Body / بَدَنِ / جَسَدًا / سَوْءَةَ

 Revisiting Human: Body or Soul?  Part III: Body / بَدَنِ / جَسَدًا / سَوْءَةَ 

Note: In 2017, I published a post titled Human: Body or Soul?. In this series, I intend to restudy the ayaat to improve the understanding, and to increase in submission, in sha Allah  

DRAFT

The Quran speaks of the body in three different root words. 

 سَوْءَةَ 

In Adam's story, and his sons, it speaks of the body in the triliteral root sīn wāw hamza (س و أ): 

• in Adam's story, when Iblis (Satan) tricks them into losing their clothing, their naked body is described with the word سَوْآتِهِمَا , as described in detail in Surah al-Araf (Q7:20, Q7:22, Q7:26, Q7:27). 
• in Adam's sons' story, the dead body is described as سَوْءَةَ .

Screenshot from corpus.quran.com

This triliteral root س و أ shares meanings with words which indicate the consequences of our (sinful) deeds upon us, such that they are a physical consequence, which needs to be removed, and is removable. For example: 

وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ وَاٰمَنُوۡا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّهُوَ الۡحَقُّ مِنۡ رَّبِّهِمۡ​ۙ كَفَّرَ عَنۡهُمۡ سَيِّاٰتِهِمۡ وَاَصۡلَحَ بَالَهُمۡ‏ 

And those who believe and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down upon Muḥammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He will remove from them their misdeeds and amend their condition.

[Al-Quran 47:2, Translation: Saheeh International]

لِّيُدۡخِلَ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَالۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنۡهُمۡ سَيِّاٰتِهِمۡ​ؕ وَكَانَ ذٰ لِكَ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ فَوۡزًا عَظِيۡمًا ۙ‏ 

[And] that He may admit the believing men and the believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therein eternally and remove from them their misdeeds - and ever is that, in the sight of Allāh, a great attainment

  [Al-Quran 48:5, Translation: Saheeh International]

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 جَسَدًا 

The word جَسَدًا seems to be:

• an image of a body, as of the heifer (عِجْلًا) that the Bani Israel started worshipping, as in Q7:148, and Q20:88, 
• or a body which doesn't need to eat, nor does it die, as questions Q21:8, 
• or maybe a body, or image of a body, that Solomon was tested with, and then he realised his sin, and repented, as in Q38:34

Screenshot from corpus.quran.com

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 بَدَنِ 

When Pharaoh was drowning, he was preserved in his body ( بَدَنِ ) as a sign for those who would come later. 

Screenshot from: corpus.quran.com

Traditionally, when the Pharaohs died, they were mummified and their bodies preserved. There are many such mummies. However, this was a unique case where an entire army was drowned, and it must have been a long while before this drowned, wet yet preserved, body was discovered and taken care of. 

The entire ayat reads: 

فَالۡيَوۡمَ نُـنَجِّيۡكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُوۡنَ لِمَنۡ خَلۡفَكَ اٰيَةً  ؕ وَاِنَّ كَثِيۡرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ عَنۡ اٰيٰتِنَا لَغٰفِلُوۡنَ‏ 

However today We will preserve you in your body so you may be a sign to anyone who comes after you. Yet many people are quite heedless of Our signs.

  [Al-Quran 10:92, Translation: T. B. Irving]

When this mummified body was discovered, and sent to France for preservation, the finding was that this particular body had suffered drowning before being preserved as a mummy.  

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So, the three different words for body might mean three different aspects: 

• suffered some harm  سَوْءَةَ
• shape of the body  جَسَدًا
• content of the body بَدَنِ 

Looking up in Lane's Lexicon: 

• بَدَنِ indicates fatness and age, or the torso, i.e. the trunk of the body, considered independently of  the head, hands and feet 
• جَسَدًا indicates a soulless body 
•  سَوْءَةَ a thing became evil or bad; or something that causes grief or shame; or something unsightly when exposed, more specifically the exposure of the pudendum  

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From the original post: 

BODY

The Quran speaks of your nafs, your heart, your face, your eyes, your hands, but it speaks about us or rather our body as 'you', except in the following ayaat: 

[source: http://corpus.quran.com/search.jsp?q=body]

[source: http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=jsd]

Consider the following ayaat:

Indeed, (the) likeness (of) Isa near Allah (is) like (the) likeness (of) Adam. He created him from dust then He said to him, "Be," and he was. 

[Al-Quran 3:59] 

And among His Signs (is) that He created you from dust then behold! You (are) human beings dispersing. 

[Al-Quran 30:20] 

He (is) the One Who created you from dust, then from a semen-drop, then from a clinging substance, then He brings you out (as) a child; then lets you reach your maturity, then lets you become old - and among you (is he) who dies before - and lets you reach a term specified, and that you may use reason. 

[Al-Quran 40:67] 

The Quran reiterates that we have been created from the Earth. Not only does it inform us of our earthly origins, it seems that the earth that was used to create us in this life is the same earth that will be put back together when we are resurrected: 

And they say, "Is it when we are bones and crumbled particles, will we surely (be) resurrected (as) a creation new." Say, "Be stones or iron. Or a creation of what (is) great in your breasts." Then they will say, "Who will restore us?" Say, "He Who separated (فَطَرَ) you (the) first time." Then they will shake at you their heads and they say, "When (will) it (be)?" Say, "Perhaps that (it) will be soon." (On) the Day He will call you and you will respond with His Praise, and you will think, not you had remained except a little (while). 

[Al-Quran 17:49-52; Translation edited] 

What! When we die and have become dust. That (is) a return far." Certainly, We know what diminishes the earth of them, and with Us (is) a Book guarded. 

[Al-Quran 50:3-4] 

(The) Day will split the earth from them, hurrying. That (is) a gathering for Us easy. 

[Al-Quran 50:44] 

(The) Day they will come out from the graves rapidly as if they (were) to a goal hastening,  

[Al-Quran 70:43] 

Last updated on: November 24, 2022