An Analysis of the Impossibility of Substituting Harm, Pain and Suffering for the Word Disease; An Interpretative Approach

Abstract

Every word in the Qur'an has its own special meaning, and no other word can ever be considered its substitute. Therefore, examining seemingly synonymous words is effective in interpreting and understanding the Quranic verses. Analyzing the meaning of the words "disease," "harm", "pain", and "suffering," using a method of lexical analysis and an interpretative approach, shows that the mentioned words are expressed in order to explain a specific concept according to their special significance. Any change and replacement will cause a disturbance in the meaning. The conceptual examination of these words shows that "disease" in the usual meaning of physical illness, "harm" in the meaning of severe financial poverty and death of children, "pain" in the meaning of anxiety and mental turmoil resulting from change and transformation, and "suffering" in the meaning of being indecisive and doubtful. Therefore, in addition to removing doubts about divine prophets, another dimension of the scientific miracle of the Qur'an (and also the honoring of women in the Qur'an) is revealed

Keywords

• semantic difference
• disease
• harm
• pain
• sickness