[ms] Syntactical Analysis of the Usage of Ism al-Jam‘ in the Qur’an

Abstract

The Qur’an is the most Muslim revered scripture and is considered to be philologically distinctive. This distinctiveness is ascribed to the beautiful language style of the Qur’an, apart from its content concerning all aspects of life. One of the distinctiveness of the language of the Qur’an is the usage of its ism al-jam‘. This term ism al-jam‘ literally means plural noun but in essence it is a singular noun that gives plural meaning. The usage of the term in the Qur’an is one of the topics of interest initiated by past Arabic scholars of syntax. Thus, this study is aimed at identifying the presence of plural nouns and their patterns in the Qur’an. The methodology of this research is library research, emphasizing document analysis approach. This study expands on the findings of past and contemporary scholars of Arabic philology concerning ism al-jam‘. It is found that ism al-jam‘ in the Qur’an comes in two forms, namely their application in singular, taking into account their wording, and their application in plural taking into account their meanings. Such an understanding of ism al-jam‘ in the Qur’an is very important as counter-argument to the misleading or wrong perceptions of some critics, especially from the West, who takes lightly the necessity of a deep analysis of the syntax of the Qur’an. Subsequently, the counter-argument helps enhance the conviction of the Muslims of the Qur’an in its own perfection and beauty.

keywords: plural nouns; Qur’anic syntax; orientalists

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/islamiyyat-2015-3701-09