Translation of ik'tatabahā

[god1quran1]

Salam Everyone,

I was research Ayah 25:5, which talks about Muhammad writing the Quran down with his own hands. Can someone kindly give me the verb form of the word ik'tatabahā and if possible give a little detail on how it translates to 'he has wriiten down.' Yusuf Ali translates the word as 'he has caused to be written'. I am assuming he got this meaning due to the influence of Hadith which suggests Muhammad was illiterate

The full translation is
   "   And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down: and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.""


thanks.

[Mazhar]

And those [many elite ruling elders] who persistently refused to accept said to people,

that, "This [Grand Qur'aan] is nothing except a lie which he [Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] has compiled

and other people have cooperated and assisted him on his desire/request in that compilation".

By this they have indeed now adopted/come to an attitude/course of impropriety/slander/distortions and blatant falsification. [24:04]

And they/many members of ruling elite said to people, "These are the tales of the ancients which he [Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] has written down;

for which reason/since these are dictated to him [Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] off and on/morning and evening [by others who assisted him in compilation]. [25:05]

[To mitigate their false propaganda] You, the Messenger [Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] pronounce for public information, "That/Grand Qur'aan has been sent/communicated by the One Who fully knows the secret and private talks in the Skies and the Earth"

http://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.Arabic%20Text/025.%20Al%20Furqan/025.%20Al%20Furqan.htm

اكْتَتَبَ Verb: Perfect; singular, masculine, third person, active. It is Form VIII. This verb does not permit to presume that he dictated to others who performed the act indicated by the verb i.e. they wrote that down. Characteristic feature of Form VIII is the reflexive affix / ـتـَ / which is inserted after the first radical of the root. This form has two connotations, reflexive and reflexive causative, "he did the act himself or he made himself perform the act reflected by the Root of the verb".
هَا : feminine, singular, third person, refers to أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ object of اكْتَتَبَ

[god1quran1]

اكْتَتَبَ Verb: Perfect; singular, masculine, third person, active. It is Form VIII. This verb does not permit to presume that he dictated to others who performed the act indicated by the verb i.e. they wrote that down. Characteristic feature of Form VIII is the reflexive affix / ـتـَ / which is inserted after the first radical of the root. This form has two connotations, reflexive and reflexive causative, "he did the act himself or he made himself perform the act reflected by the Root of the verb".
هَا : feminine, singular, third person, refers to أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ object of اكْتَتَبَ

Thank you very much. May I ask where you got the above from. Is this your own writing or from a lexicon?

[Mazhar]

Translation is attempted by me. Grammer rules and form of verb can be verified from any grammer book. On line you can cross verify here

http://arabic.tripod.com/Nouns3.htm

[god1quran1]

Translation is attempted by me. Grammer rules and form of verb can be verified from any grammer book. On line you can cross verify here

http://arabic.tripod.com/Nouns3.htm

As far as I know, this verb form for kaf-ta-ba has only been used once in 25:05. So I am unable to internally reference the meaning of this word from the Quran.  Would you be kind enough to give me one or two examples from the Quran where this verb form is used for other root words.

In other places, the verb form for this word has been translated quite differently like for example here

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Arabic_verbs#Form_VIII

thanks.

[Mazhar]

I am sorry, the basic meanings of Form VIII are reflexive and reflexive causative; its connotative meanings are emphatic and mutual. Even in mutual form the writing by the person concerned is the must. In Wiki he has mentioned earlier about reflexive nature but in examples he has just referred to mutual connotation. From Root: "ک ت ب"
form VIII verb is only this used in Grand Qur'aan

Root: "ک ت ب"
and All words made therefrom
http://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.%20Tabweeb/0004.%20Kitab%20Kaaf%20Ta%20Ba/0004.%20Kitab%20Kaaf%20Ta%20Ba.htm

[Mazhar]

Sorry you asked for some other example, here is one

for each person out of them is that which he earned from the dilapidating act/sin [Refer 24:11]

http://haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.Arabic%20Text/024.%20An%20Noor/024.%20An%20Noor.htm

[god1quran1]

Thank you. Your answers have been most helpful. I also wanted to know, for completion, how the verb form would change if I were to say, 'He got written down (from someone else)'  instead of 'He wrote down.'

Also, is such a verb form used anywhere in the Quran for the root word kaf-ta-ba? I tried looking but I wasn't able to get a definite answer.

[Mazhar]

One can write at his own or he may write that which he is dictated to write. For comparison and cross reference pl see 2:282

and the scribe must not refuse to write down since Allah has taught him, therefore, he must write down and the party under liability should dictate remaining mindful/fearful of Allah and should not reduce anything of liability/obligation.