Qur’ān is rendered facilitative for comprehension by use of figures of speech

By unique device: تَصْرِيفٌ like coverage of an event by multiple cameras


Allah the Exalted has used a unique device to render Qur’ān facilitative for complete understanding which no other author can employ because they suffer limitation of observation.

2. Our vision becomes dynamic when we are able to recognize objects and concepts from multiple perspectives and from different viewing angles. It then assists explicit cognition. Visual perception faces difficulties with varying lighting conditions illuminating the environment and our inability to absorb/digest visual scene in a single glimpse.

3. Real life experience will make the point lucid. A person watching a cricket or football match in the stadium and the Umpire/Referee cannot observe what a person can observe in the live telecast flashing each image of movements of the player and the ball from various angles seen by various cameras fixed all around the ground.

4. One writing device for facilitating the reader to conclusively comprehend an object, topic and concept is to describe it with the help of dichotomous relations; and by showing it from different angles, dimensions, and aspects. Dichotomous relations and terms incorporate both closeness and distance and help human cognitive tendency in categorizing experiences with their help.  This device portrays the varieties, or vicissitudes of affairs or events; scope, diametric properties; and possibilities the reader might not have given a thought. It illustrates how and why is it important to observe the other side of same or similar subject or concept and be mindful of possibilities that have not occurred but are probable.

5. Has this device been used in Qur’ān to render it facilitative for comprehending and conceptualizing? 

قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُـمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ سَـمْعَكُـمْ وَ أَبْصَٟرَكُمْ وَ خَتَـمَ عَلَـىٰ قُلُوبِكُـم

مَّنْ إِلَٟهٌ غَيْـرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُـم بِهِۗ 

ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٟتِ ثُـمَّ هُـمْ يَصْدِفُونَ٤٦

6. The First Person Masculine Sovereign Singular Imperfect Indicative Mood Verb (نُصَرِّفُ) is made from verbal Noun: تَصْرِيفٌ stemming from Rood: ص ر ف. Classical Lexicons describe that it leads to the perception of turning - alternating the direction; shifting one state/condition to another; or its substitute or alternate; and it is used to describe milk when its foam has settled like separated from foam, yeast. Thus it leads to Perspectives; turning - alternating the direction; shifting one state/condition to another; diametrically different in character, tendency, belief, etc. opposite views; The varieties, or vicissitudes, of affairs or events; scope, possibilities,

7. The text of Qur’ān also serves as Lexicon to render meanings and perception, embedded in its important words, explicit by using it in specific context. Man is often not mindful of possibilities that have not occurred but are probable:

قُلْ هُوَ ٱلْقَادِرُ عَلَـىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُـمْ عَذَابًۭا مِّن فَوْقِكُـمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِـكُـمْ 

 أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُـمْ شِيَعًۭا وَ يُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُـم بَأْسَ بَعْضٍۗ 

ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٟتِ لَعَلَّهُـمْ يَفْقَهُونَ٦٥

8. Presenting information in interchanging pattern, alternatives, and perspectives facilitates comprehending and conceptualizing it, and true understanding of relative importance of things; a sense of proportion. One meaning of the device: تَصْرِيفٌ mentioned in Classical Lexicons is to describe milk when its foam has settled like it is alienated from foam, yeast:

وَ كَذَٟلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٟتِ وَ لِيَقُولُوا۟ دَرَسْتَ وَ لِنُبَيِّنَهُۥ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ ١٠٥

9. Presenting information in interchanging pattern, highlighting by alternatives is like alienating milk from foam and like threshing, a process by which grains are separated from stalks. It renders the grain and chaff distinct. The act and state signified by: تَصْرِيفٌ can result that the people might say: دَرَسْتَ : a verbal sentence; verb perfect and suffixed second person singular masculine pronoun is referent to the addressee, elevated Messenger Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam. It stems from Root: د ر س. Classical Lexicons stated that it leads to the perception of veiling, disappearance, and to reduce, shorten, drop, and obliteration. And it means to thresh: separate grains from plants.

10. Threshing is a process by which grains are separated from stalks. It renders the grain and chaff distinct. Traditionally it was done by laying wheat crop in an elliptical circle and oxen were made walk over it. These days mechanized system also works with a slight elliptical action.

11. When the object of this action is a book its obvious meanings are to explain something exhaustively separating truth from conjecture and scum, highlighting good and worthless; exposing dichotomous relations. Thereby, the discourse is rendered explicitly explicative.

12. Before we study how this device is used in the major chunk of the text, let us read about its further objectives:

وَ ٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦۖ وَ ٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًۭاۚ

كَذَٟلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٟتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَشْكُرُونَ٥٨

13. The background frame is the same ٱلْبَلَدُ : the piece of land with defined boundaries. It is either: ٱلطَّيِّبُ or that which has experienced and attained a natural degraded quality: خَبُثَ , either of permanent  or temporary nature. The relation between words becomes available by virtue of their links to common background frame. The purpose is not to merely illustrate that two objects are the same or different but the point is to analyze how they compare or contrast and why their similarities or differences are important. The effect about both is described by the same verb: يَخْرُجُ denoting emergence-getting out of the subject from a place. With regard to: ٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ  the subject of the verb is: نَبَاتُهُۥ : the vegetation of that land. But the other type of land is itself the subject of this Verb. In this state too, it does pour out but of little or no value.

14. The application of the tool of: تَصْرِيفٌ  renders the informative text explicitly visible for mental imaging and leaves nothing obtuse. Land is an essential basis for a healthy and prosperous future for human beings. This will be obscured by the existence of vast areas of land with limited potential. Therefore, the presence of: ٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ the persistently beneficial land might incline people to express gratitude if its opposite possibility of experiencing a qualitative worthlessness is visualized.

15. The use of writing device: تَصْرِيفٌ serves many purposes as it renders the object primary focus of attention. If subject is mentioned in revolving manner in the Discourse its minimum advantage is that at some place it will attract the attention of even a casual reader.

وَ لَقَدْ صَـرَّفْنَا فِـى هَٟذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا۟ وَ مَا يَزِيدُهُـمْ إِلَّا نُفُورًۭا٤١

وَ لَقَدْ صَـرَّفْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِـى هَٟذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍۢ فَأَبَـىٰٓ أَكْثَرُ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَّا كُفُورًۭا٨٩

وَ لَقَدْ صَـرَّفْنَا فِـى هَٟذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍۢۚ

وَ كَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٟنُ أَكْثَرَ شَـىْءٍۢ جَدَلًۭا٥٤

16. This unique feature is reiterated to highlight a different point:

وَ كَذَٟلِكَ أَنزَلْنَٟهُ قُرْءَانًا عَـرَبِيًّۭا وَ صَـرَّفْنَا فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلْوَعِيدِ

لَعَلَّهُـمْ يَتَّقُونَ أَوْ يُحْدِثُ لَـهُـمْ ذِكْرًۭا١١٣

وَ لَقَدْ أَهْلَـكْنَا مَا حَوْلَـكُـم مِّنَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَ صَـرَّفْنَا ٱلْءَايَٟتِ لَعَلَّهُـمْ يَرْجِعُونَ٢٧

  • And indeed Our Majesty annihilated that which is around you people of the habitats/localities And Our Majesty had explained the verbal passages in interchanging pattern - alternatives making the point distinct from all angles So that they might revert to prescribed code of conduct.[46:27]

17. It states that the concept signified by: ٱلْوَعِيدِ is mentioned in the book in revolving manner. It is common psyche of humans that they pay little attention to warnings about the future. Warnings thereby need to be repeated. For adding communicative force words like "formal", "official" are added to the message of warning. It stems from Root: و ع د which signifies Promise. But when a Sovereign uses the word Promise about a harmful upshot of certain undesirable or criminal conduct, it has forceful communicate value of Warning which provides an opportunity to the addressee or the concerned person to get alarmed and take action to thwart damaging upshot.

18. The concept of device: تَصْرِيفٌ can be grasped from physical phenomenon mentioned in Ayah 2:164:  تَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَٟحِ : the atmospheric circulation-changing directions of the Winds in spaces within the Sky and within the Earth, is reiterated:

وَ ٱخْتِلَٟفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَ ٱلنَّـهَارِ وَ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن رِّزْقٍۢ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِـهَا

وَ تَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَٟحِ ءَايَٟتٌۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ٥

19. This device facilitates the reader to comprehend the largest part of the text of Qur’ān; which is Narrative, in such manner as if we are watching the scenes of same event recorded by cameras from different observing locations. It thus gives a full-circle feel of each of the chain of events.

20. Majority of critics of Qur’ān did not realize the uniqueness of this feature and naively thought it as heavy-handed use of repetition of events (calling them stories).