Tense, Time, Mood and Modality in Surah Al-Ahzab: A Comparative Study of Arabic and English

Abstract

Language is one of the great blessings of Allah Almighty the only and alone creator of the universe. He has sent His messengers periodically as deemed appropriate in different languages of the world. His last and final message is available for the whole of humanity in the Arabic language. It is highly significant for the Umma to understand this message and pass their lives in accordance with the commandments therein. The present study is an attempt to facilitate the readers and translators of the Holy Quran in this regard. Tense, time, mood, and modality in the domain of grammar have been analyzed in the text of Surah Al-Ahzab. Comparison has been made with the English language where needed and merely English translation has been used for the purpose. It is concluded that the dominating sentence pattern is such that the proposition begins with the verbal sentence and ends with a nominal sentence. Moreover, the tense and time coincide with one another in verbal sentences chiefly in the sentences having the imperative mood but they do not coincide with one another in the nominal sentence. As far as the dominating mood of the surah is concerned, it is indicative while the modality is epistemic.