The Interrogative Style in the Qur’anic Discourse with the People of Israel: Syntactic and Semantic Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the interrogative style in the Qur’anic discourse directed at the Children of Israel, to identify the interrogative tools used in each instance of the discourse, and to demonstrate the influence of the context (maqām) on this style. A careful reader of the Qur’anic discourse in general will notice that the Children of Israel—more than other peoples—receive a significant portion of this discourse, which raises several questions. These questions formed the basis of the study’s hypothesis and research questions. A contemplative reader of the Qur’anic discourse in general, and of the discourse concerning the Children of Israel in particular, can discern distinctions that set this discourse apart from others; after all, He is the Creator of humankind, knowing the hidden and the unseen. This distinction is reflected in the preference for certain linguistic styles over others, among which the interrogative style is prominent.

Method: This study relied on an analytical and investigative approach. It examined the interrogative structures in each instance of the Qur’anic discourse concerning the Children of Israel, then interpreted these structures by linking them to their contexts and rhetorical situations (maqām), drawing on foundational works in linguistics and Qur’anic exegesis.

Results and Conclusion: The Qur’anic discourse addressed to the Children of Israel employs five interrogative tools: the hamza, mā, hal, man, and annā. Among these, the interrogative particle hamza enjoys the most prominence. Interrogation in this discourse conveys various meanings such as denial, rebuke, reprimand, negation, and appeal. The most common meaning in this discourse is denial; most of the verbs used in the Qur’anic discourse about the Children of Israel are present tense verbs, which adds a new layer of meaning to the interrogative structure: it indicates that the people persist in their error, disbelief, and misguidance.