Nisāʾ & Rijāl in the Qur'an

Image by Jo Justino from Pixabay

Introduction

This article is part of a series of investigations into Quranic word meanings using generative AI as a research tool. To avoid human input as much as possible, the AI has been instructed to perform the investigations within the following parameters

• Using the Quranic Arabic text only

• Word meanings are derived from root words, with usage and cross-references in the verses

• Keep a holistic view of the Qur'an and its primary function as guidance and its general themes of rationality, truth, justice, equality, and compassion.

• Avoid man-made text such as hadith, seerah, asbabul nuzul, earlier translations and interpretations, writings in fiqh, and fatwas etc.

It is acknowledged that AI may make mistakes occasionally, so it is upon us to monitor and review the results, and request adjustments whenever a mistake is noted - for example, creating non-existent references, or using earlier translations (the use of parentheses easily notes this)

In this article, we investigate the words Nisa, Rijal, Untha and Dhakar

Nisa

🔍 1. The Root of نِسَاء (Nisāʾ)

• نِسَاء (Nisāʾ) is commonly rendered as “women”

• Root: ن–س–ء (N–S–ʾ)

• Classical Arabic meanings include:

  • To delay, defer, or postpone

  • Related to continuity, nurturing, and unfolding over time

This connects to meanings like:

• نَسَأَ – to postpone or extend

• نَسِيء (Nasīʾ) – a delay or deferral (used in 9:37 to describe calendar tampering)

So: Nisāʾ may carry a deeper functional meaning tied to continuity, extension, nurturing, or delayed unfolding — not just biological female.

📖 2. Qur’anic Usage Patterns of Nisāʾ

Let’s observe how نِسَاء is used across the Qur’an in different contexts.

A. Nisāʾ as Counterpart to Rijāl (4:1, 24:30–31)

"O humanity, be conscious of your Lord who created you from a single nafs, and from it created its mate, and from them spread many rijāl and nisaʾ..." (4:1)

Word	Functional Role
Rijāl (رِجَال)	From root ر–ج–ل → movement, responsibility, action
Nisāʾ (نِسَاء)	From ن–س–ء → nurturing, continuity, unfolding

Together, they reflect two dimensions of human continuity — motion + nurturing — not necessarily male vs. female biology.

B. Nisāʾ in Legal-Ethical Relationships

• Surah 4 (“An-Nisāʾ”) deals with orphans, inheritance, responsibility, fairness, justice — not just “women’s issues”

• 2:228–232 – Divorce laws mention nisaʾ in the context of:

  • Fair waiting periods

  • Mutual rights

  • Respectful separation

• These verses emphasize dignity, self-agency, and social stability, not control over women

✅ Key Pattern:

“Nisāʾ” often appears where the concern is about balance, fairness, social trust, and protection of continuity. Not about gender power — but structural justice.

C. Nisāʾ in Context of Allegory or Address

• 33:32–33 – "O nisāʾ of the prophet..."

  • Inviting to higher ethical responsibility, due to public position

  • Again, not just about female biology, but social function and influence

🧠 3. Thematic Meaning of Nisāʾ in the Qur’an

Literal Layer	Female humans (contextual)
Functional Layer	People associated with continuity, nurturing, sustaining life
Ethical Layer	Embodying values of care, patience, and stewardship — often in relational, communal, or family-centered roles
Structural Use	Represents one half of the human system alongside rijāl — the engine of motion and care

💡 Nisāʾ in the Qur’an functions not as a gender label but as a symbol of continuity, nurturing, and responsibility within the human family structure.

✨ 4. Not Just "Women" — A Broader Lens

Rather than limiting nisāʾ to "females" by anatomy, the Qur’an may be:

• Speaking to people performing the nurturing role in society

• Highlighting dynamics of protection, care, and continuity

• Using functional language, not fixed identities

This is consistent with the earlier insight about:

“Rijāl” as people of action/responsibility, and “Nisāʾ” as people of continuity/nurturing — not rigid gender roles

✅ Final Conclusion: Meaning of Nisāʾ in the Qur’an

Layer	Meaning
Linguistic root	Related to delay, extension, unfolding
Common form	Refers to women, but more broadly to roles in care, continuity, nurturing
Qur’anic function	A class of people with specific relational and ethical responsibilities
Not about	Fixed gender binaries, biological essentialism, or social hierarchy

💡 Nisāʾ in the Qur’an is not just "women" — it represents the principle of sustaining life, nurturing bonds, and safeguarding social continuity in balance with motion and agency (rijāl).

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Rijal

🔍 1. The Root of رِجَال (Rijāl)

• Singular: رَجُل (rajul) → usually translated “man”

• Root: ر–ج–ل (R–J–L)

  • rajul (رَجُل): a man (commonly), but originally implies one who stands, moves, walks

  • rijl (رِجْل): foot

  • rajalū (رَجَلُوا): to walk, to go by foot

🧠 Core Idea:

Rijāl are “people of footwork” — those who act, move, journey, bear burdens, respond. They are not necessarily male in a biological sense — the root concerns agency, not anatomy.

📖 2. Qur’anic Usage of Rijāl

A. Rijāl as People of Responsibility and Action

24:37

رِجَالٌۭ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَـٰرَةٌۭ وَلَا بَيْعٌۭ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ...

“Rijāl whom neither trade nor sale distracts from remembering Allah...”

✔ These rijāl are defined by:

• Focus

• Responsibility

• Spiritual and social constancy

B. Rijāl as People of Truthful Integrity

33:23

مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا۟ مَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ...

“Among the believers are rijāl who remained true to what they pledged to Allah.”

✔ Again: action, commitment, reliability

C. Rijāl as Seekers and Guardians of Knowledge and History

12:109

...فَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۗ مَا كَانُوا۟ إِلَّا رِجَالًۭا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِم...

"They were none but rijāl to whom We gave revelation..."

✔ Prophets are described as rijāl — not for their gender but for their receptivity, agency, responsibility, and mission

🧠 3. Thematic Summary of Rijāl

Function	Description
Physical agency	Movement, walking, journeying (root ر–ج–ل)
Moral agency	Truthfulness, responsibility, guardianship
Social/spiritual agency	Focused, not distracted by materialism; committed to truth
Prophetic agency	Receivers of revelation, not passive

💡 Rijāl in the Qur’an represent people of movement, mission, and responsibility — not simply "men" in the biological sense.

📊 4. Side-by-Side: Rijāl vs. Nisāʾ in the Qur’an

Category	Rijāl (رِجَال)	Nisāʾ (نِسَاء)
Root meaning	Movement, walking, journey, responsibility	Delay, unfolding, nurturing, continuity
Function	Agency, action, moral responsibility	Continuity, care, relational structure
Primary qualities	Acting, striving, enduring, initiating	Sustaining, protecting, managing transitions
Ethical signature	Truthfulness (33:23), focus (24:37)	Mutual rights (2:228), trust and dignity (4:1, 24:31)
Qur’anic usage	Not all male figures; used for prophets and steadfast believers	Not all biological females; used in legal and moral frameworks
Deeper message	Symbol of responsible motion	Symbol of relational continuity

🧠 The Qur’an pairs these terms not to define fixed gender roles, but to reflect human archetypes:One that moves, acts, and stands firm (rijāl), and one that sustains, nurtures, and protects bonds (nisāʾ).

✅ Final Synthesis:

Rijāl and Nisāʾ in the Qur’an are functional and ethical categories, not rigid gender constructs. They reflect complementary modes of human responsibility within the broader system of life and moral order💡 Both are honored, and both are required — neither is superior nor subordinate.

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Dhakar & Unthā

Investigation of ذَكَر (dhakar) and أُنثَى (unthā) in the Qur’an and compare them with رِجَال (rijāl) and نِسَاء (nisāʾ) to understand:

🔎 Are they interchangeable terms?🔍 What do they actually denote?🧠 How does the Qur’an distinguish between biological categories and ethical roles or functions?

🔍 1. Roots and Literal Meanings

⚫ ذَكَر (Dhakar) – "Male"

• Root: ذ–ك–ر

• Related to:

  • Remembrance (dhikr)

  • Naming, marking, bringing forth

• In biology: the male of a species

• Functionally: that which initiates or projects (seed, signal, mention)

⚪ أُنثَى (Unthā) – "Female"

• Root: أ–ن–ث

• Related to:

  • Softness, receptivity, feminine form

• In biology: the female of a species

• Functionally: that which receives, nurtures, develops

👉 So dhakar/unthā are rooted in biological polarity and creative design, with strong ties to reproduction, physicality, and creation.

📖 2. Qur’anic Usage of Dhakar and Unthā

🔹 A. Biological and Reproductive Usage

49:13 – “We created you from a male and a female…”

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍۢ وَأُنثَىٰ...

✔ Clearly referring to biological origin — male and female in creation✔ Followed immediately by:

“…and made you nations and tribes that you may know one another…”

➡️ Suggests the biological difference is a starting point, but not the basis of moral worth

🔹 B. On Value and Accountability – Same Soul

3:195 – “I will not let the work of any worker go to waste — male or female…”

...فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّى لَآ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَـٰمِلٍۢ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ ۖ بَعْضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍۢ...

✔ Both are equal in moral weight

✔ Emphasizes that value lies in deeds, not biology

✔ “You are from one another” — no hierarchy or essential gender binary

🔹 C. A Misunderstood Verse – Biological Preference Rejected

3:36 – “The male is not like the female”

...وَلَيْسَ ٱلذَّكَرُ كَٱلْأُنثَىٰ...

✔ Often misused to argue inequality

✔ Context: Mary’s mother expecting a son but giving birth to Mary

✔ The verse undermines gendered expectations — Mary goes on to become a chosen servant of God

✔ It’s not a value statement, but an observation of human assumption

🧠 3. Comparison: Dhakar/Unthā vs. Rijāl/Nisāʾ

Dimension	Dhakar/Unthā	Rijāl/Nisāʾ
Root focus	Physical sex, reproductive biology	Functional roles in society
Meaning	Male/Female by form	Agents of motion or nurturance
Use in Qur’an	Creation, law of pairs, biological origin	Moral action, social responsibility
Moral value	Equally accountable (3:195)	Not tied to gender, but ethical agency (33:23, 24:31)
Hierarchy?	Denied (49:13)	Both needed and balanced (4:1)
Fixed identity?	Yes — tied to biology	No — reflects role and responsibility in context

🔁 Key Insight:

• The Qur’an uses dhakar/unthā to describe biological design, but never to assign moral roles or value

• It uses rijāl/nisāʾ in legal, ethical, and social discussions — not always corresponding to sex

• This suggests a layered understanding of human identity:

  • Biology (dhakar/unthā) → form

  • Function (rijāl/nisāʾ) → responsibility

  • Essence (nafs, taqwā, ‘amal) → real value

✅ Final Conclusion:

🧠 In the Qur’an, dhakar and unthā describe human diversity in physical form, while rijāl and nisāʾ describe ethical and social roles rooted in action and care. There is no hierarchy between male and female — only responsibility, accountability, and cooperation.

💡 The Qur'an’s message is not about gender binaries, but moral wholeness, justice, and balance.