On Presupposition in Qurʾānic Conditionals : The Cases of in kāna and in faʿala

Abstract

The paper examines the possibilities of the fulfilment of the condition in some āyas of the Qur’ān, whether it is a matter of the future, or the result of the conditional sentence is already decided, either by refusing what the protasis of the conditional sentence claims or by affirming it. These sentences may be called ‘conditionals with a presupposition’. The presupposition may be true or not true, but the outcome of the sentence does not depend on a future event. These conditional sentences are mainly defective, with no apodosis, and are generally of the type in kāna fāʽilan or in kāna min al–fāʽilīna. Forty-five āyas are analysed in this respect and additional āyas are listed which could be similarly dealt with. The results of the examinations always depend on the opinions of the Muslim Qur’ān commentators. In each case the opinions of at least three or four tafsīrs have been examined. The tafsīrs are from the 7th to the 21st centuries. Altogether forty-seven tafsīrs have been taken into consi­deration.