Why Syntax Matters Five Classical Exegeses on Three Issues in Q 2:185

Abstract

Although many classical exegetes devote a significant amount of time to debating aspects of the grammar and syntax of the Quran, such exegetical discussions have received relatively little attention in the scholarly literature. This article explores discussions of Q 2:185 in five exegeses, namely, those of al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923), al-Ṭūsī (d. 460/1067), al-Zamakhsharī (d. 538/1134), Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210), and al-Qurṭubī (d. 671/1273). The syntax and structure of Q 2:185, which forms the last verse within the Quran’s so-called fasting pericope, generated a number of debates, and this article focuses on three: (1) the syntactic relationship between the first two words (shahr Ramaḍān) and the rest of the verse; (2) the reason for the repetition of the concession (rukhṣa) granted to those who are sick or traveling; and (3) the way al-Zamakhsharī uses rhetorical analysis of the structure and syntax of the final part of the verse. This article demonstrates the importance of syntax within the field of tafsīr and the way in which it was used to not simply understand what the Quran means but to add more depth and significance to its interpretation.