IslamicWays.net

The Miracle of Qur'anic Eloquence and Style

By Dr. Abdul Radhi Muhammad Abdul Mohsen

This includes:

A - Expression: the eloquence of the Qur'an's expression has two aspects: purity of language and impressiveness.

B - Meaning: the eloquence of the Qur'an as regards meaning is obvious in three aspects:

1. The meaning is clear from the word itself.
2. The meaning conforms to the word, it is neither more than it to cause disorder in the word nor less than it to cause disorder in meaning. That is obvious in the Arabs' saying: "The killing stops killing" and what the Almighty Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala, says:

"And there is [a saving of] life for you in Qisas [the law of Equality in punishment of murder]..." [Qur'an 2:179]
3. Saying many concepts in a few words.

C - The composition: The good composition of the Qur'an is obvious in the following:

1. The Qur'anic speech is harmonious.
2. The measure is balanced and not inconsistent.
3. If a word is taken from its place, and the whole Arabic language is searched for a better substitute, it will not be found. The Almighty Allah says:
"[This is] a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected [in every sphere of knowledge], and then explained in detail from one [Allah] Who is All-Wise All-Acquainted [with all things]." [Qur'an 11:1]

D - The artistic imagery:

This is a new aspect of the Qur'an's miraculous eloquence revealed by Sayyid Qutb who studied the general principles of the artistic and esthetical qualities of the Qur'an materialized in imagery that he considered the preferred instrument in the style of the Qur'an, and the first rule of its eloquence. It expresses in an imaginary image the mental meaning, the psychological state, the tangible incident, the visible spectacle, the human model and man's nature. Then that image is promoted and given life or renewable movement, thus the mental meaning becomes a movement, the psychological state becomes a spectacle, the human modem becomes a living person and man's nature becomes visible. The listener forgets that he listens to a recital and imagines himself in front of a spectacle that is presented or an incident taking place in front of one's eyes.

The miraculous aspect of artistic imagery in the Qur'an is that its instrument is the inanimate word and not the expressive persons, the colours or the accompanying music.