Qur'anic Root Q R D

Short Introduction to the Root

The root Q R D appears in the Qur’an only in the form قِرَدَة, the plural of قِرْد, meaning apes / monkeys.

This root is used only three times in the Qur’an: Al-Baqarah 2:65, Al-Ma’idah 5:60, and Al-Araf 7:166.

Short root meaning:

ape, monkey.

Phrases such as “humiliation,” “being driven away,” or “falling after breaking a limit” are not part of the lexical meaning of qiradah; they are understood from the context of the verses.

The Qur'anic Form

قِرَدَة

Qiradah is the plural of qird, and in all three Qur’anic uses it means apes / monkeys.

The Qur’an does not use any other verb or derivative from this root. Therefore, other meanings recorded for the lexical family Q R D in Arabic should not be brought into the Qur’anic meaning of this entry without evidence.

Al-Baqarah 2:65

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

“And you certainly knew those among you who transgressed in the Sabbath; so We said to them: be apes, humbled and driven away.”

Al-Baqarah, 65

In this verse:

قِرَدَةً = apes / monkeys.

خَاسِئِينَ = humbled and driven away; it is from another root.

اعْتَدَوْا فِي السَّبْتِ = transgressing the limit in the Sabbath; it is the setting of the event, not the meaning of qiradah.

So the word qiradah by itself does not mean “humiliated,” “disobedient,” or “fallen.”

Al-Araf 7:166

فَلَمَّا عَتَوْا عَن مَّا نُهُوا عَنْهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

“So when they were insolent against what they had been forbidden from, We said to them: be apes, humbled and driven away.”

Al-Araf, 166

This verse makes the connection of the scene with ʿutuww and conscious crossing of the prohibition clearer.

At the level of contextual reflection, one may say: after breaking the limit and being insolent against the prohibition, they faced a humiliating consequence.

But the expression “falling from the rank of responsibility” is better treated as ethical reflection, not the direct meaning of the root.

Al-Ma’idah 5:60

مَن لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَغَضِبَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ

“Those whom The God cursed and upon whom He became angry, and He made from among them apes and swine...”

Al-Ma’idah, 60

In this verse, الْقِرَدَةَ appears beside الْخَنَازِيرَ.

Curse, anger, the apes, and the swine are separate elements of the sentence. Therefore, “curse,” “anger,” and “humiliation” are not inside the dictionary meaning of qiradah.

How the Event Occurred

In Al-Baqarah 65 and Al-Araf 166, the direct structure is:

كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

And in Al-Ma’idah 60:

وَجَعَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ

appears.

The Qur’an states the occurrence of this transformation or making, but it does not give a physical or biological explanation of how it happened.

Therefore, the root article should not fill the manner of the event with outside theories. It is more appropriate to preserve the explicit image of the Qur’an and leave the manner of the event within the silence of the text.

Arabic Lexical Field and the Limit of Qur'anic Usage

In Arabic, the family Q R D has other uses too, but those branches are not used in the Qur’an for this root.

The only Qur’anic form is قِرَدَة.

Therefore, one should not conclude from shared root letters that the meaning “monkey” necessarily derives from one of those other uses, unless independent historical research establishes such a relation.

Grammatical Notes

قِرَدَةً in “كُونُوا قِرَدَةً”

In:

كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

قِرَدَةً is the predicate of كونوا.

خَاسِئِينَ separately adds the meaning of humiliation and being driven away to the scene.

This structure itself shows that “being an ape” and “being humiliated” should not be merged into one lexical meaning.

Challenges of Understanding and Rendering

First, qiradah should not be turned into an ethical concept such as “base people” or “the irresponsible.” The word is the name of an animal.

Second, khasi’in should not be placed inside the meaning of qiradah.

Third, meanings from other branches of the lexical family Q R D should not be used to build a speculative etymology.

Fourth, the manner of the event should not be determined beyond what the Qur’an itself says.

Translation Suggestion for Forqan

For قِرَدَة:

apes

or

monkeys

For:

كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

Suggested translation:

“Be apes, humbled and driven away.”

Short Root Meaning for Forqan

Short root meaning:

ape, monkey.

Contextual reflection:

In two verses, being transformed into apes comes after insolence and breaking the prescribed limit, and it is accompanied by khasi’in, meaning humiliation and being driven away. From this scene, one may reflect on falling after conscious defiance of responsibility and limit; but this meaning comes from the whole context, not from the root Q R D.

Conclusion

The root Q R D in the Qur’an is very limited and appears only in the form قِرَدَة, meaning apes or monkeys.

In Al-Baqarah and Al-Araf, qiradah is accompanied by khasi’in, and the event comes after transgression or insolence against a prescribed limit. Therefore, the scene carries a clear ethical message; but the meaning of the word and the message of the scene must remain separate.

Q R D in Qur’anic usage refers to ape / monkey. Its connection with humiliation and the consequence of breaking a limit comes from the context of the verses, not from the lexical meaning of the word itself.