Quranic Rhetoric
40 cards (filtered)
Level:
All
Basic
Intermediate
Advanced
Sub:
All
Eloquence
Glorification
Metaphor
Figurative Speech
Antithesis
Antithetical Parallelism
Emphasis
Restriction
Iltifat
Paronomasia
I'jaz
Quranic Address
Explicitness
Separation & Conjunction
Oath
Morphology
Allegory
Non-declarative
Ilm al-Badi'
Brevity & Expansion
Fronting & Postponing
Style & Diction
Genitive Construction
Stories
Metonymy
Style & Diction
Qiraat
Choice
Vocative
Simile
Implicit Simile
Antithetical Parallelism
Interrogation
Parables
Incitement & Warning
Style & Diction
Repetition
Deviation from the Apparent
Separation & Conjunction
Laff & Nashr
Equation
Verse-end Cadence
Command & Prohibition
Circumstantial Clause
Antithesis (Tibaq) — Joining Two Opposites
Definition: Joining a thing and its opposite in speech — "He is the First and the Last, the Apparent and the Hidden."
Positiv…
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Emphasis (Tawkid) — Methods and Purposes
Definition: Strengthening speech and establishing it in the listener's mind.
Methods in the Quran: (1) Emphatic particles: i…
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Oaths in the Quran — Purpose and Types
Definition: Attaching speech to an oath to strengthen and establish it in the listener's mind.
What is sworn by in the Quran:…
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Quranic Parables — Illustration and Clarification
Definition: A tangible analogy to clarify or establish an abstract meaning in the mind.
Famous Quranic parables: "Like a don…
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Gradation in Quranic Address — From General to Specific
Quranic address categories: (1) "O people" — the most universal human address. (2) "O People of the Book" — for the religious. (…
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Those Who Spend Are Like a Grain — Multiplication of Giving in a Plant Image
Verse: "The example of those who spend in the way of Allah is like a grain that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grain…
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Paradise Is Like Rivers of Water Never Stagnant — Sensory Image for What Cannot Be Perceived
Verse: "The description of Paradise promised to the righteous — in it are rivers of water never stagnant, rivers of milk unchang…
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The Spider's Example — The Flimsiest of Houses
Verse: "The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like the spider who makes a home — indeed the flimsiest of home…
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Interrogative for Affirmation — "Am I Not Your Lord?"
Definition: Interrogative for affirmation (istifham taqriri): a question whose aim is not to seek an answer, but to extract and …
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Interrogative for Reproach — "Do You Command People to Righteousness?"
Definition: Interrogative for reproach (istifham tawbikh): used to condemn and express indignation at a reprehensible act — as i…
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Interrogative for Wonder — "Why Do You Not Fear Allah's Majesty?"
Definition: Interrogative for wonder (istifham ta'ajjub): expresses astonishment and deep disapproval — not seeking an answer, b…
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Paronomasia in the Quran — "They Tarried Only an Hour"
Definition: Paronomasia (jinas): two words similar in sound but different in meaning. Main types: perfect (identical letters and…
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Saj' and the Quranic Fasilah — Types and Effect
Definition: The Quranic fasilah: the letter(s) ending each verse, analogous to rhyme in poetry. Not mere saj' (prose rhyme) — it…
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Amplification by Repetition — "Which of Your Lord's Favors Will You Deny?"
Definition: Amplification by repetition (ithnab al-takrar): repeating a word or meaning for rhetorical purposes — emphasis, magn…
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Fronting for Exclusivity — "You Alone We Worship and You Alone We Ask"
Definition: Fronting what is normally placed last for a rhetorical purpose — principally, exclusivity: when an object is fronted…
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Brevity by Concision — "To Him Belongs What Dwells in Night and Day"
Definition: Brevity by concision (ijaz al-qasr): conveying an expansive meaning in the fewest possible words — not by omission, …
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Sudden Surprise Particle — "And Suddenly They Are Standing, Watching"
Definition: The sudden "idha" (idha al-fuja'iyya): a particle inserted into a context to express sudden and unexpected occurrenc…
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Repetition for Emphasis — "Nay! You Will Know — Then Nay! You Will Know"
Definition: Rhetorical repetition: repeating the same word or meaning with an escalation in significance — not idle repetition b…
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Positive Antithesis — "You Think Them Awake While They Are Asleep"
Positive antithesis: Joining two opposites both affirmed — without negating either. Differs from negative antithesis where one o…
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Shift from Third to Second Person — "Praise to Allah... You Alone We Worship"
Iltifat in Al-Fatiha: The opening verses speak about Allah in the third person — "Praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds, the Most …
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Beautiful Quranic Metonymies — Delicacy and Eloquence in Indirection
Definition of kinaya (metonymy): A word used to mean the necessary implication of its meaning, while the original meaning remain…
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The Conditional Style in the Quran — "If You Love Allah, Follow Me"
Verse: "Say: if you love Allah, then follow me — Allah will love you and forgive your sins." (3:31) The conditional style in t…
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Calling the Distant as Near — "O Human Being" — Universal Address
Introduction: "Ya" is originally for calling the distant, and "ay" for calling the near — but the Quran combined "ya ayyuha" in …
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The Phenomenon of Antithesis — "Gives Life and Causes Death" / "Gives and Withholds"
Definition of muqabala (antithesis/parallel opposition): Bringing two or more meanings then their opposites in order — broader t…
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The Existential Question in the Quran — The Rhetorical Interrogative Style
Definition of rhetorical interrogative: Using the question form not for seeking information — but for various rhetorical purpose…
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Explicit Parables in the Quran — The Ant, the Mosquito, and the Spider
Definition of the explicit parable: The parable that explicitly uses the word "mathal" (parable/likeness) — the most visible typ…
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The Implied Metaphor — "Lower for Them the Wing of Humility"
Definition of the implied metaphor: A metaphor in which the vehicle (compared-to) is deleted and only its implication (what poin…
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The Explicit Metaphor — "When the Water Overflowed We Carried You"
Definition of the explicit metaphor: A metaphor in which only the vehicle is explicitly stated — the vehicle (the comparand) is …
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The Style of Urging and Warning — "The She-Camel of Allah and Her Drink"
Definition of urging (ighra) and warning (tahdhir):
Urging: Inciting the addressee toward a praiseworthy action — the object …
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Restriction with "Innama" — "The Believers Are but Brothers" and the Power of Specification
Definition of restriction (hasr): Limiting the subject by its predicate — affirming the ruling for what is mentioned and negatin…
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Concision by Known Omission — "Upon the People is a Pilgrimage to the House"
Definition of concision by omission: Omitting a word indicated by context or a clue — with the meaning complete and rhetorical p…
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Repetition for Awe — "A Day When Neither Wealth nor Children Avail"
Repetition in Quranic rhetoric: Not every Quranic repetition is mere emphasis — each serves a specific rhetorical purpose: creat…
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Orderly Unfolding — "He Knows What They Conceal and What They Announce"
Definition of laf and nashr (envelopment and unfolding): Mentioning multiple items (envelopment) then following them with their …
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The Equalization Style — "It Is Equal Whether You Warned Them or Did Not Warn Them"
Definition of the equalization style: Informing that two different things carry the same ruling for the addressee — one of the s…
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Kinaya About an Action — "Do Not Make Your Hand Chained" as a Metaphor for Miserliness
Definition of Kinaya:
Kinaya: a word by which its consequent meaning is intended with the literal meaning remaining possible. D…
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Al-Ijaz Al-Baligh — "And In Retaliation There Is Life for You"
Definition of Ijaz:
Ijaz: conveying complete meaning in fewer words than the meaning ordinarily requires — without losing benef…
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Al-Tashbih Al-Tamthili — "Like a Donkey Carrying Books"
Definition of Al-Tashbih Al-Tamthili:
Representational simile: a comparison where the point of resemblance is a composite image…
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The Beauty of Al-Fasila — Harmonic Endings of Verses
Definition of Al-Fasila:
Al-Fasila: the final word of a Quranic verse — the equivalent of prose cadence in continuous speech. I…
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The Imperative for Permission — "When the Prayer Is Concluded, Disperse in the Land"
The imperative in rhetoric:
Primary imperative: demanding an action in a commanding manner. But the imperative form carries man…
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The Circumstantial Clause — "While He Dislikes It" Modifies and Completes the Meaning
Definition of the circumstantial clause:
The circumstantial clause (hal): a qualification clarifying the state in which the act…
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