Asrar al-Bayan fi al-Tabir al-Qurani - Kitab
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- Asrar al-Bayan fi al-Tabir al-Qurani - Kitab
Asrar al-Bayan fi al-Tabir al-Qurani (Secrets of Eloquence in Quranic Expression) is a study of Quranic rhetoric and stylistics by the Iraqi scholar Fadil Salih al-Samarrai, professor of Arabic grammar at the University of Sharjah . The work examines the subtle semantic, aesthetic, and grammatical choices underlying the structure and vocabulary of the Quran .
Background and Purpose
In his introduction, al-Samarrai states that he initially viewed classical arguments regarding the inimitable eloquence of the Quran and the specific rationales given for verse linkages or lexical selections as hyperbolic claims driven by religious enthusiasm rather than rigorous scholarly inquiry . However, after extensive research across classical works of Arabic linguistics, exegesis, rhetoric, and inimitability (iʿjaz), he concluded that every word and letter in the Quranic text is deliberately and artistically situated .
Al-Samarrai intended the book as an accessible guide to help readers lacking specialized linguistic training discern the artistic and expressive subtleties of the text, calling upon them to examine the language with an open mind . Material representing the core of the study was also presented by the author as a lecture during the Dubai International Holy Quran Award events in 2002 CE .
Topics and Method
The work explores how structural variations and lexical decisions directly influence meaning in the Quran, citing classical references such as Milak al-Tawil . Key topics treated across the study include:
- The Quranic challenge and reception: The text discusses the challenges posed to humanity to match the Quran's expression and the psychological impact of its eloquence on early Quraysh listeners .
- Mention and ellipsis (al-dhikr wa-l-hadhf): Analyzing the rhetorical effects of including or omitting words, pronouns, or prepositions—such as the phrase فِيهِ —to indicate either general applicability or specific limitation .
- Verbal gender concordance: The rules and stylistic significance of using masculine or feminine verb forms with feminine subjects (tadhkir al-fil aw tanithuh) .
- Word order and displacement (al-taqdim wa-l-takhir): The semantic justifications for fronting or postponing terms within Quranic sentences .
- Grammatical detachment (al-qatʿ): Syntactic shifts and breaks in grammatical connection for rhetorical emphasis .
- Omission and inclusion of particles: The distinct meanings conveyed by the presence or absence of grammatical particles and single letters .
- Verse-end cadence (al-fasilah al-quraniyyah): The relationship between rhyme endings and the broader thematic meanings of the verses .
- Parallelism and variation (al-tashabuh wa-l-ikhtilaf): The precise reasons for textual variations between similar passages across different chapters .
- Semantic expansion (al-tawassuʿ fi al-maʿna): How phrasing allows layered and extended connotations .
- The disjointed letters (al-huruf al-muqattaʿah): The phonetic balance and statistical recurrence of opening letters within their respective suras .
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