THE FUNCTION OF "LĀKIN" BETWEEN COORDINATION AND RESTRICTION: APPLIED EXAMPLES FROM THE HOLY QUR’ĀN

Abstract

This research aims to explore the occurrences of "lākin" in the Holy Qur’ān, where it serves the function of either coordination or restriction, through a grammatical-analytical approach using descriptive-analytical methodology. The findings indicate that the grammatical function of coordination has a significant impact on directing the Qur’ānic meaning, hence it has received considerable attention from grammarians, rhetoricians, exegetes, and scholars of ḥadīth. "Lākin" appears in more than sixty places in the Qur’ān, commonly understood to indicate restriction, whether it carries additional meanings or not. "Lākin" functions as a coordinating particle only when it is syntactically silent; when lightened, it does not coordinate, and the following structure is considered nominative and predicate. "Lākin" can also imply adversative conjunction similar to "bal" when it precedes a nominal sentence, according to Al-Maliki. It serves as a coordinating conjunction if it precedes a verbal sentence without being preceded by "waw" (and); if preceded by "waw," then "waw" is the coordinator, and "lākin" only indicates restriction. It is generally agreed that "lākin" in the Qur’ān does not follow a singular noun but is followed by either a verbal or nominal sentence, thus functioning as both restrictive and coordinating, or as introductory, with the following sentences not related to the preceding ones. Where it appears to coordinate singular terms, it is interpreted as involving an ellipsis. When "lākin" follows a conditional clause, it conveys both restriction and affirmation, and when it functions as a conjunction, it may also imply exclusivity.