, especially in constructions with zanantu (“I thought”). For they say: Zaydun muntaliqun (“Zayd is setting out”) and Zaydan muntaliqan zanantu (“Zayd was setting out, I thought”). Thus, when the verb comes first, it must govern the case of its objects; when it comes in the middle, its grammatical government may be suspended; and when it comes last, suspension is preferable, although government remains permissible. For when the object precedes the verb, the verb’s grammatical government is weakened. They therefore strengthen it by introducing a preposition, just as they strengthen the government of the active participle because it is weaker than the verb, as in His words:

“They stand in awe of their Lord.”

And His words:

“If you can interpret dreams.”

And His words:

“And they are indeed enraging us.”

His position also entails that a verbal sentence becomes figurative when qualified by a verbal noun modified by an adjective, indicating a number, or specifying a particular kind of action, as in His words:

“Flog them with eighty lashes.”

And His words:

“And that Allah may grant you a mighty victory.”

The same applies to adverbial expressions of place and time, and to all the prepositional phrases that qualify a verb, as in His words:

“Then wipe your faces and hands with it.”

And His words:

“Upon guidance from their Lord.”

And His words:

“And that those who believe follow the truth from their Lord.”

And His words:

“And those to whom We have given the Scripture know that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth.”

It should also be known that Ibn ʿAqīl, despite going to great lengths here to refute those who say that there is no figurative language in the Quran, elsewhere defends the position that there is no figurative language at all, whether in the Quran or elsewhere. He mentioned this in a debate that took place