Tauriyah as A Semantic Ornamentation (Muḥassināt Maʿnawiyyah) in the Qur’an: Meaning Structure and Rhetorical Function

Mukhyaruddin Mukhyaruddin; Muhammad Irfan Nasution; Riski Nadia Nasution

Authors

Mukhyaruddin Mukhyaruddin Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Muhammad Irfan Nasution Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara
Riski Nadia Nasution Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara

Keywords:

tauriyah, qur’anic rhetoric, muḥassināt maʿnawiyyah, semantic ornamentation, balāghah

Abstract

This article examines tauriyah as a form of semantic ornamentation (muḥassināt maʿnawiyyah) in the Qur’an by focusing on its meaning structure and rhetorical function. The study responds to a conceptual limitation in Qur’anic rhetorical studies, where tauriyah is often treated as an aesthetic device within badīʿ rather than as a semantic-rhetorical mechanism that organizes layered meaning. Using a qualitative textual-hermeneutical design supported by corpus-assisted philological analysis, the article analyzes selected Qur’anic expressions that display interaction between the near meaning (al-maʿnā al-qarīb) and the distant intended meaning (al-maʿnā al-baʿīd). The analysis integrates classical Arabic rhetoric, Qur’anic semantics, discourse-pragmatic interpretation, and limited verification through digital linguistic resources. The findings show that tauriyah in Qur’anic discourse does not produce arbitrary ambiguity but guides readers through an ordered movement from lexical possibility to contextual intention. Its rhetorical functions include strengthening persuasion, creating reflective delay, deepening theological awareness, and intensifying the communicative force of Qur’anic expression. The study further demonstrates that muḥassināt maʿnawiyyah should be reframed as an interpretive and semantic category rather than a merely decorative subdivision of badīʿ. The article contributes to Qur’anic studies by bridging classical balāghah and modern semantic-pragmatic analysis, while also showing how corpus-assisted verification can support, without replacing, close rhetorical reading.

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