An Exegetic Study of the Verses 95 of Baqarah and 7 of Jumu`ah Based on the Meaning of the Two Negation Letters lan, Not and la, No or Not

In the Holy Quran, some similar verses are repeated in two or more chapters. In cases, this repetition is accompanied by a very minor difference. Like the verse "... then long for death if you are truthful but they will never long for it..." and the verse "... then long for death if you are truthful but they will not long for it...". In these two verses - which are addressed to the Jews - the only minor difference is in the two negation letters "lan, never" and "la, not". This slight change and seemingly insignificant difference definitely has a point. The present article, using a librarian, descriptive and analytical method in explaining why "lan" comes in the first verse and "la" in the second, examines the exegetic views of commentators and writers in this field, and the result can be summarized in three views: There is no difference between "lan" and "la"; both are for negation, with the difference that "la" is used for normal negation and "lan" for emphatic negation. In the third view, "la" is used to negate the present and future, but "lan" is used to for emphasis and duration. Many commentators believe that because in Surah Baqarah the claim of the Jews is more serious and it is related to the hereafter and the eternal paradise, the negation of their wish for death and invalidation of their claim is carried by the letter "lan" - which is for emphasis; while in Surah Jum`ah, which carries small claims of the world and friendship with God, the negation is done the letter "la" - which is a normal negation. In terms of the context of the verses of Surah Baqarah, mentioning "lan" is more appropriate, unlike the context of Surah Juma.