Mustansir Mir

Coherence in the Qur'an

A Study of ~i's Coocept of NIqIII In TadBbbur-' Qur'1UJ

Al!'erlcan Trust Publications

Copyright© 1406 / 1986

To my father Muhammad Safdar Mir

who is a constant source of inspiration and Dr. Farrukh H. Malik

for his unfailing support

American Trust Publications, 10900 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46231 - U.S.A. Telex: 276242 ISLAMIC BS. All Rights. Reserved - no part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor translated into any other language without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 86 -72621

ISBN 0-89259-0653

Printed in the United States of America

Title cover: An ornamented page of the Qur'an (14th Century) in Qaysoon Masjid.

Courtesy yE A. Morel Et CIG, Libraires-Editeurs,

v

Those who tore the Qur'an to pieces.

Qur'an, 15:91

"And this," he said, "is the reason why the cure of many diseases is unknown to the physicians of Hellas, because they disregard the whole, which ought to be studied also, for the part can never be well unless the whole is well."

Plato, Charmides

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PUFACE xi

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1

Composition of the Qur'an: The Prevalent Yiew Nature and Significance of Islahf's Work Sources, Methodology, and Plan

Bioarapbical Sketches of Farahi and I~lru.u

CHAPTER

I. NA'lM IN THE QUR'AN: BRIEF HISTORY

OF AN IDEA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Traditional Writers Modem Writers Summary

D. NA'lM ACCORDING TO FARAHi AND

I$LAl;II 25

\

Exegetical Principles The Nazm Principle Summary

III, THE SORAH AS A UNITY (1) 37

Bx.istence of N azm in a Surah

FlllhI's Method and His Application of It ItllbI's Treatment of the Subject Observations

Summary

IV. THE SORAH AS A UNITY (2).... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... 64

Nazm Views of Tabataba'l and Sayyid Qutb Comparison with 1~1a.bI

Summary

V. THE SURAH PAIRS 75

Sarah Pairs: Synoptic Analysis Critical Appraisal

Summary

VI. THE SURAH GROUPS 85

Coherence

The Makkan-Madinan Division Account of the Islamic Movement Sanction for the Nazm Scheme Summary

VII. CONCLUSIONS...................................... 99

APPENDIX A 104

APPENDIX B 108

BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

x

PREFACE

This work is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, which I completed at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1983. It is an attempt to introduce to Western scholars of Islam a major 20th-century Urdu Qur'an commentary, a commentary that marks a radical departure from the traditional style of exegesis.

In the course of writing my dissertation, I received very helpful comments and criticisms from the members of my doctoral committee, for which I am grateful. I would especially like to thank Professor James A. Bellamy, chairman of the committee, who set exacting standards, and Professor Fazlur Rahman of the University of Chicago, who most graciously agreed to serve as a member on the committee. I gratefully acknowledge the permission given to reproduce or draw on material published in the following journals: "1~1a.bI's Concept of Sura-Pairs," Muslim World, LXXIII (1983) I :22-32; "Comparative Study of a Few Verses in 1~1a.bI and Other Scholars," Hamdard Islamicus, VII (1984) I :25-36; and "I~Ia.bI's Concept of Sura-Groups," Islamic Quarterly, XXVIII (1984) 2:73- 85. An article based on chapter III of this book and scheduled to appear in Studia Is/amica was withdrawn with the kind permission of the editors. Most of the biographical information about 1~latU was provided by Mr. Khalid Masood. Finally, I must thank Mr. Tariq Quraishi of the American Trust Publications for helping, in more ways than one, to make possible publication of this book.

Unless otherwise indicated, the translation of the Qur'anic verses cited is my own.

The following abbreviations are used: vs. = verse; vss .... verses; S. = Surah; Ss. = Surahs; G. = Group; Gs. - Groups.

xl

INTRODUCTION

Composition of the Qur'in: The Prevalent View

Muslim Qur'an exegesis is of several types-traditionist, theological, literary-philological, juris tical. 1 But if there is one feature that almost all types have in common, it is probably atomism. By atomism is here meant a verse-by-verse approach to the Qur'an, With most Muslim exegetes, the basic unit of Qur'an study is one or a few verses taken in isolation from the preceding and following verses. This approach led to the widely-held belief (or the belief may have caused the approach) that the received arrangement of Qur'anic verses and surahs is not very significant for exegetical pur-

iTraditionist tafsir ("exegesis") is based on alJ.iidith ("reports" from or about Muhammad; sing., lJ.adith), asbiib an-nuziil ("occasions of revelation"; sing., sabab an-nuzidi, and riwiiyiit ("historical reports" or "opinions of early authorities"; sing., riwiiyah). Two commentaries of this type are: Jiim,c al-Bayiin can Ta'wil Ay al-Qur'iin by Abu Jacfar Muhammad ibn Jam at-Tabari (224-310/839-923), and Ad-Durr alManthiir f t t-Tafsir bi l-Ma'thiir, by Jalal ad-Din cAbd ar-Rabman as-Suyuti (849- 911/1445-1505). Theological tafsir seeks to defend and support particular theological views against rival views. The prime example in this category is the At-Tofsir al-Kabir of Fakhr ad-Din Abu cAbd Alllih ibn cUmar ar-Razi (544-60611150-1210); the work is also known as Mafotil} al-Ghayb. Literary-philological tofsir concentrates on the rhetorical, linguistic, and grammatical aspects of the Qur'an. The best representative of this class is the AI-Kashshii/can Haqii'iq at-Tanzil wa cUyun al-Aqiiwi! of Abu 1- Qasim Mahmiid ibn cUmar az-Zamakbshari (467-53811075-1144). Writers ofjuristical tafstr deal primarily with the Qur'anic verses containing legal injunctions, and present, often in a polemical fashion, the views held by their schools on those verses. Two well-known examples are: Ahkiim al-Qur'iin (3 vols.; Istanbul: MatbaCat alAwqaf al-Islamiyyah, 1335-133811916 or 7-1920) by the Hanafl jurist, Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn cAli ar-Razl al-Jassas (305-370/917-980), and a work of the same title by the MaIikijurist, AbU Bakr Muhammad ibn cAbd Allah al-Macafiri, known as Ibn al-cArabi (468-54311076-1148).

Two points should be noted. First, the above classification is not meant to be exhaustive. Other types of ta/sir exist. There is, for example, mystical tafsir, which employs an esoteric mode of interpretation (see next note). Second, the classification is not mcunt In he II rigid one, as there is considerable overlapping of content and approach among the several types. While, for example, theological discussions may be suit! to he Ihl' mo~t distinctive feature of Rlizi's commentary, this comment~ also l"OlItlllllN 1111 I'KtC'IINiVI' treatment of grammatical points and defends the ShMi I agaillst thl' 1.llIlIlIn IlIfiNllnll I'oNition.

introduction

I III roduct ion

poses. "Most scholars, including Imam Malik and al-Baqillanl, hold the view that the arrangement of the Qur'an has nothing to do with divine guidance.'?

In view of this belief of Muslim scholars, it is not surprising that many Western writers have concluded that the Qur'an lacks coherence of composition. Thomas Carlyle bluntly described the Qur'an as "toilsome reading ... a wearisome, confused jumble, crude, incondite."! Montgomery Watt, pulling his punches but still representing the standard orientalist position, remarks that the Qur'anic arrangement is "unsystematic.t" that the Qur'an lacks "sustained composition at any great length."?

This view of the composition of the Qur'an has been responsible for the relatively underdeveloped state of Qur'anic studies in the West. As John Merrill observes: "A lack of logical connection in the chapters of the Qur'an has been felt by many Westerners and has often discouraged them from its perusal.:" And while the subject of the chronology of the Qur'an has intrinsic interest, it is probable that frustration with the existing arrangement of the Qur'an was a principal motivation behind the attempts to reconstruct the Qur'an chronologically,"

Be that as it may. the dominant view about the Qur'an has been that it is lacking in coherent composition, and that whatever composition it may have is, from a hermeneutical point of view, ~ot very significanct. The view is shared, as we have seen, by Mushm and Orientalist scholars.

Nature and Significance of I~labi"s Work

Amin Ahsan I~laJ:ii, a contemporary Pakistani scholar, rejects the view that the Qur'an, in its received form, lacks coherence. He holds that the Qur'an is endowed with a coherence that is not only remarkable in itself but is integral to the meaning and interpretation of the Qur'an. This view constitutes a major, in fact the major, underpinning of his eight-volume Qur'an commentary, Tadabbur-i Qur'iin ("Reflection on the Qur'an"), completed only a few years ago.

It is also a radical view, one that poses a manifold challenge to the tradition of Qur'an exegesis. If found to be valid, it would change fundamentally our perception of the kind of book the

Qur'an is. As such, it needs to be closely examined. .

Islah! borrows his basic theoretical framework from hIS teacher and mentor, Hamid ad-Din cAbd al-Hamid al-Farahi (1280-1349/1863-1930). But, as will become clear in due course, he modifies Farahi's theory and makes significant additions to it. So, while in the present work Farahl's ideas are sometimes discussed at length, this is done only in order to provide the necessary background, the focus throughout being on those ideas as interpreted by

Islahl and on ideas that are original to I~Iii.J:ii. .

The term that I~laJ:ii (following Farahi) uses to descnbe coherence in the Qur'an is nazm (literally, "order, arrangement, organization"). We shall present, analyze, and evaluate Islahl's conc~pt. ~f nazm as found in Tadabbur-i Qur'iin, attempting to see the signifi-

. ,.,

cance of the concept for Qur lin interpretation.

Nazm constitutes the most important, but still only one, of the exegetical principles I~Iii.J:ii subscribes to. Some of the other principles used by him also have nazm ramifications, and we shall touch upon them. Generally, however, we shall be concerned with what I~lahI specifically designates as the principle of nazm.

. It is true that a number of early Muslim scholars have maintained that the Qur'an possesses coherence. The word often used by these writers to describe that coherence is, again, nazm. But their undersunuling of ()III'nnil' IIt1:;m. as we shall see, is of a rudimentary

2 Jullandri, p. 76. Muslim mystics, or SUfis, are hardly an exception. It is true that they have often attempted to see the Qur'an as a unity, but, as FazIur Rahman remarks, "this unity was imposed upon the Qur'an (and Islam in general) from without rather than derived from a study of the Qur'an itself." Islam and Modernity, p.3.

3Quoted in H.A.R. Gibb, Mohammedanism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971), p.25.

"watt, p. xi. See also ibid., p. 22, where Watt speaks of "a characteristic of the Qur'l\n which has often been remarked on, namely, its disjointedness."

5Ibid., p. 73.

6MerriII, p. 135. Writing in a similar vein, Hartwig Hirschfeld had already remarked (p. 5) that "the manifold difficulties" of the Qur'an "repel rather than encourage the study of the Qur'an."

7Such attempts were made by Theodor Noldeke, Hubert Grimme, J.M. Rodwell, and Richard Bell. (Cf. N.J. Dawood, tr., The Koran, fourth revd. ed. [Penguin, 1974], p. 11.) For brief reviews of these attempts, see Watt, chapter 7, and Blaehere, Introduction, pp. 247-263. Bla.cber.e also speaks of the attempts made by Muslim s¢h61ars to rearrange me Qtir'an chroQ,ol9gicalIy. These attempts were inspired, he says, "d'une cilriosilhlk la lois pieuse et pratique. .. and, despite the near identity of the sources used by Muslim and Western'sch!llars, led "II des resultats absolument divergents." Ibid., p. 240. He concludes: "Remaiquons bienqu'il ne s'agit pas d'un reclassemeat ehronelogique "li proprement parler." Ibid., p. 244. Cf. Fazlur Rahman, Mq/or Themes, p. xii.

2

Introduction

111/1'0'/'11 '11011

kind. A few modern scholars have essayed to show the cohesion in the Qur'anic outlook, but, as will also be seen later, without sufficiently accounting for the arrangement the Qur'an actually possesses. I~laI;tI's Tadabbur-i Qur'iin, based though it is on Farahl's pioneer work, is the first thoroughgoing attempt to show that the Qur'an is marked by thematic, and also by structural, coherence. As such, Tadabbur suggests lines of Qur'anic study that are pregnant with new possibilities.

So far no analytical study of Tadabbur-i Qur'iin has been made. It is written in Urdu and that makes it difficult of access to Arab and Western scholars. Even in Pakistan, until recently, it was not widely known, though it has now attracted much scholarly attention there. Also, a few of I~lalji's opinions have become controversial," arousing as a result general interest in Tadabbur. This study, it is hoped, will introduce an important modern tafsir to Western Islamicists and pave the way for a fuller examination of its author's views.

Sources, Methodology, and Plan

In the Introduction to Tadabbur, b;;lab'i provides a concise summary of Farahi's thoughts Oil " a; m, and also indicates where he modifies or adds to Fanlhi's III1;;m theory. The Introduction is thus a convenient source for identifying the theoretical views of Islahl, Very useful, too, is his Mabiidi-yi Tadabbur-i Qur'iui ("Guide to Reflection on the Qur'an"), which antedates Tadabbur by a number of years and may be regarded as a more detailed Introduction to the latter work. The principal source of material for the present study, of course, is the volumes of Tadabbur-i Qur'iin themselves.

Many Muslim writers from the 4th/10th to the 13thll9th century have dealt with the question of Qur'anic nazm. From the works of a number of such authors I have tried to isolate the nazm views found in them, and, making a comparative study of those views, tried to place a historical perspective on the idea of Qur'anic nazm before embarking on a study of that idea in Farahi and I~lalji.

I~lalji conceives of Qur'anic nazm on three main levels-na;m of the individual siirah, nazm of paired siirahs, and nazm of groups of siirahs-and each level had to be approached a little differently. The first level is the most important. But since the basic rules governing a siirah's nazm are more or less uniform, it was considered sufficient, for the purposes of illustrating this type of nazm, to select one long siirah and discuss it in detail, though a number of other siirahs also come in for treatment in this connection. The main task faced in discussing the second type of nazm was to bring out the notion of complementarity between the members of a siirah pair. And since this complementarity takes many forms, it was necessary to identify the major forms, and so a relatively large number of siirahs had to be cited, though it was possible to keep the discussion brief. As in the case of a siirah's nazm; so in the case of the nazm of siirah groups, it was possible to be selective, and so the brunt of discussion was borne by one or two siirah groups. Nazm at this level, however, becomes a little more complex and gives rise to certain issues that call for treatment. In discussing each of these levels, it has been my endeavor to provide enough material, together with analysis and criticism, to enable the reader to form a judgment about I~lalji's concept of nazm in the Qur'an,

The book consists of seven chapters. Chapter I outlines the history of the concept of nazm. Chapter II gives an exposition of the exegetical principles of Farah! and I~lalji. Chapter III takes up the Farah'i-I~I[ib'i idea of the siirah as a unity. Chapter IV compares I~labrs view of IIH~ ,~flrah as a unity with similar views of two other 20th-ccnlu,'Y (jlll"nll l'xl~l!-ctes. Chapter V examines Islahl's view

Since no prior research on I~lalji exists, and only very little work has been done on Farahi.? or on the idea of Qur'anic nazm itself. the present work is to a very large extent based on primary sources. For the basic nazm theory as set forth by Farahl, reliance hus been placed on three of Farahi's works: Dalii'il an-Niziim ~"Arguments for [the Presence of] Nazm [in the Qur'an'tj), AtTlIkmrl/i Usii! at-Ta'wil ("Comprehensive Treatment of the Principles of [Qur'an] Interpretation"), and MajmUCah-yi Tafiisir-i Fariihi ("Collected Commentary Works of Farahi"). The last book cont~ins lin exhaustive Introduction in which Farahl sums up his nazm VICWS.

SFo~ example, I~IA.bI holds that the distinction made by Muslim jurists between the purushment for a married fornicator and that for an unmarried fornicator is without basis, and that the punishment for both is the same, namely, that stated in Qur'an 2~:2 (see Tada~bur, ~:5()()-507?- A few years ago a Pakistan High Court cited I~Iii.bI's VIew m one of its rulings, causmg much agitation on the part of religious scholars and the public.

9Sayyid Sa'1d Ahsan aI-cAbidi has written a doctoral dissertation entitled "Hamid ad-DIn al-Farahl: Hayatuhu wa Manhajuhii fi Tafsir al-Qur'an wa Athar Dhalik fi I-Hind" (cited in Ad-Dalil al.Bibliyujriiji li r-Rasii'i/ al.Jiimhyyah ji Misr, 1922. 19'74, Vol. 1, Al-Insiiniyyiit [Cairo, 1976), p. 475). So far, however, I huvc not heen Ihl. to obtain a copy of this work.

4

Introduction

Introduction

Biographical Sketches of Farahl and 1~liiIfi

that Sir Sayyid had it included in the college syllabus.P Farahi

obtained his B.A. from Ilahabad University.l" . .

For the next many years, Farahl taught Arabic at vanous institutions, including Aligarh and Dar al-cUliim, Hyderabad .. D~ring his stay in Hyderabad, Farahi conceived the id~a of establishing a universtiy where all religious and modem SCIences would be taught in Urdu. The scheme he prepared for this purpose later materialized in the form of Jamicah CUthmaniyyah, Hyderabad.!" He subsequently came to Sara'e Mir, a town in Azamgarh, wher~ he took charge of the Madrasat al-Islah ("S~hool. for IMus~m! Reform") an institution based on the educational Ideas of Shibli Nucmiini' and Fariihi. Farahl had served as chief administra.tor of the school since its inception, but other engagements had until now

d i . affai 18

kept him from becoming actively involve in ItS airs,

From 134411925, when he came to Sara'e Mir, to 134911930, the year of his death, Farahi devoted most of his time ~d energy to managing the affairs of the Madrasat al-Islah and teaching there '. A few students-Amin Ahsan I~laJji was one of them=received specI~1 training from him; they were supposed to become the bearers of his thought.!?

An erudite scholar, Farahi commanded knowledge of a number of languages, among them Hebrew and En~sh. He learnt Hebrew from the German Orientalist Josef Horovitz (1874-1931), who was professor of Arabic at the Aligarh Muslim College.

Horovitz studied Arabic with Fariihi.20 ,

Farahf's chief scholarly interest was the Qur'an, the focal point of all his writings. Most of his published works are in ~he form of notes that were later compiled by his students. Among his books,

. . .. d- I Q ,- 21

besides the three already mentioned, are: MUJra at a - ur an

("Vocabulary of the Qur'an"), Asiilfb al-Qur'iin22 ("Style of the

that, as a rule, all surahs exist in the form of pairs. Chapter VI discusses the seven groups into which l~lal:ti divides the Qur'anic surahs, Chapter VII presents conclusions. Two appendices offer additional examples of I~liibi's application of the nazm theory.

This work deals with the views of I~liibi, and so a biographical sketch of I~liibi is in order. But there is such a close relationship between the views and personalities of Farahl and I~liibi that a lifesketch of Farahl may not be out of place.

Fariihi

Farahi was born in Phreha (hence the name "Farahi"), a village in the district of Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh, Indiaj.l? He belonged to a distinguished family, and was a maternal cousin of the famous theologian-historian Muhammad Shibll Nucmiini (1274- 1332/1858-1914).11

After studying Arabic, Persian, and Islamic sciences with several prominent religious scholars-Shibli Nucmiini was one of themI2-Farahi, about twenty years of age, secured admission to the reputed Aligarh Muslim College'? in order to study modem disciplines of knowledge. His recommender was Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1233-131511817-1897), the founder of the college. In his letter addressed to the principal, an Englishman, Sir Sayyid wrote that he was commending him a young man who was a greater scholar of Arabic and Persian than the professors of the college. While a student at the college, Farahi rendered parts of the At-Tabaqat alKubriil4 of Abu cAbd Allah Muhammad ibn Sacd az-Zuhri (168- 2301784-845) into Persian. The translation was found to be so good

"Far!hI, Majmifah, p. 9.

15Farabi, Majmif ah; p. 11. 16Ibid., p. 12.

I7Ibid., p. 13.

18Ibid., p. 14.

19lbid.

2olhid., p. I~,

21 Aznmgnrh, 111111111 All Dn'lllIh 1I1·l.IlImldiyyah wa Maktabatuha, 135811939. 22 A~III11I!UI'h, 11111111, Ad Ilft'll"h III 1.I"1II111iVyuh wn Mnktabntuha. 1389? 1 I 969?

101 have borrowed the details of Fariihi's life from the account with which I~liilP prefaces his translation of Farahrs Majmif ah.

12Ihid., pp. 9-11.

13The Aligarh Muslim College was founded in 1292/1875. It became a university in 1339/1920.

149 VOIN.; Beirut: Dar u~-Slldir, I3!!O·13!!!!/1960-1968.

6

Introduction

Introduction

Qur'an"), Jamharat al-Baliighah23 ("Manual of Qur'anic Rhetoric"), and Imciin f i Aqsiim al-Qur'iin24 ("Study of the Qur'anic Oaths").

it was never to recover. In 13781 1958 I~labi founded the Tanzlm-i Islami ("Islamic Organization"), but the venture did not prove successful.

Since then I~labi has been mainly engaged in private scholarly work. The chief product of this phase is Tadabbur-i Qur'iin, parts of which were first published in Mithiiq ("Covenant"), a monthly journal put out by I~labi in 1379/1959. After the completion of Tadabbur in 1400/1980, I~labi established, in Lahore, a study circle28 in which instruction on the Qur'an and Hadith was to be imparted in accordance with the Farahi-Islahi approach. The study circle holds regular meetings, and also publishes a journal, Tadabbur ("Reflection").

I~labi has written a large number of books and articles on diverse Islamic subjects. Among his books, besides Tadabbur and Mabddi-yi Tadabbur-i Qur'an; are: Tazkiyah-yi Nafs29 ("Purification of the Soul"), Ddvat-i Din aur Us kd Tariq-i Kiir3° ("Islamic Message and the Correct Way of Propagating It"), Isliimi Qanun ki Tadvin31 ("Codification of Islamic Law"), Isliimi Riyiisat32 ("Islamic State"), and Piikistiini C Awrat Do Riihe par33 ("Pakistani Woman at the Crossroads").

I$lal}i

I~labi is one of the most accomplished students of Farahi. He was born in Bumhore, a village in Azamgarh, in 1324/1906. After his initial education, he was admitted to the Madrasat al-Islah, from where he was graduated in 1341/1922. A graduate of the Madrasat al-Islah is known as "I~labi."25

I~Iii.1.U started his career as a journalist, writing for several newspapers. In 1344/1925 he met Farahi, and, at the latter's suggestion, gave up his journalistic career and came to Sara'e Mir in order to study with him. From 1344/1925 until Farahl's death five years later, I~Iii.1.U lived in close association with FarahI,26 and mastered the latter's approach to the Qur'an. With Farah! he studied not only the Qur'an, but also philosophy, political science, and other SUbjects.

After Farahi's death, I~Iii.1.U studied Hadith ("Prophetic Tradition") with Muhammad cAbd ar-Rahman Mubarakpun (1283 or 4- 1354/1866 or 7-1935), one of the greatest Hadtth scholars of India. Returning to Sara'e Mir, he taught at the Madrasat al-Islah, and also became actively involved in the administration of the school. He arranged for the publication of Farahl's works, and published a journal, Al-I$lal} ("Reform").27

In 1359/1940 Abu I-A Cia Mawdudi (1321-14OO/1903-1979) founded the JamaCat-i IsliimI ("Islamic Party"), a religious-political organization. I~Iii.1.U, who was in agreement with the goals and objectives of the JamaCat, soon joined it as a regular member. In the JamaCat he became a key figure and always held distinguished positions. In fact he represented the "intellectual" element in the JamaCat, and when, in the mid-1950s, following serious differences, he resigned from the Jama'iat, the JamaCat suffered a loss from which

23 Azamgarh, India: Ad-Da'irah aI-l;Iamidiyyah wa Maktabatuha, 136011941. 24Azamgarh, India: Ad-Da'irah aI-l;Iamidiyyah wa Maktabatuha, 134911930. 25There are thus many "I$Ili.(ll's," and some of them are well-known Urdu authors. In this work, Amin Ahsan is the only "I$lliI;Ii" referred to.

26rllrAhl. Majmifah. p. 16.

27Under 1~llItlT's editorship, the journal was published regularly Irom n~v I'H6 to IJWI 1940. Its principul uim was to bring to light Faraht's work" (Ill the ()m'nn 'hid., p. 1'1. n. I.

2811 is called "Idarah-yi Tadabbur-i Qur'an-o-Hadith." 29Paisalabad, Pakistan: Malik Sons, 138111961.

30Lahore: Anjurnan-i Khuddarnu'lqur'an, 3rd printing, 138311963. 3lLahorc: Anjlllllllll-i Khuddllmu'lqur'lin, 138311963.

32Luhom: I\nilllllllll.j K hluhlnnlll'lqllr·nn. I 39!l1 1977. DI.uhol'(J: I\flilillliln I K IlIlIltInlllll'l'IllI 'An. 1199/1'1711.

a

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

Chapter I

NAZAf IN THE QUR'AN: BRIEF HISTORY OF AN IDEA

919) are said to have written books on Qur'anic nazm, but these are not extant.? The works of a few other scholars are not easily accessible," The authors whose views have reached us may be divided into two broad categories: those who interpret Qur'anic nazm to mean some kind of a relationship between words and meanings, and those who understand by it a linear connection existing between the Qur'anic verses, surahs, or verses and surahs both.

Although Muslim Qur'an exegesis, as noted in the Introduction, is predominantly atomistic, there have been writers who have tried to see in the Qur'an elements of coherence and integration. And nazm is the term many of these writers use to descibe such elements in the Qur'an, In this chapter we shall make a brief survey of the principal ways in which nazm, as applied to the Qur'an, has been understood. To this end we shall review the ideas of selected traditional and modem Muslim writers. For our purposes, "modem" writers are twentieth-century writers, those belonging to earlier

periods being "traditional." .

Traditional Writers

Word-Meaning Relationship

We will select four writers from the first category. They are:

Abu Sulayman Hamd ibn Muhammad al-Khattabi (319-388/931- 998), Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn at-Tayyib al-Baqillani (338-403/ 950-1013), Abu Bakr cAbd al-Qahir ibn cAbd ar-Rahman al-Jurjanl (d. 47111078), and Abu l-Qasim Mahmud ibn cUmar azZamakhshari.

I. Khattdbi. Khattabi is the first writer definitely known to have suggested that it is nazm that largely explains the l-(;jiiz of the Qur'an, In his "Kitab Bayan ICjaz al-Qur'an" Khattabl says that the key to Qur'anic iCjiiz is Qur'anic baliighah ("eloquence").7 "The Qur'an is inimitable," he writes, "in that it employs the most eloquent words in ideal forms of composition (ahsan nuziim at-ta'lif}, embodying the truest meanings.l" Baliighah is thus constituted of three elements: words,meanings, and nazm.' Khattabl considers the element of nazm to be more important than the other two:

The idea of Qur'anic nazm seems to have arisen in connection with the discussion on the iCjiiz ("inimitability") of the Qur'an.! As a proof of its being the Word of God, the Qur'an presents the claim that none can produce the like of it, that it is inimitable.? Muslim theologians later developed this claim into a full-fledged notion of Qur'anic l-(;jiiz.3 With the exception of a few writers, like Abu 1- Husayn Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn ar-Rawandr' (d. 298/910), Muslim writers have unanimously held the Qur'an to be muCjiz ("inimitable"), though they have differed on precisely how Qur'anic iCjiiz is to be explained. Some of them have argued that Qur'anic iCjiiz consists in Qur'anic nazm.

The views of a few early Muslim scholars who considered Qur'anic nazm to be an essential component of Qur'anic iCjiiz are not known. Abu CUthmiin cAmr ibn B$ al-Jahiz (163-2551780- 869) and Abu cAbd Allah Muhammad ibn Zayd al-Wasitl (d. 309/

As for the modes of na~m, the need to master them is greater [than the need to choose the right words or reflect on the meanings], for

51:fim~I, pp. 53-54, 59-60. Bouman, p. 45. Abdul Aleem, pp. 72, 74.

I Abii Miisli, p. 88.

2See, for example, Qur'an 2:23; 11: 13; 17:88; 52:33-34.

3For a historical survey of the subject, together with bibliographical information, see Abdul Aleem, pp. 64-82, 215-233.

60f the several works listed below, the first is now available to me, but unfortunately it was not possible to make us~ of it before this boo~ ~en~ to press. The ~c:~s are:

Nazm ad-Durar /f Taniisub al-Ayiit wa s-Suwar by Ibrahim Ibn "Umar al-Biqa 1(809- 885/1406-1480); Tabsir ar-Rahmiin wa Taysir al-Manniin bi Bac4 Mii Yushiru ilii fjiiz al-Qur'iin by CAlli' ad-Din Abii l-Hasan cAlI ibn Ahmad ~-Makhdiim alMaha'imt (776-835/1374-1432); and Tafsir MuI)ammadi fi rtibii; al-Ayiit by Jalal adDin Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn N~Ir ad-Din (d. 98211574). Suyiip (ltqiin, 2:108) refers to a book he himself wrote on the relationships between the Qur'linic verses and siirahs.

7Thaliilh Ra.wl'i/. r. 24.

4Jie iN Nllid 10 have denied the ,cjllz of the Qur'an and written II hook ntlllckina Qur'Rnil' nazm. 1:lim~T, pp. 49-50. There were a few others who lu:;111 Nill'lll~I' ViI)WN, Ibid., p. 'II. Houm .. n, p. 19.

K1hid .. p. 27.

~Ihltl,

10

II

Nazm in the Qur'iin: IJruflll\lof'l'

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

they hold words and meanings together, and it is hy virtue of them that the parts of an utterance become well-knit.!"

ing the first two, Baqillanl devotes most of the book to a discussion

of the third proof.U . ,_ .

Like Khattabi, Baqillanl interprets nazm 10 terms of Qur amc baliighah. But it is not immediately clear exactly what h~ means by nazm. For, in different contexts, he uses the word nazm 10 so ~any different senses that one almost despairs of being able to assign a definite meaning to it. It is this lack of precision on Baqillanf's part that prompted cA'ishah cAbd ar-Rahman Bint ash-Shati' to make the following remark:

It is extremely difficult for a reader of BaqilliinI's book to derive, from the mass of dialectical arguments and lengthy passages of prose and poetry [he cites], ~ clear n~ti02.~f the el~u~i~nary ,cjiiz of Qur'anic nazm (fikrab WruJll}ah /1 I-I Jaz al-baliighi II na;m alQur'jjn).14

Nevertheless, Baqilliini provides a few significant clues. to what he means ~y Qur'anic .na;m. One ~lue is his rep~~ted assert~on that the Qur'an IS chsracterized by badi .15 Now badi IS a ~echnical term in Arabic and denotes that branch of baliighah which deals with the use of literary devices like mubiilaghah ("emphatic statement"), . istitriid ("digression"), mutdbaqah ("contrasting pairs"), tajnis ("paronomasia"), etc. Baqillani discusses these and other devices at great length, cites from the Qur'an examples of ~ac~, and tries to explain why, in this res.pect, the Qur'~n cannot be ,clffiltated. The point to note is that the SCIence, or sub SCIence, of badi : th~ugh it has to do with certain literary devices, is yet concerned with judging the appropriateness of the use of these devices to the basic aim of all speech, namely, effective communication. In other words, ~he question of the suitability of the expres.sion used t~ the meaning intended again becomes relevant. Thus It can be said that, essentially, Baqillanl, too, understands by nazm the unique. relation~hip that the Qur'iin establishes between words and meanmgs. This IS

What does Khattabl mean by nazml A study of the many Qur'anic examples he cites in explanation of his view!' would lead one to conclude that nazm in Khallabi stands for the particular ways in which words are arranged in order to put across the desired meaning. When he says that nazm is more important than words or meanings, Khattabt implies that a poor arrangement of otherwise appropriate words would impede the conveying of the meaning, no matter how clearly the meaning was conceived mentally. The Qur'an is inimitable, he argues, because, in addition to employing words that are perfectly suited to the meaning it wants to impart, it generates ideal nazm or structure. The examples Khattabi cites to illustrate his view of Qur'anic na;m-and hence of Qur'anic baliighah-are all made up either of a single word, phrase, or sentence. It may accordingly be said that nazm in Khattabt is nazm of individual words, phrases, or sentences; that he does not, for example, aim to show that a series of sentences taken together, or an extended passage, might be informed by nazm. But the main point that emerges from the discussion above is that Khallabi regards nazm as a constituent of balaghah that is independent of the other two constituents, words and meanings, and that he conceives of nazm in terms of word-meaning arrangement.

2. Biiqilliinl. In his JCjiiz al-Qur'iin, Baqillant expounds the ljiiz of the Qur'an, According to him, there are three proofs of Qur'anic l-(;jiiz: the Qur'an's accurate relation of little-known past events and its true prediction of future events; the fact that Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was illiterate and could not have produced the Qur'an himself; and Qur'anic na;m.12 After briefly treat-

IOIbid., p. 36.

11 Ibid., pp. 29 ft. 12BaqilliinI, pp. 48-51.

l3It may be noted in passing that the first of the three proofs is ~ bo~owing of Baqillani's. Abu Isb.aq ibn Sayylir an-Nazzam (!60-231:775-846) IS ~rud to have believed that the Qur'an is inimitable because of Its relatIo~ of otherwIs~_ ~own past events and its prediction of events still in the womb of ume, But Q~.aDlC nazm, he believed could theoretically be matched, though God has, by depnvmg man of the ability ;0 match it, prevented him from doing so. This is known as the theory of sarfah ("prevention"). Sec Abu l-Hasan CAll ibn IsmliCu al-Ashcali (d. 324/935), p. 225. Thaliilh RtI.wl'iI, 1'1'. 23-24, 75.

14Bint ush-Shntl' p, I(H),

12

1'\

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

IlINO h?rne out by the examples he cites in illustration of Qur'anic nazm 16 and by his criticism of some of the Arab poets.!?

3. Jurjdni. If nazm is to Baqillanj one of the several proofs of Qur'anic iCjiiz, it is to Jurjanl the only proof, or at least the primary 0." fundamental proof, of that lJiiz. The argument for Qur'anic Oiiz, he writes in "Ar-Risalah ash-Shafiyah," rests on nazm:

The [Qur'aruc] challenge was that they [Arabs] give expression to ~y thought they ~ed but in such a way that the product should, rn point of nazm, either compare with the excellence of the Qur'an or approximate that excellence.U'

It is nazm; therefore, that makes the Qur'an inimitable 19 and it is Qur'anic nazm that the Arabs failed to match.2o But what does JuJjanI mean by nazml

Nazm, Jurjanl says in Dalii'il al-Fjaz, is the relating of words to one another in a way that would establish between them a causal ~nnection. 21 Thus, in Arabic, words may be related to one another m three ways: noun to noun, noun to verb, and particle to noun and verb.22 But the order in which words are arranged is determined or o~ght to be determined, by the order in which meanings exist in 'the ~d of the speaker.P In order to achieve a perfect translation of Ideas into words, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of grammar. By grammar Ju~aru means not simply the inflectional endings of words, as he claims most grammarians before him took grammar to be, but also grammatical structures in which the positions of the structural components are significant-in which taCrif ("definiteness") and tankir ("indefiniteness"), taqdim ("preposing") and ta'khir ("postposing"), hadhf ("ellipsis") and takriir ("repetition"),

16Ibid., pp. 279 fl.

17Ibid., pp. 241-272, 334-366.

18Tha/iith Rasii'il, p. 141. 19Ibid.

20Ibid.

21Jurjlini, Da/ii'i/. pp. 43-44. 22lhid., pp. 44.45.

14

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

etc., are meaningful and must be reckoned with.24 Jurjanl calls these aspects of grammar maciini an-nahw ("gr~atical meanings") ~d makes an understanding of them a prerequisne to the appreciation of na~m.25

By insisting that maciinf an-nahw are an integr~ part of n~m, Jurjiini has enlarged the scope of grammar, has m fact brought grammar closer to the science of baliighah or rhetoric.26 But wh~ther he isanalayzing mtEiini an-nahw or criticizing other grammarians, Jurjani's concern always is that the speaker should, through ad~erenee to grammatical-rhetorical rules, achieve exact and unambiguous expression of the ideas that exist .in his mind. That is to say, words should serve as vehicle to tl).ought-Juljaru calls them awciyah li l-maciinfl7 ("receptacles for meanings").

4. Zamakhshari. Zamakhshari begins the Introduction to his Qur'an commentary by expressing gratitude to God, Who has revealed kaliiman mu'allafan muna~~aman28 ("a well-composed and well-knit discourse"). Thus, from the outset, Zamakhshari seems to be preoccupied with the idea that the Qur'an is characterized by

nazm, and that Qur'anic na~m explains Qur'anic l-Cj~Z. .

But Zamakhshari's concept of nazm does not, m essence, differ from the concepts of Khattabl, Baqillanl, and Jurjanl. It is true that, besides explaining the suitability of Qur'anic words to Qur'anic ideas,29 Zamakhshari also deals elaborately wit~ the st~ctnre of the Qu:'aruc.sentenoe;30 and, still further, .often toes ~~ b~g out the relationships between the verses of a passage. Still, Zamakhshari, likeJurj3J,lI, conceives of nasm in grammatica1-rhet~rical terms, if in a much more complex wa.y. It is by demons~a~g the Qur'an's matchless way of pressing grammar and rhetonc mto its service that Zamakhshari attempts to establish the excellence of Qur'anic nazm. To give an example, he says that the four sentences

24Ibid., pp. 117-118. 25Ibid., p. 123 passim, 261:1im$i, p. 84. 27Jurjaru, Da/ii'iI, p. 95. 28Zamakhshuri. 1:3.

29 Ahu M [isO. PI'. 21 J rr, lolhid .. PI'. :~tl') fr. .1111".1 .. 1'1' 1(,')'"

~-- I~

Nazm in the Qur'an: Brief History

that make up Qur'an 2:1-2 possess the highest kind of baliighah and beauty of nazm, which, he adds, can be appreciated only when the many grammatical and rhetorical features-like the absence of the conjunctive particle wiiw, the ellipsis, the preposing, and the terseness of expression-are noted and reflected on.32

There are of course differences between the four writers.

KhaUabi presents the basic idea that nazm constitutes baliighah. and baliighah explains Qur'anic ,oCjiiz; he restricts his discussion almost exclusively to Qur'anic examples. In Baqillanl that idea becomes more complex as Baqillani tries to elucidate Qur'anic nazm in terms of bad'f; he tries to show that the Qur'an is free from the imperfections that mark Arabic poetry. Jurjani considers the gramma~ical meanings to be constituting nazm; in explaining this nazm, Jurjanl, contrary to Baqillant, relies heavily on Arabic poetry and refers to the Qur'an relatively infrequently.P which signifies that the idea of nazm in him becomes somewhat independent of the issue of ,oCjiiz and a subject of interest in itself. A balance, as it were, is reached in Zamakhshari, who, on the one hand, cites extensively from Arabic poetry, and, on the other, shows how the Qur'an exceeds the highest standards of human eloquence (typified for Zamakhshari in classical Arabic poetry). At the same time, Zamakhshari presupposes, on the reader's part, a much keener und~rstanding of Arabic grammar and rhetoric than do KhaHabI, Baqillanl, or Jurjani, and often establishes, between the parts of one verse or between a series of verses, nazm relationships that are subtler and more complex than found in any of the other three writers.

In spite of these differences, however, the four writers take an essentially similar view of the matter before them: they all define nazm as some kind of a relationship between words used and meanings intended, and they all try to prove that, in establishing such a relationship, the Qur'an far excels any other discourse. Within the group of these writers, it is in ZamakhsharI that the idea of nazm finds its most mature and balanced expression.

The views of the four writers thus mark the establishment of nazm as a significant new trend in Qur'anic exegetical approach. But these views are not only of historical interest; they are, as we shall see, presupposed in subsequent nazm thought on the Qur'an,

32Zamakhshan, I: 121-122.

llHint uNh-shnli'. pp. 110-111.

16

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

Linear Connection

In the second chapter of Al-Burhiin fi rUliim al-Qur'dn, Badr ad-DIn Muhammad ibn cAbd Allah az-Zarkashi (745-794/1344- l391) discusses the question of interrelationships between the Qur'anic verses; the word he uses to denote these interrelationships is muniisabiit (pI. of muniisabah).34 Muslim scholarly opinion, Zarkashi says, is divided on whether the Qur'anic verses in their present arrangement are characterized by muniisabah. Some argue that since, in the compiling of the Qur'an, the revelatory sequence of the verses was abandoned, therefore the hikmah ("wise consideration") of muniisabah must have been observed in rearranging the Qur'anic material. Others maintain that the Qur'an was revealed over a period of twenty odd years and dealt with so many diverse subjects that any attempt to induce coherence in it would be futile.35 Zarkashi himself supports the first view,36 but notes that the task of discovering muniisabah in the Qur' an is a difficult one, and that very few scholars have attempted it. Of those who have, Zarkashl cites RazI as an outstanding figure.f?

Razi is probably the first writer to apply the idea of nazm to the whole of the Qur'an. He is convinced that the Qur'an yields most of its latii'if ("subtly beautiful points") through the nazm or arrangement it possesses. He often draws the reader's attention to the exquisiteness of the nazm of this or that verse," and criticizes certain interpretations of Qur'anic verses if, in his view, they violate

the nazm of the Qur'an.39 .

RazI's method of establishing nazm in a Qur'anic siirah consists in showing how verse 1 of the siirah leads to verse 2, how verse 2 is related to verse 3, and so on until an unbroken linear connection between all the verses of the siirah is established. Sometimes RazI seeks to connect siirahs in similar fashion. Not infrequently, he suggests two or more types of connections (not always mutually

J4ne second chapter of Burhiin, in which this discussion takes place, is entitled "Macrifat Munasabat bayn al-Ayat".

35Ibid., 1 :37. 36Ibid., 1:38. 3?Ibid., 1 :36.

38See for eXlllllph\ IUll.l, CJ:219; 10: 140.

J~Scc. 1"01 nlllllpil', lhlll , ('114 1 \ K1; 9: I K9; 24: 176.

17

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

reconcilable) between verses.40 Thus he may give his own explanation of the nazm connection and, at the same time, adduce a sabab an-nuziil that links up the verses in question. It should be 'noted, however, that Rim does not hesitate to reject a sabab an-nuziil if it appears to him to be in clear contradiction of the nazm interpretation he himself .has arrived at, though this does not often happen.

Rim uses a number of expressions synonymously with napn.

The ones .he uses most frequently are: muniisabah;41 wajh an-nazm huwa annahu ... 42'("tbe explanation of the nazm is as follows ... ~'); taCalluq hiidhihf l-ayati bi mii qablahii huwa ... 43 ("this verse is related to the preceding verse in the following manner ... "); and lammii with perfect verb followed by perfect verb ("after [elucidating such-and-such a point], [God] now [follows it up with this point]").

Ran's attempt to see muniisabah between the Qur'anic verses-and, in some cases, surahs=was followed by similar attempts by a number of other scholars, perhaps most notably by these four exegetes: Nizam ad-Din ibn al-Hasan al-Qumml anNisabiiri (d. 728/1327); Abu cAbd Allah Athir ad-Din Muhammad ibn Yfisuf (654-745/1256-1344), known as Abu Hayyan; Shams adDin Muhammad ibn Muhammad ash-Shirblni (d. 977/1569); and Abu th-Thana' Shihab ad-Din Mahmud as-Sayyid Muhammad alAlusi (1217-1270/1802-1854). These writers borrow heavily from Rim, taking over from him not only his method but also the formulaic expressions he uses to express his idea of nazm. Of these four, Nisabiiri is probably the most dependent upon Rim,44 though he represents an advance over Rim in that he does not content himself with connecting individual verses to one another, but, typically, divides a surah into a number of passages and tries to link up these passages by connecting the dominant ideas in them. Abu Hayyan in this respect follows Rim. ShirbinI did not, it seems, originally plan to explain Qur'anic nazm, and there is no significant mention of it in his commentary on the early part of the Qur'an. However, by the time he reaches the middle of the Qur'an, nazm has

become an established principle with ShirbinI. Alusi, while he is mindful of the general context in which certain verses occur and often makes this general context the criterion for determining the merit of a particular interpretation, does not take pains to establish an unbroken link between all the verses of a surah. He, however, excels the other writers of this category when it comes to establishing connections between surahs. For, unlike the others, who connect two surahs by connecting the closing verses of the one surah and the opening verses of the other, Alusi offers concrete points of comparison between stirahs taken as wholes. But neither Rim nor any of the other four writers seeks to establish links between all the surahs.

We may conclude that the nazm these writers seek to establish is linear in character and has a bearing chiefly on individual stirahs, But, in their preoccupation with what we have called the larger units of the Qur'an, these scholars have further developed the concept of nazm. And while they seek to establish nazm between the verses of a given siirah, and sometimes between several stirahs, these scholars continue to discuss nazm in the sense of ideal word-meaning relationships. This means that their nazm view, rather than being opposed to the nazm view of the scholars of the first category, incorporates it and builds upon it.

Modem Authors

The issue of Qur'anic na~m has continued to intrigue Muslim scholars in present times. These scholars have tried to come to grips with the issue either in response to Western scholars' criticism of the Qur'an as a disjointed, unsystematic work, or with the aim of providing more satisfactory solutions to the na~m question th~ have hitherto been offered, or in order to investigate an area considered not only legitimate but important in modem literary theory. The three types of motivation are of course not absolutely distinct from each other, and one might detect the presence of all three in a writer's approach to the problem.

Before proceeding further, we should note that, in expounding the elements of nazm in the Qur'an, not all modem scholars use expressions like na~m or munasabah. This, however, is not a crucial matter. As long us these scholars are concerned with the issue of natm in its essential sense. that is, as long as they attempt to see the Qur'an liN II work marked hy coherence, then, irrespective of whether thev 1I1It' \'(,lll\in speciflc expressions or not, their views will he gCI'I1II1I1l' III nur "Iudy

4OSee, for example, ibid., 10: 116, 209; 11 :6, 32, 89. 41See, for example, ibid., 9: 158; 28: 193.

42See, for example, ibid., 10: 105.

43See, for example, ibid .• 10:205; 11:42,57-58,60,69-70.

44For NhnhOrT's acknowledgement of his debt to RnlJ, set' NhRh1l11, I :K,

1M

_______ '-0

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Uric!, llistorv

We will select three mod . .

Mawdudi M h d em wnters for discussion: Abii I-A cUi

, u amma Mahmiid H"' - -45

133811919) Th·' . .ljazI ,and Fazlur Rahman (b

. e Views of two other . t ill come i .

ment in chapter IV. wn ers Wi come lD for treat-

1. Mawdiidi. MawdiidI is full

the Qur'an is likely to b y aware that a modem reader of

presents itself. The Qur'a~~~:s p:rplexed. by. the w~y the Qur'an contained chapters but' th ot classify Its subjects into selfhistorical political 'philOlDSO hi~ salame dbreat~ speaks of matters legal,

, , p c an ethic 1 Thi

coherence leaves the reader . th ~h' a. . s apparent lack of poorly arranged work.46 wi e impression that the Qur'an is a

After granting that the problem' lik .

acute form MawdiidI su . IS ely to anse, and in an

to the subiect ggests that It can be solved with reference

f h ~ ,_ ' ~urpose, and central thesis of the Qur'an Th b'

o t e Qur an IS man and hi I . . e su ject "right attitude" that s sa vation; the central theme is the

and life' the u os ~an o~~t to adopt toward God, the universe Qur'an 'Ma:d-rpd- e IS to invite man to adopt this attitude.t? Th~

, u 1 says, never draws f . .

forgets its purpose and nev b awa~ rom Its subject, never

Moreover the Q :_ er a a~dons ItS fundamental thesis."

, ur an was revealed lD bi t d ni

of twenty-three years and 1 s an pieces over a period

, so one cannot expect t fi d i .

of a doctoral dissertation.f Still further h o. ~ lD It the plan arrangement of the Qur'an hi h ' t e ongmal, revelatory

the Prophet, was changed b Wth~ p~s~ered the ne~ds of the time of been suitable for later tim y 50 P et because It would not have

es.

This is an ingenious respo t h

the Qur'an, There is ho nse 0 t e charge of incoherence in

. ' wever, a problem with thi

IS not enough to say that the Qur'an al . s resp~nse. F~r it

purpose, and basic thesis A book of otati: sticks to ItS subject, meet the same criteria and t th . quo ations on a subject may very different kind fro~ th/e it e ~rnty of such a book will be of a treatment of a subiect M urn yo. a book that offers a systematic

J • oreover, if the Qur'an meets the above-

45

I have not been able to ascertain Hiia -, d

• ~ aZI sates.

46Mawdiidi, I: 13-15.

47Ibid., I: 19-20.

48Ibid., 1:20.

49lhid .. 1 :25.

50Ihid .• 1 :26-27.

20

Nazm in the Qur'iin: Brief History

stated criteria, then it would continue to meet them no matter what arrangement it is given. But the real question is not whether the Qur'anic material, irrespective of what arrangement if is given, continues to have coherence or not, but whether, with the arrangemen.t it actually has, it possesses coherence or not. To this question

Mawdudi does not address himself.

And yet MawdiidI's response has its value. For one thing,

MawdiidI, as a representative modem Muslim ·thinker, shows a sharp awareness of the problem . .For another, his solution to the problem, even though it may be vulnerable in the Iorm in which. he presents it, can probably be made, through a close analysis of what Mawdiidi calls the Qur'anie subject, purpose, and central thesis, the

basis of a more plausible solution.

2_ lIijiizf. l;Iijazi claims to be the first to have presented the

notion of "topical unity" in the Qur'an. In his Al-Wal].dah alMaw4uCiyyah fi I-Qur'an ai-Karim, after acknowledging the efforts of earlier scholars to see interrelationships (munfisabiit) between

Qur'anic verses and siirahs,51 he writes:

However, none of the earlier exegetes has attempted to couectall the verses on one topic, arrange them according to their chronological sequence, and, considering the occasions of revelation and the suitability of the verses in the surahs they occur in, attempted to study the verses in a thorough, systematic manner with a view to arriving at a complete and u.nbroken topicalllIlity.52

What 1;Iij iiii is saying is that, besides the nazm of the verses and sirrahs of the Qur'ful, there is another type of nazm to be found in the Qnr'an, one that scholars have failed to notice. This na~m, l;Iijiiii contends, is brought out only when all the Qur'anic verses on a given subject are brought together and studied in their chronologi-

cal order.

Apart from the fact that l;Iijiiii offers a rather meager amount

of evidence to substantiate his thesis (he gives only three examples,

~11;liJii/.1. p. '}..I.

52lhid .. p. ,l~. Sr.r "," .. IlIhl, pp. II, '1:I-~'4. 54. 60, 95, 125.

Nazm in (he Qur'iin: /lr/l/lli.\'(OIY

which are not truly represent ti 53) .

theory: it places too heavy a .lianc , there IS a basic flaw in his

F re ance on the occasi f

or one thing, it is well-nigh imoossi a~lOns 0 revelation.

given sabab an-nuziil in fact po~sIble to say with certainty that a

verse: Furthermore, because ~fc~~slOne:1 the revelation of a certain a stnctly historical view of th e pro . ems attendant upon taking scholars sometimes inte t e occasions of revelation, Muslim an actual historical e::~ :~ occasio? of .revelation ~o mean not Qur'anic verse might ha oli a~y situation to which a given

f ve app cation 54 But thi hif f

rom the historicity of the 0 . . . sst 0 emphasis augur well for Hijiizi's th ccasIO~s t~ their applicability does not view of them. . eory, which IS predicated on a historical

I:Iijiizi's attempt to see a cert . .

would thus yield results of quest" at~ltYPe of na~m. I~ the Qur'an

that he tries to place a hist . al iona e ~alue. Yet It IS significant a critique, howsoever briefo:~ thperspecb~e on the issue and offers other words, he would lik~ to ~a::~~ VIews. of earlier writers. In regard as a more or less well-est~blis himse~ ~ what he seems to tation of the Qur'an, For it h ld hed tradition of nazm interpretradition in Qur'an exeg 1. S dOU be clear by now that a nazm

ests oes exist aft .

generally. ' ac not appreciated

3. Fazlur Rahman. The Qur'an F I

a "cohesive outlook on the . ' az ur ~ahman says, possesses

d f. . uruverse and life "55 It' I

e uute weltanschauung" d ... . . Incu cates "a

ti ' b an ItS teaching has 'no .

Ions ut coheres as a whole "56 B t "li I inner contradic-

made to understand the Q'~ u tt e attempt has ever been

ur an as a unity "57 h .

general failure to understand th d I'. t ~re having been "a

e un er ying uruty of the Qur'an,

ss

The threeexamples are: divinity of God (ibid .' .

pp. 257), and the story of Moses (ibid. ..., pp. 134 If.), wme and usury (ibid."

rust, t.wP, are not truly .representative be:-~s3~ rf,). Th~ examp.les, especially th,e sufficien; background historical material is a: . ey pertain "? subjectsabout which of .a large mllI~ber of other Qur'anic subiect ~l~ some~g that cannot be said quue precise either: usury and wine fc 0 S. ~JIIZI s definition of a "topic" is not

~ Moses, But with this definition Ofo~; ~op: mQ' themselves, and so does the story

. eds, and ~0usands of topics, For thes:~:m~ ur'iin may be said to have hunlli(ly would include not only f.ami.J.i hi . cal , eds and thousands of topics-and concepts of all kinds-there are har~1 ston ev~ts but also abstract notions and

54 y any occasions of revelation available.

Zarkashl, 1:31-32. 55Fazl

ur Rahman, Major Themes, p. xi.

56

Islam and Modernity, p. 6.

57Ibid.

22

Nazm in the (jur'iin: Brief History

coupled with a practical insistence upon fixing on the words of various verses in isolation."58 Fazlut Rahman is very critical of this "piecemeal, ad hoc, and often quite extrinsic treatment of the QUr'an."59 For a study of the Qur'an as a unity, he proposes a hermeneutical method that consists of "a double movement, from the present situation to Qur'anic times, then back to the present,"60Fazlur Rahman thus rejects the "piecemeal" approach to the Qur'an and advocates a holistic approach. But although he conceives of the Qur'an as a unity, he does so in thematic terms only,61 and does not look for any structural unity or coherence in the Qur'an. In other words, he is not concerned with vindicating the received arrangement of the Qur'an, In fact, he emphasizes the need

to make a "systematic attempt to understand the Qur'an in the

order in which it was revealed ,"62 a view that by implication

dismisses the idea that the existing Qur'anic arrangement is

significant.

This rounds off our brief survey of the historical development

of the idea of nazm in the Qur'an. But even this survey makes it sufficiently clear that the concept of Qur'anic nazm has a fairly long history. Beginning as an appendage to the issue of Qur'anic iCjiiz, the notion of nazm in the Qur'an evolves to become a subject of interest in itself. The shift of emphasis is very evident in Jurjani, who, it will be recalled, cites plenty of verses from Arabic poetry but relatively few Qur'aruc verses. With him, one might say, a theological issue is transformed into a literary issue. With modern writers, the connection between iCjiiz and nazm is further loosened.

58Ibid., p. 2.

59Ibid., p. 4. See also ibid., pp. 2-3; and Major Themes, p. xii.

60Isiam and Modernity, p. 5. For a fuller treatment of the subject, see ibid., pp. 5-11, 17-20-with p. 20 providing a summary statement of the method. According to Fazlur Rahman, "Although the method I have advocated here is new in form, never-

theless its elements are all traditional." Ibid., p. 143. See also ibid., p. 145.

6lIn his Major Themes, Fazlur Rahman, using a "logical rather than chronological" procedure, attempts to offer a "synthetic exposition of Qur'li1!ic themes." See Major

Themes, p. xi.

62 Islam and Modumlfy, p. 144. Fazlur Rahman clarifies, howeva, that what he recomrnend~ is "studying the Qur'wl in its total and specific background (and doing this study syslell1(llh:;lIll~ ill II h.i6lOrical order), not just studying it. verse by verse or passage by plI~811P. wILh lin soltlled 'occasion o[ revelation' (sha'n al-nU2iiI) [sic},"

Ibid .• p, 14 , 'l'h~ "1<1111" hl.ll: I,t)\lfld of Ih.: Qur'iln is the general s6ciobistoricaJ CQI1\c~111\ \Yhl~h I.h (jnl' n Yill. t v ·"Jod.l the u~pccific" bockground consists of the

specific CI 1I1~~I~ u] ~I" U" "r'AII l h. Ihld .. p. 143, Sec also ibid" p. 6.

J. I

NiI~1II ill 11/(' (jur't/fI" /lo'(/II!\'for),

Also, We can see a more or JeS!ilogical pmgl'C!i,~ion in the nasm ideas of the writers. The views of the second category of traditional scholars represent an advance Over the views of the Scholars of the first category. And although the views of modem writers differ significantly from those of traditional writers taken as a group, the former's preoccupation with thematic coherence in the Qur'an is perhaps not entirely unrelated to the latters "WOrd-meaning relationShip" Or "linear connection."

But none of the authors that we have discussed, traditional or modem, present the Qur'an as a book that possesses thematic and structural nazm at the same time.

This, defin~ for us the task that I~laJ;llsets himself in Tadabbur-t Qur'iin, namely, to show that the Qur'an possesses structural

as well as thematic coherence and that this coherem;e ensts in the Qur'an in COmplex but regular and interwoven patterns. Thus, although the pivotal concept inl~latu carries- the name orna/?m, the term nazm in I~lib1 acq!lires 'a meaning radically difierent from the ones we have so larencountered. But first we should take a look at the nazm iramework constructed by Fararu: and l~laJ;ll.That nasm framework: is the subject of our next chapter.

Sununary

The concept of Qur'aruc na?rn. has' a fairly long history. Arising in connection with the diSCUSsion On Qur'aru'c 1-C_;'Uz, the concept originally referred to the QIlr'ibfs inimitable way of relating words to meanings. Next it was interpreted to mean a linear connection between Qut'ani.c. verses and sOrahs, although even at this stage Scholars continued to, discuss the word-meaning relationship the Qur'an seeks to establish. Modern writers, to the extent that MawdiidI, l;Iijazr, and Fazlur Rahman can be taken as representing them, emphasize aspects of thematic unit;}' in the Qur'an,

24

Chapter II

NA~M ACCORDING TO FARAHl AND ISLAJ:J1

. ussion of I~lahi's exegetical prinIn this chapter a general dISC t f the most salient principle

. b f 11 d by a treatmen 0 .

ciples will e 0 owe . ,_ ly the principle of nazm.

d b him in Tadabbur-i Qur an, name ,

use y

Exegetical Principles

- - . the principles of exegesis laid

Essentially, I~laQi subscnbeshto ore methodically. The fol-

F "I...,. but he presents t em m . t

down by aram, . d from the Introduction 0 lowing treatment is, therefore, su~ru::n discussion of them is to

Tadabbur. The places w~ere Far sS' the focus in the present

. di ted in the notes. mce "L.,.'

be found are m ca . d toad by I~lalii and I~li1l.u s

h principle as un ers . , .

work is on t e nazm . f F alii's a separate section

views on nazm sometimes differ r~: t:O writ~rs. But first a brief points out the differences between fc "principles" of exegesis is

f th ords I~lalii uses or p h

note. One a e w nirces") In the following paragrap s,

I (li all "means sources .

wasii'il . ter.~, ". ' d as an equivalent of wasii'il.

the word "principles IS use

Statement . . I f Qur'an exegesis into two types,

I~lalii divides the pnncip es 0,_ d those that are external.

. . 1 t the Qur an an

those that are ~te~a 0 three in number: Qur'anic language,

The internal principles are _,." arallels") 2

Q ,-' aza tr ( p .

Qur'anic na;m, and ur arne n . I I . c Arabic is of the utmost

A deep knowledge of pre- s arm and style that Arabic dif-

. f idiom structure,

importance. In pomt 0 1 1 'b' d one must have a good com-

fers markedly from modem t~a IC, :stand the Qur'anic style and mand of it before one can u y un t be thoroughly familiar

. I fact one mus .

method of presentation. n 1'. lit ature for that literature IS

with the entire range of pre-Is ~c .e~y ag~nst whose backdrop an accurate mirror of the Arabian SOCIe

the Qur'an was revealed.' . ti of the Qur'an. The

. fundamental characteris IC

Nazm IS a

I I~liiQi, Tadabbur, I :i. 2Ibid.

3Ibid., I .ii-v, Farahl, Majmif ah, p. 42.

25

Qur'an, that is to say is a v n

fact that the Q ._.: ver.y we -stru 'Lured book. u is a known

. . lIf awe arrangement fixed . .

himself'," does not reflect the chron 'I.' as II was by Muhammad

lations. There must, therefore be ao.ogl~.al a:rangemeD~ of the reverearranging of the Qur'- H' special hikmah or Wisdom in the

an. ence the' rt

study of Qur'anic naz bri impo ance of nazm; for a

B r .. . m onngs ant that hikmah. 5

~_POVlding abundant thematic and . tho

the Qur an explains itself What' . a er kinds of parallels

. • IS unclear m " '

lD another what is bri f ' one verse IS made clear

. . . " . ne ill one surah i 1 b

best guide to the Qur'an is ~e ' ur'_ IS. e a ~rated elsewhere. The

These three i . ,. Q, , 'lUi ltself.

.. ee internal principles to the ith

nal principles, that of the Sunnah " ge _ ~r WI one of theexter-

qar~f ('''categorical'') principles, . ;:;utc;;atzrah (see below), are the gorical"; literally "oonject~ral:')w . e. ~ . ~ rest are ;anni' ("noll"cateand irreducible~d suffi f pnneip es. The former are primary

Q .. ' urnoe or the purpose f ..

uran' interp retation, The latt' .' o. amvmg ,at the basic

':1. . • .. er are second ... ,

theoretically dispensable and k. old b . ary m. 1lIlP. ertance, are

d ., Sp.O e.used onls h th

accor with or at least d. ' . : . ' y w en ey arein

There ~~ . . . 0 1;10t contradict, the former 7,'

_ . . <OLe SIX external prinei 1 . S . _ ..

oshab an-nuz17.l earlie Q.'_ pes. unnah mutawatlrah, Hadith

, • J.U... r ur an cornme itari . . . •

and ancient Arab history. n es, preVIOUS scriptures,

The Prophet's nonnative 1:' . .

su~ a large number of .. eo le p aence, w~e_n. It IS trans~tted by

attributed to' him is exduld ~aknt the possibility of 1tS being falsely

(" . . . e ,IS own as the S ah

, um~ersally knownpractice" lit . all' «. unn. ,,:utawlitirah

ted Widely and with.' b. ., .' .cr .: y, practice that IS transmit-

un roxen chams of na t ") .. ,

muta}'Jiitirah prevides the oui a'. .. an:a O[S . The Sunnah large number of terms 'that th Y Q U!~Onlabve mt~:rpretalion of the

always explain. terms like ,fa;cih UI(" ~ ualses technically but does not

.' ntu prayer"), zakiih ("welfare

4M .

uslim writers, while the

~e verses into surahs, dis:gr:r: e~~ ~ul;lammad .supervised the arrangement of

surahs the~selves. See Shawkanl, 2:352-3~ r;p~n~I?le for the. arrangement of the too, were given their present arran e b' arahl IS of the View that the surahs thhat effect. Dala'jl, pp. 13-14, 40, gn.~~~ Yh ~~ammth ad an~ provides arguments t~ c apter VII, the Faralii-hlaJ;ll con t 0 sesame View. As we shall see in arranged the Qur'an, cep of na~m has a bearing on the question of who

5I~IaJ;ll, Tadabbur I' v Fara 1., D 1-' 'I

, •• <Ull, a a I, pp. 34 ff.

6I~IaJ;ll, Tadabbur, 1 :xv-xvi Faralii M . -C

. ,aJmu ah, p. 35.

7I~I~1.· T,- dabbu 1'"

...... , uaa r, :1-11 xvi Faralii M' -C

,. ,aJmu ah, pp. 35·39.

26

N 11;111 A ("("ord",)!, /0 Farah! IIlId l,rlti~li

due"), ~'awm ("fasting ') fJlljj ("pilgrimage"), cumrah ("lesser pilsrirnagc"), {owtif ("cirCUOlatDbuiation,,).8

As a principle of interpretation, the H,adilh ("Tradition") of

Mubrunmad-and h;;UU;tI brackets with lladrth the iitharof Mubammad's Companions that is, the reports about the Companions' religious conduct-is invaluable. But it does not compare in authen~ciLy with the Sunnah mutawlitirah, and is, therefore, _;'a-nni U1

character"

The asbiib an-nuziil should be derived from the Qur'an inso-

much as possible, and historical events and incidents should be cited, and then in their essential form, only when the Qur'an itself

refers or alludes to them'? (see below).

The eXisting Qur'an commentaries should not be used as a

prim.ary source of exegesis, though they may be used for corroborative purposes, that is, for confirming an interpretation reached

through tbe use of qaff principles~ I I

the Qut'.aruc referellces to the previous'scriptures (which for

practicalpmrposes are the Old Testament and the,New Testament) sl?oold be explained througp a critical study of the Bible itself. That is to say, one should not set much store by the accot¢ts that Muslim scholars in their works provide of them, for these accounts are largely based on hearsay and carry conviction neither with Jews and Christians nor with Muslims thcmsel"e,s.12

Ancient Arab history helps one in understanding the QUI'we

references to the pre-Islamic Arab peoples. But su,fficient historical information on the subject is lacking. For such infoJ;ID.~tion; there-

fore, one has to depend largely on the Qur'an itself.13

.

8I~labi, Tadabbur, l:xvi-xvii. Farahl, Majmifah, pp. 41-42.

9I~1aJ;ll, Tadabbur, 1 : xvii-xviii. Fararu, Majmif ah, pp. 39, 40, 41.

IOhlabi, Tadabbur, 1 : xviii-xix. Fararu, Majmif ah, pp. 37-39.

IIhlabi, Tadabbur, 1:xix-xx. Faralii does not mention this as an exegetical principle, if "principle" it may be called. But the fact that in his Majmif ah he refers (if occasionally) to other commentaries only to cite support for an interpretation he himself has reached on the basis of qacCj principles indicates that I~labi merely gave explicit form to a principle that was implicit in Faralii's writings. See Majmifah, p. 47.

12I~labi, Tadabbur, t.xx. Fararu, Majmifah, p. 40.

I3I~Ia\ll, Tadabbur, 1 .xx-xxi. Farahl, Majmif ah, pp. 39-40.

27

Nil:;", According to rim/hi aru! 1.)1(1~lr

Comparison with the Traditional Set 0'" J)' '(

A' :I nnctptcs

comparison of the above-stated . " ,

pies of exegesis held by traditi al M ~nnclples with the princimany differences. Ion uslim scholars will point up

CAbdTalh,_;./J..u:!..a:Idimtlh.fi_ U.riiJ at-Taftir of TaqI ad-Din Ahm"'d ib

..... <UUU Ibn Taynuyyah (662-728 '.' " 1 n

tive work in the field of Qur'-' .' ~1262-1327) IS arepresenta-

lists the following as the a:;x;::tlca] the?2Y' ~bn Taymiyyah Qur'anic parallels, 14 the Sun!h of t.uh of Qur l~ tnte~retation; Compani6nsl6 (the asbiib an-I, . iUllmad,the saymgs of his Taymiyyah under thesesa~n~u are apPare~dy subsumed by Ibn to the Companions.18 w: t'~ len)' and the sa~gs, of the Successors

. . ' a IS ,own as tafslr bi T- .. ("

personal opnnon in exegesis") is disallow . r~ y . use of' KnowJedge of Arab' . f ed by .Ibn Taj'IllLyyah.]9 _ '. IC IS 0 course assumed by him.

. .Zarkashi m his BUTkan gives a fairl . . . . .' ,

prmclples of Qur'- . t . . Y similar desCoptlOD of the

an ill erpretafion. The' , . ..

are four: the sayin gs ofMuha ad 20 maJor. exegetical pnnClples

" '. ........anuna the saymgs [th Co

Ions (w.ho have first-band know led ' " f the , _ ,0, e mpan-

h S ,ge 0 ,e asbab an- -l)21

I ,e uccessors,22 knowledge of Arabic 23 and . . . nuz2~ and of

bastens to point Out that by "opini' '.> h' d OpmlOn.· Zarkashi

on e oes not mean ta/sir bi r-

14'hn TaYllliyyah. pp, 93, 94. I~'h' ,

1( .• pp, 93-94.

J6,hid .. pp, 95 tt. 17'h'

id .• pp. 48-49, 95-96.

IH,hid .• pp, 102.105.

19,bid., pp. 105·108. For a brief di' _

596-603; and Jullandri, pp, 81, 86 ff~~~sI0n of tafsir hi r-ra'y, ~ee Abu Zahrah, pp. calls tofstr hi r-ra'y "rational commen 0 no~: ~~wev~r, agree WIth Jullandri when he rmphes that tafsir hi l-ma'thiir ("tr dit'~' r this IS a loaded expression and

S ' H a iomst commentary") I k th

orung. e presents the MuCtazilah as h f' ac S e element of rea-

now generally been discarded S f t e ree-thinkers of Islam, but this view has

~~ad AmIn, Zuhr al.Isliim· (4 ~ol~~ ~=I~~~~r Rahman, Islam, p. 88, and

/1952), 4:7. ." a at an-Nah~ah al-Mi~riyyah,

20

ZarkashI,2:156_157.

21Ibid., 2: 157.

22Ibid., 2: 158-159 23Ibid., 2: 160.

24Ibid., 2: 161.

28

NII:;m According to Farah; and hila!};

ray but opiruon that is informed by wisdom with which God endows a person like the Companion cAbd Allah ibn cAbbiis (1st! 7th century). Muhammad specially prayed to God that He might bless Ibn cAbbiis with wisdom in religious and Qur'anic matters.P

Speaking overall, the major difference between the Ibn Taymiyyah-Zarkasht set of principles and the Farahl-I~IaJ;ii set of principles is that the former is a continuum, while there is, in the latter,a clear break between two kinds of principles. In Ibn Taymiyyah-Zarkashl, the principles are arranged in diminishing order of importance: the second principle will be used where the first cannot be used, the third where the second cannot be, and so on.26 In Farahl-Islahl, on the other hand, a sharp contrast is made between qatCI and zanni principles, and the difference between the two is one of kind, not simply one of degree.

Comparison between individual principles from the two formulations will bring out other differences. First of all, to Ibn Taymiyyah and Zarkashi, the sayings of Muhammad's Companions are an independent exegetical source. Farahl and Islahi bracket the Companions' sayings with Hadith and treat them accordingly. Unlike Zarkashl and Ibn Taymiyyah, they do not consider the sayings of the Successors as an independent source of exegesis.

Second, Zarkashl does not mention the asbiib an-nuzul as an independent exegetical principle, but puts it under "the sayings of the Companions," and Ibn Taymiyyah appears to do the same.i? But both of them attach great value to asbiib an-nuziil as an aid to understanding the Qur'iin.28 Farahi and I~Iii1.U mention them as a principle, but interpret them differently. Asbiib an-nuziil, as historically understood, lose much of their importance in these two writers, for they insist that the sabab an-nuzid, of a Qur'anic siirah for example, should be derived from the Qur'an itself. Just as a physician can look at a prescription and identify the ailment for which it was intended, so should a scholar, by closely studying a surah, be able to figure out its sabab an-nuziil. OnJy in cases where the Qur'an refers or alludes to specific incidents should one look outside the surah for the sabab an-nuziil. Thus, in Farahi and I~IaJ;ii, the asbiib

25Ibid.

26See, for example. Ihn Tnymiyyah, pp. 93 ff.

27Zarkashl. 2: 1 ~7. S,'(' IIlso u. 17 uhovc,

I)

Na'm AI" /- ,- ~

~ .lorClil/g It) 1'II1'lIhltlll II lm«

- t ,)111.11

an-nuzul are redefined to b . .

Q ,- ecorne mainly a f .. t .

ur an and cease to be so.' ' . ea ure Internal to the

Qur'an. me thing that IS superimposed on the

But the most import t diff

and ZarkahI on the one hana:t d ;re~c~ between Ibn Taymiyyah

that While the latter believe th ~ ~iibi and I$la{ll on the other is significant nazm the form d e ur ~ to be possessed of a highly

h ' er 0 not raise th .

c apter we noted that the' e Issue at all. In the last

b . quesnon of Qur'iini

e discussed by the end of th 2 d c nazm had begun to

works dealing with Qur'iini e n 18th century, that the extant

century, and that already ~ ;::~ date at least from the 4th/10th extensive use of the na m . . th/12th century Riizi had made Ibn Taymiyyah nor Zar~kaPhi~c~Ple as he understood it. But neither

lik s gives any id .

ely exegetical principle E at consi eration to nazm as a

as we saw, a number ~f ve~r,;:r Zarkasru and Ibn Taymiyyah, approach to the Qur'an AndQ com_mentators used a nazm

h . yet not until F ",I."

to t e status of a regular rinci I . araru was nazm raised

present the views of Far~ Pd eI o~ e:cegesls. The next section will an $1a.tu on nazm

..

The Nazm Principle

_ !o Fararu and I$la{ll, the princi 1 f '"

Fariibi calls it the first and r p e 0 nazm IS mdispensabIe-

loremost of all' ,

and the most distin gUl'Shin f exegetical principles 29

g eature of I liihI' ,

course, is no other.3o $ . s Tadabbur-i Qur'iin, of

Argumsents for the Presence of Nazm in the Qu ,-

everal arguments rna b . ran

is possessed of nazm.n y e presented to show that the Qur'an

First, a number of Muslim scholar __

held that the Qur'an poss s (Razt, for example) have

esses nazm Alth gh

ars were able to give a satisf t . ou. none of these schol-

ac ory explanatIOn of Qur'aru- .

c nazm,

29F xL, -C

ar<UJi, Majmu ah, p. 35.

301~law, Tadabbur, 8:8.

31Th

e arguments are offered by Farahi .

~ented IS taken from I<l'''<'s I .. bad' .' but the order III which they are h

m hi h th v........ ma /-y/ Tadabh . Q .- ere prewill W c ey are treated in Farahi's writin s ur-i ,!r_~n. References to the places

be added m the notes. g and IslatlJ s Introduction to Tadabbu»

30

Nazm A('('(/,.di/l,~ III rim1hi' 1I11d I.yI(i~li

yet the idea that the Qur'an has nazm obviously has a history of its own.32

Second, scholars who have denied the existence of nazm in the Qur'an have done so not because they were fully convinced that the Qur'an lacks nazm, but because they were only partially successful in unraveling that nazm. Unable to prove that the whole of the Qur'an possessed nazm, they denied that nazm was present in any part of it. In so doing, they were trying to maintain a consistent view about the matter, but that does not mean that the Qur'an is without na?m.33

Third, the chronological arrangement of the Qur'an was drastically changed by Muhammad, a proof that the new arrangement must have a hikmah that would have been lost had the original arrangement been preserved. 34

Fourth, the order in which the siirahs are arranged in the Qur'an is evidently not determined by the rule of decreasing length, a rule that would have come in handy if the Qur'an had lacked nazm. One must, therefore, find another way to account for the fact that short siirahs sometimes follow but sometimes also precede longer surahs, It is nazm that supplies the needed explanation.P

Lastly, no sensible discourse may lack na~m or coherence. It is indeed surprising that the Qur'an, a book of proven inimitability, should be thought to be marked by incoherence.v

These arguments do not clinch the matter in favor of the particular FarahI-I$laI;tI view of Qur'anic nazm. They do suggest, however, that it is erroneous to regard the Qur'an as a book that lacks nazm completely or has a superficial nazm The arguments that make this suggestion most forcefully are the last four. But they will remain suggestions unless concrete evidence in support of them is presented from the Qur'an itself. In chapter III we shall see whether the evidence presented by Farahi (and later by I$laI;tI) is compelling or not.

32I~law, Mabiidi, pp. 174-176; Tadabbur,l:v-vii. Fararu, Majm;fah. pp. 29-30. 33I~3\I1, Mabiidi, pp. 176-178; Tadabbur.Y :v. Farahl, Dalii'il, p. 23.

3'1:$13\11, Mabiidi, pp. 177-178; Tadabbur, l:v-vii. Fararu, Majm;fah. pp. 32-33. See also n. 4 above.

351$13\11, Mabiidi, pp. 179-180; Tadabbur, l:v. Fararu, Dalii'il, p. 93. 361$13\11, Mabiidi, pp. 182-183; Tadabbur, 1 :v. Fararu, Dalii'il, pp. 21-22, 39.

31

NU?fI/ Ac('ordinx to I'(/fii/'( lind 1.)1£i~'i Nature of Qur'iinic Nazm

FarahI draw di

nazm and his owns ~'OltShtillctihon between other scholars' concept of

. er sc olars" hi

hold to what in chapter I was call "I_D t s context are those who

note is that FarahI uses the word ed ~ear nazm." But the point to these scholars and reserves th mudnasabah to describe the view of

s e Wor nazm for hi

ay, even when these writers di . s own. That is to

in FarahI's view, dealing withS~~s what they call na?m, they are, forms only one part of his 0 more than muniisabah, which guishes between the two te ~ cohncept o~ nazm. FarahI distin-

rms ill t e followmg way:

A few scholars have written abou _

between the rQur'iinicJ verses an t _ the tanasub r =muniisabahJ r =na?mJ of the Qur'iin I d kn surahs, but as for the ni?iim about it}. The differenc~ be~ not th ow [of anyone having written of nizdm. Taniisub betwe wet:n e two IS that taniisub is a part

[Qu ,- . J di en ItS verses wo ld

r anic scourse to be a unifed . . ~ not show the

seeker of taniisub ofte I entzty m Its own right The muniisabah [he can thinkn fJcol!,tents himself with any ki~d of o.

Thus, according to FarahI t -

means the linking up of th ,anasub or muniisabah simply

th . " e sentences of a di '.

e possIbility that the di . scourse ill disregard of

. ISCourse IS more th h

constItuent sentences. To I k f _ an t e sum total of its

Qur'an is, in FarahI's view °tO tak°r such tanasub or muniisabah in the

. , 0 e a fragmenta

any step ill this search for mu - b h ry approach since at

details, the wood lost for the ntasa a , the whole is ignored for ~he

. rees.

After making this distinction b

FarahI further explains what h etween nazm and muniisabah,

e means by nazm or niziim;

In brief, by niziim we m h

related with the surah the: ~ at a s~rah be a totality, and also be or with that which precede~ :e:~ It ~d the one that follows it, t!te scor~ of this principle, the en~~ws It,~t o~e remove. " . On smgIe discourse all of its Qur an Will be seen to be a ordered and well-knit. 38 parts, from start to finish, being welI-

FarahI 1

cone udes by saying that "ni. _. .

above muniisabah and tartfb C' . tzam IS something over and

sequentIal order'] "39 Thi " .

. s something

37

FarahI, Dalii'i~ p. 74. 38Ibid., p. 75.

39Ibid.

32

Nazm According to Fariihi and J~liil}l

over and above" he calls wal]diiniyyah40 ("unity"). He then remarks that the three key elements of nazm are tartib, taniisub, and wahdiiniyyah. 41 But at this point Farahi puts a different construction on the word taniisub. Until now he has used it in the sense of simple "linkage:' contrasting it with na~m. But now he uses it in the sense of "proportion." Also, the·word,(artib, which means "order," is now given the meaning that was originally carried by taniisub, namely, ''1inkage.''42 As for w'a/Jdiifliyytih., it imparts unity to a discourse, making it a whole that is more than the sum total of its parts. According to FarabI, the element of wahddniyyah is missing from the oilier 'scholars' coaeept of nazm. That is why he describes their concept as the concept of muniisabah and his own as that of na?m. To sum up, a discourse will possess nazm when it has tartib, taniisub, and wahdiiniyyah, that is, when it is well-ordered, well-proportioned, and well-unified.

Importance of Nazm

In chapter I we saw that, to RazI, Qur'amc nOlm is significant because it brings to light many la(a'lf or "subtleties" of the Qur'an, According to Farahi and I~lalji, I'IQ;.m does not simply briag out the subtleties of thought and niceties of expression in (he Qur'an,.., it

4OIbid., p. 76. 41Ibid., p. 77.

lI'1be changed meaning of the word ({lhDsub will be apparent from a: comparison of the fQll¢Wlng two statements (here left untranslated) by Fat:ahi;. !he rust tw;lS! Fa tilhayyn.a min ma qaddtiirmli. anna n-nuama shay'un i.iridun Calli I-muniisalj{jtf W(I tartibi.l-ajzii'i .... Daiii'sl, p. 75. Faram makes this statemcmt arter drawing a distmctian between na-im and muniisabah. This being thecentext of the statement, it can be inferred that F'arahi .here uses the- word muniisaba ip-tercbangeably with tanqsuh; the two thus denoting simple "Iinkage," and both being opposed 'to nl~li"" which would d.eiJ.ote an organic type of reiatienship. But now consider me second statement: Fa ·ammii jt/ha ':iFayta I}wna. t-tartibi wa l-murriisabati ft laq4imi I~abwabi bacf/ihii Calli oocrJin wa maca dhiilika jilalia 1-k;a1iima ji kulli biibin bayiinan wiil,idan jOriyan llii nwwrju-Cihi7mla taniisuhinji ajz{i'i l-kaliimi~iira /·kiliiou iihii ni?iimin kiimilin. Wa b! l-jumlatifa (ii budda li husni n-ni~iimi min an yakima '·kaliimu /ylJana Harti'bi'l}asana f-Ianiisuhi qaw(vya /.walJlJiiniyyali. Ibid., p, 77. Wbereas taniisub Was in the. first statement interchangeable with mundsabah, it is no longer so in this one, but has rlith.1lr been used in the sens of "proportion." The word tartib, too, as can be seen, and ali will be confirmed by D look Ilt the three paragraphs that precede this 'statement in Dalli'l£ here Dol ORI)' mOIlDN "order," but also takes on the meaning of muniiSabah or tWIllmb, thut i . '" ""IlK ' . lin 'lion." The luconsistent usage is probably explained by til' rm')l 111111, I ~ nllmy )ll! 111 1)( 'F nrOhrs works, .oalil'/J was compiled by Farahi's NliJ"cn\~ r om hi Ilil I Ill' I N •• 'ItH "'"j notes,

\\

Nazm According (0 Farahi tI,," 1.)/,11),

forms an integral part of the essential meaning or message of the Qur'an, Qur'anic nazm is important because it provides the only key to the proper understanding of the Qur'an, Upon reading the Qur'an without the guiding light of nazm; one will at best acquire knowledge of a few isolated injunctions or pronouncements of the Qur'an, It is nazm that, by furnishing an integrated view of the Qur'an, throws new light on every verse. A chemical compound is much more than a simple combination of its constituent substances. Without nazm the Qur'an is no more than an aggregate of verses and surahs; with nazm it is transmuted into a real unity.P

But how would Qur'anic nazm furnish the only key to the proper understanding of the Qur'an? Farahl and I~Iiil;U would reply: hy placing the Qur'anic verses in an ineluctable context. Multiple (and often contradictory) interpretations of Qur'anic verses are due to the fact that the verses are taken out of context. By putting every verse in its context, nazm would eliminate the possibility of wayward interpretations. In a word, adherence to the nazm principle would make for a definitive interpretation of the Qur'an.44

Ft"llhT'.\· Scheme of Nazm

We shall now outline Farahl's scheme of nazm; and also note the modifications that I~Iiil;U makes to it.

The basic nazm unit in the Qur'an is the surah, Every surah has a central theme called camud (see next chapter), around which the entire surah revolves. The camUd is the unifying thread in the sOrah, and the surah is to be interpreted with reference to it.45

Not only is every surah a unity, there is a logical link between all the siirahs as they follow one another in the present Qur'anic arrangernent.w The surahs fall into nine groups, and each group is, like a surah, a unity.s? Every group begins with a Makkan surah and ends with a Madman sfirah.48

A surah may have parenthetical verses in it, which means that

43I~Ia.tu, Tadabl7ur, l iviii-ix. Farahr, Dala'il, pp. 17-19,75, n. 44FarAhI, Takmtl, p. 20; Dala'il, p. 25. I~latn, Tadabbur, l:x. 4~FarAhI, Dalii'il, pp. 73, 77, 82.

46Ibid., pp. 83-84.

47Jhid., pp. 92-93.

4H1hid., p. 91.

14

NII;m According to Farah; and J$la~;

sometimes its verses will be connected with one another at one or several removes.f? In a surah group, likewise, there may be a surah that is supplementary to the preceding one, which means that two surahs may be connected with each other at one remove.t"

Modifications and Additions by I$la~i

Essentially, I~Iiil;U takes over the design of Qur'anic nazm as presented by Farahi. But he makes a few changes in it.

First, he classifies the surahs into seven rather than nine groups.>! Further, he regards all surahs, with the exception of a few, as paired. 52 The important point is that, for the seven-fold division and for the surah-pairing, I~la.bi seeks to adduce evidence from the Qur'an itself. In a later chapter we will examine this evidence.

Second, according to I~Iiil;U, in each of the seven surah groups, the Makkan and Madman surahs form distinct blocs, with the Makkan bloc preceding the Madinan. That is, the Makkan bloc contains no Madman surah and the Madinan bloc contains no Makkan sfirah.53 This distinction, as we shall see in chapter VI, is significant in the eyes of I~Iiil;U. Faram does not insist on this distinction. For example, in his 8th surah group, which consists of Ss. 67-112, Ss. 67- 109 are called Makkan by him, S. 110 Madman, and S. 111 again Makkan.t" I~Iiil;U regards S. 110 as Makkan,55 thus maintaining the solidity of the Makkan bloc.

Third, I~liil;U thinks that each of the seven surah groups treats all the phases of the Islamic movement as led by Muhammad in Arabia, though the emphasis in each group is different.56 This idea, in this form, is not found in Farahl.

49Ibid., p. 74.

50Ibid., p. 91.

51I~latn, Tadabbur, 1 .xii-xiii,

52Ibid., 1: xiv.

53Ibid., I :xii-xiii.

54Farll.hJ, Dalll'II, p. Y:l.

Na;m According to Fariihi and I~liil}i

Summary

Of the several differences betw th F - r : _ _ . .

and the ttaditio-·~l1y held .' . 1 .een e ani.hi-i~la1;ti pnnclples

. :ww. pnnClpLes of Q ' -. .

significant pertains to na . hil.· ,1. ur an exegesis, the most

f· . ?m. W e Oliler scholars mak . .

? nazm as an exegetical principle Fariihi and I 10J..:-· . e no mention n as one, they regard it as a .',.. .. -\i .... ~. not only regard constitnents of .. pnnclple of supreme Importance, The

~.' nazm; according to Faralti: are the . d

non, and unity, Basically, I .. J;;J.:-· tak.e.· '. -ee_.:, or er, proporwork b t ak 9-'........ S Over Parilis nazm. frame-

A., u mesa few changes' 't B th .......

tha t . t . . . ill 1. 0 Fararu and I~Ia\U belie

. 1 IS nasm that, by providing a dfinj. .. ve

verses. yields th ' '. ~ te Context for QUI' aruc

, . e correct lDterpreta:tlon of the Qur'an.

36

it

Chapter III

THE SURAH AS A UNITY (1)

According to Islahl, every Qur'anic surah is a unity and ought to be studied and understood as such. Basically, however, this is an idea that I~labi has borrowed from Farahi. It is necessary, therefore, to first examine the latter's concept of the siirah as a unity.

Existence of Nazm in a Siirah

Farahl offers the following arguments to prove that all Qur'anic siirahs possess nazm or thematic-structural coherence. First, the division of the Qur'anic material into so many surahs indicates that each siirah has a distinct theme, otherwise the whole of the Qur'an could have been made one siirah. Second, the unequal length of the surahs implies that it is considerations of nazm that determined the length of any surah, Third, the word "siirah" means "a wall enclosing a city." Within an enclosing wall there can be only one city. Within a surah, likewise, there can be only one set of integrally related themes. In the Qur'an, even surahs that have similar themes but lack this integral connection are not combined into one siirah, a fact borne out, for example, by the last two surahs.' Fourth, the Qur'an, claiming to be inimitable because it was from God, challenged the disbelievers to produce the like of at least one of its surahs.? which suggests that by a "siirah" it meant a thematically complete and structurally coherent discourse.' Finally, the larger surahs of the Qur'an contain passages (e.g. 2:1-20) that have an obvious nazm, and reflection on such passages will enable one to discover nazm in those places in the Qur'an in which it may not be

lFarabi, Majmifah, p. 51. 2See chapter I, n. 2.

3FatlihT, Majmiiah. pp. 51-52; DaliYiI,p. 16, n. [21. It is noteworthy that Farahfs interpretation of the Qur%:tic challenge is different from. the interpretariou usually given. Since th~ shortest si:i.rah (no. 1 03) contains three verses, Muslim scholars have held th'.lI the disbelievers, if lliey agree to meet the challenge, should produce a C()tT1POSili('1l III IHI three verseslong (see, for example, Zarkashl, 2: 108-110). But Illl')' IllI IIllt ~j pU11l11l 11111.1. lhe cornpo Ilion alsopossess coherence, Fararu, however, rl'l!.l!rd~ IIII~ II~ II ll('I'I'Ii~III'Y cendltion, the actual number of verses in the surah to. be 11m/IIIIll"! III j '~J!III\~ III Ih ~'hllll~l1gc being quite immaterial in his view. Majmifah, 1'. ~}

The Siirah as (J Ufll(ii (I)

so obvious.4 These argumen ts are t . I .

and fourth ax _ _ no cone uSJVe. The first, second, surahs, , guments do not by themselves prove that the Qur'anic

s possess nazm; at least the kind of na?mFararu .has in '. d.

Any cogency the third argument ma h v" ~

the word "sarah' lusi . Y a e will denve from taking

exc usively 1D the sense in which F 8.h:i .

but there are other interpretations of the word s ar takes 1t,

The last argument is certain]'" -

tive_, but it needs to be sup. t-ed bY more emplOcaj than specula-

b f . por ya greater amount· of e id

e ore It can be accepted -ali' 'd'O " . _ VI ence

h - - . . _ ,as .v. . . :nce It IS found to be valid owever; It will lend credence to 80m f th . _' ,

Till. b . - e 0 e other arguments

. s rings us to the question: Has Far-alii . _.' .;

eVIdence to prove his thesis? T'L . ProVlded,s:uffiClent " '" . S., .ne answer hinges on the d fini f

suffiCIent evidence." Fariihi'sMa 'mUC '_ e _ non 0

no more than fourteen siirah . _ y aft contains C9mmentary on

105, 108, 109, Ill, 112~ 6 All o~ ~:~ ~~ I, 66, 75~ 77, 80, 9 I, :5, 103, the Qur'an ' ,-, f th - among the shorter surabs of

, some 0 em the shortest, and F am'

two of them (l and 112) '- . '. at . s commentary on

view like this, Farahi '. ~ illcornp,lete. FIom a quan,titative point of evidence.' wo d hardly seem to have supplied sufficient

B~t the phrase "Sufficient evidence" ._

methodicaJ~senSe. Iht Can be shown that Farm_a~ have another-

method, that, Upon being applied to all the sm!: ~ d~veloped a supporting his view of the silrah as a . _ ' - . YIeld results have furnished, - fl' . . . UDlty, then he may be said to

su iczent evidence Farahr h' ,

develop such a method to :hi h' . .as Indeed tried to

, W c we now turn.

Fanilu'" M

s ethod and His Application of It

ACcOrding to Farabi, each Qur'anie sfirahhas- '.

trolling theme Caned ,C ~d Th' c _. . a distinct con-

. amu . e amud (literally .. ill - 1 "

IS the hub of a siirah and all th . _' p ar, co umn ) . In ..' e verses mthat sarah revol ' d rt, att~mpttng to establisl;L the unity of a serah F i1u:e arounc

concern IS to determine the siirah's C ad 7 Th ' - at. S central

am. , e presCJ]t arrange-

4ParMu, Majmifah, p. 52. 5

See, for example, Zamakhshan, 1:239-240' N- _ _ _ ,

1:31, n. I; Hirschfeld p 2 n 6' Rodin ' Isabun, 1.28-29. See also Geschichte

, . , " son, p. 131. '

(,

1~IAtli (Majmif ah, p, 23) refers to a manus . . .

tary on Ss, 2 and 3. As far as I kno th cnpt contalllln~ F~alu~s partial commen. w, e commentary IS still unpublished.

7Thc concept of camud is a major conce t in F _

should he understood dearly. P arahl and 1~lnllT, IIl1d .~" i1N II111ul'C

.1X

The Surah as a U ni ty (I)

ment or the Qur'anic verses (and snrahs) is of course taken for granted by Farahi and I~liihi, Farahl seems to be using the following

procedure to determine the camud of a typical sfirah, -

A few readings of the sarah help mark the points at which thematic breaks of some kind occur in it, thus yielding sections into which the siirah is divided.~ Bacb section is carefully studied until a main idea seems to emerge and unite the verses the section is composed of. Next an attempt is made to discover a master idea under which the main ideas of all the Individual sections can be 'subsumed and which itself is developed logically in the snrahas the snrah proceeds from the first to the last verse. U this master idea appears to unite the entire surah into an organic whole and stands the test of repeated scrutiny, it is accepted as the proper camud of the surah, otherwise the search for the camfid begins afresh.?

Faraht's concept of camfid may be illustrated with reference to his analysis of the 51st ,sfirah, .(Jdh-DMriyat ("<The Scattering Winds"), FarahI divides the sarah's sixty verses into seven sections: vss. 1-14, 15-19, 20-23, 24-37 38"46, 47-51, and 52-60, The first section states the thesis that the phenomena of God's mercy and wrath in this world (in this case the phenomena of winds and rains,

'Farahl dcl'in.es c amiId as ".smnething that unifies the themes of a discourse" (jimtf.'roo(iilib. a!·khi(1ib). The C amiid is "the main drift of a discourse" (majrii a!·ka/iim), "the essential theSIS" (maJ;.riU).'and "the basic intent" (maq~ud) in a surah. IJ_alii'il,r!!.' 73~ ~ut, an camiid is not ':some!hing ~h~t ind~~s unit~ in a gen.c:ral.cway" (jiim/' amm);.J1 IS, rather, "a specific and definite unifying principle" (jaml amr ~), Ibid., p. 76,0. [1]. /JBO, the cainOd must be one of the "universals" (al-umiir lil-kulliyyah), !hat Is, themes or matters that are free from the limitations of time and spaee, Ibid., p.62, The c!l17l1it! is the key to the understanding of a surah. Ibid" p,n. ThecamUd. again, is what gives a stirah its identity. Farahl writes ". , . when the themes of a discourse interleok and are oriented toward the same C amiid; and the discourse heromes unified, then the discourse acquires a distinct identity." Ibid., p. 75. The camad would thus appear to have five characteristics. First, it has centrality: it is that theme of a surah to which all the other themes of the sarah can be reduced, it itself being irreducible. Second, it has concreteness: it should be some concrete theme and not things like tone or mood. Third, it has distinctiveness: the camiid of anyone siirah must he clearly distinguishable from the camiid of any other. Fourth, it must be a universal, which implies that t11~gS lik~ specific ~un:tions (a_"~iim) cannot serve as camiid, though they may be illustrative of the amado See ibid., p. 62, Fifth, it has hermeneutic value: it provides the basic point of reference in a siirah and all the themes and ideas in that siirah must be explained with reference to it. In a word, the C amiid is a hermeneutically significant theme characterized by centrality, concreteness, distinctiveness, and universality.

8Th ere !IIay he ~f1rahs (like Ss. 103, 108, Ill, 112) that are too small and "monolithic" 10 udmit of sectional division.

9This <1('<'0""\ i, III,,,'" Oil 1111 nllnlysis of Farahr's treatment of the siirahs and on the following ~(ilIFlIfH.jitl~-i hy IlifU~

The Sarah as a Unitv (I)

wh!ch are sometimes benefi~ja1 to man and sometimes harmful) po~t ,to the reward-and-punishment system in the hereafter. The secuon also explains the aspect of punishment in 'the afterlife the nex t section explaining the aspect of reward, The third section reinfarces the thesis by drawing arguments from the phenomena of natur~ and h~ existence. The next two sections provide historical evidence ill support of the thesis. The sixthsection relates the theme of the hereafter to two other fundamental themes in Islam: the oneness of God and prophecy. The last section consoles the P.r0ph.et, saying that the responsibility, for his opponents' disbelief lies WIth the opponents themselves and not with him. 19

The ca~Ud of the snrah, according to Farabi. is the themeof rec~mp:;nse ~ cthe ~eIeafter, 11 with emphasis on the aspect of retrib~tLon. !~amUd, as can be seen, runs through the whole of the surah, knitting ~ seven sections into a unity. It is also 'apparent that there 1~ a logical progression of ideas in the surah: a thesis is stated (section l).explaine~ (sections :2, 3), reinforced withargumerits of severaltypes (sections 4, 5), placed in a larger perspective

. J. "The C amiJd of a sO:rah is of the I;lAtuIe of illogir;ai definition:

I~ cannot be;orr~tly ident,ill~ Without making 8. repeated ex.aminanon of tlw [~.uril.b.slna~. finding connectionsbetween sentences; and e_ompr~en_?Ing lhe[siir:m'S]"tlremes ~ a.:whole. If you thea arrive at a likely t:J,:,ii4 one ,thll~. ~s the nll~st compll1illlt: with the 1II4m [of the S~fah). gives the clearest expoauon [ef the Slirah'sthemeSl and pro~des thebest [~pl~lion of ther arrangemenlof (he sUr~ you have 1!it ~pon the ~gl)t fhiog;olherwISe· you must search for some other

amud. Dala'il p. 73, D. 1.. ,

2. "[In ?r~er to discover the ciJmW!0f a sUrlili) one must very carefully scrunmze and repeatedly examme the siirah's themes that ~ese~ble.one, anQth~ ~d occur side by side [in Qjel.Siirah] ~ttJ. the am~ sliili.e5 ~orth like light at dawn. Wn~ll ilii5 happens the whole of the surah IS illUJlliQ:atcil. its "iqm becomes manifest, ~dthemost IDr:ely of the several possible Interpretations [Of, the siir8hl' is reached." [but. p. 73.

~. '~I is well kno~ that much o.f the Qur'iin is charaeterized by an, obVIOUS "t1f_m.. What III nOI well 'understood is the mode of rehtion n»tween. Qur amc verses er passages] in places where the discourse takes a different tum. III 'such places, there exists a link, 'a connection or what you may call 'the junctlons of ~peech' (macii(ifa/~kalii'm).I[ ~ these that should occupy lAo most senous attention of the seeker o.f na;m. ... Once you are assured of them, you will lie assured of the nllfm of. tb.e sOrah .... Ibid., p. 80.

IOFarlihI. Majmifah, pp. 93-145. 1I1bid .• pp. 94. 95.

Illbid .• p. 95.

40

The Surah us a Unity (1)

(section 6), and, finally, related to the situation in which it was being presented by Mul;1amrnad (section 7). That the aspect. o~ p~ishment rather than th~t of reward receives greater emphasis .IS evident from the way the illustrative material is presented 10 the surah 13 as also from the siirah's tone. This emphasis may account for the fact that, in the siirah, it is the retribution, and not reward, that is spoken of after the initial statement of the overall theme of

recompense. _,.

The C amud is thus the bedrock of a surah s nazm. It IS the

unifying thread of the siirah, which can be understood as a unity

only after its camild has been discovered. . . . .

But while the discovery of the camild IS the baSIC prereq~sIte

for establishing the unity of a Qur'iinic sarah, many. other :run~s have to be kept in mind before one can fully appreciate a ~UI~ s nazm. For one thing, one must determine whom the Qur'an IS prmcipally addressing in a siirah, otherwise one will fail to comprehend the surah's logic, mood, and scheme of argum~nt.14 Far~'s interpretation of S. 105, al-Ffl ("The Elephant"), differs radicall~ from the traditional interpretation,15 and a major reason for that IS that, in ParahI's view, it is the Quraysh of Makkah, and not Mu1;tammad, whom the Qur'an is addressing.16 Also, the Qur'anic method of presentation should be understood because of its significance from the viewpoint of a sftrah's nazm. The Qur'an draws _parallels and contrasts between themes and situations in passages Juxtaposed to each other (as in 51:1-14 and 15_19;1777:1-40 and 41-441~). It co~bines arguments taken from history, nature, and human life to remforce the same point (as in 51:1-4619 and.in th~ w~ole of S. 91~~). Also following the standard literary practice of ItS time, the QUI an usually omits what are known as the transitional words and expressions-a Qur'anic stylistic feature that can be most exasperat-

i3Ibid.

14n>id .• pp. 62-63. 15Ibid., pp. 372-410. 16Ibid .• pp. 369-372. \7Ibid .• pp. 104-105. 181bid,. p. 242,

19Ibid .. P]I, IlO. 124"12~. 201hid,,]1 7.K'1

41

The Siirah as a Unitv (I)

ing to a modem reader, accustomed as he is to styles that make abundant use of such connecting links.U Farahi also holds that if a surah has several or many sections, each section possesses internal nazm (as, do, for example, 51:20-23,22 24-46,23 66:10-12,24 80:23- 3225), which should be studied as part of the overall nazm of the siirah.

Farahi successfully applies his method to those surahs in the MajmUCah-twelve in number-on which he has written a complete commentary. As in the case of adh-Dhiiriyiit, so in the case of each of the other eleven siirahs he is able to offer a cogent account of the siirah's unity. A reader of the MajmUCah is very likely to conclude that, judging from Farahi's treatment, the Qur'anic siirahs are characterized by unity. But here we should pause to note a significant fact about the Majmucah.

With one exception (that of S. 66), all the siirahs Farahl discusses in the MajmuCah are Makkan-" Now there are certain obvious differences between the Makkan and the MadInan siirahs. Thematically, the Makkan surahs lack diversity. They usually deal with the fundamentals of Islamic doctrine, speak in terms of principles, and base the argument for Islam on a small number of themes (like those of the oneness of God, prophecy, and the hereafter). The Madman siirahs, on the other hand, generally give details of practical conduct, and, as such, deal with a variety of social, political, economic, and other matters.

Structurally, many Makkan siirahs are of a discrete, staccato nature. They present vivid scenes and dramatic dialogue, making rapid shifts from one subject to another-in the form of verses that are often short, incisive, and aimed at shaking up the audience. By contrast, the Madman siirahs are, as a rule, expository and discursive, have complex and long-drawn-out sentences, frequently contain parenthetical material, and seem to have many loose ends. Of

21Farahl, Dalii'il, pp. 65-67. 22Idem, Majmifah, p. 119. 23Ibid., pp. 137-138.

24Ibid., pp. 184 ff.

25Ihid., pp. 271-273.

2~

1~IAbT .regards S. 112, too~ as Madman (Tadabbur. 8:643-644), thus tiirrcl'llIlI with

the traditionul view (for which, see Zarkashl, I: 193). As for FarllhT. he .I0<"H 1101 rnise

the point at nil. and so it is safe 10 assume that he regal'ds il n~, MnHnn ..

42

The Surah as a Unity (1)

" cannot make a watertight distinction between the two

course one ' , ' ',' . Sill' .

types ofsiirahs; eaoocontains fea~u:es ~ound m the other. t it 1S

possible to make a fairly cleardis~mc~lOn between the. two t!pes, and what we have said about their divergent natures 1S basically

valid, ' dif' f .-

This raises a qUestion:. U there ate important, ,er~nces

between the Makkan and the Madinan.siir,ahs; then ~ese differences must.have a bearing on the subject of a ,smJ"h's~ty. Can we say :that Farabi's theory, .wroth w~ found tObeapplica~le~_o}he, Millan S\irahs he has discuSsed .• wiUequaUy .a;pply to the Madih~ sfuahs, which (with the one exception no:t~abov~) he ~ not d~~ cussed? Our search for an answer to this ques~o!", bflDgs us t I~laI;U, for it is I~laI;U who has tried to. apply Fararu s thoory to all

the surahs in the Qur'an.

I~liibi's Treatment of the Subject

Before we discuss I~laI;U's treatment of the Mad"inan siir~s: we shall inquire into how he treats the Makkan surahs that FariihI has left undiscussed, and, for that matter, the ones the latter has

discussed?

The Makkan Surahs . alii'

I ,'( ','his comD1entazy d,nthe siirabs on wbich Far.s

conun:n;: ~~sts, I~talU usually borrows very heavily u.0m.l;ds teacher asis .eviden.r·ffom his oommen:taty 00' Ss: 51~ 75,- 9:, l03~ i05,' 108. and 111.2' Occasionally,he diffe.rs With Farm.on a sur~'s ~amUd. One ce:Kample is S. '77, al-Mllrsafi'il ("!h0s~. sen~ F6rth"). Pararu describes 'itsCamud as: the ResurreetlO~, fear 0 God; and good ac:ts.28 In l~lal;lls view. th~ camiid ~s: wanung to t~; disbelievers thatOOl'tain punishment awaits them in thehe.reafter. The camiid. as stated by l~lalJi, has the advantag~ af_bem~ m~r~ precise, but it does not mate~any differ fro~ t~e ,amud ~s. Fa:ahi states it for the three themes 1solated by Fararu are combm¢d mto one by i~laJ;U. Once or twice, howe~er; the l;amiids sugg~sted by, the two writers differ more sharply, as in the case of S. 80, Abasa ('He

271~lnbl '/'IIII(I""llr. 6:575-634 (S. 51), 8:71-96 (S. 75), 433-446 (S. 95), 529-540 (S. 103). 5~5~!lM (S. )()~). 5119·5911 (S. 108), 627-639 (S. 111).

2KFllrnhl. 1'>1",,, .. (,"1. p, TB,

4-'

The Siirah as a Unity (1)

Frowned"). According to Farahi h - .

from wasting his attention ' t e :urah prohibits Muhammad

According to Islahl th C _ o~ peop ~ who belittle the truth.F'

" ., e amiid IS essentially th

preceding surah, an-NiiziCiit31 ("Th e same as that of the

namely, the certainty of the . ose That Snatch Away"), with which God can bring ~omm: of the Last Day and the ease content will show I~lahi' ca o~~ t at day.32. A look at the surah's

A . I _ _, . s amu to be more accurate

gam, ~lahi s sectional divisi f - .

from Farahi's T~ tak IOn 0 a surah sometimes differs

f II' . e one example, the latter divid S 80'

o OWIng sections: vss. 1-10 11-22 23 es. mto the

is as follows: vss. 1-10 11-16 17-23 2-32, 33-42.33 Islahl's division is obviously of no mai~r signif' . ,4-32, 33-42.34 The difference

h ~ icance. We may concl d h

as t e surahs of the Mai -c hue t at, as far ajmu a are concerned I Iahi i b .

content to reproduce Farahf ' ~ . IS asically

T . s commentary.

o this general conclusion h

Ss. 1 and 112 S' F __ , ' owever, there are two exceptions:

. mce arahl s commentary th ..

(also, in discussing them F _ _ on em IS incomplete

more "philosophical") I;lru:~ tends .to b~ less "exegetical" and

~hem. While the latter'~ co~ t to wnte his own commentary on Justice to Farahl's method an~\ary on ea~h of the two surahs does ness, it is his comment on ears o~t ItS relevance and usefulthe standpoint of na~m~n it Si :a.:!;at IS remarkab~y t:eated from out the siirah's coherence, he also . not only convincingly brings be called the Qur'an i .. shows why the surah may rightly

m numature and why it .

preface to the Qur'an-" serves as an Ideal

According to I~lahi' divi

Makk . s IV1S10n of the Qur'anic s - ah .

an and Madinan'" (to b . ur s into

traditional division) the be comf pared m chapter VI with the

, num er 0 the Makkan siirahs on which

3OFarlihI, Majmifah, p. 249.

31 _

I~lli.bi, Tadabbur, p. 191.

32Ibid., 8: 169.

33F li.hI M, -C

ar , ajmu ah, pp. 249, 262, 268, 274.

34 _

I~IAtll, Tadabbur, 8:191-192.

3SIh'd 1'12 .

I., . -211. Appendix A presents Islahi's analysis of the siirah,

lh1h·d

I .. 1 .xii-xiii,

44

The Surah as a Unity (1)

lsla.l.U has writtenorigi,nal commentary comes to seventy-fiv~.37 This

.is a large, numb.er:, and even a cursory look at I~iibi's co.II1JlWO.taty on thesesurahswill reveal that it is closely patterned on. th.cmodel (junisbed by Para.hlin the Majmifah. Of course there is a maj0r and immediately not.iceabledillerence: hlabi's commentarY lacks the sweep of FarahI's ,oommentazy, In dealing with his .subject, Eariibi provides extensi:ve etym.ological discussions, copious parallels from Arabie poetry, exhaustive comparisons with the Bible, and detailed comments on other schol.ars'interpretati.Onofthe. Quc'anlC verses in question. Islal;J.i, while he uses thi.s·~approa:ch on a·snuiller sCll!e,usuaUy confines himseli to a study of the Qur'"anic te)tt j'lIQper, ooncentiating on the nazm aspectoL the Qur-an. But tbis dlffetep.i;:e., thoughimportant~ should not engage our attention for too lo;o:g, our main interest being I$Ia:Q:l'"s apprQach to Qufanic na~trl . .And in point of Qullamc rmJf11"twe ·ca:nsaiely remark that I~labi; in trJing to arrive atti;Len{l~m ofa Makkan sfu:ah,. employs P,ariihi's method as scrupulously 'as does F!Uahl himself, and achieves resmtsessenti.a1Iy similar to those Farahi achieves in the 'Mmmifah AB faJ):asthe Makkansiiiahs ·arewncernoo, one can say

that 1~18.bI presents a strong case for Farahi's theory.

The Madfnan Surahs

In writing his connnentatY Qnthe .aforementioned seventy~five

Mak:kan su[.ahs,l&latU had before him not only Fariibfs,theory. but also the model ilia! the latter pr.ovides .. in the Majrntfah, Jndeallitg with. the MadInan siirahs,. liil3J,;ll. has practically no model before him, Fararu's commentary. on S. 66, which is Madii:lim;oould not have been at much help. the tyvelve verses QJ the swab: bear teference to a single historical incident and do not raise any nazm problems at all. I~Ia.I;ii borrows much of Farahl's commentary on the siirah, although he states the siirah's camud a little differently thar

37 AllhollSh he wrote a complete commentary on a few surahs only, Farahl did lea noles in which he talked about na.m in the other siirahs and about certain diffic; poinls in Ihl.1f! Sl'O Ml.limilah. p. 23. Even so, one can see from Dalii'il and oth work~ ..t' ,",,,nhl Ihlll Ih,'st, notcx nrc quite sketchy, and, from the point of view serVIIW "' II 'Ii,"," r"p wilallill/. II ,klililed commentary on the siirahs, rather inadequa To il ''''Ht 01"111. Ih.'II. hlnb"l's ,·olllnwnlary on these siirahs is original.

4~

The Siirah as a Unity (1)

does Farahi.38 But, from the stand . . .

sentative Madinan surah d pomt o~ nazm, It IS hardly a repre-

I~la1;ll as a model for zritina as we said, could not have served

_ ah wn mg commentary on all th M d-

sur s. In a sense, therefore it is the M _ e a man the strongest challenge to I~l~L'" 1 adman siirahs that present

v i11.11, as a so to Farahl's the W h

to see to what extent I~lahi . bl ff ory. eave nazm in these siirahs and tIS a he to 0 er a reasoned explanation of

perform that task.' 0 w at extent Farahl's theory helps him

In order to see how I~lam d ls wi -

shall select S. 4 an-Nisii' ("W' ea,~ with the M~dman surahs, we

, omen ), as our mam . t f

ence. An-Nisii' is one of the 1 - ah . poin 0 refer-

est 39 d ongest sur s, 10 fact the second Ion

th~ :adi:::ll :~~~:~~ts!e :~~tiC a~d structural complexity ~~

analysis of the surah's contents irst give a summary of Islahf's The next chapter will further elu~i;~~ :~:U?ffer our observations. nazm by comparing it with f . s approach to Qur'anic

. ,re erence to S 4 with th h

two modern commentators wh b li .., . e approac es of siirah. 0 e eve 10 the uruty of the Qur'anic

Summary of an-Nisii>41

I~la1;ll divides the surah into thr

number of sections The sect' ee parts, and each part into a

. . lOns are once agai divid d .

sections in the Urdu translation I lam' am IVl ~ into subsub-sections here Verse numb ~ . gI:es, ~ut we can Ignore these

. ers are given m par th

1. Social Reform (J -43): All hu b . en .eses.

man emgs are uruted through

38A din

ceor g to F arahi the C ild'· th ..

responsible for failing to fulf:tthi IS. ale p~CJ:ple that an individual is himself

t will ak S mor obligations and th t nl .

ance m e amends for such I lot .:c' a 0 y smcere repen-

probably more accurately-as' ho:pses'b aJmu. ah, p. 163. 1~1li.b1 states the camild- the hudild ("bounds, prescriptions,,)~F d~eT~:b~elati~nship of love with others,

39 UF, 7.451.

Sayyid Qutb, 1:554

40why did we net choose S 2 or 3 bvi .

because Farahi's partial cemn , ° VlOUS candidates for such a study? First

know~o what extent lSl,uu=~~~:= ~xishist~ (see n. 6 above), and we'do no~ both surahs have lengthy seen '.. or commentary on them Second lions do Dot present any SeriooUSnscontlllIllllbgl theological discussions. and these sec.:

~ n~m pro. ems. .

41 Following his usual practice I l,uu . .

S. 4 (for which, see Tadabbur. '2'~II_lt~des an ~t~oduc~ory analytical summary of

occur within the commentary' a't pOI'n)t' Cowever, It IS ill his nazm discussions, which

I . s 0 sectional di . . - -

exp am how the various sections of - ah . VISIOn, that I~IAtlI attempts 10

chapter we intend 10 highlight I<I'''} sur fare interconnected. AmI sine" in Ihis N' . r 1 v ...... 1 S View 0 a surah' h .

tsc I lui we have presented here is I ). I' s nazm, I C sunuunrv "r un-

hy 1~lnhT. .. I a arge ex lent based on IhIlS~ II//;m oIb"II~~i"i1H

46

The Saran as a Unity (1)

God, their Creator, and through Adam and Eve, their common ancestors (1). God-consciousness (taqwti) and kinship thus provide a basis for the regulation of human affairs. An appeal to this basis underlies the following: the instruction to the guardians of orphans to treat the latter with kindness and shun avarice in managing the latter's property (2-10); the statement of the law of inheritance (11- 14); the placing of checks on sexual anarchy (15-18); the prescription of rules for safeguarding women's rights (19-22); and the description of women one mayor may not marry (23-25). The importance of these injunctions is driven home (29-33), and their scope is enlarged (34-35). A final note on the rights of God and human beings (36-43) rounds off this part.

2. The Islamic Community and Its Opponents (44-126): Analy-

sis of Jewish opposition to the reforms, and prophecy of the establishment, in the face of all opposition, of an Islamic State (44-57). Unlike Jews, Muslims must never let national and sectarian conflicts keep them from truth and justice; the means by which Muslims can achieve unity, and the need for them to beware of the Hypocrites, who may subvert this unity (58-70). Unlike the Hypocrites, who are skeptical about the fate of Islam, are reluctant to make any sacrifices for Islam, and shrink from fighting for Islam, Muslims must be prepared to serve their religion and fight for it when necessary (71-76). The weaknesses and machinations of the Hypocrites (77-85). Recommended attitude the Muslims should adopt toward the Hypocrites at this stage (86-100). The manner of performing ritual prayer during war (101-104). There is no need to make undue allowances for the mischief-making Hypocrites (105- 115), who will face the wrath of God (116-126).

3. Conclusion (J 27-176): Reply to a few questions about vss. 2-

4 of the siirah (127-134). Muslims must keep their responsibilities in mind and beware of the Hypocrites, who are admonished (135-152). Warning to the People of the Book (153-162). Consolation to Mul).arnmad: he should not worry over the disbelief of the opponents. The opponents given a final warning (163-175). Supplement

to vs. 12 (176).

The camud of the siirah is described by I~la1;U as: factors that

make for cohesion in a Muslim society.42

41

nit, ,\'urah 11,\' II lJfli~I' (I)

Observations

~ ,~ I, Even this Summary is likel' . ' .. '... ".,..,

! $ ',al;ti has made a creditable atter! ftO grve one. ~e UDpre~s~on that mtegrated whole Th ne eli" ..' p at presentlng an·Nlsa' as an

. ,. .. . VISIon of the sliM' tc thr , '

seems to be Justified by th' r. In o ", ee m. am. parts

.- ah " e IUa.Ja.r thematIC shift· th .,

SUT _ at VSS, 44 and 127. al th' ." _' " ._. s tat Occur lD the

d ' ., ougb It may be sk d h

oes not makeas good a point of divisi - ", '. " a . e wether vs, 135

are COnVlncing1y h'.' ',' ..... o~ as vs, 127" The three parts

. .' . - sown t,o be tnterlinkd ',. .;

um:01ding scheme of thought, The first . ,e . In a. progre$slvely

SOCIal reforms that Islam lltroduced . part d~ WJ.th s~me of 'the e,'valuates the hostile r . - .. ,m ArabIa. The seb6nd part

M • " ,esponse, these refo - '. - k .. ', "'

a, dInan Opponents o f Islam' 'J' ., " _ ' . rms eva ed from tho ,e

, ., - ews and Hyp' ' .'

wlth certain orgaruzatioal m ,.. . ',ocntes-and also deals

munity, The third ". n - matters pertaining to the MuslimCOIil.

- ., part answers a few -qnti' .1...__ . '

some of the earlier verses ofan-N' _, .. ".~s~nsuw.t arose about and consoles Mubammad. . vi-rasa; warns the opponent:so{ lSlam,

. Not only are.the 'three parts inter1fuk . . " '. . .

~ormed by nazm, The first.. '... ed, each part ItseJilS Introduced in Ara bi A part descnbes the reforms that Islam

_ .., . a la, . S can be seen fromth .,.. . ..

surah, aJJthese reformS' embed . .... .: '., . ,.'. e S~ry ofth¢. the ~pening verse, namely:' tra~~~stra.te ,the pnnctple stated in

~nstitute.or, 6ugll't to con~titur hO bC.o~scIOusness'~d kins. hip

kind I l·'a.~ al ' e, tne asis fOT the urn' ty 'f' ,

. . ,.~~, so shows t'h t' th ,.' . ,.... ==>« 0 man-

, -' .' '. , a. e vanous hines f . f ' .

honed ill this part are s-eqlien6all' ".,._. '~r ., ,0, re Of IDS as rnea-

reform leading to tho di .' Y linked, diSCUSSIOn of one type of

, " . elsCUsSlon of :another . til . , ., "

summed up inthe versesiliat b ',' '. ' _un .. '. the part 1S.

second part may appear to b7 It to an end, ~e_ themeslof the connection' betwe ., ".11. c" .e. sparate. but IslaJ;ti explains th

. . .eween wernas follows. The ref,. . - , .e

.tng,gerefl the opposition of cert '.. '. o~s>as webave said,

agamst thi b" k , ,. am elements' ill Madinah' It·.,

.... ., s aCground of 0-' ositi ., , .. "..:.. . 1S

on the, them, e of Muslim SO'U'dPanP '.-t-. (md. that the, second Partd. wells

('0. .. 1.. ' . yan warns the M' 'lim

e sw.:overslveelement Within thei " '_.. .' . us ' s against

As ~ot the prophecy' of the esta:b,:~a:-fhat of th~ HyPo~t,e~. pertment here be.tausetheestabIisbm of an Islamic .Statej .It IS T,:nlt of the consolidation of a MUSlimen1 of suc~ a State ~s a logical third.~art bas an unmistakable tin .. CO~UIUty ors~lety,43 The of rrusmg new issues, it rou~ds oil d:f ~~g a, conclusIOD, Instead taken place in the first. t . " ... , .elS~uSslon that has already

'. wo parts by replymg to certain questions

"

43Ibid., 2:9, 76,

48

The Siaah as a Unity (/)

giving final warnings, and consoling Muhammad. A study of each of the three parts of the siirah from the viewpoint of nazm; therefore, strengthens one's impression that I~liibi has offered a sound nazm interpretation of the surah.

And this impression is further reinforced when one looks at I~liibi's division of the surah into twenty- three sections (ten in the first part, eight in the second, and five in the third). Each section is obviously dominated by one main idea, which serves to distinguish it from the section preceding or succeeding it. At the same time, the sections appear to exist in a logical order: each section bears a connection to the preceding and following sections. We shall presently try to determine with greater precision the nature of the connection that I~liibi establishes between these sections, for that has an important bearing on I~liibi's method of establishing nazm in a surah, especially in a Madman siirah. But one can hardly disagree with I~liibi when he describes the siirah's camUd as the "foundations of Muslim social solidarity." For that is the theme that runs through the three parts and the twenty-three sections and to which all the verses make explicit or implicit reference.

Farahi's concept of camUd will thus seem to be relevant, and his method of discovering a surah's camud applicable, in the case of an-Nisii'. And so will many of the other devices Farahi uses to establish nazm in a surah. Like Farahi, I~liibi looks for parallels (e.g. between avarice and licentiousness [vss. 2~4, 15.1844], both being disruptive of social order);45 draws contrasts (e.g. between the Jews' abandonment of the Shar;Cah and the obligation of Muslims to adhere to it [vss. 58-70]),46 and between the Hypocrites' unwillingness to take part in a war and the Muslims' duty to be prepared to fight when called upon to do so [vss. 71~76]);47 and notes the inter-

""The verses referred to in this paragraph are those of S. 4.

45I~latn, Tadabbur, 2:34.

46Ibid" 2:90.

471bid,. 2:103-104. See also ibid" 2: 109-11 I, for I~latu~s comment on vss. 77-85.

49

The Siirah as a Vnily (I)

nal nazm of individual sections480r of certain ver 49

such techniques and search fo themari ses, Also, use of the purpose of establi hi r ematIc rather than verbal links for

s ng nazm enables I~lam t '

position in many places in th Q'_ ,0 see unity of com-

'gh e ur an where a mode h I

rm t suspect incoherence or di , , en sc 0 ar

1~lal.U is follOwing the lead of iO~;:dness, In using this approach,

2 B aranr,

, ut this does not mean that I lam

mechanically apply Faram's th s .: does no more than

commentary does not exist F eory to t?e surahs, on,which Faram's like Farahrs calls f .0: one thing, applicatIOn of a theory

. . or a creauve ende Th

Fararu lays down for diScoverin _ ~v~r. _ ~ procedure that

It is analytic in one res ect a g a sur~ ~ amud IS a complex one, breaking down of a Silr~ . ~~ synthet~c in another; it involves the knit those parts into a Unitmy_0'~thts constItuent parts in order later to

lh' wt out at any moment "'0 . ..'.

. e received order oj , ' .' _ . . '" ID,preJl1l;Smg

c '1 verses m the surah Th di .'

amiid of each new siirah ] 1:.. " e scovenng of the

h . IS U1\.e taking new rerriror £,

l ough the basic strategy of deierminin th C . _ ory, or even

each siirah presents at least s . g e a,,!tid be the same, strategy has to be ~djusted to su~~~eProb~s of its own, an~ the

But a close look at I$liibI' t . pee . ar aspects of each surah. that he has also developed a ~ s ;eat~ent of an-Nisii' will reveal nazm of Qur'anic - ah .ew echnique that helps explain the sur s, especIally Madinan - ah A di

here necessary in order to explai thi ~ur s. gression is

We have already observed a:::at : technique adeq~ately.

possess greater thema"; . di . ' s a rule, the Madman siirahs

. uC . versity than do th Mill -

that, structurally, the former are disc . e an surahs, and

W.e oan now ad .... ress 0 I th ursrve and the latter discrete

. .UJ.' urse ves to e quest' . D hese di .

between the Makkan and Madman _ Ion. 0 t ese differences

question of a sur- ah 's ". surahs have any bearing on the

. na~m{

The answer would seem to be' hat· .

see why fewer themes sh ld m t e frrmatIve. It is easy to

little reflection will show oUh fmean fewer nazm problems. And a

. w y ewer nazm probl .

discrete structure which h .' ems are raised by a

. , c aractenzes many Mill -

discretely structured text the jmi an surahs. In a

, e uruts of thought presented have a

48

See, for example 1$1'''',''

, ~u s comments on vss. 86-100. Ibid., 2:121.123.

49

See, for el(runpJe, vs. 163 Which I 1&t1- . .

COn~tructed on the chron~IOgicai ,;rin~i r~:arJ's, contams two lists of prophets, one JII~b) and the other made lip of airs of Pr ( oah, Abraham. Ishmael. Isaac. and having undocg"One suffering of a ~mjlar tP ophets, each of the two proJlhl1l..~ ill II pair (J,;"u~ lI'ld Job, Jonah nnd Aaron S i ype or received "'VIII<, '\let"" or likl1 nnture IbId., 2:20·, ' 0 omen and Dav,d. aml M".~ ... ~ l'"" MII{lIIlIImlltl).

The Siirah as a Unity (1)

sharper outline, the formal contours of one idea are relatively easily distinguishable from those of another, and the major nazm problem one faces.is that of integrating these thought-units into a whole. In other words; one's 'attention is concentrated on the synthetic rather than the analytic process, though the latter does not thereby lose.its Importance, The synthetic process in. the case of such a text is facilitated by the fact that relational categories like those ef comparison and contrast (categories that form an essential element of Fa:rahfs methoo) are easier to apply, and the na;11!; to that exte:nt,.1esS problematic to discover, An example of discrete , structure would be two passages, juxtaposed to each other, one describing good and the other evil. The existence of a relationship of contrast between the two passages will be readily noticed, and that would explain the nazm of the passages. It is also clear that this relationship of contrast, once perceived to exist between the two passages, will aid one in establishing that relationship between similar passages occurring anywherever. This, then, is the nature of a large number of Makkan siirahs: a few themes occur in them with great frequency and with a fairly regular degree of structural discreteness, thus making it comparatively easy for one to identify na~m in many places in those siirahs. Perhaps an example from Makkan siirahs will elucidate the point.

A persistent theme of the Makkan surahs is that of the warning of. the two-fold punishment (destruction in this world and damnation in the next) that the Qur'ae administered to the disbelieving Quraysh of Makkah. The Quraysh insisted on being shown a~'sign"

. ...

ort'proof (ayah) of the threatened punishment, To this demand the

Qur'iin often replies thus: Muhammad has been sent to present a message, that should be Judged on its own merits; he is not supposed to- show miracles, with which, in fact, if one is genuinely seeking the . truth, the universe and human history are replete. A few sets of passages in Makkan siirahs that discuss thistheme are given below (the size of the passage in each case is the one given by I~liibi in Tadabbur, to which the notes refer the reader for detailed na":;m explanations);

6:33-39, 40-50, 51-55, 56-67.50 10:11-12, 13-14.51

SOlbid. 2)KK.JK9, 414.415. 431·432, 434, 438·439, 443·444.

51

The Surah £1.\'" {JII/fl' (I)

11:12-16,17-24.52 15:]-]5, ]6-25.53 17:58-60, 61-65.54 21:30-33,34-43,44-47.55 25:45-60,61_77.56

26: 1-9, 10-68.57

54: 1-8, 9-42.58

98: 1-3, 4-5, 6-8.59

) A study of these sets of passages in the Our'an will h h

a the passages in each set contain' s ow tat: theme (the theme of the two-told u:nstttuents of the aforesaid constituents of the theme rna b P s~ent), though not all the the thought-units in almost JI e present in each passage in a set; b)

discretely, which is to say that~a~~:!:sbof a ~ven set are presented able between the two pa reak m thought is discem-

ssages-or any two p if

more than two-of a set: c d assages there are

one on the list) are easie~ jf:: so~e se~s of passages (e.g. the last

than others (e.g. the first one).~:es~:t~ from a na~~ viewpoint ents, the discrete structure and th . anty of thematic constitubility (from the viewpoint ~f nazm) va~g degre~s of comprehensimade above, namely, that com 'reh:o~bme to dnve home _the point passages of a Makkan surah !:m ai~slOn o~ nazm aspects m certain aspects in like passages in other Makk°ne ~ comprehending nazm

Thi an surahs

s does not mean to re t h .

altogether devoid of the 'featur~:aof t hat the MadIn~n siirahs ~e versa. We have alread . t e Makkan surahs or VIce Madinan surahs are qUire =~a;t~o r;fe~e~~e to an-Nisii', that that would not have been ibl h arabi s methOd, something completely different The PMoasds~ e a~ ahthe two types of silrahs been

. . man Sur show d

tam nazm problem that is not ed I ' ev~r, 0 pose a cer-

pos ,at east not ill a pronounced

52Ibid., 3:348, 362 fC.

53Ibid., 3:589-590, 592-596, 598-600. 54Ibid., 3:715-716, 757, 758-761, 763-765. 55Ibid., 4:254-255, 277, 278-282, 285CC. S6Ibid., 4:572, 603, 606 ff., 615.

S7Ibid., 4:627-628, 630-633.

58Ibid., 7:87-88, 90-95, 96-101, 104 CC. S9Ibid., 8:474-475, 479-485.

52

The Surah as a Unity (l)

form, by the Makkan. The many themes of a typical Madman. surah would sometimes appear to fade or melt into one another, thus blurring the distinction between the thought-units. One of the ways in which IslaJ;ij .seems to be able to, establish nazm connections in such places is by applying what, for want of a better expression, may be called the technique of isolating the germ idea.

The assumption underlying the technique is that a p~,cular section in a sarah, dominated as it is by 'a.main idea, may catttain another idea in germ f<lr.tn. The germ ide,a, wlill.e perfectly integrated into the main idea of tbesection, grows .to become, or serVe~ .as the basis of, the main -idea of the next section. A few examples will makethis clear, (Again, the section-size in each ease is 'the one established by I~la1;ti) .

In an-Nisii', the section consisting of vss. 2-10 has as its main idea the responsibilities that a guardian must discharge toward the orphans, under his care . But the section also contains (in 'IS. 7) the germ idea of the Islamic I~w of inheritance, which becomes the main idea of the next section (VoSs. 11-14).60 In the section consisting of vss. 19-22!tbe dominant idea ,is, that Of meting out fair and just treatment to womea, But present -in the section is the genn idea that the pre-Islamic practiceof marryiilg one's widowed step,~mQtl;ler is. a leathsome practice. This idea then paves' the way for a desc'pptiQD" .in thenext section (vss, 23-25), of women one mayor maY·Dot ma.r:t:¥,61 Likewise, the principa! idea of another section in thes~ah (vss. 105-115)'15 that Muslims must not make undue allowances for the Hypocrites and have no s-oft spot for them in their hearts. The section also has the germ-idea that tbe Hypocrites W;iIl end up in bell. The next section' (vss. 116-126)ex,plains why t,be Hypocrites will meet this fate.62

A few examples from other MadiJ;laa surahs may begiven. In S. 2, al-Baqaral: ("The Cow"), vss. 215-221 J;eply to a few qu~tions about the lJajj, war, and the spending df wealth in the way' of God. At the end of the section is introduced the idea that Muslim men are allowed to marry the mothers of orphans in their charge if that

6OIbid., 2:28.

61Ihid .. 2:44.

53

The Sarah as a Unity (1)

would ensure the welfare of the orphans.s- This idea becomes the basis for a discussion of the theme of marriage and divorce in the next two sections (vss. 222-231, 232-237;64 incidentally, the two sections could have been combined to make one section). In S. 3, iii clmriin ("The Family of clmran"), the section composed of vss. 64- 71 invites the People of the Book to accept Islam. Vs. 69 in this section introduces the germ idea that a particular group from among the People of the Book is trying to mislead Muslims. The next section (vss. 72-76) takes up this idea and gives details of it.65 In S. 8, al-Anfiil ("Spoils"), the opening section (vss. 1-8) points out some of the marks of true Muslims. It also refers to God's promise to help the Muslims on the occasion of the Battle of Badr. The next section (9-19) explains how God helped them.66

1~1aJ;ll's successful application of this technique in many places in Madinan siirahs not only solves nazm problems in those places, it also highlights a characteristic feature of Madman siirahs.

3. A few problems in regard to Islahl's approach need to be addressed. The first has to do with the exact nature of nazm in Madinan siirahs. As before, our main point of reference will be S. 4.

In chapter II we noted that, according to Farahl, a discourse possesses true nazm when it is characterized by order ihasan attartib), proportion (hosan at-taniisub), and unity (qawi alwal)diiniyyah).67 It is this kind of nazm or niziim that Farahi and I~IaJ;ll seek to disover in the Qur'anic siirahs. For the moment, we are concerned with Islahf's treatment of an-Nisii', and it would seem that his interpretation of an-Nisii' either does not sufficiently bring out the second of the three elements of na;m in the siirah-proportion-or fails to offer an adequate explanation for its apparent lack of it.

Proportion implies symmetry or balance. Insofar as a building is asymmetrical, or a discourse digressive, it will lack balance. Yet a reading of an-Nisii' is bound to leave one with the impression that

63The word nisd' in S. 4, vss. 3 and 4, is interpreted by I~la.w as "the mothers of orphans," and not as "women" in general, as is usually done by Muslim commentators. See Tadabbur, 2:24-26. See also ibid., I :475-477, where Islabl observes that Qur'an 2:221 has a similar context and is comparable to Qur'an 4:2-6.

I>4lhid" 1 :477, 496.

1>5lbid .. 1:711·712,719.

t.h1hid .. 3:30.

t··"';",rnhl. f)"lll'iI. p. 77.

The Surah as a Unity (1)

. . sions I~lam does show that a single

the siirah contams a ~ew dIgr;~h t the various parts and sections of C amiid pervades the surah an a . d digression are not

11 cted But connectlOn an .

the siirah are we -conn~. hi de art from the main

mutually exclusive. A. dIScourse may t:o~st r~u; to the main issue, to a side issue and WIth equal smoo. it the discourse will have and yet, despite its apparent conunui y,

become digressive. f S 4 the Hypocrites are first alluded

To take an example rom . , . d i 61 and are

. 60 licitly mentlOne In vs. ,

to in the surah In v~. , are e~p th discussion. One feels that a

then made the subject ?f a. e;g dJced has perhaps assumed inorsubject that was tange~tlall\vIn ;~ I lam regard this as a digression

dinately large proportIOns. ou ~.

? ' .

or not. _ _ . cious of the fact that the Qur aruc

To be sure, I~~iili,i 1~ cons e the comment that the Qur'an is method of presentatlon might ev~k f the Hypocrites and the other

digressive. ~eferri;fs!~ ~: ~~~~:I~~eO following explanation:

opponents In an- ,

ed h the Qur'an is not simply a collecIt should be !e~em?er t a\ also a book that invites people to tion of le§al mJunctl~ns, but 1 din it had to take into account Islam (da vat kii ~aWah). Accor. ~Yi ~ d down those injunctions. the reaction it p.rovoked ~tthe t~e l\:ercfore the Qur'an everySide by side ~th J;ucb...mJ~"Cl1ons, . ted. ~tly or indirectly by where deals with the conditi°hflll cr~t f mew of spreading the

. t Also, from t e porn: 0 •. , . . ak

1tS opponen s. . -. .... " ive that these eonditions be t en

[Islamic] message, It 15 lIIlpeI<t11 , ~,.;. of this feature of the

. t B t noople who are unaw"","~ .'

mto accoun. u .. ' . with these legal injunctlOns [in an-

Qur'an wonder why, togetbtber . ts have been discussed at Nisiil, the HypOC'lJes and . e opponen

such great length.

. f - ah is to be conceived of not

That is to say, the umty 0 fa hsur . abstracto but in terms

. f presentation 0 t emes m , I d

merely In terms o. . hich the siirah was revea e .

ti al dynaffilc context 1D w e e

of the prac ic , ., I lahl's part that the Qur an

Is this a concealed adffilsslOn on ~d ~ormally call a compact

does in fact depart from wha~:_ne wo~ probably reply with an treatment of a su~ject? I~la. hI wouff d as far as the Qur'an is

. "N "sayIng that he as 0 ere , f

emphatic 0, . f "compact treatment 0 a

concerned, a restat~ment of t~; .~?tlO~e~tatement, it does not go far subject." And here IS the rub. 1 IS a d f th Qur'jin not lose

. '. .• .' 1 ecessary that a rea er 0 e

enough 11, IS certain y nece: . hi h a particular surah was

sight of till, dynall'lll,; context In W IC

----------------

The Siirah as a Unity (I)

revealed, and to that extent I~l~'s insight is a valuable one. But appeal to context would at best seem to be a partial explanation of a phenomenon that one encounters so frequently in the Qur'an, especially in Madman surahs, Sometimes in Madinan surahs there occurs a series of digressions, as, for example, in the first fifty verses of S. 5, al-Mii'idali ("The Repast")69 Here again hl~ makes a creditable attempt at explaining nazm connections between the verses, and points out that the notion of covenant runs through not only these but the rest of the verses of the surah as well. But the impression of the Qur'an's having made a number of digressions stays with the reader and one wonders whether the context of alMii'idah could warrant so many of them and yet the snrah, possessed as it may be of some kind of thematic unity, could be credited with taniisub or proportion. Can some other explantion of the phenomenon be found?

An explanation might be found in the literary tradition of preIslamic Arabia. This tradition WID; basieally poetic-oral in character. Now the demands, strictures, and e:lCpectations th::it a poet has to meet in such a tradition are significantly different from those a poet bas to meet in a tradition based OIl the written word. In his. Singer of Tales, Albert Lordcompares the techniques-of oral and written poetry and finds them to be "contradictory and mutually exclusive."7o Speaking of oral poetry, he remarks that "at a number of points in any [unlettered] song there are forces leading in several directions, anyone of which the singer may take."?' Again, writing about the themes of oral poetry, he observes:

Although the themes lead naturally from one to another to form a song which exists as a whole in the singer's mind with Aristotelian beginning, middle, and end, the units within this whole, the themes, have a semi-independent life of their own. The theme in

69These verses speak of dietary law (1-5); $aIiih and the importance of Iepo,si;Dg faith in God (6-11); the covenants that the People Cif the-BQ6'k made'with Gtxf(l2-t4) and the need for the People' of the Book to a~t the ls1~c mess~e (15-19); 'two historical evems-Jsrael's 4O-yea:r wandering in the desert (70-26) and Cain's murder of Abel (27-31); capital punishment in Mosaic L~",,; andthepunishment for breaking the Law of God, (32-34); the need for Musfuns to adhere to the Sharfah, and the punishment for stealing (35-40); the machinations of Jews and Hypocrite; the Evangel as the book. Christians had been instructed to base their decisions on, and the Qur'an as the final criterion for interpreting earlier scriptures (41-50). See ibid., 2:217-219,224 e., 238-239, 244-245,250,256,264-265,272-273., 280,287-288.

7°Lord, p. 129.

71Ihid .• p, 120.

56

The Surah as a Unity (1)

e time in and for itself and oral poetry exists a\fne and the sam

for the whole song.

di . " in the adding of one

al poet to gress. . - . d

It is easy for an or her the singer [i.e. poet] can stop an

element in a theme to an~t '. . thout losing a sense of the

fondly dwell upon any single Item W1

whole:,n ',' " " all f_ Lord's premises and con-

It is,n0t being sugges~ea ~~. Qur0 ,,..:.. But the basic point lie

dil· ' licable to ,I.ll-e ' (I.ll. ,-- • .- ,.

elusions are rea y -~_pp : , " hove'is worth noting. LornlS' sa~g makes in the quota110ns grven a.. . . . flcx'.ibility or e1asUClty

, .:I:. - has ant!lut11 a certain ,.

th 't the oral traw.t1on' - ial i a freer. roann, er

a" _, ' . - ulate bismlltlen ill,. '. ., .

that allows the poet t9 marup ,t_;:", 1... a written tradit100. TIlls 15

·bl- ,e r a poet wor.MUg "._. - -··d

than is pOSsle .lp. :abic' oetic traditioLl- In the g~a I

true of the pre-Islapll~ AI, Ja:m period. one- frequently ~~es

("ades',') composed dUJ.Illg ,th, e ive .i 'es,,';on'of: disoontlDUl.'ty

, - 'th t d ot!p-vean unpr .,,_.. - .

across long passage~ ar e 0 n~d yet constitU.te a fu.gresSill'n ~~m

having ~ak.e~ place ill t~e ~~: ibn Bi11iz$ ,a\- YaShkurl,' de~amng 'the s"b1ectJn hand. Allian . . 'k;-~elf . ....lth 'I\oe' thought of

'.... ~-. ,. ,'tries to di~ett I1J.LLl»' w. \"u.' . -

of Wlllrung ,his- beloved, h th ght zives him occasIOn

, . 'li bl shO'-eamel -and t e ou C>"" 74 A

his ,swift and re ~. '1~ • "mel in the next several verses.

to dwell. on the q'ua1it1es,0f the ca CA._ .. ibn al-cAbd known as

, r » ill - d d by the poet l"UlLL I '

elas&~C ~xampl~ is .0):, ~ .' h introduces his she-camel and then

T, tab, wOO ill his mu allaqa , . 75

.~a:ra »-rs .1:..:--+' ses to descnbe her. .

COI:n .. pO~es about u-u.-:.y vers ,.,..: c_t be likeriec;l to pre-I~lannc

It j_s, true that the Qur :rerences betw,een the .tWQ. ,O~ the _poetry: theI~ are too m~~ed that-th~ QUfA.Owas reveal!W..m the other hand, It cannot ~e. d _ d that ,in order. to .make ~e~.sem that context of .an oral traditIon, an .. " mres charactenstlc of that

, .' bad t assume eertam fea._ - - ch f +ri

tradition, it ili10 ;. on Ibefreve, is onesu.ea: ... re.

tradition. The feature 'of digresSl , . -"relaxed" medium, not a , . bv it very nature, is a ,'- _I' The oral medIUm, Y I S f this edium; theooncept w

din the context em, . . .

rigorous one, an , ., ed ' . ce thin· ,gs- like digressL08,

. all redefin . 'S).u , ' .

proportion is automatIC .y in elf a:r:d.not reo-ardedas al:lDounali-

are sanctioned by the medIUm I s ell the d~c context of the ties. Perhaps we can even recon e -

72Ibid .• p. 94. 73Ihid P 92.

'. . " Tb - - pp. 434-438. For an

74V ~ 9-14 III hi. mrllllluquh ("suspended ode ). See 1 nzi,

N, . I\. her!), P 222

FnIIoliKh 1I1111_Inlllll1 •• 1!C' r .,. .

, f' h 'I"hrt 1 pp 141-162' Arher!),. pp. 83-85.

7~V"_ II I') III hi' "If' I.III'IJI' I 1, .' •

The .'i'ural! us a I /l/i~I' (I )

Qur:~ (to whicb ISlatu appeals) with the •. .

tradltion by saying that hi] prc-fslall1lc Arabic literary

t~~ place in the Qur'~:t a~ t~e latter explajn~ why digression digress10n is caUed for in the s' '. former explams what kind of

4. Some of the na.?m exp~::~~:ont~ex_t of a given surah. bIe. H_e says that vss. 127-130 with I~W,uOffeIs. are questiona~

analysIS of an-Nise' be . • which. the third part in hi

because they were re~'~eds, ~cupy the ~articular position they d'os

b .~ ata later tim . . .' , .

a o~t \'8,S. 2-4 of the 'siirah. 7~ L~wise . e in reply, to a que~tion that U fot:mS asunplem t . _ .. , he remarks abautvs. 176

.lat '. :.t' ... en to the surah bec' .

er tune m respanse'to a'. ause It was revealed at a

I.sliiQi's view .: of the POS1'hoqmn~esti°fn about vss, 11-12 of the surah 77

called . ...... . g 0 such e 1 .

F~ question on two counts xp anatary verses can be

rrst, vss, 127-130 and vs i76 .

. open with the same formula'

And people ask you for an in·uncti. .

lays down for you the foUo~ . 0!l reg~ding women. Say: God

g InJunCtIon ... (vss. 127-130)

And people ask you for an in' . .

deceased person with no asce ydunctIon regarding the kalalah [a God lays down for you the fo~o Im:ts ~r .desC~dants alive]. Say:

WIng nuunctlOn '" (vs, 176).

One may ask wh d .

tru y, esprte the obvious si '1 . .

S clure, VSS. 127-130 and vs 176 irm anty in their formulaic

done elsewhere .in the Qur;- I were not grouped tagether as in iarmuJa "they question you an." .n 2:215-219, for exampl~ the rep~~d~c~ ~ questJon MUh~~~ used four times, each ti~e to Q~ aDIC n.uunction. Accor&n to I ~a~ asked about a certain t~ed to..{oUr different sets of tu ,_ ~~~, the four questions perWIth their fOmiulaic identity we'" t anrc verses.78 Yet the questions explain w~y vss, 127-130 ~d :S~ f7~uped together. I~law does noi

have been grouped t . . th . . . of S. 4 should not lik .

. 2'21: age er,OT! conversely h h' ewise ~ . 5-219 were bracketed to th . ' ':" ~ t e fOijT questions

It sound as if stru etur all ,ge er, The P0lnllsthat I"I;;J.~ ...... nl.

. • ' y vss. ) 27-130 '. . 1'LCU,ll uuu.es

remamed separate becau.se they r ~ daud vs. . 176 m S .. 4 must have

But as 'h' . elerre· to tWio dif' ,~

.' .18 S own by 2:215-219, the . _ .' .erent questions.

rule about the pOsitiOning of •.• ch' Qllt'an daes. not fOllow a strict the third part of 41A.bI'SdiVis·SU b e~planatory verses. Incidentally IQn egms at vs, 127, but it is equan;

76J$Ia\ll, Tad4bbur, 2:165. 77Jbid., 2:210-211.

78lb'd

1 ., 1 :465-474.

58

The Surah as a Unity (1)

possible for it to begin at vs. 135, where the break in the thought is equally sharp.

Also, it is not necessary that a verse that is revealed at a later time in response to a question about another verse be detached from the earlier verse to which it makes reference-another impression one gets from I~IaJ;ll's comment on vss. 127 and vs. 176 of S. 4. I~IaJ;ll himself remarks about vs. 4 of S. 5 that it was revealed in answer to a question about vs. 3 of the same surah.?? and yet the verses were placed next to each other.

These are perhaps minor paints. But, taken together with the point made about digression, they do warn against conceiving of a surah's unity in a rigid and inflexible sense.

5. A fundamental objection to the concept of carniid is that opinions about the carnud of a surah can differ. Two scholars, studying the same siirah, may arrive at two different, even conflicting, camuds, and, as a result, offer divergent interpretations of the surah, We have already noticed that Farahi and I~Ia1;ll themselves have offered different accounts of the carnuds of a few surahs (nos. 66, 77, and 80). The inescapble conclusion seems to be that the use of even identical methodology by two or more scholars will not guarantee identical results. At best what can be said is that, of the several or many camiids that may be suggested. of a smah, the <me that best explains the surah and satisfactorily answers most of the questions about it will be the propercamUd. But even this camiUJ must always remain open to further scrutiny. Thus an. element of tentativeness will inhere in any given carniia. Once again we see that an ironclad view of nazm would hardly be tenable.

6. This, however, in no way takes away frbm the value ofth.e concept of carnad. We have already seen, with reference to I~lal;li~s analysis of S. 4, that a properly identified famiid will induee ceherence in a surah that otherwise mayappear to bean aggregate of unrelated verses. Appendix B will shaw how some of the ~ur'anic verses and passages, which are usually regarded by scholars as isolated and disconnected, become, by virtue of the camiid, meaningfully integrated into the contexts 'in which they occur, In fact, the camad does not merely provide a point of convergence fal a siirah's themes or verses, it often becomes an important determinant of interpretation. Appendix B will also illustrate how the camud may make for II diffstcnt, and more cogent, Qur'anic interpretation than

The SiJrah OJ: t'I Unf~y (I) the one traditionally accepted. It will .

~orl. f?c the contention of Fariilii and i ~ ~lher words,. provide supsignificant, ~IaI;t:i that nazm IS exegetically

7. A reader of the Qur'an will

Qur'an, instead of exhansti . I . be struck by the fact that the

b fore taki - ve y treating- on th .

e ore taking up another kee s _ _ . . _.e - erne m one place

ous surahs, and he may g~t thP. COIlllD;~ back to its themes in varitive. The Qur'an view~ the ma~t IDl~slon that the Qur'an isrepetial-iiyiit, which signifies not-"r~ e~.ti _ erently. It uses the terms t~rif of verses (or signs' from .pe I· enof verses," but "presentation

als - . 'j vanous angles "80 Th

_ 0 throws light on thi f _ .' -. e concept of camUd

c r ,.1..- . s eature of ttMrif. A stud . .k·

amuas of the relevant surahs, of .:m. . .: _ y, u~ ~e light of the

s~uest that,.in any given.sarah y ~aJor Qur'amc theme will discussedthat areapposite to' t: _th:~ agpee_Is of the theme ate example. e sur 5 - amud. Let us take an

Among the surahs that narrate a .' -

message are Ss, 6 21 5'1 d 60 _ spects of Abraham's life and

religion of Abraham.' The a:ii:rah' ~heCamud of S. 6 is: Islam as the

pagans, saying that 'Muhammad is ese~ts ~slam before th~. ~akkan Abraham stood for and that -. preaching the same religion that

t tion i .,., as a result th h old .

a o~ m accepting Islam.sl Vss 74-83 'fey S _0 have no hesi-

dent m which Abraham .. , . " o. the surahrelate an inci-

obi _ rejects the sun the

_ ~ects worthy of worship. Since the _ '. . - ~oon. and stars as

~m,brace Islam, the incident, throu i:rahmVltes. th.eMakkans to ts meant to facilitate the Mill ~app.~ to Iogic and .history,

The camud of S 21 ... anS~(mVeES~On' to Islam.&2

Ii . . ' IS. impending p ishm

0\flllg Makkans.P Contrary to, S. 6 . aum _ ... eat for the disbe-

and all the historical evidence- l't add'S. _ 2.1 uses a threatening tone,

ad" .. uces m sup f i -

. . eCISl.Ve nng about it. V ss. J 1- port 0 Its thesis has

images made by his unb Ii . in 70 show Abraham breaking the

consistent with the s-urah~ ~vtn~ p~opk The incident is not only

The camiid of S. 51 s aamud, It also b~ th_e sarah's tone.84

reward f the vi ' s we noted earlier m tb h .

or e virtuous and punishm ~. ..e chapter, IS:

ent ror the wicked in thehere-

~e expression tasrif ar-ri iih (2'

different directions" Y. .164; 45:5) means "to cause . d

• WID s to blow in

811 1;;1.·

~ ...... , Tadabbur, 2:385, 387.

82See ibid

I I ., 2:460-461,466 ff.

83See ibi

ibid .• 4:253.

84S ibi

ee ibid., 4:296 rf.

60

The Surah as a Unity (1)

after.85 In vss. 24-34, Abraham is visited by angels, who have been cOIrunissioned to give him the good news of the birth of a son, and, at the same time, to wreak dtmruction upon the people of Lot. Reward for Abraham and punishment for the people of Lot serve as pointers to the reward-aDd-punisbment system that will operate in the next life. There is thus a direct connection between the incident

and the silrah's 'amado S6

Among the MuslimS who bad emigrated to Mad1nah, there

were-some. who still maintained social ties with their pagan relatives .an.d friends in Makkah. The C.amWi of S. 60 is: the need for these Mus1iJns tomak:e·a complete break with the hostile Makkans.87 Vss. 4-6 of the'sUrahsay that these Muslims ought to take AbTaham as their model, for Abraham and his fo)1owerlj· made a complete b.reak

with their people when the latter turned hostile to them.88

8. It is notable that, in offering his interpretation of S. 4, 1~1aJ;U

is able to dispense with the occasions of revelation as an exegetical aid. He can be said to have provided support for the view. held by him and Farlihi, that the occasions pf revelation can, and should, be

derived from the Qur'an itself.

But this is not to say that 1~1ah.i regards all historical back-

ground to tbe Qur'an as irrelevant. The socio-historical ambie~cein which the Qu:r'fUl was revealed is not only accepted by 1$Ial;ti, it is also frequently :referred to by him in expounding the QUI'fill. For example, in interpreting S. 30 (which refers to the, Perso-Byzaniine War89), 33 (which refers to MuI;ul111mad',s marriage to Z3:ynab, the divorcee of Zayd9O), and 59 (which refers to the exile fr9ID MadInab of the Jewish tribe of Ban'll n_Nac;lir91), I~Ia1.ll supplies all the necessary historical details. But such details constitute information that is verifiable thraughinde.pendent historical inquiry, and I~la1.ll freely uses such infoniiatioD to amplify Qur'anic references wberever necessary. What hla1.ll would regard as largely dispensable is the infor-

851bid., 6:575.

86See ibid., 6:603, 606 ff. 87Ibid., 7:319.

8SSee ibid .. 7:321\.

K9lhid .. HI? 72 rr. 1j()lhid, ~.I77 I'1Y, IYI tt. 'IIlhlll ... ,.) 1'1 )1111, 1M} ft.

61

The Surah as II Un'~I' (J)

mation found in works like Asbiib an-Nuziil by Abu I-l;Iasan cAli ibn Ahmad al- WiUtidi (d. 468/1076), and a book of the same title by Suyiili.92 WiUtidi and Suyutl list, under isolated verses, af)iidith purporting to relate incidents that "occasioned" the revelation of the verses in question. That certain incidents may have caused the revelation of certain verses is quite understandable. But there are some problems with what actually passes under the name of asbiib annuziil, especially when these asbiib an-nuzul are regarded as absolutely indispensable to Qur'an exegesis.P For example, asbiib annuzid for all the verses of the Qur'an are not available, and those that are available are of varying degress of authenticity and not infrequently conflict with one another. Quite often, the asbiib annuziil would make a siirah look like a completely disjointed discourse even when an obvious unity or coherence informs the siirah. It is probably for reasons like these that I~liUll, like Farahl, does not attach much significance to the asbdb an-nuzid. But the most important reason why he does not do so is that, like Farahl, he regards the Qur'an as essentially self-explanatory, Tadabbur is eloquent testimony to the large measure of success I~liUll has achieved in presenting a cogent interpretation of the Qur'an without having recourse to the asbiib an-nuziil.

Summary

The concept of the unity of the surah, as understood by Farahi and hliUll, means that each siirah is a thematically complete discourse that has been presented in a coherent structural framework. The received verse-arrangement in any siirah is accepted without any alterations, and is in fact considered indispensable to a siirah's nazm:

Besides propounding the concept of the unity of the siirah, Farahl laid down a method for arriving at that unity. Using that method, he wrote a complete commentary only on a few siirahs. It was I~liUll who successfully applied Farahi's method to all the siirahs of the Qur'an. In so doing, he developed a technique of his own that is especially useful in bringing out na?m aspects of Madinan surahs,

The notion of C amiid imparts an organic dimension to the

92For Suyiili's comparison of his book with Wa.I;lidi's, see Suyii~I, Asbiib, 1:7-8. 93See Wa.I;lidi, pp. 3-4; and Suyii~i, Asbab, 1:5.

62

The Sarah as a Unity (I)

- h a unity In this respect Farahi

, arilhi-lslal.1J concept of tile s~r~ ,as ho co~ceive of a siirah's na~m

and l$lillJi diJfe~ [roml~~~~ ~:n~~i~n (see chapter 1). . .

in terms of a simple _ ab b uld not be construed in a very ngld

The unity of the sur . S ,0.. . call oral medl~, did

Th Qur'iin revealed as It was m a b_a~l y , 'Th 'ftrah

sense. e . , . ili . trinsie to that medium. e S

not cease to have the.fleXlb ty u~jfd ts FarahI and hlal;U w~>uld

is probably not as ngorously Ie - a

seem to believe., . _ . ale as an org:amc whole, then the

If the Qur aruc surah is t ~l ~lS drasticallY redUced, for the

In the asbiib an-nuzu . . '. ..;I

need to re Y upo _ ti ~'i1 aid is largely--predicate", upon

use of asbiib an-nuzul as an exege e , fa surah.

taking a verse-by-verse approach to the verses 0

63

Chapter IV

THE SURAH AS A UNITY (2)

In chapter I we saw that· . b

regard the Qur'an asa book a ~um er 0f modern Muslim scholars

20th-century Qur'an .... en owed withcciherenoo. Two of the exegetes who have m d . "

to prese. 01 the surahe as .. niti a .e Slgrtif1Cant attempt.s

- . .......... les are' Sayy'd Muh

Taba,tabli-'J (1312- 1402/1903_ 1.981 . . . 1 u.y.~d l:Iusayn at-

1386/1906-1966) of Egypt lhi ) ~f Iran and SaYYld Qlilb (1324- concept of the unirv 'of thO o_t s C~pter we shalloompru:e I~Iam's

OJ e surah' Wttb theirs. .

Nor,m Views of Tabataba'i and Sayyid Qutb

We shall begin by duci

Sayyid Qutb 00 nazm. repro ucrng the ideas of Tabiitaba'i and

Tabii{abii'i

As the speech of God r b- b-.... .

aL-Qur'iifl, the QUf'~ must . a ata a ~ WTItes in. A l-Miziin fi Tafsir

di ... .. possess unrty (w hd. ') Th .

lSCOurse denves accord:' _ h:_.. a. a,l. . : e uwty of a

. " ,. mg. to lWil from "th .

mg, and it is this "unified meanin " .... e ~~ty ~f its mean-

put across. He then defines this ::~t the Qu: an chiefly aims to (hidiiYah). of' mankind to the ri""t hezd meamng as the guiding

Net b· . 6'" pat.

. x e pomts Out tbat the di '. .«: _.

number of slirilhs signifies that eac~l~~n of the ,?ur~an IDtO a large composition and a: Wholeness that. ,urah .has a kind. of unity of rsep~ate] parts at a surah nor in .. IS t~ be found ueirher in the conllnues: two surahs taken together." He

From this we conclude that the sarah .

each surah is intended t s h~~e dIvergent aims, that

o convey a specific meaning, to serve a

Although the concept of the siirah

we sh.all ~ere refer to it as I$lahr~ a~~n~rstOOd by I$liiW, originated with Farahi:

~f~~~~~.!\~O a very large nu'mber of Q~r'~:~~ :so~s'l F~st, b~ creativel;

_ _ . e concept. Second, through hi r s, ~ aw has In a sense

~ I~llilll With Tabiilaba'I and Sayyid Qu~~t t 'Us ~ha1ter a major b~sis of comparison ee on S. 4, an-Nisii: on which FariihI' WI e t e commentanes written by the s commentary does not exist.

2Tabiilaba'i, I: 16.

64

The Sarah as a Unity (2)

specific purpose (gharat/), on the achievement of which alone will the siirah achieve its fulfillment. 3

Thus, before presenting his interpretation of a surah, Tabataba'i usually provides a brief account of the surah's gharad. As a rule he divides a surah into a number of sections and tries to establish links between them. The gharad of S. 4 is stated by him as follows:

The ghara4 of the siirah is to describe the rules g()yerning .matrimonial life-like the number of wives [one is allowed to JIl.!I.Il'Y], women one may not marry-and the mles of inheritance, Also discussed in it are some other rules, like those pertaining t(i ,ritual prayer, war, the [bearing of] several kinds of testimony' trade. etc. The People of the Book are alsodiscussed'

Tabiitabii'i considers the ghara4 of a surah important enough to .rejeet on its basis an interpretation of a verse if, in his view, the inferpretation does not agree with thestirah's gharatjS He stresses the point that the Qur'an is self-explanatory," and, generally, does not rely on the occasions of revelation in giving hls basic.interpretation of Qur'anic verses, these occasions being "applications" (ta/qiqat or hukm ti:llbfqf) of the verses already revealed and not "actual causes" (asbab 1]aqiqlyyah) Of the revelation 0t particular verses." . Often, however, he cites them in. separate sections of his commentary after having presented his basic interpretation.

Sayyid Qutb

Sayyid Qutb firmly believes that each Qur'anic surah is a unity, and he repeats the idea a number of times in Pi ~ilal alQur'an. The following is a typical passage:

From this it will become obvious to one who lives in the shade of the Qur'an that each of its [Qur'an's] siirahs has a distinct personality. It is a personality that possesses a soul. In the company of the soul lives a heart, as if it were living in the company of the soul

3Ibid. This is reminiscent of one of the arguments Fari!hi advances for the existence of nazm in the Qur'anic surahs, See chapter III.

"TabAlabA'T. 4: 134.

5Sce• ((lr example, ibid .• 4: 135-136. 6Ihid .• I :tl. R'IJ.

7Sce. (II! I'1lM !!Ill III. Ihill .• 4:2117. :179. ('f. ZurkBshl. 1 :31-32.

The Surah as a Unity (2)

of a ~ving. being possessed of dis . .'

And It [SiirahJ bas one Or .several t~ot. trans and cbaracteristi¢s. to a speci[jc central. thesis .. P~~Pal th~es which are tied atmosphere of its own,' an (mt Il}.warh, pivot, llXI. s".). And it h. as an

~n'-'_ . _ a masp ere that am .

«UlAlll!jl the surah's context a ",. .'. eets all Its theme.s,

angles .. The result is a hami:oa~b. th.ese th~mes from ,';peci£ic themesm accordance with the _y ~dueed b.etween th~~Urah's has a mUSlgal -rhythm or beatsur~ s: a~~sphtlfe. And It (siirahJ COw:se (of ~e s~ahJ, changes u;_ ;:~:;'h, if It chan~es d~g the meuc con.sId.eratIons. This is the . en~ to certam specific theall the· Qut'linic siirabs.8 genera! lIDpress orchaiacter of

. As an example, We will see how S .

haVIng a distinct identity H . aY)'Id Qutb describes S. 4 as

. e wntes:

This surah represents part f h

lish a MUslim COmmunit 0 and e e~fort that Islam made to estabprotect that communn and raise a Muslim SOCiety, and to example of the Qur'iin'; invol preserve ~at society. It offers an

vement With the new society.9

And:

The Siirah ...... . .

• UIC$ to Il{adieale the £< . _ . _ •

wh~se midst the Muslim grou .. eal1!Tes of Jabili SOCiety-from

l'eSl?u1ll elemerits; 10 fashionaPMW~J:*'~ up-and get rid of its vestiges of Jahiliyyah; and to b . us. ~etJ: and Purifyil GC the at the same time that it . trio •.... rmg mto ~ef Us special identity_

th ill . .' . 1 s· yes to mobilize [M Iims

e slmcnve character of their . . 10 . US. . . J to protect

, SOCIety.

But these. quotations would des . . .

Qutb, not only the mlhwar of S 4 scribe, acoo:rding to Sayyid

("obj.ective") of the en.tire Qur~ari ~ ~:n in a ~road sense, the hadq{

SaYYld Qutb states this ener, .: In his commentary on S. 5

words' g neral objective of the' Qur'an- . the

. ..m ~

From this i .

. s It will become clear that Iik; .

~, 3, 4] that precede i~, this sl1rah 'dea'ls th~ three ~OQg sO-rails [nos, 1~ between them bein the" . . . With varrous themes; the whicb the w.hole n-.~,- g worthy hadqf for the attainment of

. .' '< .... an was revealed n I, t .

rty, to establish a Stat· d' ~ ante y. (I raise a COIillD""_

'a! . e, an to organtze B S . ~

Specl creed a definite outlk ~_.. OCletyonthe basis of a

00 • <I.UU B new strueture .... I J

8S .

BY)'Id Qulb, 1 :27-28 F

9 . or more examples, see ibid., 1:555; 2:833.

Ibid., 1 :555.

lOIbid. IIIbid., 2:825.

66

The Siaah as a Unity (2)

Typically, Sayyid Qutb would divide a surah into several or many sections and try to see thematic links between them. He does not regard the asbiib an-maid. as a major exegetical source; in fact he does not hesitate to criticize them if they happen to contradict the results of his own study of the Qur'an.l2

Comparison with I~liitll

At first sight,the three exegetes-dslahl, Tabataba'I, and Sayyid Qutb=appear. to have a, great deal in common. All of them look ata siirahas a whole and try to determine its camUd (I~laQI), mihwar (Sayyid Qutb) or ghara4.traoataba'i). Whenever possible, they anaIyzea surahi.J;J.to a .number ofsections and explain how they are interconnected. Again, all of them rely chiefly on the Qur'anic text for interpreting the Qur'an, considering the occasions of revelation to be theoretically dispensable as an exegetical aid. But, in fact, the differences between the three writers are no less striking than the similarities. The differences that set I~laQI apart from the other two are especially notable, and are discussed below.

Thematic Precision

I~laQI's description of the central themes of the surahs is more precise than Tabataba'fs or Sayyid Qutb's, By a more precise description is meant not one that uses fewer words to express the themes of the surah, but one that brings out the essential thesis of a surah with greater completeness, accuracy, and distinctiveness. To take the example of S. 4,13 Tabataba'I's statement of the surah's gharad is obviously sketchy and inadequate. Sayyid Qutb's mihwar of the surah is more comprehensive, but, as is clear from the quotation about Sayyid Qutb's view of the hadaf of the whole of the Qur'an, the particular mihwar of S. 4 is hardly distinguishable from the general hadaf of the Qur'an, In I~laQI, on the other hand, the camud of S. 4 aptly sums up the basic theme of the surah and is also surah-specific,

As another example, we will take S. 18, al-Kahf("The Cave").

The bulk of the surah deals with five stories: the Sleepers in the Cave (vss. 9-26); two gardens (vss. 32-49); Adam and Satan (50:59);

12Sec. for l'XllllIrlc. ihid .• 2:1132.

I.IThl' _UI1IIIIAI V "I Ih~ NDrllh liven in chapter III may be used for purposes of rdl'.-t'II""

67

The .\'urah as a illlill' (2) Moses' journey (60-82); and Dhii 1-' ,

Tabatabii'i, the gharad of th - ah~arnayn (83-10 I), According to

, e sur IS

to tell the three unusual st . h

Qu ,- ones t at are found n here else t

. r an-the stories of the SI . ow ere e se In the

WIth a young man to the s eepers In the Cave, Moses' journey Qarnayn-and to derive fr!::\ where two seas meet, and Dhl1 1- COurse in the sfirah tries t dr hem the conclusIOns that the dispartners [to God] and th °dm a~" namely, the negation of any God, may He be gJOrifi~. r4 omtion to man to develop fear of

Sayyid Qutb describes the mihwar of the s- ah e

. ur as follows:

As for the thematic mil}war of the surah b .

themes become interconnected y mean~ of which all its context is built, it is this: rectificaa:td around which ItS [siirah's] outlook and thOUght and til' .on of doctrine, rectification of that doctrine. 15 ' rec lcation of values with reference to

According to I$Iii1;ll the C -

ing to the Quraysh that .:rfl am~ of the siirah is two-fold: warn-

deny the truth, and instruc~~:C;:os ould no~ make them arrogantly face of the Quraysh's OPpOS'tI' thhe Muslims to persevere in the

A I on to t em and wait f d li

close study of the siirah will or e verance.te

clusI.'on that the silrah' t probably lead one to the con-

I Ie s Con ents are best explain d . h

S ii1;l.ts ({mii.d rather than to taba _0-, e WIt reference to

miIJwar, The five stories taken to taba I,S gharad or Sayyid Qutb's as stated by lSIaw: T:h! , gether, illustrate the central theme G.od's deliverance ~f a egrs~~ry Pffbthli~ Sleepers in the Cave tells of

h h " p o e evers from the h d f '

aug ty oPfJrCS,SQIS, The parable of th an s 0 their

of people whom rnateri al affl , " e two gardens tells of the fate

ff! ' . uence makes forget th

a uence-God The t f e Source of that

Quraysh's defi~ce of ~~r;toO Sa~d~md a~d Satan compares the t~e QUIayS:b of the consequences.: s efiance of God, and warns VIrtue of patience and resi ..~ e st0I?' of Moses brings out the

f Dh - , , gna .. on to the WIse will of G d Th

o u l-Qarnayn tells of the igh , ?, e story

should create in man' hurnili a 1 attItude .that matenal prosperity

Th fi " ty and not pride

'.e ve stories leave out thre '.

8,27-31, and 102-lIO These ee verse-passages In the sarah: l-

as described by I~lain d p:sl~a~~s ~ate _and reinforce the C amiid

, ,an ~ iQU s amiid would thus seem to

14Tabatabii'i, 13:236. 15S .

aYYId Qutb, 4:2257.

16I~Iii{U, Tadabbur, 4:9.

68

The Siirah as a Unity (2)

inform the whole of the surah and unite all the verses into an integrated whole, This cannot be said of Sayyid Qutb's mil}war, much less of Tabataba'l's gharad : the latter is (as is frequently the case in Tabatabii'i's commentary) sketchy, while the former is a little too undifferentiated and falls short of bringing out the essence of this particular surah,

This brings us to a consideration of the method each of these writers uses to determine the central theme of a surah, Tabataba'l's usual method of arriving at the gharad consists in examining the snrah's beginning, end, and "the general course" (as-siyiiq al-jart),17 Sometimes he contents himself with looking at "the generality of the verses" (cammal al-ayat) in a sfirah.18 In either case, it is difficult to determine the gharad of a surah with great precision. This probably explains why Tabataba'I is sometimes led to say that a given surah does not have a single identifiable gharaq,19 despite the statement (noted above) he makes to the contrary. At least once in his commentary, in discussing the gharad of S. 9, he doubts the importance of discovering the gharad: "In any case, from the exegetical point of view, no great advantage would accrue from this discussion [about the sii.rah's ghara41."20

Compared with Tabiitabii7, Sayyid Qutb has a much clearer perception of the central idea of a sii.rah. But with Sayyid Qutb we face problems of a different kind. For one thing, he does not always make a distinction between the mihwar of a particular surah and the hadaf of the Qur'an as a whole, For another, he seems to hold that the distinctiveness of a sii.rah's character may derive sometimes from the sii.rah's content but sometimes also from the sii.rah's atmosphere, mood, and rhythmic and musical qualities. For example, he says about S, 54 that "the thematic contents of the siirah" are the same as found in a number of Makkan sii.rahs,21 and then adds:

But these very themes have been set forth in this surah in a special way, which transforms it into something completely new, They are presented with tempestuous fury, in a manner that slays and tears

17See, for example. Tabii~abii'i, 16:98. For more examples, see ibid., 10: 134; 16:208. 18See• for example, ihid .• 5: 157, See also ibid., 12:204.

J9Scc, for cxumple, ihld .. 1 :41

2olhid" I): 14(),

21SnYYIlI 1)lIlh, t) '04J"

711(' Surtlh as 1/ UII/fI' (!)

apart, the siirah arousing dread, surrounding itself with terror, spelling ruin .... 22

But Sayyid Qutb's description of the "distinctive character" of a number of other siirahs (e.g. Ss. 50,23 51,24 53,25 56,26 and 6927) is couched in similar, even identical terms. The problem is that things like mood and atmosphere would hardly seem to constitute a sure basis for distinguishing those surahs from one another that have a similar mood and atmosphere, since the expressions one can use to describe such features are bound to be vague and nebulous. This fact is nowhere more evident in Fi ?iliil al-Qur'iin than in the general Introduction Sayyid Qutb provides to Ss. 78-114, which form the 30th and lastjuz' ("part"; pl. ajzii) in the traditional division of the Qur'an (a division that Sayyid Qutb adheres to, but is criticized by FariihI,28 and completely disregarded by I~laJp in his Tadabbur). Most of these siirahs are Makkan and appear to have common themes. Sayyid Qutb attempts to draw distinctions among them on the basis of mood and atmosphere, images and rhythm, etc., found in them, but obscurity rather than clarity is the result.i? and the introductions he later provides to the individual siirahs of this group do not greatly help the situation.

As against Tabataba'I and Sayyid Qutb, I~laJp offers pithy, sharply delineated camilds of the surahs, His attempt in the case of each siirah is to arrive at an camud that would sum up the surah and, at the same time, mark the siirah off from the others. It is in a cognitively apprehended theme or idea that he looks for a siirah's camild. That is, he tries to distinguish one surah from another on a conceptual basis, and accepts a theme or idea as camild only after it

22Ibid., 6:3425. 23Ibid., 6:3356-3357. 24Ibid., 6:3391. 25Ibid., 3404. 26Ibid., 6:3461-3462. 27Ibid., 6:3674-3675.

280n the ground that it causes an unnatural division of the siirahs. See Farahl, Majmifah, p. 61.

29Sayyid Qutb, 6:3800-3802.

70

The Surah as II Unity (2)

. h ent whole in the

has effectively knit the surah's verses into a co er

context peculiar to the surah. ib t the same camUd to more

It is true that I~liil;il often attn u es t of such siirahs do not

h B t the camuds he sugges s h

than one sura. u ., . . m each other, for in such casese

thereby become less diStlDc~ fro '.., detail that clearly sets

id me kind ofooncl'ete . ,,,-

invariably provi es so . F', amp' :'e he'will iridi:cate we

ah t from the others. or ex ' , . lusi

one sur apar. c-d th' t iirah takes up to the exc uS10n

Particular aspect of an amu . a .3 s ... d.ii other surahs.30 Or he

'}rich may be discusse .m . h

of (lther aspects, w"_~1. 'bilJ 't shares'its c'amUd with oter~,

will point out that a SUJ,4"'" W . e.1 . f the line of argument It

. . . . distinct from th.em by virtue 0

b~omes .. , C-d31

takes to present the same am~·

structural Integration _,' f the sectional division of

We shall now compare I~l~ S view 0 -rah's verses with

lin nnection between a su

a surah and the e~ co " f the same. Again we shall

Tabiilabii'i's and S~yytd Qutb s View 0

take S. 4 as ~u.r pOInt. o~ r!e~e::~~enty_thre-e sections, Tabat~ba.'I . 1~~a),U diVides the :1lI'd mutb into sixteen. At . ,several points, mto thir.ty"o_ne, llD:d. ~ yyt . Q . .1. ·th Tabiilaba'l's (vss. 1, 11-14,

=,<\-,;"' . tional diVlSlon QOlDclues WI 44 57 58 70)'

T1;il ......... 11 sec..., S ,"'d Quth'S (vss. 36"43,., - , . -'. . ,

19-22 71-'16, 101-104) or ayyI, .. . b~ l·ts·elf Bul therea,re a few.

, . it' 116 in a secnon J •

all three wntdifersf'Pu vs. between the approach Gf ~1al)i and. :~~ significant· erences . W ball first compare W<U ..... approaches of the other two wnteIS. e s

with Tabatab~'i. . S 4 (and other sfLrahs) 'ope gets. the

From his analysIs_of . Id' ea te a new section at the slight-

. ' T b -laba'i WOUl' er ..' hi

im.pres'SJOl) that. a a . .. .' the theme of a surah- In. s

est 'Variation that seems to ~CU~ 135 each make up a se~at'ate breakdown of S, 4,? yss._3; ," down th~y,are parts (and In my section/2 whe-reaS 1Il 1~1al;ii s brfea~ ... ectiO!l.S.;>3 l~lal;ll's attempt view, wen·integrated ~arts) o. arger s nyverses as would be held seems to be to include ill a seet10n as mat' new s~tion only when

, n idea and to crea e a

together by a comrne 1.

30See. [or example. l$lal)i, Tadabbur, 7:11 (S. 52) and 7:45 (S. 53), and 7:429 (S. 65) and 7:451 (S. 66).

,'. and 4'85 (S. 19),4:571 (S. 25) and 4:627 (S. 26),

31See• for eXllmple. ibid., 4.9 (S. 18) .

and 4:705 (S, 27) und 4:775 (S. 28).

32Tllhn!lIhll1, 4::\21 (S, 4), 359 (S, 31); 5: 108 (S. 43). 331~11I~11. 1:'111 t,O (!i 4),74 7tl (S, :11). 1711-179 (S. 43).

71

I .

The Siirah as a U"it)' (1)

the break io ideas is a definite ooe. To illustrate the difference between ISlal;U and Tabataba~, the former includes vss, 15-18 of S. 4 in one section, while the latter divides them into two (VI's. 15-16, ]7- 18). The verses deal with the theme 01 fornication, lay down (the initial). punishment for the-crime, and slate that the persons guilty of it should be allowed ~o go free ji theyrepeat. Tabataba'i's decision to.make a separate-section of vss. 17-18 was probablygoverned by the fact that it is these two' verses, rather than vss. 15-16, that describe what sincere tawhah ("repentance") is. I$1aJ;ll combined the four verses into OJ1e section presumably because the 'Ward tawbah .has already occurred in, vs. 16, and also because the particle innama ("buttben, yet, however") in vs. 17 imparts to the two sets of vss. (15-16 and 17-18) an immediacy ofcenneetien that is best preserved by making one section of all the four verses, The same difference in approach is evident from the two writers' treatment of vss. 135-152, which form one section in I$I:al;U,i\4 but four in Tabilaba'i. 3~

But this does nat mean that Tabitabii'i would always divide a set of verses into more sections than would 4IibI. The reverse is sometimes true. For example" vss. 105-126 of S. 4 ate one section in Tabataba'I but two inblii:l;li. Vs. 115 'describes the punishment for opposing the Prophet. Both Tabataba'1 and lSliU;ll agree that vs, I 16 gives reasons.for this punishment.l" To Tabataba'I this connection between vs, HSand vs, 116 calls for the inclusion of vs. 116 (together with the.next ten verses) in the same section that vs, 115 is in.lSla:tu; however, groups vss, 116-126 into a different section. It is difficult to say whether it is more appropriate to make one or two sections of the verses, but the two sections oflslii1;U .have at least one merit: they take into account, the grammatical change of person that takes place from the one to the other section. V 5S. 1 05~ 115 primarily address the Prophet, whereas vss. ] Hi-] 26 chiefly talk about his opponents. Thus- one consideration that would seem to govern I$1AI,U's, but perhaps not 'Tabatabii'i's, sectional .division is that ofa significant change-of -person, tone, and mood in the siirab.

While Tabataba'i divides a snrah.into too many sections, Sayyid Qutb divides it into too few. In general,Sayyid Qutb is perhaps the least rigorous of the three writers when it comes to making a sectional division of a sUrah. The most striking evidence of this is

34Ibid., 2: 173, 178 ff. 35Tabiitabli'i, 5: 108 ff.

36Ibid., 5:83. Islahl, Tadabbur, 2: 155-156. 159.

72

The Surah as a Unity (2)

, the traditional juz' -division of the

afforded. by the fa~t that,he l~~:sion. The division of the Qur'an Qur'an influen~ his sectl.O~ Vi <lis meant to enable a reader into thiity ajzo' 1S aq~an~tatI~e:: an_ r'an in a month. It is not to complete one re;cltatlOn of. ~o .: the Q- ur'anic text unless

. date thematte brear.>:l ill . . S 4

deslgned to accomo , -. . FT ZTl al.QJlT'lm3? (tWice m . ,

coincidentallY. At eleven ~OLnts ~ - I . I.a al division of the siirabs

a-t vss 23 and 147) Sayytd Qutb s. -SectlDD. ~':':h- ethe'r that divi-

. ", _ _ ., Q'~ ttIespecttve- 01'" _-

has to sutt theJwz. ,of the _~ an, _ . _ ds Neifuer_Tabiifaba'i nor

. . . . . tilled on Its own groun . > • -

sion 1S or 1S notJus _ . -. the 'uz' while analytmg a surah.

l~lahI pays any ooJooderatlOn t~ e] - . . f _ -all therefore,

;p. • _ _ • _ tlonaldiVlSlon 0 a sur

In regard to making a sec -_ thodical and his sec-

l",mtll's-approach would seem to be IDth°re ~ -b-- ~taba1's or Sayyid

'i _ d compact an .. a "'~ - -

lions more coherent an _ ,

QUW:s. _ _ -' . .' a linear connection

I lahIalso -succeeds betteI U1 mat~tammg

~., • _ r _ fasurah.

between the verses ~d sec IOns a _, ' d with interconnecting the

Tabiililb_ii"i, while usuall1Y .e:o~~~~ the verses of a surah lornt

f .,. ah would not c aim \,il!t f S 4 "H

verses. e asur, _ " - ~'M0St of [its} verses," be writes 0 . , t,

an un.mterrupted c,ham. - - onl·.edes that some of III '

_>'I ,'3S Here be not Y cone. 1

not uncennectcu. ". _ -.'.1. one another he tI ~o

. - ah Y lack connecuon WlU1 . '

verses an. the SUI" IDa _ _ .... ted") which U1 fact, fr '-

_ . en:ns C" not unconn..... , '.

speakS rn unsure terr .. . 'b t linear: connectlOIl In l

_ , . _. his utterances a ou

quently chaT'actenzes. v. with establishing a IcnllOIl~

Isurah.39 Again, sometImes he IS contet~tn" to use his own words·1Il

. " mblance of connec 10 ,

connectlOn- a se . h rejects the idea that a l"oll'

between verse-passages; soroetlroes ~ 0. be estab1ishcd;41 Hllli

rtai verses or sectIons ca .

nection between ce am tt mpt to establish a cunnl"

sometimes he simply makes no ~ t e onnect verses and pu: ~I!H ' tion.42Sayyid Qutb takes pains to 10 ms to be to relate allthc Vlll'

ah B t his chief endeavor seem

in a sur . U . d in the process, iii' tllll

in a siirah to the surah's roam theme, an ,

37AjZii' 2-11, 13. 3~ablitabli'l, 4: 134.

39See. for example. ibid., 4:323. 387.

4Olbill .. 4:~\('.

41Sec rOI' t'KII!lIl'h1. 11"\1,, 4', \ hi) ,

• , • ~,IW 4' lOll III. 124. One may l·Olldlllh· 111"\, III

42SCl' [01 "'''"III'!I'. 110111, 4," I. • ., • '(\ ,h's verses is 1101 "N","""I to ~

.'. I l I'll Hllllni ,1111111':<'111'" hlllwoon II s n '

him, 1111 ,11,110.

slllllh'. II"II~

Tht' Surah as (/ U"'/I' (1)

times neglects to establish a Ii '

passages. For example he narks connectIOn between verses and

10 ' remar s abo t th '

vss. 5-Il3 of S. 4 that it '11 u e secuon composed of

t~e M~s1im community o/r~~~:~s the Qur'~n's attempt to purify

tion being a main co pagan attItudes such pun'f'

. . u.u. ncern of S 4 43 B ' rca-

this S~ctIon is connected with the: ut he does not explain how

OCCupIes the position it does in th e ~n~ that precedes it and why it be made about his treatment e sur . The same observation can 147,44 148-17045) and man ,o!:t,least two other sections (vss, 135-

To I~laru 1 y ill vidual verses in S 4

-, . , a c ear and unbroken lin . .

surah s verses and sections is . t al ear c~nnection between a makes a sustained attem t t: egr .to the surah's unity, and he verses of a siirah thus no:' onl :tablish such a connection. The central theme, they also represC:t t:e t0ghbear a relationship to its make up, the lOgical development' f;u the unbroken chain they othe~ words, enters into the them~t/ at theme. Linear structure, in

the fmal analysis the t b . c ~tructure of a surah and .

, wo ecome Indivisible. " In

Sununary

A comparison of I~laru' .

simil~ views of Tabataba7 a~:~: o~ the sfirah as a unity with the ~cq~es greater thematic preei YYId Qutb shows that the surah non In I~law than it does in t~lOn hand a better structural integra-

e ot er two exegetes.

am Qutb, 2:751-752. "'Thid., 2:773-775.

451b'd

1 ., 2:795-797.

74

Chapter V

THE SURAH PAIRS

The concept of the pairing of the surahs is original to I~labI.

According to I~labI, the Qur'anic surahs in their present arrangement are, as a rule, paired. That is, just as, on one level, each surah is an integrated whole and is distinct from all others, so, on another level, all surahs exist in the form of pairs, each pair composed of two closely matched surahs and distinct from the other pairs. In itself a self-contained unit, a surah, as a member of a pair, becomes complete only when it is taken in conjunction with the other member of the pair.

As a proof of the existence of the pattern of paired surahs in the Qur'an, I~labI points out that a number of surahs look like twins, e.g. Ss. 2 and 3, and 113 and 114. He also points out that Muhammad used to recite in ritual prayer certain surahs as pairs, e.g. Ss. 61 and 62, 75 and 76, and 87 and 88, another indication of the pairing of the surahs.' That certain surahs appear to be forming obvious pairs will not escape the notice of even a casual reader of the Qur'an, That Muhammad often recited, in prayer, certain surahs in pairs is also well known.l But I~IaJ;ll has developed the notion of paired surahs into an elaborate concept and given it an extended application, which results in some interesting insights into the composition of the Qur'an, The concept forms an integral part of I~Ia1;tI's nazm theory, and, as such, is regarded by him as essential to the understanding of the Qur'an, In fact, I~la1;U holds, on the basis of 15:87 and 39:23 that the principle of surah pairing is sanctioned by the Qur'an itself, a question that we will take up in the next chapter. In this chapter a description of I~labI's concept of sutah pairing is followed by a critical assessment of his contribution.

Siirab Pairs: Synoptic Analysis

The vast majority of the surahs-82 out of 1 14-are unambiguously described by I~labI as constituting pairs. He seems to imply

IhlllllT. '/iIlMb/III', I .xiv.

~St:c, fm l'KlIlIlplO1, MII~III1I, "KiiAh ul-Jurnu'iah, BAh Mli Yuqra'u fi Yawrn al-Jumucuh"; NnNII'l. "KliAh HlllAb •• ·$lIllIh, IlAh III-Qirn'ah f1 ~-Zuhr"; Darimf, "Kitab a~~lIlnh, IInlt I)flclr .IQII.'Il1, n ,":(.lJhr."

7~

The Siirah Pairs

that another 16 siirahs also Iall i .

~escribed as "supplementary ~I. mt~ this category. Three siirahs are

~portant themes presented ~~n ~ ~ ~n~e that they explain certain mg siirahs. Allowing for the ex/ ?-e y m t~~ immediately precedtwe~ve siirahs unaccounted for ~tIonal ~?SIbOn of S. I, this leaves gones are as follows: . e specifics for each of these cate-

1. The followin - ah

. . gsur sares if d --

pairs: 2-3; 6-7; 10-11; 12-13; 16_ltec te by I~liUll as constituting

28; 29-30; 31-32; 34-35; 36-37' 3 ~ 1~-19; 20-21; 22-23; 25-26; 27- 61-62; 67-68; 69-70' 71-72' 73'748 ;9, 42-43; 44-45; 50-51' 52-53' 86; 87-88; 89-90; 91-92; 93-9~' ~5_S-7.6; 77-78; 79-80; 81~82; 85~ 105-106; 107-108; 109-110; 113~114 ;6, 97-98; 101-102; 103-104;

.2 ", Although I~lal;ti does . .

description of the following _ a:ot specify them as paired hi

to be linked in the folio' sur. s suggests that he considers tit s

66; 99-100; 111-112.4 wmg way. 4-5; 8-9; 14-15; 40-41; 58-59; ~~

3. S. 24 is supplement t S 5

supplementary to an enti .. ~ ah . 23, and S. 49 to S 48 6 S 33 .

4 .ue sur grou 7 • • . IS

. S. 1, al-Fiitihah ("Th 0 . p.

( d al . e perung")'

an so to siirah group I of whi h i . ,IS prefatory to the Qur'an

need another siirah to form a ~ It .IS a part). As such, it does not

Thi I parr With 8

S eaves Ss. 46, 47 48 54 5 .

unaccounted for. I~IaJ;ll's ~rea~m' 5,56, 57, 6~, 63, 64, 83, and 84

problems which we shall di ent of these surahs raises cert .

scuss later. am

3

The numbers outside the

page(s) in Tadabbur . parentheses refer to siirahs .,

17 (3:713); 18-19 .; 2-.3 (1:611-616); 6-7 (2:591)' 10-' tho~ inside to volume and

29-30 (5:67); 31_~i'W:l;~-)~1 (4:253); 22-23 (4:431); li5~~63(4J~212~13 (3:509); 16- (6: 199); 44-45 (6'29 .' , 34-35 (5:345); 36-37 (5' . 7), 27-28 (4:775)' 70 (7:559); 71-'12 7): 50-51 (6:575); 52-53 (7:45 . 61_6·447?; 38-39 (5:553); 42-43

(8: 191); 81-82 (8:23~~:~;}i6 7(~~i: (8: 17, 37); 7~~76 (i:~~)~4~~; ;;-6(8 (7:505); 69- 94 (8:409, 423)' 95-96' . 7); 87-88 (8:325)' 89-90 .' - 8: 151); 79-80

106 (8:569); Ul7-108 (~~5~~?; ~ri99181 (8:473); 101-i02 (8:5\89i6i6~?1~2(~~:397); 93-

, _ 0 (8:615); 113-114 (8:671) .543); 105-

"Ibid., 4-5 (2:9-10, 215-216 . .

~ (70429430, 451); "!i'!;~2~;;~.i;;lil\3~;~~~::; (6;71); 58-59 (70279);

Ibid., 1 : xiv; 4:491. 6Ibid., I:xiv; 6:479. 71b.

id., 5:177.

8Ibid., l:xiv. See also ibid., 1:26-27.

76

The Surah Pairs

Complementarity

Underlying l~labI's concept of surah pairs is the notion of

complementarity: two surahs fotm a pair bej;ausethey cqmplemen.t ea.cb other insignificant ways. I~labl genetallY: describes the membersiil'~s of apair as having es_sentiallytb.e same camUd and contents, thOugh the two .surabs diffeI. significantly in Q:teir treatment of the C amud and contents. Thedifferep.ce, .and hejlce the complementarity, between the two surahs 'is thus found in the s-urabs' treatment of their subject matter rath_er than in the subject matter itself.

1$1il.U distinguishes several different forms of -cOmplementar-

ity, tae principal ones being the !eU6wing:

J. Brevity and Detail. TWOJ;U:rahs may complen1ent each other

when one of themStateli a theme briefly and the ether treats it at le~gth. FOI example, while S. 16 pr~~entsbriehy the message of Islam before the Makkan ~~gans an..d before the Jews, waroin'g them ag;;tinst rejecting it"S. 17 elabprateS tne mess~g.e and giyes a detailOO watning. Furthermore, S. 17 expourids the .'!?oet of cotmnandments that are only briefly referred to in $ .. 16. FinaUy, S. l~ onlyhlludes to the impending ellllgralidn of Ith,e MUslin;\S -to Madin~, while S. 17 talks about it eJtpllcitly and instructs the Muslims to prepare themselvesior it. Another example 1$ the relationship between S. 13, which infonns Mo1.la.tiUJ}ad that God will soon lay "a heavy' respon-

liibility"9 upon his shoulders, and S. 74, which explains the na,tl1Ie of that responsibility and instructs M~d how. to discnarge it~!l

2. Principle and Jllustralion. In some 1nstan~S one small in a pair illustrateS the law or' principle stated in the other siii'ah .in general terms. Thus S .. 58 sets down the law 'that; -in the end,vict€>ry belongs (Q God and His prophets·and that the ,opponents of God and His prophets are desti,l;led for defeat, wbile S. 59 illustrates this law bYl7efe¢ng to certain.recent events.11 similarly, S. 95 ,stat~s1he principle that man, if he tteg1ectsW develop his-_potential goodness,. will become corrupt and unworthy ofbiIllse1f, while S. 96, illus,trates

the principle with reference .to the conduet of the Quraysh.l;Z

3. Different Typeso! Evidence. Sometimes two smaM complement eacb other by using different t)'Pes of evidence to supyoIt the

9 qawlan thaqilan. which literally means "a weighty word." lOhlnb1. '111./.1I,/,ur, 11:37.

"Ihill .. '11):11)

1'1

Ihlll.1I "H,,,,,IJ

77

The Siirah Pairs

same thesis. Ss. 12 and 13 both state that good ultimately triumphs over evil. But while S. 12 substantiates this thesis with historical evidence (the story of Joseph), S. 13 appeals to reason and phenomena of nature to make the same point.P Another example of this form of complementarity is found in Ss. 75 and 76. Both siirahs deal with the necessity of human accounting on the Day of Judgment. But S. 75 cites human conscience as the basis for the accountability, whereas S. 76 presents the faculty of human reason as evidence, since man must one day account for his use of that faculty.l"

4. Difference in Emphasis. In some cases each of the two siirahs in a pair emphasizes different aspects of the same theme. Ss. 2 and 3 provide a good example. Both deal with the theme of faith and faith-oriented conduct, the emphasis in S. 2 falls on faith, in S. 3 on faith-oriented conduct. Both discuss the People of the Book, S. 2 focusing on Jews, S. 3 on Christians. Both present arguments based on natural phenomena as well as on earlier scriptures, but S. 2 chiefly presents arguments of the first type, S. 3 of the second type. 15

5. Premise and Conclusion. Some siirahs are complementary to each other in the sense that one of them states a premise while the other draws a conclusion. This is the case with Ss. 105 and 106 and also with Ss. 107 and 108. S. 105 reminds the Quraysh of God's protection of the Kacbah against a foreign invasion. The conclusion drawn by the next siirah is that the Quraysh ought to worship only the Lord of the Kacbah.I6 Likewise, S. 107 indicts the Quraysh for being unworthy custodians of the Karbah, and S. 108 pronounces the punishment: dismissal from the custodianship.'?

6. Unity of Opposites. Sometimes one siirah in a pair deals with a theme that appears to be the exact opposite of the theme dealt with in the other surahs in the pair, but the two themes resolve into a unity because they are in fact no more than the positive and negative sides of the same theme. For example, S. 65 tells Muslims how to observe the hudiid ("bounds, prescriptions") of God in a relationship of hostility with others, S. 66 tells them how to observe

13Ibid., 3:509. 14Ibid., 8:71-72, 99. 15Ibid., 1:614-615.

161hid., 8:555-556, 569-570. 171hid., !U79-S80, 5K9-590.

71(

The Siirah Pairs

• .'. c ... . IS To take another example, S.

these hudiid m a, .rela-IJ. on ship oUove. al . llence and will therefore

" . . 1" b ssess mor· exce .

lQ3 ·portray. speope w opes -rab. denicts people who are

. . .. d the fo'l1owm.g su . . . r ed 19 I

acbie~e salvation, an. . sand. wiU therefore be conde~.. n suffenng .from moral slckn.e.l>r ._ . all deal with the POSitIve and h of these p.aits, the member sur s '.

cae ... , . oral category. . . neg~tive aspects of. the same ~ lementarity than those listed

lSlaJ;Usees other types 0 compo d ould be placed in m.Clre

. . 'of the examples CIte c .' - .. tfi " .. t1y

above. Also, some " ount should givea~UL qet;l .

t ry But the above acc . .'. d .. .,. ahs

than one ca ego . . I HUll two self.cont:atlle sur

clear idea of how, accord~g to S le~entary unitsln a new whole. become, as members of a parr, cornp

Adjacency and Order _ . must be composed of adjacent

In Isl1ibi's scheme a surah parr moves from each other may

siirahs only; siirahs at one or moredre 'gnificant the particular

. Al ISliihi regar s as SI

not form a parr. so, . '. air offering Ss. 2 and 3 as an

order of the siirahs constltutmg da ~s ~th the theme of faith, disexample. As noted above, S. 2 eat from nature while S. 3 deals

J d presents argumen s '.. nd

cusses ews, an .. f f . th discusses ChristIans, a

with the practical imphcatIons ~ ~cri' tures. Since faith precedes presents arguD)ents based on ~~e~ call; anterior to Christians, and the,.pr~ctice of i·aith, Jewst..~~~~ ~f°:' opneral character, have a wider arg\llUellts from. nature, U~l!:> v, ". t>~~;~~ and are logically ~rior to appeal th~~o .:_argQ.mendts fr~~ ~c~Pshould precede S. 3, as IS actu-

th. l·a·t'ter 1"Uil;ii conclu es t a .

e .. '~. , ~ ,_ 20

ally the case in the Qur an.

suppJem~n~alJ!surahs .'. '. hat the ensfence of!$upplelllentary Islal)i does not. think t . _ ..... t.. ..•. '0 .. In fact he seem.s .to

.'". .. . ·th·. . ciple of surQ..L1 pa:um .. ,., .. .

smahs infring~s..e pn:ruoIcinbis i"la€rn theory. It must ~e 0m.ng regard these surahs. as.r. g. b' .s.· Y. ing' ilia:! a eertaia .. porn .. t,

... 'd tions he seems to ,,' e . a ." . . . ~ ""

to na~m c:onSl _era . ~ '... '. .' detail in a supplementW)' s\l1'i:I.u,

raised in one surah, 1:S ~lscusse~ ~ lliearIier snrah might have f a detailed discuSS1:Onof It in . e... . 1: . tary' sfrrah ts so

or . . _, Moreover, a Stipp. eI;Oen. . ."

impaired this surah s nazm. di - h that for all practIcal pur-

closely allied with the prece mg sura ,

79

The ,""ural! /'1/11',\'

poses, it is part of that siirah and does not need another surah with which to form a pair.?'

Critical Appraisal

With his concept of surah pairs, I.:;JitI;ll introduces a new element of complexity into Fararu's n.a~m theory. Farahi often talks about the connections between surahs, but he is primarily concerned with explaining {he naem of individual surahs, Going beyond this, bla1.U attempts toshow that the Qur'an possesses nsn» at the level of surah pairs as well. ~er a careful comparative stu:dy of the na+mof the individual snrahs, he has constructed an elaborate system in which he tries' to account for exceptions to what he sees lis a regularly applied principle. What are the strengths and weaknesses of lsla:QI's cQn~t?

1. To begin with, the concept reinforces, the essential thesis of chapter ill, namely, that the Quran possesses method and coherence. By highlighting 'the complementary character of the Qur'anic surahs, ISla1;U advances a strong argument for hissnrah pairs. The complementarity of surahs has a two-fold significance, thematic and structural,

On the thematic level, the notion of complementarity presents the camUds and contents of: the paired snrahs in a sharper outline. In chapter np2 we compared Farahf's and I.:;l~'s statements about the cqmiuJ of S. 66 and remarked that the latter's statement is the more accurate. The greater accuracy is perhaps explained by the comparison" or contrast, drawn by hlahi between the two surahs' camiidS (see above). The notion of complementarity also explains why some surahs make statementswitaout substantiating them, set down principles without sufficiently illustrating them, and present only certain types of proofs. It is-in the companion surahs that ene must look lor substantiation of the statements, illustration of the principles, .and other types of proofs.

On the structural level, the complementarity otsUr,ahs clarifies certain aspects of the structure of Qur'anic surahs, Sometimes the amount of space devoted to a certain theme in a siirah may strike one as disproportionately small In the companion surah, however, the theme will probably be discussed in greater detail. What is dis-

21Ibid., 1 :xiv; 4:491; 6:479. 22In D. 38.

80

The Surah Pairs

. f a single surah thus becomes propor-

proportionate in the conte:~~ah pair. Again, some surahs appear ~~

bonate in the coJ;1text a.! a 9 and 21) or to come to an abrupt e

make an abrupt start (like S~ bruptness will disappear when the

(like Ss. 22 and 67). But tea ith their companion surahs (respec-

. ded together WI .

surahs are consi er . d 66)

tively, Ss. 8 and 2?, ~d 23 an pect~of interdependency betwee~ Thus, b~ b~ngm~. ~ut as . s resents the Qur'an as a boo

- ahs the pnnclple of sUIah parr p ·f design and coherence,

sur, . ,-lear features o. " . d d .

that is charactenzed )y ch t" the Qur"an that are groun e m

. . h se approac es 0 "

invalidatmg t 0 ;_,~ "'·e·ointe.d work. .

the belief that the Qur ail 1=> a Ol;~at there are no problem~ ~Ith

2 But this is not to say - ah that do not fit mto

. Th are first of all, sur s " - ahs

I labi's concept. ere, b called "single sur .

~ . f .. g and that may e . hal

I~labi's scheme 0 pamn b bly not pose a serious c -

No~ these single sur~s w.?~I~:;oO~y wanted to stat~ a genera~ lenge to his concept if I~\lUU -rahs but not necessanly to a~l. 0

rinciple that applied to most su a ri orous scheme of pamng

~h m But I~llUU seeks to formulate . g This being the case, the

e . dl ll w for any exceptlOns.

that would har y ~ 0 . r roblem. . 23

single surahs constttute a majo P UibI calls Ss. 55 and 56 a pau,.

At one place in Tadabbur I~. . 24 The discrepancy IS

all Ss 56 and 57 a pau. . ould

while later on he ~ s . _ rs art, for the natural ?alfS w

evidently an oversIght on I~~ sf-which would explam the other-

be Ss. 54 and 55, and ~~. 56 54 .

wise problematic pO.sItton of S. S ·46 47 48 is an unresolved ~ssue

The relationship between s.. ' _' ah (44 and 45) are listed

Th t precedmg sur s 46 47

in I~llUU's scheme. e wo 1 tary (see above). Ss. , '

by him as a pair, and S. 49 as s:~:~~~y cannot form two separate

d 48 thus cause a problem b Ierne 18TY by I~llUU. There can

an th . ailed supp emene - ah 25

pairs nor is any of em c " . la1)I's discussion of these sur s

b n'ly pair 46-47 or 47-48, but::) : One might be inclined to eo, .. <-;hAn· the nght pan. f S 48 does not help in Idenu.:-J .... g this would leave the status 0 .

ee Ss. 47-48 as a parr, bot

s . d S 60· It stands

unexplame . h t the status of. IS.

Similarly it is not clear wad S 61-62) and can only be

alone between tWO pairs (Ss. 58-59 an s. ,

14Ihid" 'i, I'll

l~· , " \11 I "'II. rl!MpllCl ivdv •

. 11".1., I,t, , .

KI

nit' .\"'1'1/;' 1'11/1'.\

supplementary to Ss. 59. But I, ~ -', _.

provide any indication of h . ~Iabl s descriptIOn of it26 does not

Th tat, neUher does the - h'

e position of Ss. 63 and 64 ' . e sur.a s content.

preceding surahs (61 and 62) form IS. not clear either, The two ones (65 and 66). If Ss. 63 and 64 fo a parr, as do the. two following be no problem. But at one oint I ~~d another parr, there would supplementary to S. 62.27 If::Us i ~ aQ:i seems to consider S. 63 as with S. 63. If it is made sUPPleme~tt e case, S. 64 can~ot form a pair result of one supplement _ ary to S. 63, we will have the odd compound the difficulty ~~rah supplementing another. As if to mentary to S. 6428 Th ' . . says that Ss. 65 and 66 are supple-

I liiliI' . ere seems to be a certai 1 k

s . s terminology at this p . t Th .run ac of clarity in

to describe a supplement om _. e expressl~ns he generally uses 4amimah,29 all three word ary SU~ah ,~re takmilah, tatimmah, and But sometimes he uses th s meamng. supplement" or "appendix"

h ese expressIOns loos I h . .

t at are not "supplementary" in h . e y, t at IS, for surahs

statement that Ss 65 and 66 t e stnct sense of the word. His mah) to S. 64 thus com li are supplementary (takmilah and tatim-

hi p cates matters S 83 is lik .

m supplementary to S 82 30 th gh . . ewise called by

th t i . . , ou elsewhere h .

a It IS a companion to S. 84.31 e seems to Imply

3. According to I$laru n1 '

B~t the rule of adjacency' ;e~m{ tadJ:cent surahs may form pairs.

~OInts. Ss. 77 and 78 are a air Bu 0 :e~ ~own at least at a few first of these bears a marke~ .~ t. I~IaQ:i himself observes that the to S. 55 on the other.32 Ss 69 SI d ~nty to S. 5 I on the one hand and notes that S. 69 closely re'sem:s S~. ~~ yet ano~~er pair. But I~laQI fore suggest that the rule of di and 68. Could one thereprinciple and surahs like 51 a ~~c~~cy be set aside as an overriding considered as pairs? On the other h ' 55 and 71, and 56 and 69 be

and, and as an argument against

26Ib'd .

I ,,7:319,

27Ibid., 7:393. 28Ibid" 7:430, 29

See, for example, ibid" 4:491; 6:479.

30Ibid., 8:249,

31Ib'd 8'2

I" • ~7, See also ibid" 2:9, where I 1_

whereas, qUite obviously S 3 fo . ~ a.ti calls S, 4 supplementary to S 3

32 , " rms a parr With S. 2, and S, 4 with S. 5 .,

Ibid., 8: 123. '

33Ibid., 7:535.

82

The Siirah Pairs

the foregoing, one could maintain that at least as far as the issue of the composition of the Qur'an is concerned, the question of similarity in content matter between non-adjacent surahs is an issue quite different from that of the existence of pairs of adjacent surahs. The position taken on this issue would also decide whether one would want to explore the possibility that some surahs form triplets or even quadruplets. Islahf's own account of the surahs does not wholly exclude such a possibility, since at times he refers to the similar content matter of more than two surahs, Thus Ss. 52, 53, and 54 could be considered a triplet, and Ss. 56, 68, 69, and 70 a quadruplet.

A final question to be raised is whether [$liilji' has not evereecphasized the irreversibility of the order in which the 1llemoorsiir~s of a pail: occur in the Qur'an, Further study could clarify whether, in someeases at least, it would make any difference if the order of the siirahs were reversed.

4. As noted earlier, the notion of complementarity underlies I!iiHil;lrs concept of surah pairing. Another critical issue, then, is whether applYing the various types of complementarity one would be justified in linking adjacent 'sdrahs not .regard~ as pairs by I~lai)i, e.g. Ss, ts and 1434, 70 and 71 35 and 74 and 75.36

5. As for-the al}adfth that Muhammad used to recite certain combinations of surahs (surah pairs in I~laJ;ll's scheme), there are as many al],iidfth that indicate that Muhammad often combined in prayer surahs that do not form pairs in I~Iai)i's scheme, e.g. Ss. 21 and 50,37 33 and 88, and 62 and 88,38 and 109 and 111.39 A cursory look at the "Comprehensive Chapter on Qur'an-Recitation in Prayer" in the "Book of Prayer" in the Nayl al-Awtiir of Muhammad ibn CAlI ash-Shawkani (d. 125511839) will show that Muhammad was quite flexible in his choice of surahs for purposes of recitation in prayer.t"

34Ibid., 3:551. 35Ibid., 7:585, 36Ibid., 7:71.

37Muslim, "Kitab Salat al-Cldayn, Bab Ma Yuqra'u fi Salat al-cldayn." 38Ibid., "Kitab al-Jumu'iah, Bab Ma Yuqra'u fi Yawm al-Jumu'iah."

39Nasa'i, "Kitab Iftitai,1 as-Salah, Bab al-Qira'ah fi r-Rak'iatayn qabl al-Maghrib." 4OShawklinI, 2:255-261. See also Suyutt, Durr, 5: 140,

83

The .'iurall I'air»

Summary

. ~ccording to I~l.il.ll the siirahS of the ur'-

p~~, the few exceptions to this rul fi' Q an, as a rule, are pamag. A surah pair is made u ' Of:" ,f m~~tbe .overall scbeme of usu, all, y deal with the sam eP .~.J 0 specific adJace,Elt siirahs that

""h . ", e amua, but alway

.Ul. ' er m ODe or more if gnifi , ," , $ COmplement each

tively shown that the ~ ,c~nt ~ays. ~though I~]aQl .haselfeo-

d fi . .' ml"aruon 'surabs m hi, - ~1. • '

e IIDte patterns ofcompieme~t . , . . s ,Sur<UJ paILS POssess

exactly how fixed those tt " anty; It may be qu~stione.das to TslaW: bas sought to brin gPta ljemb' S, are, By means of this concept

" . 0 g t some of th bi~1. "

aspects of deSIgn. and coheren " he, tnerto unp.erceived

. , ,ce ill t e QUI'an.

84

Chapter Vl

THE SORAH GROUPS

According to I~l8.bIJ not only are the Qur'anic snrahs paired, but they also combine to form a number of larger groups. I:;;latu bas borrowed the idea of SUfah-grOUping from Farahi, But the idea exists only in a rudimentary form in, Faraht, who did not live to W'oricit out. lslaI;li develops it into an elaborate concept with welldefined features. His treatment of it is, thussoriginal to a very large exteat,

In Farabi'-s view; the Qur'mic surahs fall into nine groups. In 1~18.bI the number is reduced to seven, thegroups consisting of the following surahs: G. I: 8$. 1-5; G. 11: Ss. 6-9; O. Ill: Ss. 10-24 (in Fara:hI this group is split into two: S8. lQ-2:2 and Ss. 23-24)' G. IV:

Ss, 25-33; G. V: Ss. 34-49; G. VI: Ss. 50-66; G. VII: 67-114 (in Paraw, this group is also split into two: Ss. 61-112 and ss. 113- 1.f4). I As can me seen,the difference between Fariihi and I:;;Ia1;U is not a major one. In point of detail and elaboration, however, ISlatu represents a definite advance over Farahi,

Coherence

Like the individual siirahs of the Qur'an, each surah group has a distinctive camUc/ or theme.2 Each of the smahs in the group singles out a particular aspect of that camiid. The'camt2d, moroever, describes a logical course of development in, the surahs ofthe group, and, in order to trace that development, the existing sequence Qf the siirahs must be kept intact. In other words, a group is marked by both thematic and structural coherence. This coherence can be illustrated with reference to G. II.

G. II is composed of Ss. 6-9-al-Ancom ("The Cattle"), alACroj, ("The Heights"), al-Anfiil ("The Spoils"), and at-Tawbah ("Repentance"), in that order. The camud of the group is: Islam as

11~lnJ.l1, '/'(ltill/lllur. I: xii-xiii. Farahl, Dalii'il, pp. 92-93.

2li,lIdl 1110111' t'tI""Il". IhIlIllO. from the other groups. but such themes are subsidiary t" II 11111111"- "'Nn I ,,"'Ad

The Siirah (;'mup.\'

the religion of Abraham.3 The Quraysh claimed to be the fOllowers of Abraham and heirs to the religion established by him. A/~Anciim accuses them of distorting that religion .presents Islam as the true Abrahamic religion, and invites them to become Muslims.4 Sine... the Quraysh were the direct recipients of the Islamic message, the next Siirah, al-Acriil, warns th{.'1ll of the 'gr.il.ve consequences of rejecting the message.s The third sfua:Q, at-Anfiil, instructs tfle Muslims to unite under the banner of Islam in preparation for confron_ tation with the Quraysh.6 At-Tawbah, the last surah in the group, presents an ultimatum to the Quraysh, who, as the immediate addressees of the Qur'an, had to choose between Islam and war. 7

The four siirahs would thus appear to be systematically arranged in the Qur'an, Al-Anciim is the surah of invitation: it invites the Quraysh to embrace Islam. A I-A criif is the siirah of warning: it warns the Quraysh against repudiating Islam. AI-An/iii is the surah of preparation: it instructs the Muslims to prepare for war against the Quraysh. And at-Tawbah is the siirah of war: it announces war against the Quraysh because they have been Unfaithful to the religion of Abraham, declares Muslims to be the rightful heirs to that religion, and replaces the Quraysh by Muslims as the custodians of the Kacbah-the symbol and legacy of Abrahamic religion. 8

This is an incisive analysis of the siirahs, and would stand the test of a close study of them. The surahs' camuds, as stated by Islam, would seem to impart thematic coherence to the group. It will be

3I$Iii{U, TadabbuT, I .xiii: 2:385. Here, briefly, are the C amiids of the seven groups as identified by I~Iatu: I: The Sharfah or Law; II: Abrahamic Religion; III: The Struggle between Truth and Falsehood and the Divine Law Concerning It; IV: Prophecy; V: Tawl;id or the Oneness of God; VI: The Hereafter; VII: Indhiir or Warning to the Disbelievers. Ibid., I :xili.

4Ibid., 2:385, 386, 387. 5Ibid.,.2:385, 591. I9lal,ll rnlikes a distinction betwa:D a TWa/ ("messenger") ~d a nabf ("prophei "). Both perfurm essentiallj the same funCtion, namely, that of delivering the rnllssage of God to mankind. BUI, unI:lke a n'(Jjji;a riLSiiJ p'cesQlt~ the Jl.eople Who are .his direct and immediate addl'essees wilh'a final warning. See, (or example, ibid., I :434 (also the note 00 tha; PiJge), 697. Mllhammad;s message. was addressed directly and immedialely 10 tbe Arabs, indirectly and mediately to the rest of mankind. Ibid., 3:150-151.

61bid., 2:385; 3:9- 10.

7,bid., 2:385; 3: 113-114.

H1hid., 2:3H5-3H6.

H6

The Siirah Groups

. bli bing a logical

I lam succeeds m esta s .,

eed moreover, that sia; _ ah We will now exarmne m

agr, . b tween the sur s.

sequential connection e herence of a surah group. .

some detail the nature of the co. rou is the extent to which a

One measure of coherence m. a ~ Pd marked off from the . demonstrably self-con tame an h t 1~laQI's scheme has

group IS k t G II will suggest t a

others. A close 100 a .

alidit tion of the

essential v 1 y. di G II consists, with the excep I f

The group prece ~g. G I but also to the who e 0

short al-Fdtihah' (which IS ~r:t07h~oCa~ud of G, I is the Sharfah the Qur'an), of four long sur I s. ith the People of the Book, who

or Law. Now this gro~p t: s o7:he Torah. Throughout the gr~u~ possessed the Law m t e orm akes comments which achieve u

the Qur'an cites incidents and m . t that background. The h placed agams . . nt significance only w. en. f Ss 2 and 3 are a case in ~Ol .

d tailed theological discussions 0 . h Quraysh in these surahs

e h Qur'an makes to t e

Any references t e u incidental. 9 .

in the context of the gro p, k by a complete shift of

are, G II we are strnc fli t

When we come to . , . . vided by the con c

d to this group IS pro . GIG II

scenes. The backgroun Q h Compared WIth ., .

M Iims and the uraysn. . On the

between the us re-Qur'anic scnptures.

contains fewer references to the -; Arab history, etc., abound, for other hand, arguments from natur, ld make the most sense to the it is arguments of these types tha~ wOl~ In short, just as the whole Arabs Mul)amma? was ad~ressm:~ith the People of the Book, so tenor of G. I is SUIted to a dI.aliu dialogue with the Quraysh. As the whole tenor of G. II is SUIte to a feels that a distinct change of

asses from G. I to G, II, one

one p " has taken place. I mov-

"atmospheric zones h . zones will be fe t upon .

A similar change of atmoscp e~dc f G II having reached Its

III The amu 0 . , ._

ing f~om. G'.II ;09 ~th ;he declaration of w_ar, is nfo ~~~~ri~:~:_

culmination m . h e of the surahs 0 .

. S 10 onward. And teton _ h f G II something that

nent m . f the sura so. , 9

ingly different fr?~ the tone 0 arative study, for example, of Ss.

ily be verified by a comp. h I lam's groups are well-

can eas . h son to believe t at ~ .

and 10. There IS t us rea .

differentiated and self-con~a":~he four siirahs of G. II is that cae:

An interesting fact a ou . high point sooner than t e

of the lust three of them reaches Its

-------

K7

The Siirah (,1'01'1"\

preceding one, thereby acceleratin h .

siirahs toward the fi I h . g t e overall movement of the

C ma e, t at IS toward th 1"

group's amiid. In al-Anciim the hi' .. e rca ization of the

where a striking incide t f ' gh point IS reached in vs. 74-90 II

n rom Abraham's life t her wi '

summary of the teachings of the h .' oget er With a pithy

brings out the true character of X~~p ets, m t~e. Abrahamic line, verses lead up to this passag hil haham s religion. The first 73 called the denouement. In ;i_:Criie t e vers~s that follow it may be peoples illustrating the siirah' C if, ~he sel"_les of stories of earlier

A ,I';;I h s amiid begins with 59

nja ,one ardly gets past th fi vs. . In al-

ences to the Battle of Badr be ~rst few verses when detailed refer-

mood of the whole siirah I egm to appear, thus determining the . n at-Tawbah war i I .

very opening verse. ' r IS proc aimed in the

G. I, too, exemplifies thi ki d

camUd of the group as we h s n of a~celerated movement. The

_ ah I ' ave noted IS the L I h

sur ,a -Baqarah the subject. ' aw. n t e second

third surah, iii cI:nriin, the par~s o~ol~ tak~n. up ~ntil vs. 177. In the have begun with vs 92 I . _, gal mjunctions can be said to

d . . . n an-Nisii the leg l nart bezi

an m al-Mii'idah with vs. 1. a part egins with vs. 2,

We will now qualify our t

between the surahs of a gr GS atement about the relationship

. 11 oup s I and II hi h h

I ustrate the statement are b th . . ,w c we ave cited to

it may be easy to iden'tify hi~ gr?UPS With long surahs. But while siir~ because of the surah's lar ~o:ts an~ denouements in a long so m the case of shorter surah g F anvas, It may not be easy to do and VII gradually beco h s. or example, the surahs in Gs VI

h me sorter and sh t .

t e end, making it increasingl .. or er as we move toward

them the kind of relationshi ~hdifflcu1t for on~ to establish between of Gs. I and II. Even in J' ~It seems to exist between the siirahs "onward movement" b s. and VII, however, some kind of

can e seen to b takin

example of G. VII, there is a . e .g place. To take the

earlier and later surahs A ~nsplcuous difference between its

tively speaking, discursive. ~:m er of the earlier siirahs are, relaing to the disbelieversI2-~ so:' p~es:t the group's camUd-warnadducing evidence of several teet and draw conclusions after

. ypes. As such the be sai

~ovtng at a somewhat "leisurel " ,y can e Said to be surahs (especially Ss. 109-111) h Y pace '. ~y contrast, many later ing details, they present conclusi ave ~ deCISive. tone: instead of giv-

Ions in categoncal terms. Since they

"Ibid., 2:460. 12Ibid., 8:479.

88

The Surah Groups

come to grips with the group s camiid in a direct and [orthrigbt manner, they can be said to be "rushing" toward that camUd. One's overall impression is likely to be that the discursiveness of the grou.p'S earlier surahs gradually builds an atmosphere in which the deci.siveness of the later siiIahs becomes relevant- An in-depth study of this and other groupS may reveal that they, too, contain a struc-

tural pattern very similar to the one found in Gs, I and II.

The Makkan-Madinan Division

Each of l!)l~'sgroups,contains at least one Makkail and one Madman sarab Moreover, the Mtikkanand Mad1nan snrahs in any group form distiJlct blocs, with me Millan bloc preceding the Madip.an. Here, fQUowing, IS l:;;llih.i"S group~wise br.eakdown of the

Makkan and Madlruln sftrahs.13

G. I: 55. 1-5 (S. 1 Makkan, ss. 2~5 'MadInan).

G, U:Ss. 6.'9 (Ss. 6-7 Ma1ckan. Ss. 8·9 Madinan).

G. Ill: ss 10-24 (Ss. 10<23 MakkiIJL\ S· 24 MaBinan)·

G. IV:~s. 25.33 (58. 25-32,Makkan; 5. 33 Madinan) .

G. V: ss. 34-49 (8s. 34-46 Makkan; S5, 47-49 Maruan). G. VI: ,S5. 50-66 (5s. 50-56 Makkan. ss, 57-66 Madman).

G. vn. Ss. 67-114 (55.67-109 Makkan. Ss. llO-114 Madinan.) A problem arises here. In Sugges~ing,this diviSion of the siirahs

ilito Ma)dcan and Madman., 1:;;1al;U depar~ on a few p.oints~ftom the division (or divisions) traditionally given. A a compans0n of l:;;latU's division with for example that ~ven by Zarkasbi will shOw ~at the former differs .f[orothe latter in ..reScpeot of eigtlt:surahs: 13, 22. 55, 76, 98, 99, 111, and 1 \ 2. ZarkasJ:U lists the first six of these as Mamnan and the las t two as Mal!;kan siirahs,14 while I:;;tal;U calls the mst six Makkan and the last two Madman. If Zarkashl's division is correct, then the distinction l:;;lalii establishes between tbe Makkan and Madinan blocs will be called in question. On the other band, if l$lru;us division is correct, then it will be the traditional view, as represented by ZarkasbI, that will be called in question.

I:;;lal;ll. seems to be on safe ground with respect to five of the

eight surahs: 13,22, 55, 7'6, and 99. The internal evidence of Ss. 55. 76, and 99 c1early marks them as Makkan. Ss. 55 and 76, at any

I3lhid .. I :xii·xiii; 7:479,

14Zlllkll~h', 1.1'11 '~4.

The Silrah (irl/II/I.\·

rate, are regarded as Makkan b . .

no reason why th y many commentators. IS But there is

e same may not be . d f S .

an obvious Makkan the 16 sal 0 . 99, which deaJs with

me.

Except for its 41st verse S 13 also strik

M kk ' " es one as unmi ak bI

a an. The verse runs' "H th' "st ay

approaching the land (Miliab.), =nkir?not seen ,~hat We are tors have understoOd this t L.' ,g Its borders? Commenta.milii ,..' , s a tie a reference to. the MadInah-b' d

1 ary eXPalliilOn of Islam which h " " ase

Quraysh in Makkn .... 'R" . .•.. ad begun to threaten the

.' <UI...lI.<1J..I", ejectIng this Y.lew ISlahi ha "

makes reference to thepopularit f th . , ~ys t t the verse Makkan phase of Mu1;r' . . d' yo .' e Islanuc message in the

presented before the Qammah s Phrophecy. The message 'was first

urays w '0 refu ed ' ' .

meantime it became popul' "~ to accept It. In the

" ar among the tribes .sid

even attracted a number of Mad'" ., ' • es outstda Makkah and

that Islam, whicb they had t ied tUIanS. '_fbe <?ur~ysh now sensed

tru k ' n a eradicate inside M~,L-I'~'L h d

s c root Qutside Makk~ and had in f ,~, a

them. As verse 40 of the sam' ._ ah c act begun to close in on

hail dtmian(led evidence 'for e ~~r, ;~~ar_ly 'su~ests, the Quraysh would suffer defeat at the hands '?IsI:::c claun t~at pagamsm demand sayin'" IT the Q h 0 , '. Verse 41 replies to this

th " ' ' .(:>' ' ,urays:, Want to see a sign' th h I'~

ey .are being hem ed i b . .'. ' ,en t e ...,.ct that

- _ . m y It In their own. h .

Islab1.a1wp@ints'ou't_an·d"J..:_·""orne1S,SllTelyone.

.' '. UJ.I..:j IS a strong ar f

he takes-th,at 21'44 " ,,1_, . . gument or the position

. IS an aimosr IdentIcal

unanimously considered to be Mill 17 verse,and that S. 21 is

other Schol~s, too, consider S. 13 to ~~ MAlthou~ a: ~u:nber of knowledge,IS the first scholar t h ' . akkan, I:~latu, to my being Makkan. And th .',' .' ,0. ave furnisbed clear proof of its b . i ." e proof, It wtU be'observed is adduc'ed'" th'

asrs 0 a nazm mte ,'. "on e

The .', rpr~t~tlOn of the verses involved.

Same kind 0f nazm approach' , 1 '

discus.sion Of S. 22. Vss. 38.41, rev~akd ~ :~ ~yed by ISliUll in his t? believe that the sUran is Madinan, ' ~~ah, have led _many sion of a few Madman verses' ,'iliBut. I~IaJ;ll argues, the inclunot make it Mad.ill . '. ill an 0 erwise Makkan sfirah would

an,the long concluding verse of S, 73, for

15

On S. 55, see Mawdiidi, 5'244-246' __

Mawdiidi, 6:180-182; and Suyftli, Durr: 6~~/uYUII, Durr, 6:139. On S. 76, see

16

Cf. Mawdiidi, 6:418.

I7I~latll, Tadabbur, 3:546-547.

18

See, for example Savvid Qu b 4

'JJ< I, :2039, n. 2; and Mawdiidi, 2:440.

90

The Siirah Groups

instance, is Madinan, but the surah is considered Makkan by all.19 Moreover, vss. 38-41 of S. 22, being parenthetical in character.P simply explain a thought already presented in vs. 25, a Makkan verse that criticizes the Quraysh for preventing the Muslims from performing rites at the Kacbah, with vss, 38-41 permitting the Muslims to use force if force is used by the Quraysh to stop them from worshipping at the Kacbah.21 Islabl's argument, in other words, is that a few parenthetical and explanatory verses may not change the status of an otherwise through-and-through Makkan surah,

S. 99 is highly controversial when it comes to identifying it as Makkan or Madinan. Some think that it is definitely Makkan; others, that it is certainly Madinan. The reason for such a sharp difference, Mawdudi points out, is that the surah itself does not provide support for either view.22 But ISHibi contends that it is Makkan and that it was revealed at a time when the People of the Book, especially the Jews of Madinah, were filled with consternation at the steady gains of Islam in Arabia. That is why, says Isla1)i, the surah makes such a pronounced reference to the People of the Book.P The argument is plausible, but perhaps not conclusive. The surah does not have to be Madman for the People of the Book to be filled with consternation at the gains of Islam. A similar criticism would apply to Islahi's view of S. 112. IslaI;ll maintains that the surah is Madinan and that it was meant to serve as a final summing up of the creed of Islam as distinguished from the other creeds of Arabia.s' Also, there are conflicting reports about its being Makkan or Madinan.P

It is S. III that causes the most difficulty. There is universal agreement that it is Makkan.P and Isla1)i appears to be the only one to have called it Madman. The traditional view, as reproduced by

19I~latll. Tadabbur, 4:341. 2oIbid., 4:396.

2IIbid., 4:389-390. 22Mawdiidi, 6:410.

23I~11i~i. Tudabbur, 8:473-474. See also ibid., 6:527-528. 24lhid .. K:Ml-M4.

25SCl' Mnwdudt, (,:~10-~12. MuwdGdi argues that it is Makkun, and un curly Mukkun sflrnh III Ihlll, Ihill , (j;~ 12.

91

The Siirah GroUP,I'

Il>iai;ll, is as follows. Early in his ro h .

gathered together the families orth~ ~tIC career, Muhammad once

the punishment that lay in store for h ura~sh and warne~ them ~f message. Abu Lahab M h ~ em m case they rejected his

mented: Tabban laka d li h~d:::~d s u~cl:;, sarcastically comwhat you called us here for?").27 awtana ( Curse on you! Is this

Islahf's criticism of the view' Iold.Tn the Ii

out of character for the Qur'an t IS ;;00 d. In the first place, it is

that. Many leaders of Makkah ~~ er_,~ tu quoqu.e argument like Muhammad, but the Qur'j Ta if were guilty of insulting called Muhamm d' an nev~~ ~eturned the abuse, in fact never

exceed' _;.I all: b <l!.1~ oPdPenents disbelievers" until their hostility

, t;U oun~an they old ' " ~

the second place, the surah's i~~at a:tje_ ~xcus~ ~y l,~nger. In

hands of Abu Lahab be broken") ~ blf:ahab~n ~t., May the AbU Lahab's tabban taka' Th' , la ' a ~e~g very diff,erent thlm

, . ' ", . . e atter IS lIDPcr"" t' d h ,

what IS called ins' ha-' in A, bi , " eca ory, an hence

, ' ra le grammar ,28 B .t..

from an Arab' idi ( , ' , ,.' ut W.e former comes

, ,..Ie 1 om tabba: yadii fuliiniil) which " .

tory and implies, in a no _ ' , . , " " IS ,.non-mlpreca-

to achieve his ebiect . n pejorative sense; that a person has failed

, 1" ' ~, counter an attack, or ward off ' thin

unp easant. The verse, in other words si some. . g (made in the.past tense to indicate th'a~~~!Ya makes the prediction .. th~t .the power of Abu Lahab=the "hi ,', s ~ood ali come true) religious leader of Makkah' ill iigh priest, and therefore the

, -WI be brok A h

grammatically a khabar 29 Th di en. s sue the verse is,

Madman period whe~ de e p~e iction was fulfilled in the early appeared An . . ar SIgns of Abu Lahab's downfall

. Important SIgn was th d f f

mainstay of Abu Lahab's e e eat 0 the Quraysh, the

place in 2/624; AbU Laha~=:'e~t;~~ Battle of Badr, which took then, must have been revealed at M~~- s:~ after that. The surah,

I~liiI)I's criticism of the tradition~n .: .

necessarily follow that hi . ,:ew IS sound. But does it

Perhaps not. What Il>l~ ~wn ;:terpretatlOn ~f the surah is valid? view whose claim to valid't as emonstrated IS the weakness of a

1 y rests on the supposed existence of a

27I~Iii\ii, Tadabbur,8:628-629. 28

Statements which cannot be conf ed .

!al]tamilu t-tasdiqa awi t-takdhiba are:::ed or r7fut~"by inquiry (in Arabic: Iii

ized by inshii'.") Sentences expressing co jum; '~ a iyyah ("sentences character-

29 mman , WIsh, etc., fall in this category.

State~ents ,which may be confirmed or refuted . .

khabariyyah (' declarative sentences"). by mquiry are called jumal

3OI~1ii\ii, Tadabbur, 8:629-630.

92

The Surah Groups

connection between a particular event that took place in Makkah arid the revelation of the surah.But even if it is shown that the surah could not have been revealed in connection with that event, there still would exist the possibility that it bears a conneCtion to some other event that took place in Makl,Cah., OJ :indeed to the general Makkan sitQaJ;ion, in which Abu Labab always played a (ole hostile to Mul).ammad.31 Moreover, (he aigU1.tlen~ I~liil;d advances in support of the view that it is an early Madfna,n sfttlah may be advanced in support of the view that it is a late M akl¢n surah. Thus Farahi is of the view that the siirah was revealed a little before the

Emigration to Madlnah.32

These few reservations aside, l$la1;lls scheme, seen from the

viewpoint of the structural arrangeme.nt of the Makkan and Madinan surahs in the groups, will be found to be quite consistent. But the question is: What thematie significance; if any, does thi arrangement have1 This brings us to a consideration of the relationship betWeen the M'akkan .and Mad'inan surahs of the groups.

A!XIording,to ~lAl;ii, the Madinan surahs of a group are related to its Makkansflrabs as the branches of a tree are related to the root of the tree.33 This simple analogy has, in the contex.t of l~lalli's na~m theory,the following implications: 1) that the relationship between the two sets of sflrahs in a group is integral; 2) that the Madinan surahs of a group bring out the practical implications of the doctrinal statements made in the group:s Makkan swabs; and 3) that the Makkan bloc of siirahs in a group precedes the M~dinan not by accident but by design, since the "root" must exist before the "branches". G. II would serve to illustrate this point.

Al-Anciim and al-Acriif, the two Makkan siirahs of G. II, pre-

cede al-Anfiil and at-Tawbah, the two Madinan surahs. From what was said in the earlier part of the article about the four surahs it would be easy to conclude that the first two deal mainly with theoretical and the last two mainly with practical matters, and that, moreover, the practical issues of the last two snrahs stem from the

31Thus Mawdudi (6:520-524) refers to the general hostile attitude of Abu Lahab and his wife, and not to a single event, as what occasioned the siirah's revelation.

32Farnhl, Vo/t)',I, p, 1}3,

The Sural! Groups

theoretical issues raised in the first two-that, in short, the four surahs develop the same basic C amiid. 34

But even if it is granted that all the siirahs in a certain group are related to the group's camud, the question remains: Is each and every one of them related to that camud in an integral way? It would appear that the connection of the Madinan surahs to their group's camud is not as intimate as that of the Makkan. A look at G. VI will help drive the point home.

G. VI is composed of seventeen siirahs, seven Makkan (50-56) and ten Madinan (57-66). Islahl's interpretation of the surahs' camuds strongly suggests that the camUd of the group, namely, the hereafter.P is systematically developed in the successive siirahs. S. 50 examines and refutes the view that the hereafter is a theoretical impossibility.v S. 51 talks about the purpose of the hereafter, which is: recompensing human beings for their good and evil actions.F S. 52 isolates the retributive aspect of recompense.P S. 53 negates the idea that, on the Day of Judgment, any kind of intercession will subvert divine justice. 39 In response to the disbelievers' demand for a "sign" of the threatened punishment, S. 54 points to history as furnishing all the necessary signs.40 To these signs S. 55 adds signs from nature and the human existential situation." S. 56 summarizes the contents of Ss. 50-55.42

This is a remarkably cogent account of the C amiids of the seven siirahs, and the C amiids do seem to be different aspects of the group's camud. Also, no sooner do we reach the Madman part (i.e.

34I~I~'s view of the relationship between the Millan and Madlnan siirahs is subject to criticism, and we will shortly offer that criticism. However, he has at least shown that there is no complete break between the Millan and Madlnan siirahs, as is held by some OrientaJist scholars, for example by Goldziher, pp. 9-12. For a criticism of the OrientaJist position, see Fazlur Rahman, Major Themes, Chapter 8.

35I~I~, Tadabbur, 6:527.

36Ibid., 6:528.

37Ibid., 6:575.

38Ibid., 7: 11.

39Ibid., 7:45.

4OIbid., 7:87.

41Ibid., 7: 120.

42Ibid., 7: 153.

94

The Surah Groups

',' ",,' metical injunctions become pro~nent. At the

S. 5 7 ~nward) than p, " , '. that the relationship of ,a num~er

same tune, o_ne c~o[ help f:~ , S~. 60, 61, 63, and 6:6) to the of the Madin~ surahs (esp " y, ,', ,', °te as tha~oft:b:e Mak-

,C -d s Dot as clear-cut and d.efini ..', 12)

group s amu 1 , ~e 'of S. 60, oruyrine verse 1Il It (vs. ,'.

kan., ~o take the examp h'after: the Iour other i:e£e'ren~ t~ the expliettly talks abou 1 the ' ere ", .. ' th', ,t ,',. bri ei or -quite mdirect.

. '4 5 6 13) areei er' 00 ,I: , ' '. "

)::lereafter (~s~. '~ ' .. ,,'.,',,' , .'. the iil'undicins OODJain'ed in the

Moreover, it IS difficult t~ see why the C~mud of the hereafter, and ',- ah raust f0nowexcluSlye~y [to, m, ' '" " h, (!', 'u~d' of

sur, ' " " " " ouall Ie'cally; lrum team

wby they may not, follow, .eq ., i-la:: f G IV43) orfrotil that of

prop,Me, y (theCamiid;,al:;cc,prdiJg,tf·0G·~,,·~r44); .0A, 'r'e!' ated criticism is that

, f G d (t'h' 'amiUi 0 y, ,

the oneness Q 0 _ e .': 'ld b. "i, t b . me" in groupS other than

,s,everru. Maditi, an, 5p.rahs":0:U; 'Fe, a, amo.p' ,I'" a,""orA;~-g to,l~laJ;U,~, S, "

'. , 'a1I' celli m or ex , .... , ,,--, u.u" .

th,e ones they, actu," ,Y 0, '. "d' " d Hi.' 'prophets triumph, th, ,e,II

'00' t ,. , the end Go an ,S " " , . I

5,8 states t " ~ " .. hu:anllating defeat.45 But this. is ~xact!y w 13t

oppenents suffenn:h· . tmudof G III4fi The question 1$: Would s. 1~1aJ;U describes 'as. e, a, ," " . S. 66 with its injunctions about '5, '8, be out of place lEI. G.l.1? Agam,., ", . d .d fourth sGrails

" , ,. '. ." ' f G. fthe secon all ,. ,,'

divorce (Y55,' 1-7), r, ermn, ,dS. one, 0 f' . " o-e and divorce in similar

of which deal with the ISsue 0 marnag '

terms.

Account of the Islamic Movement

, ' , - ah ',' presents a pliase-by-phase

1'~,:FJ.." bolds that ea,ch sur, ' gro'll, P -,. 1 ,'d:' hip 'of tbe

., 'W-'-. " . .. ' '.. . d Mha:nunad sea ers . , , ., .,

accountbf the sp.read, ~ e~ .. -; .. h '.a:dds the actual m'aoner 0:

Islamic n;i6vement III Arabt.a, u OU . I . : om drte group to anolher.4 pre:>ent~~on of th.atacC4ClU~t meit:: '~a very broad sens.~, ~intl

.-r'L:s, statement WOUld, be .GOIT, , .' " " , the M"clim' s ani

Ull."" . .._"" 'truggle between . .,..,.

the advent Of,·. Islara res,ul~po;I ~ as,. ·b., llanrlc movement rna

, nt the malO phases of t· e S, " ,

thiu opponen s, .. .' " f th e Islamic meS'sage;ageq:

.. be sti ted as' presentatIon 0 .. .., . nfli

ro'ugbly _.e sa ,.,., b'. .... ' and resistance to it. by others; c.o .. I

lance of the mes~age Y someh di b lievers: victory of the forme

between the believers and t e 1S e ,

43Ibid., 4:571. 44lbid .. 5:2113. 45Ibid .. 7: 243, 279,

The Siirah GroUp.l·

Over the latter. Once again, G. II offers a good example of the development of the Islamic movement along those lines.

It is doubtful, however, that each group relates such a development in a systematic manner. In fact, the very composition of some of ISliibfs groups militates against such a view. G. I, for example, has five surahs, and, excepting the short opening sfuah, all of them ·are Macllnan. Obviously' the Makkan' period has not been dealt with in the group at any length. It is true that there are references in the siirahs to the Millan period. But to say that the group offers a well-articulated account of the various phases of the Islamic movement would be to claim too much. Likewise, G. III has fifteen Makkan surahs, but only one Madman siirah; and G. IV has only one Madinan as against eight Makkan surahs, Again, the Madlnan period, even though it may have been referred to in the Millan surahs of the two groups, hardly finds a well-differentiated treatment in the groups. Furthermore, almost any cross-section or surahs will be found to have treated all or most of the phases of the Islamic movement; one does not have to regard such a treatment as characteristic of IslabI's groups only.

Sanction for the Nazm Scheme

I~Iii.bI maintains that his nazm scheme, with its component ideas of siirah pairs and surah groups, finds sanction in the Qur'an itself. He cites 15:87 (and also 39:23) in support of his view.

15:87 reads: "We have bestowed upon you sabcan minairnathani and the Great Qur'an", Sabcan mina I-ma/hanr .is usually interpreted as the "seven oft-repeated ones" and thought to refer to S. I, since this Siirah, it is argued, has seven verses and is repeated in every ritual prayer.48 JSlaJ;ll disagrees with this interpretatl()U. The WOrd mathiilll in his view refers to what he believes is the ph~nom{!non of surab pairs in the Qur'an, Against the traQitionally accepted view he argues, first, lhat the eX'actnumber of the verse'S of the surah is not agreed upon, that it can have seven verses only if the formulaic ha.l'mlliah is counted as a verse, which is a controversial matter; and. se 'Olld, that mathlini", as the plural of matnna, means "in two's" (M in 4: and 36:46) and not "oft-repeated ones." It, thereror', III 'uns "those arranged in pairs." As for the conjunction weiw af'ror muflt IIr in the ver e, its grammaticaJ function is explica,

4HS,·, .. 1'0.' 1·~.IJIiI'J('. Nbllhilr'l. 11:.14.

The Surah Groups

. gl means: " ... seven [= seven siirah tion (ta/sir). The verse accord~~nl[ = siirah pairs], that is, the Great

groups 1 made up of tfh e m~ -d-th that term S. 1 mathiini. But I~lal)i Qur'an." There are a ew a. a I . as the surah epitothinks that they refer to the siirah only lOsohfarQ ,_ in nmriature.

. . h Q ,- may be called t e ur an 1

mizing as It does t e . .th an, h _ dlh the word mathiirzr refers to the In other words,_ e~en ~ t ose ~. ~ I • . _ _ t the surahs are paired.49 Qur'an or Qur'aruc surahs, ~olOtlOg out th~ _ t lliihi to what he

As for the word _sabC, It refe~~, ):~o~ IJr. f~j:kS 'that the:wellregards as t~e ~even~u~~hgr~%:'"an has ~een described as having known hadith 1~ ~ C C ~ ifi substantiates this view. The been revealed ala sab ati ahru l~. readings" and taken to

Arabic phrase i~ usually ~~a~slated. 10 s~ve~ I liihi shows-and con-

n~fe~ to the v~mu~_\~~rs~~; .:a!~~ret~tio~, besides ~aking t?e

vincingly, I think. .~. is untenable on liguistic and his-

Q ,- a very problematic W0rll.., 1( . f

. our an . _ _ 51 di to him the word har smg.o

torical grounds as well. Aceor 109 1 di . n" and as such

" . ect stye ImenSIO , " ,

a1Jnif) ill this context_means as~ in' the Qur'an, each of the groups

refers to the 'seven sarah group . . f th Qur'anic mcs-

. di ti aspect or dimension a e

representing a istmc ive h d t I of discussion peculiar to that

d employing a met 0 or s y e , ..'

sage an emp 0.1" h bri . g out the diversity-in-unitv

group, the seven groups toget e~_ nngm

. .. f the Qur an.52 . . that IS charact~nstI~~, criticism of the traditional interpretation 01

But even if Islahl s d.jt Id be difficult to say that

h d hruifwere to be grante ,1 wou 1 •

t . e wor .a. . he word is absolutely correct. For one his own mte~retatlOn of t d abc may not refer to the 15 sven

thing, one Inl~t a~~.why the.w?r S manzit) into which the Qur'an maniizil ("statIons, i.e. parts, smg, f . 1 ting one Qur'an-reci-

.. all d' id d for purposes 0 comp e c

is ~rad~tlOn y ~~1 e h r is it Dot possible that the word sali: tanon in a week. For ,~not ~,' or "numerous" and does not denote

gives here the sense ~f vould b estionable to take it to refer to

"seven"? If so, then It wou e qu

seven specific groups.

49I~lalji, Tadabbur, 3:622-624. See also ibid., 5:580; 7:480-481.

50Ibid., I :KV; 3:624.

51Ihid .. 7:4KO.4KI.

\2Ihl<l .. 1-(,12·(.24. Sec also ibid., 5:580; 7:480·481.

. [II "1'1-4''''5·9'111:10·16;

\ I'J hr """Wi tllvl~IIl" tlf Ihr Qur'nnic siirahs IS as () owsr r: • . .

IV,17:.'~. Vilr. 1(,. VI t'I~4'J; VIUO-114.

1)7

The Sfirah Groups

Summary The Qur'anic siirahs in their

groups. Like an individual' - ah pr:sent order, fall into seven

c _. Sur or a surah p . -

an amiid of ItS own whi h i d . air, a surah group has

manner in the siirahs 'Of th c t IS eveloped In a fairly methodical coherence marks a gro ~ gr~up. Structural as well as thematic

~akkan and Madinan s~~~s ~~~~,:ew controversi~ .cases, the With the Madinan bloc e II . h . groups, form distinct blocs

. 10 OWing t e Makk Th ' m a gro~p deal with the theoretical an an. : M~an siirahs the practIcal aspeet of the gr. «:«: _ d the Madinan surahs with

, . oup s amud tho .... ·)., u. -1_· ,

a .group s MadInan-· ah ' ., • ~611 we remtlonship of

C. !d' . sur s, un.li.ke,that of its M.,t,.Ir~- . _ . .

amu ~y not always be as close' _ _ . ~ surahs, to 1tS

deals, though again in a g' en n_l~_ das I$UiI)j holds It I.S. Each group of th 1 1 .. . ertliUle sense with th . "

th. ehi' S anuc movemeiit]ed by Muhammad in Ar eb" vanous phases

at. s na~m scheme, with its sfuah". a_la. I~laJ;U'sview sanctioned by the Qur'_ beca' paus and surah 'groups, is

. an may e called plausible.

..

,

Chapter VII

CONCLUSIONS

1. l~la1;lI's approach to. the Qur'anis direct. holistic and cumulative. It is direct in that it is based ehiefly on a study of the Qur'an itself. I lslatlldistinguishes between the internal and external principles of QUI'an interpretation and attaches primary significance to the former. N047f1 Is {or him the most important of the internal principles.

l~laQi's approach is holistic in that it is predicated on the assumption that the Qut1iin is a well-integrated bookand ought to be studied 'as, such. I~latll believes. that the chronological order of the Qur'anic revelations was- suited t(;) the times of Muhammad and his Companions; but, for the iQllowing generations, the cornpilatory ordercarries greater significance. The compilatory order was ba 'cd on the principle of nazm; and it is the commentator's task to discover that nasm.

tsl~) approach is cumulative inthat it conceives of Qur'ani nasm on several levels, each level being inccrporated into the subsequent level First comes the dlscqvery of nazm in individual urahs, then in ,surah pairs •. and fiaally in snrah groups. The na+rtl of individual sfirahs is presupposed in a surah pair, that of surah pairs in a silrah group:

2. ~1aJ;U is indebted to Fararu in respect of ideas as well as approach. He borrows frOID' Farahi not only the concept of the .siiralL as a unity bu t also the techniques for arriving at the uni ty of a sftrab:.But this does not mean that he Is not an original writer. III the first place.he hasmade a-sustained application of Farahl's idea and techniques ,to the Qur'anie corpus, in itself no small achievement. In the second place, he seems to have taken over Farahf's ideas only after careful scrutiny" We saw, for example, that he differs with Farahl on the interpretation of the camuds of a few surahs-.a proof that independent reflectionon the Qur'an sometimes led him to conclusions dissimilar to Farahf's. In the third place, his concept of siirah pairs is original, as is his interpretation of the notion of surah groups. In fact, if 1~1a1;U is indebted to Farabr, then, in a sense! FarahI is indebted to 1~1al;U, for it is the latter who,

Conclusions

by creatively interpreting Farahi's concept of nazm and enlarging its scope, has sought to establish effectively the latter's original thesis namely, that the Qur'an is possessed of nazm. '

3. I~l.iil;ii has convincingly shown-although it is not necessary to agree with all of his conclusions-that the Qur'an has design and method. He. ~as shown that individual Qur'anic siirahs revolve ar?und specific central themes, that an essential complementarity e~sts bet,,:een the members of siirah pairs, and that larger sets of surahs, which he calls siirah groups, display identifiable patterns of ~a+m. ~ study of Tadabbur-i Qur'iin is bound to leave one with the lffipr~SSlOTh:that; contr~ to the usually heldview the Qur'lin is a well-~rderecl. book, l~lalJI has demonstrated that the Qur'an has not only theJ)latl~ but also structural coherence, that, for example, not o~y do the surahs of a group ~ea1 with a definite.rnaster 'theme, but also the structure of the group IS a logical one,' and that the thematic and structural aspects of nazm are ultimately inseparable from each other.

. 4. This in turn has a bearing on an important question: Who edite~ the Qur'an? As we noted in chapter II, Muslim scholars unammously hold that Muhammad himself was responsible for the arran~ement of the verses in siirahs; they disagree, however, on the question o~ who was responsible for the arrangement of the siirahs. Some saY.It was Muhammad himself; others think-and this is the general ~nentalist position also-that the task was completed by the COmpa?IOnS of Muhammad after his death. John Burton has argued m!,!e Collection of the, Qur'iin that the whole of the Qur'an wa~ compiled by MuJ;Iammad.2 Without going into details of Burton sQleth~ololP'. we may remarkahat what Burton seeks to prove through, a study of extra-Qur'anic sources, I~~iib.i seeks to prove througha study of the qtJr'anic text itself. The following. 'syllogistic' argument ~ar ?e con~tructed on the basis of Isliil;1I's nasm theory. , The individual stirahs of tbe Qur'an are Coherent. The verses ~ t?_ese surahs ar~ known to be arranged by Muhammad. The Qur'an asa .whol~ IS coherent, Therefore the snrahstoo must have received their arrangement from Muhammad,

The .argument has a loophole, for it presupposes that all ~oh.e~ence m the Qur'an, whether in the arrangement of verses in an individual siirah or in the arrangement of siirahs, will be attributed

2

~~~~on,J'P' 2~-~40, W,e are not saying that all of Burton's conclusions nrc correct

et I er, oes t e ollowing statement in the text mean that all or 1II0st of lIurton<

cone usions would be acceptable to I~Hil:li. '

100

Cone/usions

to Mul;1ammad. Is it not possible that Mul;1ammad's Companions achieved the same coherence with arranging surahs that Muhammad had achieved with arranging verses in siirahs? This is certainly possible, though perhaps not very likely. For between the nazm ~f verses and the nazm of siirahs there is an affinity of character that IS best explained on the assumption that it is due to the same agency, in this case Mul;1ammad.3 Moreover, if Mul;1ammad took care to give a certain arrangement to verses in siirahs, how could he have remained indifferent to the arrangement of the siirahs themselves?

5. If the Qur'an in its present form is characterized by coherence then the chronological order of the Qur'an becomes largely irrelevant or at most only of historical importance. Considerahle energy has been spent in attempts to identify that order. But it is universally admitted that a complete and accurate chronolo,gll:al arrangement of the Qur'iin Is almost impossible to di,scovcr. II II IS im.possible to do so, and if the present arrangement IS found to h~ sigp.ificant, then perhaps it is with this arrangement that we should be principally coneem.ed.. At least that would seem to he the uucntion of whoever is to be credited with giving the Qur'un the nrrunge-

ment it now has.

6. Should the principle of nazm become an integral part of ,Ihl'

approach to the Qur'an, it will become necessary to mak~ a eriticul examination of much of the traditional exegetical corpus III the light of this principle. A regular and consistent use of the p~illciple might result in at least a partial reformulation of the exegetical theory, H might result, for example, in a diminished dependance on the occasions of revelation as an exegetical aid. We saw that several of the authors discussed-like Razi, Tabiitabii'I, and Sayyid Qutb-tend to reject an occasion of revelation if it appears to be in conn,ict,with a, nazm interpretation of the Qur'an. Reliance on the principle ol nazm seems to reduce dependance on the asbiib an-nuzid, and the co~relation is easy to explain. In an atomistic approach to a text, each unit of the text (usually not more than one or a few sentences or verses) is interpreted in isolation from the other uni~s, and t~~s any datum external to the text but appearing to throw light ~n It IS welcome. An integrated or holistic approach, however, establishes a

'One of the implications of this view (namely, that the surahs were arranged in the Qur'nn hy Mubammad in accordance with the principle of na.m) would be that the principlo of diminishing length will definitely have to be discarded as the principle ~oVCn\lll\!. 11111 onler IIf Ihe surahs in the Qur'an-the view most popular With oriental-

i,1 ,,'linin I ~

1(11

( 'Onc/UI'/III/.I'

contextual framework with definite hermeneutic constraints that must be reckoned with in interpreting the text, with the result that things like asbiib an-nuziil have to pass the acid test of contextual relevance before they can be accepted.

7. The concept of nazm as such is not original to Farahi and I~lalji. What is original, however, is their interpretation of the concept. They differ from other Muslim scholars not only in holding that the Qur'an has structural as well as thematic nazm, but also in maintaining that nazm is an indispensable instrument of exegesis. By applying the nazm principle to the Qur'an=and they have shown that the Qur'an is quite amenable to such an application-they seek to place the Qur'an in a definitive context in order to arrive at definitive Qur'an interpretation. (See Appendix B.)

8. The Farahl-Islahi nazm theory yields results that are aesthetically pleasing. The idea that the Qur'an is a book that presents its themes systematically in individual siirahs, siirah pairs, and siirah groups confers on the Qur'an a formal excellence that has not been attributed to it before. Also, with its emphasis on the study of the Qur'an as a unity, the theory is in keeping with the spirit of modem literary analysis. And, with its emphasis, for purposes of interpretation, on the study of the Qur'anic text itself, it is in harmony with, and at the same time accentuates, modem trends in Qur'an exegesis.

9. While Islahl's nazm theory presents the Qur'an in a new light and offers highly valuable insights, some of Islahl's positions can be called in question. Perhaps the most questionable part of the theory is I~lal;1I's insistence that the theory, with its seven siirah groups and siirah pairing, has Qur'anic sanction behind it. This view, if correct, will have to be accepted, together will all its corollaries and implications, by Muslims virtually as part of their faith in the Qur'an, But is Islahl's nazm theory absolutely correct in each and every respect? Obviously a case can be made for its being no more than a hypothesis, albeit a strong hypothesis. One gets the impression that a personal conviction (born of many years of deep reflection on the Qur'an and in itself quite understandable) has been presented by I~liilji as an objective fact, whereas to others it may not appear to be so. For example, I~liilji says that the seven siirah groups of the Qur'an are there for everyone to see." But they are certainly not as obvious to other people as they are to I~liilji.

41~iil.l;Ji; Tadabhur, I .xiv; 7:481.

102

( 'OI1c/U.I'iOIl.l'

Moreover, we have seen that Qur'anie nazm, whether in the ease of individual surahs, surah pairs, or siirah groups, may not be as rigorous as I~liilji sometimes thinks it is, and that two sc~olar~, even if they proceed from identical premises and. employ an Ide~tlcal methodology, may reach different interpretations of the Q~r an.

In all fairness, however, we should note that I~Ial;1I himself says in the preface to the last volume of Tadabbur-i Qur'iin that, with his commentary, he has merely paved the way for studying the Qur'an along nazm lines, and that a great deal of work in this regard lies ahead. He aptly quotes a well-known Persian couplet:

Gumiin rna-bar kih ba-piiyan rasid kiir-i mughiin! Haziir biidah-yi

nii-khurdah dar rag-i tiik ast.S . .

(Don't think that the ta~k of the t~vern IS accomplished; a thousand un tasted wines lie hidden m the vems of grapes.)

10. Of the several possible areas for further research, .two may be suggested. One of these pertains to the question of the tnterr~lationship of the siirah groups. I~lal;1I does offer a few useful hints about this interrelationship, but he does not make any sustatn~d attempt to explain why the groups have the sequence they hav_e 111 the Qur'an. After the study of the nazm of individual surahs, surah pairs, and siirah groups, a study of the nazm among the gro~ps would have been the logical next step to take, but for some reason

I~liilji does not take it. " ,_ .

The other area pertains to the study of the legislative Qur anic

verses in the nazm context of the siirahs in which they o~cur. Such a study promises interesting results because, under the influence ~f the legalistic approach to the Qur'an that resulted from the. p~le~l1lcal atmosphere of early Islamic centuries, a number ~f Junst!eal positions on many Qur'anic verses were taken by Muslim scholars in disregard of the context in which the verses actually ~ccurr~d. This area can be expanded to include a study of the ways m w~ch different Muslim sects have sought to obtain from (the usually ISOlated) Qur'anic verses sanction for their views.

SIbid., 8: 12.

103

Appendix A

I

, '

ISLAI;II's NA~M INTERPRETATION OF SORA" 1

The opening siirah of the Q ,- .

The first part gives a translation oU:t~ 1~ her~ treated in .thr~e parts.

on I~IaJ;ll's interpretation of the s- ah S;~ah, the rendenng IS based I~liibi's nazm analysis of the siir~r Th ~ second part reproduces reasons for regarding the - ah . e third part sums up I~IaJ;ll's

sur as a preface to the Qur'an.

The Surah in Translation

Grateful Praise I is due to G d . '

universe, 0 , the Sustainer-Lord- of the

~e Most Compassionate, the Ever-Merciful 3

aster of the Day of Recompense '

You alone do we w hi .

ors p, and You alone do we ask for help.

ITh .

e Arabic word hamd in vs I is usu .

ever, the word means "gratitude" th ~\:terpre~ed as "praise." Primarily how-

Whenever the Qur'an uses as here h ou e ~earung of "praise" is not exdluded gra~ltude is obviously implied as f t e construc~lOn al-hamdu li us« the meaning of praises someone's excellence 'ev~n c:: ex~ple, ill 7:43; 10: to: 14:39. Moreover one grateful to a person only when one is Ol~e IS not directly affected by it. But one is I~nce. We must not simply praise God~ectly, and favorably, affected by his exceldirect recipients of His blessings. Tadcd,;:r.n;~~~t~~r gratitude to Him, for we are

2ne .Ar~bic word rabbhas two m ' ." ."

mearung IS a corollary of th f' rearungs. Sustainer and "Lord" Th d

ailed "L" e irst, or only a sustai .' e secon

ch ~rd. Usage, however, has made the us a:er or .nounsher deserves to be

t e word IS no longer used exclusively in th secon m~arung. the primary one, and e sense of Sustainer." Ibid., p. 13.

311iQrb·· .

S. _ as offered what is to my' .ki:ti>wled . - .

ralpn?n ~lfDd al1-~Ii}jim (.rei>p,ectively "ih gu I)~ IDterpr~ta,tion of' the words ar-

~t:;rCiful ), 'and -1.1 is-as follows. Th~ tw e a~ Compassionate" and"tbe Ever : mercy" as the essential meaning It .. ~or have the same root, RJiJM witb m~nd!;d to "re,al,e emphasis (cf: lb~s ~gli: Ih ~;Id that the two words are ~pJY hearty), But this is not the case with _ sr , safe. an~ sollli.d"and "hale and the pattern' of Jac ilin wlli b-e . . , ra7}man and ra/jlm m the verse. RaL._" .

fi c-l L'. . • c -connotes superabund -' .' '. ,pr ... n 15 on

fI I, w.w.ch connotes endurance N' th ,an~. RalJ,lm. 18 on the pattern ef end - b ' . ." ow ere are tw dim .' , .~ ... , . urmg, U1 IiIn occasions it becomes sli. er . 0' enSl?1U to divine mercy: i.t is

for eX,ample, God brought this universe hllab~d~l. In His ~l,lperabundant mercy, ~ndunng, ~ did notneglect the universeaf':e eXlsle~ce. 1M since His mercy is also It. and looking after it as well. In other " [creatIng _It, but has been:maintainin different? but complementary, aspects of ili::ds, ra7}mqn .ti1l~ ra~im represent l'!\!~ O1,1s or~.ply meant to lend emphasis to th e mercy, and neither word is superflutranslation given of these two words . k e other. Tadabbur, 1:6-7. The Engljsb

see s to reflect tbe distinction made by I~I!UII.

104

Appendix A

Establish us in the Right Path,4

the path of those you have blessed,

not [of] those who became the object of [Your] wrath,

nor [of] the ones who went astray.5

N a~m of the Surah

This siirah is in the form of a prayer that is uttered by the

reader. The reader is not instructed to say the prayer in a certain manner. Rather, the prayer has been made to flow directly from his heart, with the implication that this is how a person who has kept the inherent goodness of his nature intact will pray to God. And since the prayer has been revealed by, God, our Creator, we can be sure that it is couched in the best possible words.6

The surah explains the relationslrip between human gratitllde

and divine guidance. The feeling of gratitude (/1omd) to God it. a natural, in fact the most natural, feeling experLenced b a nurnen being. This feeling creates in man an urge to worship and serve God. To this urge God responds by revealing religion, which is

nothing but a guide to worshipping and serving God.

Vs. 1. Man is under the constant care of God. There is. in this

world, provision for man's physical, mental, and spiritual growth. The whole universe, it seems, has been harnessed into service for man. Upon noticing this elaborate system of providence that God has established for his well-being, man becomes overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude for the Creator of that system and exclaims:

"Grateful praise is due to God, the Sustainer-Lord of the universe."

Vs. 2. But did God have to create such a system for us? Is He under any obligation to do so? Do we have any claims on His mercy? The obvious answer is "No." The only possible answer is

4-rheverse is usually translated: "Quide us 10 th<lc'Right Path." ~ut blaI;U notes that the prl:positiop Nil ("to"), which nm:mally f:ollaws. the verb Juulii, is omitted in the verse. Intlceordance v.jili the rules ef Arabic grammar and metoric, the omission (lJadl1!J Q£ the-preposition lends-an ~.a9rdiil¥Y:emphasis to the prayer contained in the verse, GoJiseq,uently, the verse does not simplY mean: "Guide us to the Right Path"; it ,also implieS: Give us contentment in the-rusht Path, aurlte the Right Path easy for US 10 foltow .• and so 00. Ibid., 1:15. l~lal:trs Urau translation of the verse is:

H'ame,j sfdhe raste ki hidayal bakhsh (ibid., I: 11), which bas the follt'lwing !i(eral translation: "Gi"e' us th,e, guidance of the Right Path .. "

5Wh~lher lhe silrah consists of six or seven verses is a. controversial mauer.hlal;U docs nOt c.c)llSldClT the boJtllalail to be pant of this, or any other -surab, thuS r-egatding

the ~Omh n M~istin~ of six; verses. See ibid. \:1, 1 L

61hi I"~ 1:1 ,

105

Appendix A

that, in doing so, God is acting out of mercy. This realization impels man to say: "The Most Compassionate, the Ever Merciful."

Vs. 3. God's being the Sustainer-Lord implies that a day of reckoning must come. For privilege entails responsibility. If God has showered us with so many blessings, then surely it is unreasonable to suppose that He will not hold us accountable for the way we receive His blessings. There must come a day of judgment on which God will administer justice, rewarding the virtuous and punishing the wicked. Man is led to say: "Master of the Day of Recompense."

The Day of Judgment is also implied, or necessitated, by the fact that God is Merciful. For if God were to let the world come to an end without instituting such a day, then it would mean that there is no difference, in the eyes of God, between the virtuous and the wicked, that the wicked, indeed, are better off, since they can commit evil without fear of punishment. Such iniquity on the part of God would be negative of God's mercy. In other words, God's being merciful necessitates that He be just as well, a point that the Qur'an makes on many occasions (as in 6: 12). There is thus no contradiction between mercy and justice, the latter in fact being a manifestation of the former.

Vs. 4. God, then, is the Sustainer- Lord, is Merciful, and will one day judge mankind. Recognition of these facts makes man surrender himself to God and to acknowledge Him as the only Being who deserves to be worshipped and from whom help may be sought: "You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help."

Vs. 5. Now that man has surrendered himself to God, he wants to find out how best to serve him. And since he has acknowledged God as the only source of help, he naturally seeks from Him the light of guidance: "Establish us in the Right Path." It is in response to this prayer that God raises prophets and sends down revelation.

Vs. 6. In order to express his unswerving commitment to the Right Path and his aversion to all the other paths, man adds: "The path of those You have blessed, not [of] those who became the object of [Your] wrath, nor [of] the ones who went astray."?

I~la.lji's interpretation of the surah is obviously not the only nazm interpretation that can possibly be arrived at. It will have to be granted, however, that his is a very plausible attempt to explain

7 [bid .. I: 18-23.

106

Appendix A

. d h t he has convincingly demon-

the surah as a coherent plecle, a~ h t a. gle theme that is logically strated that the verses dea wit a sin

developed in the surah,

The Siirah as a ~refa~e to the fur':n the Qur'an and that for three This siirah IS an l?eal pre a~ to tatement of the philosophical

F" st it contains a succmc s h

reasons. ir , f lizi n Observation of the p e-

basis, according to the Qur'an, 0 re ~~d justice create in man the nomen a of Go~'s munificence, m~rci' rn creates in man a sense of

urge to w~r~'hip c:rod. Th~h~r:S:~ut~on of prophecy and revelation need for divine g~ldan~e. , - h d Religion in other words. are God's way of satlsfymg t ~t n~ . , It of his cxpcri-

.. 1: a need that naturally anses in man as a resu

suppues . - rld '8

. .'. the wo .

eace in and reflectIon on b ed lip under rhree

d 11 Q r'anic themes can e surnrne

Secon , au' and the hereafter. 'I'll ' iii rlih

heads: the oneness of God, prophecy, h or the Qllrn.

. id ce on the three master l emes ', .

offers b~lC gID. ,an Ies had lost the Righi Path lhal God h _ I

Third, earlier peop , 'h' d k The sQrah is a pm CI' CM th

: b them Mankind was m tear . . .' I '

sown .. '. . b light. Man says this pru r. (11)('. III

replacement .of darkness1 th QUI'an the light which rnun huiJ response to rt, God r~ve of S ~ we read: hudan Ii 1-lIlulfUlJlI. "n'h' asked for, At the openmg 'n f' God" In S. I man UI:I,k. for

r''" . 1 idanee for those w 0 ear '. ld

Q~ an isia g.u """. with S. 2, he is provlded with Ihal gUI, ~

gUIdance, and, begu11llOg ,_ b aid (0 have been revcah:d 10 ance, In this sense, the Qur. an ma~ e s

J1esponse to man's prayer ill S, I.

. -' of religion is fear. His argument is two-

8I~liUU thus rejects the VIew that the ongm. "5 of li1e are oleasant and agreeable. fold. In the first place; the common ell.pene~ceof lire are no(earthquakes and needs not horrible !i!id shacking. The common evdeuths s Is 'moonu"ht Rains fall, nowers

" Tb' . - sprinp too an ere I. 0" • • ._

and humcanes, . ere I.S ...•. =, .: 'Wh 'lrind <'If data does our common expert

blessom, stars slJipe.and crops np~n.. lit r tiul Being or the calamities or storms ence )'ield'? The blessings 0(, a ~wVld~d ~~ ~nClude that it is the former. not ~ht: and earthquakes? An unprejudi.ced nun . be anal zed. At bouorn, fear is nothing latter In the second place, fear Itself needs 10 r Yething regarded as po sessing 0 but f~ar of the loss of something hel~ pre~LOus. °d ~oma 'b' lessing But the e)listence of I.

. , .. at e III Oiller wor s, ~~. . h I

de$irllblc quality a pos)tive,v. u - the rver of the blessing. which in tum S ,au c

ble~sin& I)rcsupposes the existence of h gI ds tbe fundamenu\1 human [cebns I.:

eMIle n IIg Or st£lIltude in ~- III at er wor, ..

(1101 nr 1'111 lml not Qr rear, IbId .• 1:21-22.

"lhi,l, I Jr. ') I. ('I MIIW,IOdl, 1:42,

\07

Appendix B

COMPARATIVE STU

. DY OF A FEW VERSES IN ISLAHl

AND OTHER SCHOLARS .

Six examples are given The fi hr

disconnected verses are see~ by I :: t ee show how apparently

the verses in question are amon th . as conte.xtually integrated; ery Watt as "isolated" and W att~ e ones descnbed by Montgomwith I~lalji's. The ne~t two sl comments on them are compared helps him in arriving at examp es show how Islahl's nazm theory

. . a more cogent and at th .

definitive, Qur'an interpretatio I he I e same time more

. n. n t east example h 11

pare, WIth reference to a Qur'anic . we s a comof I~lahI and R ;;'7' R- _, . passage, the nazm mterpretations

. ....... azi s nazm VIews 0 thi

by several other commentato~s (includi n _s !,a~s~ge are borrowed

them in full), and this makes Razi' l~~ Nlsab~n, who reproduces other words, in comparing him ~thOSl~l~n on It representative. In I~lalji with a number of writers. Razi, we shall be comparing

Example 1: Qur'iin 2:178-179

1. The Verses. "Believers you h b

gation to take qi~ii$l for the lives de~:: ee~ placed under an obli-

man, a slave for a slave and a tyed. a freeman for a freethen shown a measure' of 1 .woma~ or a woman. If he [killer] is custom must be observed id oavrr y his brother, the prevalent

. an payment made to hi . befi

manner. This is a concession f m in a efitting

tormenti rom your Lord and a kind B

~rmentmg punishment awaits on ness. ut a

ql~ii$ there is life for you men f e ~~o tra~sgresses after that. In attain to taqwii."2 ' 0 WIS om-m order that you may

2. Watt. "Thus 2.178-93 deals wi h .,

comes amongst other passages also a~~r~:~~latotlOtnh; bbulit. though it e e evers and

1

} pre~er to retain the Arabic word used in the ,-

reta?atlOn," .suggests a revenge motif (in the tQ~.~, beca~se the usu~ translation, Arabia) that IS not implied by the Q ,_. ra iuon of tnbal feuds In pre-Islamic

the meting out of just and merited P~~i= w~~. As a Qur'anic term, qj~i4 means en y a properly constituted authority.

2

On taqwii; see below.

3

I have omitted here and I h

Qur'an, ' e sew ere, Watt's references to Flugel's edition of the

108

Appcndix JJ

dealing with other subjects, it has no necessary connection with ihem.:'"

3. l!;liil}I. With vs. 163 begins the part of the "Law" in S. 2.

The basis of all law in Islam is tawhid or the belief in the oneness of God. Vss. 163-174 state this fundamental Islamic tenet, the statement also touching upon a few ancillary issues.' Vs. 177 points out that the measure of true faith in God is an ethically-based conduct and not performance of empty rituals." This verseuses two key words birr and taqwa, which may roughly be translated r especlively, "rlghteousness" and "God,..consciousness. ' These Lheoretic:d considerations lead to the presentation, in vss. 178-179 onward, of specific injunctions that are based on the notions of birr and ttU/WI; and have a strong-social dimension to them. There are two Iypl!.~ of rights whose protection is essential to the maintenance 01' p 'lIC '. justice and harmony in society. and they are: the right to life lULl,! the right to property. Vss. 178-179 emphasize the import \11 '.' If protecting the firstrighl, and, to that effect, lay down the prhdpl' of qi~ll$: The (ollowing two verses stress the need to prot ·CI. Ihu r Bill

to property.7

Thus we see that a statement of belief in Ulwl}id leudl1. throu II

a verse that brings out the true nature of that belief', lulls 'lltl, I u of some of the important social implications l r 1hot ,,·Uf. In II word, vss. 178-179 are logically connected with the vcr~I.!H Lll(ll "r~-

cede and follow them.

Example 2: Qur'iin 5: 11

1. The Verse. "Remember God's blessing upon you-at a time

when a certain people had planned to attack you, and He kept them from you. Be mindful of God. It is God in whom believers ought to

place their trust."

2. Watt. "Again 5.11 stands by itself and is clear enough, if

only we knew the event to which it refers, but if it had been absent we should never have suspected that something had fallen OUt."8

4watt, p. 74.

SI~Iah,i, Tadabbur, 1 :345-346, 350 ff.

6Ibid., 1 :376 ff.

7Ibid., 1 :386, 387, 393 ff. hlah,i notes that, in lfadfth as well as in the Qur'an, th right to life and the right to property are often mentioned together. Ibid., 1 :393, n. I

KWutt. p. 74.

109

Appendix B

3.I#ii/Jf. Vs. 8 of the same surah advises Muslims to stand up for truth and justice, and carries the implication that they must no longer have fear of their foes, that if they are faithful to God, then He will aid them against their enemies. The same idea is found in vs. 3 (" ... so, have no fear of them; fear only Me"). V s. 11 simply offers an illustration, with reference to an actual event from the recent past, of the idea that is stated explicitly in vs. 3 and implicitly in vs. 8.9

The verse is connected in thought not only with the preceding but also with the following verses. The next three verses continue the theme of faithfulness to God. They warn Muslims that failure to fulfill the pledge they have made with God will have for them, just as it did for the earlier peoples who broke that pledge, grave consequences. 10

Watt may be right when he says that the absence of the verse from the passage in which it occurs would remain unnoticed. But that is missing the point. Whole paragraphs, indeed whole chapters may be taken out of a book and their absence, it is possible, will not be noticed by the reader. But the true test of the belongingness of a piece in a text is not whether its absence will be noted or not, but whether its presence can be accounted for. In my view, I~IaJ;ll has sufficiently proved that the verse is integrated into the context in which it appears.

Example 3: Qur'iin 80:24-32

1. The Verses. "Let man, then, consider the food he eats: how We pour down rain, then cleave the earth apart, causing to grow in it grain, grapes, edible plants, olive trees, date-palms, dense gardens, fruits and pasture-of use to you and to your animals."

2. Watt. "Verses 24-32 bears traces of having been fitted into a context to which it did not originally belong."

3.I:jlii/Jf. Vss. 17-23 of the surah express surprise at those who, in defiance of tangible evidence (drawn from the phenomena of human existence), deny the Resurrection. Vss. 24-32 provide further evidence (drawn from the vast system of sustenance that God has established for man) to the effect that the hereafter is necessary. For (as we saw in Appendix A) with privilege goes responsibility. We are the recipients of numberless blessings from God, and there must

91~Hibi. Tadabbur, 2:244. 1II1hid,. 2:244·245,

110

Appendix B

h ill be judged for the way have received those

come a day w en we WI 33 42 make a distincblessings. The verses that follow, namely, vss. - I ' . d those tion between those who were ungrateful for the b essmgs an

tIl

who were no . 2432 with vss 17-23. There is, he says, a

l~lahI compares vSS'. - . b . ns b

1· , '1 ity between the two passages: each egi Y

structura smu an hen s eaks about

bli hi the possibility of the hereafter, t p

esta ,IS ng f man and concludes by stating that recompense

~~~: ~~~~e~:~ i~ the l~gical corollary of God's sustenance of man

. hi ld 12

m t sVwssor24~32 are thus no more out of place in the siirah than ahre

. . t mely that t e

vss. 17-23. Both passages make ~he same p,Oln, na ,

coming of the Day of Judgment IS a necessIty.

Example 4: Qur'iins 6:?~~~!1l the time when Abraham said to his

1. The Verse. - . , f' ges? 1 [can] see thut

- 'D u make deities out 0 ima '

father, Azar, 0 yo . 1 ' the wrong' Thus did we show

~o: ::d y:: J:;~~:O~ i~:~e;v~ns and the e'arth, in order thut he

ram. . . h When night enveloped him. he saw II star.

~~sbi~:~~=,,~:~~d. But when it set, ~e said, 'I ?O I.~(:t ,Ii~t: the

ones that set.' When he saw the moon shimng. he said, I,hdl~ IS m~

. d 'If Lord does not gUI c me,

Lord.' But when it set, he Sal, my t • 'When he saw the

shall b~c.ome :ne ~! t~:s 7sh~~a~~r~~~~~si:~~'e greatest [of th~m

sun shining, e sal , ., 1 I have nothing to do with all}.' But when it set, he said, My peop e, hi 1 to the One

. I Y face away from everyt ng e se

your Idolatory. tum m d the earth and I am not one of the

Who has created the heavens an ,

idolators ... .' " aki th re are two views

2 Traditional Views. Broadly spe ng, e describ

. . f them the verses escn e

a~ou~ thi: ~~s;:;;:a:,~r~~~:ll~~t~~e d~velop~ent: through reflec-

~i;nP A~sr~am was able to reach the truth that there IS only one

Ilblabi, Tadabbur, 8:192,204·212. Cf. Faram, Majmifah, p, 273·274.

, b" 24-32 speak of the blessings and privi-

1'2rsra:tU. T(ldab"bur, 8:209. It IS tr.ue t at v~' d t explicitly mention tae correlalive

leges that God has b~towed upon ~:ns ~sn~otion is clearly implied here .br the notion or accountability" BUl, as l~lil.I;ii bY' r Qur'anic passages that .are stnkinl!.l~ Our' n, Ibid., 8:211, There are a nwn erl 0, ideas or privilege and accounlnbilit)

, , . 110 A 3~ d' which the corre alIVe 1 . 0 " , f aod'

SlnlllilT III : " ... an In. ,'78;6~17. where 8 descrJphon 0., S

ur 11'1 'l\dlll~lI Itll!, (h(\r. A good eJ(a:li~:d.~~ "The Day of Judgment, indeed. IS D.n

bl('~~ If ,lmllll,',' ',' ," I' ~.1\159~~I~, I pro;ido6 lI1ulh~r example (~Ile Appendix A)

apllllllll II 1111 !' .. 1'.. . '.

III

Appendix /I

God. Ac~ord~ng to the other view, the verses report Abraham's debate with his people. Using the irony that is characteristic of his approa~h, Ab~aham first concedes that the sun, the moon, and stars (t~e obJ~cts his people worshipped), since they rise in the sky and shine, rrught have a claim to divinity. But Abraham points out to his people that these heavenly bodies not only rise but also set that they are subject to laws external to them, and ~hat they the;efore cann~t partake of divinity. The first view seems to have been domin~nt :~ early Muslim exegesis, for Tabarl presents it as the main ~Ie,,:. Later scholars tend to support the other view. \4 AluSi, writmg m the 13th/19th century, allows for both.l>

. .3: bilaIJl. Islahl presents the second of the two views as the defmltlv~ o?e. The point to note is that it is the application of the nazm pr:nciple that accounts for this definitive interpretation." As we saw l~ cha~t~r VI, S. 6 confronts the Quraysh with the original Abrah~rruc rehgI.o~ and says that, in accepting Islam, they will be ~cceptlng the religion that Abraham himself stood for. Seen in this light, vss. 74-83 represent a climactic point in the surah, the incident from Abraham serving as a striking illustration of the surah's central theme.

Example 5: Qur'iin 8:67-68

I. Th.e Verses. "It ?oes not behoove a prophet to take prisoners, [for this purpose going] to the length of causing carnage in the land.'? You [Quraysh] seek the gains of this world whereas God seeks the next life, and God is Dominant, Wise. If' a decree from God had not already existed, severe punishment would have befallen you for the way you conducted yourselves.t'P

2. Traditional Interpretation. All scholars agree that these

13Taban, 7:242 ff. 14

See, for example, Zamakhshari, 2:30-31; Ran, 13:34 ff.; Nisiibiiri, 7: 142.

15 Aliisi, 7: 198.

16I~liibI, Tadabbur, 2:468-476.

171bi tr I' . b ed

s. ans anon IS .. as . on Islahr's interpretation of the verse. A tsanslation

according .to the traditional interpretation would be: "It does not behoove a prophet to take pnso~ers untl~ he has caused carnage in the land." The difference is a basic one and IS discussed in the text below.

~o~~ of t~e. me~gs ~f akha~a,. I~liibI says, is "to conduct oneself in II certain ay, and it is this rnearung that IS intended here. The word thut is to NIIY ,1'leN not

refer to th "t ki "( kh dh ' . . ,

e a mg a a ria) of ransom from the prisoners, ". iN lIl'nrrully held.

112

Appendix B

verses were revealed in criticism of the Muslims, especially MUQammad and Abu Bakr. Mul).ammad, it is said, accepted Abu Bakr's suggestion that the prisoners of the Battle of Badr be allowed to buy their freedom, rejecting cUmar's suggestion that the prisoners be executed. The Qur'an, in other words, here approves of the suggestion of cUmar and criticizes Muhammad and Abu Bakr.19

3. I~laIJI. I~lal).i regards this interpretation as fundamentally mistaken and that for several reasons. First, by allowing the prisoners to buy their freedom, the Muslim did not violate any previously revealed "decree" from God. At the most it could be called an error of ijtihiid ("independently formed judgment"), and ~ mistaken ijtihiid is not something for which one deserves to be reprimanded 10 such severe terms, especially when we see that this is an ijli/llid thaI gets immediate approval from the Qur'an (vs. 69). Second, il wus not even an error of ijtihdd, for 47:4 had already permitted iuking ransom from war prisoners. Third, enough blood had ulrcudv hcnn shed in the battle: seventy leading figures of the Quraysh hud been killed, as many had been taken captive, and the rest had fletl. TIll' question is: Who was left to kill so that a "carnage" slHluld huvc resulted? Fourth, the Qur'an never speaks of anyone except or dill' hard disbelievers and the Hypocrites-in such harsh terms; Ihcre seems to be no reason why it should be speaking of Muslims in such

terms.20

The whole trouble arises because it is supposed (hut the

Qur'an is here addressing the Muslims, whereas it is the ~uraysh who are being addressed. The siirah is to be understood agamst the background of the Battle of Badr. After their defc~t at Badr, _LIle Quraysh tried to wipe out the effects of the battle. With the two-I old aim of restoring the badly shaken confidence of the Makkans and demoralizing the now self-assured Muslims, they launched a propaganda campaign in a new key, What kind of prophet is MUQammad, they said, for he has caused dissension among his own people, m~dc war against them, and taken them prisoner in order later to receive ransom from them. In a word, they tried to portray MUQammad as a power-hungry person who would go to any lengths to achieve his' ambition. Vss, 67-68 exonerate Muhammad from the charges the Quraysh had brought against him and blame the Quraysh for what

I'ISCr. Tllhllrl, 10:42-48; Zamakhshari, 2: 168-169; Razi, 15: 196-203; Nisllhliri, IO:2t>· 2M; Ahll 1,lnvvnn. 2: 1611-169; Wal;lidi, pp. 178-180; Suylili, Asbab, 2:91; Allisi, 10:32·

1h

Appendix lJ

had happened. A prophet, these verses are saying, is not the kind of person who would shed blood in order to capture prisoners from whom he might extract ransom. This is the mentality of the Quraysh, but not of Muhammad, who is a prophet. Vs. 69 aims at neutralizing the .possible adverse effect of the Quraysh's propaganda, for the propagande could have influenced some Muslimsperhaps many Muslims since the dominant view about religion at that time was that it taught asceticism and renunciation, a vie-won which the Quraysh could have capitalized. The verse th.erefore pertn!ts the Muslims t'l'l enjoy the spoils (jlf warwithout any qualms. Finally, vss, 70-71 'address the _prisone!=,s and say that they should be grateful for their release, but that they wil1 mee; a similar fate in the future-if they C)O not desist from their opposition to Muhammad.F'

Seen in this light, the verses in question (67-68) not only fit into their context, they also yield a more satisfying interpretation than traditionalscholars have offered of them.

Example 6: Qur'iin 75:16-19

1. The Verses. "Do not move your tongue in haste so that it [revelation] is precipitated. We have taken it upon ourselves to col~ect and ~ec~te it. When, therefore, we recite it, follow the reciting of It. Then It IS up to Us to expound it."

2. R4zr. Razr suggests five ways in which the verses may be conn~ted -with the ones that precede and follow them. a) Upon reaching this part of thesurah Muhammad recited the verses hastily, and the Qur'an forbids him to do so. b) The theme of haste, brought up in the snrah (as in vs, 20) 'as the theme of thedisbelievers'Jove of tbe here and now (Ciijilah), is generalized and haste of all kinds is condemned. c) Fear. of forgetting it was Muhammad s excuse for his hasty recitation ofthe Qur'an, The QUI'an tells him that it is trust _in God. and not haste on his part that will aid .him in memorizing the Qur'an. d) Muhammad's hasty recitation was motivated by his desire to memorize the Qur'anand convey it to the disbelievers so that they might believe in it. The Qur'an, however. says that their disbelief is caused by defiance and not fuy lack of understanding, and that their salvation should therefore not be his concern. e) On the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers, trusting their own powers, will make an attempt to escape the decree of God, but will fail in the attempt (vss. 10-12). Muhammad should, instead of

21Ibid .. 3:100-105.

114

Appendix 8

trusting his own power of retention, place his trust in God in memo-

.. th Q ,- 22

nzmg e ur an. . . .,

3. Isliihi. Essentially Jl.;Hil.-ii borrow his LUl~rprel~llOn. 01

7S:16-17 from Farahi, but he refines it and adds to It. It IS as I 1- lows, The surah's camiid is: affirmation of the Day of.J~dgment by reference to humanconscienee, which represents, in miruature form, the Final Court that God will establish on the Day of Judgment. Doubts about the possibility of the Day of Judgment are, therefore, doubts about the existence of one's own con seien ee, and. as such,

have no real basis.23 .' '

Mnbammad was constantly pestered by the di believers. with

questions and objections ~bout the hereafter. They .sarcl~sll 'al.l,. asked hirtl (vs. 6): When Will the Day of Judgment be! Su h 4U~:; tions and objections naturally worried Mul;la:mmad. and he. ~cllcd upon revelation for answers. In.fact, i.t was r~vel~(ion t~HIt rU~IlL:ihl;1(~ him with a blueprint for action, aided him in coping, wl~h the problems of the present and preparing for the tasks of t~' 111111 r .. and sustained him intellectually and spiritually. He, thcrel ') C.-Ill" . . ly aw"'~ted the coming. of revelation, and when it CUI11C. Ilk' IIIl

IOUS< .... ' . '.' .',

eager student tried to acquire all of it at once, ~l IS l.hl· (Ill-' 1'1 'S!j

that the Qur'an is here speaking of. The Qur'.an 15 S'lylIl.S lhul V', lation is being sent to him in accordance with a certain pl~11l Ut~d that he should not try to precipitate it, for God ~las Luken 11 ~I:on Himself to preserve and expound the Qur'an for him, A Iter advlsl~g Muhammad to be patient, the siirah, [rOID vs. 10 onward, ugum

connects with the main theme of the hereafter.24 ..

~labfs interpretatipn of the verses is much more logical l.ha n

R- ~ Whll' Razi tries to establish highly tentative eonnecuons

aZJ s, .nue - ,,1..7 I

b tween these and other-isolaled~verses of the surah I~Il1J,1J paces

the verses in the context of the whole siirah and explains the clear and definite connection they bear to the surah's cami1d. It may .be added that these verses are regarded as disconnected by a majority

22Riiii, 30:222-223.

231~lnbl. Tadabbw, 11:71.711-82. See also Farahl, Majmilah, pp. 202-211

II ~

AppelItJL\ IJ

of scholars, Muslim and Orientalis{lS l$IiUu If

shown that th b . . . w U ( appear to have

ey ear an integral relation to the iirah.

lSF ahl A""' -c "

ar , .. ~iymll.ah. p. 210 Wall IJ' " . .

~i:ildeke's comment 01;\ the ;erses: .r:: ,'l ~t a cun?us lsol.atedpassage" (p. 22). Cf.

die weder mii ihrer riaehsten Umgcl! n Snra 7~ befinden sich em paar Verse (16-19), nienb:lingeil. Auf weLohe Wei~e sie h~ng noc mit andern Versen der SOm zusarnsagen," Gesd,ichc'. 1:105.' ierher verschlagen worden sind. iNI nicht zu

116

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Baqillanl, AbU Bakr Muhammad ibn at-Tayyib al-. Jfjiiz al-Qur'iin, ed. Ahmad Saqr.Egypt: Dar al-Macarif, 1374? 11954'1 Dhakha'ir al-cArab, 13.

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Ibn Tuymiyyah, Taql ad-Din Ahmad ibn cAbd al-Hallm. Muqaddimah .fi Usu! at- Tafsir, ed Muhammad C Adrian Zarzur. Kuwni]: Dllr ul-Qur'un al-Karim: and Beirut: Mu'assasat ar' .. i_nh,h. I W21 11.)72.

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122

Abdul Aleem, 12n.3, 13n.5 c Abidl, 4n.9

Abu Bakr, 113

Abu Hayyan, 18, 113n.19 Abu Lahab, 92, 93n.31 Abu Miisa, IOn. 1, 15n.29 Abii Zahrah, 28n.19 ahiidith, see hadith

AIigarh Muslim College, 6 AlusI, 18, 19, l12n.I5, 113n.l9 Amln, 28n.I9

camud, 38-41, 43, 44, 47, 49, 50, 55, 59-62, 67, 68, 70, 71, 80, 84, 85, 87, 89, 94-96, 98, 99, 115

Arberry, 57nn.74, 75

asbiib an-nuziil, In.l, 18, 22, 23n.62, 28-30, 62-63, 67, 101, 102

AshcarI, 13n.13 Azamgarh, 6, 7, 8

badE, 13-16 baliighah,II-12, 13, 15, 16 Banii n-Nadlr, 61

Baqillanl, 2, 12, 13, 15, 18; view

of nazm, 13-14, 16 Bell,2n.7

Bible, 27, 45

Bint ash-Shari', 13, 19n.16 Biqii'1, I1n.6

Blachere, 2n.7

Bouman, 10n.4, I1n.5 Burton, 100-101

Carlyle, 2

complementarity of IIOrahs, 77- 7Q, KO-HI. 100

DIIwOlll1, 2n,7

INDEX

FariihI, 3 passim; appraisal of views, 33n.42, 38, 42-43, 102; biographical sketch, 6-7; departure from traditional exegesis, 37n.3, 41, 102; exegetical method, 38-43, 49-50, 51; exegetical principles, 27n.l1, 25-28, 29-30; originality, 3, 102; view of nazm, 26n.4, 30-34, 37-38. 41-42; works, 4, 7

Fazlur Rahman 2n,2. 3n,7, 20, 22-23, 23nn. 24. 28n.19, 94n.34

Gibb,2n.3

Goldziher, 94n.34

Grimme, 3n.7

Hadith (discipline, corpus) 7. 8.

26, 27, 29, 109n.7

hadith (report), 1 n.l , 61, 83, 97 al-Harith ibn Hillizah, 57

I:Iij iizi, 20, 21- 22, 24

HimsI, IOn.4, Iln.5, 15n.26 Hirschfeld, 2n.6, 38n.5 Horovitz, 7

Ibn cAbbas, 28 Ibn aI-cArabI, In

Ibn ar-Rawandi, 10, IOn.4 Ibn NasIr ad-Din, Iln.6 Ibn Sacd az-Zuhrl, 6

Ibn Taymiyyah, 28; exegetica

principles, 28-30 iCjiiz, see Qur'an Al-I~liil} (journal), 8

I~lab.I. 3 passim; biographies sketch, 8-9; comparison witl Sayyid Qutb and Tabataha',

123

67-74; appraisal of views, 48- 56, 58-62, 80-84, 85-88, 90, 93-97, 99-100, 101-102, 107 107n.8; departure from traditional exegesis, 3, 4n.8, 42n.26, 89-92, 102; exegetical method, 43-56; exegetical principles, 3, 25-28, 28-35; indebtedness to Faram, 2, 3, 49-50, 99-100; originality, 3, 4,50,53, 75, 99-100, 101-102, 104n.3; works, 8-9; view of nazm, 5, 33, 34-35, 75, 79, 95, 96-97

JaQi+, 11

JamaCat-i Islami, 8 Jlimicah CUthmaniyyah, 7 Jassas, In

Jullandri, 2n.2, 28n.19

Jurjanl, 11, 14, 16, 23; view of nazm, 14-15, 16

Khattabt, 11; view of nazm, l l-

B, 16 Lord,56-57

Madrasat al-Islah, 7, 8 Maha'imi, Iln.6 Malik,2

Mawdiidi, 8, 20-21, 24, 90nn.15, 16, 90n.18, 91, 9In.25, 93n.31, 107n.9

Merrill,2

Mithiiq (journal), 9 Mubarakpuri, 8

Muhammad, 12, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31,41, 44, 47, 48, 51, 58, 60, 61, 75, 77, 83, 86n.5, 87, 90, 92, 93, 95, 98, 99, 100, 113, 114, 115,

munasabah, 17, 18, 19, 32-33; see also: nazm, Qur'an, Quar'anic exegesis muniisabdt, see muniisabah

Index

MuCtazilah, 28n.I9

nazm, 3 passim; relationship with l-(;jiiz, 10-11, 23, 24; see also: Baqillanl, Farahl, Islahi, Jurjanl, Khattabl, muniisabah, Qur'an, Qur'an exegesis, Riizi, Sayyid Qutb, Tabataba'I, Zamakhshari

Nazzam, 13n.13 New Testament, 27

Nisabiirl, 18,.38n.5, 96n.48, 108,

112n.14, 113n.19 niziim; see nazm Noldeke, 2n, 116n.25

occasions of revelation, see asbiib an-nuziil

Old Testament, 27

Qur'an, attempts at chronological reconstruction, 2; chronological or revelatory order, 17, 20,23,26,31,99, 101; compilatory or received order, 17, 21,23,26, 31, 99, 101; dominant view about composition, 2-3; iCjaz, 10-11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 23, 24; orientalist views about, 2-3, 19, 94n.34, 100- 101, 116, 116n; style and method, 25, 40-41; see also: baliighah, Farahi, I~lal;1i, muniisabah, nazm, Qur'an exege~

Qur'an exegesis, atomism in, 1- 2, 2; types, 1; see also: baliighah, muniisabah, nazm,

Qur'an ..

Quraysh, 41, 51, 68, 77, 78, 86,

87,90,91,92,106,112,113 Qutb, see Sayyid Qutb Rahman, see Fazlur Rahman Razi, l n, lR. 30. 33, 101. 108,

124

lI2n.14, II3n.19, 114, 115; view of nazm, 17-18 Rodinson, 38n.5

Rodwell, 2n.7

sabab an-nuzu~ see asbab an-

nuziil

Sara'e Mir, 7, 8 sarfoh, 13n.13

Sayyid Qutb, 46n.39, 64, 90n.18, 101; view of nazm, 65-66; comparison with I~lal;1i and Tabatabli'i, 66-74

Shari ah, 49, 86n.3, 87 Shawklini, 26n.4, 83 Shibli Nucmlini, 6, 7 Shirbini, 18, 19

Sir Sayyid, 6, 7 Sunnah,26

Sunnah mutawatirah, 26, 27 Suyiiti, In, Iln.6, 62, 62n.93,

83n.40, 90n.15, 113n.19 Tabari, In, 112, 113n.19

Index

Tablitaba'i, 64, 101; view of . na~m, 64-65; comparison with

Islam and Sayyid Qutb, 66-74 Tadabbur (journal), 9

tafsir, In.l, 4

tafsir bi l-ma'thiir, 28n.19 tafsir bi r-ra'y, 28, 28n.19 tanasub, see munasabah Tan?oim-i Islami, 8 Tarafah,57

Tibrizi, 57nn.74, 75 Torah,87

cUmar, 113

Wahidi, 62, 62nn.92. 93. 113n, I Y

Wasili, 11

Watt, 2, 2n.4, lOR, 109. 110 Zamakhshari. In. 11. 3Mn,~.

112n,14, 113n,19; view of nazm, 15, 16

Zarkashi, 17, 22n,54, 371\,3. 42n,26, 65n.7. 89

'2~