وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ
When My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near.
In Al-Baqarah 2:186, idhā introduces the occasion, saʾalaka identifies the servants’ question, and fa-innī qarīb provides the response. The fāʾ links the answer to that occasion, while inna reinforces the assertion of nearness.
The question is about God and the answer addresses nearness. The key rhetorical connection is visible in the wording without presuming a lengthy unexpressed sentence.
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Practice 7: Ellipsis, Preposing and Contextual Meaning in Qur’anic Expression
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ
When My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near.
In Al-Baqarah 2:186, idhā introduces the occasion, saʾalaka identifies the servants’ question, and fa-innī qarīb provides the response. The fāʾ links the answer to that occasion, while inna reinforces the assertion of nearness.
The question is about God and the answer addresses nearness. The key rhetorical connection is visible in the wording without presuming a lengthy unexpressed sentence.