بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Have you ever felt curious about the connection between Allah’s (Most High) attributes mentioned in an ayaah and the context of that ayaah?
Centuries ago there was a scholar who one day recited the verse regarding the punishment of the male and female thief, found in Surat Al Maida :
[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
al-Maidah : 38
However the scholar mistakenly ended the ayaah with: “… and Allah (swt) is forgiving and merciful”.
A desert Arab who was not learned in the Quran heard the recitation and told him that he (the scholar) was mistaken. People were surprised that a desert Arab who was illiterate could actually find fault in the recitation. He was then asked by the scholar why he believed his recitation was a mistake.
The desert Arab then responded by saying “ that cutting the hands of male and female thief is not a ayaah related to Allah’s (Most High) mercy and forgiveness but is related to Allah’s Power and wisdom”
When the verse was checked it was discovered that desert Arab was correct and the scholar was mistaken. This desert Arab understood that the words of Allah are used with the greatest of precision.
There are many Ayaat in the Quran that end in the attributes of Allah (Most High). And always there is a connection between the context of the ayaah and the attribute being mentioned. In fact the precise endings of the ayaat (al khawateem) is a linguistic feature of the Quran and a study on its own.
سبحانك اللهم و بحمدك نشهد ان لااله الّا انت نستغفرك و نتوب اليك