The Term sabab “Cause” in Semantic-Rhetorical Discussions within Qurʾānic Exegesis

The most basic meaning of the word sabab is “cord” or “ligature.” In Islamic sciences, it achieved the meanings of “cause,” “semantic link,” or “anything connected with or providing access to something else.” This article examines how sabab, in the sense of “cause,” is employed by al-Zamakhsharī (d. 538/1144) and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1209) to address interpretative challenges in their Qurʾānic commentaries. Their discussions, which connect syntax and rhetoric, appear to draw on the works by Ibn Jinnī (d. 392/1002) and al-Jurjānī (d. 471/1078). I analyze two types of discussions: those in which Muslim scholars recognize cause and effect replacing each other, and those in which they claim that the cause is mentioned instead of the real agent.