The Verbs Marked by Compliance in the Book of God

Abstract

This study examines the verbs marked with mutāwaʿah (responsiveness or affectedness) in the Qur’an from a linguistic, morphological, and syntactic perspective. It aims to clarify the concept of mutāwaʿah in Arabic grammatical tradition, identify its morphological patterns, and trace its occurrences and semantic functions in Qur’anic discourse. The study reviews major definitions proposed by classical linguists and grammarians, discusses the conditions for the realization of mutāwaʿah, and addresses the scholarly debate concerning its relationship to the passive voice, arguing for a clear semantic distinction between the two structures. The research adopts a descriptive and analytical approach based on the examination of Qur’anic examples in light of classical linguistic and exegetical sources. Through this analysis, the study identifies the principal morphological patterns associated with mutāwaʿah in the Qur’an and explains their contextual meanings. The study concludes that mutāwaʿah represents an important semantic phenomenon centered on the acceptance of the effect of an action and the transformation of the affected entity into an agent-like role. In the Qur’an, this phenomenon appears mainly through augmented verb patterns such as infaʿala, iftaʿala, tafaʿʿala, tafāʿala, and istafʿala, each carrying precise contextual meanings. The findings highlight the linguistic precision of Qur’anic usage and confirm the non-interchangeability of these forms with the passive voice. This research underscores the importance of studying mutāwaʿah verbs for understanding the depth, accuracy, and richness of Arabic morphology and Qur’anic expression.