Salam Alaykom,
Literature is an underestimated form of communication and by far, the miracle of the Quran is the greatest example of this. The third discussion in these 10 days shall hopefully tackle the affluence of the Holy Quran and the eloquence of its language, in addition to the power of language as a tool influence. Before I delve into the topic, I would like to borrow a quote from Hussain Ayad and mention that reading sections from his book shapes a major part of my discussion today. He says, "Given that the society of Arabs revolved around the love of language, it naturally follows that the Prophet's miracle should be a literary masterpiece which exceeded the abilities of human power, in terms of eloquence, style, understanding, and clarity or expression." (The Seal to What Was Revealed: A Qur'anic Approach to Exegesis.) I feel as though he has put into words my love for languages and the need to discuss the power of the Quran, despite how limited my knowledge may be regarding it.
Referring back to Ayad's analysis, he describes how the Quran came to be the miracle of the seal of the Prophets, Muhammed (s.a.w.i.s). The nature of a miracle is that it is "an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency." (Oxford Dictionary of English, ed. Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2010.) This being said, the brilliance of the Quran lies in the very faculty of the language in which it was revealed in.
The time in which the Prophet was born and raised was known as the 'Jahilia' (from the Arabic word 'Yejhel', meaning ignorance) and it was an era that, to borrow the term directly from the Holy Quran, was an "Age of Ignorance" (Surah Aal Imran, 3:154) that held roots in paganism and barbarianism. E.A Belyaev even describes this period as lacking "social amenity or historical depth.. Life was devoid of meaning, purpose and direction" and that they were almost waiting for "a signal to break loose and become free." (Education Among the Arabs Before Islam) For fear of digressing from the subject, i just wanted to slide in a note about the religion of Islam being this symbol for which they were waiting. I will hopefully explore this in more depth at a later date. Despite this, the Arabs took pride in their poetic abilities, regularly holding competitions to showcase their poetry. From this came the seven eloquent poems known as the 'Mu'alaqaat' (The Suspended Odes) that were hung upon the walls of the Kaaba.It must be noted that these poems existed mainly through the oral tradition and were composed by men who had little or no knowledge of an alphabet; these were later scribed upon papyrus in gold ink by men of hired for this very purpose. The excellence of these poems, indicated by the grand display of them upon the walls of the Kaaba and the gold ink in which they were penned with, was by all means demoted when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.i.s). The Prophet, also a man who had no knowledge of how to read or write came forth with this book shook the Arab world with it. It exceeded the abilities of all those who took pride in the eloquence of their tongues. It was written in refined speech, perfect prose and brought forward by a man who could not possibly have fabricated it's words. The Quran addresses this in Surah Yonis when it talks of those who "say: He has forged it?" and continues to ask of them to"bring a chapter like this and invite whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful". (10:38)The Holy Quran remains unchallenged in its language and even calls upon people to attempt to produce a literature with even a chapter similar to that of the Quran.
The Quran has been said to be "a model of literary, philosophical, theological, legal, metaphysical and physical thought," (E. A. Balyaev, Education Among the Arabs Before Islam) which reflects- albeit in a minimal fashion-the importance of the contents of the Holy Book. As with any piece of literature, it is liable to translation and interpretation, depending on the method which people use. Typically, people would treat a text by taking the manifest meaning and understanding them on their face value whereas those with a deeper understanding and the ability to do so would strive to interpret it through its latent meanings. As the Quran is known for its eloquence of language, it is difficult to accept that it is a simple text to be understood on its face value. I feel the need to borrow another verse from Surah Aal Imran that addresses the reading of the Quran: "He [Allah] it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis of the Book, and others are allegorical; then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation. But none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding." (3:7)In light of this, it may be said that effectively the Quran's true meanings are only known by the Almighty. However, as a book that was brought down as a means of transmitting guidance and knowledge, it is difficult to believe that humans will have no understanding of it. Again, the Quran solves this query in Ayat al Kursi, as well as in several other places. It says: “They cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge accept what he pleases.” (2:255) Therefore, there are those who, by Gods will and grace, have the ability to provide an interpretation of the Holy verses.
For me, this begs the question as to who those with "understanding" are and who it is that has the innate and divine ability to interpret and infer notions from both literal and latent meanings from the holy verses. I again feel the need to borrow another verse from the Quran to help with this; in Surah Al Nisaa, we are given one (among several others) indication of who this may be. It says, “Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of his Grace? But indeed we have given to Ibrahim’s children the Book and the Wisdom, and we have given them a grand Kingdom.” (4:54) To digress slightly and to have a mini history lesson, lets trace the lineage of Prophethood and its inheritors from Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh). Prophet Ibrahim prayed to Allah (swt) for him and his son to “both be submissive to Thee and to raise from our offspring a nation submitting to Thee,” and then continues to ask of Allah to “raise up in them [the nation of Muslims] an Apostle from among them who shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and purify them.” (2:128-129) Our history lesson helps us to trace back the lineage of all prophets after Ibrahim to him and his sons, both those of the Jewish and the Muslims, and that the seal of the Prophets, Muhammed (s.a.w.i.s) came from him too. Coming back to the verse from Al Nisaa, the Ayah does not say the word ‘Child’ but instead refers to children. The Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.i.s) evidently brought forth the Quran to his people and it goes without saying that he has been given both the Book and the Wisdom that the verse suggests. To delve deeper into the ayah, it may be suggested that those who inherited this knowledge from the pure blood of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) are none other than Prophet Muhammed and the children of his Holy household. The ‘children’ are the Prophet himself, Ali his cousin (who came from the same grandfather, Abdulmutalib) and the pure line of Imam’s that came thereafter.
In light of this, it feels only right to say that Imam Hussain (a.s) inherited this knowledge and was the rightful heir of God given understanding of the Quran and the message that his grandfather came with. He embodied the virtues of the Quran and used the powerful words from it to be part of his sermons given on the day of Karbala. He became a way of transmitting a moral message and his tragedy became seen as a means of reflecting on the power of sacrifice in the way of what you believe in. Till his last moments, he spoke with direct quotes from the Holy Book and it has been said that even after his martyrdom, his severed head upon a spear kept reciting verses of the Quran. Imam Hussain (a.s) exemplifies the idea that actions speak louder than words yet it cannot be said that his words did not hold a great influence in the continuance of his legacy. Similarly, the great speech of his sister Sayeda Zainab (a.s) in the face of Yazeed did this too. It has been rightly said to shake the thrown of every tyrant and epitomise the affluence of language and how words can be as powerful as the strike of a sword. So why is it that people feel the need to remain silent in the face of modern day animosity and violation of human rights? Why is it that people with the ability to write well become shy of doing so for fear of criticism? I personally feel that it is the duty of every person to do this. To conclude on this discussion, I would like to mention a few blogs and websites of youths who have embraced the power of their pens and have written articles, poems and other important bodies of writing to shed light on the tragedy of Karbala and to be the voices of reason and righteousness in a period where silence is deafening. I hope you enjoy their writing as I have and take inspiration from them; I ask Allah (swt) to accept their deeds and pray that more of you utilise the power of language in the way of righteousness.
Hussain Ayad- http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/
Hayder Al- Khoei - http://eyeraki.blogspot.com/
Sanasino- http://sanasino.wordpress.com/
Nouri Sardar- http://www.nourisardar.com/
Hussain Makke- http://lanternofthepath.com/
Taher Adel- http://www.shiapoetry.com/
Afrah Mansour- http://widerworld-inspired.
Ws.
* Disclaimer- This is a piece of my own work and is a display of my own understanding of the mentioned topics, unless stated otherwise by references. I do not hold any responsibility for any other content in the referenced texts. I do not claim to be a scholar of Islamic History or hold full knowledge of the topics and urge for forgiveness if I have been inadequate in my analysis. For God is more aware of my intentions, I do not seek to create hatred or present an incorrect presentation of the topics. May the blessings of the Lord be upon the Prophet Muhammed and his Holy Progeny (a.s).
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