An Examination of the Linguistic Contextual Elements of al-Ikmāl Verse in Determining the Meaning of al-Yawm

Abstract

Linguistic context plays such a significant role in the analysis and discovery of meaning that many linguists believe that meaning is discovered only through context. The present study examines the al-Ikmāl verse (Quran 5:3), an extremely prominent verse of the Holy Quran which has been the subject of debate between Shiites and Sunnis throughout history. The main dispute is about the meaning of the term al-yawm, which in the linguistic context of the verse is connected with different concepts such as the despair of infidels, the perfection of religion, completion of blessings, and God's pleasure. Due to these connections, exegetes’ opinions on the meaning of al-yawm are completely influenced by their views of these concepts. Examining various hypotheses about the meaning of al-yawm and evaluating them based on other elements of the verse’s linguistic context demonstrate that al-yawm in al-Ikmāl Verse can only refer to the day of Ghadīr Khum (Dhu al-Hijjah18).

Keywords

• linguistic context
• sura al-māʾida
• al-ikmāl verse
• event of ghadīr khum
• al-yawm