m-h-l

Description

The Arabic root م-ه-ل (m-h-l) carries the core meaning of granting time, delay, or respite, often with the implication of temporary relief before an inevitable consequence. In the Quranic context, it primarily refers to Allah granting disbelievers or wrongdoers a period of time before their punishment, demonstrating both divine patience and the certainty of eventual accountability. The root also extends to describe thick, slow-moving substances like murky oil or molten brass, connecting the semantic idea of slowness and gradual movement to the concept of delayed but inevitable divine justice.