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ISSN 2063-5346
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Views of Muslim Scholastic Theologians on Inimitability of Qur’anic Discourse

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Tariq Elhadary
» doi: 10.31838/ecb/2023.12.si4.130

Abstract

The Qur'an is considered to be a unique and unparalleled text in terms of its language, style, and content. Its organization is characterized by a highly structured and coherent system, which is one of the factors that contributes to its beauty and power. The Qur'an also employs a wide range of literary devices, such as metaphor, simile, and rhetorical questioning, which add to its eloquence and rhetorical impact. The organization and structure of the Qur'an, as well as its use of figures of speech, are important aspects of its inimitability as well. Al-Baqillani and Al-Khattabi were both scholars of Islam who wrote about the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. In their writings, they sought to defend the Qur'an against the allegations of atheists and those who sought to diminish its value, and also to respond to the arguments of other Islamic sects, particularly the Mutazilites, who explained the Qur'anic miracle in terms of rhetorical devices and creative language. Both Al-Baqillani and Al-Khattabi emphasized the Qur'an's eloquence and the correctness of its meanings as key factors in its miraculous nature. Al-Khattabi believed that the Qur'an's inimitability, or the fact that it cannot be imitated or matched by any other text, was based on three pillars: rhetoric, words, and meanings. Al-Rummani was a scholar who focused on the rhetorical aspects of the Qur'an and saw rhetoric as a key element of its miraculous nature. According to Al-Rummani, the Qur'an's rhetorical style is characterized by brevity, analogy, metaphor, and homogeneity, and he provided evidence from the Qur'an to support the greatness of its rhetorical style. In addition, the paper presents and discusses the views of other theologians such as Al Jurjani, and Al-Qadi Abd Al-Jabbar.

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