Some Comments on the Literary Excellence and Inimitability of the Qur'an
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the Meccans still demanded of him a miracle, and with remarkable
boldness and self confidence Mohammad appealed as a supreme confirmation
of his mission to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs they were the
connoisseurs of language and rhetoric. Well, then if the Koran were
his own composition other men could rival it. Let them produce ten
verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could
not), them let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evident miracle.247
(The well-known Arabist Hamilton 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 proclaiming
the inimitability not only of its contents but also of its style.248
(Well-known Arabist Hamilton Gibb)The
influence of the Koran on the development of Arabic Literature has
been incalculable, and exerted in many directions. Its ideas, its
language, its rhymes pervade all subsequent literary works in greater
or less measure. Its specific linguistic features were not emulated,
either in the chancery prose of the next century or in the later
prose writings, but it was at least partly due to the flexibility
imparted by the Koran to the High Arabic idiom that the former could
be so rapidly developed and adjusted to the new needs of the imperial
government and an expanding society.249
(Well-known Arabist Hamilton Gibb)Whenever
[Prophet] Muhammad [saas] was asked a miracle, as a proof of the
authenticity of his mission, he quoted the composition of the Qur'an
and its incomparable excellence as proof of its divine origin. And,
in fact, even for those who are non-Muslims nothing is more marvellous
than its language with such apprehensible plenitude and a grasping
sonority… The ampleness of its syllables with a grandiose cadence
and with a remarkable rhythm have been of much moment in the conversion
of the most hostile and the most sceptic.250
(From Paul Casanova's article, "L'Enseignement de I'Arabe au
College 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, perfect in every letter. It is an ever-present
miracle witnessing to itself and to [Prophet] Muhammad [saas], the
Prophet of Allah. Its miraculous quality resides partly in its style,
so perfect and lofty that neither men nor Jinn could produce
a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter, and partly
in its content of teachings, prophecies about the future, and amazingly
accurate information such as [Prophet] Muhammad [saas] could never
have gathered of his own accord.251
(From Harry Gaylord Dorman's book, 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 to appreciate
it.252 (From Edward
Montet's Traduction Francaise du Coran [French Translation of
the Qur'an])The
Qur'an in its original Arabic dress has a seductive beauty and charm
of its own Couched in concise and exalted style, its brief pregnant
sentences, often rhymed, possess an expressive force and explosive
energy which it is extremely difficult to convey by literal word
for word translation.253
(From John 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 the dialect of Koreish, the most noble
and polite of all Arabians… The style of the Qur'an is generally
beautiful and fluent,… and in many places, specifically where the
majesty and attributes of God are described, sublime and magnificent…
He succeeded so well, and so strangely captivated the minds of his
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 Arabs speak of its style with warm
admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its excellence… indeed
it may be affirmed that within the literature of the Arabs, wide
and fecund as it is both in poetry and in elevated prose, there
is nothing to compare with it.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
Divinity of the Qur'an; it is the fact that it has been preserved
intact through the ages since the time of its Revelation till the
present day… Read and reread by the Muslim world, this book does
not rouse in the faithful any weariness, it rather, through repetition,
is more loved every day. It gives rise to a profound feeling of
awe and respect in the one who reads it or listens to it… Therefore,
above all, what caused the great and rapid diffusion of Islam was
through the fact that this Book… was the book of Allah…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 that we cannot turn to a single page without finding
maxims of which all men must approve. This fragmentary construction
yields texts, and mottoes, and rules complete in themselves, suitable
for common men in any of the incidents of life.258
(From John William Draper's book, A History of the Intellectual
Development of Europe) It
must be acknowledged, too, that the Koran deserves the highest praise
for its conceptions of the Divine nature in reference to the attributes
of Power, knowledge and universal Providence and Unity-that its
belief and trust in the one Allah of Heaven and Earth is deep and
fervent-and that… it embodies much of the noble and deep moral earnestness,
and sententious oracular wisdom, and has proved that there are elements
in it on which mighty nations and conquering… Empires can be built
up.259 (From the preface
of The Koran, translated from the Arabic by Rev. J. M.
Rodwell)Here,
therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not
be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic
taste, but by the effects which it produced in [Prophet] Muhammad's
[saas] contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully
and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto
centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well-organized
body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled
the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because
it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes…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 however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the
Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and richly
varied rhythms which-apart from the message itself-constitute the
Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces
of mankind… This very characteristic feature-"that inimitable symphony,"
as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book…-has been almost
totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not surprising
that what they have wrought sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison
with the splendidly decorated original.261
(From Arthur J. Arberry's book, The Koran Interpreted)A
totally objective examination of it [the Qur'an] in the light of
the modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between
the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes
us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of [Prophet] Muhammad's [saas]
time to have been the author of such statements on account of the
state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what
gives the Qur'anic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial
scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which
calls solely upon materialistic reasoning.262
(Dr. Maurice Bucaille, former chief 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 a marvellous
power of winning its way into the consciences of men.263
(Edward Montet, a French intellectual) ...
We have a book absolutely unique in its origin, in its preservation…
on the Substantial authority of which no one has ever been able
to cast a serious doubt.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's article, "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 find those dynamic principles of life,
not mystic but practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited
to the whole world.266
(From a lecture on "The Ideals of Islam" quoted in the book Speeches
and Writings of Sarojini Naidu)We
must not be surprised to find the Qur'an the fountainhead of the
sciences. Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human life,
commerce and various trades are occasionally touched upon, and this
gave rise to the production of numerous monographs forming commentaries
on parts of the holy book. In this way the Qur'an was responsible
for great discussions, and to it was indirectly due to the marvellous
development of all branches of science in the Muslim world… This
again not only affected the Arabs but also induced Jewish philosophers
to treat metaphysical and religious questions after Arab methods.
Finally, the way in which Christian scholasticism was fertilised
by Arabian theosophy need not be further discussed.Spiritual
activity once aroused within Islamic bounds was not confined to
theological speculations alone. Acquaintance with the philosophical,
mathematical, astronomical and medical writings of the Greeks led
to the pursuance of these studies. In the descriptive revelations
[Prophet] Muhammad [saas] repeatedly calls attention to the movement
of the heavenly bodies, as parts of the miracles of Allah forced
into the service of man and therefore not to be worshipped. How
successfully Moslem people of all races pursued the study of astronomy
is shown by the fact that for centuries they were its principal
supporters. Even now many Arabic names of stars and technical terms
are in use. Medieval astronomers in Europe were pupils of the Arabs.
In
the same manner the Qur'an gave an impetus to medical studies and
recommended the contemplation and study of Nature in general.267
(From Prof. Hartwig Hirschfeld's book, New Researches 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 epoch-making
works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly
any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses
of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and
a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous
desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes,
and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations
of the Muhammadan world which are one of the great forces with which
Europe 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 our reverence… Its style, in accordance with
its contents and aim is stern, grand, terrible-ever and anon truly
sublime-Thus this book will go on exercising through all ages a
most potent influence.269
(A saying of Goethe quoted in T. P. Hughes' book, Dictionary
of Islam)
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