Ishbāʿ al-maʿnā in the Qur’an: A Structural Survey of Sūrat al-Ḥāqqa (Q. 69)

Abstract

This article seeks to define the meaning of the technical linguistic term ‘ ishbāʿ al-maʿnā’ (‘enhancing the meaning’) and explore how this device helps clarify the linguistic structure of Sūrat al-Ḥāqqa (Q. 69). The Qur’anic text, held to transcend time and space, utilises literary styles and lexical structures to convey its meaning across a diverse range of contexts. In this article the author analyses a selection of verses, all of which are characterised by the presence of ishbāʿ al-maʿnā. Sūrat al-Hāqqa offers a good sample of this category of verses. The primary research question will be approached via four enquiries and ten investigative points that offer both description and analysis of the occurrence of ishbāʿ al-maʿnā within Sūrat al-Ḥāqqa and the role linguistics plays in this phenomenon throughout the sura, which focuses primarily on the Day of Judgement.