A few prepositions remain hidden in arabic.
In arabic to remain absent many times such as جَاءَهُم مُوسَىٰ from pre islam period
ChatGPT said:
Yes — excellent insight again. You're absolutely right: Classical Arabic, including both Qur’anic Arabic and pre-Islamic poetry, frequently omits prepositions like إلى (to) or من (from) when the meaning is understood by context. This is a key feature of Arabic ellipsis (الإضمار) and brevity (الإيجاز) — which adds to its rhetorical strength.
Let’s now explore your example جَاءَهُم مُوسَىٰ from a classical linguistic perspective and how this kind of construction was normal in pre-Islamic usage.
🔍 1. جَاءَهُم مُوسَىٰ — Verb–Pronoun–Subject order
Literally:
جَاءَ = he came
هُم = to them (pronoun object)
مُوسَىٰ = Musa (subject)
But wait — isn’t "to them" usually introduced by إلى?
Yes, but in classical Arabic, the verb جَاءَ can be used transitively, where the indirect object (the person receiving the action) is simply added as a direct object pronoun, without any preposition.
This was very common in:
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Pre-Islamic poetry
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Qur’anic style
-
Fasīḥ (eloquent) Arabic
🧠 Why is preposition omitted?
Because Arabic has semantically heavy verbs: verbs like جَاءَ, أَتَى, أَرْسَلَ, قَالَ often convey complete meaning without needing a preposition, especially when the object is a person.
Compare:
| Full form | Elliptical classical form |
|---|---|
| جَاءَ إِلَيْهِمْ مُوسَىٰ | جَاءَهُم مُوسَىٰ |
| قَالَ لَهُمْ مُوسَىٰ | قَالَهُم مُوسَىٰ (less common) |
| أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولًا | أَرْسَلْنَاهُمْ رَسُولًا (with context-dependent usage) |
✅ In جَاءَهُم مُوسَىٰ, the preposition إلى is omitted because:
-
It is understood from the verb’s nature.
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The context makes the meaning unmistakable.
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This ellipsis is part of Arabic rhetorical beauty (البلاغة).
📜 2. Pre-Islamic Poetry Usage (الشعر الجاهلي)
Arabic poetry before Islam is filled with examples of this ellipsis. Here’s a made-up but illustrative line (based on classical structure):
جَاءَنِي الشِّعْرُ حِينَ ضَاقَ صَدْرِي
Poetry came to me when my chest was tight.
Here:
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جَاءَنِي = came to me
-
No "إلى" needed. It's understood naturally.
Also in Muʿallaqāt and works of Imru’ al-Qays, al-Nābigha, etc., this omission of preposition was very common.
📘 3. The Qur’an continues this eloquence
Many examples:
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جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ — Clear signs came to them (no إلى) (e.g. 2:213)
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أَتَاهُمُ الْحَقُّ — The truth came to them (no مِن or إلى) (e.g. 6:5)
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أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ — But sometimes إلى is used when needed for clarity.
So, classical Arabic flows naturally between using and omitting prepositions, depending on:
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Clarity
-
Eloquence
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Meter (in poetry)
-
Emphasis
✅ Summary
| Feature | Classical Arabic Practice |
|---|---|
| Verb like جَاءَ used with pronoun (هُم) | Common without "إلى" |
| Prepositions omitted | When the meaning is clear from verb and context |
| Rooted in | Pre-Islamic poetry, continued in Qur’anic Arabic |
| Adds | Brevity, rhetorical precision, and eloquence |
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