LessonsAl-Dhikr wa al-Hadhf: Rhetorical Purposes of Mention and OmissionQuiz

سُرِقَ الْمَتَاعُ
The belongings were stolen.

وَخُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
And the human being was created weak. (Al-Nisāʾ 4:28)

In the first example, the thief is not named; al-matāʿu is the nominative deputy subject of the passive verb. Concealing the thief, ignorance of the thief’s identity, or fear of naming the thief may motivate the construction, depending on context.

In the second, al-insānu is the deputy subject and ḍaʿīfan is an accusative circumstantial expression. The statement foregrounds human weakness. Non-mention of the agent does not imply uncertainty about the Creator.

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Omission 11: passive construction and the deputy subject

Al-Dhikr wa al-Hadhf: Rhetorical Purposes of Mention and Omission

سُرِقَ الْمَتَاعُ
The belongings were stolen.

وَخُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا
And the human being was created weak. (Al-Nisāʾ 4:28)

In the first example, the thief is not named; al-matāʿu is the nominative deputy subject of the passive verb. Concealing the thief, ignorance of the thief’s identity, or fear of naming the thief may motivate the construction, depending on context.

In the second, al-insānu is the deputy subject and ḍaʿīfan is an accusative circumstantial expression. The statement foregrounds human weakness. Non-mention of the agent does not imply uncertainty about the Creator.