Interrogative in Tafsir Futuh al-Ghayb fi al-Kashf ‘aQana’ al-Rayb Surah al-Baqara as an Example

Abstract

This research investigates the interrogative style in the Qur’anic exegesis Futūḥ al-Ghayb fī al-Kashf ʿan Qināʿ al-Rayb by Imam Sharaf al-Dīn al-Ṭībī, with a specific focus on its application in Sūrat al-Baqarah. The study was prompted by the rhetorical significance of interrogatives in the Qur’anic discourse, where interrogative forms are not limited to inquiries for unknown information but are employed to convey a range of rhetorical functions, including wonder, reproach, affirmation, denial, guidance, and rhetorical questioning. Al-Ṭībī’s interpretation is notable among linguistic and rhetorical Qur’anic commentaries for its detailed focus on syntactic structure and contextual meaning. His commentary, written as a gloss on al-Zamakhsharī’s al-Kashshāf, offers in-depth linguistic and semantic analysis that highlights the layers of meaning generated by interrogative structures within the Qur’an. Sūrat al-Baqarah was selected for this study due to its dense and diverse use of interrogative forms across various thematic contexts — theological, legal, ethical, and narrative. The research employs a descriptive-analytical methodology, analyzing selected verses that contain interrogatives and exploring their figurative implications as understood by al-Ṭībī. The study concludes that al-Ṭībī treats interrogatives as central rhetorical devices through which divine intent is clarified. His approach demonstrates how interrogative expressions move beyond grammatical function to serve interpretive and communicative roles. This reveals an exegetical methodology that integrates grammatical structure with rhetorical context, contributing to a deeper understanding of Qur’anic meaning and eloquence, This research is taken from a doctoral thesi