Intermediate Linguistic Subtleties Surah: Al-Shams (1)

Definition:
An oath (Qasam) affirms a statement by invoking something venerable — Allah swears by many things in the Quran with profound wisdom, not out of need.

Three Components:

1. Oath particle: Waw, Ba, Ta — "By the sun and its brightness."
2. Object of oath (Muqsam bihi): Allah or His creations that point to Him.
3. Response (Jawab al-Qasam): The affirmed matter.

Rhetorical Purposes:

• Affirming the truth of a statement to the denier or doubter.
• Magnifying the importance of the object sworn by and alerting the addressee.
• Magnifying the subject sworn upon and establishing its gravity.

Note: Allah does not swear by His creation out of reverence for it — but to alert minds to His signs within it.

Source: Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-Tibyan fi Aqsam al-Quran; Al-Zarkashi, Al-Burhan (3/25)

Tags: القسمأقسام القرآنالبلاغةالتوكيد