RAINA
a way of dislocating the tongue to mispronounce or misrepresent
words. The Qur'an accuses the Jews of doing this to distort the clear
meaning of the Scriptures. see also Jews, dislocate...
* Abd-Alqadir, an Urdu translator of the Qur'an explains how this is
done:
They used the word Raina as has been mentioned in
Sura Bakr
(al-Baqarah 2:104). Thus when the prophet addressed them they used to reply,
"We have heard" -- which meant, "We have accepted." But they would
add, inaudibly, "We do not believe," that is, "We have only heard
with the ear and not the heart." When they addressed the prophet
they said, "May thou not hear." The ostensible significance of
this expression is an invocation of good -- be thou victorious so
that thou may not hear an evil word from anyone. But in their
heart they intended to say, "So thou become deaf."
Such wickedness they used to perpetuate.
(Cited by Muir, The Beacon of Truth, p.169,170)
* Jalaluddin also explains that "twisting of tongues" is the same as
"dislocating". (Cited by Muir, ibid, p.170)
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