6. RHETORICAL EXPRESSIONS OF HE QUR'AN (5)

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6. RHETORICAL EXPRESSSIONS OF THE QUR’ĀN (5) 6. ‫( إِ ْل ِت َفات‬iltifāt), sudden transition Iltifāt literally means “turning away, inclination, a sudden transition.” Technically, it means “turning the style of speech to another,” or “the change of style from the form of the first person (the speaker) or the second person (the person spoken to, the listener), or the third person (who is not present, who is the object of speaking) to another, then the pronoun returns to its previous one.” This iltifāt is used extensively in the Qur’ān.

Al-Zarkashī in his al-Burhān says that the iltifāt is the change from one style to another as a means to alert and attract the listener, to renew his energy, and to protect his mind from boredom and discontent caused by listening to an incessant single style. He divides the advantages of the iltifāt into general and particular. The general advantage is that it gives an opportunity to use various styles and to shift from one style to another which alert the listener and attract his interest, to broaden the flow of the speech, and to facilitate the use of poetic measure and rhyme. The particular advantages are: to honour the position of the person who is spoken to (the second person), to direct attention to the significance of the statement, to complete the meaning intended by the speaker and to indicate hyperbole, specification, significance and reproach. Among the categories of iltifāt are as follows: a. From the third person to the second person, such as: ُ*‫ين‬ ُِ ‫ِيم* َمالِكُِ​ُ َي ْو ُِمُالد‬ ُِ ‫نُالرَ ح‬ ُِ ‫ِين*الرَ حْ َم‬ َُ ‫لِلُ َربُ​ُ ْال َعالَم‬ َُِ ِ ُ​ُ‫ْال َحمْد‬ ُ​ُ)4-1ُ:‫كُ َنسْ َتعِينُ​ُ(الفاتحة‬ َُ ‫كُ َنعْ بدُ​ُ َوإِيَا‬ َُ ‫ُإِيَا‬ All praise and thanks are Allah’s, the Lord of the ‘ālamīn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). The Most Gracious, the Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).

You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone we ask for help (for each and everything) (Q. 1:1-4) ُ

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When we start praying and recite the Fātiḥah we start addressing Allah in the third person as “He”. We praise and thank Him. Then we address Him directly as a second person “You”. We say, “You Alone we worship, and You Alone we ask help.” We do not say “He Alone we worship, and He Alone we ask help.” In another word, we talk about Allah praising Him and thanking Him, then we talk directly to Him, telling Him, “You (Alone) we worship…”

Instead of ُِ‫( َمالِك‬māliki) there is a variant reading ‫ك‬ َُ ِ‫َمال‬ (mālika), so that the verse means “O the Only Owner…!” which means that when we read this variant reading we start talking directly to Allah in the second person “You.” Al-Zarkashī gives the following example from the Qur’ān: ُ​ُ​ُ)٨٨-٨٨ُ:ُ‫ُ َل َق ُْدُ ِج ْئت ُْمُ َش ْي ًئاُإِ ًدا (مريم‬.‫َو َقالواُا َت َخ َُذُالرَ حْ َمنُ​ُ َو َل ًدا‬ And they say, “The Most Gracious (Allah) has begotten a son”! Indeed, [by this assertion] you have brought forth a terrible evil thing. (Q.19:88-89).

Instead of ‫جاؤُا‬ َُ ("they brought forth") it is used ‫جُْئتُ ُْم‬ ُِ ("you brought forth") to indicate that whoever makes a statement like theirs he is to be reproached and rejected. Here Allah is addressing them directly as if they were present. b. From the second person o the third person, such as: ُ)22:‫ْنُ ِب ِه ُْمُ ِب ِريحُ​ُ َطي َبةُ​ُ َو َف ِرحواُ ِب َهاُ(يونس‬ َُ ‫َح َتىُإِ َذاُك ْنت ُْمُفِيُ ْالف ْلكُِ​ُ َو َج َري‬ .... And [behold what happens] when you go to sea in ships: [they go to sea in ships,] and they sailed on in them in a favourable wind, and they rejoiced thereat... (Q. 10:22, Asad).

Here the words ‫ْنُ ِب ِه ُْم‬ َُ ‫"( َج َري‬they sail on in them") and ُ‫َف ِرحوا‬ ‫"( ِب َها‬they rejoiced thereat") is a sudden transition from ُ‫ْن‬ َُ ‫َج َري‬ ‫"( ِبك ُْم‬you sail on in them") and ‫"( َف ِرحْ ت ُْم ُ ِب َُها‬you rejoiced thereat") respectively. We notice that in translating the above verse Asad says "they go to sea in ships" between

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brackets to indicate the occurrence of the shift from the direct address and the second person plural "you" to the third person plural "they". The purpose of this shift, as he stated it, is "to bring out the allegorical character of the subsequent narrative and to turn it into a lesson of general validity.”

Al-Zarkashī mentions three views concerning the purpose of the iltifāt in this verse, as follows: (1) it is to indicate wonder about people's deeds and disbeliefs; (2) it is to single out the rebellious among the people; before the iltifāt the address was to people in general, believers as well as non-believers; then the iltifāt is used to indicate that the reproof is exclusively for those who rebel wrongfully after being delivered from danger, as mentioned in the above verse and that which follows it (Q. 10:23); (3) it is to indicate the two conditions of people: when they were on board a ship they felt confined and feared perishing and changing wind; in this case they were addressed the way people who are present are addressed (in the second person); but when the danger passed with a favourable wind, they were happy, and their presence was no longer required in referring to them; therefore, the iltifāt is used, the address was given in the third person, and it was said ‫ْنُ ِب ِه ُْم‬ َُ ‫" َو َج َري‬and they sailed on in them” c. From the third person to the first person, such as: ُ​ُ​ُ‫ْنُإِ َن َماُه َُوُإِله‬ ُِ ‫ْنُ ْاث َني‬ ُِ ‫لَُ َت َتخِذوُْاُإِلـ َهي‬ ُ ُ​ُ‫لُللا‬ َُ ‫َو َقا‬ ُ)51ُ:‫ونُ(النحل‬ ُِ ‫َايُ َفارْ َهب‬ َُ ‫َواحِدُ​ُ َفإي‬ And Allah said (O mankind!): “Take not two gods in worship. Verily, He (Allah) is (the) only One God. Then, fear Me much (Alone) (Q. 16:51) In the beginning Allah said directly to mankind not to worship two gods, as He is the Only God, and then He said, “fear Me” which is stronger expression. Allah as the first person talked to them directly, instead of “fear Him” in the third person, as if He said, “If you fear something, fear Me.”

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ُ​ُ)12:‫لُ َو َب َع ْث َناُ ِم ْنهمُ​ُ ْاث َنيُْ​ُ َع َش َُرُ َنقِيبُا ًُ(المائدة‬ َُ ‫اقُ َبنِيُإِسْ رائي‬ َُ ‫للاُمِي َث‬ َُ ُ‫َولَ َق ُْدُأَ َخ َُذ‬ Indeed, Allah took the covenant from the Children of Israel (Jews), and We appointed twelve leaders among them (Q. 5:12) Here Allah talked as a third person (“He”), namely, “Allah took”, then He changed into “We”, namely, “We appointed.” َ َ‫ِيُأ‬ )99ُ:‫اتُكلُ​ُ َشيْ ءُ​ُ(األنعام‬ َُ ‫ِنُال َس َما ُِءُ َما ًُءُ َفأ َ ْخ َرجْ َناُ ِب ُِهُ َن َب‬ َُ ‫لُم‬ َُ ‫نز‬ َُ ‫َوه َُوُاُلَذ‬ It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds (Q. 6:99)ُ In this verse Allah Who sends down rain, then He brings forth vegetation using the first person “We” in “We bring forth…” instead of “He brings forth” to indicate that He takes care of the vegetation and the consequence of it.

An interesting example is the following verse: ُ‫صى‬ ُِ ‫ِنُ ْال َمسْ ِج ُِدُ ْال َح َر‬ َُ ‫ْلُم‬ ُ ً ‫انُالَذِيُأَسْ َرىُ ِب َع ْب ِدُِهُلَي‬ َُ ‫سب َْح‬ َ ‫امُإِلَىُ ْال َمسْ ِج ُِدُ ْاألَ ْق‬ ُ)1:‫ار ْك َناُ َح ْولَهُ​ُلِن ِر َيهُ​ُمِنُْ​ُآ َيا ِت َناُإِ َنهُ​ُه َُوُال َسمِيعُ​ُ ْالبَصِ يرُ​ُ(اإلسراء‬ َ ‫ُالَذِيُ َب‬ Glorified (and Exalted) is He (Allah) [Above all that (evil) they associate with Him] Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (at Makkah) to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our āyāt (proof, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer (Q. 17:1) Here the verse starts with the third person “His” in “His slave”, then turns into the first person “We” in “We have blessed”, as well as is “in order that We might show him” and “Our” in “Our ayat”, then the verse concludes with the third person “He” in “He is the All-Hearer.”

Instead of ُ‫( لِن ِر َيه‬linuriyahu) “in order that We might show him” another variant reading is ُ‫( لِي ِر َيه‬liyuriyahu) “in order

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that He might show him”, so that the iltifāt of the two pronounces occurs alternately, namely, “His slave”, “We have blessed”, “in order that He might show,” “Our āyāt,” and “He is the All-Hearer.” We notice in this verse the use of: His – We – He – Our – He. d. From the first person to the third person, such as: ُ)1،2ُ:‫كُ​ُ​ُ(الكوثر‬ َُ ‫صلُ​ُل َِرب‬ َُ ‫ُإِ َناُأَعْ َط ْي َنا‬ َ ‫كُ ْال َك ْو َث َُرُ َف‬ Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad) al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise). Therefore, turn your prayer to your Lord… (Q. 108:1-2) In this verse Allah starts talking to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬with the first person “We” in “We have granted you”, then He refers to Himself as “your Lord” in “turn your prayer to your Lord” instead of “to Me”, and this is an iltifāt, a sudden transition. Through this transition, the listener pays more attention and to get more information that the speaker was the Prophet’s Lord, Allah, Who gave him al-Kawthar.

If you want to advise your son, for example, it will be stronger to say: “I want you to listen to your father.”, rather than “I want you to listen to me”. Let him remember that you are his father and he is your son, and he belongs to you. e. From the first person to the second person, such as: ُ)22ُ:‫ون (يس‬ َُ ‫لَُأَعْ بدُ​ُالَذِيُ َف َط َرنِيُ َوإِلَ ْي ُِهُترْ َجع‬ ُ ُ‫َو َماُلِي‬ “And why should I not worship Him (Allah Alone) Who has created me and to Whom you shall be returned” (Q. 36:22) As mentioned in the previous verse there was a person who asked people to obey the messengers of Allah. In this verse he said that he had to worship Allah Alone Who had created him, and to Him “you shall be returned” ُ )‫ون‬ َُ ‫(ترْ َجع‬ instead of “I shall be returned” )‫(أرْ َجع‬. The speaker wanted the listeners to know, that not only him who would be returned, but also they would be returned to Allah, as well.

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So, the speaker shifted from the first person to the second person. f. From the second person to the first person, such as: (21ُ:‫ون ُ)يونس‬ َُ ‫ونُ َماُ َت ْمكر‬ َُ ‫لُللاُ​ُأَسْ َرعُ​ُ َم ْكرُاًُإِنَُ​ُرسلَ َناُ َي ْكتب‬ ُِ ‫ق‬ Say: “Allah is Swifter in planning!” Certainly Our Messengers (angels) record of all that which you plot. (Q. 10:21) In this verse Allah addressed Himself when He said, “Say” but shifted to the first person when He said “Our” in “Our messengers.” g. Addressing two persons and suddenly the address is directed to one of them only, for example: (٩٨ُ:ُ‫لُ َف َمنُْ​ُ َربُّك َماُ َياُمو َسىُ(طه‬ َُ ‫َقا‬ He replied: 'Who, now, is this Sustainer of you two, O Moses?'" (Q. 20:49, Asad).

Here Pharaoh spoke at first to both Moses and Aaron, but later spoke to Moses alone, saying "O Moses.” h. Addressing somebody, but the address is intended for somebody else, for example: ُ)ُ22:ُ‫ضُ(النجم‬ ُ ِ ْ‫ِنُ ْاألَر‬ َُ ‫إِ ُْذُأَ ْن َشأَك ُْمُم‬ ... , and when He brings you into being out of dust. (Q. 53:32, Asad).

Here Allah means Adam himself, not his descendants.

(Turner, 20 October, 2016) ُ:‫المراجع‬ ‫المكتبةُالشاملة‬ ُ ( ‫ُهـ‬213ُ.‫تفسيرُالطبريُ(ت‬ ُ(‫ُهـ‬671ُ.‫تفسيرُالقرطبىُ(ت‬ )‫ُهـ‬774ُ.‫تفسيرُابنُكثيرُ(ت‬ Muhammad Asad. The Message of the Qur’ān.

M.A. Samad. Ibn Quraybah’s Contribution to Qur’ānic Exegesis. http://www.jameataleman.org/main/articles.aspx?article_no= 1826