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

“Wa-idhā qīla lahumu ittaqū mā bayna aydīkum wa-mā khalfakum laʿallakum turḥamūn”
“When they are told, ‘Be mindful of what is before and behind you, so that you may receive mercy…’” (Yā Sīn 36:45, excerpt)

The explicit consequence to this conditional is not stated immediately. The following verse describes their habitual turning away: “except that they turn away from it” (36:46, excerpt).

The unspoken response is therefore akin to “they turn away.” The later verse supplies the evidence for the reconstructed reaction.

Not every conditional structure requires its consequence to be repeated in a separate clause. A discourse can omit what its continuation already makes unmistakable.

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An unstated reaction to the command to be mindful

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

“Wa-idhā qīla lahumu ittaqū mā bayna aydīkum wa-mā khalfakum laʿallakum turḥamūn”
“When they are told, ‘Be mindful of what is before and behind you, so that you may receive mercy…’” (Yā Sīn 36:45, excerpt)

The explicit consequence to this conditional is not stated immediately. The following verse describes their habitual turning away: “except that they turn away from it” (36:46, excerpt).

The unspoken response is therefore akin to “they turn away.” The later verse supplies the evidence for the reconstructed reaction.

Not every conditional structure requires its consequence to be repeated in a separate clause. A discourse can omit what its continuation already makes unmistakable.