An Analysis of the Readings of the Language of the Qurʾān and Its Epistemological Sources

The language of the Qurʾān is one of the most debated topics in scholarly circles, drawing significant attention from experts in the field. As a matter of fact, their views in this field have not been in a specific trajectory. This article employs a documentary-library method alongside a descriptive approach to conduct a conceptual analysis of the qualitative content found in three readings of the Qurʾānic language, exploring their epistemological sources. The results indicate that the main concerns of the commentators (Arabic: مُفسّر; plural: Arabic: مفسّرون, romanized: mufassirūn) during the era of the Qurʾān’s revelation (Arabic: اَلْنُّزول, Romanized: al-nuzūl) were the succinct expression of verses and a minimal explanation of their literary features. The exegetical narrations of the Prophet Muḥammad ṣallā llāhu ʿalayhī wa-ʾālihī wa-sallama substantiate this claim. The Companions of the Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) or Ṣaḥāba (Arabic: اَلْصَّحابَة) and tābiʿūn (Arabic: اَلتَّابِعُونَ, also accusative or genitive tābiʿīn اَلتَّابِعِینَ, singular tābiʿ تَابِعٌ) who had schools and traditions of exegesis provided brief explanations in their interpretations of the verses. In the second century, serious debates emerged among Islamic sects regarding the creation of the Qurʾān, with each group striving to assert its own beliefs. Early commentators considered the language of the Qurʾān to be characterized by Arabic linguistic features and tribal dialects. The controversies surrounding the narrations of “Aḥruf-i Sabʿah” and “Gharīb al-Qurʾān,” (Arabic: احرف سبعه و غریب القرآن) as well as some of the grammatical complexities, reflect such discourse. The issue of the createdness of the Qurʾān laid the foundation for later views on the language of the Qurʾān. This was particularly significant in interpreting the verses of mutashābih (Arabic: مُتَشابِه) and the mythical themes of some verses, where commentators faced severe disagreements. These disputes eventually led to the formulation of the doctrine of the created Qurʾān. Recently, the dominance of linguistic and semiotic methods has brought a fresh perspective to this issue. Over the centuries, three interpretations have been proposed: The language of the Qurʾān as a type of dialects and forms of expression, the language of the Qurʾān as the ultimate cause of centuries-long verbal disputes, and its spoken or written form.