إِنَّا أَوْ إِيَّاكُمْ لَعَلَى هُدًى أَوْ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
Either we or you are upon guidance or in manifest error.
The apparent noncommitment expressed by «aw» can prompt the hearer to reflect; it is not proof of genuine doubt on the speaker's part. A directive example differs:
لِيَدْخُلِ الدَّارَ زَيْدٌ أَوْ عَمْرٌو
Let Zayd or ʿAmr enter the house.
Depending on context, it may signal choice (takhyīr) or permission (ibāḥah) depending on whether selection of one excludes the other.
DeviceDiagnostic question
ʿAṭf al-bayānHow was the first referent clarified?
BadalHow was the target of predication reinforced?
و / ف / ثم / حتىWhat participation or order is conveyed?
لا / بل / لكن / أوWhich exclusion, correction, doubt or permission is intended?
The next section concerns ḍamīr al-faṣl (separating pronoun), another device following the subject with its own rhetorical effects.