-Temporal Ambiguities in the Holy Qur’an by Al-Suyuti, A Rhetorical study

Abstract

Abstract:The science of ambiguities is one of the sciences that scholars toke care of in the past, and they wrote special works in it, and included the Qura’nic verses which involve a type of ambiguity, and among these scholars is Imam al-Suyuti.

Al-Suyuti talked about the science of ambiguities in his books: Perfection in the Sciences of the Qur’an, the Struggle of the Peers in the Inimitability of the Qur’an, and The Convictions of the Peers in the Ambiguities of the Qur’an, and the book of (The Convictions of the Peers) outdid all the other books which talked about the Qura’nic ambiguities.

Al-Suyuti’s book The Convictions of the Peers was the only book which mentioned some evidences of the ambiguities which noon else, who previously wrote about the science of ambiguities, touched upon them.

But these Qura’nic evidences in the science of ambiguities need to be studied and clarified, especially with regard to rhetoric and eloquence, and from this standpoint the idea of this research came.

This research tries to shed light on a type of Qura’nic ambiguities for Al-Suyuti, namely: the temporal ambiguities. So he mentions their evidences, studies them rhetorically, and explains the reasons for the ambiguity in them, and reveals the rhetorical secret in them.

 The research also aims to examine if those temporal ambiguities of al-Suyuti's are pure notions or from his own narrations. The study also seeks to investigate if he used the analytical method in study and analysis.

Perhaps the most important rhetorical secrets of the temporal ambiguities in which the research came out with are: declaration and affirmation, confirmation and clarification, magnification, glorification, threat and intimidation.