The Rhetorical Function of the Precession and Postponement of the Complement to ‘Bima Ta’malun/Ya’malun’ in the Qur’an based on Jurjani’s Theory of Nazm”

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate professor of Arabic language and literator, Shahid Beheshti university, Tehran, Iran

2 PhD student of Arabic language and literature in Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor Department of Arabic Language and Literature in Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22091/npa.2026.16912.1069

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the rhetorical function of the precedence and postponement of the complement to the phrase “bima taʿmalun/yaʿmalun” in relation to the Divine Attributes in the Qur’an, drawing on Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani’s Theory of Nazm. The significance of this topic lies in the fact that, despite the centrality of this phenomenon in Arabic rhetoric, it is often treated merely as a grammatical rule, while its systematic semantic functions and its relationship to the Divine Attributes have not been independently and comparatively investigated. The study employs a comprehensive inductive approach to examine 51 instances in the relevant Qur’anic verses. Through a structural analysis of these instances, including 36 cases of precedence and 15 cases of postponement, two distinct semantic patterns were identified. In the “precedence of the complement” pattern, the rhetorical purpose centers on care and attention, with the predicates (Divine Attributes) being based on the self-evident premise of God’s knowledge, thereby directing the addressee’s attention to the significance of human action. In the “postponement of the complement” pattern, which results in the precedence of the predicate, the discourse shifts from general attention to the purpose of warning and threat, emphasizing the comprehensiveness and certainty of God’s knowledge in admonitory contexts. The findings indicate that this structural duality does not alter the reality of Divine Knowledge; rather, it functions as a precise device for regulating the addressee’s level of attention between the importance of human action and the power of Divine Knowledge. Thus, it provides a complementary interpretation of the Theory of Nazm by combining the general purpose of care and attention with the specific purpose of warning.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Article Title [العربیة]

الوظیفة البلاغیة لتقدیم وتأخیر متعلَّق «بما تعملون-یعملون» فی القرآن الکریم فی ضوء نظریة النظم عند الجرجانی

Abstract [العربیة]

تستهدف هذه الدراسة تبیین الوظیفة البلاغیة لبنیة التقدیم والتأخیر لمتعلَّق عبارة «بما تعملون/یعملون» بالنسبة إلى الصفات الإلهیة فی القرآن الکریم، وذلک بالاستناد إلى نظریة «النظم» عند عبد القاهر الجرجانی. وتکمن أهمیة هذا الموضوع فی أن هذه الظاهرة، رغم مرکزیتها فی البلاغة العربیة، غالباً ما تُعالج بوصفها مجرد قاعدة نحویة، بینما لم یتم استقصاء وظائفها الدلالیة الممنهجة، ولا ارتباطها بالصفات الإلهیة، دراسةً مستقلةً وقابلةً للمقارنة. وتعتمد الدراسة علی منهج الاستقراء التام لـ 51 موضعاً من الآیات المذکورة. ومن خلال التحلیل البنیوی لهذه المواضع، والتی شملت 36 حالة تقدیم و15 حالة تأخیر، تم استخراج نمطین دلالیین متمیزین: فی نمط «تقدیم المتعلَّق»، یرتکز الغرض الکلامی على العنایة والاهتمام، حیث تُبنى المسندات (الصفات الإلهیة) على فرضیة بدیهیة لعلم الله، مما یوجه ذهن المخاطب نحو أهمیة فعل الإنسان. أما فی نمط «تأخیر المتعلَّق» الذی یفضی إلى تقدیم المسند، فإن البنیة الکلامیة تتحول من الاهتمام العام إلى غرض الإنذار والوعید، للتأکید فی السیاقات التوبیخیة على شمولیة علم الله ویقینه. وتشیر نتائج الدراسة إلى أن هذه الثنائیة البنیویة لا تُحدث تغییراً فی حقیقة العلم الإلهی، بل تعمل کأداة دقیقة لضبط مستوى انتباه المخاطب بین أهمیة الفعل واقتدار العلم الإلهی، مما یقدم تفسیراً مکملاً لنظریة النظم یجمع بین الغرض العام (الاهتمام) والغرض الخاص (سیاق الإنذار).

Keywords [العربیة]

  • البلاغة القرآنیة
  • التقدیم والتأخیر
  • نظریة النظم للجرجانی
  • الصفات الإلهیة
  • بما تعملون/یعملون

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 February 2026
  • First Publish Date: 21 March 2026
  • Publish Date: 21 March 2026

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