Semantic Generation in the Word <i>yad</i> (‘Hand’) and its Metonyms in the Qur'an

This article first establishes the terminological framework of the study, defining the terms ‘metonymy’ and ‘semantic generation’ and discussing the cognitive and cultural dimensions of metonymy. It then examines references to various parts of the human body in the Qur'an, such as the hand, eye, ear, heart, leg, back, chest, and mouth. The analys is then moved on to discuss the Qur'anic usage of metonymies for ‘hand’, for example, relating to the finger, fingertip, arm, or palm, such as, for example kaffa aydaykum (‘stop their hands’), and phrases related to ‘extending and clenching’ the hand, and ‘turning the palms over’. It also explores the treatment of these metonyms in exegetical works, and the issues that these phrases have raised for exegetes. The methodological approach is based in modern linguistic techniques including pragmatics, cognitive linguistics, and systems of interpretation and reception.