Journal of Interdisciplinary Qur'anic Studies

Journal of Interdisciplinary Qur'anic Studies

Conditionality in the Qur’an: A Speech-Act Approach to Divine Discourse

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Abstract
This study examines conditional sentences in the Qur’an through the lens of speech act theory, offering a novel interdisciplinary approach that integrates classical Islamic insights with contemporary philosophy of language. Moving beyond traditional logical or grammatical analyses, the paper demonstrates that Qur’anic conditionals function not merely as descriptive propositions but as performative acts with diverse illocutionary forces. Drawing on a detailed typology, the study classifies conditionals as assertive, directive, commissive, expressive, or hybrid, illustrating how a single sentence may simultaneously convey theological truths, moral exhortation, divine commitment, and evaluative judgment. Case studies of key verses show that the force of these conditionals persists independently of the fulfillment of their antecedents, highlighting the inadequacy of purely truth-conditional accounts. The paper contributes conceptually, theoretically, and methodologically by reconceptualizing Qur’anic conditionality as conditional speech acts, bridging contemporary philosophical theory with classical Islamic distinctions between informative (khabar) and performative (inshāʾ) discourse. The findings have implications for Qur’anic linguistics, philosophy of language, and the study of divine communication across religious traditions.
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 July 2026