LessonsQur’anic Ellipsis (Ḥadhf): Implied Words, Relationships and Rhetorical BrevityQuiz

“Sabaqat lahum minnā al-ḥusnā”
“Our gracious promise has already gone forth for them.” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:101, excerpt)

The adjective “al-ḥusnā” denotes the good or excellent outcome. The verse’s context of divine assurance allows the sense of a “good word” or a “gracious promise” to be supplied.

The implied noun helps identify the nature of what was granted in advance; the surrounding verse concerns those destined for a favorable outcome.

The expansion should not reduce the broad promise to a single imagined material reward. The adjective itself retains the full significance of the promised good.

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The gracious word already decreed

Qur’anic Ellipsis (Ḥadhf): Implied Words, Relationships and Rhetorical Brevity

“Sabaqat lahum minnā al-ḥusnā”
“Our gracious promise has already gone forth for them.” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:101, excerpt)

The adjective “al-ḥusnā” denotes the good or excellent outcome. The verse’s context of divine assurance allows the sense of a “good word” or a “gracious promise” to be supplied.

The implied noun helps identify the nature of what was granted in advance; the surrounding verse concerns those destined for a favorable outcome.

The expansion should not reduce the broad promise to a single imagined material reward. The adjective itself retains the full significance of the promised good.