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1.3 Day 3: Introduction – Part 3

QURANIC LINGUISTICS
Description
This video discusses concepts related to Quranic linguistics including the different kinds of Arabic, the unique
features of Quranic Arabic and the 3 main things to look at when doing a linguistic study or analysis of the Quran.

Overview of Concepts in Quranic Linguistics

 The language of the Quran

 3 kinds of Arabic

a. Spoken - ‫ اللهجة‬- is the dialect. Dialect means that Arabs have different ways of speaking Arabic
depending on what city, village or region they are from.
b. Formal Modern Arabic- ‫العربية الفصحى المعاصرة‬

c. Classical - language of the ancient Arabs - ‫لغة العرب‬. It is different than the modern formal Arabic.

 HISTORY of the Arabic Language

a. In ancient times, Arabic was a language of people cut off from the super powers.
b. Arabs were isolated socially and culturally and no one bothered the Arabs, no resources.
c. Some went out to travel to roman empire, the Greeks and India for trade. But most people stayed
in Arabia.
d. They had such little influence from the outside world that the Arabic language became so
internalized and so refined and just got better and better. Became very pure.
e. The opposite is the case nowadays. Compare ancient times in all languages to modern times in that
language. Languages nowadays are influenced by other languages and other cultures
f. Vast majority of the words in the Arabic language are Arabic; but there are some Farsi (Persian),
Babylonian, and Roman words
g. Absolute majority of language is uninfluenced by foreign languages

 Features of The Arabic of the Quran not in Modern Arabic

a. Complexity of grammar
 Every little detail mattered and the smallest of changes changed the meaning
 e.g ‫ْب‬َ ‫ ال َري‬There is no doubt
 ‫ال َريْب‬- There is a big difference especially in tafseer

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b. Richness in word meaning that comes from the roots and ‫ جذور‬of words
 e.g. In modern Arabic the 2 words: ‫ قلب‬and ‫ فؤاد‬mean heart
 but in classical Arabic they are different
 e.g. ‫ عقل‬intellect; ‫عقَ َل‬
َ in classical Arabic is to tie a knot
 ‫ عقال‬was the rope an Arab tied around their head which he then used to tie his camel with
 2 reasons it's called ‫عقَل‬ َ
 Because it's on your head and that is where your ‫عقَل‬ َ is
 You use it to tie an animal so it doesn't go anywhere it wants
 The purpose of intellect is to hold you back from saying whatever you want. It puts
restraints on you, keeps your mind from wandering. It focuses and controls your emotions.
Just like you restrain an animal.

c. Structural differences/stylistic differences in speech patterns

 Style of speech and thought process was far different back then, than how it is now.

 A Philosophical Discussion - in the Quran there are styles of speech that are being used
that are ANCIENT and don't get used today. Someone who studied modern literature may
not find it impressive because they are judging it in comparison with other literature. One
important axiom you should always remember is, "all literature is unique."

 You cannot take one body of literature and compare it to another body of literature. You
have to look at it for its own standards.

 The remarkable thing about the Quran is that when Quran was revealed, it came to the
Arabs. And they have their own style. When Islam came to Persia they realized that the
Quran is amazing even by their standards. The Persian mufassiroon came at it from their
Persian style.
 To truly understand the Quran you have to understand the original styles. And those are
captured mostly in poetry.

 How to Study An Ayah- Pay attention to the Linguistics First- 3 things

 Grammar- sometimes different grammatical analyses are possible and each one gives you a different
meaning, i.e. multiple interpretations
 Rhetoric or ‫بالغة‬- tells you the benefits of each side, so if it for example was used in a singular form versus a
plural form then what's the point of that? how does that give more of a powerful effect than it's
alternative?
a. Basically ‫ بالغة‬is looking not only the effects of the words but how it's alternative would not have
been as good.

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