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18. THE MEANINGS OF LAHW ) (لَهْوIN THE QUR’ĀN The term lahw has many meanings, such as: amusement, entertainment, diversion, distraction, pastime, pleasure, sport, fun, and play. Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) mentions six meanings of this term in the Qur’ān in his Nuzhatu ’l-A‘yun, as well as alDāmaghānī (d. 478/1085-6) in his Qāmūs al-Qur’ān, as follows: 1. ( اإلسْ ِته َْزاءmockery, ridicule, derision, scorn), such as: )70:ِين ا َّت َخ ُذوا دِي َن ُه ْم لَ ِعبًا َو َله ًْوا َو َغرَّ ْت ُه ُم ْال َح َياةُ ال ُّد ْن َيا (األنعام َ َو َذ ِرالَّذ And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement [namely, as mockery], and whom the life of this world has deceived (Q. 6:70). The term “their religion” here means “Islam.” According to al-Qurṭubī, the expression “take their religion as play and amusement” means, “They mocked those who follow Islam, mocked its followers, and went into it as a play and mockering the truth." Muhammad Asad translates the above verse as follows: And leave to themselves all those who, beguiled by the life of this world, have made play and passing delights their religion (Q. 6:670) Then he says that it could be understood in two ways: (1) they have made their religion [an object of] play and fun, or (2) they have made play and fun [or “passing delights”] their religion, namely, the main goal of their lives. He prefers the latter, and says, “many of those who are ‘beguiled by the life of the world’ devote themselves to the pursuit of what the Qur’ān describes as ‘passing delights’—including the pleasures which money and power can provide—with something akin the religious fervour: an attitude of mind which causes them to lose sight of all spiritual and moral values.” 2. ( ْال َولَدson), as in the following verse: )17:ِين (األنبياء َ لَ ْو أَ َر ْد َنا أَنْ َن َّت ِخ َذ لَه ًْوا ََل َّت َخ ْذ َناهُ مِنْ لَ ُد َّنا إِنْ ُك َّنا َفاعِ ل Had We intended to take a pastime (i.e. a son),