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What is the meaning of the double negative in Surat Al-A'raf, in the words of Allah Almighty: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you," and why was its grammatical analysis not an affirmation of prostration?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the interpretation of Allah’s statement: {He said: "What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?"} [Quran 7:12], presenting several views. The most prominent among them is what Al-Shanqeeti mentioned in Daf’ Iyham al-Idtirab, where he clarified that the problem lies in the presence of the negative particle "la" (لا) after "manaka" (منعك - prevented you). He answered this by explaining that the meaning is: "What prevented you from prostrating, thereby compelling you not to prostrate?" This is the interpretation favored by Al-Tabari. Another answer is that "la" is an extra particle for emphasis and does not convey negation, and they supported this with other verses. Ibn Ashour mentioned that the interrogation is a reprimand to reveal Iblis's intention, and that the mention of "la" is contrary to what appears to be the obvious meaning, so it was said that it is extra for emphasis. It was also said that "la" is negative, and its presence indicates an implied verb, as if the meaning is: "What prevented you from prostrating, leading you not to prostrate?" This is also the interpretation chosen by Al-Tabari.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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