dukelondon
Senator (1k+ posts)
A Look at the Qurans Matchlessness
Why the abbreviated letters?
We know that there are abbreviated letters at the beginning of many chapters in the Quran, such as Alif, Laam, Meem or Alif, Laam Meem Raa or Yaa Seen. According to some Islamic narrations, a part of the reasoning and philosophy for these abbreviated letters is that God shows how such a great and eternal miracle, meaning the Quran, has been brought about from these simple letters which are counted as the simplest building materials. This great speech has been formed from letters and sounds that every small child is able to say. And in reality, the origin of such an important matter from such materials is its greatest miracle.
Now the question arises, from what viewpoint is the Quran a miracle? Is it a miracle only from the viewpoint of eloquence and expression? In other words, are its sweet words, the eloquence of its phrases and extraordinary influence a miracle? Or does it have other miraculous aspects?
The reality is that whenever we take from the various angles of the Quran, from every angle and from every glance a miracle becomes manifest. Among them are:
1. Eloquence and expression: the sweetness, extraordinary pull and amazing attraction of its words and meanings.
2. The presentation of its lofty contents from all aspects, especially its principles of belief empty of any kind of superstition.
3. Scientific miracles: meaning removing the veil from the face of matters that humankind was unaware of at that time.
4. Its precise and clear prophecies concerning future events (the Qurans news about the unseen).
5. The nonexistence of contradiction, discrepancies and jumbled speechas well as other factors.
The discussion concerning these five matters is very profound, however, we will study an interesting portion of each in the following few lessons:
1. Eloquence and expression
We know that every speech possesses two aspects, words and subject matter. Whenever beautiful words and sentences contain unity, a necessary connection, are empty of complexity and the sentence structure completely establishes the meaning and intent in an attractive and agreeable fashion, it is called eloquent. The Quran contains these two facets in the most exalted form, in such a way that up until now no one has been able to bring verses and chapters with such attraction, magnetism, sweetness and tone.
In the previous lessons, we studied that Waleed bin Mugheera, the chosen diplomat of the polytheist Arabs became excited by hearing some verse of the Quran and fell into thought. After a period of contemplation he told the Quraysh leaders to fight the Quran by saying it is black magic and Muhammad (S) is a sorcerer.
They repeatedly made this false accusation about the Prophet of Islam. Even though they wanted to slander him in this manner, but in reality, they praised him very loudly, because this attribution is an implicit testimony to the extraordinary influence of the Quran. They were powerless to explain it by ordinary means and were forced to recognize its mysterious pull. However, instead of accepting its truth and its being a miracle, and believing in it rather than legends and superstitions, they deviated from the true path and called the Quran sorcery.
It has vastly been seen in Islamic history that harsh and quarrelsome individuals came to the Prophet and heard the Qurans verses and at once changed their ways and the light of Islam began to shine in their hearts. This clearly shows that the Qurans attraction, eloquence and fluent expression are a miracle.
Let us not go far. Even now, as much as those who are familiar with Arabic literature and language read the Quran, they receive pleasure from it and they never become satiated or bored of it. The Qurans wording is very precise and calculated, accompanied by purity of speech and firmness, and at the same time, clear and expressive. And whenever necessary, it is decisive and pounding.
It is necessary to mention that the Arabs of that time were very advanced in literature and language. Examples of poetry from the Age of Ignorance are still counted among the best examples of Arabic poetry. It is well-known that every year, the best literalists of the Arabian Peninsula came together and recited the best examples of their poetry in the bazaar of Ikaaz, which was a center of commerce and literature. The best of them were chosen as the poem of the year and they would be written down and hung in the Kabah. During the time of the Prophets emergence, seven examples of these poems were known as the seven prose.
However, after the revelation of the Quran, the Arabs found them so dull before its eloquence and fluent expression that they were taken out of the Kabah one after the other and placed on the shelf of forgetfulness.
The great exegetes of the Quran have pointed out, to the extent of their ability, under various verses, the amazing refinement of the verses. You can become more familiar with what we stated above by referring to them.
Familiarity with the Quran shows that this saying of the Prophet does not have the slightest exaggeration, when he said, The exterior of the Quran is decorated and beautiful, its interior is deep and bottomless, its wonders cannot be counted and its amazements will never become old.
Imam Ali, that great student of the Quran, also says in relation to this, In it is the spring [season] of the hearts, streams of knowledge take source from it and there is not a better polish for the hearts and souls of human beings than it.
Think and answer
1. What is the reason for the abbreviated letters of the Quran?
2. Is the Quran only a miracle from one viewpoint or from several viewpoints?
3. Why did the opponents of the Prophet of Islam call him a sorcerer?
4. What is the difference between fluentness (fasaaha) and eloquence (balagha)?
5. What era are the seven prose from? What is their intent?
Why the abbreviated letters?
We know that there are abbreviated letters at the beginning of many chapters in the Quran, such as Alif, Laam, Meem or Alif, Laam Meem Raa or Yaa Seen. According to some Islamic narrations, a part of the reasoning and philosophy for these abbreviated letters is that God shows how such a great and eternal miracle, meaning the Quran, has been brought about from these simple letters which are counted as the simplest building materials. This great speech has been formed from letters and sounds that every small child is able to say. And in reality, the origin of such an important matter from such materials is its greatest miracle.
Now the question arises, from what viewpoint is the Quran a miracle? Is it a miracle only from the viewpoint of eloquence and expression? In other words, are its sweet words, the eloquence of its phrases and extraordinary influence a miracle? Or does it have other miraculous aspects?
The reality is that whenever we take from the various angles of the Quran, from every angle and from every glance a miracle becomes manifest. Among them are:
1. Eloquence and expression: the sweetness, extraordinary pull and amazing attraction of its words and meanings.
2. The presentation of its lofty contents from all aspects, especially its principles of belief empty of any kind of superstition.
3. Scientific miracles: meaning removing the veil from the face of matters that humankind was unaware of at that time.
4. Its precise and clear prophecies concerning future events (the Qurans news about the unseen).
5. The nonexistence of contradiction, discrepancies and jumbled speechas well as other factors.
The discussion concerning these five matters is very profound, however, we will study an interesting portion of each in the following few lessons:
1. Eloquence and expression
We know that every speech possesses two aspects, words and subject matter. Whenever beautiful words and sentences contain unity, a necessary connection, are empty of complexity and the sentence structure completely establishes the meaning and intent in an attractive and agreeable fashion, it is called eloquent. The Quran contains these two facets in the most exalted form, in such a way that up until now no one has been able to bring verses and chapters with such attraction, magnetism, sweetness and tone.
In the previous lessons, we studied that Waleed bin Mugheera, the chosen diplomat of the polytheist Arabs became excited by hearing some verse of the Quran and fell into thought. After a period of contemplation he told the Quraysh leaders to fight the Quran by saying it is black magic and Muhammad (S) is a sorcerer.
They repeatedly made this false accusation about the Prophet of Islam. Even though they wanted to slander him in this manner, but in reality, they praised him very loudly, because this attribution is an implicit testimony to the extraordinary influence of the Quran. They were powerless to explain it by ordinary means and were forced to recognize its mysterious pull. However, instead of accepting its truth and its being a miracle, and believing in it rather than legends and superstitions, they deviated from the true path and called the Quran sorcery.
It has vastly been seen in Islamic history that harsh and quarrelsome individuals came to the Prophet and heard the Qurans verses and at once changed their ways and the light of Islam began to shine in their hearts. This clearly shows that the Qurans attraction, eloquence and fluent expression are a miracle.
Let us not go far. Even now, as much as those who are familiar with Arabic literature and language read the Quran, they receive pleasure from it and they never become satiated or bored of it. The Qurans wording is very precise and calculated, accompanied by purity of speech and firmness, and at the same time, clear and expressive. And whenever necessary, it is decisive and pounding.
It is necessary to mention that the Arabs of that time were very advanced in literature and language. Examples of poetry from the Age of Ignorance are still counted among the best examples of Arabic poetry. It is well-known that every year, the best literalists of the Arabian Peninsula came together and recited the best examples of their poetry in the bazaar of Ikaaz, which was a center of commerce and literature. The best of them were chosen as the poem of the year and they would be written down and hung in the Kabah. During the time of the Prophets emergence, seven examples of these poems were known as the seven prose.
However, after the revelation of the Quran, the Arabs found them so dull before its eloquence and fluent expression that they were taken out of the Kabah one after the other and placed on the shelf of forgetfulness.
The great exegetes of the Quran have pointed out, to the extent of their ability, under various verses, the amazing refinement of the verses. You can become more familiar with what we stated above by referring to them.
Familiarity with the Quran shows that this saying of the Prophet does not have the slightest exaggeration, when he said, The exterior of the Quran is decorated and beautiful, its interior is deep and bottomless, its wonders cannot be counted and its amazements will never become old.
Imam Ali, that great student of the Quran, also says in relation to this, In it is the spring [season] of the hearts, streams of knowledge take source from it and there is not a better polish for the hearts and souls of human beings than it.
Think and answer
1. What is the reason for the abbreviated letters of the Quran?
2. Is the Quran only a miracle from one viewpoint or from several viewpoints?
3. Why did the opponents of the Prophet of Islam call him a sorcerer?
4. What is the difference between fluentness (fasaaha) and eloquence (balagha)?
5. What era are the seven prose from? What is their intent?