Al-Ḍuḥā has three major rhetorical phases: oath and reassurance, recall of favor, and directives. Negation and emphasis dominate the first; parallel declaratives the second; prohibition and command the third. The analysis thus extends beyond individual words to discourse progression.
The antecedent for an omitted object in wa-mā qalā is close at hand. The rationale for the fa-ammā transition, by contrast, relies on the thematic link across several verses. Contextual evidence can therefore be local or distributed over a larger passage.
VersesStructureRhetorical role
1–5Oath, negation, promiseReassurance and emphasis
6–8Three parallel reportsRecall of favor
9–11Ammā, prohibitions, commandPractical direction