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Linguistic Subtleties
Surah: Al-Baqarah (189)
Uslub al-Hakim (The Sage's Style) — Definition and Quranic Example
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡأَهِلَّةِ قُلۡ هِيَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلۡحَجِّ
— البقرة الآية 189
Definition:
Uslub al-Hakim is when a speaker responds to a questioner with other than what was expected — either because the wiser answer is more beneficial than what was asked, or because a different question was more worthy.
First Quranic Example:
They asked about the crescents — "They ask you about the new moons." The reply addressed their function, not their astronomical nature: "Say: they are time markers for people and Hajj" — because usefulness outweighs curiosity.
Second Quranic Example:
Asked about the soul, they were answered with the limits of human knowledge — "Of knowledge you have been given only a little."
Lesson: Uslub al-Hakim reveals that the Quran teaches the Muslim how to ask, not just how to answer.
Uslub al-Hakim is when a speaker responds to a questioner with other than what was expected — either because the wiser answer is more beneficial than what was asked, or because a different question was more worthy.
First Quranic Example:
They asked about the crescents — "They ask you about the new moons." The reply addressed their function, not their astronomical nature: "Say: they are time markers for people and Hajj" — because usefulness outweighs curiosity.
Second Quranic Example:
Asked about the soul, they were answered with the limits of human knowledge — "Of knowledge you have been given only a little."
Lesson: Uslub al-Hakim reveals that the Quran teaches the Muslim how to ask, not just how to answer.
Source: Ahmad al-Hashimi, Ulum al-Balagha; Al-Zarkashi, Al-Burhan (2/320); Al-Suyuti, Al-Itqan (2/328)
Test Yourself
What is Uslub al-Hakim? Give an example from Surat al-Baqarah.
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