The Semantic Arrangement of Antonyms in Clear and Ambiguous Vocabulary in the Qur'an

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the phenomenon of antonyms that are used to convey clear and hidden meanings in the Qur’an, with the aim of discovering more about the juxtapositional use of two words with opposing meaning, and the reasons for the use of one specific word over another – specifically the phenomenon of lexical items that carry a clear, unambiguous meaning presented in juxtaposition with those that indicate a hidden meaning, and vice versa. The paper begins by clarifying the notion of thanāʾiyyāt ḍiddiyya (antonyms) and explaining their significance for accessing textual meaning, and their power to create a clear image in the mind of the reader, and to create a sense of wonder and amazement that leads to conviction. Following this, the paper will then present a number of ‘clear’ and ‘hidden’ antonyms in the Qur’an and examine the overall structure of the verse in which they occur in order to attain an understanding of their intended meaning and, from this, the structural function of antonyms in the Qur’an. This study does not restrict itself to a descriptive-analytical methodology that is founded in extracting meaning from where it is expected and thereby arriving at the same interpretations as exegetes, or in linking lexicographical meanings and interpretations to the Qur’anic context in accordance with historical understanding. Instead, a variety of approaches are applied subject to context, so they can be assessed and then validated or rejected. The study reveals that the structural function of antonyms in both clear and obscure vocabulary can be incorporated into the holistic meaning in order to arrive at textual coherence in accordance with the rules of waḥdat al-khiṭāb (‘discourse unity’) and murāʿat al-maqām (‘observation of context’).