Modality in the Qurʾān

Abstract

This book presents a pioneering linguistic study of modality in the Qurʾān. Although there is considerable research on modal expressions in modern Arabic, modality in Classical Arabic and the Qurʾān in particular have not been examined in a systematic linguistic framework. This volume helps fill this gap. Drawing on contemporary linguistic theories and implementing a textual-linguistic approach, this volume explores how modal meanings are expressed in the Qurʾān through verbs, particles and syntactic constructions. It focuses on the epistemic, deontic and dynamic modalities and traces how each function in the Qurʾān. The analyses show how modal expressions are used differently depending on whether the speaker is divine or human, and how meanings shift across contexts and discourses.