In the name of Allah, al rahman , al rahim
All thanks and praise be to Allah, the master, sustainer and owner of all that exists.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the messenger Muhammad, his family, his companions, his followers and all those that were sent.


Hi guys,

All prophets came with their signs, Musa split the sea , Ibrahim was not hurt by fire, Eesa healed the sick, all by the permission of Allah. Imagine the feeling of those present, those who witnessed this.

Allah (SWT) has blessed this ummah (community) with a miraculous book. Unfortunately, most muslims go through the prayer without fully comprehending the meaning and the depth of what is been conveyed.

Do you see the sea part and the dead brought back to life as you recite? Are you overwhelmed by what Allah has to say to you? It is an absolutely different experience when you can achieve that.

I understand that many can't speak the language, but that does not stop you from studying the book. In fact every one should study the book. See some of the suggestions i made here: https://www.nairaland.com/956496/building-relationship-quran-this-ramadan

The aim of this thread is help us spot some of these sea-spliting moments.... Hopefully, it would motivate people to study this amazing book we have... A few points to note:

i. It will be not an exhaustive study because my knowledge is very limited, it is important that you make the attempt to learn this book. These are from some of my notes from lectures- i have listened to and what i have learnt. May Allah bless our teachers....

ii. I would like it to be interactive so we can all benefit.. however i want to achieve as much as possible before ramadan insha Allah.

iii. Make dua that Allah purifies my intentions and that people benefit from it.


Jazakallahu Khair.

ma shALLAH, may Allah make it easy for you and reward you for your efforts here and in the next life amin. Looking forward to your subsequent posts.

I hope to share some pretty heavy stuff and i hope Allah helps me convey it in the simplest language possible. The content would be divided into few titles:

1. The Arabic Language and communication

2. The early reactions to the Quran (could require more than one post)

3. The uniqueness of the Quranic discourse

4. The unparalleled sensitivity of the Quranic language (multiple posts)

5. Perfection of Word placement and choice (multiple posts)

Could add title as we move along insha Allah....

The Arabic Language and communication

Allah says in the Quran:

حمٓ (١) تَنزِيلٌ۬ مِّنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٢) كِتَـٰبٌ۬ فُصِّلَتۡ ءَايَـٰتُهُ ۥ قُرۡءَانًا عَرَبِيًّ۬ا لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَعۡلَمُونَ (٣) بَشِيرً۬ا وَنَذِيرً۬ا فَأَعۡرَضَ أَڪۡثَرُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ لَا يَسۡمَعُونَ (٤

Ha Mim A revelation from the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy; a Scripture whose verses are made distinct as a Qur
an in Arabic for people who understand, giving good news and warning. (Surah 41: 1-4)

In order for us to gain some appreciation of the Quranic discourse, It is important we create a basis for the discussion; There are three general kinds of Arabic and there are as follows:

i. Spoken Arabic
ii. Proper Arabic
iii. Ancient Arabic

i. Spoken Arabic:- This can be referred to as slang or twisted arabic. It is called amiya. It is dialectical in nature, The egyptians have theirs, the moroccans, the algerians, the gulf countries have theirs. A good illustration could be the pidgin english of west africa... It is similar to the english language but not the same and different countries have different words used for the similar words.

ii. Proper Arabic:- This is the arabic of the newspaper (formal arabic). It follows the rules of grammar. The spoken arabic is not concerned with the rules of grammar. It is called an-fusha. (also called modern standard arabic)

The most important type of arabic in understanding the quranic discourse is the ancient arabic.

iii. Ancient arabic: The ancient arabic is far more complex, far more intricate, far more advanced than proper arabic. A person who goes to school to study arabic learns proper arabic and would not carve the same pictures that an arab reciting the Quran 1400 years ago would have. So even if you speak proper arabic, you do not necessarily have an understanding of ancient arabic.

The subtleties, the complexities, the minor issues that the ancient arab will be able to notice is not observed by the modern arabic speaker today. The average arab today does not hear what the ancient arab heard when the Quran was recited.

A missionary judging the quran for instance does it based on proper arabic without a proper understanding of the depth and complexities of ancient arabic.

So what happened? Why did the ancient arabic deteriorate to the level of modern standard arabic?

Ancient arabia was locked in between two major empires; the roman and the persian empire. However, none of these empires were interested in taking over arab wasteland. There was nothing attractive for them to acquire; no monuments, no big cities... It was just desert with not much else...

So while there was some influences from abroad, for the most part, the arabs enjoyed an isolation that enabled them to develop a sophistication in their language that few nations enjoyed. The language became a matter of arab pride and identity. To excel in language was a great achievement.

Poetry competitions between tribes (similar to modern day rap battles) where they would diss each other using language was common. The one who wins has wrecked the image of the opposing tribe for generations and the one who loses is destroyed in the community and could lose his life as a result. This was how serious they took language.

The arabs used vivid pictures and riddles to express their words... That is why we can see that sometimes complete pictures are drawn for just one word in tafsirs (commentaries of the Quran). Let look at an example of ancient arabic poetry/language:

There was a man who started making poetry about how generous he is; His wife was befuddled and asks him what does he mean by generosity... He was an extremely poor person...

He responds to her in poetry:

فَ سَيلُ حَربٌ عَلي مَكَانٍ عَالِيَه

Heavy rain does not get along with a house on top of a hill.”
[literal translation: the Stream (saylu) is at war (harbun) upon a home ('alaa makaanin) on a high place ('aaliyah)]

What does he mean?
What is talking about?

They spoke in these riddles and you can be identified as a non-arab if you do not understand what he is talking about.....

Are there any suggestions as to what the man meant by this statement?

This is very interesting, the arabic language is one of the most beautiful language in the world...
I never knew understanding proper arabic would'nt give you a proper grasp of the Qur'an as the ancient speakers do, but i think i'll definately concur due to the ancient poetry during the pre-islamic period and even during the islamic era, they were full of statements although they seem simple but carry deep and heavy meanings. Ancient arabic would mean classical arabic right?
Honestly, my arabic is still basic, and have become rusty due to lack of speaking it for a while...i always see the use of complicated derivatives of the three letter verbs in some ancient poetry which makes it difficult to understand as well as the idiomatic expressions and riddles. Another aspect of the poetry that also makes it difficult to decipher is the arrangements...
To your question on suggestions, i think i would want to say the man refers to himself as the home on the hill(makanin 'aaliyah) even though he is poor but still sees himself generous(a high state of mind) and the wife as the heavy rain(saylu) who is not getting along with his state of mind therefore would'nt understand him...Another suggestion is that, he refers to generosity as home on the hill(makanin 'aaliyah) which cannot be affected by the afflictions/problems i.e heavy rain/flood(saylu)...
Tbaba1234, is there more verse to this poetry? I think it might help with the meaning of this verse.
So whatcha think?

The Arabic Language and communication

^Nice try, It is just a statement. Let us examine what he meant:

"Heavy rain does not get along with a house on top of a hill.”

He meant that provision comes from the sky, the rain represents provision. The rain comes in contact with the one on top of the hill first but it does not stay there... It flows down and creates a puddle at the bottom of the hill and the top of the hill is dry.

There are two types of people; lowly people and high people.

The rich are at the bottom of the hill (with puddles of water or provision), and he (the poor man) is at the top of the hill (with no water). The water (provision) came in contact with the top of the hill before running down and there is nothing left at the top.

He also by this analogy regarded himself as the highly placed one and the rich as actually being lowly placed.. This was the kind of depth they spoke with.

They ancient arabs had developed a very vivid imagination as a result of the nothingness that surrounded them and used very picturesque words.

The spread of islam around the world led to a situation where the arabs were no longer as isolated... Islam spread to the point that the vast majority of muslims in the world were non-arabs. Non-Arabs muslims became the majority, this meant that the vast majority of muslims were 'Arabic 101' students... As a result, the average level of arabic went down. The arabs were more exposed to the world and the language started to deteriorate. so basically, globalization led to a depreciation of language.

This was observed early and within the first century, we had lexicons, dictionaries and collections of poetry to preserve the language before it was lost. This is because if the ancient arabic is lost, the depth of the Quranic discourse will be lost.

The Quran came to the ancient arabs at a time where there were at the peak of language eloquence; where poetry was heavily criticized and your words were ripped apart...

So what was the reaction of the ancient Arab to the Quran?

The early reactions to the Quran

Do you remember any stories that highlight the reaction of the arabs to the Quran?

epic bro, deeply engaging. will mos def be following dis thread. jazakAllahu khair.


to answer your question: some people said the messenger of Allah was a mad poet.

^yes indeed that was one of the accusations...

The Early Reactions to the Quran

قُلۡ أَىُّ شَىۡءٍ أَكۡبَرُ شَہَـٰدَةً۬‌ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ‌ۖ شَہِيدُۢ بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ‌ۚ وَأُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِۦ وَمَنۢ بَلَغَ‌ۚ أَٮِٕنَّكُمۡ لَتَشۡہَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً أُخۡرَىٰ‌ۚ قُل لَّآ أَشۡہَدُ‌ۚ قُلۡ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ۬ وَٲحِدٌ۬ وَإِنَّنِى بَرِىٓءٌ۬ مِّمَّا تُشۡرِكُونَ (١٩

Say, ‘What counts most as a witness?’ Say, ‘God is witness between you and me. This Qur
an was revealed for me to warn you [people] and everyone it reaches. Do you really bear witness that there are other gods beside God?’ Say, ‘I myself do not bear witness [to any such thing].’ Say, ‘He is only one God, and I disown whatever you join with Him.’ (Surah 6:19)

The important word i highlighted is ' Balagha'... Allah says that the quran has been revealed as a balagha to the people... balagha means 'a means of communication' to people. A message to people....

There are three important aspects to communication; These three aspects determine how we receive the information we receive.. The first aspect is the speaker

i. The Speaker: The person speaking would impact the way we receive information, For instance, we would take advice coming from an elderly person more seriously than if it came from a kid. even if they say exactly the same thing. the advice from an older person carries more weight.

A second illustration, A financial expert gives you financial advice, you are more likely to take that advice that if it came from your child.

The one who speaks affect the way we receive a message.

There were two kinds of responses to the Quran

i. Some people were mesmerised by this book, it transformed their lives and they were willing to make changes because of this book.

ii. Other people were so annoyed because of this book and would do anything to stop it.

There was no middle way, it was one of these two responses...

The Quran was recited to these people;

Now to illustrate how the speaker affects communication, Allah says in the Quran:
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلاً۬ قَرۡيَةً۬ ڪَانَتۡ ءَامِنَةً۬ مُّطۡمَٮِٕنَّةً۬ يَأۡتِيهَا رِزۡقُهَا رَغَدً۬ا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ۬ فَڪَفَرَتۡ بِأَنۡعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٲقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلۡجُوعِ وَٱلۡخَوۡفِ بِمَا ڪَانُواْ يَصۡنَعُونَ (١١٢

Allah presents the example of a town that was secure and at ease, with provisions coming to it abundantly from all places. Then it became ungrateful for Allah’s blessings, so Allah afflicted it with the garment of famine and fear, for what its people had done. (Surah 16:112)

A believer hearing this "Allah strikes an example" pays more attention to what is being said because he recognizes that the speaker is Allah; however a disbeliever hearing this same verse " Allah strikes an example" is already tuned off and is disinterested... why? Once he hears, Allah strikes an example, he is disinterested in the rest of the message.

Two different reactions for the same speaker. The same reason!!

An interesting thing about the Quran in this respect, is that in the medina Quran(parts revealed in medina) where believers were mostly addressed, Allah uses the term:Allah presents the example,

However we observe that in surah hajj for instance which is a meccan Quran (parts revealed in mecca) where disbelievers are mostly addressed.. Allah says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ۬ فَٱسۡتَمِعُواْ لَهُ ۥۤ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخۡلُقُواْ ذُبَابً۬ا وَلَوِ ٱجۡتَمَعُواْ لَهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَإِن يَسۡلُبۡہُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا لَّا يَسۡتَنقِذُوهُ مِنۡهُ‌ۚ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلۡمَطۡلُوبُ (٧٣

O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides God will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for it [i.e., that purpose]. And if the fly should steal from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued. (Surah 22:73)

What Allah does in addressing the mostly disbelieving audience in meccan Quran is that the speaker is taken out of the expression so instead of 'Allah presents an example', He says ' An example is presented'. The speaker is omitted such that the disbeliever listens to what is being spoken rather than who the speaker is.

This brings us to the next aspect,"The Content"

The Early Reactions to the Quran part 2

In the last example , Allah emphasized the content rather than the speaker. This is something that is remarkably very consistent in the Quran. One of the reasons of rejecting Muhammad in the early part of the message was because he was not a celebrity. He was an orphan. He wasn't of the leaders in the town.

The two parts of communication are

i. The speaker
ii. The content

The third part is the way, it is being conveyed; lets call it the style

iii. The style- If someone is trying to correct you and says it in a rude manner, you'd most likely ignore what he has to say even though he might have a valid point. why? the method of approach was wrong.

So even if there is content in what has been said, the style of delivery is missing, The effect is missing.... You can listen to a speaker with amazing content but the style of delivery drives you to sleep.

Allah described the Quran as 'balagha' - a means of communication for people.. In the case of the Quran, The three aspects of communication are amazing:

i. The speaker is amazing: The content is amazing and the style is amazing.

The speaker and the content are not the focus of the discussion. Lets focus on the style of the Quran and the early reaction of the arabs.

So Muslims believe that the Quran is miracle but if you ask the average muslim, what makes the Quran a miracle? He'd probably come up with some scientific phenomenon, historical facts or predictions in the Quran. The verses with scientific phenomenon or historical statements are few. Do you believe that every single ayat is a miracle The Quran did not become a miracle in the 20th century when most scientific phenomenon were discovered. How many of these things were known to the arabs of that time.

It was a miracle from the time of revelation. Unfortunately, most muslims have lost the appreciation of the miracle of the Quran from this perspective.

So what was it that mesmerised the early arabs at the time of the revelation? such that even disbelievers were stunned by the book... Id share three stories.

Story 1:

The first story is that of AT-TUFAIL IBN `AMR AD-DAWSIY, He was a gifted poet, was famous and was a leader of his tribe. He used to frequent mecca. At the beginning of the prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mission, At-Tufail paid a visit to mecca. He was met at the outside of the city by the Quraish who were scared that he would meet the prophet, be enchanted and convert to Islam so the Quraish said :

"He has charming speech like magic and he makes division between a man and his son, and a man and his brother, and a man and his wife.I fear for you and your people from him. So do not talk to him nor listen to any talk from him."

Let us listen to At-Tufail himself telling the remainder of the story:So by Allah, they were still insisting on my not listening to anything from him and not meeting him. And when I went over to the Ka'bah, I filled my ears with cotton so as not to hear anything he had to say when he spoke.There I found him standing praying at the Ka' bah, so I stood close to him.Allah refused nothing but He made me hear some portion of what he was reading.I heard a fine speech, and I said to myself, "Oh, may I lose my mother! Indeed I am an intelligent poet. I would not fail to recognize the good from the ugly. What is it that hinders me from listening to the man and what he says? If that which he brings is good, I should accept it, and if it is bad...."

I stayed until Muhammad departed to his house. I followed him until heentered his house, so I entered behind him and said to him, "O Muhammad,verily your people have told me such-and-such about you. By Allah, they kept making me afraid of you until I blocked my ears with cotton in order notto hear your words. But Allah willed that I hear, so I heard a fine speech.Set forth to me your message."

So the Messenger presented to me Islam and recited to me from the Qur'aan. By Allah, I had never heard a speech better than it, nor a matter more just than it. So, I surrendered and bore witness to the truth.

END (More on AT-TUFAIL IBN `AMR AD-DAWSIY can be found here: ('Men around the messenger by Khaalid Muhammad Khaalid' http://www.islambasics.com/view.php?bkID=6&chapter=59)

It is interesting that the Quraish would call the words magic; it shows the effect the Quran had even on disbelievers in ancient arabia.... Remember we are talking of a people at the peak of eloquence. Does it have that kind of effect on the believers today. I am not talking of those who have studied the sciences of the Quran. I am talking of average non-arab speaking believers....

Story 2

The second story gives an insight as to why the leaders of the Quraish rejected the Quran even though they were stunned by it... Abu Jahl, Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb and Al-Akhnas bin Shurayq were the leaders of the Quraish but they will sneak to the house of the prophet to listen to the Quran.

Abu Jahl, Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb and Al-Akhnas bin Shurayq once came to listen to the Prophet reciting the Qur'an at night, but these three men were not aware of the presence of each other. So they listened to the Prophet's recitation until the morning, and then left.

They met each other on their way back and each one of them asked the others, "What brought you!''

So they mentioned to each other the reason why they came. They vowed not to repeat this incident so that the young men of Quraysh would not hear of what they did and imitate them.

On the second night, each one of the three came back thinking that the other two would not come because of the vows they made to each other. In the morning, they again met each other on their way back and criticized each other, vowing not to repeat what they did.

On the third night, they again went to listen to the Prophet and in the morning they again vowed not to repeat this incident.

During that day, Al-Akhnas bin Shurayq took his staff and went to Abu Sufyan bin Harb in his house saying, "O Abu Hanzalah! What is your opinion concerning what you heard from Muhammad.''

Abu Sufyan said, "O Abu Thalabah! By Allah, I have heard some things that I recognize and know their implications. I also heard some things whose meaning and implications were unknown to me.''

Al-Akhnas said, "And I the same, by He Whom you swore by!''

Al-Akhnas left Abu Sufyan and went to Abu Jahl and asked him, "O Abu Al-Hakam! What is your opinion about what you heard from Muhammad.''

Abu Jahl said, "We competed with Bani Abd Manaf (the Prophet's sub tribe) and so we fed as they fed and gave away as they gave away. So, when we were neck and neck with them, just as two horses in a race, they said, `There is a Prophet from among us, to whom revelation from the heaven comes.' So how can we ever beat them at that! By Allah we will never believe in him or accept what he says.'

This is when Al-Akhnas left Abu Jahl and went away.''

END (Reported by Muhammad bin Ishaq through Az-Zuhri)

Even the worst enemies of Islam would sneak up to listen to the recitation of the Quran, wow... They just couldn't accept him due to pride and tribal rivalries.. Do you as a believer sneak up to listen to the words of Allah? These were a people at the peak of eloquence, this book brought their best poets and their greatest leaders to their knees... Here, they refuse the message because of the one it was conveyed through.

They were mesmerized by the style of the Quran. Abu sufyan became muslim later on.

Story 3:

Utbah bin Rabi'ah (the father-in-law of Abu Sufyan) went to the prophet and presented some proposals to him on the authority of the chiefs of the Quraish. He said, "Nephew, if by what you are doing, you want wealth, we will give you enough of it so that you will be the richest man among us; if you want to became an important man, we will make you our chief and will never decide a matter without you; if you want to be a king, we will accept you as our king; and if you are visited by a jinn, whom you cannot get rid of by your own power, we will arrange the best physicians and have you treated at our own expense."

The prophet replied by reciting surah fussilat: when during the recitation the Holy Prophet had come to verse 13, viz."If they turn away, say to them: I warn you of a thunderbolt the like of which had visited the Ad and the Thamud,"Utbah had spontaneously placed his hand on the Holy Prophet's mouth, and said: "For God's sake, have mercy on your people."... His face had changed,

He returns back to his people; they saw him from afar, and said: "By God! Utbab's face is changed. He does not look the same man that he was when he went from here." Then, when he came back and sat down, the people asked, "What have you heard?" He replied, "By God! I have heard something the like of which I had never heard before. By God, it's neither poetry, nor sorcery, nor magic. O chiefs of the Quraish, listen to what I say and leave this man to himself. I think what he recites is going to have its effect. If the other Arabs overcome him, you will be saved from raising your band against your brother, and the others will deal with him. But if he overcame Arabia, his sovereignty would be your sovereignty and his honor your honor." Hearing this the chiefs spoke out:"You too, O father of Walid, have been bewitched by his tongue." Utbah replied, "I have given you my opinion; now you may act as you please."
(reported by several traditions,Ibn Hisham, vol. I, pp. 313-314)

This was the reaction of the early disbelievers to the Quran; It is a shame that many muslims today do not feel the same effect for the words of Allah as those disbelievers felt...

We would examine some of the truly truly truly remarkable aspects of the Quran Insha Allah..

So why do think the effect of the Quran is lost among some muslims today? Once we can regain that connection, we will be a different ummah....

correct, it's effect is lost on most Muslims. reasons may include:

majority of us not being Arab, and consequently non-native Arabic speakers.

general ignorance about the explicit effects of the arabic language on the Quran.(it's powerful enough in any language though)

no time/resources to study arabic.

^ yes indeed, I'd say the biggest factor is that most of us are not interested. Everyone should equip himself with knowledge and share it with as many people as possible.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it (to others)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Hadith 545

It is not enough to memorise. That does come with benefits. It is more beneficial to understand what you recite even if it is a shallow understanding.

Both disbelievers and the believers at the time of revelation were overpowered by the Quran.

Belief & the unique Quran

The believers at the time of the prophet heard two things when they heard the Quran, they heard guidance and they heard a miracle. As muslims, we believe that the Quran is not only guidance, It is a lasting miracle for all of time.

I give you an illustration, Imagine you witnessed the sea part at the time of musa, Do they think you will have any doubt about it? As time passes, this story is transmitted from generation to generation.. It gets to a point where people become skeptical about it. They begin to ask questions. To them, it is just a story. A Jewish myth. The same applies to the stories of other prophets of Ibrahim and Eesa.

Allah has given us a book and has promised to preserve it, so the miracle of the Quran is available for all generations. As muslims, we must be able to transmit that miracle to everyone.

إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ ۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ (٩

We have sent down the Qur
an Ourself, and We Ourself will guard it. (Surah 15:9)

It is important that we can transmit that miracle in any language, at least we must try.It is a right of the people to know how awesome this book is.

So why are miracles needed? Imagine your neighbour come to your door and tells you that he is a messenger of God, receiving messages from an angel. He says that you should believe him and follow everything he has to say. He tells you to change your life unless you will be punished. Your first reaction will be that your neighbour is crazy or drunk.

This is what the messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be on all of them) had to face. In order to make their claims believable, Allah gave them miracles to their people. These miracles were the clear signs that their message was from the divine. The only reason left at that point for disbelief is arrogance since there is no more intellectual reason to reject. This miracle has to be beyond what humans can achieve, it can't be the product of the human mind.

For muslims and all mankind, we have been given the greatest miracle, the Quran. The difference between the Quran and other miracles is that all other miracles were for the eyes to see but the Quran is for the ears. So whilst other miracle are lost because you can't produce evidence it happened, you weren't there. The Quran remains a witness for the rest of time. Example: An atheist can come to a christian and ask: where is the proof that the sick were healed during the time of Jesus (AS)? were you there? ... The christian will say, 'it is by faith'

For muslims, We must have a basis to claim that this book is the greatest proof and the miracle of Islam. So when the atheists come to the muslim and ask: So did you see the angel coming down from the sky? We can confidently say 'No' .

If he asks: So why do you believe, this is the word of God... We can simply say: Let me show you why this Quran can't be human.... That is the part we need to know.. So we bring up the questions that will keep them awake at night.

We will examine the miracle of the Quran from the literary point of view; Now look at all the great pieces of literature in the world, a muslim will tell you that the Quran is the greatest piece of literature,nothing compares. But literature is subjective, isn't it?... So we say it's beautiful, they say it is ugly.

Remember we said earlier that Allah says the Quran is 'Balagha' - a means of communicating. What is the purpose of communication? The purpose of communicating is to influence the audience. Better literature is judged by how much influence it had on its audience. what change did it make on it audience? What control does it exert on the audience? That is a practical judge of the power of any literature.

Historically, no society in human civilisation went through the kind of transformation based on a single text in the way the muslims went through with the Quran. A transformation that took only 23 years. In 23 years, a man starts single-handedly and at the end of 23 years; What changes did these words (the speaker, the content and the style) made on these people. Examine it:

The way people ate , slept, went to the bathroom, dressed, family relations, community relations, the way people plan their day , they way people addressed each other , the way they did their business , the way they fought, etc changed... Everything changed.

The Question to ask about this literature : The Quran is WHAT didn't change?......

Let us talk a little about the uniqueness of the Quran.

The Quran has a perfected eloquence. We mentioned three types of Arabic

1. Spoken Arabic
2. Proper Arabic
3. Ancient Arabic

We said that the ancient Arabic is the most advanced of the three, Well, I will introduce a fourth category

4. Quranic Arabic

The Quranic Arabic is on a category of its own, there is simply nothing like it. There is no poetry like it, there is no literature like it. There is no literature in any language like the Quran.

Simply nothing like it!!

You can't compare it to anything else.

Let look at it from a simplistic view first. The Quran has 114 surahs. Surahs are often translated as chapters.

In every other book, the chapter after is based on the chapter before. For instance you will not repeat in chapter 2 what you said in chapter 1. There isn't repetition. The writers organise their thoughts in a particular logical sequence that can be deciphered.

The Quran on the other hand repeats itself across its 'chapters'... So they are not really chapters... What we call as chapter is actually something else. So can we call it units?... like unit 1, unit 2 ... No Why is that? The Quran defies human logic... You can't explain the arrangement of the surahs, Are the meccan and medina surah defined by the arrangement? No... Is it defined by the length of the surah?? like the longest first and the shortest last? No

So the Quran

does not go by subject order...
does not go by size order....
does not go by chronological order...

It has its own unique order unlike any other book... There is nothing like it... Even in its structure , it is uncomparable...

So humans have built all of these orders and it is common to see people accuse the Quran of having no order.. So basically they say; we can't find subject, size or chronological order so they claim there is no order. The connection between the surahs are remarkable and have been a subject of study for centuries.

The Quran can not be confined to any literary form. It has its own struture. There is only one word that can be used for Surah... that is: Surah..

As a muslim , you must remember that we are an intellectual civilisation and we have answers for questions..

So what makes the ayats unique from verses?

what is this unique order, or is it beyond human comprehension?

ayah, i think are different from regular verses by the volume of meaning that may underlie just a single one?

Belief & the unique Quran Part 2

^There is a remarkable connection between surahs but it is beyond any literary form developed by humans... This has been the subject of many commentaries of the Quran. I would recommend the tafsir of Nouman Ali Khan of Juz Amma : http://bayyinah.com/podcast/category/juz_amma/

It's stunning stuff..

Ayah is usually translated as verse,

The usual connotations for the word 'verse' are poems, songs and the bible. We know the Quran is not poetry and the Quran is very adamant in letting us know that.

وَمَا عَلَّمۡنَـٰهُ ٱلشِّعۡرَ وَمَا يَنۢبَغِى لَهُ ۥۤ‌ۚ إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرٌ۬ وَقُرۡءَانٌ۬ مُّبِينٌ۬ (٦٩

We have not taught the Prophet poetry, nor could he ever have been a poet. (Surah 36:69)

The use of verse for ayah is therefore incorrect. The last thing you should think about when you hear the quran is poetry or the bible.

so what makes the ayah unique? Just like there is nothing else like a surah, there is nothing else like an ayah...

An ayah can't even be called a sentence...

1.) We have ayahs of just one word

ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ (١

Al-Rahman (Surah 55:1)

2.) We have multiple ayahs that make up just one sentence:

ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٢) ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ (٣) مَـٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ (٤
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful, Owner of the Day of Judgment. (Surah 1:2-4)

3.) Then we have entire passages and paragraphs of inheritance law, and of loans:

ـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيۡنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّ۬ى فَٱڪۡتُبُوهُ‌ۚ وَلۡيَكۡتُب بَّيۡنَكُمۡ ڪَاتِبُۢ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ‌ۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكۡتُبَ ڪَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚ فَلۡيَڪۡتُبۡ وَلۡيُمۡلِلِ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَلۡيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُ ۥ وَلَا يَبۡخَسۡ مِنۡهُ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا‌ۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوۡ ضَعِيفًا أَوۡ لَا يَسۡتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلۡيُمۡلِلۡ وَلِيُّهُ ۥ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ‌ۚ وَٱسۡتَشۡہِدُواْ شَہِيدَيۡنِ مِن رِّجَالِڪُمۡ‌ۖ فَإِن لَّمۡ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيۡنِ فَرَجُلٌ۬ وَٱمۡرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرۡضَوۡنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّہَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحۡدَٮٰهُمَا فَتُذَڪِّرَ إِحۡدَٮٰهُمَا ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰ‌ۚ وَلَا يَأۡبَ ٱلشُّہَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُواْ‌ۚ وَلَا تَسۡـَٔمُوٓاْ أَن تَكۡتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوۡ ڪَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكُمۡ أَقۡسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقۡوَمُ لِلشَّہَـٰدَةِ وَأَدۡنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرۡتَابُوٓاْ‌ۖ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً حَاضِرَةً۬ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيۡنَڪُمۡ فَلَيۡسَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكۡتُبُوهَا‌ۗ وَأَشۡهِدُوٓاْ إِذَا تَبَايَعۡتُمۡ‌ۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبٌ۬ وَلَا شَهِيدٌ۬‌ۚ وَإِن تَفۡعَلُواْ فَإِنَّهُ ۥ فُسُوقُۢ بِڪُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُڪُمُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢٨٢

You who believe, when you contract a debt for a stated term, put it down in writing: have a scribe write it down justly between you. No scribe should refuse to write: let him write as God has taught him, let the debtor dictate, and let him fear God, his Lord, and not diminish [the debt] at all. If the debtor is feeble-minded, weak, or unable to dictate, then let his guardian dictate justly. Call in two men as witnesses. If two men are not there, then call one man and two women out of those you approve as witnesses, so that if one of the two women should forget the other can remind her. Let the witnesses not refuse when they are summoned. Do not disdain to write the debt down, be it small or large, along with the time it falls due: this way is more equitable in God’s eyes, more reliable as testimony, and more likely to prevent doubts arising between you. But if the merchandise is there and you hand it over, there is no blame on you if you do not write it down. Have witnesses present whenever you trade with one another, and let no harm be done to either scribe or witness, for if you did cause them harm, it would be a crime on your part. Be mindful of God, and He will teach you: He has full knowledge of everything. (Surah 2:282)

It can't be confined to any literary form, only one word can be used for Ayah and that is: Ayah:

So the Quran in its basic structure has nothing comparable to it. Nothing else fits, nothing else can describe it. So we have been given this unique literature that is uncomparable to any other.

Now let us talk about what makes the Quran so incredible...

What is the difference between a written statement and just talking?

barka Jum'uah
a written document is preserved as physical evidence, open to scrutiny etc, spoken words can only be preserved by memory. speech may also be able to convey emotions that would be difficult with text.

question: were there no such things as Surah and ayah in Arabic literature prior to the Quran's revelation?

Tbaba, do you have any idea when Ramadan would start?

fellis: Tbaba, do you have any idea when Ramadan would start?

Em, when the moon is sighted.... It is expected to start on July 19, 2012, wallahu alim...

snubish: barka Jum'uah
question: were there no such things as Surah and ayah in Arabic literature prior to the Quran's revelation?

JazakAllahu Khair,

The words surah and ayah did exist in ancient arabic ... The coming of the quran totally changed how these words were used; The Quran revolutionized the arabic language. It took ownership of the language.

Surah could mean elevation or height, It could be regarded as height, such as walls that surround a city..... The arabs also referred to complete and perfect things as surah... An example of the use of the word surah in pre-islamic poetry

An-Nâbighah - a renowned poet from pre-Islamic era said (when he was praising a king),

Do you realize that Allah has given you such a Sawrah, that every other king remains far below it? (This could refer to the elevation of the king or his 'perfection' and that only kings are below him in his height/perfection)

The surah can be seen therefore as the complete and perfected part that surround the ayat; just as the walls of a city surround the homes in the city.

Ayah means sign, miracle, wonder...

Again, picturesque words.....

So these words existed in ancient arabic vocabulary but the Quran transformed the way they were used...

The unparalleled sensitivity of the Quranic language

@Snubish, you are correct, but that was not exactly what i was looking for... Jazakallahu Khair

Now we start looking at some of the things that make the Quran so incredible. There are many, many ways of looking at this and there are hundreds of thousands of examples in the Quran. We will start on a micro-scale then move up gradually insha Allah.

When we speak, we organize our thoughts, we have a mental picture of what we want to talk about. But when we speak, we are incapable of organizing our words based of what we are going to say later. You see, we put words together but we do not give focus to each and every word we say. Our focus when we speak is not the words but the idea, we are trying to pass across.

However, when we write, we are more careful about our words and can edit it as much as can. We can change the structure of our sentences, change the words. et.c

Speaking is more spontaneous while writing is usually well thought out because there is an editorial process.

The speech of humans is not calculated down to the word but the speech of Allah is perfect because the source is perfect. The Quran was revealed as speech recited to its audience.

Example 1

Allah says in the Quran:

قُلۡ ڪَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَہِيدَۢا بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَڪُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرَۢا بَصِيرً۬ا (٩٦

Say: Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves , He knows and observes His servants well.’ (Surah 17:96)

Compare to this:

قُلۡ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَڪُمۡ شَہِيدً۬ا‌ۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ وَڪَفَرُواْ بِٱللَّهِ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَـٰسِرُونَ (٥٢

Say: Allah is enough between me and yourselves as a witness,[/b]He knows what is in the heavens and earth. Those who believe in false deities and deny God will be the losers.’ (Surah 29:52)

These are two different ayat, two different places. Notice the bolded parts...

1. Say: [b]Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves - Here, witness (shahidan) comes first before 'me and yourselves' (baini wa bainakum)

2, Say: Allah is enough between me and youselves as a witness - Here, 'me and yourselves' (baini wa bainakum) comes first and witness (shahidan) comes next.

So the difference is the sequence of words;

You see the Quran is hyper-sensitive, microscopically sensitive to context.. If a word is removed from its place, the perfection will be lost. So the first ayah ends with.

1. He knows and observes His servants well. (rough translation)

So the ayah ends speaking about Allah.

Point: When the ayah ends speaking about Allah, the word for Allah, Shahidan (witness) comes first.

Say: Allah is enough as a witness between me and yourselves , He knows and observes His servants well.’ (Surah 17:96)

Now lets look at the end of the second ayah:

2. The second ayah ends with: 'Those who believe in false deities and deny God will be the losers'

Point: The ayah ends speaking about people just like it began, me and yourselves (Baini wa bainakum)

So when the ayah starts speaking about Allah, it ends with Allah.

When it starts speaking about people, it ends speaking about people.

So what is about to be said in the future has an influence as to how words are organised before. We do not have that ability when we speak and even when we write, we are not that sensitive. The Quran was revealed as spoken word not written word.

This attribute is consistent throughout the Quran; The sensitivity in the sequence of words is amazing.... This is very often lost in translation

Example 2

This is another example of the sensitivity of the Quran; Allah says in the Quran:

1

قُلۡ تَعَالَوۡاْ أَتۡلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّڪُمۡ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ‌ۖ أَلَّا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا‌ۖ وَبِٱلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَـٰنً۬ا‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَـٰدَڪُم مِّنۡ إِمۡلَـٰقٍ۬‌ۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُڪُمۡ وَإِيَّاهُمۡ‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡفَوَٲحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنۡهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ‌ۖ وَلَا تَقۡتُلُواْ ٱلنَّفۡسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكُمۡ وَصَّٮٰكُم بِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ (١٥١

Say, ‘Come! I will tell you what your Lord has really forbidden you. Do not ascribe anything as a partner to Him; be good to your parents; do not kill your children because of poverty’– We will provide for you and for them–‘ stay well away from committing obscenities, whether openly or in secret; do not take the life God has made sacred, except by right. This is what He commands you to do: perhaps you will use your reason. (Surah 6:151)


2.
وَلَا تَقۡتُلُوٓاْ أَوۡلَـٰدَكُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ إِمۡلَـٰقٍ۬‌ۖ نَّحۡنُ نَرۡزُقُهُمۡ وَإِيَّاكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ قَتۡلَهُمۡ ڪَانَ خِطۡـًٔ۬ا كَبِيرً۬ا (٣١

Do not kill your children for fear of poverty ––We shall provide for them and for you––killing them is a great sin. (Surah 17:31)

So the bolded statements are

1. Do not kill your children because of poverty’– We will provide for you and for them–‘

2. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty ––We shall provide for them and for you–

In statement 1, we have 'you' first and 'them' second

Statement 2 uses 'them' first and 'you' second.

Why?, you see to us it is all the same... This highlights the hyper-sensitivity of the Quran

The key is to look at what precedes,

Statement 1 says 'because of poverty' , which means poverty already exists, . When poverty already exists, you are worried about feeding yourself not the children in the future. So Allah says we provide for 'you and them'.

Statement 2 says "because of a fear of poverty'. Fear is of something in the future like the children who are coming in the future so Allah says we provide for 'them and you'.

The sequence of words is so perfect and this is consistent over and over again in the Quran. The hypersensitivity in the sequence of words is stunning and we see this over and over again.

So even to the microscopic details, the Quran is sensitive... And this is just the tip of the iceberg....

pls don,t stop. will still go over the last post later. the detail is giving me a slight headache.


laughing at example 3 in reactions to the Qur'an above. the man Utbah was overawed in spite of himself; he couldn,t hide his expression.

its slowly sinking, i.e. to refer to speech as magic is something strange; when we hear magic, usually we think visual effects or something felt within; pain or euphoria. see:


Surat Al-'Aĥqāf (The Wind-Curved Sandhills) - سورة الأحقاف

46:7

Sahih International
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is obvious magic."

pls don,t stop. will still go over the last post later. the detail is giving me a slight headache.


laughing at example 3 in reactions to the Qur'an above. the man Utbah was overawed in spite of himself; he couldn,t hide his expression.

its slowly sinking, i.e. to refer to speech as magic is something strange; when we hear magic, usually we think visual effects or something felt within; pain or euphoria. see:


Surat Al-'Aĥqāf (The Wind-Curved Sandhills) - سورة الأحقاف

46:7

And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is obvious magic."

tbaba1234:

Em, when the moon is sighted.... It is expected to start on July 19, 2012, wallahu alim...

Thank you so much.

jzk bro.suffice to say I'm mesmerised.keep them coming.

snubish: pls don,t stop. will still go over the last post later. the detail is giving me a slight headache.

laughing at example 3 in reactions to the Qur'an above. the man Utbah was overawed in spite of himself; he couldn,t hide his expression.

its slowly sinking, i.e. to refer to speech as magic is something strange; when we hear magic, usually we think visual effects or something felt within; pain or euphoria. see:

Surat Al-'Aĥqāf (The Wind-Curved Sandhills) - سورة الأحقاف

46:7

Sahih International
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them, "This is obvious magic."

Yes that is probably the funniest example...

Exactly, you do not just call words magic...

bntY: jzk bro.suffice to say I'm mesmerised.keep them coming.

Wa iyyakum

'English is black and white, Arabic is "1080P" HD - Suhaib Webb

Perfection of word choice

The next area we would look at, in tha Quran is the perfection of word choice;

Example 1

So Allah says in the Quran:

وَإِلَىٰ مَدۡيَنَ أَخَاهُمۡ شُعَيۡبً۬ا‌ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥ‌ۖ وَلَا تَنقُصُواْ ٱلۡمِڪۡيَالَ وَٱلۡمِيزَانَ‌ۚ إِنِّىٓ أَرَٮٰڪُم بِخَيۡرٍ۬ وَإِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ۬ مُّحِيطٍ۬ (٨٤

And to Midian, We sent their brother Shuayb. He said, ‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him. Do not give short measure nor short weight. I see you are prospering, but I fear you will have torment on an overwhelming Day. (Surah Hud 11:84)

So midian is the name of a place and a people. The place is called midian and the name of the people is midian... Remember this!

In surah Al-shuara, Allah speaks of different prophets:

كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٠٥) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٠٦
The people of Noah, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Noah said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:105-106)

كَذَّبَتۡ عَادٌ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٢٣) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٢٤)
The people of Ad, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Hud said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:123-124)

كَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُودُ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٤١) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ صَـٰلِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٤٢
The people of Thamud, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Salih said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:141-142)

كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ لُوطٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٦٠) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ لُوطٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٦١
The people of Lot, too, called the messengers liars. Their brother Lot said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:160-161)

كَذَّبَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ لۡـَٔيۡكَةِ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ (١٧٦) إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ شُعَيۡبٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (١٧٧
The comapnions of aeyka, too, called the messengers liars. Shuayb said to them, ‘Will you not be mindful of God? (Surah 26:160-161)

Notice something different...
In the Al shura, Allah talks about the prophets, one after the other
i. Their brother Noah said to them
ii. Their brother Salih said to them
iii. Their brother Lot said to them
iv. Shuayb said to them

In each story, Allah uses 'their brother' except for the case of Shuayb.. Why would Allah omit 'their brother'?

We saw earlier in the first ayah quoted, that Allah said:
i. And to Midian, We sent their brother Shuayb

In surah alshura, Allah says:

ii. The companions of aeyka, too, called the messengers liars. Shuayb said to them

So why will Allah use the word 'their brother' in one ayat and omit it in another

You see, Midian is the name of the place and race, so in terms of the race of people, Shauib was a part of the race so he is their brother in that respect.

In surah alshura, Allah calls them the people of midian 'the companions of Aeyka'.... You see, aeyka was the name of a tree, they used to worship. And since Shuayb does not worship what they worshop. In terms of their religion, he is not their brother.

The precision in the Quran once again, The degree of sensitivity in the Quran is highlighted once again and it is consistent throughout the book, over and over again. You do not find this degree of sensitivity anywhere else.

This is just about to get pretty heavy... One of my favorite examples, coming up..

Example 2

In surah yasin, Allah says of heavenly bodies;

[size=16pt]كُلٌّ۬ فِى فَلَكٍ۬[/size] يَسۡبَحُونَ

...each swim in its own orbit (surah 36:40)

The word used for orbit or rotation is [b]Ya[/b]sbah ([size=15pt]يَسۡبَحُونَ[/size])

Now see how the letters are arranged....



See the letters Orbitting/floating around the letter ‘Ya’....The same letter used for orbit..

Since it talks about orbits, the letters are floating around each other.

Even in the way words are spelt, there is a miracle... We are stunned even by how words are spelt, wrap your head around it.... SubhanAllah... Remember, This was not revealed in written form, This was spoken word recited to people.... How can humans come up with this?

As always,this is just the tip of the Iceberg, More tomorrow.. Insha Allah

^SubhanaLLAH!!! Wow! This is realy something i must say...may Allah reward you for this insight you've just given me amin.
Lol@ arabic is "1080p" HD.

Perfection of word choice

Did anyone notice anything else about the last example? Well, It is a palindrome. Palindrome are words or sentences that spell forward and backwards the same way. Most examples of palindromes have very little content. Examples wow, race car , Famous example of sentences are

i. "Able was I ere I saw Elba"
ii. "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!”
iii. “Madam, I'm Adam”.
iv. "Name no one man."

All of the statements above have very little contents. no meaning, That is a feature of most palindromes, there is little content.

The Quran is filled with palindromes in full sentences like the one above without affecting the meaning

an example from the Quran



Now Let's look an ayah that is an amazing palindrome

Example 1

You see the ancient arabs had palindromes in their poetry. It will usually take them years to get one and even at that,,, The best they could come up with is

[size=15pt]حُوتَ فَمُهُ مَفتُوح[/size]

[size=17pt]ح و ت ف م ه م ف ت و ح[/size]

The whales mouth is open.

You can see how laughable this is... Now lets look at the Quran

Surah Muddathir ayah 3 is a palindrome... Allah says...

[size=17pt]
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ[/size]

and declare the greatness only of your Rabb(Lord)” (surah 74:3)

In ancient arabic, there are 21 ways وَ‘wa’ is used and one way is wow al musta’nifah, the wow that separates one sentence from another. Just like the capital letter in the english language....

This وَ‘wa is this ayah indicates the beginning of a sentence...

the sentence is:

[size=17pt]رَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ[/size]

look at it more closely:

[size=17pt]رب ب ك ف ك ب ب ر [/size]

Rabbaka-fa-Kabbir.... This is a palindrome... Constructing a palindrome is a lot of work and involves an editing process, but the Quran comes with these palindromes again and again.. It does so without giving up the depth of meaning or altering the sentences in which they occur.

The best the arabs could only come up with at the peak of eloquence is ' the whale's mouth is open'.... This is with years of trial and effort.. But

1- The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam was unlearned: he couldn’t read.
2- The Qur’an was not revealed as a written book; but it was spoken word...
3- The Qur’an was not edited, it was one attempt.

So the prophet is dropping these palindromes by the permission of Allah without even trying... SubhanAllah... The palindrome exists without compromising content and style. Attempts at palindromes by humans in any language have very little meaning.

Even if the humans and jinn were to get together, they chose any language, would they be able to create “Rabbaka faKabir” as a palindrome that contains both content and style? This is just one ayah....

Can we all just 'declare the greatness only of your Rabb(Lord)”? Allahuakbar....

SubhanAllah, I am in awe as i type this.. It reminds of an ayah

If We had sent this Qur
an down to a mountain, you [Prophet] would have seen it humbled and split apart in its awe of God: We offer people such illustrations so that they may reflect. (Surah 59:21)

Example 2

I had to regain a little composure before typing this next example: SubhanAllah.. To think this is just a minute fraction from this book is just amazing...

So what is difference between past tense and present tense?

If i say,

i. I go to the store

and

ii. I went to the store

'I go to the store' means i go to the store regularly

'I went to the store' means i went to the store once

keep this in mind...

Allah says in Surah Nisa:

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنٍ أَن يَقۡتُلَ مُؤۡمِنًا إِلَّا خَطَـًٔ۬ا‌ۚ وَمَن قَتَلَ مُؤۡمِنًا خَطَـًٔ۬ا فَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ۬ مُّؤۡمِنَةٍ۬ وَدِيَةٌ۬ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦۤ إِلَّآ أَن يَصَّدَّقُواْ‌ۚ فَإِن كَانَ مِن قَوۡمٍ عَدُوٍّ۬ لَّكُمۡ وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ۬ فَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ۬ مُّؤۡمِنَةٍ۬‌ۖ وَإِن ڪَانَ مِن قَوۡمِۭ بَيۡنَڪُمۡ وَبَيۡنَهُم مِّيثَـٰقٌ۬ فَدِيَةٌ۬ مُّسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ وَتَحۡرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ۬ مُّؤۡمِنَةٍ۬‌ۖ فَمَن لَّمۡ يَجِدۡ فَصِيَامُ شَهۡرَيۡنِ مُتَتَابِعَيۡنِ تَوۡبَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَڪِيمً۬ا (٩٢) وَمَن يَقۡتُلۡ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا مُّتَعَمِّدً۬ا فَجَزَآؤُهُ ۥ جَهَنَّمُ خَـٰلِدً۬ا فِيہَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ وَلَعَنَهُ ۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ ۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمً۬ا (٩٣

Never should a believer kill another believer, except by mistake. If anyone killed a believer by mistake he must free one Muslim slave and pay compensation to the victim’s relatives, unless they charitably forgo it; if the victim belonged to a people at war with you but is a believer, then the compensation is only to free a believing slave; if he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty, then compensation should be handed over to his relatives, and a believing slave set free. Anyone who lacks the means to do this must fast for two consecutive months by way of repentance to God: God is all knowing, all wise. If anyone kills a believer deliberately, the punishment for him is Hell, and there he will remain: God is angry with him, and rejects him, and has prepared a tremendous torment for him. (Surah Nisa:92-93)

The two bolded statements are

i. If anyone killed a believer by mistake

ii. If anyone kills a believer deliberately

In i, Allah uses the word translated as 'killed'
in ii, Allah uses the word translated as 'kills'

i is in the past tense
The other ii is in the present tense

This is all in the same passage; the same discussion, So why the change of tenses?

i. If anyone killed a believer by mistake - This is in past tense because this killing occurs by mistake. Someone who kills by mistake is likely to make that mistake only once. you only commit murder by mistake once. Hence the need for the use of past tense... (Remember the 'i went to the store') example

ii. If anyone kills a believer deliberately- A person who kills deliberately is likely to repeat the crime. Hence, the need to use the present tense. (Remember the 'i go to the store' example)

The microscopic hypersensitivity again, SubhanAllah... Even in the choice of tense.... These are the things that are lost in translations....

We'd look at other stunning examples tomorrow insha Allah, but answer this question...

If i watch a really great lecture and i say to you 'That was a really cool lecture'.... How would someone who lived in the 1960s interpret my statement

A powerful example drawn for shirk (associating partners with Allah)

A lot of what we have looked at so far are on a micro-scale so let's change it a bit:

Allah gives up examples in the Quran, Lets share one beautiful example:

Allah Says in the Quran:

حُنَفَآءَ لِلَّهِ غَيۡرَ مُشۡرِكِينَ بِهِۦ‌ۚ وَمَن يُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَخۡطَفُهُ ٱلطَّيۡرُ أَوۡ تَهۡوِى بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ۬ سَحِيقٍ۬ (٣١

Being true in faith to Allah and never assigning partners to Him: if anyone assigns partners to Allah he is as if he fell from the sky and been snatched up by birds or the wind had swooped and thrown him into a far-distant place. (Surah 22:31)

So Allah describes someone who commits as

i. One who falls from the sky
ii. Been snatched up by birds
iii. The wind throw him off to a distant place

Now for many people, this makes little sense ... How does this tie to shirk?

If you say, 'That movie was cool', A person living in the 1960s would interpret it in a different way because the use of the word 'cool' as an expression for something good was not common in their times. Hence, A person in the 60's looking at that statement would say, it makes no sense...

if one translates this example literally without an understanding of expression, the point is lost. A proper arabic speaker who is a missionary could look at this and say , this makes no sense.

You see, the Quran was revealed to ancient arabs and ancient arabic also had its own idioms...

Most of the pagan arabs did not believe in an afterlife, They believed everything stopped at death. And reminders of the catastrophic events of the endtime was met with disbelief.So Allah uses a truly remarkable example to describe the one who has ascribed partners to Allah.

The pagan arabs were made up of warrior tribes, they used to get into fights over all kinds of trivial issues. The worst kind of death imaginable for anyone is the death of a coward or a loser. Since they did not believe in an afterlife, the reputation you live behind is the most important thing and to die the death of a loser or a coward was the worst thing imaginable.

i. 'Falling from the sky'- This was a common expression in ancient arabic. Now imagine there are two tribes fighting, One is on a hill and the other is at the bottom of the hill.. The one at the top has the advantage, If despite of that advantage they lost; maybe they were killed in the battle or as they run away, they trip, fall off and die. They have died the death of a coward or a loser.

This is the worst legacy you can leave..This kind of death is expressed in ancient arabic as 'falling from the sky'... The ugliest kind of end they could imagine is captured in the words 'falling from the sky'.

So Allah used the ugliest thing these pagan arabs could imagine to describe shirk, since they had no concept of the hereafter.

ii.'Been snatched up by birds'- What happens after battle? The people come to pick up the bodies of their dead to bury... For those who have died the death of cowards and losers, Nobody comes for them and when nobody comes... birds of carrion visit the body and feed on it.... These birds feed on the body of a person who has died a humiliating death and has been disowned by his own tribe so these birds eat to their fill

iii. The wind throw him off to a distant place- Whatever scum is left of the body is blown off when a wind comes. and even if no birds came, the body decomposes and what is left of it is blown away by the wind...

Allah expresses the condition of one who commits shirk from the perspective of the pagan arab. The most horrible thing they could imagine has been displayed in such beautiful terms to show them the seriousness of shirk.

Can you see how powerful the examples in the Quran are?

This also highlights the importance of studying this book.... You can not reduce the Quran to shallow translations as we do today....

Placement of words in the Quran


Example 1

Allah says in Quran:

وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةً۬ وَسَطً۬ا لِّتَڪُونُواْ شُہَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ شَهِيدً۬ا‌ۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ ٱلَّتِى كُنتَ عَلَيۡہَآ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيۡهِ‌ۚ وَإِن كَانَتۡ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُ‌ۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَـٰنَكُمۡ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ۬ رَّحِيمٌ۬ (١٤٣

Thus, We have made you [believers] into a middle nation, so that you may bear witness [to the truth] before others and so that the Messenger may bear witness [to it] before you. We only made the direction the one you used to face [Prophet] in order to distinguish those who follow the Messenger from those who turn on their heels: that test was hard, except for those God has guided. God would never let your faith go to waste [believers],c for God is most compassionate and most merciful towards people. (Surah Baqarah 2:143)

The bolded term is in surah Baqarah, ayah 143

i Thus, We have made you [believers] into[b] a middle[/b] nation

Surah baqarah is made up of 286 ayat, and in the 143 ayah, Allah calls us a Middle nation:

143 is half of 286. Allah calls us a middle nation in the middle ayah of surah baqarah.... SubuanAllah!!

Example 2

I am tempted to share one more;

In surah ahzab, Allah says:

مَّا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ۬ مِّن قَلۡبَيۡنِ فِى جَوۡفِهِۦ‌ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزۡوَٲجَكُمُ ٱلَّـٰٓـِٔى تُظَـٰهِرُونَ مِنۡہُنَّ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمۡ‌ۚ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدۡعِيَآءَكُمۡ أَبۡنَآءَكُمۡ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكُمۡ قَوۡلُكُم بِأَفۡوَٲهِكُمۡ‌ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَقُولُ ٱلۡحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهۡدِى ٱلسَّبِيلَ (٤

God does not put two hearts inside of any man. He does not turn the wives you reject and liken to your mothers’ backs into your real mothers; nor does He make your adopted sons into real sons. These are only words from your mouths, while God speaks the truth and guides people to the right path. (Surah 33:4)

The word used for man here is 'rajulin' which implies only males.... Allah (Azza wa jal) excludes females because when females get pregnant they can have two or more hearts within them.. Even in the literal interpretation of the verse, it is perfect. SubhanAllah...

Alhamdulilah

Suggested next area

i. oaths in the Quran

ii. Musa and Firaun

Make a choice Insha Allah

^forgive some of the grammatical errors, id correct them as i review the write-ups

And it is important i get your feedback

jazakAllahu khair, pls can you slow down a bit, inshAllahu this thread will continue longer than the title suggests.
can you be giving more examples e.g. 3 examples whenever possible. to start with can you give more examples of palindromes. then u can proceed with "oaths in the qur'an". ma salaam.

yes 'oaths in d quran'e.gwhy would Allah swear wt d fig or olive tree.

snubish: jazakAllahu khair, pls can you slow down a bit, inshAllahu this thread will continue longer than the title suggests.
can you be giving more examples e.g. 3 examples whenever possible. to start with can you give more examples of palindromes. then u can proceed with "oaths in the qur'an". ma salaam.

Wa iyakum

At the moment, the thread ends when ramadan starts; I will try and cover as much as i can before then insha Allah.... I think two examples are enough for each case; I said it will not be an exhaustive study; The aim is to encourage people to take responsibility and study the Quran.

Bi salam

bntY: yes 'oaths in d quran'e.gwhy would Allah swear wt d fig or olive tree.

Great! let's find out

Oaths in the Quran

Surah Tin 95

وَٱلتِّينِ وَٱلزَّيۡتُونِ (١) وَطُورِ سِينِينَ (٢) وَهَـٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ٱلۡأَمِينِ (٣) لَقَدۡ خَلَقۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ فِىٓ أَحۡسَنِ تَقۡوِيمٍ۬ (٤) ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَـٰهُ أَسۡفَلَ سَـٰفِلِينَ (٥) إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَلَهُمۡ أَجۡرٌ غَيۡرُ مَمۡنُونٍ۬ (٦) فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعۡدُ بِٱلدِّينِ (٧) أَلَيۡسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَحۡكَمِ ٱلۡحَـٰكِمِينَ (٨)

By the fig, by the olive,
by Mount Sinai,
by this secure city
We create man in the finest state
then reduce him to the lowest of the low,
except those who believe and do good deeds––
they will have an unfailing reward. After this, what makes you [man] deny the Judgement?
Is God not the most decisive of judges? (Surah 95 1-

This is such a powerful surah, i hope i can convey it in the simplest way...

Oaths are probably one of the most powerful tools in the Quran; After the oath, comes a response. If you do not understand the oath, you cannot understand the response. The response is the central message of the surah so if you do not understand the oath, you can't understand the surah.

In order to understand this surah, it is important to see how it links with the previous surahs;

1. In Surah Ash-Sharh (94), Allah promises his messenger ease after hardship;

(4) So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: (5) Verily with every difficulty there is relief. (Surah 94:4-5)

This means that the task of the prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would be difficult but at the end there will be ease..

In this surah, Allah shows that humans are capable of this duty and has been created in the best way, using all the messengers in the Quran as examples (we will see how)

2. The four surahs before this surah about increasing levels of spirituality

Surah Shams talks about self purification and spirituality
Surah al-Lail discusses Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq purifying by giving in charity(Surah Layl 92:5-6)
Surah Duha and surah Ash-Sharh talk about the Messenger (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

So theses surahs discuss those with the highest spirituality and purity in the sight of Allah.

In this surah, Allah shows that One can reach the height of purity by following the messengers,

But if he fails, he is reduced to the lowest of the low.

The surah begins with Three Oaths

Ayah 1

وَٱلتِّينِ وَٱلزَّيۡتُونِ (١

Watteeni wazzaytoon

By the Fig and the Olive,

How do we understand this oath?

In ancient arabic, we call a place by what it is famous for, so scholars interpreted it as two different places.... So what does Allah mean by the fig and the olive?

i. The fig...

There is the opinion that the fig refers to the point where the nuh (peace and blessings be upon him) ark rested; Mount judi... The range of mountains there are populated by figs; ( Ruh al-Ma'ani, the tafseer by Mahmud al-Alusi.)

The Olive

The olives refer to palestine, the birth place of Eesa (peace and blessings be upon him) where olives grow.

Rooh al Ma’ani by al Aloosi says that the intent of saying 2 fruits refers to the 2 mountains from the Holy land of Palestine relating to Nuh and Eesa (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them)

Altogether there are 3 locations, even though 4 things are mentioned.
i.Palestine (ayah 1),
ii. Mount Sinai (ayah 2)
iii.the Peaceful city – Makkah (ayah 3).

So we have:
At-Teen possibly referring to Prophet Noah, the location where his Ark ship landed.
az-Zaytoon possibly referring to Jesus who was born in Palestine where olives grow.

We are allowed to quote the Books of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) when something agrees with our Qur’an/Sunnah. However, we cannot quote their books to find ‘a truth’ which is not in ours.

The Qur’an confirms and distinguishes the truth.

In the Bible, [Luke 22:39-41];
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,

Why the sequence?

The prophet (S.A.W) said of the fig: Eat it because if i was to say there was a food of jannah/paradise, it’s this one because the foods of jannah have no pits/seeds in them.

i.It is a blessed fruit that has been praised by the messenger in the hadith.

ii. The Olive is called blessed by Allah in the Quran... in surah nur

iii. Mount Sinai is where Allah spoke to Musa

iv. The peaceful city (Makkah)- Where Ibrahim built the kaaba and the Prophet Muhammad was born.

So the sequence moved from blessed to more blessed.... (this is mentioned in ibn kathir tafsir)

Ayah 2

وَطُورِ سِينِينَ (٢

wat-Toori Seeneen

By Mount sinai

This is where Allah spoke to Musa;

Allah uses two words for mount sinai in the Quran, in surah muminun. Allah says:

وَشَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِن طُورِ سَيْنَاءَ تَنبُتُ بِالدُّهْنِ وَصِبْغٍ لِّلْآكِلِينَ

wa shajaratan takhruju min toori sayna (Surah muminun 23: 20)

So we have Seeneen and sayna..

Both variations exist in the hebrew language and was known by the hebrew Scholars .. Mount sinai was not known by the Arabs.. But here we have an illiterate prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) telling the hebrew scholars of the two linguistic variation of the mount sinai.

This is amazing because the prophet was arab and illiterate, this surah is a Meccan surah... The prophet did not know hebrew to know the variations of the descriptions of mount sinai known by the hebrew linguist scholars and he had no jewish companions in Mecca.

Allah is giving the prophet classified information that was only known by the hebrew linguist scholars. SubhanAllah..

Ayah 3

وَهَـٰذَا ٱلۡبَلَدِ ٱلۡأَمِينِ (٣

wa haadhal baladil ameen

By the secure city

In surah Ibrahim: Ibrahim makes the dua for the city:

And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this city [Makkah] secure (aaminan) and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols. (Ibraheem 14:35)

Allah uses the secure city in this ayah in honour of prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who made this dua.

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was also born here...

There is so much more to say but id stop ayah 3 here so i can talk about 4 and 5

Ayat 4

لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ

Laqadkhalaqna al-insanafee ahsani[b]taqweem[/b]
We have certainly created man in the best of stature;

So we have

at-Teen – mount judy. Noah/Nuh.
Az-Zaytoon – mount olive and masjid al Aqsa. Jesus/’Eesa.
Toori seeneen – Mount Sinai. Moses/Musa.
Balad al ameen – Makkah. Prophet Ibraheem/Abraham and Prophet Muhammad. (Hameed-uddin Firaahi)

Allah is telling us that messengers:

Nuh, Eesa, Musa, Ibrahim and Muhammad are the best examples for mankind.

These prophet also known as ‘Uluw al ‘azam (the most persevering of the Prophets) are the best examples for humanity in the perfect (taqweem) form.

After refering to these five great messengers with the oaths, Allah says he has created man in the best form. So if you want to be the best of human beings, study the examples of these five.

I will stop at ayah 5

Ayah 5

ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَـٰهُ أَسۡفَلَ سَـٰفِلِينَ (٥

Thumma radadnahu asfalasafileen
then reduce him to the lowest of the low

Now, if we fail to follow these examples and commit evil on the land; Allah would reduce us to the lowest of the low...


Ayah 5 is so profound. It is the heart of the surah.

check http://bayyinah.com/podcast/category/juz_amma/ to learn more.

A pdf summary of the tafsir of the whole surah can be found here

http://ia700600.us.archive.org/13/items/SurahTeen-MiracleDreamTafseer-NoumanAliKhan/surah_teen_miracleDreamtafseer_noumanAliKhan.pdf

^ let me have your feedback:

-More oaths

-a look at some of the other gems in the Quran

-Musa and Firaun...