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06032008, 07:46 AM

Umm Muawiyah Moderator of Books & Websites Forum

Join Date: Oct 2007Location: The galaxy next to AndromedaPosts: 697

Various Examples of the Linguistic Beauty of the Quran

Assalamu Alaikum.

As I've come across so many wonderful articles (and blog posts) on the linguistic beauty of the Quran, Ithought I'd post them here. (I studied it as well so perhaps one day inshaAllah, I'll type out some of themy notes.)

Some of these require some knowledge of the Arabic language. That's not a bad thing at all. It shouldjust whet our appetite and make us want to learn Arabic instead of relying on translations.

Also, if anybody spots any mistakes in these articles, please do say so.

Okay, the first one is about an ant that's smarter than me....

http://www.masjidibrahim.org/article...a/sulaiman.htm

Sulaiman (as) and the Ant By Yahya Ibrahim

Allah (swt) narrates to us in the Quran the story of Sulaiman and an ant. We must first understand thatSulaiman (as) was a Prophet who had been given dominion that surpassed all other human beings pastand present. 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin al'Aas (ra) reports that Rasool ul Allah (saw) said, 'When Sulaiman(Solomon) son of Dawoud (David) (re)built Baitul Maqdis he requested from Allah three things inintervals:

He asked Allah governorship with Justice that is in accordance with the Laws of Allah He asked to possess dominion that cannot be attained/possessed by anyone after him He asked, after having completed the (re)building of the Masjid, that anyone who comes to it, seekingonly to pray in it, that he departs from it (exits him) sinless as the day he was given birth to by hismother (In another narration he said, 'As for the (first) two requests, then he received them. I am hopefulthat he was granted the third as well.') [Reported by anNasaa'i, Ahmed, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, AlHaakim in alMustadrak, AlBayhaqi in ashShu'ab and others.]

One of the blessings extended to Sulaiman was his ability to converse with the natural livingenvironment.

Allah (swt) says in Surat alNaml:

"And there were gathered before Sulaiman (Solomon) his hosts of jinns and men, and birds, andthey all were set in battle order (marching forwards). Till, when they came to the valley of theants, one of the ants said: "O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaimân (Solomon) and his hostscrush you, while they perceive not."

So he [Sulaiman (Solomon)] smiled, amused at her speech and said: "My Lord! Inspire andbestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You havebestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will pleaseYou, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves." Surat anNaml (27: 1719)

Shaykhul Islam Ibn alQayyim discusses in Miftaah Dar asSa'aadah (Vol. 1, Pg. 243) the linguisticpower of the ant's speech.

He says: The dialogue of the ant – "O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaiman (Solomon) and his hostscrush you, while they perceive not" – involves 10 different communicational tools. This single statementcarried in its message the following 10 linguistic parameters:

1. A Call and plea 2. An indication 3. Identification 4. Mandating 5. Stating 6. Warning 7. Specification 8. Discerning and proving 9. Generalizing 10. Excusing

The simple and concise exhortation of the miniscule ant carried all that has been listed above. As aresult, Sulaiman felt compelled to thank Allah for the Ni'mah that Allah extended to him. So Sulaimaninvoked Allah saying:

So he [Sulaiman (Solomon)] smiled, amused at her speech and said: "My Lord! Inspire andbestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You havebestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will pleaseYou, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves." Surat anNaml (27: 19)

Here is the break down of the ant's exhortation.

"O" : A call and plea

"ants!" : Identification and Indication

"Enter" : Mandating and Commanding

"your dwellings," : Stating what to do

"lest Sulaiman" : Specifying and Labeling

"and his hosts" : Discerning and Proving

"crush you" : Warning

"while they perceive not" : Excusing

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SubhanAllah! An ant's sentence contained all of that eloquence and precision. Let us ponder the wordsof Allah (swt):

"There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but arecommunities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all)shall be gathered." AlAn'aam 6:38

06032008, 07:51 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://arabicgems.wordpress.com/2007...storyssecret/

The Story's Secret

To look back to the original meaning of a word is to embark on more than just a linguistic voyage; insome cases, tracing a word back to its original meaning is actually the key to unlocking one of thetreasures of the guidance of the Qur’an.

For example, Allaah said in the introduction to the story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him),

نمل هلبق نم تنك نإو نآرقلا اذـه كيلإ انيحوأ امب صصقلا نسحأ كيلع صقن نحننيلفاغلا

We relate to you, the best of stories (qasas) in what We have revealed to you of this Qur’an althoughyou were, before it, among the unaware.

wherein the real secret behind Allah relating this story to us lies in none other than the word story itself.

The word being used for story in this verse is qissah ةصق (pl. qasas صصق ), is derived from the root qaafsaad صق . The primary connotation of this root is ‘to follow’. This meaning is further evidenced by theverse,

هيصق هتخأل تلاقوAnd she said to his sister, “Follow him”

wherein the mother of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) told his sister to follow Musa after the familyof the Pharoah had picked him from the river, and the word used by Allah for ‘follow’ in the verse wasqusseehi هيصق also derived from the root صق .

Similarly, the juridical term qisaas صاصق referring to the law of equality in punishment, is so calledbecause it involves following in the footsteps of another doing to one person what they have done toanother.

And thus we find that the word qissah ةصق (story) as has been used in the Qur’an has been chosen overall other synonyms (such as hadeeth ثيدح or hikaayah ةياكح ) because it indicates that the story is notbeing narrated for the sake of amusement or entertainment, but rather within the word itself lies the

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explanation that the story is being related for the reader to follow in the footsteps of the one beingspoken about in the story… although you were, before it, among the unaware.

06032008, 07:55 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://www.ilmfruits.com/theparable...andgarments/

The Parable of Spouses and Garments

Bismillah

Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) uses amazing parables in the Qur'an that strike fear, awe and amazement in thehearts of the believers. Throughout the Qur'an, Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) draws parables for us to convey theimportance of certain topics, to extract lessons from them and so that we may ponder and reflect overthem. We hear many times of the examples of the hypocrites, the mushrikeen (pagans) and thebelievers. But there is one parable that Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) puts forth that increases the love and mercybetween a husband and wife, and this parable is one of the most eloquent and striking in the Qur'an.

Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) describes the spousal relationship in Surah AlBaqarah, when He says:

نهل سابل متنأو مكل سابل نهTranslation: They are your garments and you are their garments. [Surah Baqarah, verse 187]

SubhanAllah, Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) compares the relationship between a husband and wife as clothing.Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) says that both the husband and wife are "libaas", garments, for each other. Thisshows the equality that Allah places between spouses and how each partner has a role in therelationship.

Remember again that Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) puts parables in the Qur'an so that we may ponder, so let'sponder on how a spouse compares to clothes:

Clothes are close to you, behind your clothes is your bare skin. A spouse is close to you in thatmanner, emotionally and physically.

Clothes protect your skin from the outside. A husband is the maintainer of his wife and the wifeprotects her husband's home and property.

Clothes beautify you. A husband and wife compliment eachother, in this life and the next.

Clothes are comfortable. When one is around their spouse, they feel at ease and their hearts are atrest. One can relax around their spouse and find comfort in them and their words when they are indifficulty.

Clothes hide and screen you. A husband and wife should not discuss each other's faults to the outsideor complain to others about their spouse.

SubhanAllah, indeed our Lord is ArRa'oof (the extremely Compassionate) for placing this tranquilitybetween spouses. As Ibn Kathir says in his tafseer of Surah Room: If Allah had made all of Adam's

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between spouses. As Ibn Kathir says in his tafseer of Surah Room: If Allah had made all of Adam'sprogeny male, and created the females from another kind, such as from Jinn or animals, there wouldnever have been harmony between them and their spouses. There would have been revulsion if thespouses had been from a different kind. Out of Allah's perfect mercy He made their wives from theirown kind, and created love and kindness between them. For a man stays with a woman because heloves her, or because he feels compassion towards her if they have a child together, or because sheneeds him to take care of her, and so on.

Many may feel embarrassed that this verse is mentioned in the Qur'an, but subhanAllah, this is justanother beautiful example which shows that our deen is truly complete and that Allah have given usguidance through His Book for every aspect of our lives, and for this we should be thankfulalhamdulillah.

This parable between a spouse and a garment is one of the many parables in the Qur'an that we shouldponder and reflect over, and this is from the Ultimate Wisdom and Mercy of Allah ( ىلاعتو هناحبس ) that Heexplains His verses and signs to us in a manner that is most fitting to our intellect.

Wa lillahil hamd.

06032008, 08:00 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://arabicgems.wordpress.com/2007.../loveohlove/

Love, oh love

alSalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The word ‘love’ appeared as a noun in the Qur’an ten times of those ten, nine were using the wordhubb بح , as in the verse,

هللا بحك مهنوبحي ادادنأ هللا نود نم ذختي نم سانلا نموAnd of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They lovethem as they love Allah.

and once was using the word mahabbah, ةبحم in the verse concerning Prophet Musa (peace be uponhim),

هل ودعو يل ودع هذخأي لحاسلاب ميلا هقليلف ميلا يف هيفذقاف توباتلا يف هيفذقا نأينيع ىلع عنصتلو ينم ةبحم كيلع تيقلأو

Saying: ‘Put him (the child) into the Tabut (a box or a case or a chest) and put it into the river (Nile), thenthe river shall cast it up on the bank, and there, an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his shall take him.’And I endued you with love from Me, in order that you may be brought up under My Eye,

The word hubb is the original verbal noun of the verb habba بح , while the word mahabbah is what isknown as the ‘masdar meemi‘ (verbal noun begining with a letter meem‘) of the same verb. As it is the

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known as the ‘masdar meemi‘ (verbal noun begining with a letter meem‘) of the same verb. As it is theoriginal verb, it is the origin, the asl, and thus it appeared 9 times. But mahabbah only appeared once.The reason for this lies in the difference between these two words, which can be summed up in thefollowing three points:

1. In the nine times in which the word hubb appeared, it was mentioned with regards the actions of mantowards Allaah, or with regards instances related to life. When Allaah the Exalted used the word inreference to Himself towards one of His Creation Musa (peace be upon him) He used a different word(mahabbah), that was only ever used to describe His own actions, as is most befitting of His majesty.

Thus, when the love stems from mankind, the word hubb was used, but when it stems from Allaah, theword mahabbah was used.

2. The love that was bestowed upon Musa from Allaah settled in the soul of Musa and began toemanate from him just as light emanates from the sun, and its beautiful fragrance would attract thepeople to him and make them love him. Thus, Aasiyah, the wife of Fir’awn (among many others),immediately fell in love with him and requested from her husband that he not kill the baby Musa (see alQasas, verse 9).

But when humans show love to one another, it does not penetrate the beloved such that others thenbegin to love them also. This only occurs when Allaah loves His servant. Thus, it was only right to usedifferent words to express these different types of love.

3. The word hubb is much more widely used than the word mahabbah. Thus, the more common wordwas used with a subject that is great in number (i.e. mankind), while the rare word was used with aSubject that is not (i.e. Allaah).

06032008, 08:06 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://knowledgeofislam.net/index.ph...6&Itemi d=169

Tawhid Through Inshaa Interpretation By Shakiel Humayun

Speech in the Arabic language is classified into khabar and inshaa. Khabar is speech that can bevalidated or discredited. Speech is validated if it conforms to reality and discredited if it differs withreality. Inshaa is speech that is not subjected to any form of validation. Some examples of inshaa arecommands, prohibitions, questions, etc. The Quran is the speech of Allah revealed in the Arabiclanguage so accordingly it is composed of khabar and inshaa. The khabar within the Quran is factualand the inshaa, or commands and prohibitions in this case, are all fair and just. Allah elucidates thispoint by His words:

الدع و اقدص كبر ةملك تمتوAnd the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice.Surah alAn’am [6:115]

Allah’s names and attributes are unique, and this uniqueness is articulated in His saying:

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ايمس هل ملعت لهDo you know of any similarity to Him?Surah Maryam [19:65]

In the Arabic language, the original objective for asking a question is to obtain knowledge about whatwas previously unknown. Allah is AllKnowing, the Acquainted, what then is the objective of thequestion in this ayah? In the science of balaghah, the elements of inshaa, such as an interrogative, candepart from their conventional objectives and meanings to another one as dictated by the text or context.

Amongst the meanings that an interrogative can acquire is negation. Applying this to the ayah, theinterrogative, “hal”, would then be negatory. This interpretation is supported by Qatadah’s exegesis ofthe ayah, “There aren’t any similarities to Allah or any equals.”[1]

However, another question could be propounded, and that is, “why wasn’t a particle of negation such as“laa” used instead of an interrogative if a negation was intended? The richness of meaning andeloquence is augmented by the combined use of the interrogative and negation, as opposed to the soleuse of the negation. This combined format delivers to the Arabic reader an allusion to a challenge ifthere is another one worthy of worship and you are truthful then in reality do you know of any similarityto Him?!

[1]Tafsir atTabari

06032008, 08:12 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

Tawhid Through Language Structure alEbadah: The Worship ByShakiel Humayun

This article needs to read directly from the source as it can't be copied properly.


Part 2 follows....__________________________________________________ ______


Tawhid Through Language Structure alHamd: The Perfection ByShakiel Humayun

In the previous article, we learned about the principle, “Advancing a term whose norm is to be asuccessor provides the meaning of exclusivity” . Let’s take another application of this principle in thewords of Allah:

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ةرخآلا يف دمحلا هل و ضرألا يف ام و تاومسلا يف ام هل يذلا هلل دمحلا

ريبخلا ميكحلا وهو .

All perfection [alhamd] is for Allah to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in theearth,

and for Him is the perfection [alhamd] in the Hereafter. And He is the Wise, the Acquainted.

Surah Saba [34:1]

Allah begins several surahs in the Quran by ascribing perfection to Himself. The words, هلل دمحلا , can befound as the first words in the first ayah of several surahs, amongst them alFatihah [1:1], alAn’am[6:1], alKahf [18:1], alFatir[35:1], and Saba [34:1]. Interestingly, in one ayah of surah Saba [34:1], Allahascribes alhamd to Himself twice. A ratiocinative reader coming across this in Arabic would becompelled to inquire about the wisdom of its repetition in pursuit of decoding its eloquence andexpressive nature.

Keeping the principle we have learned previously in mind, let us identify the positioning of Allah’s nameand the pronoun referring to Him in respect to the word alhamd . In the beginning of the ayah, Allah’sname comes as a successor to the word alhamd, whereas in the latter part of the ayah the pronounreferring to Allah comes as an antecedent to the word alhamd.

[ ضرألا يف ام و تاومسلا يف ام هل يذلا ]هلل دمحلا

ريبخلا ميكحلا وهو ةرخآلا يف ]دمحلا هل[و .

Another valid grammatical sequence is to make the pronoun a successor:

ةرخآلا يف]هل دمحلا[وYet. in the ayah this sequence was not used. The principle is operable here: "Advancing a term whosenorm is to be a successor provides the meaning of exclusivity". AlHamd, or complete perfection, in thisworld is ascribed to Allah and to other deities as well, albeit wrongfully. However, in the hereafter noneshall be ascribed with complete perfection except Allah. AlHamd on that day is exclusively for Him.Hence, in contrast to the other previously mentioned ayaats of alhamd, when speaking about alhamd inthe hereafter, the pronoun referring to Allah was advanced to provide this interpretation of exclusivity.

ةرخآلا يف دمحلا هل وAnd for Him is the perfection [alhamd] in the Hereafter.

06032008, 11:17 PM

Musa Al Colombee Join Date: Aug 2007Posts: 372

May Allah bless Sheikh Shakiel Humayun.....Amin

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__________________AdhDhahabee in Siyar A’lam AnNubala’ reports AlAwza’ee as saying: “We used to joke and laugh,then when we became looked at as role models I was afraid that even smiling would not be suitable forus.” And Ibn Katheer says in AlBidayah WanNihayah: “It is binding upon the scholar to be cautious ofmaking faults and to avoid the prohibitions, for his shortcoming is being observed, the ignorant one readyto follow it.”

يتنسب مكيلعف اريثك افالتخا ىريسف مكنم شعي نم هنإف

06092008, 10:34 AM

Al Habeshi Join Date: Mar 2008Posts: 636

Ameen, this thread is cool please keep them coming, Jazakumullahu khayr__________________Alhamdulillah, the One who stopped me from useless talk such that when I review my old posts I'm not thatashamed.

27) Do not be happy when others make mistakes even if they appose your opinion.

06092008, 11:52 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

Okay, I'll keep going, inshaAllah.

http://muslimmatters.org/2007/10/19/...ofthequran/

The Literary Beauty of the Qur’an Nouman Ali Khan

The Qur’an; A Literary Marvel

There is enough academic work on the literary beauty of the Qur’an from grammatical, rhetorical,linguistic & other perspectives to take up several lifetimes to even skim through. I am no literary but I dohave a deeply rooted conviction that at least a taste of the Qur’an’s majestic precision and subtletyshould be appreciated by as many as possible. I think it adds a new dimension of appreciation and aweof the divine word, not just as something to be observed for its religious doctrine (though its guidance isits primary purpose of revelation), but also as a word that mesmerizes its reader or listener. Not only amI not a literary, I am also not a prolific writer as you may have guessed by now. My attempt in thisseries of miniarticles will be to share some gems of beauty I’ve come to appreciate from variousnotable sources. Of the many areas of concentration within linguistic analysis of the Qur’an, the onesthat have captured my attention the most are:

The incredibly precise use of near synonyms The use of verbal and nominal idioms and expressions that require special attention in translation &analysis Subtle intricacies in grammatical analysis and responses to grammatical criticisms Beautiful lessons that can only be learned through comparative analysis of similar ayaat. The study of micro and macro transitions (iltifaat) in the Qur’an.

All of the above require proper definition which will, insha Allah be forthcoming. It is my hope that thisbrief inquiry into the beauty of the Qur’an will benefit myself and the readership, at least in enhancing ourappreciation of Allah’s final message to humanity wAllahulmusta’aan. I will attempt to keep the writingsimple and easy to understand and avoid technical jargon and loaded vocabulary as much as humanlypossible. I ask all of you to pray that I am able to communicate a clear, authentic and beneficialmessage.

NEAR SYNONYMS

Read a typical translation of the Qur’an rendered into English and you will find the same word in Englishused to translate a whole score of words in Arabic. ,ىوقت ,سجو ,فوخ ,رذح,لجو ,ةيشخ

بهر would all more or less end up being translated as fear for instance. Imam Raghib’s Mufradaat ulQur’an sheds light on the subject sparingly. This isn’t exactly a major area of concentration nowadays,nor will you find a dedicated section in a typical tafseer book dealing with the matter. Even if a notablework addresses the issue, it isn’t thorough or systematic enough to be considered a definitive guide orcomprehensive resource on near synonyms. I am offering you a simple translation of what Imam Raghibhimself said in the muqaddimah of his famous work. I think it says everything that I would end up sayingin a much less eloquent fashion:

“If Allah wills this life to continue, I intend to produce another comprehensive book after this one(meaning mufradaatul Qur’an) in which the mutaraadifaat (near synonyms) will be researched along withthe differences between them with great clarity. By means of this study, we will be in a better position tounderstand the wisdom in the usage of different words or statements dealing with the same subject. Forinstance consider the use of the word بلق as opposed to داؤف as opposed to ردص . Similarly we willexplore why in dealing with the same narrative Allah will end by saying موقل تايآل كلذ يف نإ16:79) نونمؤي ) while in another place in the Qur’an He will use نوركفتي موقل

(30:21) and also نوهقفي موقل(30:24) . What is the subtle beauty buried in these words? Similarly,

راصبألا يلوأل vs. رجح يذل vs. ىهنلا يلوأل etc that have been used across the Qur’an and manyhave interpreted them to mean essentially the same thing. A lack of this attention to detail justifies theinterpretation

of هلل دمحلا as هلل ركشلا

& بير ال as كش ال

to be adequate tafsir that has done justice to these Qur’anic expressions.”

According to Abdul Rahman al Kilaani (author of Mutaraadifaatul Qur’an in Urdu), he couldn’t find anywork attributed to Imam Raghib that has been alluded to in his earlier work. There are some other worksin this area such as ‘Fiqh AlLughah’ and ‘AlFurooq AlLughawiyyah’ by Abu Mansoor Abdul Malik BinMuhammad AlTha’bani and Abu Hilal AlAskari respectively. Though beneficial these books are either notconcentrated in Qur’anic vocabulary exclusively or deal with at most 3 near synonyms at a time whichcan lead to confusion when you run into additional members of the pack. In this context I think the most

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can lead to confusion when you run into additional members of the pack. In this context I think the most

extensive, exhaustive and incredibly beneficial book would have to be Abdul Rahman Kilaani’s bookMutaraadifaatul Qur’an in Urdu and the articles beautifully written by Dr. Fadel Saleh Alsamerai entitledLamasaat Bayaaniyyah. I am going to be taking bits and pieces from both, hopefully presenting at least10 unique cases of the powerful study of near synonyms and their subtle use in the Qur’an. The first ofthese posts will deal with the phrase AlHamduLillah and will probably be the longest.

06092008, 11:59 AM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/07/...ofthequran/

“Alhamdulillah” A Linguistic Miracle of the Quran Nouman Ali Khan

Writing about the literary dimension of the Qur’an for an audience that may or may not have backgroundin Arabic grammar and rhetoric can be rather challenging. I’m going to attempt to navigate aroundtechnical lingo as much as possible. Building a basic familiarity with the subject is my goal, notpresenting it in a sophisticated fashion.

The words AlHamdu Lillah are most commonly uttered from Muslim lips around the world. After thebasmalah (the tag name used for BISMILLAHI ALRAHMANI ALRAHEEMI)¸ it is the first statementmentioned in the opening surah, alFatiha. One way to explore the beauty, precision , and thoughtprovoking eloquence of the Qur’an’s words is to explore the very choice of each word. Arabic is a richlanguage full of terms similar in meaning.

Hamd, commonly translated ‘praise,’ has sister terms like shukr, madH and thanaa.

Comparing Madh’, Hamd, and Thanaa’

Madh’ حدم : Praise + Mention of noteworthy qualities and actions attributed to someone or something.

By Comparison

Hamd دمح :Praise + Acknowledgement of noteworthy qualities and actions done out of genuine love,veneration, reverence, gratitude and appreciation.

Madh can be made for the living as well as the nonliving, for beings of intellect (humans, angels, jinn)and animals.

Hamd is exclusively directed at the living & intellectual لقاعلا يحلا .

Madh is possible before a noble deed or after (as a result of it). It is therefore possible to make Madh ofa person who may not have done anything good and no good deed may ever have been attributedtowards him/her.

Hamd can only be made after a noble/ praiseworthy contribution of some sort.

Thanaa’ is a more eloquent, more impressive, more flattering type of MadH.

Conclusion: By using Hamd instead of Madh or Thanaa’

a. we acknowledge Allah as Eternally living

b. we recognize His attributes and decisions as Hamd worthy

c. There is an element of sincerity in our praise of him stemming from love and reverence.

d. we not only praise His incredible being, attributes & works, we appreciate them as favors for whichwe are grateful

Comparing Hamd with Shukr

Shukr (thanks) is a consequence of whatever good comes to a person from someone else.

Hamd is a consequence of good that whose effects go beyond an individual favor.

Shukr is exclusively related with favors and doesn’t include appreciation or praise of any noteworthyattributes. For instance you don’t thank someone for being smart or wise or athletic.

Hamd is made because of favors and also over noteworthy attributes even if they don’t benefit oneselfdirectly. For example I say Alhamdu Lillah when I hear that my friend passed his midterms orsomething.

a. Madh is too wide in scope and using it wouldn’t be precise enough.

b. Shukr is too narrow in scope and using it wouldn’t be comprehensive enough.

c. Hamd as opposed to Shukr & Madh also implies a genuine motive.

The Word ALLAH in alhamdulillah

We looked briefly at the choices that would have represented alternatives to the word Hamd in thedivinely revealed phrase AlHamdu Lillah. Let us now take a look at the word Allah itself. It is the uniquename of our Lord. We learn through His revelation that He possesses and rightfully owns the bestNames and Attributes (thank you Sheikh Yasir for your awesome class!) . Why is it most appropriate touse His unique Name in this phrase rather than AlRahmaan (the exceedingly merciful), Al Khaaliq (thecreator) etc.? Simply because any of these names might imply that His Hamd is associated with thatparticular power or attribute. By using the word Allah, Hamd is acknowledged for Him independent ofany of His attributes, OR for all of them simultaneously!

A Variety of Ways to Make Hamd of Allah

Arabic offers great flexibility in communication. There are varying degrees of emphasis with which astatement can be made. There are multiple options that can be manipulated in sentence structure.Similar statements can be made such as :

هللا دمحأ

“I praise Allah.” هللا دمحن

“We praise Allah.”

هللا اودمحا“Praise Allah!”.

“Praise Allah!”.

1. All of the above are Jumal Fi’liyyah. This sentence structure necessarily implies the occurrence of anact bound by time. Alhamdu Lillah is Jumlah Ismiyyah which, for one, is a far more emphatic form ofdeclaration in Classical Arabic by comparison. Secondly, it implies continuity, stability and permanence.Another unique feature of the Ismiyyah structure is that it communicates a decisive statement.

2. Jumlah Fi’liyyah exclusively attributes an act to a specific subject. In the suggested alternativesabove, ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘you all’ are the specific subjects respectively. هلل دمحلا , being a JumlahIsmiyyah, doesn’t identify the subject which makes it a universal declaration. I, we, you, they, people,animals, rocks, trees, rather all of creation can be understood as the subject! There is another beautifulsubtlety here. Whether anyone or anything makes دمح of Allah or not, دمحلا is still for Allah!

3. The Jumlah Fi’liyyah renditions above are limited by time and applicability. The original statement is

timeless and has universal applicability. Through هلل دمحلا the way in which the praise is made is keptunspecified while in the Fi’liyyah format the praise would be by the tongue.

مهحيبست نوهقفت ال نكلو هدمحب حبسي الإ ئيش نم نإو4. In Jumlah Fi’liyyah there is the possibility of doing an act for an object that isn’t worthy of it. Forinstance, ‘I paid him’. It may be that ‘he’ didn’t deserve to get paid. In Jumlah Ismiyyah the necessaryimplication that this praise is actually rightfully placed is naturally implied, ALHAMDULILLAH!

5. In saying هلل دمحلا , we are also acknowledging that دمح is the property of Allah while this is notimplied in alternative fi’liyyah renditions. When using the command form, ’Praise Allah’ instead ofAlhamdulillah, there are a number of shortcomings. Firstly, there is the sense that this praise is beingasked of the audience. By comparison هلل دمحلا declares the existence of دمح without dependenceon an audience responding to an imperative. The imperative may also imply a response that may or maynot be voluntary while Alhamdulillah is an observation of the voluntary praise done by all forms ofcreation.

Why the ‘Al’ in Alhamdu?

ALHAMDU is definite or proper as I like to call it in my intro course. As Dr. Fadel puts it in his article,the Al serves the meaning

هلل وه مكنيب فورعملا دمحلاThe distinguished, universally acknowledge form of Hamd known among you belongs particularly toAllah. The ‘AL’ also serves the implication of ‘istighraq’, a kind of absolute totality (All Hamd is Allah’s).None of these enhancements would come forth in the indefinite version HAMDUN.

Why Not Inna Alhamda Lillah?Have you ever heard a khateeb say INNAL HAMDA LILLAHI? The word INNA means ‘certainly’ and isused to emphasize a statement. What benefit would there be in NOT emphasizing ALHAMDU LILLAHin the Fatiha? You see, Arabic sentences are divided and categorized from different angles andperspectives. One of these angles is Jumlah Khabriyyah vs. Jumlah Insha ‘iyyah. What thiscategorization basically means is that statements in the language are either declarative (which can bejudged as either true or false) or they are statements communicating an emotion. The latter are a form ofsubjective communication which don’t necessarily communicate facts, but rather they serve to vocalizefeelings and sentiments. When a statement has INNA, it can only serve to be informative and theemotional dimension of it is removed. By not stating the INNA, the phrase retains informative andemotional potential depending on the context. Think of it this way: If a bus whisks by you missing youby half an inch and you say ‘ALHAMDU LILLAH’, you are not really making a statement of fact, rathervocalizing your internal feelings. The emotionally charged dimension of AlHamdulillah is kept intact bynot using the INNA.

#11

not using the INNA.

What About Lillahilhamdu?

In Hajj season we say ALLAHU AKBAR wa LILLAHI ALHAMDU! We reverse ALHAMDU LILLAH withLILLAHI ALHAMDU. This is a form of TAQDEEM in Arabic grammar and serves to color a sentencewith a shade of exclusivity, ‘ Hamd belongs ONLY to Allah’. It is appropriate particularly on the occasionof Hajj because that blessed house was misused for Shirk so in response a strong denial of it is impliedeven when we say LILLAHI ALHAMDU. This TAQDEEM also serves the function of IZAALAT ALSHAK‘removing doubt’. Why now say it this way in the Fatiha then? The context of the Fatiha is not one thatdemands the removal of doubt. Also, exclusivity exists in response to a challenge to the originalstatement. If somebody is attributing Hamd to Allah and other than Him, he or she should be taught thatHamd is ONLY for Allah. The Fatiha is not a response in debate with those who falsely associate withAllah. But we do find LillahilHamdu in the Qur’an. Interestingly, it appears in Al Jathiah: 36

(36 ةيآل( ةيثاجلا )نيملاعلا بر ضرألا برو تاومسلا بر دمحلا هللف )

The context, unlike fatiha is one where disbelievers who credit life and death to other than Allah. Here,the exclusive, emphatic mode of declaration is more befitting so we see LILLAHILHAMDU. The Fatihadeclares certain universal truths that are completely in line with the embedded fitrah (natural predisposition) you and I are born with. In our fitrah there is no competition between belief and disbelief,tauheed & shirk, iman & kufr. Rather our faith is an unchallenged manifest truth seeded deep within ourconscience. In Fatiha, this truth is therefore uttered in a fashion (ALHAMDULILLAH and notLILLAHILHAMDU ) that doesn’t even indicate the existence of an alternate point of view because withinour genuine conscience, there isn’t one.

06092008, 12:12 PM



Assalamu Alaikum.

This one was somewhat ironic for me personally. She refers to a comment by Imam AsSuyuti in AlItqaan. A couple of years ago, when I was studying Usool of Tafseer, I came across a quote by him(from AlItqaan) stating that the Torah and Injeel were revealed as a whole not part by part as the Quranwas. I was like "What's the proof for that?". Well, this article gave me the answer.

http://arabicgems.wordpress.com/2006...perfectform/

In perfect form


One aspect of the miraculousness of the Qur'anic language lies in the precision of its words. As alSuyuti said in alItqaan fee 'Uloom alQur'aan,

"It is possible to convey a single meaning with a variety of words, some more expressive than others.Likewise for the two parts subject and predicate of a sentence; each may be expressed in the mosteloquent manner when taken alongside the other. Thus, it is necessary [in good composition] to considerthe overall meaning of a sentence, then to consider every single word that may be used to convey thatmeaning, and then to use the most appropriate, expressive and eloquent of those words. This isimpossible for man to do consistently, or even most of the time, but it is well within the Knowledge ofAllaah [whose knowledge is boundless], and thus the Qur'an was considered the best and most

Allaah [whose knowledge is boundless], and thus the Qur'an was considered the best and mosteloquent of all speech…"

One example of this usage lies in the morphological forms found in the Qur'an, which will sometimesreflect the deeper meaning of the word itself, and upon reflection it can be found that not a single word inthe Qur'an can be changed for another without it affecting the depth of meaning conveyed by the originalword.

One example of this is in Yusuf, verse 23:

كل تيه تلاقو باوبألا تقلغ و هسفن نع اهتيب يف وه يتلا هتدواروAnd she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said: "Come, you."

In this verse, Allaah used the verb form ghallaqa قلغ to mean 'closed'. Another form from the same root

also means 'closed' aghlaqa قلغأ yet there is a very eloquent reason for which Allaah used theprevious form: the connotations of the pattern followed by the form ghallaqa are ones of repetitivenessand intensity of the action's performance, and thus the word form itself would give the reader who hasknowledge of the Arabic language an idea of the intensity of the emotion and desire which drove the wifeof al'Azeez to rush around closing the doors of her house (some mufassiroon (exegetes) commentedthat there were seven doors that she closed, and hence the form also indicates the repetition of hergoing to door after door closing it) so she could quickly try to seduce Yusuf. None of this would havebeen reflected through the use of the alternative word form aghlaqa.

Another example of the same form reflecting repetition is in Surah Aal 'Imraan, verse 3,

ليجنإلاو ةاروتلا لزنأو هيدي نيب امل اقدصم قحلاب باتكلا كيلع لزنIt is He Who has sent down the Book (the Quran) to you (Muhammad SAW) with truth, confirming whatcame before it. And he sent down the Torah and the Gospel.

Although the English translation reflects no difference in the original words that were used to convey themeaning of 'sent down', a look at the Arabic will show us that the form nazzala لزن was used in

reference to the Qur'an while the form anzala لزنأ was used in reference to the Torah and the Gospel.The reason for this goes back to the manner of revelation the Qur'an was gradually revealed in anumber of stages that spanned the 23 years of the Prophet Muhammad's (sallaa Allaahu 'alayhi wasallam) Prophethood, as is reflected by the form nazzala which indicates repetition and grauality, whilethe Torah and the Gospel were revealed to the Prophets Musa (Moses) and 'Eesa (Jesus) at one time,as reflected by the form anzala.

This difference is more beautifully sealed when we look at the first verse of Surah alQadr,

ردقلا ةليل يف ه انلزنأ انإVerily! We have sent it (this Quran) down in the night of AlQadr (Decree)

In this verse, Allaah has used the verb anzala which does not reflect graduality to describe therevelation of the Qur'an, although He previously used nazzala! The reason for this is clear when theword is considered in it's context, as is explained by Ibn 'Abbas and others,

"Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet to the House of Might (Bayt al'Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allahbased upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twentythree years.''

Thus, it is clear that this verse is referring to Allaah sending the Qur'an down at one time to Bayt al'Izzah on Laylat alQadr, and not to its gradual revelation to the Prophet; a concept so precisely andbeautifully conveyed just through knowing the meaning of the forms used in the original Arabic.

#12

beautifully conveyed just through knowing the meaning of the forms used in the original Arabic.

06092008, 12:16 PM



Assalamu Alaikum.

http://arabicgems.wordpress.com/2007...hextremities/

Dealing with extremities


There are certain noun forms in Arabic known as siyagh almubaalaghah (’forms ofintensification/hyperbolic forms’) that are used to put across a more intense meaning than the originalnoun form. For example, a liar ‘kaadhib‘ بذاك may also be known as a kadhoob بوذك or a kadhdhaab

باذك all carrying the meaning of ‘liar’ but denoting different levels of intensity.

Allaah often uses these forms in the Qur’an, and thus we find that He refers to Himself as alGhaffaarرافغلا (TaHa verse 82) and alGhafoor روفغلا (alBurooj, verse 14).

Similarly, the slanderer has been referred to as a hammaaz زامه (alQalam, verse 11), and a humazahةزمه (alHumazah, verse 1).

Is there a difference between these forms of essentially the same word? Abu Hilal al’Askari, author ofalFurooq alLughawiyyah, said that it is impossible for there to be two different words in Arabic thathave exactly the same meaning, and that those who are unaware of the differences think that thedifferent words are only different hyperbolic forms, whereas they also reflect different meanings.

There are two different types of hypberbolic forms:

i. Those that indicate a different meaning to the other forms, for example the forms aldahhaak كاحضلاand alduhakah ةكحضلا which stem from the root daadHaa’kaaf كحض connoting laughter. To callsomeone dahhaak is to praise him, as it means he laughs alot. To call someone duhakah, however, isan insult, as it can mean he laughs TOO much (such as when it is inappropriate to laugh for example),or that he laughs at others alot.

ii. Those that indicate a different level of intensity to other forms. Some of the most common siyagh almubaalaghah are (more in later posts in shaa’ Allaah):

1. fa33aal لاعف For example, hammaaz, or kaffaar رافك (Ibrahim, verse 34). This form connotes therepetition of the action time after time, so much so that it becomes like a characteristic of the person,and this is why it is often this form that is used to refer to a person’s trade or profession; for example, acarpenter is known as a najjaar راجن , a tailor is known as a khayyaat طايخ , a butcher is known as alahhaam ماحل , and so on.

Thus, alRazi commented on the word ghaffaar رافغ in the verse,

ارافغ ناك هنإ مكبر اورفغتسا تلقف

#13

ارافغ ناك هنإ مكبر اورفغتسا تلقف

And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.

saying ‘As though this was His craft and business.’

And in the following verse,

باوأ هنإ دبعلا معن ارباص هاندجو انإ ثنحت الو هب برضاف اثغض كديب ذخو[We said], “And take in your hand a bunch [of grass] and strike with it and do not break your oath.”Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [toAllah ].

the awwaab باوأ is the one who repents constantly and always turns back to Allah.

And when Allaah refers to Himself as alGhaffaar,

ىدتها مث احلاص لمعو نمآو بات نمل رافغل ينإوBut indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness andthen continues in guidance.

it is as though He is saying that He constantly, time after time, forgives those who turn to Him inrepentance.

ii. fa3ool لوعف This form is originally used to refer to concrete nouns that are used to carry out other

thinjgs, such as the wadoo’ ءوضو is the water used to carry out the ablution, and the waqood دوقو isthe wood used to light fires, and the fatoor روطف is the food used to break one’s fast. This form wasthen extended to be used as a form of intensification, and thus it connotes a characteristic in a personthat is concrete within him, as though he is a source and basis of that thing. For example, to callsomeone saboor روبص is as if to say that their patience (sabr) represents a type of commodity or fuelwithin them, their driving force, their motivations, and their drive i.e. the person in their entiretysymbolises and exemplifies patience.

Thus, when Allah refers to Himself as alGhafoor,

دودولا روفغلا وهوAnd He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,

it is as though He is saying that He is full of forgiveness and a source of it.

06092008, 02:25 PM

Bassam Zawadi Join Date: Jun 2007Posts: 3,926

Assalamu Alaykum

http://miraclesofthequran.com/perfection_01.html

THE INIMITABILITY OF THE QUR'AN

We have so far considered the miraculous characteristics of the Qur'an from the scientific and historicalpoints of view. In addition to these, the Qur'an also possesses an astounding, inimitable style from theliterary perspective.

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, comprehensiblelanguage which can be understood by everyone. In one verse, Allah reveals the following about theQur'an:

We have made the Qur'an easy to remember… (Qur'an, 54:22)

Despite having such an easily comprehensible style, it has never been possible to imitate the Qur'anfrom any point of view. Some of the verses in which Allah draws attention to the inimitable nature of theQur'an are:

If you have doubts about what We have sent down to Our servant, produce another sura equal to it, andcall your witnesses, besides Allah, if you are telling the truth. (Qur'an, 2:23)

Do they say, "He has invented it"? Say: "Then produce a sura like it and call on anyone you canbesides Allah if you are telling the truth." (Qur'an, 10:38)

One of the reasons that the Qur'an is described as miraculous stems from the fact that, as emphasizedin the verses above, nothing like it can ever be written by human endeavour: The greater the scale ofthat impossibility, the greater the size of the miracle which we see before our very eyes. Therefore, thefact that the style of the Qur'an has been incapable of imitation by even one out of the billions of peopledown the centuries is one of the proofs of its miraculous nature. In his book, The Construction of theBible 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 halfpoetry and half prose. It has been said that in some cases grammarians have adopted their rules toagree with certain phrases and expressions used in it, and that though several attempts have beenmade to produce a work equal to it as far elegant writing is concerned, none has as yet succeeded.245

The words employed in the Qur'an are exceedingly special, both in terms of meaning and also of fluencyand effect of style. However, those who are unwilling to believe that the Qur'an is a holy book in whichAllah has revealed His commandments and prohibitions, have come up with a variety of excuses as towhy they should not follow it. They have attempted to take refuge from its beauty by turning to denial.Allah reveals the following about the deniers' descriptions of the Qur'an:

We did not teach him poetry nor would it be right for him. It is simply a reminder and a clear Qur'an sothat you may warn those who are truly alive and so that the Word may be carried out against thedisbelievers. (Qur'an, 36:6970)

The Superior Nature of the Rhyming Scheme in the Qur'an

Prof. Adel M. A. Abbas' book, Science Miracles

Another of the elements which make the Qur'an inimitable stems from its literary structure. Despitebeing 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 thisrhyme in the Qur'an as a miracle. In his book Science Miracles, a work prepared to demonstrate that theQur'an is a linguistic miracle, the wellknown British scientist Professor Adel M. A. Abbas carried out awideranging study of the letters and rhyming scheme used in the Qur'an by means of graphics anddiagrams. Some rather striking facts were established in this book with regard to the rhyming system inthe Qur'an.

the Qur'an.

As we know, 29 Suras in the Qur'an begin with one or more symbolic letters. These letters are knownas "muqatta'ahletters" or "initial letters." Fourteen of the 29 letters in Arabic comprise these initialletters: 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 alQalam we see rhyming with theletter "Nun" in 88.8% of the verses. 84.6% of Surat ashShu'ara', 90.32% of Surat anNaml and 92.05%of Surat alQasas are rhymed with "Nun."

When applying these studies to the whole Qur'an, 50.08% is rhymed with the letter "Nun." To put itanother way, more than half the verses in the Qur'an end with the letter "Nun." In no literary work ofcomparable length has it been possible to rhyme with a single sound in more than half the text. Thisapplies to all languages, not just to Arabic.

Distribution of verses ending with the letter "Nun" from those suras beginning with initial letters:

Verse number Name of Sura Number of letter “Nun”

2 alBaqara 196 3 al ‘Imran 121 7 alA‘raf 193 10 Yunus 98 11 Hud 56 12 Yusuf 93 13 arRa‘d 5 14 İbrahim 6 15 alHijr 81 19 Maryam 5 20 Ta Ha 0 26 ashShu‘ara’ 192 27 anNaml 84 28 alQasas 81 29 al‘Ankabut 59 30 arRum 54 31 Luqman 7 32 asSajda 27 36 Ya Sin 71 38 Sâd 18 40 Ghafir 32 41 Fussilat 30 42 ashShura 6 43 azZukhruf 78 44 adDukhan 44 45 alGhashiyya 30 46 alAhqaf 26 50 Qaf 0 68 alQalam 42

The above table shows the distribution of verses ending with the letter “Nun” in those Suras beginningwith initial (symbolic) letters.

When a general examination of the rhyme scheme in the Qur'an is made, we see that around 80% of therhymes consist of just three sounds (n, m, a) consisting of the letters Alif, Mim, Ya and Nun.246Excluding the letter "Nun," 30% of the verses are rhymed with "Mim," "Alif" or "Ya."

The four most frequently employed sounds in rhymes:

Letter Total

Letter Total

Sounds a a m n Verse number 949 246 666 3123 4984 Proportion (%) 15.22 3.94 10.68 50.03 79.92

The above table shows the proportional distribution of the four letters comprising 79.92% of the rhymesystem in the Qur’an.

The following verses are just a few of the many examples of rhymes using these four letters.

Surat alMuminun 1. Qad aflaha almu/minoona 2. Allatheena hum fee salatihim khashiAAoona

3. Waallatheena hum AAani allaghwi muAAridoona

4. Waallatheena hum lilzzakati faAAiloona

5. Waallatheena hum lifuroojihim hafithoona

6. ... aw ma malakat aymanuhum fainnahum ghayru maloomeena

7. ... faolaika humu alAAadoona

8. Waallatheena hum liamanatihim waAAahdihim raAAoona

9. Waallatheena hum AAala salawatihim yuhafithoona

10. Olaika humu alwarithoona

11. ... hum feeha khalidoona

12. Walaqad khalaqna alinsana min sulalatin min teenin

13. Thumma jaAAalnahu nutfatan fee qararin makeenin

14. ... fatabaraka Allahu ahsanu alkhaliqeena

15. Thumma innakum baAAda thalika lamayyitoona

16. Thumma innakum yawma alqiyamati tubAAathoona

17. ... wama kunna AAani alkhalqi ghafileena

Surat anNahl 1. ... wataAAala AAamma yushrikoona

2. ... annahu la ilaha illa ana faittaqooni

3. ... taAAala AAamma yushrikoona

4. ... faitha huwa khaseemun mubeenun

5. ... wamanafiAAu waminha takuloona

6. Walakum feeha jamalun heena tureehoona waheena tasrahoona

Surat alAn'am 1. ... thumma allatheena kafaroo birabbihim yaAAdiloona

2. ... thumma antum tamtaroona

3. ... wayaAAlamu ma taksiboona

4. ... illa kanoo AAanha muAArideena

5. ... fasawfa ya/teehim anbao ma kanoo bihi yastahzioona

6. ... waansha/na min baAAdihim qarnan akhareena

7. ... in hatha illa sihrun mubeenun

8. ... thumma la yuntharoona

9. ... walalabasna AAalayhim ma yalbisoona

10. ... ma kanoo bihi yastahzioona

Surat arRum 6. ... walakinna akthara alnnasi la yaAAlamoona

7. ... wahum AAani alakhirati hum ghafiloona

8. ... wainna katheeran mina alnnasi biliqai rabbihim lakafiroona

9. ... walakin kanoo anfusahum yathlimoona

10. ... an kaththaboo biayati Allahi wakanoo biha yastahzioona

11. ... thumma ilayhi turjaAAoona

12. ... yublisu almujrimoona

13. ... wakanoo bishurakaihim kafireena

14. Wayawma taqoomu alssaAAatu yawmaithin yatafarraqoona

15. ... fahum fee rawdatin yuhbaroona

Surah Yunus 26. ... olaika ashabu aljannati hum feeha khalidoona

27. ... olaika ashabu alnnari hum feeha khalidoona

28. ... waqala shurakaohum ma kuntum iyyana taAAbudoona

29. ... in kunna AAan AAibadatikum laghafileena

30. ... wadalla AAanhum ma kanoo yaftaroona

30. ... wadalla AAanhum ma kanoo yaftaroona

31. ... faqul afala tattaqoona

32. ... faanna tusrafoona

33. ... annahum la yu/minoona

34. ... faanna tu/fakoona

Surat al‘Ankabut 6. ... inna Allaha laghaniyyun AAani alAAalameena

7. ... walanajziyannahum ahsana allathee kanoo yaAAmaloona

8. ... faonabbiokum bima kuntum taAAmaloona

9. ... lanudkhilannahum fee alssaliheena

10. ... awa laysa Allahu biaAAlama bima fee sudoori alAAalameena

11. ... walayaAAlamanna almunafiqeena

12. ... innahum lakathiboona

13. ... walayusalunna yawma alqiyamati AAamma kanoo yaftaroona

14. ... faakhathahumu alttoofanu wahum thalimoona

Surat anNaml 12. ... innahum kanoo qawman fasiqeena

13. ... hatha sihrun mubeenun

14. ... faonthur kayfa kana AAaqibatu almufsideena

15. ... min AAibadihi almu/mineena

16. ... inna hatha lahuwa alfadlu almubeenu

17. ... fahum yoozaAAoona

18. ... sulaymanu wajunooduhu wahum la yashAAuroona

19. ... waadkhilnee birahmatika fee AAibadika alssaliheena

Surat anNisa’ 23. ... inna Allaha kana ghafooran raheeman

24. ... inna Allaha kana AAaleeman hakeeman

25. ... waAllahu ghafoorun raheemun

26. ... waAllahu AAaleemun hakeemun

27. ... an tameeloo maylan AAatheeman

Surat alMa’ida 22. ... fain yakhrujoo minha fainna dakhiloona

23. ... fatawakkaloo in kuntum mu/mineena

24. ... inna hahuna qaAAidoona

25. ... faofruq baynana wabayna alqawmi alfasiqeena

26. ... fala ta/sa AAala alqawmi alfasiqeena

27. ... qala innama yataqabbalu Allahu mina almuttaqeena

28. ... innee akhafu Allaha rabba alAAalameena

29. ... wathalika jazao alththalimeena

30. ... faqatalahu faasbaha mina alkhasireena

31. ... faasbaha mina alnnadimeena

Surat alA'raf 2. ... wathikra lilmu/mineena

3. ... qaleelan ma tathakkaroona

4. ... fajaaha ba/suna bayatan aw hum qailoona

5. ... ith jaahum ba/suna illa an qaloo inna kunna thalimeena

6. ... walanasalanna almursaleena

7. ... wama kunna ghaibeena

8. ... faolaika humu almuflihoona

9. ... bima kanoo biayatina yathlimoona

10. ... qaleelan ma tashkuroona

11. ... lam yakun mina alssajideena

Surat atTawba 7. ... inna Allaha yuhibbu almuttaqeena

8. ... waaktharuhum fasiqoona

9. ... innahum saa ma kanoo yaAAmaloona

9. ... innahum saa ma kanoo yaAAmaloona

10. ... waolaika humu almuAAtadoona

11. ... wanufassilu alayati liqawmin yaAAlamoona

12. ... laAAallahum yantahoona

13. ... ahaqqu an takhshawhu in kuntum mu/mineena

14. ... wayashfi sudoora qawmin mu/mineena

Surat alBaqara 62. ... wala khawfun AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona

63. ... waothkuroo ma feehi laAAallakum tattaqoona

64. ... lakuntum mina alkhasireena

65. ... faqulna lahum koonoo qiradatan khasieena

66. ... wamawAAithatan lilmuttaqeena

67. ... aAAoothu biAllahi an akoona mina aljahileena

68. ... faifAAaloo ma tu/maroona

69. ... baqaratun safrao faqiAAun lawnuha tasurru alnnathireena

Surat al ‘Imran 130. ... waittaqoo Allaha laAAallakum tuflihoona

131. Waittaqoo alnnara allatee oAAiddat lilkafireena

132. ... laAAallakum turhamoona

133. ... oAAiddat lilmuttaqeena

134. ... waAllahu yuhibbu almuhsineena

135. ... walam yusirroo AAala ma faAAaloo wahum yaAAlamoona

136. ... waniAAma ajru alAAamileena

137. ... faonthuroo kayfa kana AAaqibatu almukaththibeena

138. ... wamawAAithatun lilmuttaqeena

139. ... waantumu alaAAlawna in kuntum mu/mineena

140. ... waAllahu la yuhibbu alththalimeena

Surat alAnbiya’

Surat alAnbiya’

5. ... falya/tina biayatin kama orsila alawwaloona

6. ... afahum yu/minoona

7. ... in kuntum la taAAlamoona

8. ... wama kanoo khalideena

9. ... waahlakna almusrifeena

10. ... afala taAAqiloona

11. ... waansha/na baAAdaha qawman akhareena

12. ... hum minha yarkudoona

Surat anNur 47. ... wama olaika bialmu/mineena

48. ... fareequn minhum muAAridoona

49. Wain yakun lahumu alhaqqu ya/too ilayhi muthAAineena

50. ... bal olaika humu alththalimoona

51. ... waolaika humu almuflihoona

52. ... faolaika humu alfaizoona

53. ... inna Allaha khabeerun bima taAAmaloona

54. ... wama AAala alrrasooli illa albalaghu almubeena

55. ... faolaika humu alfasiqoona

Surat alHijr 5. ... wama yasta/khiroona

6. ... innaka lamajnoonun

7. ... in kunta mina alssadiqeena

8. ... wama kanoo ithan munthareena

9. ... wainna lahu lahafithoona

10. Walaqad arsalna min qablika fee shiyaAAi alawwaleena

11. ... kanoo bihi yastahzioona

12. Kathalika naslukuhu fee quloobi almujrimeena

13. ... waqad khalat sunnatu alawwaleena

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14. ... feehi yaAArujoona

15. ... nahnu qawmun mashooroona

The formation of rhymed prose with just two or three sounds in a poem of 200300 lines may give thatwork 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 morebeautiful. The Qur'an indeed contains an ocean of information relating to a wide variety of subjects. Theyinclude: religious and moral guidance, lessons from the lives of the peoples of the past, the message ofthe Prophets and Messengers of Allah, the physical sciences and historical accounts of importantevents. But all of this, although wonderful in itself, is delivered with the most fantastic literary rhythmand excellence. It is simply not possible for so much rhymed prose by use of so few sounds in theQur'an, with its varied and knowledgeable subject matter, to be achieved by human endeavour. Fromthat point of view, it is not surprising that Arab linguists describe the Qur'an as "very definitelyinimitable."

245. F. F. Arbuthnot, The Construction of the Bible and the Koran (London: 1985), 5.246. Dr. Adel M. A. Abbas, Anne P. Fretwell, Science Miracles, No Sticks or Snakes (Beltsville,Maryland, USA: Amana Publications: 2000), 13.

06092008, 02:26 PM


Assalamu Alaykum


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 confidenceMohammad appealed as a supreme confirmation of his mission to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs theywere the connoisseurs of language and rhetoric. Well, then if the Koran were his own composition othermen could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they couldnot), them let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evident miracle.247 (The wellknown ArabistHamilton Gibb of the University of Oxford)

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 proclaimingthe inimitability not only of its contents but also of its style.248 (Wellknown Arabist Hamilton Gibb)

The influence of the Koran on the development of Arabic Literature has been incalculable, and exerted inmany directions. Its ideas, its language, its rhymes pervade all subsequent literary works in greater orless measure. Its specific linguistic features were not emulated, either in the chancery prose of the nextcentury or in the later prose writings, but it was at least partly due to the flexibility imparted by the Koranto the High Arabic idiom that the former could be so rapidly developed and adjusted to the new needs ofthe imperial government and an expanding society.249 (Wellknown Arabist Hamilton Gibb)

Whenever [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] was asked a miracle, as a proof of the authenticity of hismission, he quoted the composition of the Qur'an and its incomparable excellence as proof of its divineorigin. And, in fact, even for those who are nonMuslims nothing is more marvellous than its languagewith such apprehensible plenitude and a grasping sonority… The ampleness of its syllables with agrandiose cadence and with a remarkable rhythm have been of much moment in the conversion of themost hostile and the most sceptic.250 (From Paul Casanova's article, "L'Enseignement de I'Arabe auCollege de France" [The Arab Teaching at the College of France])

It [the Qur'an] is a literal revelation of Allah, dictated to [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] by Gabriel, perfectin every letter. It is an everpresent miracle witnessing to itself and to [Prophet] Muhammad [saas], theProphet of Allah. Its miraculous quality resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that neither mennor Jinn could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter, and partly in its content ofteachings, prophecies about the future, and amazingly accurate information such as [Prophet]Muhammad [saas] could never have gathered of his own accord.251 (From Harry Gaylord Dorman'sbook, Towards Understanding Islam)

All those who are acquainted with the Qur'an in Arabic agree in praising the beauty of this religious book;its grandeur of form is so sublime that no translation into any European language can allow us toappreciate it.252 (From Edward Montet's Traduction Francaise du Coran [French Translation of theQur'an])

The Qur'an in its original Arabic dress has a seductive beauty and charm of its own Couched in conciseand exalted style, its brief pregnant sentences, often rhymed, possess an expressive force andexplosive energy which it is extremely difficult to convey by literal word for word translation.253 (FromJohn Naish's book, The Wisdom of the Qur'an)

The Koran is universally allowed to be written with the utmost elegance and purity of language, in thedialect of Koreish, the most noble and polite of all Arabians… The style of the Qur'an is generallybeautiful and fluent,… and in many places, specifically where the majesty and attributes of God aredescribed, sublime and magnificent… He succeeded so well, and so strangely captivated the minds ofhis audience, that several of his opponents thought it the effect of witchcraft and enchantment.254(From George Sale's book, The Koran: The Preliminary Discourse)

A miracle of purity of style of wisdom and of truth.255 (From Rev. R. Bosworth Smith's book,Mohammed and Mohammadanism)

It [the Qur'an] has a rhythm of peculiar beauty and a cadence that charms the ear. Many Christian Arabsspeak of its style with warm admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its excellence… indeed it maybe affirmed that within the literature of the Arabs, wide and fecund as it is both in poetry and in elevatedprose, there is nothing to compare with it.256 (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 Divinityof the Qur'an; it is the fact that it has been preserved intact through the ages since the time of itsRevelation till the present day… Read and reread by the Muslim world, this book does not rouse in thefaithful any weariness, it rather, through repetition, is more loved every day. It gives rise to a profoundfeeling of awe and respect in the one who reads it or listens to it… Therefore, above all, what causedthe great and rapid diffusion of Islam was through the fact that this Book… was the book of Allah…257(From Laura Veccia Vaglieri's book, Apologie de I'Islamisme)

The Koran abounds in excellent moral suggestions and precepts, its composition is so fragmentary thatwe cannot turn to a single page without finding maxims of which all men must approve. Thisfragmentary construction yields texts, and mottoes, and rules complete in themselves, suitable forcommon men in any of the incidents of life.258 (From John William Draper's book, A History of theIntellectual Development of Europe)

Intellectual Development of Europe)

It must be acknowledged, too, that the Koran deserves the highest praise for its conceptions of theDivine nature in reference to the attributes of Power, knowledge and universal Providence and Unitythatits belief and trust in the one Allah of Heaven and Earth is deep and ferventand that… it embodiesmuch of the noble and deep moral earnestness, and sententious oracular wisdom, and has proved thatthere are elements in it on which mighty nations and conquering… Empires can be built up.259 (Fromthe 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 somepreconceived 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 convincinglyto the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compactand wellorganized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabianmind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes…260 (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 howeverfaintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and richlyvaried rhythms whichapart from the message itselfconstitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rankamongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind… This very characteristic feature"that inimitablesymphony," as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book…has been almost totally ignored byprevious translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and flatindeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original.261 (From Arthur J. Arberry's book, TheKoran Interpreted)

A totally objective examination of it [the Qur'an] in the light of the modern knowledge, leads us torecognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makesus deem it quite unthinkable for a man of [Prophet] Muhammad's [saas] time to have been the author ofsuch statements on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of whatgives the Qur'anic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability toprovide an explanation which calls solely upon materialistic reasoning.262 (Dr. Maurice Bucaille, formerchief of the Surgical Clinic, University of Paris)

… [T]he Qur'an has invariably kept its place as the fundamental starting point… A creed so precise, …so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess amarvellous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.263 (Edward Montet, a Frenchintellectual)

... We have a book absolutely unique in its origin, in its preservation… on the Substantial authority ofwhich no one has ever been able to cast a serious doubt.264 (From Rev. Bosworth Smith's book,Muhammad and Muhammadanism)

… the Qur'an is explicit in the support of the freedom of conscience.265 (From James Michener'sarticle, "Islam: The Misunderstood Religion")

Sense of justice is one of the most wonderful ideals of Islam, because as I read in the Qur'an I findthose dynamic principles of life, not mystic but practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited to thewhole world.266 (From a lecture on "The Ideals of Islam" quoted in the book Speeches and Writings ofSarojini Naidu)

We must not be surprised to find the Qur'an the fountainhead of the sciences. Every subject connectedwith heaven or earth, human life, commerce and various trades are occasionally touched upon, and thisgave rise to the production of numerous monographs forming commentaries on parts of the holy book. Inthis way the Qur'an was responsible for great discussions, and to it was indirectly due to the marvellousdevelopment of all branches of science in the Muslim world… This again not only affected the Arabs butalso 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 befurther discussed.

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 ledto the pursuance of these studies. In the descriptive revelations [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] repeatedlycalls attention to the movement of the heavenly bodies, as parts of the miracles of Allah forced into theservice of man and therefore not to be worshipped. How successfully Moslem people of all racespursued the study of astronomy is shown by the fact that for centuries they were its principalsupporters. Even now many Arabic names of stars and technical terms are in use. Medievalastronomers in Europe were pupils of the Arabs.

In the same manner the Qur'an gave an impetus to medical studies and recommended thecontemplation and study of Nature in general.267 (From Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld's book, NewResearches into the Composition and Exegesis of the Qur'an)

The Koran admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of the world.Though the youngest of the epochmaking works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardlyany in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but newphase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneousdesert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vastpoliticoreligious organizations of the Muhammadan world which are one of the great forces with whichEurope and the East have to reckon today.268 (From G. Margoliouth's introduction to The Koran,translated from the Arabic by Rev. J. M. Rodwell)

However often we turn to it [the Qur'an]…, it soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces ourreverence… Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand, terribleever and anontruly sublimeThus this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence.269 (A sayingof Goethe quoted in T. P. Hughes' book, Dictionary of Islam)

SOME SCIENTISTS' COMMENTS REGARDING THE QUR'AN

… There are too many accuracies [in the Qur'an] and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind thatthis is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements.270 (Dr. T. V. N. Persaud,Professor of Anatomy, Pediatrics and Child Health, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Reproductive Sciences atthe University of Manitoba)

… It follows, I think, that not only there is no conflict between genetics and religion but, in fact, religioncan guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches, that there existstatements in the Quran shown centuries later to be valid, which support knowledge in the Quran havingbeen derived from God.271 (Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Molecularand Human Genetics)

As a scientist, I can only deal with things which I can specifically see. I can understand embryology anddevelopmental biology. I can understand the words that are translated to me from the Quran. As I gavethe example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today anddescribing things, I could not describe the things which were described… So I see nothing here inconflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he [Prophet Muhammad (saas)]was able to write.272 (Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and DevelopmentalBiology at Thomas Jefferson University)

In a relatively few aayahs [Quranic verses] is contained a rather comprehensive description of humandevelopment from the time of commingling of the gametes through organogenesis. No such distinct andcomplete record of human development, such as classification, terminology, and description, existedpreviously. In most, if not all, instances, this description antedates by many centuries the recording ofthe various stages of human embryonic and fetal development recorded in the traditional scientificliterature.273 (Gerald C. Goeringer, Associate Professor of Medical Embryology at GeorgetownUniversity)

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, orAllah, because most of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to methat [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] must have been a messenger of God, or Allah.274 (Dr. Keith L. Moore,Professor Emeritus, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto. Distinguishedembryologist and the author of several medical textbooks)

... Because the staging of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of changeduring development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using theterms mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah. The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, andconforms with present embryological knowledge.275 (Dr. Keith L. Moore, Professor Emeritus,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto)

The intensive studies of the Qur'an and Hadith in the last four years have revealed a system ofclassifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D... thedescriptions in the Qur'an cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century... 276 (Dr.Keith L. Moore, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto)

I think it is almost impossible that he [Prophet Muhammad (saas)] could have known about things likethe common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years withvery complicated and advanced technological methods that this is the case… Somebody who did notknow something about nuclear physics 1400 years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find outfrom his own mind for instance that the earth and the heavens had the same origin, or many others ofthe questions that we have discussed here.277 (Alfred Kroner, Professor of the Department ofGeosciences, University of Mainz, Germany. One of the world's most famous geologists)

If you combine all these and you combine all these statements that are being made in the Qur'an interms that relate to the earth and the formation of the earth and science in general, you can basicallysay that statements made there in many ways are true, they can now be confirmed by scientificmethods... And that many of the statements made in there at that time could not be proven, but thatmodern scientific methods are now in a position to prove what [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] said 1400years ago.278 (Alfred Kroner, Professor of the Department of Geosciences, University of Mainz,Germany)

I say, I am very much impressed by finding true astronomical facts in Qur'an, and for us modernastronomers have been studying very small piece of the universe. We have concentrated our efforts forunderstanding of very small part. Because by using telescopes, we can see only very few parts of thesky without thinking about the whole universe. So by reading Qur'an and by answering to the questions,I think I can find my future way for investigation of the universe.279 (Professor Yushidi Kusan, Directorof the Tokyo Observatory, Tokyo, Japan)

Certainly, I would like to leave it at that, that what we have seen is remarkable, it may or may not admitof scientific explanation, there may well have to be something beyond what we understand as ordinaryhuman experience to account for the writings that we have seen.280 (Professor Armstrong, Professor ofAstronomy serving with NASA)

It is difficult to imagine that this type of knowledge was existing at that time, around 1400 years back.May be some of the things they have simple idea about, but to describe those things in great detail isvery difficult. So this is definitely not simple human knowledge. A normal human being cannot explainthis phenomenon in that much detail. So, I thought the information must have come from a supernaturalsource.281 (Prof. Dorja Rao, Professor of Marine Geology at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, SaudiArabia)

… I believe that everything mentioned in the Qur'an 1400 years ago is true and can be proven byscientific methods… This must be by inspiration from God, or Allah, Who knows all science. Thus, Ibelieve that this is the time to say: "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger ofAllah."282 (Prof. Tejatat Tejasen, Head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University ofChiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand)

The Qur'an came several centuries ago, confirming what we discovered. This indicates that the Qur'anis the word of God.283 (Prof. Joly Sumson, Professor in Gynecology and Obstetrics)

It [the Qur'an] discusses the past, the recent period, and the future. I do not know the cultural level ofthe people in the period of [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] and I do not know their scientific level. If it is aswe know about the low scientific level in this ancient period, and the absence of technology, then thereis no doubt that what we are reading nowadays in the Qur'an is a light from God. He inspired it in[Prophet] Muhammad [saas]. I had made research into the early history of civilization in the Middle Eastin order to know if there was such perfect information as this. If there was no other information like theQur'anic information in that ancient period, this strengthens the faith that God sent [Prophet] Muhammad[Prophet]; He sent to him a little amount from His large science, which we have discovered only inrecent time. We are hoping for continuous dialogue in the subject of science with the Qur'an in the fieldof geology.284 (Prof. Palmar, one of the major scientists in geology in the USA)

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 trulythat if what you are saying is right, thus, this book [the Qur'an] is very valuable to be noticed, I agreewith you.285 (Professor Syawda, a Japanese scientist famous in Japan and internationally in the field ofoceanic geology.)

247. H. A. R. Gibb, IslamA Historical Survey (Oxford University Press: 1980), 28.248. H. A. R. Gibb, Arabic LiteratureAn Introduction (Oxford at Clarendon Press: 1963), 36.249. Ibid., 37.250. Paul Casanova, “L’Enseignement de I’Arabe au College de France” (The Arab Teaching at theCollege of France), Lecon d’overture, 26 April 1909.251. Harry Gaylord Dorman, Towards Understanding Islam (New York: 1948), 3.252. Edward Montet, Traduction Francaise du Coran (French Translation of the Qur’an), Introduction(Paris: 1929), 53.253. John Naish, M. A. (Oxon), D. D., The Wisdom of the Qur’an (Oxford: 1937), preface viii.254. George Sale, The Koran: The Preliminary Discourse (London & New York: 1891), 4748.255. Rev. R. Bosworth Smith, Mohammed and Mohammadanism,www.ndirect.co.uk/~n.today/disc160.htm.256. Alfred Guillaume, Islam (Penguin Books: 1990 [Reprinted]), 7374.257. Laura Veccia Vaglieri, Apologie de I’Islamisme (Apology for Islamism), 5759.258. John William Draper, A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe I (London: 1875), 343344.259. Rev. J. M. Rodwell, M. A., The Koran (London: 1918), 15.260. Dr. Steingass, quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, 528.261. Arthur J. Arberry, The Koran Interpreted (London: Oxford University Press: 1964), x.262. Maurice Bucaille, The Qur’an and Modern Science, 1981, 18.263. Edward Montet, Paris, 1890; Quoted by T. W. Arnold in The Preaching of Islam (London: 1913),413414.264. Reverend Bosworth Smith in Muhammad and Muhammadanism (London: 1874).265. James Michener in “Islam: The Misunderstood Religion,” Reader’s Digest, May 1955, 6870.266. Lectures on “The Ideals of Islam,” Speeches and Writings of Sarojini Naidu (Madras: 1918), 167.267. Hartwig Hirschfeld, Ph. D., M. R. AS., New Researches into the Composition and Exegesis of theQur’an (London: 1902), 9.268. G. Margoliouth, Introduction to J. M. Rodwell's, The Koran (New York: Everyman's Library: 1977),vii.269. Goethe, quoted in T. P. Hughes' Dictionary of Islam, 526.270. Video tape entitled This is the Truth, www.islamguide.com/ch11h.htm.271. Ibid.272. Ibid.273. Ibid.

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273. Ibid.274. Video tape entitled This is the Truth, http://www.islamicawareness.org/Qur...cientists.html.

275. Ibid.276. Ibid.277. Ibid.278. Ibid.279. Ibid.280. Ibid.281. Ibid.282. http://islamweb.net/english/new/week...0%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20THE%20LEADERS%20OF%20MODERN%20.htm.283. Ibid.284. Ibid.285. Ibid.

06092008, 02:27 PM


Assalamu Alaykum


A SELECTION OF OTHER STATEMENTS REGARDING THE QUR'AN

Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason...When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, butI felt the only answer for me was the Qur'an and Allah had sent it to me.286 (Yusuf Islam [Cat Stevens],former British pop star)

I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a "Muslim" as "one surrendered to God," but Ibelieve that embedded in the Quran and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divinetruth from which I and other occidentals have still much to learn, and "Islam is certainly a strongcontender for the supplying of the basic framework of the one religion of the future."287 (From the bookIslam and Christianity Today)

The essential and definite element of my conversion to Islam was the Qur'an. I began to study it beforemy conversion with the critical spirit of a Western intellectual... There are certain verses of this book,the Qur'an, revealed more than thirteen centuries ago, which teach exactly the same notions as themost modern scientific researches do. This definitely converted me.288 (Ali Selman Benoist, France,Doctor of Medicine)

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 tothat of a match. I firmly believe that anybody who reads the Word of Allah with a mind that is notcompletely closed to Truth, will become a Muslim.289 (Saifuddin Dirk Walter Mosig)

The strength of the Koran is that a Muslim, or anyone, can open it to any page and get a messagedealing with life's meaning.290 (The wellknown theologian John Esposito)

I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise and educated men of all thecountries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of Qur'an which alone are true andwhich alone can lead men to happiness.291 (French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte)

Tony Blair: "Qur'an Inspired Me"

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that he has read the whole Qur'an three times. In hisstatements, he often mentioned his admiration for the Qur'an's moral teaching. On March 29, 2000, theBBC reported on Blair's admiration for the Qur'an in a feature entitled "Blair: Qur'an Inspired Me." Hewas reported to have said that Islam was a good and peaceful religion, that he owned two copies of theQur'an, and that he was quite inspired by it:

If you read the Koran, it is so clear… the concept of love and fellowship as the guiding spirits ofhumanity.292

Two or three days before the 9/11 attacks, the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday published anarticle in which Blair said that former US president Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea had given him a copyof the Qur'an as a gift, that he had begun to read it and that it given him courage in times ofdifficulty.293 After the attacks, Blair once again said in an interview on AlJazeera television that hadread the Qur'an. He also added:

I read the message of the Koran, insofar as it can be translated. And I read about Islam and I enjoydoing that. And I think that I have learned things about the Koran that I never knew before and I think alot of Christians would be interested.294

Time magazine described Blair as "longtime student of the Koran" in one article about him.295

A speech by Bill Clinton which described how influenced he was by the Qur'an

In his last year in the White House, former US President Bill Clinton received a number of Muslimsduring Ramadan. At the meeting, which began with a reading from the Qur'an, Clinton used verses fromthe Qur'an in his own address and frequently stated his interest in Islam:

And I thought it was particularly moving that Imam read the passage from the Koran that said that Allahcreated nations and tribes that we might know one another, not that we might despise one another.There's a wonderful passage in the Hebrew Torah, which warns people never to turn aside the stranger,for it is like turning aside the most high God. And the Christian Bible says that people should love theirneighbor as themselves. But it's quite wonderful to say that Allah created the nations and tribes thatthey might know one another better... Let me say, also, that there is much that the world can learn fromIslam. It is now practiced by one of every four people on Earth. Americans are learning more in ourschools and universities. Indeed, I remember that our daughter took a course on Islamic history in highschool and read large portions of the Koran, and came home at night and educated her parents about it,and later asked us questions about it... So I ask you again to rededicate yourselves in this coming yearto making sure that others in this country truly understand and appreciate the faith you embrace, itspractices, its beliefs, its precepts and its inclusive humanity... The Koran also teaches, in addition, tothe fact that we should do unto others as we wish to have done to us, and reject for others what wewould reject for ourselves, but we should also make a commitment to live in peace…296

George W. Bush:

"It's [the Qur'an is] a very thoughtful gift."

On 26 September 2001, President George W. Bush held a substantive meeting with American Muslimleaders, and said that "the teachings of Islam are the teachings of peace and good." During thismeeting, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), presented acopy of the Holy Qur'an to President Bush. During a brief press conference after the meeting, thePresident expressed his pleasure saying:

And I want to thank you very much for thethe gift you gave me, Imam, the Koran. It's a very thoughtfulgift. I say, "Thank you very much for the gift." He said, "It's the best gift I could give you, Mr.President." I appreciate that very much.297

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#17

On September 17, 2001, President Bush visited the Washington Islam Center mosque, one of the oldest

in the United States. In his speech, he emphasized that Islam is a religion of peace and that the terroristattacks of 9/11 have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam or the sincere Muslims of the world, all ofwhom deplore terrorism. Bush stated that those who inflict harm on innocent and civilian Muslims arejust as in the wrong as those who carry out terrorist attacks. At this crowded meeting, covered live by alarge number of domestic and international television stations, President Bush read the following versefrom the Qur'an:298

"In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signsof Allah and held them up to ridicule." (Qur'an, 30:10)

286. http://www.alsunnah.com/call_to_isl...ut_islaam.html.287. W. Montgomery Watt, Islam and Christianity Today (London: 1983), ix.288. http://www.alsunnah.com/call_to_isl...ut_islaam.html289. Ibid.290. John Esposito, quoted in Jacqueline Blais’ “People Want to Know, So Koran is Best Seller,” USAToday, 27 November 2001.291. Napoleon Bonaparte, quoted in Christian Cherfils’ Bonaparte et Islam (Bonaparte and Islam) (Paris,France: 1914), 125.292. BBC News, 29 March 2000.293. “Blair Kuran’a Merak Salmis” (Blair is Interested in the Qur’an), Milliyet, 11 September 2001.294. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Interview with AlJazeera, 9 October 2001, www.number10.gov.uk/output/page3562.asp.295. Travels With Tony, Time 158, 12 November 2001, no. 20.296. www.amaana.org/ISWEB/ramadan.htm.297. www.amanj.org/bush_meeting.html.298. “Remarks by the President at Islamic Center of Washington, D.C.,” 17 September 2001,http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/islam/s091701b.htm..

06092008, 02:28 PM


Assalamu Alaykum

Read some more interesting stuff here www.islamicawareness.org/Quran/Q_Studies/ (especially theone on iltifaat)

06192008, 06:03 PM

Al Habeshi Join Date: Mar 2008Posts: 636

As Salam alaykum,

What is the difference between nabi, and nabiyya like in surah maryam?__________________

Alhamdulillah, the One who stopped me from useless talk such that when I review my old posts I'm not thatashamed.

27) Do not be happy when others make mistakes even if they appose your opinion.

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