An Investigation on the Grammatical and Problematic Interpretations of the Expression of 'in Küntüm' in the Qur'an

Süleyman Narol

Article Details

An Investigation on the Grammatical and Problematic Interpretations of the Expression of 'in Küntüm' in the Qur'an

Authors:

Süleyman Narol

Publisher:

Sivas Cumhuriyet University

Main Topics:

Din Araştırmaları

Journal:

Cumhuriyet İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.46-60

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289871

pISSN:

2528-9861

Keywords:

Abstract:

 When the Qurān was revealed, it primarily used the language of the first addressees, Arabic, in the most impressive and understandable way to convey its message. In doing so, it used all the possibilities allowed by the range of meanings and rules of the language. While the Qurān conveys its message to its addressees, it sometimes uses long expressions, sometimes quite concise ones, and even a word or preposition in some places. Due to the structure of the language, the words, the smallest component of the language, and, peculiar to it, even the prepositions and letters, due to the morphological structure of Arabic, are the elements that completely affect the meaning. Like many other letters and prepositions in Arabic, the preposition إن handled in this study undoubtedly has an important effect on the meaning. We generally encounter, in many verses of the Qurān, the use of this preposition in the sense of condition, which is the most basic meaning in the language. In addition to this meaning, the negative, emphasis, and causal meanings are also the other uses of this preposition according to the integrity of Qurān and the context of the verses. Apart from the meaning of condition as the basic meaning of the preposition إن in the Qurān, whether the meaning of causetalīl exists in the language and this meaning is used in the Qurān is basically an issue discussed by the Basra and Kūfa language schools, the issue has still been discussed by the exegetes as well due to its effects on the meaning. It is quite important for correctly understanding the Qurān to determine the effect of the preposition إن on the meaning when it is mentioned in the Qurān and to give the appropriate meaning to the context. This paper is also important in that it aims to deal with the effect of the preposition in question on the meaning in the verses where there are controversial approaches and in the example of the use of the verb form إن كنتم. In the study, the approaches of the exegetes to the verses on which there are problematic approaches are transferred from the major interpretations written from the early period to the modern period and some evaluations are included with an analytical view. Although the Basra language school and some exegetes following them say that إنdoes not mean causation, the linguists of Kūfa and the exegetes following the same line have stated that it also means that, and they showed examples from the āyāt verses and hadiths that it is not correct to use this preposition in the meaning of condition in some contexts in the Qurān. For example, they argued that the use of the expression إن كنتمused about angels in a verse in Sūrat al-Baqara 231, as if you are of the truthful would raise doubts as to whether they were truthful or not and this would contradict their qualifications as angels. On the other hand, they argued that giving a conditional meaning to إن كنتمat the end of the verses starting as if you are believers or the ones in which the believers is directly addressed as in al-Baqara, 2278 and Āl Imrān 3139, would cause a contradiction between the beginning and the end of the verse, and that this style would cause a problem on the ground of belief about Allah. In the same way, some linguists argue that giving the meaning of conditions to some verses poses a problem in terms of the context and the style of the Qurān, and they explain this situation through al-Baqara 223 and similar verses. For, although it is certain that the polytheists doubted about the Qurān in the verse in question according to them, the statement If you are in doubt about the Qurān, bring a sūra chapter like it fits neither context nor fact. The Basra language school who constitutes the majority and think that the expression إن كنتمmostly found at the end of the verses in the Qurān includes the meaning of condition, and the other exegetes following them have systematically added the meaning of condition to all of the verses in which the aforementioned preposition is used, and in cases where the meaning of condition is problematic or subject to some objections in terms of context, they have resorted to various linguistic explanations such as omission hazf, precedence-postponement taqdīm-takhīr and metaphor. As far as it can be determined in this study, except for some scholars of wujūh and naẓāir, there was no one who constantly gave the meaning of cause in the verses where the meaning of condition is open to discussion, whereas some exegetes gave the meaning of condition or causetalīl depending on the context and used all the possibilities of the language by acting more freely. However, it has not gone unnoticed that they present a problematic interpretation style by displaying different approaches in similar āyāt verses that come in the same context.

 Kuran-ı Kerim indiği dönemdeki ilk muhataplarına mesajını ulaştırmayı hedeflerken öncelikle onların dilleri olan Arapçayı en etkileyici ve anlaşılır bir biçimde kullanmıştır. Bunu yaparken de dilin anlam ve kurallar yelpazesinin izin verdiği her türlü imkânı kullanmıştır. Kuran, muhataplarına mesajını iletirken bazen sözü uzun ifadelerle gerçekleştirmiş kimi zaman da oldukça öz bir biçimde hatta yerine göre bir kelime veya edatla bunu yapmıştır. Dilin yapısı gereği onun anlam ifade eden en küçük parçası olan kelimeler ve hatta Arapçanın morfolojik yapısı nedeniyle ona özgü olarak edatlar ve harfler, anlamı büsbütün etkileyen unsurlardır. Bu çalışmada ele alınan إنedatı Arapçadaki diğer pek çok harf ve edat gibi anlam üzerinde hiç kuşkusuz önemli bir etkiye sahiptir. إنedatının dildeki en temel anlamı olan şart manasında kullanımı genel olarak Kurandaki pek çok âyette de kaşımıza çıkmaktadır. Bu anlamın yanı sıra Kuranın bütünlüğü ve âyetlerin bağlamına göre nefiy, tekit ve sebep manaları da bu edatın Kurandaki diğer kullanımlarıdır. إنedatının Kuranda asli manası olan şart manası dışında sebeptalîl manasının dilde olup olmadığı ve buradan hareketle bu anlamın Kuranda kullanılıp kullanılmadığı konusu temelde Basra ve Kûfe dil ekollerinin tartıştığı bir mesele olmakla birlikte anlama etkisi nedeniyle bu husus müfessirler arasında da tartışılan bir konu olmuştur. إنedatının Kuranda geçtiği yerlerde anlama olan etkisini tespit edip bağlama uygun olan manayı vermek Kuranın doğru anlaşılması noktasında oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışma da söz konusu edatın anlama olan etkisini tartışmalı yaklaşımların bulunduğu âyetler ve إن كنتمşeklinde fiil formundaki kullanımı özelinde ele almayı amaçlaması bakımından önemlidir. Çalışmada üzerinde problematik yaklaşımların olduğu âyetlere müfessirlerin yaklaşımları erken dönemden modern döneme kadar kaleme alınmış olan belli başlı tefsirlerden aktarılmış ve analitik bir bakışla birtakım değerlendirmelere yer verilmiştir. Basra dil ekolü ve onların çizgisindeki kimi müfessirler إنedatının sebep manasının dilde olmadığını söyleseler de Kûfeli dilciler ve bu çizgideki müfessirler uzun izahlarla bu anlamın söz konusu edatın anlamları arasında bulunduğunu ifade etmişler ve bu edata Kuranda kimi bağlamlarda şart manası vermenin doğru olmadığına dair âyetlerdeki ve hadislerdeki kullanımlardan örnekler göstermişlerdir. Mesela el-Bakara sûresi 231. âyette melekler hakkında kullanılan إن كنتمifadesine Eğer doğrulardansanız şeklinde şart manası verilmesi onların doğru sözlü olup olmadıkları konusunda şüphe uyandıracağını ve bunun onların melek olma vasıflarına ters düşeceğini ileri sürmüşlerdir. Diğer taraftan Ey iman edenler hitabıyla başlayan ya da hitabın müminlere yönelik olduğu el-Bakara sûresi 2278, Âl-i İmrân sûresi 3139 vb. âyetlerin sonundaki إن كنتم ifadesine Eğer müminlersenizinanıyorsanız şeklinde şart anlamı vermenin âyetin başı ve sonu arasında bir çelişki doğuracağı ve bu üslubun Allah hakkında itikadi zeminde bir probleme neden olacağını söylemişlerdir. Aynı şekilde birtakım dilciler bazı âyetlere şart manası vermenin bağlam ve Kuran üslubu açısından problem teşkil ettiğini ileri sürerek bu durumu el-Bakara sûresi 223. âyet ve benzeri âyetler üzerinden açıklamaya çalışmışlardır. Zira onlara göre söz konusu âyette müşriklerin Kuran hakkında şüphe ettikleri kesin olduğu halde Kuran hakkında şüphe içindeyseniz haydin onun benzeri bir sûre getirin denilmesi hem bağlama hem de vakıaya uygun düşmemektedir. Kuranda çoğunlukla âyet sonlarında yer alan إن كنتمifadesinin fiil formundaki bu kullanımlarını tefsir ederken şart manası veren ve çoğunluğu oluşturan Basra dil ekolü ve onların çizgisindeki bazı müfessirler ise sistematik bir biçimde söz konusu edatın geçtiği âyetlerden bu çalışmada ele alınanların hepsine şart manası vermişler ve bağlam açısından şartın sorunlu olduğu ya da birtakım itirazlara konu olduğu durumlarda da hazif, takdim-tehir ve mecaz gibi çeşitli dilsel izahlara başvurmuşlardır. Kimi müfessirler ise bağlama göre şart ya da sebeptalîl manası vermiş ve daha serbest hareket ederek dilin bütün imkânlarını kullanmışlardır. Ancak bunların aynı bağlamda gelen benzer âyetlerde de farklı yaklaşımlar sergileyerek problematik bir yorum tarzı ortaya koydukları da dikkatlerden kaçmamıştır.

 When the Qurān was revealed, it primarily used the language of the first addressees, Arabic, in the most impressive and understandable way to convey its message. In doing so, it used all the possibilities allowed by the range of meanings and rules of the language. While the Qurān conveys its message to its addressees, it sometimes uses long expressions, sometimes quite concise ones, and even a word or preposition in some places. Due to the structure of the language, the words, the smallest component of the language, and, peculiar to it, even the prepositions and letters, due to the morphological structure of Arabic, are the elements that completely affect the meaning. Like many other letters and prepositions in Arabic, the preposition إن handled in this study undoubtedly has an important effect on the meaning. We generally encounter, in many verses of the Qurān, the use of this preposition in the sense of condition, which is the most basic meaning in the language. In addition to this meaning, the negative, emphasis, and causal meanings are also the other uses of this preposition according to the integrity of Qurān and the context of the verses. Apart from the meaning of condition as the basic meaning of the preposition إن in the Qurān, whether the meaning of causetalīl exists in the language and this meaning is used in the Qurān is basically an issue discussed by the Basra and Kūfa language schools, the issue has still been discussed by the exegetes as well due to its effects on the meaning. It is quite important for correctly understanding the Qurān to determine the effect of the preposition إن on the meaning when it is mentioned in the Qurān and to give the appropriate meaning to the context. This paper is also important in that it aims to deal with the effect of the preposition in question on the meaning in the verses where there are controversial approaches and in the example of the use of the verb form إن كنتم. In the study, the approaches of the exegetes to the verses on which there are problematic approaches are transferred from the major interpretations written from the early period to the modern period and some evaluations are included with an analytical view. Although the Basra language school and some exegetes following them say that إنdoes not mean causation, the linguists of Kūfa and the exegetes following the same line have stated that it also means that, and they showed examples from the āyāt verses and hadiths that it is not correct to use this preposition in the meaning of condition in some contexts in the Qurān. For example, they argued that the use of the expression إن كنتمused about angels in a verse in Sūrat al-Baqara 231, as if you are of the truthful would raise doubts as to whether they were truthful or not and this would contradict their qualifications as angels. On the other hand, they argued that giving a conditional meaning to إن كنتمat the end of the verses starting as if you are believers or the ones in which the believers is directly addressed as in al-Baqara, 2278 and Āl Imrān 3139, would cause a contradiction between the beginning and the end of the verse, and that this style would cause a problem on the ground of belief about Allah. In the same way, some linguists argue that giving the meaning of conditions to some verses poses a problem in terms of the context and the style of the Qurān, and they explain this situation through al-Baqara 223 and similar verses. For, although it is certain that the polytheists doubted about the Qurān in the verse in question according to them, the statement If you are in doubt about the Qurān, bring a sūra chapter like it fits neither context nor fact. The Basra language school who constitutes the majority and think that the expression إن كنتمmostly found at the end of the verses in the Qurān includes the meaning of condition, and the other exegetes following them have systematically added the meaning of condition to all of the verses in which the aforementioned preposition is used, and in cases where the meaning of condition is problematic or subject to some objections in terms of context, they have resorted to various linguistic explanations such as omission hazf, precedence-postponement taqdīm-takhīr and metaphor. As far as it can be determined in this study, except for some scholars of wujūh and naẓāir, there was no one who constantly gave the meaning of cause in the verses where the meaning of condition is open to discussion, whereas some exegetes gave the meaning of condition or causetalīl depending on the context and used all the possibilities of the language by acting more freely. However, it has not gone unnoticed that they present a problematic interpretation style by displaying different approaches in similar āyāt verses that come in the same context.

 When the Qurān was revealed, it primarily used the language of the first addressees, Arabic, in the most impressive and understandable way to convey its message. In doing so, it used all the possibilities allowed by the range of meanings and rules of the language. While the Qurān conveys its message to its addressees, it sometimes uses long expressions, sometimes quite concise ones, and even a word or preposition in some places. Due to the structure of the language, the words, the smallest component of the language, and, peculiar to it, even the prepositions and letters, due to the morphological structure of Arabic, are the elements that completely affect the meaning. Like many other letters and prepositions in Arabic, the preposition إن handled in this study undoubtedly has an important effect on the meaning. We generally encounter, in many verses of the Qurān, the use of this preposition in the sense of condition, which is the most basic meaning in the language. In addition to this meaning, the negative, emphasis, and causal meanings are also the other uses of this preposition according to the integrity of Qurān and the context of the verses. Apart from the meaning of condition as the basic meaning of the preposition إن in the Qurān, whether the meaning of causetalīl exists in the language and this meaning is used in the Qurān is basically an issue discussed by the Basra and Kūfa language schools, the issue has still been discussed by the exegetes as well due to its effects on the meaning. It is quite important for correctly understanding the Qurān to determine the effect of the preposition إن on the meaning when it is mentioned in the Qurān and to give the appropriate meaning to the context. This paper is also important in that it aims to deal with the effect of the preposition in question on the meaning in the verses where there are controversial approaches and in the example of the use of the verb form إن كنتم. In the study, the approaches of the exegetes to the verses on which there are problematic approaches are transferred from the major interpretations written from the early period to the modern period and some evaluations are included with an analytical view. Although the Basra language school and some exegetes following them say that إنdoes not mean causation, the linguists of Kūfa and the exegetes following the same line have stated that it also means that, and they showed examples from the āyāt verses and hadiths that it is not correct to use this preposition in the meaning of condition in some contexts in the Qurān. For example, they argued that the use of the expression إن كنتمused about angels in a verse in Sūrat al-Baqara 231, as if you are of the truthful would raise doubts as to whether they were truthful or not and this would contradict their qualifications as angels. On the other hand, they argued that giving a conditional meaning to إن كنتمat the end of the verses starting as if you are believers or the ones in which the believers is directly addressed as in al-Baqara, 2278 and Āl Imrān 3139, would cause a contradiction between the beginning and the end of the verse, and that this style would cause a problem on the ground of belief about Allah. In the same way, some linguists argue that giving the meaning of conditions to some verses poses a problem in terms of the context and the style of the Qurān, and they explain this situation through al-Baqara 223 and similar verses. For, although it is certain that the polytheists doubted about the Qurān in the verse in question according to them, the statement If you are in doubt about the Qurān, bring a sūra chapter like it fits neither context nor fact. The Basra language school who constitutes the majority and think that the expression إن كنتمmostly found at the end of the verses in the Qurān includes the meaning of condition, and the other exegetes following them have systematically added the meaning of condition to all of the verses in which the aforementioned preposition is used, and in cases where the meaning of condition is problematic or subject to some objections in terms of context, they have resorted to various linguistic explanations such as omission hazf, precedence-postponement taqdīm-takhīr and metaphor. As far as it can be determined in this study, except for some scholars of wujūh and naẓāir, there was no one who constantly gave the meaning of cause in the verses where the meaning of condition is open to discussion, whereas some exegetes gave the meaning of condition or causetalīl depending on the context and used all the possibilities of the language by acting more freely. However, it has not gone unnoticed that they present a problematic interpretation style by displaying different approaches in similar āyāt verses that come in the same context.

Article Details

An Investigation on the Grammatical and Problematic Interpretations of the Expression of 'in Küntüm' in the Qur'an

Authors:

Süleyman Narol

Publisher:

Sivas Cumhuriyet University

Main Topics:

Din Araştırmaları

Journal:

Cumhuriyet İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.46-60

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289871

pISSN:

2528-9861

Qur’ānic Exegesis

in Kuntum

Interpretation

Grammatical

Problematic.Tefsir

İn küntüm

Yorum

Gramatik

Problematik

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Süleyman Narol

Publisher: Sivas Cumhuriyet University

Main Topics: Din Araştırmaları

Journal: Cumhuriyet İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.46-60

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2023

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001289871

pISSN: 2528-9861

Issues

Authors:

Süleyman Narol

Publisher:

Sivas Cumhuriyet University

Main Topics:

Din Araştırmaları

Journal:

Cumhuriyet İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.46-60

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001289871

pISSN:

2528-9861