Excess in Multiplying Grammatical Interpretations: Qur’anic Examples

Abstract

It is generally acknowledged that the multiplicity of grammatical interpretations is an indication of the flexibility of language and a source of its richness. However, this study addresses the excess involved in proposing additional grammatical interpretations beyond those that are commonly accepted and deemed valid. Although such additional interpretations may be formally sound and consistent with grammatical rules, they are considered weak because they distance the text from its intended meaning in accordance with the Qur’anic context in which it appears.

The study examines texts for which eight grammatical interpretations have been proposed, as well as texts for which more than eight interpretations have been suggested, beginning with those widely accepted as valid and moving toward those that may involve exaggeration and impose upon the text meanings beyond its intended purport.

Although some of these interpretations have been described by scholars as remote, contrived, erroneous, or questionable, and other similar terms have likewise been used in their regard, those scholars still considered them admissible, and they continue to be recorded in their works.

Among the findings of the study is the reliance on estimation, ellipsis, and implied elements in grammatical explanation and interpretation, as well as recourse to semantic inclusion in verbs and particles, even when this comes at the expense of established grammatical rules.

The study also concludes that the abundance of Qur’anic readings and the اختلاف in their grammatical explanation between nominative, accusative, and genitive forms are among the most important reasons that led to excess in multiplying grammatical interpretations