The word and its positions:
"La yahzunka" (Let them not grieve you) — in multiple positions including: Al Imran (176), Al-Maida (41), Ya-Sin (76), Al-Naml (70).
Two well-known variants:
- Fatha on ya and damma on za: "yahzunka" — from "hazana yahzunu" — the prevalent paradigmatic form. The majority reading.
- Damma on ya and kasra on za: "yuhzinuka" — from "ahzana yuhzinu" — meaning: let the agent not cause you grief. Nafi reading in most positions.
The subtle meaning difference:
- "Yahzunka": grief overtakes you internally — meaning: do not grieve
- "Yuhzinuka": an external agent causes you grief — meaning: do not let that person cause you grief
The two readings are close in meaning, but the second focuses on the external cause and exonerates the Prophet from responding to the external trigger.
Ibn Mujahid: "Two well-known Arabic forms — both hazina and ahzana are eloquent — the meanings are close but distinguishing them reveals rhetorical precision."
Question: What is the subtle meaning difference between "la yahzunka" and "la yuhzinuka"?
Answer: Yahzunka: grief overtakes you internally. Yuhzinuka: an external agent causes your grief — the second focuses on attributing the causation to the external trigger, not to the Prophet.