Interrogative for Wonder — "Why Do You Not Fear Allah's Majesty?"
balagha
Level: intermediate
insha
blg-033
Definition:
Interrogative for wonder (istifham ta'ajjub): expresses astonishment and deep disapproval — not seeking an answer, but depicting the condemned matter as so extraordinary that only the form of wonder can contain it.
Quranic example: "What is the matter with you that you do not attribute to Allah the greatness due to Him?" (Surah 71:13)
The beauty:
Noah draws his people into their own self-questioning: what has come over you that you abandoned something so obvious — venerating your Creator? "Ma lakum" implies: what ailment has struck you to make you leave this self-evident duty?
Source: Al-Balagha Al-Wadiha (p.155); Ibn Kathir (8/230)
Question: What is the difference between a genuine question and a rhetorical interrogative of wonder?
Answer: A genuine question seeks an unknown answer. The interrogative of wonder seeks no answer — it depicts the reproached matter as having reached a level expressible only through astonishment.