Semantic Phonetics in Tafsir Futuh al-Ghayb fi al-Kashf ‘an Qana’ al-Rayb Surah al-Baqara as an Example

Abstract

The current study aims to investigate phonetic significance as argued by Imam Sharaf al-Din al-Tibi in his famous interpretation, "Futuh al-Ghayb." The study applies this exploration to Surat al-Baqarah. It starts with the idea that the sound system in the Arabic language is the basis of meaning. Therefore, sound is the first step toward understanding vocabulary and interpreting texts, especially the Holy Quran, which is known for its precise structure and deep meaning.

     Phonetic study is regarded as one of the finest and most precise areas of linguistics. It investigates language at an initial level that comes before grammar, morphology, and vocabulary. Sound is the very basic element of the structure of a word, and the word is the base of the sentence. A complete understanding of any linguistic structure is dependent entirely on understanding its sounds and their role in the context.

     This study deals with some aspects of phonetic significance explained by al-Tibi. The most important of these includes the substitution of letters, assimilation (Idgham), and the easing or pronunciation of the Hamzah, among other phonetic features. Notably, al-Tibi did not just mention these features from a mechanical sound perspective; but he, rather, linked them explicitly to their contextual meanings. This highlights how sound serves the meaning and guides Quranic understanding. By analyzing selected examples from Surat al-Baqarah, this research highlights al-Tibi’s awareness of the semantic role of sounds, showing how slight phonetic changes can shift the meaning. Finally, this study, which is extracted from a PhD thesis, sheds light on the often-neglected dimension of sound as an independent tool for meaning