100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 15): The Miraculous Beauty of the Qur'an's Language
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
In Part 1 we saw that the Qur'an challenged humanity to produce a single chapter like it, and no one could. But the question is: what is in the language of the Qur'an that left even the finest poets and writers of Arabia speechless? Today we will look at some aspects of that beauty.
Allah says: "Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an so that you may understand." (Surah Yusuf 12:2)
1. Neither Poetry Nor Prose
The Arabs knew two forms of language: metered poetry and ordinary prose. Beyond these was the rhymed chanting of soothsayers. The Qur'an fits none of these molds. It has no fixed meter like poetry, yet its flow carries a wonderful melody. It has the freedom of prose, yet the verses end with a sweet harmony of sound.
When the Arabs wanted to give the Qur'an a name, they were confused. Sometimes they called it poetry, sometimes magic, sometimes the words of a soothsayer. The Qur'an answered their confusion: "It is not the word of a poet; little do you believe. Nor is it the word of a soothsayer; little do you reflect." (Surah al-Haqqah 69:41-42)
2. When Sound Paints a Picture
In many places in the Qur'an, the sound of the words itself paints the picture of the meaning.
Listen to the opening of Surah al-Adiyat: "Wal-'adiyati dabha, fal-muriyati qadha, fal-mughirati subha." Meaning: by the horses that run panting, striking sparks with their hooves, raiding at dawn. (Surah al-Adiyat 100:1-3) Even without knowing Arabic, when you hear it recited, it feels as if the quick sound of galloping hooves is coming from a distance.
In another place, Allah speaks of those who were reluctant to go out in His cause: "iththaqaltum ilal-ard," meaning you clung heavily to the earth. (Surah at-Tawbah 9:38) Just pronouncing the word "iththaqaltum" makes the tongue feel heavy. The word itself creates the feeling of heaviness.
3. Every Word in Its Place
The Qur'an's choice of words is so precise that if you remove a word and put a synonym in its place, both beauty and meaning are lost. In Part 11 we saw the difference between "King" and "Pharaoh." There are countless such examples.
For instance, when speaking of wind, the Qur'an generally uses the plural "riyah" in the context of mercy, and the singular "rih" in the context of punishment. The scholars of Qur'anic commentary explain that the winds of mercy come from many directions and carry clouds and rain, while the wind of punishment comes from one direction and destroys. Similarly, when speaking of rain, the Qur'an often uses "ghayth" in the context of mercy and "matar" in the context of punishment.
4. An Ocean of Meaning in Few Words
The Arabs had a famous proverb: "Killing is the best preventer of killing." They considered it very brief and meaningful. On the same subject, the Qur'an says: "In legal retribution there is life for you." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:179)
Scholars of Arabic rhetoric compared the two and showed that the Qur'anic sentence is shorter in words, yet far fuller in meaning. In the proverb, the word "killing" comes twice, and it speaks only of killing, which sounds negative. The Qur'an speaks of "life," which is positive. The proverb speaks of all killing, yet not all killing prevents killing. The Qur'an speaks of "qisas," that is, just and equal retribution, which truly protects life.
5. One Verse, Pages of Explanation
Describing the end of the great flood of Noah (peace be upon him), Allah says: "And it was said: O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold. And the water subsided, the matter was accomplished, and the ship came to rest on Mount Judi. And it was said: away with the wrongdoing people." (Surah Hud 11:44)
In a single verse, the end of the flood, the calming of the earth, the stopping of the ship, and the fate of the wrongdoers are all included. Masters of rhetoric such as Imam al-Sakkaki wrote page after page analyzing the beauty of this one verse alone.
6. Even His Enemies Wanted to Listen
The greatest witness to the power of the Qur'an's language is the Prophet's own enemies. The books of Sirah report that three leaders of Quraysh, Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl, and al-Akhnas ibn Shariq, used to hide in the darkness of night beside the Prophet's house to listen to his recitation. For three nights in a row they caught each other, and each time they promised not to come again. (Sirah Ibn Hisham)
Yet in public they told their people: "Do not listen to this Qur'an, and make noise during its recitation, so that you may overcome." (Surah Fussilat 41:26) No one needs to try so hard to keep people away from a weak message.
7. One Chapter, One Heart
The companion Jubayr ibn Mut'im (may Allah be pleased with him) was not yet a Muslim. He had come to Madinah to speak about the captives of Badr. In the sunset prayer he heard the Prophet recite Surah at-Tur. When he reached the verse, "Were they created by nothing, or are they themselves the creators?" (Surah at-Tur 52:35), Jubayr said: "It felt as if my heart would fly away." (Sahih al-Bukhari) He said that on that day faith first settled in his heart.
8. The Birth of a Science
It was to understand the miraculous nature of the Qur'an's language that Muslim scholars developed the science of Arabic rhetoric (ilm al-balaghah). Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani, in his book "Dala'il al-I'jaz," showed that the Qur'an's miracle lies not only in individual words, but in the arrangement and weaving of the words together (nazm). For centuries, thousands of scholars have discovered new aspects of this beauty, and still it has not come to an end.
Why Is This a Proof?
A man who was not known for poetry or speeches until the age of forty, and who could not read or write, how did such language suddenly come from his mouth, language that left the finest masters of speech speechless, forced even his enemies to listen in secret, and remained the subject of study for linguists for fourteen hundred years? And why is his own speech, the language of the hadith, completely different from the language of the Qur'an? The only explanation is that this language is not human.
Conclusion
The beauty of the Qur'an is not only something to feel; it is also something to test. One who knows Arabic can read it and see for himself. One who does not can listen to its recitation and ask why even non-Arabs weep when they hear the Qur'an without understanding
