OCCURRENCES OF WĀW EXPLICATIVUM IN QUR’ĀNIC HENDIADYS

Arabic grammar defines various types of waw such as waw al-"atf “the conjunctive vvāvv” and wdw al-isti’nāf “the ww of commencement’’. This article explores the use of a less well-investigated waw known as the tvātv explicativum. and suggests that this type of tvātv can be found in Qur'ânic hendiadys constructions. This waw serves an explanatory function by connecting two words from the same or a different semantic field. The whole structure expresses a single complex idea rather than simply two conjoined separate concepts. This article analyzes how hendiadys with the ww explicativum are realized in the Qur’ân and the subtle meanings they convey. The analysis shows that Qur’ânic hendiadys appear in a number of contexts, including the role of the Qur'an, divine guidance, sins, and worldly life. The word preceded by the waw explicativum modifies the other in two ways: (a) through semantic modification/intensification, where the two words are combined to create a new shade of meaning, and (b) qualification, where the first word specifies the second.