Bearer of good news and warner
بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا
bashīran wa-nadhīran — as a bearer of good news and a warner
In the verses given, the roots ب ش ر and ن ذ ر repeatedly appear as a paired pair of nouns or participles describing a messenger or, in (18:2), the unnamed subject the verse calls 'upright', presenting the message as a two-sided task: announcing good and warning of harm.
In the verses given, the two roots are set side by side as a fixed pair characterizing a sent messenger or, in (18:2), an unnamed 'upright' subject. In (2:119) and (34:28) the pair appears as two indefinite accusative nouns, bashīran wa-nadhīran, describing the one sent; (41:4) opens with the same accusative pair, followed by most of the audience turning away. (2:119) adds that he is sent 'with the truth' and is not questioned about 'the companions of the Blaze'. (33:45) and (48:8) use the same structure but expand it to three roles: 'a witness, and a bringer of good tidings, and a warner', with the bashīr word as an active participle (II) and the nadhīr word as a noun. (2:213) and (6:48) pluralize the pair into active participles, mubashshirīn wa-mundhirīn, applied in (2:213) to the prophets and in (6:48) to the envoys; (6:48) frames the pair with 'We do not send the envoys except as...', and then states the consequence for 'whoever has attained faith and set things right'. (5:19) uses the pair twice, first in the negative ('No bearer of glad tidings and no warner came to us') and then affirmatively, in the genitive and then the nominative. The pair also functions as two verbs: (10:2) and (19:97) pair imperatives or subjunctives of the II form of ب ش ر with the IV form of ن ذ ر, and (18:2) applies the pair to the unnamed subject the verse calls 'upright', which warns of 'a severe might' and gives good news to the believers of 'a fine reward'. (36:11) links the two to one audience: the one who follows the Reminder is warned, then given good news of forgiveness and reward. One verse in the sample, (19:26), contains both roots but not as this pair: al-bashar there is 'mankind' (in 'any human from among mankind') and nadhartu is 'I have vowed'.
Where it occurs
- 2:119 Two accusative nouns describing the one sent with the truth.
- 2:213 Plural active participles describing the prophets Allah raised up.
- 5:19 The pair negated in the people's hypothetical words, then affirmed as having come.
- 6:48 Plural participles stating the exclusive function of the envoys sent.
- 10:2 Two imperatives, warn first and give good news second, addressed to a man from among the people.
- 11:2 Two nominative nouns, warner first, by which the speaker describes himself to his audience.
- 18:2 Two subjunctive verbs stating what the unnamed 'upright' subject does: warn of a severe might and give good news to the believers.
- 19:97 Two subjunctive verbs stating the purpose of making it easy by your tongue.
- 33:45 Participle and noun as the second and third of three roles, after witness.
- 34:28 Two accusative nouns describing the one sent to all of humankind.
- 36:11 Warning verb and good-news imperative applied to the same person who follows the Reminder.
- 41:4 Two accusative nouns, followed by most of them turning away.
- 48:8 Participle and noun as the second and third of three roles, after witness.
All Qur'anic expressions