The Semantic Implications of the Verb Form Iftaʿala in al-Harari’s Tafsīr Hadāʾiq al-Rūḥ wa al-Rayḥān

Abstract

The verb form Iftaʿala is considered one of the most prominent morphological patterns whose semantic scope has expanded in Qur’ānic usage. This study aims to explore the dimensions of this form through the exegesis of the distinguished scholar Muḥammad al-Amīn al-Hararī in his work Hadāʾiq al-Rūḥ wa al-Rayḥān fī Rawābī ʿUlūm al-Qur’ān. The analysis demonstrates that this form is not confined to a single meaning; rather, its functions vary according to the Qur’ānic context. It may denote reciprocity or reflexivity, as in irtāba (to doubt), ihtadā (to be guided), and intaṣara (to achieve victory); it may indicate adoption or assumption, as in intabatha (to withdraw) and ittaqā (to be pious); or it may carry the sense of the simple triliteral verb, as in ishtarā (to buy) and iṭṭalaʿa (to examine). In other contexts, it signifies manifestation and clarification, as in ib'talā (to test), request or pursuit, as in iqtabasa (to seek light), or mutual action, as in ikhtaṣama (to dispute). At times, it conveys intensification, as in iṣṭarakha (to cry out), or parallels the form tafāʿala, as in iqtatala (to fight). Although this latter meaning is close to reciprocity, distinguishing it adds precision. In other instances, it corresponds to the form afʿala, as in taḥaddā (to challenge) meaning alḥada (to deviate). Notably, this last meaning has not been classified by morphologists as an independent semantic function of Iftaʿala. These findings highlight the semantic flexibility of this form, which serves as a precise linguistic tool in Qur’ānic expression, revealing the depth of morphological structures in conveying nuanced meanings.