Dr. Rashid Ali Al-Balushi,
Department of English and Translation, College of Arts and Social Sciences,
Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman
This study examines the available interpretations of (Q. 16:1), in (1), and applies modern linguistic principles to argue for one of the available interpretations and against the other one. The study addresses the referent of the clitic pronoun –hu in the verb tastaʕjil-ū-hu. The available exegesis books maintain that –hu refers either to the noun phrase ʔamru Allāhi ‘the command of God’ or to the noun phrase Allāhi ‘God’.
- [ʔatā ʔamru Allāhi] [fa-lā tastaʕjil-ū-hu]
came command God then-Neg rush-you-it/-Him
[subḥāna-hu wa taʕālā ʕammā yuʃrik-ūn]
glory-him and exalted above associate-they
“The command of God has come, so do not rush it. Glory be to Him; exalted above what they associate (16:1)”.
Three modern linguistic principles are applied to the structure of (Q. 16:1): Binding Principle B, which is the principle responsible for the interpretation of personal pronouns, the structure of the Construct State (ʔiḍāfah structure), and the Subcategorization Principle, which makes reference to the complementation properties of the verb yastaʕjil. The results of the application of the three principles show that the pronoun –hu in the verb tastaʕjil-ū-hu must be interpreted to refer to the noun phrase Allāhi ‘God’, and may not refer to the noun phrase ʔamru Allāhi ‘the command of God’. This claim is supported with evidence from other Qur’anic verses. This study also aims to show that modern linguistic theories are able to support some of the available interpretations and refute others.
Keywords: Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, Linguistic analysis, Interpretation of pronouns, Construct State, Complementation properties
The above abstract is a part of the article which was accepted at The 11th International Conference on Languages, Linguistics, Translation and Literature (WWW.TLLL.IR), 1-2 February 2026, Ahwaz.
Video of Presentation:
Modern Linguistic Principles and the Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an
(Click Here)
