The Contextual Significance of the Particles of Oath in the Qur’an: A Study Based on Al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ by Abū Ḥayyān

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the contextual significance of the Qur’anic oaths particles in light of Abū Ḥayyān’s exegesis Al-Baḥr al-Muḥīṭ, analyzing the impact of both linguistic and non-linguistic contexts on the verses in which these particles occur, in order to uncover the subtle semantic distinctions among them. The study adopted a descriptive approach based on collecting, classifying, and analyzing. Abū Ḥayyān’s interpretative choices are discussed in light of the principles of Arabic grammar and Qur’anic exegesis. The research was divided into three main sections: the first devoted to the particle bāʾ, the second to wāw, and the third to tāʾ. The findings reveal that each particle possesses distinctive contextual and semantic functions. The particle bāʾ predominantly occurs in contexts of emphatic assertion, due to its inherent association with the verb of oath, its meaning of adhesion, and its strong phonetic force. The wāw frequently appears where the text seeks to highlight the relationship and coherence between the object sworn by and the statement sworn to, reflecting its semantic value of conjunction and inclusion. Meanwhile, the tāʾ is typically used in contexts of astonishment and remoteness, where a sense of wonder or improbability is perceived. These conclusions rest on the original meanings and phonetic features of each particle, interpreted in light of the contextual indicators, thereby revealing the precision and rhetorical miracle of the Qur’anic expression in its choice of oath particles.