BOOK FIVE: THE PERFECTION OF THE QUR’AN FROM THE LITERARY ASPECT
BOOK FIVE:
THE PERFECTION THE INIMITABILITY OF THE QUR’AN
It first needs to be stated that the exposition in the Qur'an addresses all human groupings from all ages. No matter what the reader's education and cultural level, the Qur'an is written in a clear, comprehensible language which can be understood by everyone. In one verse, Allah reveals the following about the Qur'an:
Despite having such an easily comprehensible style, it has never been possible to imitate the Qur'an from any point of view. Some of the verses in which Allah draws attention to the inimitable nature of the Qur'an are:
One of the reasons that the Qur'an is described as miraculous stems from the fact that, as emphasized in the verses above, nothing like it can ever be written by human endeavour: The greater the scale of that impossibility, the greater the size of the miracle which we see before our very eyes. Therefore, the fact that the style of the Qur'an has been incapable of imitation by even one out of the billions of people down the centuries is one of the proofs of its miraculous nature. In his book, The Construction of the Bible and the Qur'an, F. F. Arbuthnot makes the following comment about the Qur'an: From the literary point of view, the Koran is regarded as a specimen of the purest Arabic, written on half poetry and half prose. It has been said that in some cases grammarians have adopted their rules to agree with certain phrases and expressions used in it, and that though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it as far elegant writing is concerned, none has as yet succeeded.257 The words employed in the Qur'an are exceedingly special, both in terms of meaning and also of fluency and effect of style. However, those who are unwilling to believe that the Qur'an is a holy book in which Allah has revealed His commandments and prohibitions, have come up with a variety of excuses as to why they should not follow it. They have attempted to take refuge from its beauty by turning to denial. Allah reveals the following about the unbelievers' descriptions of the Qur'an:
The Superior Nature of the Rhyming Scheme in the Qur'an
Another of the elements which make the Qur'an inimitable stems from its literary structure. Despite being in Arabic, the Qur'an bears no similarity to the forms used in Arabic literature. The rhyming system in the Qur'an is known as "rhymed prose" and linguists describe the use of this rhyme in the Qur'an as a miracle. In his book Science Miracles, a work prepared to demonstrate that the Qur'an is a linguistic miracle, the well-known British scientist Professor Adel M. A. Abbas carried out a wide-ranging study of the letters and rhyming scheme used in the Qur'an by means of graphics and diagrams. Some rather striking facts were established in this book with regard to the rhyming system in the Qur'an. As we know, 29 Suras in the Qur'an begin with one or more symbolic letters. These letters are known as "muqatta`ah-letters" or "initial letters." Fourteen of the 29 letters in Arabic comprise these initial letters: Qaf, Sad, Ta, Ha, Ya, Sin, Alif, Lam, Mim, Kaf, 'Ayn, Nun, Ra, Ha. Of these letters, when we look at the use of the letter "Nun" in Surat al-Qalam we see rhyming with the letter "Nun" in 88.8% of the verses. 84.6% of Surat ash-Shu'ara', 90.32% of Surat an-Naml and 92.05% of Surat al-Qasas are rhymed with "Nun." When applying these studies to the whole Qur'an, 50.08% is rhymed with the letter "Nun." To put it another way, more than half the verses in the Qur'an end with the letter "Nun." In no literary work of comparable length has it been possible to rhyme with a single sound in more than half the text. This applies to all languages, not just to Arabic. Distribution of verses ending with the letter "Nun" from those suras beginning with initial letters:
When a general examination of the rhyme scheme in the Qur'an is made, we see that around 80% of the rhymes consist of just three sounds (n, m, a) consisting of the letters Alif, Mim, Ya and Nun 258 Excluding the letter "Nun," 30% of the verses are rhymed with "Mim," "Alif" or "Ya." The four most frequently employed sounds in rhymes:
The above table shows the proportional distribution of the four letters comprising 79.92% of the rhyme system in the Qur'an. The following verses are just a few of the many examples of rhymes using these four letters.
The formation of rhymed prose with just two or three sounds in a poem of 200-300 lines may give that work an important quality, sufficient for it to be described as a masterpiece by literary critics today. However, bearing in mind the length of the Qur'an, the information it contains and its wise exposition, the extraordinary manner in which its rhymed prose system is used becomes even clearer and more beautiful. The Qur'an indeed contains an ocean of information relating to a wide variety of subjects. They include: religious and moral guidance, lessons from the lives of the peoples of the past, the message of the prophets and messengers of Allah, the physical sciences and historical accounts of important events. But all of this, although wonderful in itself, is delivered with the most fantastic literary rhythm and excellence. It is simply not possible for so much rhymed prose by use of so few sounds in the Qur'an, with its varied and knowledgeable subject matter, to be achieved by human endeavour. From that point of view, it is not surprising that Arab linguists describe the Qur'an as "very definitely inimitable." COMMENTS ABOUT THE QUR’AN FROM VARIOUS SCHOLARS Some Comments on the Literary Excellence and Inimitability of the Qur'an  the Meccans still demanded of him a miracle,
and with remarkable boldness
and self confidence Mohammad appealed as a supreme confirmation of his
mission
to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs they were the 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
evident
miracle.259 (The well-known Arabist Hamilton Gibb of the University
of Oxford)•
•
The influence of the Koran on the development
of Arabic Literature has been incalculable, and exerted in many
directions. Its
ideas, its language, its rhymes pervade all subsequent literary works in
greater
or less measure. Its specific linguistic features were not emulated,
either in
the chancery prose of the next century or in the later prose writings,
but it
was at least partly due to the flexibility imparted by the Koran to the
High
Arabic idiom that the former could be so rapidly developed and adjusted
to the
new needs of the imperial government and an expanding society.261
(Well-known
Arabist Hamilton Gibb)••
It [the Qur'an] is a literal revelation of
Allah, dictated to [Prophet] Muhammad
[saas] by Gabriel, perfect in every letter. It is an ever-present
miracle witnessing
to itself and to [Prophet] Muhammad [saas], the Prophet of Allah. Its
miraculous
quality resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that neither
men nor
Jinn could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest
chapter, and
partly in its content of teachings, prophecies about the future, and
amazingly
accurate information such as [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] could never have
gathered
of his own accord.263 (From Harry Gaylord Dorman's book, Towards
Understanding
Islam) •
•
A miracle of purity of style of wisdom and of truth.267
(From
Rev. R. Bosworth Smith's book, Mohammed and Mohammedanism)•
• ?It [the Qur'an] has a rhythm of peculiar beauty and a cadence that charms the ear. Many Christian Arabs speak of its style with warm admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its excellence… indeed it may be affirmed that within the literature of the Arabs, wide and fecund as it is both in poetry and in elevated prose, there is nothing to compare with it.268 (From Alfred Guillaume's book, Islam) Some Comments on the Divine Nature of the Qur'an and Its Effect on People On the whole we find in it a collection of
wisdom which can be adopted by the
most intelligent of men, the greatest of philosophers and the most
skilful of
politicians… But there is another proof of the Divinity of the Qur'an;
it is
the fact that it has been preserved intact through the ages since the
time of
its Revelation till the present day… Read and reread by the Muslim
world, this
book does not rouse in the faithful any weariness, it rather, through
repetition,
is more loved every day. It gives rise to a profound feeling of awe and
respect
in the one who reads it or listens to it… Therefore, above all, what
caused the
great and rapid diffusion of Islam was through the fact that this Book…
was the
book of Allah…269
(From Laura Veccia Vaglieri's book, Apologie de
I'Islamisme) •
•
It must be acknowledged, too, that the Koran
deserves the highest praise for
its conceptions of the Divine nature in reference to the attributes of
Power,
knowledge and universal Providence and Unity-that its belief and trust
in the
one Allah of Heaven and Earth is deep and fervent-and that… it embodies
much
of the noble and deep moral earnestness, and sententious oracular
wisdom, and
has proved that there are elements in it on which mighty nations and
conquering… Empires
can be built up.271 (From the preface of The Koran, translated from the
Arabic
by Rev. J. M. Rodwell)•
• Here, therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in [Prophet] Muhammad's [saas] contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well-organized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes…272 (A statement of Dr. Steingass, quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam) In making the present attempt… to produce
something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime
rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the
intricate and richly varied rhythms which-apart from the message
itself-constitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the
greatest literary masterpieces of mankind… This
very characteristic feature... has been almost totally ignored by
previous translators;
it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull
and flat
indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original.273 (From Arthur J. Arberry's book, The Koran
Interpreted)•
•?A totally objective examination of it [the Qur'an] in the light of the
modern
knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has
been already
noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a
man
of [Prophet] Muhammad's [saas] time to have been the author of such
statements
on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are
part
of what gives the Qur'anic Revelation its unique place, and forces the
impartial
scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which calls
solely
upon materialistic reasoning.274
(Dr.
Maurice Bucaille, former chief of the Surgical Clinic, University of
Paris)•
•
... We have a book absolutely unique in its
origin, in its preservation… on the Substantial authority of which no
one has ever been able to cast a serious doubt.276 (From Rev. Bosworth Smith's book, Mohammed and
Mohammedanism)•
•
Sense of justice is one of the most wonderful
ideals of Islam, because as
I read in the Qur'an I find those dynamic principles of life, not mystic
but
practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited to the whole
world.278
(From a lecture on "The Ideals of Islam" quoted
in the book Speeches and Writings
of Sarojini Naidu)•
•?We must not be surprised to find the Qur'an the fountainhead of the
sciences.
Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human life, commerce and
various
trades are occasionally touched upon, and this gave rise to the
production of
numerous monographs forming commentaries on parts of the holy book. In
this way
the Qur'an was responsible for great discussions, and to it was
indirectly due
to the marvellous development of all branches of science in the Muslim
world… This
again not only affected the Arabs but also induced Jewish philosophers
to treat
metaphysical and religious questions after Arab methods. Finally, the
way in
which Christian scholasticism was fertilised by Arabian theosophy need
not be
further discussed.•
• Spiritual activity once aroused within Islamic bounds was not confined to theological speculations alone. Acquaintance with the philosophical, mathematical, astronomical and medical writings of the Greeks led to the pursuance of these studies. In the descriptive revelations [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] repeatedly calls attention to the movement of the heavenly bodies, as parts of the miracles of Allah forced into the service of man and therefore not to be worshipped. How successfully Moslem people of all races pursued the study of astronomy is shown by the fact that for centuries they were its principal supporters. Even now many Arabic names of stars and technical terms are in use. Medieval astronomers in Europe were pupils of the Arabs. In the same manner the Qur'an gave an impetus
to medical studies and recommended
the contemplation and study of Nature in general.279
(From
Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld's book, New Researches into the Composition and
Exegesis
of the Qur'an)•
•
However often we turn to it [the Qur'an]…,
it soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our reverence… Its
style,
in accordance with its contents and aim is... ever and anon truly
sublime-Thus
this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent
influence.281
(A
saying of Goethe quoted in T. P. Hughes' book, Dictionary of Islam)•
Some Scientists' Comments Regarding The Our'an … There are too many accuracies [in the Qur'an]
and, like Dr. Moore, I have
no difficulty in my mind that this is a divine inspiration or revelation
which
led him to these statements.282
(Dr. T. V. N. Persaud, Professor of Anatomy,
Pediatrics and Child Health, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Reproductive
Sciences at
the University of Manitoba) •
• … It follows, I think, that not only there is no conflict between genetics and religion but, in fact, religion can guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches, that there exist statements in the Quran shown centuries later to be valid, which support knowledge in the Quran having been derived from God.283 (Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Molecular and Human Genetics) As a scientist, I can only deal with things
which I can specifically see. I
can understand embryology and developmental biology. I can understand
the words
that are translated to me from the Quran. As I gave the example before,
if I
were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today and
describing
things, I could not describe the things which were described… So I see
nothing
here in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved
in what
he [Prophet Muhammad (saas)] was able to write.284
(Dr. E. Marshall Johnson,
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas
Jefferson University) •
•
It has been a great pleasure for me to help
clarify statements in the Qur'an
about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must
have come
to [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] from God, or Allah, because most of this
knowledge
was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that
[Prophet]
Muhammad [saas] must have been a messenger of God, or Allah.286
(Dr. Keith L.
Moore, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology,
University
of Toronto. Distinguished embryologist and the author of several medical
textbooks)•
•
The intensive studies of the Qur'an and Hadith
in the last four years have
revealed a system of classifying human embryos that is amazing since it
was recorded
in the seventh century A.D... the descriptions in the Qur'an cannot be
based
on scientific knowledge in the seventh century...288
(Dr. Keith L. Moore, Professor
Emeritus, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of
Toronto)•
•
If you combine all these and you combine all
these statements that are being
made in the Qur'an in terms that relate to the earth and the formation
of the
earth and science in general, you can basically say that statements made
there
in many ways are true, they can now be confirmed by scientific
methods... And
that many of the statements made in there at that time could not be
proven, but
that modern scientific methods are now in a position to prove what
[Prophet]
Muhammad [saas] said 1400 years ago.290
(Alfred Kroner, Professor of the Department
of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Germany)•
•
Certainly, I would like to leave it at that,
that what we have seen is remarkable,
it may or may not admit of scientific explanation, there may well have
to be
something beyond what we understand as ordinary human experience to
account for
the writings that we have seen.292 (Professor Armstrong, Professor of Astronomy
serving with NASA)•
•
… I believe that everything mentioned in the
Qur'an 1400 years ago is true
and can be proven by scientific methods… This must be by inspiration
from God,
or Allah, Who knows all science. Thus, I believe that this is the time
to say: "There
is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."294
(Prof. Tejatat
Tejasen, Head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of
Chiang
Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand)•
•?The Qur'an came several centuries ago, confirming what we discovered.
This
indicates that the Qur'an is the word of God.295 (Prof. Joly Sumson, Professor
in Gynecology and Obstetrics)•
•
After a discussion about the function of
mountains for the fixing of the earth:•
• I believe that this [the Qur'an's information] is very very strange, it is nearly impossible, I believe truly that if what you are saying is right, thus, this book [the Qur'an] is very valuable to be noticed, I agree with you.297 (Professor Syawda, a Japanese scientist famous in Japan and internationally in the field of oceanic geology.) •A Selection of Other Statements Regarding the Qur'an•
I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I
hope I am a "Muslim" as "one
surrendered to God," but I believe that embedded in the Quran and other
expressions
of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divine truth from which I and
other
occidentals have still much to learn, and "Islam is certainly a strong
contender
for the supplying of the basic framework of the one religion of the
future."299 (From the book Islam and Christianity Today)•
•
I have read the Sacred Scriptures of every
religion; nowhere have I found
what I encountered in Islam: perfection. The Holy Qur'an, compared to
any other
scripture I have read, is like the Sun compared to that of a match. I
firmly
believe that anybody who reads the Word of Allah with a mind that is not
completely
closed to Truth, will become a Muslim.301 (Saifuddin Dirk Walter Mosig) •
•
I hope the time is not far off when I shall be
able to unite all the wise
and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime
based on
the principles of Qur'an which alone are true and which alone can lead
men to
happiness.303
(French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte) |
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We have so far
considered the miraculous characteristics of the Qur'an from the
scientific and historical points of view. In addition to these, the
Qur'an also possesses an astounding, inimitable style from the literary
perspective. 
257. F. F.
Arbuthnot, The Construction of
the Bible and the Koran (London: 1985), 5.
258. Dr. Adel M. A. Abbas, Anne P. Fretwell, Science Miracles, No
Sticks
or Snakes (Beltsville, Maryland, USA: Amana Publications: 2000),
13.
259. H. A. R. Gibb, Islam-A Historical Survey (Oxford
University Press:
1980), 28.
260. H. A. R. Gibb, Arabic Literature-An Introduction (Oxford
at Clarendon
Press: 1963), 36.
261. Ibid., 37.
262. Paul Casanova, "L'Enseignement de I'Arabe au College de France"
(The
Arab Teaching at the College of France), Lecon d'overture,
April 26,
1909.
263. Harry Gaylord Dorman, Towards Understanding Islam (New
York:
1948), 3.
264. Edward Montet, Traduction Francaise du
Coran (French
Translation of the Qur'an), Introduction (Paris: 1929), 53.
265. John Naish, M. A. (Oxon), D. D., The Wisdom of the Qur'an (Oxford:
1937), preface 8.
266. George Sale, The Koran: The Preliminary Discourse (London
& New
York: 1891), 47-48.
267. Rev. R. Bosworth Smith, Mohammed and Mohammadanism,
www.ndirect.co.uk/~n.today/disc160.htm
268. Alfred Guillaume, Islam (Penguin Books: 1990
[Reprinted]), 73-74.
269. Laura Veccia Vaglieri, Apologie de I'Islamisme, 57-59.
270. John William Draper, A History of the Intellectual
Development of
Europe I (London: 1875), 343-344.
271. Rev. J. M. Rodwell, M. A., The Koran (London: 1918), 15.
272. Dr. Steingass, quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam,
528.
273. Arthur J. Arberry, The Koran Interpreted (London: Oxford
University
Press: 1964), 10.
274. Maurice Bucaille, The Qur'an and
Modern Science,
1981, 18.
275. Edward Montet, Paris, 1890; Quoted by T. W. Arnold in The
Preaching
of Islam (London: 1913), 413-414.
276. Rev. Bosworth Smith, Muhammad and Muhammadanism,
(London: 1874).
277. James Michener in "Islam: The Misunderstood Religion," Reader's
Digest, May 1955, 68-70.
278. Lectures on "The Ideals of Islam," Speeches and Writings
of Sarojini Naidu (Madras: 1918), 167.
279. Hartwig Hirschfeld, Ph. D., M. R. AS., New Researches into
the Composition
and Exegesis of the Qur'an, (London: 1902), 9.
280. G. Margoliouth, Introduction to J. M. Rodwell's The Koran,
(New
York: Everyman's Library: 1977), 7
281. Goethe, quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam,
526.
282. Video tape entitled This is the Truth;
www.islam-guide.com/ch1-1-h.htm
283. Ibid.
284. Ibid.
285. Ibid.
286. Video tape entitled This is the Truth;
www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Science/scientists.html
287. Ibid.
288. Ibid.
289. Ibid.
290. Ibid.
291. Ibid.
292. Ibid.
293. Ibid.
294.http://islamweb.net/english/new/week15/(10)THELEADERSOFMODERN.htm
295. Ibid.
296. Ibid.
297. Ibid.
298. "What they say about Islaam, the Qur'aan and Muhammad;"
www.al-sunnah.com/call_to_islam/articles/what_they_say_about_islaam.html
299. W. Montgomery Watt, Islam and
Christianity Today,
(London: 1983), 9.
300. "What they say about Islaam, the Qur'aan and Muhammad;"
www.al-sunnah.com/call_to_islam/articles/what_they_say_about_islaam.html
301. Ibid.
302. John Esposito, quoted in Jacqueline Blais' "People Want to Know,
So Koran is Best Seller," USA Today, November 27, 2001.
303. Napoleon Bonaparte, quoted in Christian
Cherfils' Bonaparte
et Islam (Bonaparte and Islam), (Paris, France: 1914), 125.
