Expression Forms of the Present Tense in the Qur'ani-Karim

Abstract

It is known that, in Arabic, a word is divided into three parts: noun, verb and particle (harf). A noun refers to a thing and is not related to time. A verb expresses an event, which is why it relates to time. A particle is a word that has no meaning but is used with a noun or a verb.

Verbs express events that happen at a particular time. At the same time, it should be noted that although medieval Arabic linguists paid great attention to the subject of the verb and its inflexion (i'rab), they did not deeply investigate the tenses and time limits of the verb. If we compare the tense forms in Arabic with those in other languages, we will face particular difficulties finding the exact equivalent. The lack of Arab research on this topic is reflected in the verbs madhi (past tense) and mudhare (present tense).

Since our topic is related to the present tense, we will try to examine the forms of expression, or more precisely, how the present tense is expressed either in the Arabic literary language or in the Holy Quran.

In general, verb tenses indicate their grammatical characteristics. We know that in terms of time, verbs are divided into past, present and future tenses.

The present tense has a broad meaning. The present tense of the verb expresses the events that are happening at the moment of speaking. In the literary Arabic language, the present tense is expressed mainly through the mudhare verb فعل المضارع from a morphological point of view. In addition, in the holy book Qur'ani-Karim, the present tense is expressed differently. If we pay attention to the verses in the Qur'an, we will see that the tense meanings of verbs are determined not only by their morphological structure but also by the context in which they are included.

It should also be noted that the expression of any time in the Holy Qur'an in different ways is mainly intended to convince humanity of the authenticity of this message sent by God. It primarily refers to evangelising Heaven, Hell, Judgment Day and other issues.