْ has an increased structure compared with كَسَبَتْ, and this additional structure carries a subtle meaning appropriate to the context.
Regarding good, Allāh سبحانه وتعالى :
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ
“It will have the reward of what it has earned.”
The shorter and lighter form كَسَبَتْ is used.
Regarding evil, Allāh says:
وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
“And it will bear the consequence of what it has acquired.”
Here, the fuller form اكْتَسَبَتْ is used.
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explained:
“ The use of كَسَبَ regarding good indicates that a good deed may be attained by a person through the slightest effort—even merely through the intention of the heart. And اكْتَسَبَ is used regarding evil to indicate that an evil deed is not recorded against a person until he performs it and carries out the effort towards it .”
— Tafsīr al-Saʿdī, commentary on Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286
How generous is Allāh towards His servants!
A sincere intention to perform a good deed may already be recorded as a good deed, whereas a passing evil thought is not recorded against a person merely because it crossed his mind.
The additional structure in اكْتَسَبَتْ points to the deliberate pursuit and acquisition of the evil deed.
This does not mean that كَسَبَ is always used exclusively for good or that اكْتَسَبَ is always used exclusively for evil. Rather, it is a subtle precision in the selection of these two forms in this particular āyah—another example of the extraordinary eloquence of the Qurʾān.
زِيَادَةُ الْمَبْنَى تَدُلُّ عَلَى زِيَادَةِ الْمَعْنَى
“ An increase in a word’s structure indicates an increase in its meaning .”
Remarkable example of this principle appears in the final āyah of Sūrat al-Baqarah:
﴿لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ﴾
“ Allāh does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
It will have the reward of what it has earned, and it will bear the consequence of what it has acquired .”
[Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286]
Two closely related verbs are used:
كَسَبَتْ
and
اكْتَسَبَتْ
Both may carry the basic meaning of earning or acquiring .
However, اكْتَسَبَتْ has an increased structure compared with كَسَبَتْ, and this additional structure carries a subtle meaning appropriate to the context.
Regarding good, Allāh سبحانه وتعالى :
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ
“It will have the reward of what it has earned.”
The shorter and lighter form كَسَبَتْ is used.
Regarding evil, Allāh says:
وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
“And it will bear the consequence of what it has acquired.”
Here, the fuller form اكْتَسَبَتْ is used.
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī (رَحِمَهُ اللهُ) explained:
“ The use of كَسَبَ regarding good indicates that a good deed may be attained by a person through the slightest effort—even merely through the intention of the heart. And اكْتَسَبَ is used regarding evil to indicate that an evil deed is not recorded against a person until he performs it and carries out the effort towards it .”
— Tafsīr al-Saʿdī, commentary on Sūrat al-Baqarah: 286
How generous is Allāh towards His servants!
A sincere intention to perform a good deed may already be recorded as a good deed, whereas a passing evil thought is not recorded against a person merely because it crossed his mind.
The additional structure in اكْتَسَبَتْ points to the deliberate pursuit and acquisition of the evil deed.
This does not mean that كَسَبَ is always used exclusively for good or that اكْتَسَبَ is always used exclusively for evil. Rather, it is a subtle precision in the selection of these two forms in this particular āyah—another example of the extraordinary eloquence of the Qurʾān.