What is the rule for using the word "was" (kana), and what is the reason for its occurrence in the verse "Indeed, Hell was a place of watching"?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The honorable Shaykh,[An-Naba 78:21] the word "was" (kana) often appears, and in the Sunnah ... one who looks at the verses sees "was," "was"?
The Shaykh : The answer to that is that "was" (kana) sometimes refers to the past time, sometimes it refers to the past time, such as when you say: "This man was sick and then recovered." And sometimes it refers to the realization of the report, such as His saying, the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:96].
Does the meaning of[An-Nisa 4:96] imply that it was so in the past and is not so now? No, but the intended meaning is the realization of this report and this description.
Similarly, His saying, the Exalted: can be intended to mean this meaning, i.e., the realization of it being a place of watching. And it is possible that the intended meaning is the reality of time, i.e., that it has been a place of watching for the tyrants from now and before now. Yes.
The honorable Shaykh,
Indeed, Hell has been lying in wait
إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ كَانَتْ مِرْصَاداًWhoever defends the honor of his brother from backbiting, it is a right upon Allah to set him free from the Fire
من ذب عن عرض أخيه بالغيبة كان حقا على الله أن يعتقه من النارThe Shaykh : The answer to that is that "was" (kana) sometimes refers to the past time, sometimes it refers to the past time, such as when you say: "This man was sick and then recovered." And sometimes it refers to the realization of the report, such as His saying, the Exalted:
And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
كَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُوراً رَحِيماًDoes the meaning of
And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُوراً رَحِيماًSimilarly, His saying, the Exalted: