The Challenge of Quran:

Say: “If the mankind and the jinns were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.” [Qur’an 17:88]

And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur’an) to Our slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him ), then produce a surah (chapter) of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful. [Qur’an 2:23]

And this Qur’an is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah

(Lord of the heavens and the earth), but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it [i.e. the Taurat (Torah), and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.], and a full explanation of the Book (i.e. laws and orders, etc, decreed for mankind) – wherein there is no doubt from the the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns,and all that exists).Or do they say: “He (Muhammad(P)) has forged it?” Say: “Bring then a surah (chapter) like unto it, and call upon whomsoever you can, besides Allah, if you are truthful!” [Qur’an 10:37-38]

Or they say, “He (Prophet Muhammad(P)) forged it (the Qur’an).” Say: “Bring you then ten forged surah (chapters) like unto it, and call whomsoever you can, other than Allah (to your help), if you speak the truth!” [Qur’an 11:13]

Or do they say: “He (Muhammad(P)) has forged it (this Qur’an)?” Nay! They believe not! Let them then produce a recital like unto it (the Qur’an) if they are truthful. [Qur’an 52:33-34]

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Arabic prose and poetry v/sThe inimitable Quran:

Poetry

Arabic Poetry is a form of metrical speech with a rhyme.The rhyme in Arabic poetry is achieved by every line of the poem ending upon a specific letter.The metrical aspect of Arabic poetry is due to its rhythmical divisions, these divisions are called ‘al-Bihar’, literally meaning ‘The Seas’ in Arabic. This term has been used to describe the rhythmical divisions as a result of the way the poem moves according to its rhythm.In Arabic poetry there are sixteen rhythmical patterns, which all of Arabic poetry adheres too or is loosely based upon;

1. at-Tawîl

2. al-Bassit

3. al-Wafir

4. al-Kamil

5. ar-Rajs

6. al-Khafif

7. al-Hazaj

8. al-Muttakarib

9. al-Munsarih

10. al-Muktatab

11. al-Muktadarak

12. al-Madid

13. al-Mujtath

14. al-Ramel

15. al-Khabab

16. as-Saria’

Prose

Arabic Prose can be called non-metrical speech, meaning it does not have a rhythmical pattern like poetry mentioned above. Arabic prose can be further divided into two categories; Saj’ which is rhymed prose and Mursal which is straight prose or what some may call ‘normal speech’.

An apt description of Saj’ is, in the words of Von Deffer:

“A literary form with some emphasis on rhythm and rhyme, but distinct from poetry. Saj’ is not really as sophisticated as poetry, but has been employed by Arab poets, and is the best known of the pre-Islamic Arab prosodies. It is distinct from poetry in its lack of metre, i.e. it has not consistent rhythmical pattern, and it shares with poetry the element of rhyme, though in many cases some what irregularly employed.”

Mursal can be defined as a literary form that goes on and is not divided, but is continued straight throughout without any divisions, either of rhyme or of anything else.

The Qur’ans Literary Form:

The Qur’anic discourse cannot be described as any of the known literary forms.

The most predominant opinion is that it doesn’t adhere to any of the rules known to poetry and prose. Another opinion is that the Qur’an combines metrical and non-metrical composition to create its own literary form.

Non-compliance to the Rules of Prose or Poetry:

The Qur’anic literary form differs as it does not fit in to any of the literary categories explained above, it is not like the prose of Saj’ or Mursal and it doesn’t fit into any of the al-Bihar. This can be seen by the following example:

Wad Duha wal laili idha saja Ma waddaka Rabbuka wa maa qala Wa lal akhiraatu khairul laka minal oola Wa la sawfa ya teeka Rabbuka fa tarda…

By the morning hours and by the night most still Your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hates you And indeed the hereafter is better for you than the present And verily your Lord will give you so that you shall be well pleased

The examination of the whole chapter with reference to the above literary forms indicates that it is not Saj’ or Mursal as this verse has an internal rhythm, whereas Saj’ does not have a consistent rhythm and Mursal has no rhythm or rhyme. Also it cannot be described as poetry; the totality of this chapter, or any other chapter for that matter, does not adhere to any of the al-Bihar.

Unique Fusion of Metrical and non-Metrical Speech:

Some parts of the Qur’an follow the rules of poetry, that is, some verses can be described as one of the al-Bihar.When the totality of a Qur’anic Chapter, that contains some these verses is analyzed, it is not possible to distinguish its literary form.

“The Qur’an is not verse, but it is rhythmic. The rhythm of some verses resemble the regularity of saj’ …But it was recognized by Quraysh critics to belong to neither one nor the other category.”

The Qur’an achieves this unique literary form by intermingling metrical and non-Metrical speech in such a way that the difference can not be perceived.This intermingling of metrical and non- metrical composition is present throughout the whole of the Qur’an. The following examples illustrate this,

“But the righteous will be in Gardens with Springs – ‘Enter in Peace and Safety!’ – and We shall remove any bitterness from their hearts: [they will be like] brothers, sitting on couches, face to face. No weariness will ever touch them there, nor will they ever be expelled. [Prophet] tell My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful, but My torment is the truly painful one. Tell them too about Abraham’s guests: when they came to him and said “Peace,” he said, ‘We are afraid of you’”



When reading the original Arabic of the above verse the reader moves from metric composition to prose with out experiencing the slightest change of style or mode.The same mingling of metrical and non-metrical composition can be observed in the following verse from Chapter 12 of the Qur’an.

“When she heard their malicious talk, she prepared a banquet and sent for them, giving each of them a knife. She said Joseph, ‘Come out and show yourself to them!’ and when the women saw him, they were stunned by his beauty, and cut their hands, exclaiming, ‘Great God! He cannot be mortal! He must be a precious angel!’ She said, ‘This is the one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him and he wanted to remain chaste, but if he does not do what I command now, he will be put in prison and degraded.’”

The phrase “This is the one you blamed me for” in Arabic is poetic. It has a metrical structure in which the rules of Arabic poetry are observed, Commenting on this feature Mitwalli states,

“It is almost impossible for the listener to detect the shift from one form to the other, nor does this exquisite mingling impinge on the fluidity of expression or impair its meaning.”

The Qur’an is truly unique in composition. It is neither prose nor poetry. This inimitable style is achieved by intermingling metrical and non-metrical composition and by not adhering to the rules of poetry or prose. In addition to this, the Qur’an uses expressions that are eloquent, full of sublime rhetoric and adheres to the grammatical rules of Classical Arabic.

Literary and Stylistic Differences:

The most predominant opinion on the inimitability of the Qur’an is that it exhibits a unique literary form. Some of these western scholars include Robinson, Gibb, Arberry, Zammit, Lawrence, Johns, Casanova, Nicholson, Kasis and many others. [40] For example Arberry states.

“For the Koran is neither prose nor poetry, but a unique fusion of both”

R. A. Nicholson in his book ‘Literary History of the Arabs’ states,

“Thus, as regards its external features, the style of the Koran is modelled upon saj’, or rhymed prose, of the pagan soothsayers, but with such freedom that it may fairly be described as original.”

This analysis has been summarised by Ibn Khaldun’s in his classical work ‘The Muqadimah’:

“It should be known that the Arabic language and Arab speech are divided into two branches. One of them is rhymed poetry…The other is prose, that is, non-metrical speech…The Quran is in prose. However, it does not belong in either of the two categories. It can neither be called straight prose nor rhymed prose. It is divided into verses. One reaches breaks where taste tells one that speech stops. It is then reused and ‘repeated in the next verse. (Rhyme) letters, which would make that (type of speech) rhymed prose are not obligatory, nor do rhymes (as used in poetry) occur.”

Conclusion

The Qur’an is a unique form of Arabic speech. The form of its language can not be described as Prose or poetry.. It achieves this unique literary form by intermingling metrical and non-metrical speech in such a way that its style is not affected and its meaning not distorted. Furthermore, the Qur’an does not adhere to the rules of Prose or Poetry but yet its expression is grammatically sound. This can been seen by analysing every Qur’anic chapter. The totality of every chapter has a special character, with its own unique form, and its unique use of literary devices.

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http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?229399-What-is-the-challenge-of-the-Quran-with-respect-to-Arabic-prose-amp-poetry

http://www.theinimitablequran.com/QuranicStyle.html

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Quran is neither verse,nor prose,it is UNIQUE and original.

To illustrate this R. A. Nicholson in his book ‘Literary History of the Arabs’ states, “Thus, as regards its external features, the style of the Koran is modelled upon saj’, or rhymed prose,of the pagan soothsayers, but with such freedom that it may fairly be described as original” .

Hammilton Gibb’s states,“.…the Meccans still demanded of him a miracle, and with remarkable boldness and self confidence Muhammad appealed as a supreme confirmation of his mission to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs theywere connoisseurs of language and rhetoric. Well, then if the Koran were his own composition other men could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could not, then let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evidential miracle”

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Arberry states.

“For the Koran is neither prose nor poetry, but a unique fusion of both ”

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Islamic Scholars throughout the decades, supports the conclusion voiced by Taha Hussein that

‘Arabic composition should be divided into three categories, prose, verse and Qur’an, saj’ forming a part of prose but the Qur’an being a category of its own.’

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And so the grammar in Quran has not to be confined with the boundaries of ordinary Arabic grammar.

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It is Simply Different..!!!