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Draft 0.2
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
The Qur’an enhances its expression by the use of sounds. It employs various
phonetic features that have an aesthetic and communicative effect. These
features include the lengthening and modification of sounds so that words and
letters become similar to an adjacent or nearby sound, and nasalization. This
unique feature can be found throughout the whole of the Qur’anic discourse. The
Qur’an is abundant with these phonetic devices which construct an emotive and
powerful image. This is done by the Qur’an selecting the most apt word to
portray the intended meaning while producing semantically orientated sounds.
The Qur’anic choice of words coupled with the power of sound, conveys
meanings in the most profound way. This unique feature of the Qur’an produces
images and describes events as though they were happening in front of the
reader. The Qur'an also selects the most apt word to portray the intended
meaning while producing semantically orientated sounds. The way the Qur'an
uses these sounds make it “a harmonious tune without any cacophony”. For
example the words,
Yawma yakoonu alnnasu kaalfarashi almabthoothi
Watakoonu aljibalu kaalAAihni almanfooshi
“scattered moths” and “coloured carded wool”
used in Chapter 101 emanate many sounds, such open syllables, closed
syllables, stops, fricatives, nasals, liquids, and aspirations that contribute to this
harmonious tune. The use of delicate sounds in the following example, exhibits
the Qur'ans ability to express meaning via the sound of its text:
Faliqu al-isbahi wajaAAala allayla sakanan waalshshamsa waalqamara husbanan
thalika taqdeeru alAAazeezi alAAaleemi
“He it is that cleaveth the day-break (from dark): He makes the night for rest and
tranquillity”
Qur'an 6:96
The expression for rest and tranquillity contains a combination of delicate
voiceless sounds. The Arabic letters 'seen' and the 'kaf' are responsible for this
effect. This is further enhanced by the musical touch provided by the nasal letter
'noon', all combine together to suit tranquillity and rest which the night, in this
verse, is intended to provide. Conversely for day-break, the word 'to cleave' is
used whose sounds are strong consonants such as the 'qaf'. This emits sounds
that allude to cleaving, breaking and chopping which indicates the noise of the
day. Another example is,
Waallayli itha saja
"And by the Night when it is still."
Qur'an 93:2
The way the Qur'an uses the word 'when it is still' produces a tranquil tone and a
smooth sound. This indicates the peace, stillness and serenity that night time
provides.
The Qur'an also uses sound to build intense images, for example,
Faalmooriyati qadhan
"And the producers of sparks striking"
Qur'an 100:2
The word for sparks striking, ‘qadhan’, that is used here emits a sound that
develops the sense of this image, the proximity of the ‘daal’ and the ‘ha’ is
responsible for this sound.
And,
Faatharna bihi naqAAan
"Stirring up thereby clouds of dust."
Qur'an 100:4
The use of the word ‘atharna’ in this verse, with its series of vowels emits a
sound of splattering and scattering, expresses the image of the drama.
The utilisation of sounds in the Qur'an also play a rhetorical role. For example in
the verse below the Qur'an uses onomatopoeia, which is widely used throughout
the Qur'anic discourse:
Fa-itha jaati alssakhkhatu
"At length when there is a deafening noise"
Qur'an 80:33
The word for ‘deafening noise’, ‘alssakhkhatu,’ chosen here produces a sound
eluding to its meaning. The letters ‘kha’ and ‘ta’ emanate harsh sounds which
conform to the meaning of the text.
The Qur'anic choice of words coupled with the power of sound, conveys
meanings in the most profound way. This unique feature of the Qur'an produces
images and describes events as though they were happening in front of the
reader.
The sounds in the Qur’anic discourse can be fully appreciated in the Chapters Az-
Zalzalah and Al-Adiyat. Taking the first five verses of Az-Zalzalah as example,
the construction,
Idha zulzilati l-ardu zilzalah
Wa akhirajati l-ardu athqalaha
Wa qala l-insanu ma laha
Yawma’idhin tuhaddithu akhbaraha
Bi’anna rabbaka awha laha
"When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake.
And when the earth throws out its burdens,
And man will say: "What is the matter with it?"
That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good
or evil).
Because your Lord has inspired it"
has a complex end rhyme ending in ‘alaha’, with a difference in the fourth verse
which ends in ‘araha’. These sounds are based upon a fluid phonetic feature. The
fluidity of this rhyme contrasts with the central part of the verses, which produce
a staccato combination of consonants. This feature builds up a sense of tension
that is released with the ‘ha’ at the end of each of the first five verses. This play
of sounds associates itself to the feeling of pressure, anxiety, worry, fear and
stress conforming to the powerful image the Chapter portrays.
Similarly the imagery displayed in Chapter Adiyat,
Wa ‘l-‘adiyati dabhan
Fa ‘l-muriyati qadhan
Fa ‘l-mughirati subhan
Fa-atharna bihi naq’an
Fa-wasatna bihi jam’an
Inna ‘l-insana li-rabbihi la-kanud
Wa innahu ‘ala dhalika la-shahid
Wa innahu li-hubbi ‘l-khayri la-shadid
A-fa-la ya’alamu idha bu’thria ma fi ‘l-qubur
Wa hussila ma fi ‘s-sudur?
Inna rabbahum bihim yawma ‘idhin la-khabir
By the racers, panting
And the producers of sparks striking
And the chargers at dawn
Stirring up thereby clouds of dust
Arriving thereby in the centre collectively
Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful
And indeed, he is to that a witness
And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense
But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered
And that within the breasts is obtained
Indeed, their Lord with them, that day, is fully Acquainted
Qur'an 100
is accentuated by the use of phonetic patterns, which involve gutturals,
compressed consonants, open syllables and liquids. This provides the dramatic
‘soundtrack’ for the whole Chapter, for these sounds express a vigorous beat,
roughness, solemnity and grave sedateness, which correlate to the atmosphere
of explosive chaos, disbelief, subjugation and divine authority.
Sounds in the Qur’an are employed to increase the effect of its message. The
Arabic language has many words for a single meaning, but yet the Qur’an selects
and arranges the words to portray the intended meaning in addition to create
sounds to conform to the image, scene and message the book conveys. This is
not only done by selecting the right words but also arranging them in a specific
way to develop sounds and rhythms. Just by touching upon a few simple
examples it can be seen why Pickthall was lead to believe that the Qur’an had an
“inimitable symphony”.
Bibliography
Arthur J. Arberry. 1964. The Koran Interpreted. Oxford University Press
H, Abdul-Raof. 2003. Exploring the Qur'an. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic
Press.
H. Abdul-Raof. 2000. Qur'an Translation: Discourse, Texture and Exegesis.
Curzon Press.
H. Johns. Narrative, Intertext and Allusion in the Qur’anic Presentation of Job in
the Journal of Quranic studies. Vol 1, Issue 1. Edinburgh University Press.
Hussein Abdul-Raof. The linguistic Architecture of the Qur'an. Journal of Quranic
studies Vol. 2, Issue 2. Edinburgh University Press.
Issa J. Boullata. 2000. Literary Structures of Religious Meaning in the Qur'an.
Curzon Press.
M. Abdullah Draz. 2001. The Qur'an an Eternal Challenge (al-Naba' al-'Azim).The
Islamic Foundation.
M. Pickthall. 1930.The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an. George Allen & Unwin ltd.
M. Sells. 2000. A Literary Approach to the Hymnic Surahs of the Qur'an. Curzon
Press.
M. Sells. Sound and Meaning in Surat Al- Qariah in Arabica Vol 40.
M. Sells. 1999. Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations. White Cloud
Press.
Neal Robinson. 2004. Discovering the Qur'an: A Contemporary Approach to a
Veiled Text. Georgetown University Press.
N. Kermani. 2000.The Aesthetic Reception of the Quran as Reflected in Early
Muslim History. Curzon Press.
S. M. Hajjaji-Jarrah. 2000.The Enchantment of Reading: Sound, Meaning, and
Expression in Surat Al-Adiyat. Curzon Press.
http://www.theinimitablequran.com
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
The Qur’an enhances its expression by the use of sounds. It employs various
phonetic features that have an aesthetic and communicative effect. These
features include the lengthening and modification of sounds so that words and
letters become similar to an adjacent or nearby sound, and nasalization. This
unique feature can be found throughout the whole of the Qur’anic discourse. The
Qur’an is abundant with these phonetic devices which construct an emotive and
powerful image. This is done by the Qur’an selecting the most apt word to
portray the intended meaning while producing semantically orientated sounds.
The Qur’anic choice of words coupled with the power of sound, conveys
meanings in the most profound way. This unique feature of the Qur’an produces
images and describes events as though they were happening in front of the
reader. The Qur'an also selects the most apt word to portray the intended
meaning while producing semantically orientated sounds. The way the Qur'an
uses these sounds make it “a harmonious tune without any cacophony”. For
example the words,
Yawma yakoonu alnnasu kaalfarashi almabthoothi
Watakoonu aljibalu kaalAAihni almanfooshi
“scattered moths” and “coloured carded wool”
used in Chapter 101 emanate many sounds, such open syllables, closed
syllables, stops, fricatives, nasals, liquids, and aspirations that contribute to this
harmonious tune. The use of delicate sounds in the following example, exhibits
the Qur'ans ability to express meaning via the sound of its text:
Faliqu al-isbahi wajaAAala allayla sakanan waalshshamsa waalqamara husbanan
thalika taqdeeru alAAazeezi alAAaleemi
“He it is that cleaveth the day-break (from dark): He makes the night for rest and
tranquillity”
Qur'an 6:96
The expression for rest and tranquillity contains a combination of delicate
voiceless sounds. The Arabic letters 'seen' and the 'kaf' are responsible for this
effect. This is further enhanced by the musical touch provided by the nasal letter
'noon', all combine together to suit tranquillity and rest which the night, in this
verse, is intended to provide. Conversely for day-break, the word 'to cleave' is
used whose sounds are strong consonants such as the 'qaf'. This emits sounds
that allude to cleaving, breaking and chopping which indicates the noise of the
day. Another example is,
Waallayli itha saja
"And by the Night when it is still."
Qur'an 93:2
The way the Qur'an uses the word 'when it is still' produces a tranquil tone and a
smooth sound. This indicates the peace, stillness and serenity that night time
provides.
The Qur'an also uses sound to build intense images, for example,
Faalmooriyati qadhan
"And the producers of sparks striking"
Qur'an 100:2
The word for sparks striking, ‘qadhan’, that is used here emits a sound that
develops the sense of this image, the proximity of the ‘daal’ and the ‘ha’ is
responsible for this sound.
And,
Faatharna bihi naqAAan
"Stirring up thereby clouds of dust."
Qur'an 100:4
The use of the word ‘atharna’ in this verse, with its series of vowels emits a
sound of splattering and scattering, expresses the image of the drama.
The utilisation of sounds in the Qur'an also play a rhetorical role. For example in
the verse below the Qur'an uses onomatopoeia, which is widely used throughout
the Qur'anic discourse:
Fa-itha jaati alssakhkhatu
"At length when there is a deafening noise"
Qur'an 80:33
The word for ‘deafening noise’, ‘alssakhkhatu,’ chosen here produces a sound
eluding to its meaning. The letters ‘kha’ and ‘ta’ emanate harsh sounds which
conform to the meaning of the text.
The Qur'anic choice of words coupled with the power of sound, conveys
meanings in the most profound way. This unique feature of the Qur'an produces
images and describes events as though they were happening in front of the
reader.
The sounds in the Qur’anic discourse can be fully appreciated in the Chapters Az-
Zalzalah and Al-Adiyat. Taking the first five verses of Az-Zalzalah as example,
the construction,
Idha zulzilati l-ardu zilzalah
Wa akhirajati l-ardu athqalaha
Wa qala l-insanu ma laha
Yawma’idhin tuhaddithu akhbaraha
Bi’anna rabbaka awha laha
"When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake.
And when the earth throws out its burdens,
And man will say: "What is the matter with it?"
That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of good
or evil).
Because your Lord has inspired it"
has a complex end rhyme ending in ‘alaha’, with a difference in the fourth verse
which ends in ‘araha’. These sounds are based upon a fluid phonetic feature. The
fluidity of this rhyme contrasts with the central part of the verses, which produce
a staccato combination of consonants. This feature builds up a sense of tension
that is released with the ‘ha’ at the end of each of the first five verses. This play
of sounds associates itself to the feeling of pressure, anxiety, worry, fear and
stress conforming to the powerful image the Chapter portrays.
Similarly the imagery displayed in Chapter Adiyat,
Wa ‘l-‘adiyati dabhan
Fa ‘l-muriyati qadhan
Fa ‘l-mughirati subhan
Fa-atharna bihi naq’an
Fa-wasatna bihi jam’an
Inna ‘l-insana li-rabbihi la-kanud
Wa innahu ‘ala dhalika la-shahid
Wa innahu li-hubbi ‘l-khayri la-shadid
A-fa-la ya’alamu idha bu’thria ma fi ‘l-qubur
Wa hussila ma fi ‘s-sudur?
Inna rabbahum bihim yawma ‘idhin la-khabir
By the racers, panting
And the producers of sparks striking
And the chargers at dawn
Stirring up thereby clouds of dust
Arriving thereby in the centre collectively
Indeed mankind, to his Lord, is ungrateful
And indeed, he is to that a witness
And indeed he is, in love of wealth, intense
But does he not know that when the contents of the graves are scattered
And that within the breasts is obtained
Indeed, their Lord with them, that day, is fully Acquainted
Qur'an 100
is accentuated by the use of phonetic patterns, which involve gutturals,
compressed consonants, open syllables and liquids. This provides the dramatic
‘soundtrack’ for the whole Chapter, for these sounds express a vigorous beat,
roughness, solemnity and grave sedateness, which correlate to the atmosphere
of explosive chaos, disbelief, subjugation and divine authority.
Sounds in the Qur’an are employed to increase the effect of its message. The
Arabic language has many words for a single meaning, but yet the Qur’an selects
and arranges the words to portray the intended meaning in addition to create
sounds to conform to the image, scene and message the book conveys. This is
not only done by selecting the right words but also arranging them in a specific
way to develop sounds and rhythms. Just by touching upon a few simple
examples it can be seen why Pickthall was lead to believe that the Qur’an had an
“inimitable symphony”.
Bibliography
Arthur J. Arberry. 1964. The Koran Interpreted. Oxford University Press
H, Abdul-Raof. 2003. Exploring the Qur'an. Al-Maktoum Institute Academic
Press.
H. Abdul-Raof. 2000. Qur'an Translation: Discourse, Texture and Exegesis.
Curzon Press.
H. Johns. Narrative, Intertext and Allusion in the Qur’anic Presentation of Job in
the Journal of Quranic studies. Vol 1, Issue 1. Edinburgh University Press.
Hussein Abdul-Raof. The linguistic Architecture of the Qur'an. Journal of Quranic
studies Vol. 2, Issue 2. Edinburgh University Press.
Issa J. Boullata. 2000. Literary Structures of Religious Meaning in the Qur'an.
Curzon Press.
M. Abdullah Draz. 2001. The Qur'an an Eternal Challenge (al-Naba' al-'Azim).The
Islamic Foundation.
M. Pickthall. 1930.The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an. George Allen & Unwin ltd.
M. Sells. 2000. A Literary Approach to the Hymnic Surahs of the Qur'an. Curzon
Press.
M. Sells. Sound and Meaning in Surat Al- Qariah in Arabica Vol 40.
M. Sells. 1999. Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations. White Cloud
Press.
Neal Robinson. 2004. Discovering the Qur'an: A Contemporary Approach to a
Veiled Text. Georgetown University Press.
N. Kermani. 2000.The Aesthetic Reception of the Quran as Reflected in Early
Muslim History. Curzon Press.
S. M. Hajjaji-Jarrah. 2000.The Enchantment of Reading: Sound, Meaning, and
Expression in Surat Al-Adiyat. Curzon Press.
http://www.theinimitablequran.com