The Style of Al-Qur’an

Description: The article addresses the major themes of the Qur’an, the topics it discusses, its style of presentation, and some points of comparison with their own scriptures for Christian and Jewish readers.

What topics does the Qur’an discuss?

It covers various subjects. Most importantly, it talks about the unity of God and how to live which accords to His Will. Other topics include religious doctrine, creation, criminal and civil law, Judaism, Christianity, polytheism, social values, morality, history, stories of past prophets, and science.

The Qur’an calls the great human exemplars of the past prophets and mentions their great sacrifice in spreading the message of God, the most important of them being Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Qur’an elaborates on the ways in which the followers of the prophets, specifically the Jews and the Christians, have or have not lived up to the prophetic messages. It also discusses the fate of past nations who rejected their Prophets, such as Noah and Lot. It issues instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. It commands people that they should pray, fast, and take care of the needy. It discusses matters of human interrelationships, sometimes in great detail - such as laws of inheritance and marriage - in a manner reminiscent of parts of the Hebrew Bible but foreign to the New Testament. The Qur’an tells people that they should observe God’s instructions purely for God’s sake, not for any worldly aims. It warns those who deny God’s messages that they will be thrown into the fire of Hell, and it promises those who accept the messages that they will be given the bliss of Paradise.

The Qur’an retells in their original many of the stories from the Biblical heritage, especially that of Moses (mentioned by name more than any other person, followed by Pharaoh, his great enemy, who is the Qur’anic archetype of human evil). However, it does not offer a sustained narrative of the kind found in the Book of Exodus. It has much to say about the moral and legal duties of believers, but contains nothing like the law-code which is the centerpiece of the Book of Deuteronomy. Many Qur’anic passages could aptly be described as preaching; but where the voice of the preacher in the Gospels is that of Jesus during his ministry on earth, in the Qur’an it is that of the ever-living God.

Also, the Qur’an repeats certain verses and themes at times, shifts topics, and often relates narratives in summarized form. We can see two reasons for this characteristic. First, it serves a linguistic purpose and is one of the powerful rhetorical techniques of classical Arabic. Second, all themes of the Qur’an, no matter how varied, are wrapped around one common thread running through the entire book: that all types of worship rendered to others besides or alongside God is false, and that obedience to Him and His prophets, Muhammad s.a.w being one of them, is a must. The Qur’an, unlike the Bible, does not mention genealogies, chronological events, or minute historical details, but rather uses events from both past and present to illustrate its central message. So, when the Qur’an is discussing the healing properties of honey or the life of Jesus, neither topic is an end in itself, but each is related in one way or another to the central message – unity of God and unity of the prophetic message. No matter what the topic may be, it finds occasion to refer the discussion back to this central theme.

Another important point to keep in mind is that the Qur’an was not revealed in one sitting, but was revealed in parts over a span of 23 years. Like the previous scriptures, many passages were revealed in response to specific events. Often, Qur’anic revelation would come from the angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w as a response to questions raised by those around him, whether believers or unbelievers. The Qur’an addresses the People of the Scripture (a term used by the Qur’an for Jews and Christians), humanity at large, believers, and, finally, it addresses the Prophet s.a.w himself, commanding him what to do in certain situations or supporting him and giving him solace in the face of ridicule and rejection. Knowing the historical and social context clarifies the text.

Some other notable features of Al-Quran’s style are the following:

(1) The use of parables to stir curiosity of the reader and explain deep truths.

(2) More than two hundred passages begin with the Arabic word Qul - ‘Say’ - addressing Prophet Muhammad s.a.w to say what follows in reply to a question, to explain a matter of faith, or to announce a legal ruling. For example:

“Say: ‘O People of the Scripture! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in God, and the revelation that has come to us and that which came before (us), and because most of you are rebellious and disobedient?’” [Al-Maidah, 5:59]

(3) In some passages of the Qur’an, God takes oaths by His marvelous creation to strengthen an argument or to dispel doubts in the mind of the listener:

“By the sun and its brightness, By the moon when it follows it, By the day when it displays it, By the night when it covers it, By the sky and He who constructed it, By the earth and He who spread it, By the soul and He who proportioned it…” [As-Shams, 91:1-7]

Sometimes God takes an oath by Himself:

“But no, by your Lord, they will not (truly) believe until they make you, (O Muhammad), judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in (full, willing) submission.” [Surah An-Nisaa’, 4:65]

(4) Lastly, the Qur’an has what is called ‘the disjointed letters,’ composed of letters of the Arabic alphabet which taken together do not have a known meaning in the Arabic lexicon. Their meaning is only known to God. They appear at the beginning of twenty nine surahs, and upon recital, each letter is pronounced and not the words they form For example, the first ayah of Surat-ul-Baqarah appears as Alif-Lam-Mim, three letters of the Arabic alphabet pronounced individually.

A person unfamiliar with the Qur’an may find it a little difficult to read, especially at start, but if they keep these points in mind, they will become more accustomed to it, and they will indeed find that even though it is a translation, it is truly profound book incomparable to any other.
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Excerpted with modifications from an article entitled “The Style of the Qur’an” by IslamReligion.com - Published on 1st. May 2006


©IslamReligion

Inimitableness and Language of Al-Qur’an

Inimitableness and Language of Al-Qur’an

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, May Allah blessings and peace be upon His Messenger.

Description: The inimitable beauty of the Qur’an and the Muslim adoration for it, the language of the Qur’an and its historical impact on the Islamic civilization.

Muslims are absolutely convinced of the greatness of the Qur’an, which is usually mentioned with epithets like “noble,” “glorious,” and “pure.” What is it that so deeply moves the Muslim when reciting from the Qur’an, when seeing its verses, or when barely touching it?

Al-Qur’an is Inimitable

The style of the Qur’an is inimitable and of divine beauty and power. Try as he may, no man can write a paragraph that is comparable to a verse of the revealed Book. This has to do partly with the literary merit of the text and the efficacy of the words - their transforming and saving power - that is inimitable. It moves an illiterate shepherd to tears when recited to him, and it has shaped the lives of millions of simple people over the course of almost fourteen centuries; it has nourished some of the most powerful intellects known to human records; it has stopped sophisticates in their tracks and made pious believers of them, and it has been the source of the most subtle philosophy and of an art which expresses its deepest meaning in visual terms; it has brought the wandering tribes of humanity together in communities and civilizations upon which its imprint is apparent even to the most casual observer.

To recite the Qur’an is the most sublime and edifying occupation for the Muslim, even when he or she does not intellectually understand its words, as is the case with most non-Arab believers. The Muslims’ desire to recite the Qur’an as beautifully as possible, and the art of tilāwah, the proper recitation, has developed into a science. Even when reciting the Book without embellishment, one has to observe certain rules of recitation. The hafiz, who “preserves” the Qur’an, i.e., knows it by heart, is highly respected, and boys and girls are sent at an early age to the mosque to memorize the ‘Book.’

In order not to besmirch the sacred character of the Qur’an, care should be taken that it is not left in a place where someone may accidentally stand, sit on or otherwise disrespect it; it is extremely disliked to use any book, let alone the Qur’an, as a prop for holding anything up. When not being read, the Muslim will replace it in the shelf of the bookcase, or on the lectern. Some people wrap it carefully in cloth in order to preserve it and also to be able handle it when not in a state of purity if needed. They also like to ensure that it is placed above other books, and they avoid just letting the Qur’an lie around. It is absolutely forbidden to take it into the place one urinates or defecates or that is a place of major impurity (toilets, middens, sheepcotes, city sewers, etc.). Even reciting it in such places is a thing not done.

Language of the Qur’an

The Qur’anic world view is closely tied to the Arabic language, which, like Hebrew and Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus), belongs to the Semitic family. The Qur’an defines itself specifically as an ‘Arabic scripture’, and the message is shaped to the complex structure of the chosen language, a structure fundamentally different to that of any European tongue. The internal logic of Semitic languages is very different from that of Indo-European languages such as English, Latin, Sanskrit, and Persian.

Every Arabic word may be traced back to a verbal root consisting of three, four or five consonants from which are derived up to twelve different verbal modes, together with a number of nouns and adjectives. This is referred to as the triliteral root, and specific words are formed from it by the insertion of long or short vowels and by the addition of suffixes and prefixes. The root as such is ‘dead’ - unpronounceable - until brought to life, that is to say vocalized, by the vowels, and it is according to their placing that the basic meaning is developed in a number of different directions. The root has sometimes been described as the ‘body’ while the vowelling is the ‘soul’; or again, it is from the root that a great tree grows.

Without understanding the meanings and the related concepts of the Arabic words, it is impossible to appreciate the richness of the associated meanings, the difficulty of translating words into English, and the interrelationships among Arabic words that are obvious in the original.

The Muslims’ preoccupation with the sublime language of the Qur’an grew into the study of grammar, especially when non-Arabs entered the fold of Islam in increasing numbers and had to be taught about the peculiarities of the language of revelation. The belief that the Book was untranslatable forced those who embraced Islam to learn Arabic or at least to become acquainted with the Arabic alphabet. Many times, this led nations to actually adopt Arabic as their native languages, as is the case with all Arab nations save the Arabian Peninsula. This had immense consequences for other languages, such as Persian, Turkish, Malay and many others, who adopted the Arabic script. Quranic sayings and expressions are used as much in high literature as in daily conversations, even among non-Arabs, and Arab non-Muslims.

[Excerpted from: An Introduction to the Qur’an (Part 2): Its Inimitableness and Language, By IslamReligion.com, Published on 26 Jun 2006]

The Preservation of the Holy Qur’an.

The Preservation of the Holy Qur’an.

By Dr Zakir Naik

One of the most common myths about the Qur’an is that Usman bin Affan r.a, the third Caliph of Islam authenticated and compiled one Qur’an, from a large set of mutually contradicting copies. The Qur’an, revered as the Word of Allah s.w.t by Muslims the world over, is the same Qur’an as the one revealed to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. It was authenticated and written under his personal supervision. We will examine the roots of the myth which says that Usman r.a. had the Qur’an authenticated.

1. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w himself supervised and authenticated the written texts of the Quran

Whenever the Prophet s.a.w received a revelation, he would first memorize it himself and later declare the revelation and instruct his Companions (r.a. – radi Allahu taala anhu) – May Allah be pleased with him who would also memorize it. The Prophet s.a.w would immediately ask the scribes to write down the revelation he had received, and he would reconfirm and recheck it himself. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was an Ummi who could not read and write. Therefore, after receiving each revelation, he would repeat it to his Companions. They would write down the revelation, and he would recheck by asking them to read what they had written. If there was any mistake, the Prophet s.a.w would immediately point it out and have it corrected and rechecked. Similarly he would even recheck and authenticate the portions of the Qur’an memorized by the Companions. In this way, the complete Qur’an was written down under the personal supervision of the Prophet s.a.w.

2. Order and sequence of Qur’an divinely inspired

The complete Qur’an was revealed over a period of 22½ years portion by portion, as and when it was required. The Qur’an was not compiled by the Prophet s.a.w in the chronological order of the revelation. The order and sequence of the Qur’an too was divinely inspired and was instructed to the Prophet s.a.w by Allah s.w.t through archangel Jibrail. Whenever a revelation was conveyed to his companions, the Prophet s.a.w would also mention in which surah (chapter) and after which ayat (verse) this new revelation should fit.

Every Ramadaan all the portions of the Qur’an that had been revealed, including the order of the verses, were revised and reconfirmed by the Prophet s.a.w with archangel Jibrail. It was during the Prophet’s last Ramadaan, prior his demise that the Prophet s.a.w rechecked and reconfirmed the Qur’an twice.

It is therefore clearly evident that the Qur’an was compiled and authenticated by the Prophet s.a.w himself during his lifetime, both in the written form as well as in the memory of several of his Companions.

3. Qur’an copied on one common material

The complete Qur’an, along with the correct sequence of the verses, was present during the time of the Prophet s.a.w. The verses however, were written on separate pieces, scrapes of leather, thin flat stones, leaflets, palm branches, shoulder blades, etc. After the demise of the prophet, Abu Bakar As-Siddiq r.a, the first caliph of Islam ordered that the Qur’an be copied from the various different materials on to a common material and place, which was in the shape of sheets. These were tied with strings so that nothing of the compilation was lost.

4. Usman Affan r.a made copies of the Qur’an from the original manuscript

Many Companions of the Prophet s.a.w used to write down the revelation of the Qur’an on their own whenever they heard it from the lips of the Prophet s.a.w. However what they wrote was not personally verified by the Prophet s.a.w and thus could contain mistakes. All the verses revealed to the Prophet s.a.w may not have been heard personally by all the Companions. There were high possibilities of different portions of the Qur’an being missed by different Companions. This gave rise to disputes among Muslims regarding the different contents of the Qur’an during the period of the third Caliph Usman Affan r.a.

Usman r.a borrowed the original manuscript of the Qur’an, which was authorized by the beloved Prophet s.a.w, from Hafsah binti Umar r.a, the Prophet’s wife. Usman r.a ordered four Companions who were among the scribes who wrote the Qur’an when the Prophet dictated it, led by Zaid bin Thabit r.a to rewrite the script in several perfect copies.[See This] These were sent by Usman r.a to the main centres of Muslims.

There were other personal collections of the portions of the Quran that people had with them. These might have been incomplete and with mistakes. Usman r.a only appealed to the people to destroy all these copies which did not match the original manuscript of the Qur’an in order to preserve the original text of the Qur’an. Two such copies of the copied text of the original Qur’an authenticated by the Prophet s.a.w are present to this day, one at the museum in Tashkent in erstwhile Soviet Union and the other at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.

5. Diacritical marks were added for non-Arabs

The original manuscript of the Qur’an does not have the signs indicating the vowels in Arabic script. These vowels are known as fatah, damma and qasra in Arabic. The Arabs did not require the vowel signs and diacritical marks for correct pronunciation of the Qur’an since it was their mother tongue. For Muslims of non-Arab origin, however, it was difficult to recite the Qur’an correctly without the vowels. These marks were introduced into the Qur’anic script during the time of the fifth ‘Umayyad’ Caliph, Malik-ar-Marwan (66-86 Hijri-685-705 C.E.) and during the governorship of Al-Hajaj in Iraq.

Some people argue that the present copy of the Qur’an that we have along with the vowels and the diacritical marks is not the same original Qur’an that was present at the Prophet’s time. But they fail to realize that the word ‘Qur’an’ means a recitation. Therefore, the preservation of the recitation of the Qur’an is important, irrespective of whether the script is different or whether it contains vowels. If the pronunciation and the Arabic is the same, naturally, the meaning remains the same too.

6. Allah Himself has promised to Guard the Qur’an

Allah has promised in the Qur’an:

 "We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption).

[Al-Hijr, 15:9]

 

[Excerpted from the article " The Preservation of the Holy Quran" By Dr Zakir Naik, published in drzakirnaik.com]