Grammatical Parallelism in the Qur’ān

Abstract

Parallelism – or, as it is called in Arabic, al-muqābala occupies a central position in the rhetorical discipline of ‘ilm al-badī‘. Parallelism is used as a means of textual ornamentation or embellishment and can be divided into several types that are based on the semantics of parallelism and its formative structure. Parallelism in Arabic has received a considerable amount of attention from Arabic rhetoricians, and this has facilitated an understanding of the essence of parallelism in Arabic – its types, structures and meaning. However, there are some lacunae in their descriptions concerning the function and thematic restrictions of parallelism in the Qur’ān. The current article, which focuses on grammatical parallelism where the two stichos of parallelism are the same with respect to syntax and morphology, shows that parallelism has some important roles to play in textual arrangement. It may, for example, conclude a thematic section, indicate a turning point in the text or clarify what has been said previously. In addition, it is shown that parallelism is not used at random in the Qur’ān but rather is restricted to repeated themes which carry the most important messages of the Qur’ān, such as God’s Might or the behavioral patterns of believers and non-believers; or it can be used as a stylistic device.