al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Quran wa Masail Ibn al-Azraq

al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Quran wa Masail Ibn al-Azraq (The Rhetorical Inimitability of the Quran and the Questions of Ibn al-Azraq) is a Quranic study by the Egyptian scholar Aisha Abd al-Rahman, known as Bint al-Shati (d. 1419 AH / 1998 CE), first published in Cairo in 1971 CE by Dar al-Ma'arif al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur…+1. The work investigates the rhetorical dimensions of Quranic inimitability (i'jaz) and provides a critical edition and textual study of the linguistic questions posed by the Kharijite leader Nafi ibn al-Azraq to the companion Abdullah ibn Abbas Khasa'is al-Ta'bir al-Qur…+1.

Background and Dedication

The author opened the book noting that without her lineage of esteemed teachers she would have hesitated to undertake such a delicate subject al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…. She dedicated the study to her father, Shaykh Ali Abd al-Rahman; her mentor, Shaykh Amin al-Khuli; and her students at the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur….

Structure and Content

The single-volume book spans over 500 pages and is divided into two major parts, preceded by an introduction titled "Steps along the Path" (Khutuwat 'ala al-Tariq) and concluded with analytical indexes al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur…+1:

• Part One: Rhetorical Inimitability (al-Ijaz al-Bayani): Divided into two main chapters. The first examines the concept of miracle (al-mu'jiza), theological polemics and the challenge verses (al-jadal wa-l-tahaddi), aspects of Quranic expression (wujuh al-ijaz wa-l-bayan al-qur'ani), and classical rhetoricians' approaches to inimitability al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur…+1. The second chapter presents an inductive textual study (dirasa istiqra'iyya) analyzing the opening letters of surahs (fawatih al-suwar), the semantic values of Quranic vocabulary (dalalat al-alfaz), and stylistic expression (al-uslub wa-sirr al-ta'bir) al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur…+1.
• Part Two: The Questions of Ibn al-Azraq (Masail Ibn al-Azraq): Comprises more than half of the work (pp. 267–507) Khasa'is al-Ta'bir al-Qur…+1. It reviews the manuscript witnesses and earlier printings of Ibn al-Azraq's inquiries, followed by an edited presentation of the text and a comparative lexical study collating Ibn Abbas's explanations and poetic attestations (shawahid) against major classical commentaries al-Ijaz al-Bayani lil-Qur…+1.

Method and Reception

In her analysis of inimitability, Aisha Abd al-Rahman adopted an inductive, literary method rooted in the analytical framework established by Amin al-Khuli, examining internal textual relations rather than purely formal theological classifications Khasa'is al-Ta'bir al-Qur…+1. Contemporary scholar Abd al-Azim al-Mat'ani praised the work as one of the most valuable modern treatments of Quranic i'jaz, highlighting that she moved beyond mere descriptive assertions by investigating textual rationales and systematically comparing Quranic usages Khasa'is al-Ta'bir al-Qur….

Conversely, Fadl Hasan Abbas criticized her historical survey of early rhetoricians—including Abu Bakr al-Baqillani, Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani, and Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi'i—arguing that she selectively quoted from their book prefaces to highlight self-praise and dismissiveness toward predecessors rather than engaging substantively with their foundational theories al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….