Qur’anic root ج ن ح — J N Ḥ

1. The semantic core and early Arabic usage

Inclining and taking a position to one side

جَنَحَ إِلَى الشَّيْءِ (janaḥa ilā al-shayʾi) means that someone inclined or turned towards something. The inclination may appear in bodily movement, a change of posture or the choice of a course or position.

جَنَحَ الرَّجُلُ (janaḥa al-rajulu) can describe someone bending onto one side. اِجْتَنَحَ (ijtanaḥa) can concern leaning for support or inclining the body to one side.

Forms of this family are also recorded in descriptions of camels and horses moving. An animal may lean more heavily onto one side or lower its neck and forepart. Some uses associate such a posture with speed, but speed is not an invariable component of the root’s meaning.

Ibn Fāris identifies “inclination and transgression” as a common underlying sense of this root. He also explains the bird’s wing and junāḥ as sin through this sense. His analysis helps explore possible relationships within the family, but it does not establish the precise historical origin of every word.

The actual meaning of each branch must first be understood. One can then consider how the image of inclination helps explain their relationship.

Janāḥ: a wing and a lateral part

A bird’s wings extend from either side of its body and are used in flight. جَناحَا الطَّائِرِ (janāḥā al-ṭāʾiri) means the bird’s two wings. أَجْنِحَة (ajniḥah) and other plural forms are recorded in Arabic.

In a related use, janāḥ denotes the lateral parts of other things. جَنَاحَا الْعَسْكَرِ (janāḥā al-ʿaskari) are an army’s two flanks; جَنَاحَا الْوَادِي (janāḥā al-wādī) can denote the two sides of a valley or its lateral channels.

For the human body, janāḥ can mean the hand, arm or side. Here the word concerns a part situated at the body’s side; it does not mean that humans physically possess birds’ wings.

جَوَانِح (jawāniḥ) also names ribs at the front and sides of the chest. Through its association with the chest, later literary usage extends it to expressions about a person’s inner life. Jawāniḥ does not occur in the Qur’an, and those later expressions should not be imposed on janāḥ in its verses.

These anatomical names fit an image of parts situated on either side of the body. That does not establish that every member of ج ن ح originally named a bird’s wing and was subsequently derived from it.

Junḥ al-layl: part of the night and the arrival of darkness

In older Arabic usage, جُنْحُ اللَّيْلِ (junḥ al-layl) or جِنْحُ اللَّيْلِ (jinḥ al-layl) denotes a portion or side of the night. Some explanations specify nightfall and the arrival of darkness; others describe a portion of the night without necessarily restricting it to its first hours.

The verb جَنَحَ اللَّيْلُ (janaḥa al-laylu) is also recorded for the arrival of night.

One can relate this use to approaching darkness and the day inclining towards night. In such expressions, however, junḥ has an established temporal use.

جِنْحُ الطَّرِيقِ (jinḥ al-ṭarīq) denotes the side of a road. The sense of side or direction is prominent here.

These examples show the family being used for place, the body, movement and time. None of these particular night and roadside expressions occurs in this form in the Qur’an. These lexical accounts explain the forms’ meanings but do not by themselves establish when each form was current before revelation.

Junāḥ: sin and blameworthy responsibility

جُناح (junāḥ), with an initial u vowel, denotes sin, wrongdoing, an offence or responsibility that can incur blame and accountability.

Some lexicographers explain this by describing sin as an inclination away from the right path. In that analysis, a person deviates from the path of truth, and the conduct is accordingly called junāḥ.

This semantic connection is understandable, but it should not be presented as an established history of the word’s derivation. Nor does it mean that every inclination is sinful. Al-Anfāl 8:61 speaks of inclining towards peace and commands the same inclination.

Lexical accounts also record junāḥ for distress and harm borne by someone. This does not mean that the Qur’an calls every hardship or burden junāḥ. In the poetic example below, the issue is responsibility and paying for another’s actions.

In ethical and legal use, junāḥ can thus concern the sin or blame a person bears because of their conduct. Its meaning is more than an inward feeling such as embarrassment: it also concerns responsibility for behaviour.

Junāḥ in poetry before Islam

The Muʿallaqah attributed to the pre-Islamic poet al-Ḥārith ibn Ḥillizah al-Yashkurī includes this line:

«أَعَلَيْنَا جُنَاحُ كِنْدَةَ أَنْ يَغْنَمَ غَازِيهِمْ وَمِنَّا الْجَزَاءُ؟»

“Are we to bear Kindah’s guilt and the consequences of its deeds? Their raider gains the spoils, while we must pay the price?”

The line occurs amid the poet’s discussion of tribal disputes and responsibilities. He objects to his own people being made to bear the consequences of another tribe’s actions.

Here جُناح (junāḥ) means neither a bird’s wing nor physical inclination. It concerns guilt, responsibility and the consequences of conduct that someone seeks to lay upon another party.

The line matters as evidence of older usage: junāḥ could occur in a dispute over tribes and the allocation of responsibility. Sin and accountability are therefore not merely meanings invented by later legal terminology. The line reaches us through the transmission and compilation of early poetry; its appearance in later sources does not by itself date every form in this family precisely.

This evidence also clarifies a semantic boundary: guilt or responsibility concerns the party to whom an action is attributed. Imposing another party’s consequences upon a person or community is precisely what the poet challenges.

In older poetry and speech, junāḥ could refer to something borne by a person. This does not make it identical with every hardship or distress. In al-Ḥārith’s line, the specific issue is liability and paying the price.

2. Wa-in janaḥū li-al-salmi: inclining towards peace

The only Qur’anic verse containing verbs from this root is Al-Anfāl 8:61, where two verbal forms occur:

«وَإِنْ جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ»

“And if they incline towards peace, incline towards it too, and place your trust in The God. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”

(Al-Anfāl 8:61)

جَنَحُوا (janaḥū) is a plural perfect verb; فَاجْنَحْ (fa-jnaḥ) is an imperative of the same basic Form I verb.

The opponents’ inclination is mentioned first. The addressee is then commanded to respond by turning in the same direction.

This use shows that جَنَحَ (janaḥa) means inclining. لِلسَّلْمِ (li-al-salmi), “towards peace,” specifies its direction.

Inclining towards peace does not make junūḥ itself mean peace

No. جَنَحَ (janaḥa) expresses inclining; السَّلْم (al-salm), peace, is the object of that inclination.

Someone may incline towards peace just as they may incline towards a group, a course or another desired object. Janaḥa is therefore not lexically synonymous with صَالَحَ (ṣālaḥa), “made peace,” or سَالَمَ (sālama), “maintained peaceful relations.”

Here the concept of peace comes from al-salm, while the verb expresses inclination towards it.

This distinction matters in translation. “If they make peace” can suggest that a peace agreement is already in place. “If they incline towards peace” preserves more precisely the situation expressed by the verb.

The verse concerns responding to such an inclination and commands the addressee to turn towards it as well.

Why does fa-jnaḥ lahā have a feminine pronoun?

In فَاجْنَحْ لَهَا (fa-jnaḥ lahā), “incline towards it,” the pronoun هَا (hā) refers to السَّلْم (al-salm). Arabic can treat this word as feminine. The pronoun need not refer to something outside the preceding sentence.

Thus the verse concerns one and the same thing: if they incline towards peace, you too should incline towards that peace.

The preposition لِـ (li-) in لِلسَّلْمِ (li-al-salmi) expresses the direction of inclination. The accompanying phrase makes the verb’s object clear.

Neither the feminine pronoun nor the verb’s lexical meaning establishes unconditional surrender or acceptance of every demand. Such conclusions require examination of the wider verses and conditions of the relationship, rather than the letters of this root alone.

Inclining towards peace alongside preparedness and trust

The preceding verse, Al-Anfāl 8:60, speaks of preparation and strength. Al-Anfāl 8:61 then commands inclining towards peace when the other party does so.

The following verse says:

«وَإِنْ يُرِيدُوا أَنْ يَخْدَعُوكَ فَإِنَّ حَسْبَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي أَيَّدَكَ بِنَصْرِهِ وَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ»

“And if they intend to deceive you, The God is enough for you. He is the One who supported you with His help and with the believers.”

(Al-Anfāl 8:62)

This sequence shows that the command to incline towards peace appears alongside readiness, trust and awareness of possible deception.

Inclining towards peace therefore does not mean abandoning every precaution or denying possible danger. The verse gives a specific command about responding to the other party’s inclination, and its continuation also addresses deception.

Nor should the possibility of deception erase the preceding verse’s express command to incline towards peace. The Qur’an places both points together: inclination towards peace and trust in The God when facing the possibility of deceit.

Neither a complete theory of war and peace nor every rule of relations between communities can be derived from this root alone.

The chief lexical point is that inclining in this word family is not inherently wrongful deviation. Its direction can be peace, and in this context the Qur’an commands that inclination.

3. Janāḥ: from a bird’s wing to the human side and humility

A bird’s actual wing

Al-Anʿām 6:38 says:

«وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ»

“There is no creature on the earth, nor any bird flying with its two wings, except that they are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book; then to their Lord they will be gathered.”

(Al-Anʿām 6:38)

In بِجَنَاحَيْهِ (bi-janāḥayhi), janāḥ appears as a genitive dual. The dual ending’s nūn is dropped when the possessive pronoun is attached, and هِ (hi) refers to the bird. Here the meaning is the bird’s actual wings.

Here the word’s meaning is concrete and physical: a wing is a part of the bird’s body used in flight.

The verse goes on to call birds and other living creatures أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ (umamun amthālukum), “communities like you.” This concerns communities and creatures’ place in creation; it does not change the meaning of janāḥ.

Nor does mentioning two wings here mean that every winged being in every use of the language must have precisely two wings. The verse concerns a bird flying with its two wings.

The wings of angels

Fāṭir 35:1 says:

«الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ»

“Praise belongs to The God, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who makes the angels messengers possessing wings, two, three and four. He adds to creation whatever He wills. Indeed, The God has power over all things.”

(Fāṭir 35:1)

أَجْنِحَة (ajniḥah) is a plural of جَناح (janāḥ). The verse describes angels as possessing wings and accompanies that description with the numbers two, three and four.

Not knowing the nature of angels should not lead us to remove the meaning of “wings” from the word. The verse itself uses this image and expression.

Conversely, that description does not establish that angels’ wings have precisely the same material, shape, size and manner of movement as birds’ wings.

The verse does not supply such details. What it clearly states is that angels possess wings and that the numbers mentioned apply to that description.

يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ (yazīdu fī al-khalqi mā yashāʾu), “He adds to creation whatever He wills,” also shows why the numbers mentioned should not be made an absolute limit for all creation.

The verbal image should therefore be preserved while avoiding a bodily or scientific theory about the nature of angels’ wings.

Janāḥ in descriptions of Moses’ hand and side

In Ṭā Hā 20:22, Moses is told:

«وَاضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوءٍ آيَةً أُخْرَىٰ»

“And draw your hand close to your side; it will come out white, without harm, as another sign.”

(Ṭā Hā 20:22)

جَنَاحِكَ (janāḥika), “your side,” here concerns the lateral part of Moses’ body. Arabic can use janāḥ for a person’s arm or side.

The sentence’s construction clarifies this meaning. يَدَكَ (yadaka) is Moses’ hand, which is to be drawn towards his janāḥ.

Translating both words simply as “hand” would blur the distinction between the hand being moved and the part towards which it is brought.

Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:32 also says:

«اسْلُكْ يَدَكَ فِي جَيْبِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوءٍ وَاضْمُمْ إِلَيْكَ جَنَاحَكَ مِنَ الرَّهْبِ فَذَانِكَ بُرْهَانَانِ مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ»

“Put your hand into the opening of your garment; it will come out white, without harm. And draw your arm close to yourself to [allay] fear. These, then, are two proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs. Indeed, they have been a defiantly disobedient people.”

(Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:32)

Here جَنَاحَكَ (janāḥaka) concerns drawing in the arm or lateral part of the body. مِنَ الرَّهْبِ (mina al-rahbi) connects the state of fear with the sentence.

In both verses, janāḥ concerns the human body. Simply translating it as “wing” without explanation could lead an English reader to picture the actual wing of a bird.

“Side” in Ṭā Hā 20:22 and “arm” in Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:32 are more natural renderings. The difference does not imply two separate roots: janāḥ’s use for the human body extends to its side and arm.

Wa-khfiḍ janāḥaka: lowering the wing in human conduct

Al-Ḥijr 15:88 says:

«لَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ»

“Do not stretch your eyes towards what We have granted groups of them to enjoy; do not grieve over them; and lower your wing to the believers.”

(Al-Ḥijr 15:88)

Al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:215 also says:

«وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ»

“And lower your wing to those of the believers who follow you.”

(Al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:215)

In these two verses, janāḥ belongs to a figurative expression. The addressee is called to humility, softness and gentleness in dealing with believers.

Lowering a bird’s wing provides a tangible image. A wing held extended or raised can be lowered. Arabic uses this image to express gentleness in conduct and humility.

This comparison does not imply that a person actually possesses a bird’s wing. In this context, the expression is figurative.

Nor does خَفْضُ جَنَاحٍ (khafḍ janāḥ), lowering the wing, mean abandoning every responsibility of leadership or accepting every demand made by those addressed. What the expression conveys is gentleness and humility in conduct. Other responsibilities must be understood from the verses concerning them.

Janāḥ al-dhull mina al-raḥmah: humility towards parents

Al-Isrāʾ 17:24 says:

«وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا»

“And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say: My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was small.”

(Al-Isrāʾ 17:24)

This follows the command to treat parents well. جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ (janāḥa al-dhulli), “the wing of humility,” accompanies مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ (mina al-raḥmati), “out of mercy,” and concerns humble conduct towards them.

Janāḥ retains the image of the wing; الذُّلّ (al-dhull), humility, and الرَّحْمَة (al-raḥmah), mercy, specify its ethical direction.

The humility described arises from mercy: a person treats their parents gently and compassionately.

This should not be understood as a person being degraded or deprived of worth and agency. Nor does janāḥ itself mean mercy or lowliness: separate words express those concepts.

Comparison with Al-Ḥijr 15:88 and Al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:215 shows that lowering the wing occurs in the Qur’an in two human relationships: the Prophet’s conduct towards believers and a person’s conduct towards their parents.

In both, the wing depicts gentleness and humility. The context identifies the particular relationship and responsibility.

4. Lā junāḥ: removing sin, blame and accountability

The most frequent Qur’anic form of this root is جُناح (junāḥ). All 25 occurrences are negated, as in لَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ (lā junāḥa ʿalaykum), “there is no sin upon you”; فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا (fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhimā), “then there is no sin upon the two of them”; and لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ (laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun), “no sin rests upon you.”

In these constructions, the Qur’an removes sin or blame from a specified action under the stated conditions.

Lā junāḥ is more than an emotional reassurance. In many verses it has a practical and legal role, clarifying that an action in the situation described does not incur sin or accountability.

The expression alone, however, does not establish the complete ruling for that action.

Removing sin from performing an act does not necessarily mean that the act is not obligatory. Freedom from sin may also depend on observing conditions stated in the verse itself.

Fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhi: al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah

Al-Baqarah 2:158 says:

«إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ»

“Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred markers of The God. Whoever makes the pilgrimage to the House or performs ʿumrah incurs no sin by going around the two; and whoever willingly does good, indeed, The God is Appreciative, Knowing.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:158)

Here فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ (fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhi), “then there is no sin upon him,” concerns going around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah.

The Qur’an first states that al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among The God’s sacred markers. It then removes sin from going around the two.

Isolating fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhi to claim that the practice is unimportant or has no place in the rites overlooks the opening of the verse.

Conversely, that expression alone does not determine the degree of obligation or all the conditions for performing the act.

Historical explanations of this verse discuss the association of al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah with certain practices and beliefs before Islam. Such accounts may help explain why concern about going around them is removed. Junāḥ itself, however, means neither shirk—associating others with The God—nor the act of going around.

Its meaning here is the sin and blame removed from the action mentioned.

Laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun: trade during pilgrimage

Al-Baqarah 2:198 says:

«لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُمْ مِنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عِنْدَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ وَاذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّالِّينَ»

“There is no sin upon you in seeking bounty from your Lord. Then, when you depart from ʿArafāt, remember The God at the sacred landmark, and remember Him as He guided you; and indeed, before that you were among those astray.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:198)

The removal of junāḥ here concerns ابْتِغَاءُ فَضْلٍ (ibtighāʾ faḍl), seeking bounty. In the pilgrimage context, earning a livelihood and trade are recognised instances of this.

Junāḥ itself does not mean trade. تَبْتَغُوا (tabtaghū) expresses seeking, and فَضْلًا (faḍlan) identifies what is sought.

The verse prevents seeking gain during pilgrimage from being treated as sinful simply because it coincides with the rites.

Removing sin from seeking gain does not endorse every source of income, commercial deception or violation of people’s rights. Other verses also discuss rightful and wrongful ways of acquiring wealth.

Here lā junāḥ therefore removes an obstacle or presumption of sin concerning a specific action; it does not unconditionally approve all economic conduct.

5. Lā junāḥ in family life, trade and social responsibility

Spouses’ rights and conditions of consent

Al-Baqarah 2:233 contains فَلَا جُنَاحَ (fa-lā junāḥa) twice: first concerning weaning a child by the parents’ mutual consent and consultation, and then concerning arranging for someone else to nurse the child, subject to the stated payment conditions.

The first passage says:

«فَإِنْ أَرَادَا فِصَالًا عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْهُمَا وَتَشَاوُرٍ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا»

“Then, if the two wish to wean the child by mutual consent and consultation, there is no sin upon them.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:233, excerpt)

Here freedom from junāḥ accompanies two qualifications: mutual consent and consultation.

Fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhimā cannot therefore mean that one party has unlimited freedom to decide about the child. The verse itself gives conditions for a shared decision.

In Al-Baqarah 2:229, فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِيمَا افْتَدَتْ بِهِ (fa-lā junāḥa ʿalayhimā fīmā iftadat bihi), “there is no sin upon them concerning what she gives to secure her release,” occurs amid concern about spouses failing to maintain The God’s limits. In Al-Baqarah 2:230, removing sin from the couple’s return to one another likewise depends on their believing that they can maintain The God’s limits.

These instances show lā junāḥ being used where the rightfulness of a family decision may be uncertain. By stating conditions, the Qur’an clarifies the scope of freedom from sin.

Al-Nisāʾ 4:128 also says:

«وَإِنِ امْرَأَةٌ خَافَتْ مِنْ بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزًا أَوْ إِعْرَاضًا فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ يُصْلِحَا بَيْنَهُمَا صُلْحًا وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ»

“And if a woman fears ill conduct or aversion from her husband, there is no sin upon the two in reaching a settlement between them; and settlement is better.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:128, excerpt)

Here fa-lā junāḥa opens the way to settlement in a family situation. Junāḥ itself does not mean settlement or surrendering a right. Freedom from sin is stated concerning the specific action the verse discusses.

Trade and recording a transaction

After detailed instructions about recording debt, Al-Baqarah 2:282 says:

«إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً حَاضِرَةً تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكْتُبُوهَا»

“Except when it is an immediate transaction that you conduct among yourselves; then there is no sin upon you in not writing it down.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:282, excerpt)

Here freedom from junāḥ concerns not recording a transaction specified as تِجَارَةً حَاضِرَةً (tijāratan ḥāḍiratan), an immediate transaction.

The verse distinguishes a debt for a specified term from an immediate transaction. The expression therefore does not make recording every financial obligation unimportant in every situation.

Nor does removing sin mean that writing down an immediate transaction is forbidden. The verse removes sin from not recording it in the stated circumstances; this is compatible with voluntarily recording the transaction.

In this example, junāḥ concerns responsibility arising from omitting an action. The full construction of the verse identifies the matter at issue; the word alone does not.

Salat during travel and in dangerous conditions

Al-Nisāʾ 4:101 says:

«وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ كَانُوا لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُبِينًا»

“And when you travel through the land, there is no sin upon you in shortening salat if you fear that those who have committed kufr will assail you. Indeed, those who commit kufr have been your manifest enemies.”

(Al-Nisāʾ 4:101)

Here فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ (fa-laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun), “then there is no sin upon you,” concerns shortening salat, the prescribed act of worship, under the conditions stated.

The construction has several components: travelling through the land, shortening salat and fear of harassment or assault by opponents. Kufr describes their rejection and denial.

Lā junāḥ does not by itself specify how to shorten salat, by how much or every condition for doing so.

The following verse, Al-Nisāʾ 4:102, gives further detail about establishing salat in danger and carrying weapons while remaining on guard. It permits laying down weapons when afflicted by rain or illness, but commands continued vigilance.

These uses show that freedom from junāḥ can ease difficulty in a particular situation without removing every other responsibility.

Nor does fa-laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun make salat itself optional. Removing sin here concerns shortening it under the stated conditions, rather than abandoning the act altogether.

Unintentional error and conscious intention

Al-Aḥzāb 33:5 says:

«ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا آبَاءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَٰكِنْ مَا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا»

“Call them by their fathers; that is more just in the sight of The God. If you do not know their fathers, they are your brothers in religion and your affiliated companions. There is no sin upon you concerning what you do by mistake, but [sin concerns] what your hearts deliberately intend. And The God is Forgiving, Merciful.”

(Al-Aḥzāb 33:5)

This is among the clearest uses of junāḥ in relation to moral responsibility.

The Qur’an distinguishes unintentional error from deliberate action. أَخْطَأْتُمْ (akhṭaʾtum) concerns error; تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ (taʿammadat qulūbukum), “your hearts deliberately intended,” expresses conscious purpose.

Freedom from junāḥ in this context is therefore connected with the absence of deliberate intent.

Junāḥ itself, however, means neither intention nor error. Other words in the verse establish that distinction.

The verse should not be made to say that every unintentional mistake in all human relationships has no consequence or compensatory responsibility. It concerns attributing children to their fathers and distinguishes deliberate sin from error. Matters such as compensating for harm are separate from the meaning of junāḥ itself.

Permission accompanied by a condition and a preference

Al-Nūr 24:60 says:

«وَالْقَوَاعِدُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا يَرْجُونَ نِكَاحًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِنَّ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَاتٍ بِزِينَةٍ وَأَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْنَ خَيْرٌ لَهُنَّ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ»

“And elderly women who no longer expect marriage incur no sin by putting aside their [outer] garments, without making a display of adornment. Yet refraining is better for them. And The God is Hearing, Knowing.”

(Al-Nūr 24:60)

Here permission concerns a specified group of women and is qualified by غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَاتٍ بِزِينَةٍ (ghayra mutabarrijātin bi-zīnatin), “without making a display of adornment.”

The continuation says وَأَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْنَ خَيْرٌ لَهُنَّ (wa-an yastaʿfifna khayrun lahunna), “yet refraining is better for them.” The verse itself distinguishes freedom from sin in one action from another choice being better.

This use is important for understanding lā junāḥ precisely. Absence of sin does not make every possible choice equal in merit and preference.

Nor can أَنْ يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ (an yaḍaʿna thiyābahunna), “that they put aside their garments,” be detached from its qualifications and context to derive unrestricted permission to remove every kind of covering.

Here too, junāḥ concerns sin or blame removed within the scope of the specified action. Other parts of the sentence establish the limits of permission and preference.

6. Junāḥ alongside sin, constraint and responsibility

Does lā junāḥ always mean complete freedom of action?

Every Qur’anic occurrence of junāḥ is negated, but their subjects and conditions differ.

Sometimes sin is removed from performing an act, as with going around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah. Sometimes it is removed from omitting an act in a specified situation, as with not recording an immediate transaction. Sometimes a conditional choice is involved, as with parents jointly deciding about their child’s nursing. In other instances, freedom from junāḥ concerns unintentional error.

The expression is consequently not a complete, independent ruling covering every aspect of each action.

Understanding it requires identifying who is addressed, which action is at issue and what conditions or qualifications occur in the same verse.

In Al-Nūr 24:61, لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ (laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun), “there is no sin upon you,” also concerns eating together or separately. In Al-Nūr 24:29, the same expression concerns entering uninhabited houses under the stated conditions. In Al-Māʾidah 5:93, freedom from junāḥ concerning what believers have consumed accompanies conditions of faith, taqwa—mindful care to avoid wrongdoing—and righteous conduct.

These examples show a fixed linguistic construction being used for very different legal and social matters.

J N Ḥ (junāḥ) and ʾ TH M (ithm)

إِثْم (ithm), from أ ث م (hamzah thāʾ mīm), concerns sin and wrongful conduct in the Qur’an. Qur’anic junāḥ likewise approaches sin or blameworthy responsibility.

The two words can be close in their moral implications in particular verses. Negation is especially prominent in the Qur’anic use of junāḥ: every occurrence concerns freedom from sin in a specified action.

This difference in usage does not establish a fixed Arabic scale on which every junāḥ is always a minor sin and every ithm is always a serious one.

Lexical sources also record junāḥ for an offence and sin. That fixed grading does not follow from the word itself.

J N Ḥ (junāḥ) and Ḥ R J (ḥaraj)

حَرَج (ḥaraj), from ح ر ج (ḥāʾ rāʾ jīm), concerns narrowness, difficulty and constraint in Arabic. Some Qur’anic uses concern the absence of constraint or accountability.

Al-Nūr 24:61 contains لَيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ (laysa ʿalā al-aʿmā ḥarajun), “there is no constraint upon the blind,” and later لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ (laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun), “there is no sin upon you,” concerning eating together or separately.

Their occurrence in the same verse shows proximity in the area of removing difficulty and accountability.

Lexically, however, ḥaraj also covers constraint and hardship, whereas Qur’anic junāḥ is closer to sin and blame.

The two may sometimes receive similar translations, such as “there is no blame” or “there is no objection.” Similarity in translation should not erase their different lexical backgrounds.

J N Ḥ (janaḥa) and M Y L (māla)

مَالَ (māla), “inclined,” belongs to م ي ل (mīm yāʾ lām) and is close to janaḥa in expressing inclination towards one side.

In Al-Anfāl 8:61, جَنَحُوا لِلسَّلْمِ (janaḥū li-al-salmi) can be explained through مَالُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ (mālū ilā al-salmi): “they inclined towards peace.”

This proximity does not make the roots identical. J N Ḥ also includes wing, side and junāḥ as sin; M Y L has other independent uses concerning inclination and changes of direction.

Nor does the sense of inclination make every inclination wrong. Its value is determined by what it is directed towards.

J N Ḥ (janāḥ) and J N B (janb)

جَنْب (janb), from ج ن ب (jīm nūn bāʾ), concerns the side or lateral part of something. Janāḥ can also describe a human side or arm.

In Ṭā Hā 20:22, إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ (ilā janāḥika), “towards your side,” concerns part of Moses’ body. In this respect it is close to janb’s semantic field.

Janāḥ also denotes a bird’s wing, whereas not every use of janb concerns a wing.

Resemblance between the two roots should not lead to identifying them as one.

J N Ḥ (janaḥa) and J N F (janafa)

جَنَف (janaf), from ج ن ف (jīm nūn fāʾ), concerns inclination and, in some uses, deviation from justice.

Al-Baqarah 2:182 says:

«فَمَنْ خَافَ مِنْ مُوصٍ جَنَفًا أَوْ إِثْمًا فَأَصْلَحَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ»

“Then whoever fears partiality or sin on the part of someone making a bequest, and reconciles the parties, incurs no sin. Indeed, The God is Forgiving, Merciful.”

(Al-Baqarah 2:182)

جَنَفًا (janafan) belongs to ج ن ف (J N F), rather than ج ن ح (J N Ḥ).

The two roots can be close in the semantic area of inclination and deviation. Here, however, janaf concerns partiality or wrongful deviation in a bequest.

By contrast, janaḥa in Al-Anfāl 8:61 concerns inclining towards peace. Similar letters do not make the roots identical, and inclination does not have a negative value in every use.

Suggested translations for Forqan

The primary equivalents for جَنَحَ (janaḥa) are “incline” and “turn towards.” In Al-Anfāl 8:61, “if they incline towards peace, incline towards it too” naturally and clearly conveys the two verbs.

For جَناح (janāḥ) in Al-Anʿām 6:38, “wing” is appropriate; for أَجْنِحَة (ajniḥah) in Fāṭir 35:1, “wings.” In discussing angels, preserve the Qur’anic image and address questions about its nature separately.

In Ṭā Hā 20:22 and Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:32, “side” and “arm,” according to the sentence’s construction, are more natural than “wing.”

In وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ (wa-khfiḍ janāḥaka), preserving “lower your wing” is appropriate, because the Qur’an uses that very image to express humility. An explanation can clarify that gentle and humble conduct towards others is intended.

For جُناح (junāḥ) in لَا جُنَاحَ (lā junāḥ) and لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ (laysa ʿalaykum junāḥun), “there is no sin” is appropriate in most verses. In some legal and social contexts, “there is no blame upon you” or “you are not accountable” may bring out the element of responsibility.

Although “there is no objection” may read smoothly, it can be less precise than “there is no sin”: readers may take it to remove every restriction or consequence.

The basic translation should therefore retain sin or blame and state the verse’s conditions separately and fully.

In none of these instances should junāḥ be translated as a bird’s wing, or janaḥa as committing sin. The differences in vowels and usage are essential to identifying the correct meaning.

7. Conclusion

J N Ḥ has several established Arabic uses. جَنَحَ (janaḥa) concerns inclining or turning towards one side. جَناح (janāḥ) is a bird’s wing and, more broadly, a lateral part, human side or arm. جُناح (junāḥ) concerns sin, blame and responsibility that may incur accountability.

An explanatory relationship can be seen among these meanings. Wings lie on either side of a body; a person inclines to one side in moving or leaning; some lexical explanations compare sin with inclination away from the right path. This imagery does not establish the precise historical development of every branch.

All three branches clearly occur in the Qur’an. Janaḥa describes inclining towards peace, showing that inclination is not inherently wrong. Janāḥ describes birds’ and angels’ wings, Moses’ side and human humility. Junāḥ is negated in every Qur’anic occurrence, removing sin or blame from specified actions under the stated conditions.

One important distinction is between the material image of a wing and its ethical use in lowering it. Lowering the wing towards believers and parents depicts gentleness and humility; the bird’s wing in Al-Anʿām 6:38 is an actual bodily part. These uses cannot all be reduced to a single bodily or figurative expression.

Another distinction concerns lā junāḥ. It removes sin or accountability, but does not by itself specify an action’s degree of obligation, conditions or equality with another act in preference. Those matters require the complete construction of the verse.

The semantic family J N Ḥ can be preserved in three related branches: inclining or turning towards one side; the wing and lateral part of a body or thing; and sin or responsibility that incurs blame and accountability.

Inclination and sidedness can help explain their relationship. They should not erase each derivative’s independent meaning merely to preserve an apparent unity of the root.

Thus Qur’anic janaḥa can mean inclination towards peace; janāḥ can be a bird’s wing or an image of human humility; and lā junāḥ can express freedom from sin in performing or omitting a specified action. Understanding the root depends on retaining those distinctions, rather than converting every use into an abstraction such as inclination, deviation or sin.