Notes on Koran

7/31/2019 Notes on Koran

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An Introduction

to theLiterary & Linguistic

Excellence of the Quran

By Hamza Andreas Tzortzis


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Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, a convert to Is-lam, is an international lecturer, publicspeaker, freelance writer, author, and activ-

ist. He is particularly interested in issues

such as religion and politics. He writes and

speaks about issues related to belief, politics,

spirituality, philosophy, ideology and more.

Hamza has delivered presentations at many

universities in the UK and abroad including

York University (Canada) and Maastricht

University (Netherlands). He has openly de-

bated politics lecturers, scientists and philoso-

phers, including representatives from the Na-

tional Secular Society, the Humanist Society

and various Christian organisations. Hamza

Andreas Tzortzis is a well known member

of the Muslim community and delivers cir-

cles and talks at mosques and community

centres throughout the UK. He is currently

engaged in Post Graduate Islamic Studies.

The Muslim Research and DevelopmentFoundation (MRDF) is a cooperativeventure run by a number of leading Muslim

scholars, Imams and professionals from a

variety of backgrounds. With its two main

elds identied as research anddevelopment, the foundation com-

menced its operation in 2002 and was

awarded ofcial charity status in 2007.

The foundation strives to articulate Islam

ina modern context and address the unique

situation and challenges faced by Muslims

in the West. An integral focus as a means to

this end is the study, analysis & pres-

entation of classical Islamic scholar-ship and its contemporary application.

Formatted and distributed by

www.islam21c.com for use by all.

This e-book has been published

in association with www.mrdf.

co.uk, www.hamzatzortzis.com

and www.theinimitablequran.com


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CONTENTS

Introduction 4

Quran & Literature 6

Sound 9

Unique Genre 11

Dynamic style 13

Aesthetic Reception 15

Conclusion 18

Bibliography 20


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Introduction

Neither as Christians or Jews, nor simply as intellectu-

ally responsible individuals, have members o WesternCivilisation been sensitively educated or even accuratelyinormed about Islam even some persons o goodwillwho have gained acquaintance with Islam continue to in-terpret the reverence or the prophet Muhammad and theglobal acceptance o his message as an inexplicable surviv-al o the zeal o an ancient desert tribe. Tis view ignoresourteen centuries o Islamic civilisation, burgeoning withartists, scholars, statesmen, philanthropists, scientists,chivalrous warriors, philosophers as well as countlessmen and women o devotion and wisdom rom almost

every nation o the planet. Te coherent world civilisationcalled Islam, ounded in the vision o the Quran, can-not be regarded as the product o individual and nationalambition, supported by historical accident.

T kTeHeart o the Quran Lx Hx, w x k, - w Q, k M,w , w . T Q w v v , . I

v v . S-, Q w w v kw. M x Q,

Te Koran [sic] admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious bookso the world. Tough the youngest o the epoch-making works belonging to this class o lit-erature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderul eect which it has produced on large masseso men. It has created all but a new phase o human thought and a resh type o character.It rst transormed a number o heterogeneous desert tribes o the Arabian peninsula into a

nation o heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations o theMuhammadan world which are one o the great orces with which Europe and the East haveto reckon today.

L w Q xw . T Q -k, w x wk. T w, Q v I. T Q v - . A P H, w x Q w k A . I I - I , , w, . F M,

Q v ; w P M C v ( k) w .


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Read in the Name o your Lord. T w w w Q v P M v 4 . M, w w kw v v M, v w w k w v w w v . N kw

v v , - M w w w , , w, , , , w . A ,

It is as though Muhammad had created an entirely new literary orm that some people werenot ready or but which thrilled others. Without this experience o the Koran, it is extremelyunlikely that Islam would have taken root.

T w vv A,

v, w M. T w , Q, w v , , k. S ,

Here, thereore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by somepreconceived maxims o subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the eects which it produced inMuhammads contemporaries and ellow countrymen. I it spoke so powerully and convinc-ingly to the hearts o his hearers as to weld hitherto centriugal and antagonistic elementsinto one compact and well-organised body, animated by ideas ar beyond those which haduntil now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perect, simply because it created acivilized nation out o savage tribes

M , , w Q - j , M - . I w w Q w . R Q - M v w .

T w Q w

w w Q v k - w, w x A . T A H. G:

Tough, to be sure, the question o the literary merit is one not to be judged on a priorigrounds but in relation to the genius o Arabic language; and no man in teen hundred yearshas ever played on that deep toned instrument with such power, such boldness, and such rangeo emotional eect as Mohammad did.


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Quran and Literature

In making the present attempt to improve on the per-

ormance o predecessors, and to produce something whichmight be accepted as echoing however aintly the sublimerhetoric o the Arabic Koran, I have been at pain to studythe intricate and richly varied rhythms which - apartrom the message itsel - constitutes the Korans undeni-able claim to rank amongst the greatest literary master-pieces o mankind.

C O v w A, x A.J. A Q x.Hwv , w Q , v . W Q, v wk w j. C Q , , . T Q j w, w . Hwv, w A .

M O w Q v x k . T v Q w w -

v f . T Q f k.S Q ,

Te Koran was also a linguistic document o incomparable importance. It was viewed as asource o grammatical and lexicographical inormation. Its stylistic inimitability not-with-standing, it even came to be treated as a standard or theories o literary criticism.

R j Q . TQ w v ,

f. A ,

Briefy, the rhetoric and rhythm o the Arabic o the Koran are so characteristic, so powerul,so highly emotive, that any version whatsoever is bound in the nature o things to be but apoor copy o the glittering splendour o the original.

F, Q A . T Q x; w w . Sx:

Te truth is I do not nd any understanding author who controverts the elegance o Al-Quran, it being generally esteemed as the standard o the Arabic language and eloquence.


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A Q, w , . T , kw , x-. R ,

Sudden pronomial shits are characteristic o the Quranic discourse.they are a very eec-tive rhetorical device.

Dw, I Jw S Q f Q, - :

Te Koran is the earliest and by ar the nest work o Classical Arabic prose It is acknowl-edged that the Koran is not only one o the most infuential books o prophetic literature but

also a literary masterpiece in its own right translations have, in my opinion, practicallyailed to convey both the meaning and the rhetorical grandeur o the original.

L . T , , , , -, x, , , , , v,, , , , , vw, x, x -, - w w , , -, x. T w Q w Q . Z ,

Notwithstanding the literary excellence o some o the long pre-Islamic poems, or qasaid, theQuran is denitely on a level o its own as the most eminent written maniestation o theArabic language.

S k Ijz -Q, Q, w Q v . TQ ,

I you are in doubt o what We have revealed to Our messenger, then produce one chapter likeit. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, i you are truthul [Q : ]

A

Or do they say he abricated the message? Nay, they have no aith. Let them produce a recitallike it, i they speak the truth. [Q : -4]

I v, Q - w x. I v w A ( ) , v

. T w k- A ; j-v v . T


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w A Q, P x:

Tat the best o Arab writers has never succeeded in producing anything equal in merit tothe Quran itsel is not surprising.

D v Q w v v; , , - . T v H,

Te Quran is unapproachable as regards convincing power eloquence and even composi-tion.


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Sound

T Q x v -

v v f. T w j , z (ikhaa). T w Q .

T Q w v w v w . T w w . T w Q w k S ,

there is a quality to the sound o the Quran which anyone amiliar with it in Arabic

can recognize. Quranic commentators have discussed the power and beauty o this soundis one o the key aspects o the science o analysing ijaz al-Quran (the inimitability o theQuran).

T Q w w w v w, w Q v w . J x,

It is the language itsel which constitutes the iconic tradition. Not a single word can be takenor heard in isolation. All represent nuclei o meaning that are cumulative and cohere, serving

as triggers to activate the prooundest depths o religious consciousness.

T w x x Q x v x:

And by the Night when it is still. [Q : ]Wal layli itha sajaa

T w Q w w . T , v. T Q

, x,

And the producers o sparks striking [Q : ]Fal mu ri yaati qadhan

T w k k, , v , x A . I x:

Stirring up thereby clouds o dust. [Q : 4]Fa atharna bihi naqan

T w v, w vw -


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, w x .

T Q . F x, v w Q w . T v w Q ,

At length when there is a deaening noise [Q : ]Fa itha jaaa atis saaaaaakhah

T w , k, . T A w k w x.

S Q f . T A - w , Q

w , k v. T w w v . J w x w Pk w v Q . A x w Q:,

Whenever I hear the Quran chanted, it is as though I am listening to Music, underneaththe fowing melody there is sounding insistent beat o a drum, it is like the beating o myheart.


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Unique Genre

As a literary monument the Koran thus stands by itsel, a

production unique to the Arabic literature, having neitherorerunners nor successors in its own idiom. Muslims oall ages are united in proclaiming the inimitability notonly o its contents but also o its style and in orcing theHigh Arabic idiom into the expression o new ranges othought the Koran develops a bold and strikingly eectiverhetorical prose in which all the resources o syntacticalmodulation are exploited with great reedom and origi-nality.

T A H. G,

Q , jv , . T Q v w . Hwv, Q w v . P kw Q x-:

Tat a competent knowledge o the Koran is indispensable as an introduction to the studyo Arabic literature will be admitted by all who have advanced beyond the rudiments o thelanguage. From the purity o its style and elegance o its diction it has come to be considered

as the standard o Arabic

T Q w . I w ; v . F vw . Cv , v v wk w , .

F vw Q v , , , , . A-

, w j Q v. I v v , , , x . T v k Q .

N-Q A x v Q v v v. T w x - Q :

Men who remember Allah much and women who remember[Q : ]

Al-dhaakireen Allaha kathiran wal-dhaakiraat


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T Q v v, f w v w,

Men who remember Allah much and Women who remember Allah muchal-dhakirina Allaha kathiran wal-dhakirati Allaha kathiran

W v f, M H A , w v x. T Q v jv wj M S w A, w - . T Q v Q v , w f. F w A w H , w w v. I x Q - v . A Q v f. A x kTe

Construction o the Bible and the Koran f Q :

It is conessedly the standard o the Arabic tongue Te style o the Koran is generally beau-tiul and fuent and in many places, especially where the majesty and attributes o Godare described, sublime and magnicent He succeeded so well, and so strangely captivatedthe minds o his audience, that several o his opponents thought it the eect o witchcrat andenchantment.

, I w k w w P P H. H-:

Te style o the Koran is Gods style. It is dierent, incomparable and inimitable. Tis is ba-sically what constitutes the miraculous character (ijaz) o the Koran. O all miracles, it is thegreatest: i all men and jinn were to collaborate, they could not produce its like. Te Prophetwas authorized to challenge his critics to produce something comparable. Te challenge wastaken up by more than one stylist in Arabic literature-with a predictable conclusion.


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Dynamic Style

T Q

. T D A. T v , E .

O Nk . T w - A. T Q fv . T A , S, -Zk -A, A w . F A, fv .

T Q A v v x-v x . H :

it employs this eature ar more extensively and in more variations than does Arabicpoetry. It is, thereore, natural to ndno one seems to quote reerences in prose other thanrom the Quran.

O x x w v w k G, , G H k

j:

Tere is no good in most o their secret talk, only in commanding charity, or good, or recon-ciliation between people. o anyone who does these things, seeking to please God, We shallgive a rich reward. [Q 4:4]

I H w v G x k j v H w w v v v.

A x x w- v:

He it is who makes you travel by land and sea; until when you are in the ships and they sailon with them in a pleasant breeze, and they rejoice, a violent wind overtakes them and thebillows surge in on them rom all sides, and they become certain that they are encompassedabout, they pray to Allah, being sincere to Him in obedience: I Tou dost deliver us romthis, we shall most certainly be o the grateul ones. But when He delivers them, lo! they areunjustly rebellious in the earth. O humankind! your rebellion is against your own souls -provision o this worlds lie - then to Us shall be your return, so We shall inorm you o whatyou did [Q :]

N R k Dv Q: A C A V x x v x :


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At rst sight it may appear hopelessly garbled, but the three consecutive pronominal shitsare all perectly logical. Te shit rom the second person plural to the third person plural ob-jecties the addressees and enables them to see themselves as God sees them, and to recognizehow ridiculous and hypocritical their behaviour is. Te shit back to the second person plural

marks Gods turning to admonish them. Finally the speakers shit rom the third personsingular to the rst person plural expresses His majesty and power, which is appropriate inview o the allusion to the resurrection and judgment.

T Q v . T Q w xw v. T x w Q v xv x, w w kw A- . I N R Q:

are a very eective rhetorical device.


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Aesthetic Reception

T E M S -R :

Anyone who heard it had no option but to surrender tothe Quran every single part o his mind was touchedby the pure sound o the languages music, and portion byportion, note by note, he embraced its harmony, the per-ection o its pattern, its ormal completion. It was notmuch as i something was recited to him by rather as i something had burned itsel into him.

T Q v , - . T -

jv jv x , x ; k Q . G Q .

However oten we turn to it [the Quran] it soon attracts, astounds, and in the endenorces our reverence Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand,terrible-ever and anon truly sublime- Tus this book will go on exercising through all ages amost potent infuence.

S x Q v w

, x w w k K Te Aesthetic Reception o the Quran as refected in Early MuslimHistory.

Abu Ubaid, a companion o the prophet mentions that a Bedouin listened to a man recitingso shalt that thou art commanded. Ater this he threw himsel to the ground worshippingand said, I threw mysel down or the eloquence o this speech.Montet in his translation o the Quran explains this unique Quranic eature,All those who are acquainted with the Quran in Arabic agree in praising the beauty o thisreligious book; its grandeur o orm is so sublime that no translation into any European lan-

guage can allow us to appreciate it.

A x Q v P M, U, w I , I H I K. O v k P F v I, w . What is this balderdash I have heard?U , You have not heard anything. F w. U, wv, v k w. U w v How beautiul and noble is this speech! U, C

I v M.


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G Q ,

It has a rhythm o peculiar beauty and a cadence that charms the ear. Many Christian Arabsspeak o its style with warm admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its excellence. Whenit is read aloud or recited it has an almost hypnotic eect

T f Q w A v. N-M A z w f , , w w .A-Z ,

Te greatest among Muhammads enemies eared that the Quran would have a strongeect on them, while they preerred lack o aith to aith and aberration to right guidance.Tus, they agreed not to listen to this Quran. Tey knew that everyone listening was movedby its solemn expressive orce that exceeded human strength. Tey saw that the people - even

great personalities, the notables and mighty - one ater another believed it, that Islam grewstronger, that the aithul became more numerous, polytheism became weaker, and their sup-porters became less.

, wv, x w Q . T A v, w A w k ; w w . I -, vv w v. T w I R . H w,

Whenever a poet emerged in an Arab tribe, other tribes would come to congratulate, eastswould be prepared, the women would join together on lutes as they do at weddings, and oldand young men would all rejoice at the good news. Te Arabs used to congratulate each otheronly on the birth o a child and when a poet rose among them.

I K, , k A ,

It should be known that Arabs thought highly o poetry as a orm o speech. Tereore, they

made it the archives o their history, the evidence or what they considered right and wrong,and the principal basis o reerence or most o their sciences and wisdom.

A I F , w w -I ,

Poetry is the archive o the Arabs; in it their genealogies have been preserved; it sheds lighton the darkest and strangest things ound in the Book o God and in the tradition o Godsapostle and that o his companions. Perhaps a poem may be luckier than another, and onepoem sweeter and more elegant than another, but none o the ancient poems lacks its degree

o excellence.


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T k - A - v Q w k k. S f Q v . G ,

Well then, i the Quran were his own composition other men could rival it. Let them pro-duce ten verses like it. I they could not (and it is obvious that they could not) then let them

accept the Quran as an outstanding evidential miracle.

B Q x w v Q v x w P B Lw :

As tangible signs, Quranic verse are expressive o an inexhaustible truth, they signiy mean-ing layered with meaning, light upon light, miracle ater miracle


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Conclusion

T v Q w, k . W Q x . T Q,k , v. Hwv, Q v. Iv x:

Te Quran is a magnicent document because o its matchlessness or inimitability.

T Q , , k A TQ k v , - v v . T

Q, v w .

T v v k v w M Q . Hw , , , , w A ?

T v Q x. I vk , - . A - w. T Q v A, -A P

M v A A , M , C, w v H x ( j -). D v v Q kw w w L. I - A , , x , v w v . I Q ww M, w w A v ?

T , wv, k .

v ; Hw w A v , - k, v j , v ? T w - k Dz kAn Eternal Challengew ,

When we consider careully the timing o the revelation o the Quranic passages and surahsand their arrangement, we are prooundly astonished. We almost belie what we see and hear.We then begin to ask ourselves or an explanation o this highly improbable phenomenon: isit not true that this new passage o revelation has just been heard as new, addressing a par-ticular event which is its only concern? Yet it sounds as though it is neither new nor separate

rom the rest. It seems as i it has been, along with the rest o the Quran, perectly impressedon this mans mind long beore he has recited it to us... It has been ully engraved on his heart


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beore its composition in the words he recites. How else can it unite so perectly and harmoni-ously parts and pieces that do not naturally come together? Is it as result o an experimentthat ollows a spontaneous thought? Tat could not be the case. When each part was put in itsposition, the one who placed them never had a new thought or introduced any modicationor re-arrangement.

How then could he have determined his plan? And how could he have made his intention soclear in advance?...When we consider such detailed instructions on the arrangement o pas-sages and surahs we are bound to conclude that there is a complete and detailed plan assign-ing the position o each passage beore they are all revealed. Indeed the arrangement is madebeore the reasons leading to the revelation o any passage occur, and even beore the start othe preliminary causes o such events Such are the plain acts about the arrangement o theQuran as it was revealed in separate verses, passages and surahs over a period o 23 years.What does that tell us about its source?

A x Q , w Q w , w v . I k I, Q, w . ,Rv. R. Bw S kMuhammad and Muhammadanism Q :

A miracle o purity o style, o wisdom and o truth. It is the one miracle claimed by Mu-hammad, his standing miracle, and a miracle indeed it is.


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Notes on Koran