آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

Quranic Trigonometry and Its Role in Understanding the External and Internal Meanings Based on the Views of Firuzabadi, Ibn Malik, and Bataliusi

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Rahim Azarnia 1
Mohammadreza Eslami 2
Hasan Esmaeilzadeh Bavani 3
Ali Gahramani 4
1 Ph.D. student in Arabic Language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
2 assistant professorin Arabic Language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
3 اAssociate Professor in Arabic Language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
4 Associate Professor in Arabic Language and Literature, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
10.30465/afg.2026.53664.2239
Abstract
The Holy Quran is a rich repository of lexical and rhetorical subtleties, many of which are manifested through the apparent and latent meanings of its words. One such linguistic phenomenon is that of homographic triples (al-kalimat al-muthallatha), which has garnered significant attention from linguists. This research endeavors to examine these homographic triples within the Quranic text defined as words sharing an identical orthography but differing in their diacritical marks (vowelization). The present study seeks to elucidate the role of this phenomenon in apprehending both the explicit and implicit meanings of the verses. By explicating the role of the Quranic context (siyāq) and analyzing the foundational nuances of each type of triple, this research aims to contribute, however modestly, to a more profound and precise understanding of the Quranic lexicon. Furthermore, it strives to lay groundwork for subsequent research in the fields of Quranic sciences and linguistics. The methodology employed in this paper is descriptive-analytical and inductive. Relying on primary sources such as "Al-Durar al-Muththathah" by Majd al-Din al-Firuzabadi, "Ikmāl al-Iʿlām" by Ibn Mālik, and "Al-Muthallath" by al-Batalyosi, the homographic triples in the Quran have been collected, classified, and analyzed. The findings showed that the words of the Quranic triangle are of two types: synonymous words, in which the change of vowel affects the rhetorical or dialectal aspect without changing the original meaning of the word, and this dialectal change enriches the text without changing the meaning (such as "enemy" and "difference"). The second type, such as "bar", "jannat" and "habb", are polysemantic words in which different movements lead to a fundamental semantic change.
Introduction
Triangle words reflect the richness of the Arabic language in derivation and meaning and are considered among the rhetorical devices in the Holy Quran, and are used to unify or differentiate meanings based on the text. The study of this phenomenon is all the more important as it relates to the text of the Quran, because the Holy Quran, as the pinnacle of Arabic rhetoric, contains triangular words whose varied vowel signs sometimes directly affect the interpretation of the meaning, or at other times, show a kind of acceptable dialectal diversity in the readings. The Holy Quran, as the highest text, is the pinnacle of linguistic and rhetorical creativity. And each of its words has a semantic depth and eloquence that requires extraordinary precision on the part of the interpreter and researcher to understand and analyze. Scientific efforts have not been limited to the lexical analysis of these words, but have expanded to a precise classification that distinguishes between words whose meaning remains the same despite their three different vowel signs, and words whose meanings are different.
Materials & methods
This study relies on a descriptive-analytical approach based on systematic inductive analysis of the Quranic text, in which triangle words are collected through a careful study of the verses and then, relying on reliable ancient sources, are classified into two main categories based on agreement or disagreement of meaning. In the study of words with similar meanings, the book "Al-Durr Al-Mubtathah" by Firuzabadi was used, while in the analysis of words with different meanings, "Akamal Al-Imam" by Ibn Malik and "Al-Muthalath" by Batluysi were referred to. This was done by focusing on the Quranic context through the study of the verses in which these words appear, in order to understand the role of context in determining the external and internal meaning of the words.
Discussion & Result
This article examines the triangle words in the Holy Quran with two main approaches: The first approach deals with triangle words that have the same meaning and show a wide linguistic and dialectal range without a significant impact on the contextual meaning. This approach relies mainly on the book “Al-Durr al-Mubahthathah fi al-Ghurar al-Muthallah” by Majd Firuzabadi, whose author has dedicated his work to studying and collecting these words and has distinguished himself by his thorough study of this type of words. The second approach focuses on triangle words with different meanings (homophones), in which a change in vowel signs transfers the word from one semantic field to another in the text of the Quran. This approach benefits from the opinions and works of two prominent figures in this field: Ibn Malik in his book “Akmal al-Ilam bi-Muthallah al-Kalam” who provides a detailed grammatical and morphological analysis, and Batuliusi in his book “Al-Muthallah” who completes this picture with his comprehensive lexical analyses.
Conclusion
A comprehensive study of triangle words in the Holy Quran shows that this linguistic phenomenon is divided into two distinct categories. While they share a common external structure - a single spelling and a variety of Arabicization - they are fundamentally different in their semantic impact and rhetorical function. Both categories are based on established traditions of classical Arabic and the rules laid down in the works of ternary linguistics such as Ikmal al-Ilam by Ibn Malik, al-Muthalath al-Batliyysi and al-Gharrar al-Mushammathah, and the established readings play an important role in establishing the variations in this sacred text.
First category: Triangular words with fixed meaning: In the study of this category of words, the change in the diacritical marks is merely a linguistic and dialectal change that does not affect the original meaning. These words retain their single meaning throughout the Quranic context, and their phonetic differences, the scope of the work.
Keywords
: Linguistic triangles
the Holy Quran
Al-Fyruzabadi
Ibn Malik
Al-Batlyusi
Subjects

مثلثات قرآنی ونقش آن در درک ظاهر و باطن معانی با تکیه بر دیدگاه های فیروزآبادی، ابن مالک و بطلیوسی

رحیم آذرنیا[1]

محمدرضا اسلامی [2]

حسن اسماعیل زاده باوانی [3]

علی قهرمانی [4]

چكيده:

قرآن كريم گنجينه‌ای سرشار از ظرافت‌های لغوی و بلاغی است كه بسياری از آنها درمعنای ظاهری و باطنی كلمات پديدار می‌شود؛ يكی از اين پديده‌های لغوی، كلمات مثلث می‌باشند كه مورد توجه زبان‌شناسان قرار گرفته است. اين پژوهش تلاش می‌كند تا به بررسی كلمات مثلث در متن قرآن بپردازد؛ منظور از آن، كلماتی است كه در حروفشان نگارش يكسان و در حركات، نگارش متفاوت دارند؛ پژوهش حاضر در پی آن است تا نقش اين پديده را در استدراك معانی ظاهری و باطنی آيات روشن سازد و با تبيين نقش سياق قرآنی و بررسی ظرافت‌های بنيادی هر يك از انواع مثلث، بتواند در فهم عميق‌ترو دقيق‌تر الفاظ قرآنی، تأثيری هر چند ناچيز داشته باشد و نيز تا اندازه‌ای برای پژوهش‌های بعدی در حوزه‌ی علوم قرآنی و زبان‌شناسی، گام­هایی بردارد. روش پژوهش در اين مقاله، توصيفی-تحليلی و استقرايی است و با استناد به «الدرر المبثّثة» مجد ‌الدين فيروزآبادی، «إكمال الإعلام» ابن مالك و «المثلث» بطليوسی، به بررسی الفاظ مثلث قرآن، جمع‌آوری و طبقه‌بندی آن­ها پرداخته است. يافته‌ها نشان داد  كه كلمات مثلث قرآن، بر دو نوع است: کلمات مترادف، که در آنها تغییر مصوت بر جنبه بلاغی یا گویشی تأثیر می‌گذارد بدون اینکه معنای اصلی کلمه را تغییر دهد، و این تغییر گویشی متن را بدون تغییر معنا غنی می‌کند مانند «عدوة» و «تَفَوُت». نوع دوم، مانند «بَر»، «جنّات» و «حبّ»  كلمات چندمعنا هستند كه حركات متفاوت در آن­ها، منجر به تغيير معنایی اساسی  می‌شود.

کلیدواژه‌ها:  كلمات مثلث، قرآن كريم، فيروزآبادی، ابن مالك، بطليوسی، تحليل لغوی

 


[1] دانشجوی مقطع دکتری، رشته زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران. rahimazarnia1352@gmail.com

[2] استادیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران. (نویسنده مسئول)  mr.eslamy@yahoo.com  (الکاتب المسؤول)

[3] دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران. h.esmailzade@gmail.com 

[4] دانشیار گروه زبان و ادبیات عربی، دانشگاه شهید مدنی آذربایجان، تبریز، ایران. d.ghahramani@yahoo.com  

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آفاق الحضارة الاسلامية

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 29 June 2026

  • Receive Date 04 December 2025
  • Revise Date 17 May 2026
  • Accept Date 19 May 2026
  • Publish Date 29 June 2026