Quranic comentations

Quranic comentations

A hermeneutical re-examination of Verse 199 of Surah Al-A'raf: A linguistic approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Quranic Sciences and Education, Faculty of Quranic Sciences, Amol, Iran
2 "Master's Graduate in Quranic Sciences, University of Quranic Sciences and Education, Faculty of Quranic Sciences, Amol, Iran
10.22034/qc.2025.527139.1175
Abstract
Verse 199 of Surah Al-A'raf presents a comprehensive model of the moral-social interactions of the prophets by proposing three key statements: "Take forgiveness", "Command custom", and "Refrain from the ignorant". This study uses a descriptive-analytical approach and linguistic reading to interpret the verse. The resulting approaches are that at the level of lexical construction, the substitution of the word "forgiveness" instead of "saffah" or "ghufran" with regard to the etymological study of "forgiveness" which implies repeatability, indicates the continuity of forgiveness in behavioral interactions. Highlighting the lexical construction of "custom" as an introduction refers to the fixed divine custom and negates moral relativism. At the syntactic level, the precedence of the word "forgiveness" over "custom" and "rejection" indicates the precedence of the morality of the "past" in the biography of the prophets over the two subsequent actions. At the situational context level of the verse, the analysis of the revelation status of the verse shows that "rejection of the ignorant" does not mean passive withdrawal, but an active strategy to preserve the monotheistic discourse against the ignorant systems. Matching this verse with the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt also confirms that "custom" is a divine obligation with historically variable examples. In short, the application of the techniques of syntax, lexical arrangement, metaphor and allegory provides a dynamic model for social morality in multicultural societies and a systematic model for interdisciplinary studies of the Quran (combining linguistics, hermeneutics and ethics).
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Volume 7, Issue 13
November 2024
Pages 1-28

  • Receive Date 07 June 2025
  • Revise Date 13 July 2025
  • Accept Date 27 August 2025