Structural & Thematic Coherence in the Quran [1 ed.] 9781500800451, 1500800457

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Structural &Thematic Coherence in the

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ISMAT MAHMOUD ADMASSRI

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Structural and Thematic Coherence in the Qur’an

Ismat Mahmoud Al-Massri

Copyright © 2014 Ismat Mahmoud Al-Massri

All rights reserved. ISBN-13:978-1500800451. ISBN-10:1500800457.

Structural and Thematic Coherence in the Qur’an

Ismat Mahmoud Al-Massri earned his PhD in Text Linguistics and Translation Studies from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland.

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Contents i

Dedication 9 Acknowledgements 10

Introduction 12 Chapter 1 The Qur’an: Basic Facts 14 Chapter 2 Structural and Thematic Coherence in the Qur’an 20 Chapter 3 Structural and Thematic Coherence in the Sura 33 Chapter 4 Structural and Thematic Coherence in Surat al-Kahf Q.18 42

Conclusion 59

Endnotes 61 Appendix: Translation of Surat al-Kahf Q.18 tn References 74

Dedication !

I dedicate this book to my brother Salah, my nephew Ala’ and to all the shuhadaa of Palestine - filjannah insha Allah.

“And never think of those who have been killed in the cause ofAllah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving rizq (provision), rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”

Surat Ali Imran, Verses 169-170

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Acknowledgements

I developed a research interest in the coherence of the Qur’an during the time of my doctoral studies. My journey in this field began with reading books by Sheikh Dr. Mahmoud Tawfiq Saad. In his books, Dr. Saad spoke highly of his teacher Muhammed Abu Musa, who I would later come to know of as a great scholar of Quranic rhetoric. As my interest burgeoned, I avidly read Dr Abu Musa s books before deciding to visit him in Egypt.

Back then, I wanted to write a paper to rebut the assertion that the Qur’an lacked coherence. So, I visited Sheikh Muhammed Abu Musa (may Allah protect him and increase his time in this world) to seek more knowledge about this issue and to seek his consultation with regard to this paper. The meeting was both insightful and fruitful. To listen to the words of a great scholar who had dedicated his years to researching, writing and teaching Quranic rhetoric was certainly humbling.

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However, the Sheikh cautioned me against being hasty in writing about the Qur’an. He told me that our scholars wrote about the Qur’an and tafsir in the latter stages of their life and gave me an example of the late great scholar Mahmoud Shakir, younger brother of the late great hadith scholar Mohammed Shakir, and how he was often very reluctant and hesitant to write about the Qur’an despite his great mastery of Arabic language and his command of its 10 i

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nuances. In fact, Mahmoud Shakir himself discusses his apprehension on embarking on such a task in his introduction to The Quranic Phenomenon by Malik Binnabi where he wrote about the miracle of the Qur’an. By the end of the meeting, the Sheikh encouraged me to write my paper while remaining cautious of his warnings.

Years later, I embarked on this project with the Sheikh’s approval and guidance. Though this work is concise it serves to gather in one place the contribution of our great scholars to the field of ‘ilm al-munasaba. What becomes apparent in researching the work of these great scholars is that their grasp of the Qur’an was immense; the Qur’an was an open book to them as they had mastered all of its elements. Since writing this book, family and friends have helped me in producing this final version. Particularly, I would like to thank Kamran Iskander and Atif Wyne for assisting me in this task, may Allah reward them both.

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Introduction

1 I 1 his study examines the structural and thematic -L coherence of the Qur’an. The purpose of this work is to show that the Quran exhibits coherence both in itself as a whole text and within all of its suras (chapters) and that each sura of the Qur’an constitutes a full meaningful entity.

One of the key sciences that delves into the concept of coherence is ‘ilm al-munasaba. The paucity of literature addressing 'ilm al-munasaba and the organic unity of the Qur’an necessitates further enquiry into its application.

This treatise responds to the unfounded claims concerning the connectivity of the Qur’an; hence, it will answer those who claim that the Qur’an lacks textual and thematic coherence. It becomes necessary then to verify whether the Quranic sura exhibits coherent structural and thematic unity. Chapter 1 briefly presents general information about the Qur’an, its language and the miraculous nature of the book. Chapter 2 discusses the structural and thematic coherence of the Qur’an providing a historical overview of the contribution of Muslim scholars to the subject. Chapter 3 reviews the structural and thematic coherence within suras generally, putting theory into practice. Finally, chapter 4 applies the science of ‘ilm al-munasaba to one particular chapter of the Qur’an, namely chapter 18, Surat al-Kahf - the analysis of which will explain the thematic structure of this sura. 12

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Finally, this work hopes to discredit false assumptions and remove conjectures regarding the coherence of the Qur’an. It is hoped this book will be a useful aid in fostering an understanding of coherence in the Qur’an in general and in the exegesis and appreciation of Surat al-Kahf in particular.

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Chapter 1

The Qur’an: Basic Facts

■’’I”1 he Qur’an is the word of God. It is the last revelation X from God to mankind sent upon Prophet Muhammad £5, the seal of the Prophets sent to mankind. The first revelation was sent down while Prophet Muhammad % sought solace in his spiritual retreat, a cave in Mount Hira on the outskirts of Mecca.

The Qur’an is the miracle of Prophet Muhammad’s prophecy. This fact makes the Qur’an a miracle not only for the time of the Prophet and his people, the Arabs; but also a miracle for mankind throughout the centuries. The miraculous nature of the Qur’an, in its essence, is a linguistic one; though, it is not restricted to that. The Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad on various occasions and in various places, sometimes during the day and at other times during the night, over a period of twenty-three years. For the most part, it was revealed in the cities of Mecca and in Medina. Upon revelation, each passage of the Qur’an was memorised, circulated among the faithful community and then written down by appointed scribes. Consequently, by the time the Prophet passed, the Qur’an was preserved in its entirety in the memories of the faithful as well as in writing.

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In this sense, the Qur’an is considered to be a discourse, in the sense that it is a spoken form of language, and a text (fkitab i.e. scripture) as it can be found in its written form. Through these two modes of communication, oral and written transmission, the Qur’an was preserved. Still, up to this day, thousands of Muslims, young and old, commit the entire Qur’an to memory. They have memorized the Qur’an through a chain of transmitters (called sanad/isnad) dating back to the Prophet Astoundingly, there are people living today who only have twenty-seven people between them and the Prophet’s original recital. The echo of God’s first revelation to Prophet Muhammad can still be heard and felt when recited in the original scripture articulated clearly in the Arabic language.

Here are the first verses in translation:

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Read! In the name ofyour Lord who created:

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He created man from a clinging form.

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Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One,

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Who taught by [means of] the pen,

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Who taught man what he did not know.

of the earth. It has transformed, and continues to transform, the souls of many of its followers.

The effect of the first word ‘Read!’ was the foundation stone of a great civilisation; the Islamic civilisation. People of the world still reap its fruits. The Qur’an for the Muslim community is the fundamental source of laws and legislations: laws related to marriage, financial transactions and jurisprudence. It is the fountainhead of ethics and morals. 15

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From a spiritual perspective, just to hear the recitation of the Qur’an is uplifting for the soul; it is the spring of the heart, the light of the chest, the dispeller of sorrows and the remover of grief. It brings peace of mind and tranquillity to the heart of the reciter and to the one who believes in its words, its revelation and its miraculous nature. All of the Islamic sciences originated around the Qur’an. Just to mention a few in regard to its language and style, Arabic grammar, Qur’anic rhetoric, phonetics and morphology originated essentially to serve the Qur’an. For example, to preserve the way the Qur’an is articulated, the science of phonetics (tajweed) was devised to help pronounce the Qur’an correctly and to imitate the best manner in which it was pronounced by the first generation. Further, to understand the meaning of its verses, the science of exegesis was developed. Most importantly, the science of rhetoric was devised to assist text readers in deciphering the nuances and subtleties of the text. Currently, hundreds of volumes of books related to the Qur’an can be found in almost all spheres of knowledge.

Language of the Qur'an The Qur’an was revealed in the Arabic language. The Qur’an adheres to clarity and this fact is reiterated in a number of Quranic verses. Here is one of these verses: Qjc.