Surah 15. Al-Hijr, Ayah 88

The philological authorities are unanimous in that the plural noun azwaj denotes here"kinds" of people, or "some" of them, and not - as certain modern translators of the Qur'an have assumed - "pairs".

Lit., "lower thy wing for the believers": an idiomatic metaphor for loving tenderness and humility (see 17:24 and the corresponding note [28]).

The Prophet of Allah, in his human love and sympathy, may grieve over certain classes of people who are puffed up with false notions and callous to the Message of Allah. But he should not make himself unhappy. There is no flaw in Allah's Plan, and it must prevail. This was addressed in the first instance to Al-Mustafa, but in a minor degree, it applies to all righteous men.

It may be that other people have worldly goods which worldly men envy. Do they necessarily bring happiness? Even the temporary pleasure that they may give is not unmixed with spiritual poisons, and even so, will not last. The man of God looks with wistful eyes at other things,-the favour and countenance of Allah.

The metaphor is from a bird who lowers her wing in tender solicitude for her little ones. Cf. xvii. 24, where it is applied to "lowering the wing" to aged parents.