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Quranic Address
Surah: Al-Baqarah (189)
The Wise Response — Answering a Question with Something Else
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلۡ هِيَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلۡحَجِّ
— البقرة الآية 189
Definition: Answering a question with something drawing the asker's attention to what is more important than what was asked.
Quranic examples: "They ask about new moons — say they are time-markers for people and Hajj" (2:189) — asked about why the crescent changes, answered with its wisdom not its astronomy. "They ask what to spend — say good spent is for parents and relatives" (2:215) — asked about amount, answered about recipients.
Lesson: Don't always answer a question literally — the real answer sometimes lies beyond the question itself.
Quranic examples: "They ask about new moons — say they are time-markers for people and Hajj" (2:189) — asked about why the crescent changes, answered with its wisdom not its astronomy. "They ask what to spend — say good spent is for parents and relatives" (2:215) — asked about amount, answered about recipients.
Lesson: Don't always answer a question literally — the real answer sometimes lies beyond the question itself.
Source: Al-Zarkashi (2/347); Al-Suyuti (3/195); Al-Zamakhshari
Test Yourself
What is the "wise response" style and what is its example with the new moons?
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