The Effect of the Preposition of “B” in the Interpretation of Verses from the Perspective of Some Shiite and Sunni Commentators (A Study of the Second Ten Juz’ of the Holy Quran)

Abstract

Harf (حرف) literally means the side and margin of anything, whether it is tangible of intangible. One of the types of Huruf (prepositions) is the jar preposition of “b” (ب). This research has examined the ten figurative meanings of this preposition with reference to the second ten Juz’ of the Holy Quran: 1. Conceptology, 2. The figurative meanings of the jar preposition of “b”, the attempt to protect the Holy Qur'an from distortion and misinterpretation, and the attempt to understand the truth of the divine revelations, is of the aims of this discussion. Due to the fact that this preposition induces various meanings in different positions according to syntactic rules and literary interpretations, it is necessary to know it and its figurative meanings. Failure to address this issue and not mentioning the figurative meaning of this letter will lead to a misunderstanding in the verses of the Qur'an and what God states. The present study is based on narrative-intellectual method with reference to some literary interpretations such as Al-Mizan, Majma 'al-Bayyan, Bahr al-Muhit, Al-Kashaf, Al-Tahrir va Al-Tanwir, Tebyan as six fixed sources and other sources, including Tafsir Al-Quran by Rashid Reza, etc. Also by referring to Syntactic sources such as Mughni al-Labib, al-Nahjah al-Marziyyah, Sharh al-Kafiyyah, syntactic and literary explorations, al-Burhan fi ‘Ulum a;-Quran, etc this significant issue has been addressed. The results obtained from the mentioned research are as follows: The preposition b has been used in addition to its real meanings in figurative meanings, including: 1. Isti’anat 2. End of purpose (Entehay-E Ghayat) 3. Mujavezat 4. Muqabilah 5. Emphasis 6. Sababiyyat 7. Zarfiyat 8. Oath 9. Ta’diyeh 10. Musabihat.