MAQALAT WA BARRASIHA
Year:2004 | Volume:37 | Issue:75(1)|Papers Count:10

Muslims general opinion has always been that the Quran is sent down in Quraysh language. Language of all pre-Islamic poems and sermons has also been Quraysh language. Considering historical linguistics, however, Orientalists have generally deined that principle Of course, we know that by Quraysh language is not meant an independent and entirely ditIerent language from that of other tribes; rather, difference in phonetics of some words and structures, and not all of them, is meant. Now, our researches have indicated that the theory of Quranic language being of Quraysh is not confirmed by a good number of scholars as well as certain evidence. Here, we narrate a relatively comprehensive list of traditions and then deal with their comparison, survey, and criticism.

One very significant, valuable discussion in the philosophy of language is to expound the verbal communication. Based on that, two questions are raised concerning revealed communication of God and prophet. First, what is the revealed communication unit of God and prophet? And second, how is the revealed communication expounded on the basis of the said unit? Responding perspectives are of two groups: one can be called linguistic theories and the other non-linguistic theories. Non-linguistic theories have considered the revealed communication unit a kind of specific language with no lexemic aspect which is expounded through several theories whose common point is being non-linguistic. They have treated Gods speaking through words as being figurative. Linguistic theories expound revealed communication unit with an emphasis upon natural and customary language; they treat revealed communication unit as reality of words and expound it through various theories whose common point is being linguistic. The present essay intends to survey those two questions on the basis of Quranic verses and to discover the Quranic theory concerning the subject in question: The most significant discovery of this research.

The Sunni sect of karramiyyah, which was founded by Muhammad b. Karram al-Sidjistani (d. 255 AH.), attracted tens of thousands of people of North Khurasan and Palestine, produced some scholars, supported by some rulers, and like many other sects annihilated after some centuries attempt and activity and only a name of them remained in the books. In al-Milal wal Nihal some strange and unbelievable various ideas are attributed to them. Such attributions are both in doctrinal issues like oneness of God, prophethood, resurrection, etc. and juristic affairs. The present research is in search for evaluating one of such attributions to karramiyyah concerning narrative attributes of God, i.e. His being bodily, on the basis of their exegeses.

Muhammad Izza Darouzah is a contemporary Quranic commentator who has written an exegesis on the basis of historical descent of the Quran. Al-Tafsir al-Hadith is among innovative-rational exegeses which is based upon sources and references; mostly with taking into consideration context and order of Quranic verses, subtle grammatical and rhetorical points, and necessities of descent of verses. The commentator divides, in a general view, Quranic chapters into Meccan and Medinan and then makes his commentaries on the basis of his innovative method. This exegesis is the first of its kind. The present essay surveys this exegesis and analyzes the authors method of exegesis.

Mohammad Taqi Bahar(1265-1330 S.A.H.), known as malekoshsl1oara (king of poets), is int1uenced by content and diction of the Holy Quran in his works especially his early poems. In his poems, he benefits from Quranic verses and concepts in seven ways. Adapting Quranic conceptswithout using the word; using one Ouranic word, or a part of a verse, in order to convey concept of the verse; applying Ouranic special terms and expressions instead of Farsi words; narrating a whole verse in order to convey the term and the meaning; changing verses slightly in order to make them appropriate to the rhyme of the poem, and using allusive references are those seven ways. Verses found in his Divan are mostly of doctrinal and moral concepts. In the allusion to prophets, application of verses often appears in description of usual affairs of life and mostly in the form of analogy and symbolism. Transformations of thought in his life gradually directs him from religious, Ouranic thoughts to patriotism, struggle against despotism, and modernity in such a way that the int1uence of the Ouran in his poems is reduced and they are employed in the description of life affairs.

In some traditions it is said that one can substitute some Ouranic words with their synonyms on the proviso that verses of mercy are not changed into verses of chastisement and vice versa, for Ouran hasmultiple readings. There are five traditions in this connection which we will survey and criticize through consideration of their chains of transmission as well as their indications. In the present essay we will indicate that on the one hand those traditions are weak and untrustworthy due to their chain of transmission inc1ud Abu Hurayrah, Abd-Allah b. Maymun, and Zayd b. Habbab and on the other hand are incompatible with several traditions and are in contradiction to so many definitely established Quranic teachings in their indication and context.

Mohammad Said Ramadan Buti, a .cotemporary scholarly figure, criticizes and refutes Tabatabaee interpretation of the Ifk verse in his book Ai.,hahUmm al-Muminin. His critiques is based upon criticizing the speaker instead of the speech. To expound Butis methodological as well as logical errors and to make a judgement concerning him and tabatabaee is the concern of the present research.

To discuss authority of apparent (dhahir) meanings of verses is in fact to discuss authority of the very verses, for should the former not be authoritative there would remain nothing from Quranic verses as the principal proof of precepts in order to be applied in inferring religious precepts due to shortage of definite (nass) meanings. However, in order to prove authority of apparent meanings of Quranic verses, like apparent meanings of sunnah and other estimated proofs, we are in need of definite proofs so that we can attain the definite desirable through logical reasoning. In other words, the apparent meanings of Quranic verses are estimated and an estimated proof is not authoritative unless it is based on a definite proof. The most significant proof for authority of apparent meanings of Quranic verses is "The conduct of the Wise" (sirah al-uqala).

There are some genitive and adjective phrases in both Arabic and Farsi languages which are grammatically and semantically treated as one grammatical unit and one semantic type. The way of changing such phrases into plural is a subject rarely dealt with in Arabic and Farsi grammar books. Through dividing those phrases, with an emphasis upon Arabic, we intend in the present discourse to distinguish ways of changing them into plurals as well.