The Interrogative Style in Ibn Shuhayd al-Andalusi's "Risalat al-Tawabi' wa al-Zawabi'": A Grammatical Study

Abstract

This research focuses on examining the interrogative style in Ibn Shuhayd al-Andalusi's "Risalat al-Tawabi' wa al-Zawabi'" through a grammatical lens. It aims to identify the various interrogative tools used in the text, understand how Ibn Shuhayd employed these tools, determine their intended meanings, and recognize their grammatical characteristics. Ibn Shuhayd skillfully navigated between different interrogative tools to highlight their diverse applications, showcasing his distinctive use of each one. A contextual approach was utilized to distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings of the interrogative tools. The study is organized into an introduction, a preface, two main sections, and a conclusion. The preface includes an introduction to Ibn Shuhayd al-Andalusi and an overview of the interrogative style and its tools. The first section focuses on interrogative particles, while the second section addresses interrogative nouns. The findings reveal that most interrogative tools are present in "Risalat al-Tawabi' wa al-Zawabi'", with nine out of eleven tools being used: (hamza, hal, ma, man, ay, kayfa, ayna, anna, and mata). "Man" was the most frequently used tool, followed by the hamza. Ibn Shuhayd adhered to the commonly known grammatical rules and employed these tools stylistically to transition from informative statements to creative constructs.