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

“Wa-law tarā idhi al-ẓālimūna fī ghamarāti al-mawt”
“If only you could see the wrongdoers in the agonies of death…” (al-Anʿām 6:93, excerpt)

The scene is vividly presented after “law,” but the full consequence is not supplied. The listener grasps how dreadful and revealing such a sight would be.

“Wa-law yarā alladhīna ẓalamū idh yarawna al-ʿadhāb”
“If only the wrongdoers could see when they see the punishment…” (al-Baqarah 2:165, excerpt)

The consequence can be left unstated because the severity of what follows already suggests it.

Rhetorically, withholding an explicit short answer can convey a greater and more open-ended sense of awe or dread than a narrowly specified statement would.

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“If only you could see”: an unstated consequence

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

“Wa-law tarā idhi al-ẓālimūna fī ghamarāti al-mawt”
“If only you could see the wrongdoers in the agonies of death…” (al-Anʿām 6:93, excerpt)

The scene is vividly presented after “law,” but the full consequence is not supplied. The listener grasps how dreadful and revealing such a sight would be.

“Wa-law yarā alladhīna ẓalamū idh yarawna al-ʿadhāb”
“If only the wrongdoers could see when they see the punishment…” (al-Baqarah 2:165, excerpt)

The consequence can be left unstated because the severity of what follows already suggests it.

Rhetorically, withholding an explicit short answer can convey a greater and more open-ended sense of awe or dread than a narrowly specified statement would.