—that is, a report of an existing designation, not the act of coining a new name.
tughshāhā: the verb taghashshī is a euphemism for marital intercourse.
a yy il: pronounced with an initial hamza followed by a doubled yāʾ, denotes the male ibex.
“Name him ʿAbd al-Ḥārith”: al-Ḥārith was one of Satan’s names; he wanted them to call the child by it so that an outward semblance of shirk would be realized.
The love of the child overtook them: that is, their longing for the child’s safety overcame them—this was part of their trial.
ashfaqā: meaning, they became fearful.
“that it might not be a human being”: i.e., that it might come forth as a brute creature.
Overall sense of the verse: God informs us that when He answered the supplication of Adam and Eve and granted them a well-formed child exactly as they had requested, they did not show gratitude for that blessing in the praiseworthy manner they had pledged. Rather, they named him ʿAbd al-Ḥārith, thereby attributing servitude to someone other than God. Perfect gratitude dictates that servitude in a name be ascribed to God alone. Thus they committed an act of associating partners with Him in nomenclature, though not in worship. The verse then declares His transcendence over every form of shirk, whether in names or in acts of devotion.
Lessons derived from the verse:
- It is forbidden to give any name that expresses servitude to other than God, such as ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn, ʿAbd al-Rasūl, or ʿAbd al-Kaʿbah.
- Shirk can arise merely through a name, even if its full literal sense is not intended.
- God’s gift of a sound child to a man is a blessing that calls for gratitude.
- An aspect of thanking God for the blessing of offspring is to ascribe that child’s servitude to Him alone.