Al Islam

3438. Swarms of birds feasted themselves upon dead bodies of the invaders, striking the severed pieces against stones, as birds generally do when eating the small and severed pieces of the dead body of an animal; the particle ba meaning ‘ala, i.e. upon or against (Lane). (close)

4845. Important Words:

ب (against). Among a variety meanings, this particle is syn. with علی meaning, over, upon, at, or against. An Arab poet says:

أ رب یبول الثعلبان برأسه

لقد ھان من بالت علیه الثعالب

i.e. how can he be رب (Lord) upon whose head jackals make water and how base he is (Al-Yawaqit wal-Jawahir, vol. 1).

In the Quran we have منھم من ان تأمنه بدینار i.e. "of them is he that if thou give him charge over a dinar (3:76)."

Commentary:

Swarms of birds feasted themselves upon dead bodies of the invaders, striking the severed pieces against stones, as birds generally do when eating the small and severed pieces of the dead body of an animal. (close)