LessonsAl-Qasr: Real and Relative Restriction, Classifications and MethodsQuiz

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. (Qur'an 1:5)

In normal verbal order an object may follow its verb. Here iyyāka is a fronted object, preceding the imperfect verbs “naʿbudu” and “nastaʿīnu.” The subject “we” is expressed by the verb endings.

The fronting underscores that worship and ultimate seeking of help are directed exclusively to Allah. Not every fronting always denotes restriction, however; context and construction determine whether qasr or some other rhetorical aim is intended.

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Fronting what normally follows

Al-Qasr: Real and Relative Restriction, Classifications and Methods

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. (Qur'an 1:5)

In normal verbal order an object may follow its verb. Here iyyāka is a fronted object, preceding the imperfect verbs “naʿbudu” and “nastaʿīnu.” The subject “we” is expressed by the verb endings.

The fronting underscores that worship and ultimate seeking of help are directed exclusively to Allah. Not every fronting always denotes restriction, however; context and construction determine whether qasr or some other rhetorical aim is intended.