Contrastive Binaries in Surah Al-Baqarah between Classical Arabic Rhetoric and New Rhetoric: A Rhetorical-Argumentative Study of Two Selected Models

Abstract

This research seeks to study the phenomenon of opposition in the Qur’anic text by clarifying its linguistic and terminological meanings and analyzing its presence in Surat Al-Baqarah in light of Arabic rhetoric and New Rhetoric. To this end, the research selects two representative models of antithetical dualities in Surat Al-Baqarah, each representing a different mode of opposition: explicit lexical opposition, as in the duality of light and darkness, and figurative argumentative semantic opposition, as in the duality between spending ostentatiously and spending in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure. The research examines the types of relations between the two opposing sides and the contexts in which they occur, and analyzes their effect in clarifying and depicting meaning, as well as their textual functions and rhetorical aesthetics. The study proceeds from the need to analyze such rhetorical and linguistic phenomena in the Noble Qur’an through two integrated approaches: traditional Arabic rhetoric, with its three sciences, and New Rhetoric, especially its argumentative dimension. This approach helps reveal the ways in which Qur’anic meanings are established in the mind of the recipient, clarifies the relationship between rhetorical beauty and persuasive function, and uncovers deeper dimensions in understanding the purposes of the Qur’an. To achieve this, the research adopts a method that benefits from a rhetorical-argumentative approach combining the tools of classical Arabic rhetoric with the concepts of New Rhetoric, particularly Perelman’s theory of argumentation. The research does not claim to survey all antithetical dualities in Surat Al-Baqarah. Rather, it selects two representative models that embody two different patterns of opposition: explicit lexical opposition, as in the duality of light and darkness, and figurative argumentative opposition, as in the duality between spending ostentatiously and spending in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure. The research seeks to move beyond merely juxtaposing the two rhetorics toward constructing an integrative reading that views classical rhetorical tools-such as arrangement, metaphor, antithesis, and analogical similitude-as possessing argumentative potential that contributes to constructing meaning and guiding the recipient.