Iradat al-Tartib

Conveying order by prioritizing one word over another

One of the reasons for prioritization (taqdim) and postponement (ta’khir) is “intention of order” (iradat al-tartib). This means that sometimes the speaker prioritizes a word to convey a specific sequence. For example:

1. Prioritizing washing the face over the hands and wiping the head over the feet in: “… So wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet up to the ankles” (Quran 5:6).
2. Prioritizing “Safa” over “Marwah” in: “Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah” (Quran 2:158), which indicates starting from Safa and ending at Marwah during the Sa’i (ritual walking between the two hills).

[1] Al-Burhan fi ‘Ulum al-Quran (with marginal notes)