Table of Contents

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………….22. The Qur’anic

challenge………………………………………………………………………………....23. Arabic Literary

Forms…………………………………………………………………………………..34. Unique Literary Form of Qur’an…………………...

…………………………………………………...35. Is Qur’an poem or

prose………………………………………………………………………………...36. Unique

genre……………………………………………………………………………………............47. Eloquence

……………………………………………………………………………………................48. View of I’jaz Ul Qur’an from Non-Muslim

Scholars…………………………………………………..59. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...............510. References……………………………………………………………………………………......... ….6

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)

1. Introduction

‘Ijaz’ is an Arabic word translated as ‘miracle’ or ‘inimitable’, therefore, ‘Ijaz ul Qur’an’ means the ‘inimitability of Qur’an’. Inimitability of Qur’an is the belief that no human word or speech can match Qur’an in its content or form and proving the Qur’an as solely the word of Allah ‘Aza Wa Jal given to Prophet Muhammad (Sallalu Alaihi Wa Sallam).1

The Quran is linguistically miraculous because it is beyond the capacity of human to produce the like of it. The Arabs, who were known to have been Arabic linguist, failed to challenge the Qur’an. Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, who was a British Orientalist and translator, said:

“…and that though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it as far as elegant writing is concerned, none has as yet succeeded.”2

2. The Qur’anic ChallengeThough the Arabs of previous times were very proud of their excellence in Arabic language, they failed to defeat the Qur’ani challenge, as Allaj ‘Aza Wa Jal says:“If you are in doubt of what We have revealed to Our messenger, then produce one chapter like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful” (2:23)“Or do they say he fabricated the message? Nay, they have no faith. Let them produce a recital like it, if they speak the truth.” (52:33-34)

Scholars of Qur’an say that it these verses are a challenge to humankind. Though, these verses were also present at the time of Prophet Muhammad (Sallalhu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam), people of Arab tried to fulfil the challenge and came with such a poetry:

Al-Fil (1) Mal-Fil (2) Wa ma adraka mal-fil (3) Lahu dhanabun radhil, wa khurtumun tawil (4)3

“The elephant. What is the elephant? And who shall tell you what the elephant is? He has a ropy tail and a long trunk. This is a [mere] trifle of our Lord's creations.”

This poetry was rejected by Quraysh themselves as well as it lacks the rhyme, rhythm and style of speech. To fulfil the Qur’anic challenge it is easy as it requires only Arabic grammar and 28 letters of Arabic but the fact the no one has been able to fulfil the Qur’anic challenge confirms that it is a revelation made by the Lord of the worlds which cannot imitated. The inability of any person to produce anything like the Qur’an, due to its unique literary form is the essence of the Qur’anic

1 Web Dictionary, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ijaz 2 www.knowmuhammad.org 3 Understanding the Qur’an’s Literary Challenge: “Bring Something Like It” http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-416-3479.html

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)

miracle. A miracle is defined as “events which lie outside the productive capacity of nature”4. This is because the natural capacity of author, is able to produce the known literary forms in the Arabic language. The development of an entirely unique literary form is beyond the capacity of nature except some supernatural entity, therefore, none can deny that Allah ‘Aza Wa Jal is the producer of Qur’an.

3. Arabic Literary FormsAccording to both Muslim and Non-Muslim scholarship, the Qur’an cannot be described as any forms of Arabic speech; namely poetry and prose.5 Taha Husayn, an Egyptian Litterateur, says: “But you know that the Qur’an is not prose and that it is not verse either. It is rather Qur’an, and it cannot be called by any other name but this. It is not verse, and that is clear; for it does not bind itself to the bonds of verse. And it is not prose, for it is bound by bonds peculiar to itself, not found elsewhere; some of the binds are related to the endings of its verses and some to that musical sound which is all its own. It is therefore neither verse nor prose, but it is “a Book whose verses have been perfected t0he expounded, from One Who is Wise, All-Aware.” We cannot therefore say its prose, and its text itself is not verse. It has been one of a kind, and nothing like it has ever preceded or followed it.”Arabic poetry is a form of metrical (musical) speech with rhyme. The rhyme (qafiyah) in Arabic poetry is achieved when every line of the poem ends with a specific letter. The metrical aspect of Arabic poetry is due to its rhythmical pattern (arud).Arabic Prose is a non-metrical speech, meaning that it does not have a regular rhythmical pattern like poetry. Arabic prose can be further divided into two categories: Saj’ which is rhymed prose and Mursal which is straight prose or what some may call ‘normal speech’.

4. Unique Literary form of Qur’anAll pre-Islamic and post-Islamic poetry fit into the Saj’. The Qur’an cannot fit into any of Arabic literary forms because of not sticking to the rules of poetry and prose, but intermingling metrical and non-metrical speech and stylistic differences such as semantically orientated rhyme. Western scholars say that the Qur’an fits into the form of Arabic Saj’. Western Scholars don’t say that the Qur’an is a rhymed prose rather they say that Qur’an is a unique form of Saj’. This can be supported by three opinions by modern and classical scholarship:

i. Unique fusion of Metrical and Non Metrical Speech: The Qur’an achieves this unique literary form by fusing metrical and non-Metrical speech. This fusion of metrical and non-metrical composition is present throughout the whole of the Qur’an and cannot be found in any Arabic text, past or present.

ii. Qur’anic Saj’: The Qur’an shares similar features with saj’, especially in the early Makki Surahs, but it over passes many of the aspects of Saj’. Western Scholars, therefore, describe Qur’anic rhyme as Qur’anic Saj’.

4 Bilynskyj. S. S. God, Nature, and the Concept of Miracle, 1982, 10-42 and Craig. W. L. The Problem of Miracles: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective.5 ‘Abd al-Jabbar. I’jaz al-Qur’an. Cairo. 1960, p. 224

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)

iii. Qur’an bound stylistic variations: Theologians and Arab Linguists say that the Qur’an does not contain Saj’ and is unique to all types of Saj’. They say that in the Qur’an, the use of language is semantically orientated and its literary style is different.6

5. Is Qur’an a poetry or prose

The Qur’an cannot be considered as poetry because no Surah fits to any of the al-Bihar (Saj’) and in many places show irregular rhyme. Mohammad Khalifa in his article The Authorship of the Qur’an correctly says:

“Readers familiar with Arabic Poetry realize that it has long been distinguished by its wazn, bahr, ‘arud and qafiya – exact measures of syllabic sounds and rhymes, which have to be strictly adhered to even at the expense of grammar and shade of meaning at times. All this is categorically different from Qur’anic literary style.”

The Qur’an is not straight forward speech (Mursal) because of use of rhyme, rhythm and unique stylistic features rich in the Qur’an. Mursal is just normal speech that doesn’t contains any of the above features.7

6. Unique GenreThe Qur’an combines rhetorical and cohesive features in every verse. Rhetoric in the Arab tradition is “…the conveying of meaning in the best of verbal forms” Cohesiveness is the feature that binds sentences to each other grammatically and lexically. It also refers to how words are linked together into sentences and how sentences are in turn linked together to form larger units in texts. These elements combine with each other in such a way that interlock and become inseparable. This unique combination attracts the reader and transmit its meaning in precise wordings. The rhetorical and cohesive components of the Qur’anic text cannot be separated from each other. As Muslim scholars say: “…the Qur’an is understood to say what it says in an inseparable identity with how it says it.” Example: “Men who remember Allah much and women who remember” Qur’an 33:35This Qur’anic verse, in a different word order such as the verse: “Men who remember Allah much and Women who remember Allah much” The non Qur’anic verse would not deliver the same effect as it has lost its rhetorical effect and is extra in meaning. Non-Qur’anic Arabic texts mostly employ cohesive elements but the Qur’an uses both cohesive and rhetorical elements in every verse.8

7. Qur’anic EloquenceEloquence is defined as “expressing an appropriate meaning with a noble, apt and clear phrase, indicating what is to be without superfluous additions.” As Muslim Scholars say:“…humans cannot imitate the Qur'an because their knowledge does not encompass all the words of Arabic, all the ideas in them, and all the varieties of structure.”

6 Al-Rummani. Thalath Rasa’il Ijaz al-Qur’an. Ed. M. Khalaf Allah & M. Sallam, Cairo. 1956, p. 97-987 Khalifa. M. The Authorship of the Qur’an in The Koran: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Vol. I, p.1298 H Abdul-Raof. 2001. Qur’an Translation: Discourse, Texture and Exegesis. Curzon Press, p. 137

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)

Example: “Those who disbelieved Shu’ayb, they were the losers” Qur’an 7:90The letter ‘lam’ has been placed to strengthen the meaning of loss of those who disbelieved. In normal speech it would not normally be missed. The ‘lam’ has been used to increase the communicative effect of the text. The letter ‘lam’ is placed before words to give different meanings. In this example it shows intensification for the rejection of Prophet. Therefore instead of just saying ‘they were losers’ Allah says they were ‘they were the losers’.9

8. View of I’jaz Ul Qur’an From Non-Muslim ScholarsAgreed opinion on the superior nature of the Qur’an’s language. "The Koran [sic] admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of

the world…. it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes…."10

“As a literary monument the Koran thus stands by itself, a production unique to the Arabic literature, having neither forerunners nor successors in its own idiom. Muslims of all ages are united in proclaiming the inimitability not only of its contents but also of its style..... and in forcing the High Arabic idiom into the expression of new ranges of thought the Koran develops a bold and strikingly effective rhetorical prose in which all the resources of syntactical modulation are exploited with great freedom and originality.”11

“As tangible signs Qur’anic verses are expressive of an inexhaustible truth. They signify meaning layered within meaning, light upon light, miracle after miracle.”12

“…and that though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it as far as elegant writing is concerned, none has as yet succeeded.”13

“…the Meccans still demanded of him a miracle, and with remarkable boldness and self-confidence Muhammad appealed as a supreme confirmation of his mission to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs they were connoisseurs of language and rhetoric. Well, then if the Koran were his own composition other men could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could not), then let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evidential miracle”14

9. ConclusionThe Qur’an is a unique form of Arabic speech. The form of its language cannot be described as prose or poetry. It got this unique literary form by,

Intermingling metrical and non-metrical speech Transcending the defining features of Saj’

9 “Talkhis fi Ulumul Balaghah”, Imam Qazwini, 50-52 & “The Secrets & Subtleties of the Arabic Language”, Herbjorn Jenssen, p87

10 G. Margoliouth. 1977. Introduction to J.M.Rodwell’s, The Koran. Everyman’s Library, p. vii11 H A R Gibb. 1963. Arabic Literature - An Introduction. Oxford at Clarendon Press, p. 36.12 Bruce Lawrence, p. 18. The Qur’an: A Biography. 2006.13 F. F. Arbuthnot. 1885. The Construction of the Bible and the Koran. London, p 514 H. A. R. Gibb. 1980. Islam: A Historical Survey. Oxford University Press, p. 28

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)

Using literary and linguistic devices that render it stylistically distinct

Every Surah has a special character, with its own unique form. This uniqueness of Qur’an is the only reason that none was or is able to imitate Qur’an. As Martin Zammit says:

"Notwithstanding the literary excellence of some of the long pre-Islamic poems…the Qur'an is definitely on a level of its own as the most eminent written manifestation of the Arabic language.”15

And R Bosworth Smith concludes:

"…It is the one miracle claimed by Muhammad, his standing miracle, and a miracle indeed it is." 16

10. References

1. Web Dictionary, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ijaz 2. www.knowmuhammad.org 3. Understanding the Qur’an’s Literary Challenge: “Bring Something Like It”

http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-416-3479.html4. Bilynskyj. S. S. God, Nature, and the Concept of Miracle, 1982, 10-42 and Craig. W. L. The

Problem of Miracles: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective.5. ‘Abd al-Jabbar. I’jaz al-Qur’an. Cairo. 1960, p. 2246. Al-Rummani. Thalath Rasa’il Ijaz al-Qur’an. Ed. M. Khalaf Allah & M. Sallam, Cairo. 1956, p. 97-987. Khalifa. M. The Authorship of the Qur’an in The Koran: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies,

Vol. I, p.1298. H Abdul-Raof. 2001. Qur’an Translation: Discourse, Texture and Exegesis. Curzon Press, p. 137 9. “Talkhis fi Ulumul Balaghah”, Imam Qazwini, 50-52 & “The Secrets & Subtleties of the Arabic

Language”, Herbjorn Jenssen, p8710. G. Margoliouth. 1977. Introduction to J.M.Rodwell’s, The Koran. Everyman’s Library, p. vii11. H A R Gibb. 1963. Arabic Literature - An Introduction. Oxford at Clarendon Press, p. 36.12. Bruce Lawrence, p. 18. The Qur’an: A Biography. 2006.13. F. F. Arbuthnot. 1885. The Construction of the Bible and the Koran. London, p 514. H. A. R. Gibb. 1980. Islam: A Historical Survey. Oxford University Press, p. 28 15. Martin Zammit. 2002. A comparative Lexical Study of Qur'anic Arabic. Brill Academic

Publishers16. R. Bosworth Smith. 2004. Muhammad and Muhammadanism. Kessinger Publishing

15 Martin Zammit. 2002. A comparative Lexical Study of Qur'anic Arabic. Brill Academic Publishers16 R. Bosworth Smith. 2004. Muhammad and Muhammadanism. Kessinger Publishing

I’jaz ul qur’an (the inimitability of qur’an)