The Rhetoric of the Holy Qur’an in the Context of the Verses of Divine Oneness: An Analytical Rhetorical Study

Abstract

This research examines the rhetoric of the Holy Qur’an in the context of the verses concerning Divine Oneness and the requirements of Islamic creed. It aims to demonstrate how the Holy Qur’an employs rhetorical devices to firmly establish the doctrine of Divine Oneness in people’s hearts, establish proof against opponents, and highlight the manifestations of rhetorical inimitability in Qur’anic discourse. The research adopts the descriptive-analytical method by studying a number of verses concerning Divine Oneness and analyzing them in light of the sciences of Arabic rhetoric: (the science of meanings), (the science of exposition), and (the science of rhetorical embellishment), while drawing on classical and modern works of Qur’anic exegesis and rhetoric.

The research concludes that Qur’anic rhetoric was not merely an aesthetic end, but rather a means of conveying doctrinal meanings in the most eloquent form. The rhetorical styles varied among restriction, emphasis, rhetorical questions expressing denial, fronting and postponement, metaphor, simile, metonymy, and Qur’anic parables, thereby giving Qur’anic discourse persuasive power, depth of influence, and continuity in guidance. The study also demonstrates that the interconnectedness between doctrinal meaning and rhetorical formulation represents one of the most prominent aspects of the inimitability of the Holy Qur’an.