Introduction

‘Ijaz’ is an Arabic word translated as ‘miracle’ or ‘inimitable’, therefore, ‘Ijaz ul Quran’

means the ‘inimitability of Qur’an’. Inimitability of Qur’an is the belief that no human word
or speech can match Qur’an in its content or form and proving the Qur’an as solely the word
of Allah (SWT) given to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Quran is linguistically
miraculous because it is beyond the capacity of human to produce the like of it. The Arabs,
who were known to have been Arabic linguist, failed to challenge the Qur’an. Forster
Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, who was a British Orientalist and translator, said:
“and that though several attempts have been made to produce a work equal to it as far as
elegant writing is concerned, none has as yet succeeded”
The Qur’anic Challenge
Though the Arabs of previous times were very proud of their excellence in Arabic language,
they failed to defeat the Quran’s challenge, as Allah (SWT) says:
“If you are in doubt of what We have revealed to Our messenger, then produce one chapter
like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful” (2:23). “Or do they say
he fabricated the message? Nay, they have no faith. Let them produce a recital like
it, if they speak the truth.” (52:33-34)
Scholars of Quran say that it these verses are a challenge to humankind. Though, these verses
were also present at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), people of Arab tried to fulfil
the challenge and came with such a poetry:
Al-Fil (1) Mal-Fil (2) Wa ma adraka mal-fil (3) Lahu dhanabun radhil, wa khurtumun
tawil (4) “The elephant. What is the elephant? And who shall tell you what the elephant
is? He has a ropy tail and a long trunk. This is a [mere] trifle of our Lord's creations.”
This poetry was rejected by Quraysh themselves as well as it lacks the rhyme, rhythm and
style of speech. To fulfil the Quranic challenge, it is easy as it requires only Arabic grammar
and 28 letters of Arabic but the fact the no one has been able to fulfil the Qur’anic challenge
confirms that it is a revelation made by the Lord of the worlds which cannot imitated. The
inability of any person to produce anything like the Qur’an, due to its unique literary form is
the essence of the Qur’anic miracle. A miracle is defined as “events which lie outside the
productive capacity of nature”. This is because the natural capacity of author, is able to
produce the known literary forms in the Arabic language. The development of an entirely
unique literary form is beyond the capacity of nature except some supernatural entity,
therefore, none can deny that Allah (SWT) is the producer of Qur’an.
Arabic Literary Forms
According to both Muslim and Non-Muslim scholarship, the Qur’an cannot be described as
any forms of Arabic speech; namely poetry and prose. Taha Husayn, an Egyptian Litterateur,
says: “But you know that the Qur’an is not prose and that it is not verse either. It is rather
Qur’an, and it cannot be called by any other name but this. It is not verse, and that is clear;
for it does not bind itself to the bonds of verse. And it is not prose, for it is bound by bonds
peculiar to itself, not found elsewhere; some of the binds are related to the endings of its
verses and some to that musical sound which is all its own. It is therefore neither verse nor
prose, but it is “a Book whose verses have been perfected t0 he expounded, from One Who is
Wise, All-Aware.” We cannot therefore say its prose, and its text itself is not verse. It has
been one of a kind, and nothing like it has ever preceded or followed it.” Arabic poetry is a
form of metrical (musical) speech with rhyme. The rhyme (qafiyah) in Arabic poetry is
achieved when every line of the poem ends with a specific letter. The metrical aspect of
Arabic poetry is due to its rhythmical pattern (arud). Arabic Prose is a non-metrical speech,
meaning that it does not have a regular rhythmical pattern like poetry. Arabic prose can be
further divided into two categories: Saj’ which is rhymed prose and Mursal which is straight
prose or what some may call ‘normal speech’.
Unique Literary form of Qur’an
All pre-Islamic and post-Islamic poetry fit into the Saj’. The Qur’an cannot fit into any of
Arabic literary forms because of not sticking to the rules of poetry and prose, but
intermingling metrical and non-metrical speech and stylistic differences such as semantically
orientated rhyme. Western scholars say that the Qur’an fits into the form of Arabic Saj’.
Western Scholars don’t say that the Qur’an is a rhymed prose rather they say that Qur’an is a
unique form of Saj’. This can be supported by three opinions by modern and classical
scholarship:
i. Unique fusion of Metrical and Non Metrical Speech: The Qur’an achieves this unique
literary form by fusing metrical and non-Metrical speech. This fusion of metrical and non-
metrical composition is present throughout the whole of the Qur’an and cannot be found
in any Arabic text, past or present.
ii. Qur’anic Saj’: The Qur’an shares similar features with saj’, especially in the early Makki
Surahs, but it over passes many of the aspects of Saj’. Western Scholars, therefore, describe
Qur’anic rhyme as Qur’anic Saj’.
iii. Qur’an bound stylistic variations: Theologians and Arab Linguists say that the Qur’an
does
not contain Saj’ and is unique to all types of Saj’. They say that in the Qur’an, the use of
language is semantically orientated and its literary style is different.

Is Qur’an a poetry or prose

The Qur’an cannot be considered as poetry because no Surah fits to any of the al-Bihar (Saj’)
and in many places show irregular rhyme. Mohammad Khalifa in his article The Authorship
of the Qur’an correctly says:
“Readers familiar with Arabic Poetry realize that it has long been distinguished by its wazn,
bahr,’arud and qafiya – exact measures of syllabic sounds and rhymes, which have to be
strictly adhered to even at the expense of grammar and shade of meaning at times. All this is
categorically different from Qur’anic literary style.”
The Qur’an is not straight forward speech (Mursal) because of use of rhyme, rhythm and
unique stylistic features rich in the Qur’an. Mursal is just normal speech that doesn’t contains
any of the above features.
Unique Genre
The Qur’an combines rhetorical and cohesive features in every verse. Rhetoric in the Arab
tradition is “the conveying of meaning in the best of verbal forms”. Cohesiveness is the
feature that binds sentences to each other grammatically and lexically. It also refers to how
words are linked together into sentences and how sentences are in turn linked together to
form larger units in texts. These elements combine with each other in such a way that
interlock and become inseparable. This unique combination attracts the reader and transmit
its meaning in precise wordings. The rhetorical and cohesive components of the Qur’anic text
cannot be separated from each other. As Muslim scholars say:
“the Qur’an is understood to say what it says in an inseparable identity with how it says it.”
Example:
“Men who remember Allah much and women who remember” Qur’an 33:35
This Qur’anic verse, in a different word order such as the verse:
“Men who remember Allah much and Women who remember Allah much”
The non-Qur’anic verse would not deliver the same effect as it has lost its rhetorical effect
and is extra in meaning. Non-Qur’anic Arabic texts mostly employ cohesive elements but the
Qur’an uses both cohesive and rhetorical elements in every verse.
Qur’anic Eloquence
Eloquence is defined as “expressing an appropriate meaning with a noble, apt and clear
phrase,
indicating what is to be without superfluous additions.” As Muslim Scholars say: “humans
cannot imitate the Qur'an because their knowledge does not encompass all the words of
Arabic, all the ideas in them, and all the varieties of structure.”
Example:
“Those who disbelieved Shu’ayb, they were the losers” Qur’an 7:90
The letter ‘lam’ has been placed to strengthen the meaning of loss of those who disbelieved.
In normal speech it would not normally be missed. The ‘lam’ has been used to increase the
communicative effect of the text. The letter ‘lam’ is placed before words to give different
meanings. In this example it shows intensification for the rejection of Prophet. Therefore,
instead of just saying ‘they were losers’ Allah says they were ‘they were the losers’.Types of
human-being in the light of Surah Baqarah;
In surah Baqarah Allah almighty divides human beings in three categories: 1. MUTTAQIN
(PIOUS): These are those who accept Islam with all their heart and acknowledge Islam in all
viewpoints. They have five major characteristics that will help them to gain divine success.
Following are the characteristics of Muttaqin: • Believe in Ghaib (unseen): This means that
Muttaqin believe in Allah, Angels, the Books, the Messengers, the day of judgement and the
divine decree. • Establishment of Namaz: A life full of good deeds and no prayers has no
significance. Namaz is an obligation for all Muslims and it prevents one from indulging in
evil deeds. • Charity: Charity is not related to money only. We can help our fellow Muslim
brothers and sisters in any way possible be it money, knowledge or any other way. Using
your strengths to help humanity for the sake of Allah will take us even closer to success. •
Believe in Revelation: This means that we should believe in whatever was revealed Prophet
Muhammad (SAW). Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) which is the word of
Allah and the ultimate source of success for us. • Undoubted Faith: There are three different
types of faiths; i. Ilm-Ul-yaqeen (Faith gained by knowledge of something) ii. Ain-Ul-yaqeen
(Faith gained by seeing something) iii. Haqq-Ul-yaqeen (Faith gained by experience of
something) Having complete faith in Allah will lead one toward the road of success. 2.
MUNAFIQEEN Munafiqeen are hypocrites. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are
hard to recognize as they publicly call themselves Muslims but in practical life, they are
nowhere near it. The hypocrites consider corruption, duplicity, and hypocrisy signs of their
cleverness. They secretly indulge in all non-Islamic activities but show themselves as the
pious. 3. MUSHRIQEEN: This group is exact opposite of Muttaqin. It makes no difference to
them whether you describe for them or not, warn them or not, give good tidings to them or
not. In principle, they are not spiritually ready to follow the 'right path' or submit to it. They
have minds, eyes, and ears but, when it comes to realities, they are not able to understand, to
see, or to hear, indeed, because their disgraceful actions, their stubbornness, and their enmity,
like curtains, have covered over these means of acknowledgement.