Quranic Sciences and Tradition

Quranic Sciences and Tradition

A Literary and Rhetorical Analysis of the Syntactic Coordination of the Word Arjulakum in the Qur’anic Verse on Ablution

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
MohammadJavad Hassanpouri
PhD, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jqst.2026.408320.670572
Abstract
This study examines the rhetorical implications of the ruling concerning the purification of the feet in verse 6 of Sūrat al-Māʾida (the verse of ablution, Āyat al-Wuḍūʾ). The longstanding juristic disagreement between Shiites and Sunnis concerning the manner of purifying the feet stems from differing interpretations of the syntactic antecedent to which the word arjulakum (أَرْجُلَکُمْ) is coordinated in the verse. Since reliance solely on syntactic rules is insufficient to resolve this issue, the present study seeks to determine, from the perspective of rhetoric, which syntactic position provides the more correct and eloquent coordination. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on library-based sources, the study first examines the various grammatical analyses of arjulakum proposed by the two Islamic legal traditions and subsequently subjects them to critical analysis from the perspective of Arabic rhetoric. The findings indicate that the grammatical interpretation according to which arjulakum is coordinated with wujūhakum wa-aydiyakum (your faces and your hands) is inconsistent with the principles of eloquence because the intervening clause wa-imsaḥū bi-ruʾūsikum (and wipe your heads) separates the coordinated element from its antecedent, thereby producing both verbal and semantic complexity (taʿqīd lafẓī wa-maʿnawī). By contrast, coordinating arjulakum with bi-ruʾūsikum is consistent with the principles of Arabic rhetoric. On the basis of the decisive rhetorical arguments, the study concludes that the proper ruling concerning the purification of the feet in the verse of ablution is wiping (masḥ). The findings demonstrate that the arrangement and syntactic organization of the words in the verse convey the divine intent in the most precise and eloquent manner and may contribute to resolving longstanding juristic and literary disputes concerning the interpretation of the verse.
Keywords
verse of ablution (Āyat al-Wuḍūʾ)
arjulakum
syntactic coordination
Arabic rhetoric
wiping of the feet (masḥ al-rijlayn)
Subjects
Holy Quran
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Quranic Sciences and Tradition
Volume 59, Issue 1
Spring & Summer 2026
September 2026
Pages 85-105