Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445–1505) on the Polysemy of the Qur’anic Vocabulary

Abstract

This paper analyzes the thirty- ninth chapter of the encyclopedic work “Al-Itqān fī‘ulūm al-Qur’ān” (Perfection in the Qur’anic Sciences) by the last of the classical Muslim exegetes, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445–1505). The encyclopedic work summarizes the entire tradition of Sunni scholarship on the Qur’an, known as al-wujūh wa-n-nazā’ir. The study shows that, in defi ning these terms, the theologian generally follows Ibn Taymiyyah’s formulation, as interpreted by his disciple Ibn alQayyim, and distinguishes the categories of wujūh and nazā’ir. The former includes homonyms, while the latter comprises univocatives. At the same time, when providing examples of words, Suyuti does not classify them according to this criterion, but rather according to the number of meanings they possess. The fi rst section of the chapter presents examples of words with three or more meanings; the second, words that have a single exception from the general rule; and the third, unambiguous words of the Qur’an. The vast majority of meanings across all groups are contextual connotation and exegetical interpretation, while only a small number of meanings arise from linguistic polysemy. The examples of unambiguity presented in the work are supported by the strongest arguments across all three groups, and these arguments are based on traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and to the “ancient fathers of the Ummah”.