Min Rawai al-Quran
- Author died
- 1434 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Risālah
Min Rawa'i' al-Qur'an (Wonders of the Quran: Scientific and Literary Reflections on the Book of God) is a modern treatise on Quranic sciences and literary analysis written by the Syrian Islamic scholar Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti (d. 1434 AH / 2013 CE) .
Background and Purpose
Al-Buti composed the work in response to his experience teaching the Quran and its rhetoric in the Department of Arabic Language at Damascus University and subsequently at Latakia University . He identified a pedagogical need among students of Arabic literature for a concise, accessible textbook focused on the Quran as the foundational source of Arabic letters and the benchmark of its linguistic sciences .
In defining its scope, al-Buti noted that earlier and contemporary works either treated very narrow specialized aspects or expanded broadly into legal theory (usul al-fiqh), jurisprudence, and speculative theology (kalam) beyond what students of literature required . He therefore structured the book as concise reflections intended to cultivate an appreciation of Quranic eloquence and to ground linguistic study in the sacred text .
Structure and Contents
Following a general introduction and preliminary definition, the book is organized into three main divisions :
- Part One: History and Sciences of the Quran (Khulasat Tarikh al-Qur'an wa-Ulumih): Summarizes essential introductory topics, covering the definition and reality of the Quran; the wisdom behind its gradual revelation; the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul); the collection and writing of the Quran; Quranic orthography (rasm); the seven modes of recitation (al-ahruf al-sab'ah); the variant readings (qira'at) and reciters; the distinction between Meccan and Medinan surahs; the origin, development, and schools of exegesis (tafsir); and ambiguous and allegorical verses (al-mubham wa-al-mutashabih) .
- Part Two: Quranic Methodology and Style (Dirasah Mujazah li-Manhajih wa-Uslubih): Analyzes the literary and thematic dimensions of the text, examining the general characteristics of Quranic style; the inimitability of the Quran (i'jaz al-Qur'an), its proofs, and its aspects; thematic presentation; imagery and visual portrayal (al-taswir); parables in the Quran (al-amthal); Quranic narratives and their objectives; educational and pedagogical methods; humanistic outlook; the Quranic worldview regarding the universe, man, and life; and the question of translating the Quran .
- Part Three: Selected Quranic Texts and Applied Analysis (Namadhij min al-Nusus al-Qur'aniyyah): Presents select passages accompanied by concentrated literary commentary designed to apply the theoretical principles covered in the preceding section .
Revisions and Publication
Al-Buti dated the introduction to the first revised edition on 15 Shawwal 1395 AH (20 October 1975 CE) in Damascus . In the preface to the third edition, he explained that he revised several phrasings and expanded the work by adding a dedicated study on parables in the Quran .
The work has been issued in multiple printings, including a fourth edition by Maktabat al-Farabi in Damascus (1975 CE) and a fifth edition by al-Wakalah al-Ammah lil-Tiba'ah in Beirut (1397 AH / 1977 CE) .
Reception
Contemporary Quranic scholars, including Nur al-Din 'Itr and Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, have listed the work among the prominent modern contributions to the study of Quranic sciences and the intrinsic inimitability of the Quranic text . Critical assessments note that in his treatment of the occasions of revelation, al-Buti drew primarily on classical authorities such as al-Wahidi, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani's Fath al-Bari, and al-Suyuti's al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran, alongside modern presentations like that of Subhi al-Salih .
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