al-Taswir al-Qurani lil-Qiyam al-Khuluqiyya wa al-Tashriiyya
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- Al-Maktaba Al-Azhariyya Li Al-Turath
al-Taswir al-Qurani lil-Qiyam al-Khuluqiyya wa al-Tashriiyya (The Quranic Depiction of Moral and Legislative Values) is a study of Quranic rhetoric and inimitability (i'jaz) by Ali Ali Subh, analyzing how Quranic imagery conveys ethical and legal teachings alongside cosmic and human realities.
Background and Concept
The author conceived the work in 1969 CE, publishing it after an extended period of drafting and study. In naming the work, Subh chose the term al-taswir al-qurani ("Quranic depiction") over designations used by literary critics, such as al-nazm al-qurani ("Quranic composition") or al-uslub al-qurani ("Quranic style"), arguing that qualifying imagery as strictly Quranic captures the divine sanctity of the text. He maintained that Quranic depiction encompasses style, word arrangement, rhythm, and rhetoric, and serves as an overarching demonstration of the text's inimitability in expressing moral and legislative principles.
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into five chapters:
- Chapter One: Discusses the core question of inimitability and critiques conventional literary terms, establishing an analytical method applied to various Quranic depictions.
- Chapter Two: Examines the Quranic depiction of night and day.
- Chapter Three: Explores the Quranic depiction of fasting (al-siyam wa-l-sawm).
- Chapter Four: Analyzes the upbringing and moral development of youth in the Quran and the Sunnah.
- Chapter Five: Investigates the moral and legislative values underlying Islamic interpersonal transactions in the Quran and the Sunnah.
Methodology
The work focuses on the rhetorical dynamics of Quranic depiction and how it signifies spiritual, moral, and legislative meanings. In addressing cosmic and human phenomena referenced across nearly one thousand Quranic verses, the author adopts an interpretive method that relates broad textual pointers to established scientific knowledge without restricting the eternal text to transient scientific hypotheses or dogmatic assertions that preclude future discovery.
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