LessonsIstifhām: Conception, Assent, and the Interrogative HamzaQuiz

“A-qāma Zaydun?” questions whether Zayd’s standing/coming occurred and thus seeks taṣdīq. “A-Zaydun qāma am ʿAmrun?” treats the event as given and asks which person performed it: taṣawwur.

The mere presence of a question mark is not enough. Proper rhetorical analysis identifies the missing information—the relation’s truth, or the identity of a component.

FeatureTaṣawwurTaṣdīq
TargetIdentify a componentDetermine if relation obtains
ExampleA-dibs ... am ʿasal?A-qāma Zayd?
AnswerSyrup / honeyYes / no
Question focusAn elementThe proposition

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Taṣawwur and taṣdīq: different targets

Istifhām: Conception, Assent, and the Interrogative Hamza

“A-qāma Zaydun?” questions whether Zayd’s standing/coming occurred and thus seeks taṣdīq. “A-Zaydun qāma am ʿAmrun?” treats the event as given and asks which person performed it: taṣawwur.

The mere presence of a question mark is not enough. Proper rhetorical analysis identifies the missing information—the relation’s truth, or the identity of a component.

FeatureTaṣawwurTaṣdīq
TargetIdentify a componentDetermine if relation obtains
ExampleA-dibs ... am ʿasal?A-qāma Zayd?
AnswerSyrup / honeyYes / no
Question focusAn elementThe proposition