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Draft 0.1
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
The Qur'an is a "sea of rhetoric" [1], it employs more rhetorical features than any
other Arabic text - past or present. [2].
The Qur'an can only be described as a unique genre, this uniqueness is achieved
by combining cohesive and rhetorical elements in every verse. [3] An example of
one of these rhetorical features is the use of stylistic variations. Stylistic variations
are flouting of literary norms that enhance the communicative effect, they also
please and persuade. One such stylistic variation in the Qur'an is starting a
sentence with a noun rather than a verb:
"God has sent down the finest report"
Allahu nazzala ahsana alhadeethi kitaban...
Qur'an 39:23
This sentence starts with the noun 'God'. The effect of this stylistic variation, that
is, the noun being used at the beginning of the sentence, is:
* The magnifying of the phrase 'the finest report'
* To exclusively attribute the text to God [4]
The flouting of the norm evokes a type of 'surprise'; the noun 'God' being placed
at the beginning of the sentence rather than a verb has semantic implications
that enhances the communicative effect of the text.
References
[1] H. Adbul-Raof. Exploring the Qur'an. 2003. Al Maktoum Institute Academic
Press, p. 367
[2] F. Esack. 1993. Qur'anic Hermeneutics: Problems and Prospects. In the
Muslim Wolrd. Vol 83, No.2; p 118-141.
[3] H. Tzortzis. The Unique Genre of the Qur'an. Draft 0.3. Please see the
following link for an electronic copy
http://www.theinimitablequran.com/UniqueGenre.html
[4] Exploring the Qur'an. 2003, p. 379
By Hamza Tzortzis
hamza.tzortzis@theinimitablequran.com
The Qur'an is a "sea of rhetoric" [1], it employs more rhetorical features than any
other Arabic text - past or present. [2].
The Qur'an can only be described as a unique genre, this uniqueness is achieved
by combining cohesive and rhetorical elements in every verse. [3] An example of
one of these rhetorical features is the use of stylistic variations. Stylistic variations
are flouting of literary norms that enhance the communicative effect, they also
please and persuade. One such stylistic variation in the Qur'an is starting a
sentence with a noun rather than a verb:
"God has sent down the finest report"
Allahu nazzala ahsana alhadeethi kitaban...
Qur'an 39:23
This sentence starts with the noun 'God'. The effect of this stylistic variation, that
is, the noun being used at the beginning of the sentence, is:
* The magnifying of the phrase 'the finest report'
* To exclusively attribute the text to God [4]
The flouting of the norm evokes a type of 'surprise'; the noun 'God' being placed
at the beginning of the sentence rather than a verb has semantic implications
that enhances the communicative effect of the text.
References
[1] H. Adbul-Raof. Exploring the Qur'an. 2003. Al Maktoum Institute Academic
Press, p. 367
[2] F. Esack. 1993. Qur'anic Hermeneutics: Problems and Prospects. In the
Muslim Wolrd. Vol 83, No.2; p 118-141.
[3] H. Tzortzis. The Unique Genre of the Qur'an. Draft 0.3. Please see the
following link for an electronic copy
http://www.theinimitablequran.com/UniqueGenre.html
[4] Exploring the Qur'an. 2003, p. 379