Nahj al-Balagha 229

Translation

as-Sayyid ar-Raḍī says: In the words “wala baqiyah minkum abirun” used by Amīr al-mu’minīn the “ābir” has been related with “bā'” and “rā'” and it has been taken from the Arab saying “rajulun ābirun” which means the man who prunes the date-palm trees and improves them. In one version the word is “āthir” and its meaning is “relator of news.” In my view this is more appropriate, as though Amīr al-mu’minīn intends to say that there should remain none to carry news. In one version the word appears as “ābiz” with “zā'” which means one who leaps. One who dies is also called “ābiz”.

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