By the Book. Or not? A linguistic journey through the Qur’an

Abstract

This paper investigates how the usage of the particle ’ أَم ’ in the Qur’an differs from the descriptions given of it in sources on modern Arabic. To do this, it adopts a working definition of the particle based on these sources, and then examines the particle’s occurrences throughout the book, placing them into two categories. Furthermore, older sources – or sources on the older language – are also presented, and an assessment is made as to which aspects of the particle’s descriptions find support in Qur’anic usage, and to what extent. This information is then used to propose a revised Qur’anic description of the particle that might be useful to those interested in understanding the central text of Islam, whether they be Arabic-speaking or not.