The Significance of Prepositions and Grammatical Elements in the Qur’an: A Syntactic and Argumentative Study

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the semantic functions of prepositions and grammatical particles in the Qur’anic text and to uncover their syntactic and argumentative roles in constructing meaning and guiding Qur’anic discourse. The study is based on the assumption that grammatical particles in the Qur’an do not merely perform structural functions, but rather play an effective semantic and persuasive role that contributes to achieving the rhetorical, educational, and directive purposes of the text. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach supported by inductive and comparative methods, the research examines selected applied models from the Qur’an, particularly from the Ḥā-Mīm chapters, in order to reveal the mechanisms through which particles are employed across different contexts. The findings demonstrate that prepositions such as kāf, min, bi, fī, ʿalā, ilā, and ʿan perform multiple argumentative functions, including emphasis, gradation, comparison, metaphor, causation, and specification, thereby contributing to guiding the recipient and shaping intended conviction. The study also shows that negation and exception structures enhance the effectiveness of Qur’anic discourse in regulating meaning and identifying the targeted audience, and it concludes by affirming the deep integration between syntactic structure and argumentative function in the Qur’an, highlighting the precision of the Qur’anic linguistic system and its remarkable capacity for persuasion and influence.