Representations of ṣabr in the Qur'an: A Study on the Imperative (khiṭāb al-amr)

Abstract

This paper is based in the study of Pragmatics, taking as its starting point the role of the speaker as an agent in the act of communication, and his communicative intent. It will explore occurrences of imperative forms of ṣ-b-r in the Qur'anic text in order to establish its meaning and purpose when used in the imperative (khiṭāb al-amr). During the research for this study it became clear that ṣabr is a specific concept that has its own significance and distinguishing features, and that it plays a prominent and varied role in the Text. Imperatives derived from ṣ-b-r occur in three forms (namely iṣbir, ṣābir, iṣṭabir), each of which has its own characteristics and stylistic and rhetorical connotations. They primarily occur in the Meccan Qur'an, and are mainly used in passages discussing issues of faith, accounts of the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, or in passages that speak of the Arabs and their reception of Muḥammad's initial prophetic mission while in Mecca.