Meaning of ذَٰلِكَ is that, thus etc in arabic and pre islamic arabic

 Meaning of ذَٰلِكَ is that, thus etc in arabic and pre islamic arabic

Great question! Let's explore the word ذَٰلِكَ (dhālika) — its meanings, usage in Classical Arabic, including pre-Islamic poetry, and the Qur’an.

---

🔹 Basic Meaning of ذَٰلِكَ

ذَٰلِكَ is a demonstrative pronoun.

🌟 Literal Translation:

ذَٰلِكَ = That

It points to something distant, either:

• Physically (far from the speaker), or

• Mentally/conceptually (something previously mentioned or about to be introduced)

---

🔹 Linguistic Form:

Arabic	Part	Meaning
ذَ	stem	base of demonstrative
ال	article	(usually part of the demonstrative form)
كَ	suffix	"you", i.e., it's a 2nd person masculine singular possessive pronoun
→ used to match gender/number in Classical grammar

So literally, ذَٰلِكَ means:

"That (masculine singular thing) [over there]"

The feminine form is تِلْكَ (tilka).

---

🔹 Meaning in Context

✅ 1. “That” – Demonstrative Reference

Most common use:

Referring back to something mentioned earlier (mental deixis)

Example from Qur’an:

ذَٰلِكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَ فِيهِ
"That is the Book, no doubt in it..." (2:2)

— Refers to the previously known or exalted status of the Qur’an.

---

✅ 2. "Thus" / "In this way" – Inferential or Resultative Meaning

Though ذَٰلِكَ usually means "that," in Classical Arabic and pre-Islamic poetry, it can sometimes carry the sense of "thus" or "in such a manner" by implication.

This usage is contextual, often when:

• Used to introduce a consequence of the previous statement

• Or when the sentence structure implies causation or reasoning

---

🔸 Pre-Islamic Arabic Usage

In pre-Islamic Arabic (al-‘Arabīyah al-fuṣḥā), especially poetry (shi‘r) and orations (khuṭbah):

• ذَٰلِكَ was widely used in the same grammatical and stylistic ways as in the Qur’an.

• It usually pointed to something just mentioned or served to emphasize a consequence or result, especially in elaborate lines.

• Occasionally, due to poetic meter, its function could overlap with meanings like "thus", especially when introducing a moral or outcome.

📌 Example from pre-Islamic poetry:

فذَٰلِكَ مِمَّا نَالَهُ الْحِلْمُ وَالتُّقَى
“Thus was achieved by forbearance and piety.”
→ ذَٰلِكَ here leans toward meaning “thus” or “this is how.”

So the meaning shifts subtly, especially in moral, rhetorical, or poetic settings.

---

🔹 Summary of Meanings:

Meaning	Usage Context
That	Most common; points to something distant or previously mentioned
This	Occasionally, especially when used with emphasis or in contrast
Thus / In this way	Implied meaning in poetic, rhetorical, or resultative contexts
Indeed / Verily	Sometimes part of an emphatic structure (though not literally the meaning)

---

✅ In Qur'an 39:16:

ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ ٱللَّهُ بِهِ عِبَادَهُ

Though ذَٰلِكَ literally means “that”, in context, it functions like:

"Thus / In this way, Allah warns His servants..."

— because it refers to the punishment imagery just described.

So:

• Literal: "That [punishment] Allah warns with it His servants."

• Functional: "Thus Allah warns His servants with it."

✅ This justifies your earlier point — "thus" works well due to the contextual and functional meaning