Modality in the Qurʾān
Summary
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.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Preface
- Organization of This Book
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 0.1 What is Modality?
- 0.2 Modality in Arabic
- 0.3 Issues in Modality
- 0.4 The Current Study
- 0.5 Aims
- 0.6 Methodology
- Chapter 1 The Epistemic Modality
- 1.1 laʿalla and ʿasā
- 1.1.1 ʿasā llāhu vs. laʿallahum/ laʿallakum
- 1.1.2 laʿalla and the First-Person Pronoun
- 1.1.3 laʿalla and Second-Person and Third-Person Singular Pronouns
- 1.1.4 ʿasā in Reference to Individuals Other than God
- 1.1.5 ʿasā as an Expectation when Addressing God
- 1.1.6 laʿalla and ʿasā in the Context of Resurrection Day
- Conclusion
- 1.2 balā and kallā
- 1.2.1 balā and kallā as Response Particles
- 1.2.2 The Functions of balā and kallā as Affirmation and Negation Particles with Modal Meanings
- Conclusion
- 1.3 Energicus
- 1.3.1 The Epistemic Meaning of the Energicus Form
- 1.3.2 The Epistemic and Deontic Meanings of the Energicus Form
- Conclusion
- 1.4 The Verbs ẓanna and ḥasiba
- 1.4.1 The Verb ẓanna
- 1.4.2 The Verb ḥasiba
- Conclusion
- 1.5 Rarer Examples of Epistemic Modality
- 1.5.1 Specific Types of Interrogatives
- 1.5.2 Epistemic Meanings of the Verb ḫāfa
- Conclusion
- Chapter 2 The Deontic Modality
- 2.1 ʿalā
- Conclusion
- 2.2 lā ǧunāḥa ʿalā, lā ʾiṯma ʿalā and lā ḥaraǧa ʿalā
- 2.2.1 lā ǧunāḥa ʿalā and lā ʾiṯma ʿalā
- 2.2.2 lā ḥaraǧa ʿalā
- Conclusion
- 2.3 mā kāna li vs. mā yanbaġī li
- 2.3.1 Ambiguous Denotation of mā kāna li
- 2.3.2 Unambiguous Denotation of mā kāna li: Epistemic, Deontic or Dynamic Meaning
- Conclusion
- Chapter 3 Dynamic Modality
- 3.1 The Verbs istaṭāʿa vs. qadara
- 3.2 The Verb istaṭāʿa
- 3.3 The Verb qadara
- 3.4 Volition and Ability
- Conclusion
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Arabic Sources
- Index of Grammatical Terms
- Index of Qurʾānic Verses
Preface
Modality is a fundamental feature of human language and communication that enables speakers to express possibilities, necessities and certainties about events or propositions. Modality plays a pivotal role in the Qurʾān in verses that express exchanges between God, believers, unbelievers, between God and the Prophet Muḥammad, and between other interlocutors that convey commands, laws and descriptions of God. Grammarians of Arabic, commentators on the Qurʾān, as well as rhetoricians have all discussed the range of linguistic devices used to convey modality which allow speakers to express their judgment or opinion about an event, state or proposition.
Modality is a relatively well-researched topic in studies of modern Arabic Grammar. Certain modal expressions such as mumkin “it is possible” or yaǧibu ʿalā “[one] must” have attracted considerable attention. By contrast, for Classical Arabic and specifically for the Qurʾān, there are no systematic studies that analyze structures or expressions with modal meaning. The goal of this book is to respond to this need.
When I began researching modality in the Qurʾān, I quickly realized that there was no clear-cut definition of modality, especially in works on grammar. This is explicitly stated in some studies. Thus, my search protocol may have overlooked certain usages, or classified usages in ways that are debatable. Some of my classifications of modal uses may not be seen as modal at all by other researchers. A similar issue emerged when trying to determine types of modality. This volume focuses on the epistemic, deontic and dynamic modalities. Some analyses consider other types, such as the ‘boulemaic modality’, which refers to the expression of desires, wishes, hopes or wants. They were not included here because these usages can be seen as speech acts and not necessarily as modal expressions.
Modality conveys obligation, permission, ability, and intention and is used in the Qurʾān in verses that deal with moral conduct, polemic discourse, and divine guidance. Although these topics have been dealt with through a variety of approaches, perspectives and methods in Qurʾānic studies, this book innovates by taking a textual-linguistics approach that examines the functions of modal verbs, particles, and other constructions in the Qurʾān. This sometimes prompted me to analyze parallel or contrasting structures that required drawing on theories and explanations in contemporary linguistic research that are rare in exegesis. In these cases, the sub-chapters cover components that are related to each other, and show the ways in which each has its own specific semantic, syntactic and functional characteristics.
Organization of This Book
The four chapters in this volume are organized broadly as follows. The Introduction section introduces definitions of the term ‘modality’ in modern linguistics, reviews studies dealing with modality in Arabic and in the Qurʾān, and then presents the purpose of the book, the methodology and the rationale for the exclusion of certain grammatical structures.
Chapter 1 deals with epistemic modality. It consists of five sub-chapters. The first deals with the verb ʿasā “surely” and the particle laʿalla “it is possible that,” both of which tend to be seen as synonyms in syntactic analyses as well as in the interpretation of the Qurʾān because they primarily express hope (al-taraǧǧī). Nevertheless, each has its own syntactic, contextual, functional and semantic features. For example, except for one special case, laʿalla occurs when the agent is human, since the Qurʾān considers that people’s behavior is always uncertain, as is their ability to achieve their goals. By contrast, in the Qurʾān, the use of ʿasā is restricted to references to God. The second sub-chapter deals with the particles balā “yes indeed” “yes [it will surely occur]” and kallā “certainly not” which can function as either non-modal response particles or as modal expressions. balā and kallā as modal expressions mostly occur in argumentative/polemic discourse on future events. The third sub-chapter discusses the energicus form or more precisely the suffixation of nūn al-tawkīd “the emphatic nūn.” This form encodes a promise, a threat, possible actions, action planning and/or ways to accomplish it. However, in verses that use the energetic form for God’s utterances, this form implies that the action will definitely occur. The fourth sub-chapter focuses on the epistemic and non-epistemic meanings of the verbs ẓanna “to think” (lit. “he thought”) and ḥasiba “to believe” (lit. “he believed”) where the nature of the speaker impacts the interpretation of the verb. For example, when the verb ẓanna modifies a first-person pronoun, the speaker expresses certainty based on knowledge and evidence, unlike when it is used with other personal pronouns. The verb ḥasiba is generally used in utterances ascribed to God to indicate that people’s thinking is mistaken. The last sub-chapter presents special cases that have an epistemic meaning such as the question ʾannā yakūnu li “how is it possible for [someone],” which is used to express opinions as to the likelihood of an event.
Chapter 2 deals with deontic meanings. Four prominent structures are analyzed: the particle ʿalā “upon” “have to,” the expressions lā ǧunāḥa ʿalā “no inclination [to commit a crime],” lā ʾiṯma ʿalā “no sin upon” and lā ḥaraǧa ʿalā “no blame.” The latter three characterize Qurʾānic legislative language. The final sub-chapter explores the expressions mā kāna li and mā yanbaġī li- “it is not permitted,” “it is not possible” or “[one] is not able”. They are ambiguous because they can convey an epistemic and deontic denotation at the same time.
Chapter 3 deals with dynamic meanings related to the verbs qadara “can” (lit. “could”) and istaṭāʿa “is able to” (lit. “was able to”) and their derivatives. Similar to the case of ʿasā and laʿalla, these two verbs are not synonyms since qadara is used to describe divine power, while istaṭāʿa describes human ability.
The Conclusion highlights the main issues related to modality in the Qurʾān dealt with in this volume: the linguistic components that convey modality, why they are used in certain verses, and by whom. Overall, the analyses show that modal expressions are often ambiguous, since a single expression can have multiple meanings depending on the situation, seemingly similar modal expressions can have specific meanings depending on the context, and utterances ascribed to God in the Qurʾān employ modals differently than utterances attributed to humans in verses aimed to reflect unlimited knowledge and power.
This book is not comprehensive; however, I hope that it will inspire others to delve more deeply into modality in Arabic in general and in the Qurʾān in particular.
Acknowledgments
My academic journey into modality began when I took an M.A. course on the grammar of the Qurʾān taught by the late Professor Rafi Talmon, who shaped my approach to research. It was under his guidance that I first encountered the depth and complexity of Qurʾānic grammar.
A few years ago, a student asked me a seemingly simple question about modality in Arabic. At that time, I did not really know how to define it clearly. That question stuck with me and developed into a persistent curiosity. After a great deal of study, research, and teaching, I felt that the conditions were ripe for writing this book.
I am grateful to all those who took the time to read the manuscript and write reviews. I learned a great deal from their comments, which were invaluable in revising the text. Nevertheless, this book reflects my own research approach, and I bear full responsibility for all the analyses, arguments, and mistakes that may remain.
My deepest thanks go to my students at the Department of Arabic language and literature, who have enabled me to explore and teach the topic of modality. Their thoughtful reactions to my explanations were essential to shaping my understanding.
I would also like to thank the University of Haifa for its generous financial support for this project. My thanks also go to Esther Singer, my English editor, for her tireless and patient work editing the manuscript again and again with professionalism and care.
Finally, to my beloved family: Yehezkel, Viki, Yaarit, Tal, Yair and Ori, whose endless love and unwavering support sustained me throughout this work.
Introduction
The overarching aim of this book is to examine modality in the Qurʾān. This chapter begins with a detailed presentation of the concept of modality in linguistics. It then reviews the key literature on modality, in particular in Arabic and the Qurʾān and presents the methodology that lays the groundwork for the analyses in this volume.
0.1 What is Modality?
This section presents a concise overview of ‘modality’ in modern linguistics that will enable readers to follow the analyses presented in this volume. It outlines the basic types of modality and their key features and properties.
Modality is a classic component in both logic and linguistics, and can be seen as either a philosophical concept or a grammatical category.1 In modal logic, modality is defined as the relation of a proposition to objective reality on the basis of its mode of existence (possibility, factuality, necessity) and whether it is true or false.2 In linguistics, modality characterizes speaker participation in a speech event: when employing modal expressions, speakers indicate their evaluation of the state or validity of an event3 or their judgment as to the status of a proposition as speculation, deduction or assumption.4 For example, in the sentence “You must go to the lecture” the speaker not only conceptualizes the act of ‘going’ as not yet factual and the act as not having occurred, but also expresses a view on the necessity of going to the lecture.5 Modality thus has to do with potential acts and potential facts, as opposed to actual facts and acts.6 Modal utterances are non-factual in the sense that they do not assert that the situations they describe are facts or are real. Rather, they reflect the speaker’s perspective on the necessity or possibility of the truth of a proposition or the actualization of a situation.7 However, the distinction between fact, actual-non actual, and real and unreal does not always hold up when analyzing modality in different languages. Bybee et al. (1994), for example, showed that in some languages, present tense verbs can fall into either category (realis or irrealis) depending on the context. A verb in the present tense might be considered realis (referring to something concrete or actually happening) when it talks about something that is currently happening or will definitely happen in the future.
But the same present tense verb might be considered irrealis (referring to something hypothetical or not actual) if it expresses something that might happen.8
Modal categories are typically characterized in terms of their subjectivity vs. objectivity or intersubjectivity. The three main types of modal categories are known as the dynamic modality, the deontic modality and the epistemic modality.
The dynamic modality (or ‘facultative modality’) ascribes a capacity or ability to the actor/agent/subject through a verb and constituents such as the action and/or a state of affairs expressed in a clause; as for example in “He can stand on his head without using his hands.” Here, the ability to stand on one’s head no-handed constitutes a property of the individual in question. However, in some cases this property is conditioned on external factors, for example: “The garage is available, so you can park your car there.”9
The deontic modality expresses permission and obligation.10 It indicates the degree of moral desirability, which can involve social norms as well as the ethical criteria of the person making the assessment.11 In the sentence “John may leave now,” a person with authority permits John to leave, or enforces a norm.12
Details
- Pages
- XII, 186
- Publication Year
- 2026
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781805840589
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781805840596
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781805840572
- DOI
- 10.3726/b22992
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2026 (September)
- Keywords
- Qurʾān Epistemic Modality Deontic Modality Dynamic Modality
- Published
- Oxford, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, 2026. xii, 186 pp., 1 table.
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