The paper is titled "Who believed, who believes and the believers – the aspectual differences of such structural types in the Qurʾān". It focuses on analyzing the aspectual differences between three seemingly similar structures in Quranic Arabic: allaḏīna faʿalū (who believed), allaḏīna yafʿalūna (who believe), and al-fāʿilūna (the believers).
The study aims to demonstrate that these three structures, which have often been viewed as equivalent, actually have distinct aspectual properties and usages in the Qur'an. It examines 438 instances of these structures.
The research analyzes the contexts, exegeses, and relationships between the components of these structures in the Quranic text. It considers various aspectual features like habituality, continuity, and completion.
Key Findings:
- The allaḏīna faʿalū type can indicate an unchanging situation, a progressive action viewed retrospectively on Judgment Day, or past actions.
- The allaḏīna yafʿalūna type often expresses habituality or iterative aspects.
- The al-fāʿilūna type encompasses aspectual indications of both other types.
- Tense shifts between structures can mark sequences, consequences, or differences between durative and habitual actions.
The paper concludes that these three structures, previously thought to be interchangeable, actually have distinct syntactic, semantic and aspectual properties in Quranic usage. It suggests their different frequencies may relate to pragmatic contexts, with allaḏīna faʿalū being more general and frequent, possibly addressing mundane life before Judgment Day.
The study contributes to Quranic studies by demonstrating how linguistic analysis of syntactic structures can reveal nuanced pragmatic and contextual meanings in the text.