THE DABBE IN THE QUR'AN
The name 'Dabbe' means animal or creature, and
comes from the word 'debbe.' 'Debbe' means walking with difficulty.
It is used for animals and insects. It also used to refer
to the effect of alcohol on the body and to such movement
as the imperceptible spread of decay.
The word 'Dabbe' appears
in a number of verses of the Qur'an, although Surat an-Naml:
82 is the only one that refers to this particular event that
will happen in the final times. When we set out the features
of the 'Dabbe' as it appears in this verse, the following
picture emerges:
1. The Dabbe is a moving, living thing.
2. The Dabbe is the product of the earth.
3. The Dabbe is a thing or creature that speaks
and gives a particular message, which is addressed to all
of mankind.
According to the famous Qur'anic commentator Elmali
Hamdi Yazir, although the word 'dabbe' is widely used to refer
to living animals, its true dictionary meaning is 'having
difficulty in walking.' That being the case, it can also be
used to refer to automatic things such as trains, cars or
bicycles.
When we look at this information about the
'Dabbe' as a whole, we see that the Dabbetül-Arz in
question may also refer to the television, the product of
modern technology. The fact that the word 'dabbe' is used
as an indefinite or imprecise term, known as 'nekire' in Arabic,
means that this is an unknowing creature.
Elmali Hamdi Yazir at this point states that: 'We
can infer from the way that 'dabbe' is employed in this verse
as a 'nekire' that this 'dabbe' is different to the other
'dabbes' with which we are familiar...'
Apart from Qur'anic commentators such as Elmali
Hamdi Yazir, a number of lexicographers have also stated that
the 'Dabbe' can also refer to all kinds of technical equipment
that moves with difficulty. Indeed, the television is a piece
of technical equipment that transmits movement and images
of movement and permits a flow of knowledge by means of waves
and signals.
More important, however, is the way that the 'Dabbe',
one of the signs of the final times, 'talks
to people'. This aspect of the television more than
anything else fits the description in the verse. There are
almost no countries, nations or societies in the world that
television does not reach. Television is a product of advanced
technology, and addresses every society in its own language.
Finally, another basic feature of the
'Dabbe' as revealed in the verse is that it is extracted
or comes from the earth. All the component parts of the television
(the glass screen, the metal workings etc.) are all made from
the earth, or the chemical elements within it.
Another matter confirming our view that the
'Dabbe' actually refers to television is the way that
the 'Dabbe' speaks to mankind.
By its very nature, the television is a machine that can send
a message to everyone at the same time.
In recent times, the true nature of the
'Dabbe' has been a matter for considerable debate,
and some Muslim scholars have said that the
'Dabbe' could be a human being, given the way it issues
warnings. We must remember, however, that even if human beings
do undertake the task of 'warning people,' they still use
the television to transmit their message around the world.
That being the case, if we bear in mind the fact that the
word 'Dabbe' is employed instead
of 'person' or 'human being' this supports the idea that the
verse may be referring to a piece of technical equipment such
as a television and not to a person.
Another important point that reinforces the view
that 'Dabbe' does not refer to
a human being is this: What the 'Dabbe'
referred to in the verse does is to tell people that
they do not believe in Allah's verses. However, that is a
warning that almost all Muslims issue under the appropriate
circumstances. The fact that this feature is emphasized indicates
that the 'Dabbe' in question
is no ordinary person or living thing.
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