Qur'an - Revision history

Asmith at 06:09, 3 December 2025

2025-12-03T06:09:52Z

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	{{QualityScore\|Lead=2\|Structure=2\|Content=2\|Language=2\|References=1}}		{{QualityScore\|Lead=2\|Structure=2\|Content=2\|Language=3\|References=1}}

	The '''Qur'ān''' (القرآن) is the central religious text of [[Islam]]. Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind. They also consider the text in its original [[Arabic]], to be the literal word of [[Allah]]<ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|2\|23}} Qur'ān, Chapter 2, Verses 23-24]</ref> revealed by the angel Jibreel ([[Gabriel]]) to [[Muhammad]] over a period of twenty-three years<ref>''Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths,'' Mary Pat Fisher, 1997, page 338, I.B. Tauris Publishers, </ref><ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|17\|106}} Qur'an, Chapter 17, Verse 106]</ref>, and view the Qur'an as God's final revelation.<ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|33\|40}} Qur'an, Chapter 33, Verse 40]</ref><ref>Watton, Victor, (1993), ''A student's approach to world religions:Islam'', Hodder & Stoughton, pg 1. ISBN 0-340-58795-4</ref>		The '''Qur'ān''' (القرآن) is the central religious text of [[Islam]]. Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind. They also consider the text in its original [[Arabic]], to be the literal word of [[Allah]]<ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|2\|23}} Qur'ān, Chapter 2, Verses 23-24]</ref> revealed by the angel Jibreel ([[Gabriel]]) to [[Muhammad]] over a period of twenty-three years<ref>''Living Religions: An Encyclopaedia of the World's Faiths,'' Mary Pat Fisher, 1997, page 338, I.B. Tauris Publishers, </ref><ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|17\|106}} Qur'an, Chapter 17, Verse 106]</ref>, and view the Qur'an as God's final revelation.<ref>[{{Quran-url-only\|33\|40}} Qur'an, Chapter 33, Verse 40]</ref><ref>Watton, Victor, (1993), ''A student's approach to world religions:Islam'', Hodder & Stoughton, pg 1. ISBN 0-340-58795-4</ref>

Asmith: /* Saj' and pre-Islamic poetry */

2025-12-03T06:09:30Z

Saj' and pre-Islamic poetry

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	==== Saj' and pre-Islamic poetry ====		==== Saj' and pre-Islamic poetry ====
	Van Putten (2016) notes that while there are differences in style in the Qur'an from typical formal pre-Islamic Classical Arabic poetry as recorded in Islamic tradition (which we often can't be certain if it actually pre-Islamic or even in a dialect similar to that of the Quran), which adheres strictly to a quantitative meter, confirmed pre-Islamic Arabian inscriptions such as the En Avdat text and the Safaito-Hismaic Baal Cycle poem, show strong structural and stylistic similarities to Quranic Saj'.<ref name=":1">[https://phoenixblog.typepad.com/blog/2016/07/the-quran-in-relation-to-pre-islamic-poetry.html ''The Quran in relation to Pre-Islamic poetry.''] PhDniX's blog. Marijn van Putten. 07/23/2016</ref> ~~Such as~~ the Baal Cycle poem which features a 4-4-4 stress pattern and a triadic rhyme closely resembling Quranic Saj', and the En Avdat inscription which is harder to classify but still shows comparable features, with a 3-3-3 stress pattern and a looser triadic rhyme, which also preserves older case vowels, revealing a dialect distinct from Safaitic.<ref name=":1" /> He notes that these findings suggest that the Quran’s poetic style did not emerge in isolation, but rather continued an existing Pre-Islamic Arabic poetic tradition, reflected across different dialects.<ref name=":1" />		Van Putten (2016) notes that while there are differences in style in the Qur'an from typical formal pre-Islamic Classical Arabic poetry as recorded in Islamic tradition (which we often can't be certain if it actually pre-Islamic or even in a dialect similar to that of the Quran), which adheres strictly to a quantitative meter, confirmed pre-Islamic Arabian inscriptions such as the En Avdat text and the Safaito-Hismaic Baal Cycle poem, show strong structural and stylistic similarities to Quranic Saj'.<ref name=":1">[https://phoenixblog.typepad.com/blog/2016/07/the-quran-in-relation-to-pre-islamic-poetry.html ''The Quran in relation to Pre-Islamic poetry.''] PhDniX's blog. Marijn van Putten. 07/23/2016</ref> One example is the Baal Cycle poem which features a 4-4-4 stress pattern and a triadic rhyme closely resembling Quranic Saj', and the En Avdat inscription which is harder to classify but still shows comparable features, with a 3-3-3 stress pattern and a looser triadic rhyme, which also preserves older case vowels, revealing a dialect distinct from Safaitic.<ref name=":1" /> He notes that these findings suggest that the Quran’s poetic style did not emerge in isolation, but rather continued an existing Pre-Islamic Arabic poetic tradition, reflected across different dialects.<ref name=":1" />

	==See also==		==See also==

CPO675: /* Orality */

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Orality

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 === Orality ===
-Archer (2020) when discussing the Qur'an in relation to Professor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_J._Ong Walter J. Ong]'s classical studies on orality and oral cultures (where literacy was either low or non-existent - like much of the ancient world), states that much of the Quran, shows signs of oral composition stylistically (as opposed to beginning as a written text), noting several common trends recognised by Ong.<ref>He also heavily expands upon these and other factors in a more comprehensive and up-to-date work focusing solely on the Qur'ans relation to orality in: ''The Prophet's Whistle: Late Antique Orality, Literacy, and the Quran, University of Iowa Press 2024,'' ''George Archer.''</ref>{{Quote|<i>A Place Between Two Places: The Quranic Barzakh (Islamic History and Thought). pp. 77-78 footnote 33.</i> George Archer. Published by Gorgias Press, 2020. ISBN 10: 1463239874 / ISBN 13: 9781463239879|• <i>“Additive rather than subordinate”</i>: Unlike written language which switches terms and grammatical constructions to break monotony, oral performances create much longer strings of repeating combinations. For example, consider the “and...and...and...” so typical of the books of the Pentateuch, the Gospel of Mark, or classical Arabic generally.
+Archer (2020) when discussing the Qur'an in relation to Professor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_J._Ong Walter J. Ong]'s classical studies on orality and oral cultures (where literacy was either low or non-existent - like much of the ancient world), states that much of the Quran, shows signs of oral composition stylistically (as opposed to beginning as a written text), noting several common trends recognised by Ong.<ref>He also heavily expands upon these and other factors in a more comprehensive and up-to-date work focusing solely on the Qur'ans relation to orality in: ''The Prophet's Whistle: Late Antique Orality, Literacy, and the Quran, University of Iowa Press 2024,'' ''George Archer.'' E.g.
 • <i>“Aggregative rather than analytic”</i>: Oral peoples prefer fixed expressions and formulas that create totalizing pictures, such as ‘the swift-footed Achilles’ or ‘the glorious October revolution.’ To the literate mind these come across as cliché, but to people who cannot look anything up references must come pre-loaded with maximal content. A simple Qurʾānic example is the Christology densely packaged in the phrase ‘Jesus, son of Mary’ and its variations.

CPO675: /* Orality */ Small citation for a much more comprehensive work on Orality by Professor George Archer for anyone wanting to learn more.

2025-08-23T15:59:36Z

Orality: Small citation for a much more comprehensive work on Orality by Professor George Archer for anyone wanting to learn more.

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	=== Orality ===		=== Orality ===
	Archer (2020) when discussing the Qur'an in relation to Professor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_J._Ong Walter J. Ong]'s classical studies on orality and oral cultures (where literacy was either low or non-existent - like much of the ancient world), states that much of the Quran, shows signs of oral composition stylistically (as opposed to beginning as a written text), noting several common trends recognised by Ong.{{Quote\|<i>A Place Between Two Places: The Quranic Barzakh (Islamic History and Thought). pp. 77-78 footnote 33.</i> George Archer. Published by Gorgias Press, 2020. ISBN 10: 1463239874 / ISBN 13: 9781463239879\|• <i>“Additive rather than subordinate”</i>: Unlike written language which switches terms and grammatical constructions to break monotony, oral performances create much longer strings of repeating combinations. For example, consider the “and...and...and...” so typical of the books of the Pentateuch, the Gospel of Mark, or classical Arabic generally.		Archer (2020) when discussing the Qur'an in relation to Professor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_J._Ong Walter J. Ong]'s classical studies on orality and oral cultures (where literacy was either low or non-existent - like much of the ancient world), states that much of the Quran, shows signs of oral composition stylistically (as opposed to beginning as a written text), noting several common trends recognised by Ong.<ref>He also heavily expands upon these and other factors in a more comprehensive and up-to-date work focusing solely on the Qur'ans relation to orality in: ''The Prophet's Whistle: Late Antique Orality, Literacy, and the Quran, University of Iowa Press 2024,'' ''George Archer.''</ref>{{Quote\|<i>A Place Between Two Places: The Quranic Barzakh (Islamic History and Thought). pp. 77-78 footnote 33.</i> George Archer. Published by Gorgias Press, 2020. ISBN 10: 1463239874 / ISBN 13: 9781463239879\|• <i>“Additive rather than subordinate”</i>: Unlike written language which switches terms and grammatical constructions to break monotony, oral performances create much longer strings of repeating combinations. For example, consider the “and...and...and...” so typical of the books of the Pentateuch, the Gospel of Mark, or classical Arabic generally.

	• <i>“Aggregative rather than analytic”</i>: Oral peoples prefer fixed expressions and formulas that create totalizing pictures, such as ‘the swift-footed Achilles’ or ‘the glorious October revolution.’ To the literate mind these come across as cliché, but to people who cannot look anything up references must come pre-loaded with maximal content. A simple Qurʾānic example is the Christology densely packaged in the phrase ‘Jesus, son of Mary’ and its variations.		• <i>“Aggregative rather than analytic”</i>: Oral peoples prefer fixed expressions and formulas that create totalizing pictures, such as ‘the swift-footed Achilles’ or ‘the glorious October revolution.’ To the literate mind these come across as cliché, but to people who cannot look anything up references must come pre-loaded with maximal content. A simple Qurʾānic example is the Christology densely packaged in the phrase ‘Jesus, son of Mary’ and its variations.

CPO675: /* Saj' and Soothsayers (kuhhān) */ Added a section on Saj's wider link with poetry and Arabia from MVP's blog - will continue with a section on Pre-Islamic Poetry and the Quran.

2025-08-23T15:53:44Z

Saj' and Soothsayers (kuhhān): Added a section on Saj's wider link with poetry and Arabia from MVP's blog - will continue with a section on Pre-Islamic Poetry and the Quran.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:53, 23 August 2025
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	=== Poetry and prose ===		=== Poetry and prose ===
	The Qur'an contains both poetry and prose, as did some other Arabic literature at the time, such as the Ayyām al-ʿarab.<ref>Toral-Niehoff, Isabel. “Talking about Arab Origins: The Transmission of the Ayyām al-ʿarab in al-Kūfa, al-Baṣra and Baghdād.” In ''The Place to Go: Contexts of Learning in Baghdad, 750-1000 C.E.'', edited by Jens Scheiner and Damien Janos, 47–76. Gerlach Press, 2021. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1b9f5pp.8</nowiki>.</ref>		The Qur'an contains both poetry and prose, as did some other Arabic literature at the time, such as the Ayyām al-ʿarab.<ref>Toral-Niehoff, Isabel. “Talking about Arab Origins: The Transmission of the Ayyām al-ʿarab in al-Kūfa, al-Baṣra and Baghdād.” In ''The Place to Go: Contexts of Learning in Baghdad, 750-1000 C.E.'', edited by Jens Scheiner and Damien Janos, 47–76. Gerlach Press, 2021. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1b9f5pp.8</nowiki>.</ref>
	{{Quote\|Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 107-108). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.\|Nothing compels us to view the milieu of the Qur’an as a culturally undeveloped space. Indeed, the cultural and social scenario of the peripheral Hijaz is only being explored by research; yet the literature that we already possess, in particular poetry and heroic prose narratives, justifies an image of a society whose verbal sensibilities and literary formation defy all clichés of an “empty Hijaz.”<sup>10</sup> The extensive corpus of hero stories of the so-called ayyām al-ʿarab,<sup>11</sup> the “battle days of the Arab tribes disparately transmitted prose texts interspersed with poetry that report the tribal confrontations of sixth/seventh centuries, offers—despite the fact that it was written down only in retrospect—an authentic record of autochthonous nomadic culture, and provides convincing explanations of the social and ideological preconditions for the changes that set in with the Qur’anic proclamation.}}		{{Quote\|Neuwirth, Angelika. <i>The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 107-108).</i> Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.\|Nothing compels us to view the milieu of the Qur’an as a culturally undeveloped space. Indeed, the cultural and social scenario of the peripheral Hijaz is only being explored by research; yet the literature that we already possess, in particular poetry and heroic prose narratives, justifies an image of a society whose verbal sensibilities and literary formation defy all clichés of an “empty Hijaz.”<sup>10</sup> The extensive corpus of hero stories of the so-called ayyām al-ʿarab,<sup>11</sup> the “battle days of the Arab tribes disparately transmitted prose texts interspersed with poetry that report the tribal confrontations of sixth/seventh centuries, offers—despite the fact that it was written down only in retrospect—an authentic record of autochthonous nomadic culture, and provides convincing explanations of the social and ideological preconditions for the changes that set in with the Qur’anic proclamation.}}

	==== Saj' ~~and Soothsayers~~ (~~kuhhān~~) ====		==== Saj' (Rhymed prose) ====
	Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers (sg. kāhin pl. kuhhān).<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref>		Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers (sg. kāhin pl. kuhhān).<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref>

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	This may be compared with the words of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, orator of the tribe of Asad, who represented them to the Prophet (Ibn al-Athir, Usd 2.29): <i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>		This may be compared with the words of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, orator of the tribe of Asad, who represented them to the Prophet (Ibn al-Athir, Usd 2.29): <i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>

	Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>
	<i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>

	Having passed this test, the diviners would then proceed to give their answer to the question set before them. Here, for example, is the reply of a diviner of ‘Usfan to two members of the tribe of Quraysh, who had asked which of them was the more noble (Ibn Habib, Mun. 108): <i>I swear by dust-coloured gazelles (halaftu bi-azbin ‘ufri) in mirage-glinting deserts (bi-lamma‘ati qafri) roaming among thorn-trees and lote-trees (yarudna bayna silmin wa-sidri) The highest degree of glory and honour (inna sana’ al-majdi thumma l-fakhri) is ever to be found in ‘A’idh (la-fî ‘A’idh ilâ âkhiri d-dahri) </i>

	Though the Quran vigorously asserts that it is ‘not diviner’s speech’ (lâ bi-qawli kâhin), one can understand why Muhammad’s contemporaries regarded it as such, since the same rhythmic drive is present, though the content has of course been adapted to the new message. Here is a particularly fine example (91.1–10):
	<i>By the sun and its midday brightness (wash-shamsi wa-ḍuḥâ-hâ) By the moon which rises after it (wa-l-qamari idhâ talâ-hâ) By the day which reveals its splendour (wan-nahâri idhâ jallâ-hâ) By the night which veils it (wal-layli idhâ yaghshâ-hâ) By the heaven and Him that built it (was-samâ’i wa-mâ banâ-hâ) By the earth and Him that spread it (wa-l-ardi wa-mâ ṭaḥâ-hâ) By a soul and Him that moulded it (wa-nafsin wa-mâ sawwâ-hâ) And gave it knowledge of sin and piety (fa-alhama-hâ fujûra-hâ wa-taqwâ-hâ) Blessed shall be the man who has kept it pure (qad aflaha man zakkâ-hâ) And ruined he that has corrupted it (wa-qad khâba man dassâ-hâ)</i>

	Like the characters of Greek and Latin histories, pre-Islamic heroes were made to utter speeches felt by the later Muslim historian to be appropriate to the event or subject being treated, deemed to be similar to what would have been uttered by such a figure on such an occasion. These are usually long and fulsome, packed with rhetorical devices, whereas it may be that pre-Islamic Arabic oratory was, by contrast, not so different from the short staccato-like expression of the diviners. Here is one of God’s first addresses to Muhammad (74.1–7): <i>You, enveloped in your cloak (yâ ayyuhâ l-muddaththir) Arise and warn (qum fa-andhir) Magnify your Lord (wa-rabbaka fa-kabbir) Purify your attire (wa-thiyâbaka fa-ṭahhir) Shun pollution (war-rujza fa-hjur) Do not grant favours in expectation of gain (wa-lâ tamnun tastakthiru) For your Lord’s sake be patient (wa-li-rabbika fa-ṣbir)</i>

	~~This may be compared with the words of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, orator of the tribe of Asad, who represented them to the Prophet (Ibn al-Athir, Usd 2.29):~~
	<i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>

	Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>}}Stewart (2006) has classified five main types of Saj' patterns found in the Qur'an.<ref>Stewart, Devin (2006). "Rhymed Prose". [https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 4.] Brill. pp. 476–484. ''pp. 479-181.''		Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>}}Stewart (2006) has classified five main types of Saj' patterns found in the Qur'an.<ref>Stewart, Devin (2006). "Rhymed Prose". [https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 4.] Brill. pp. 476–484. ''pp. 479-181.''

	Read for free on internet archive: https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up</ref>		Read for free on internet archive: https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up</ref>

			==== Saj' and pre-Islamic poetry ====
			Van Putten (2016) notes that while there are differences in style in the Qur'an from typical formal pre-Islamic Classical Arabic poetry as recorded in Islamic tradition (which we often can't be certain if it actually pre-Islamic or even in a dialect similar to that of the Quran), which adheres strictly to a quantitative meter, confirmed pre-Islamic Arabian inscriptions such as the En Avdat text and the Safaito-Hismaic Baal Cycle poem, show strong structural and stylistic similarities to Quranic Saj'.<ref name=":1">[https://phoenixblog.typepad.com/blog/2016/07/the-quran-in-relation-to-pre-islamic-poetry.html ''The Quran in relation to Pre-Islamic poetry.''] PhDniX's blog. Marijn van Putten. 07/23/2016</ref> Such as the Baal Cycle poem which features a 4-4-4 stress pattern and a triadic rhyme closely resembling Quranic Saj', and the En Avdat inscription which is harder to classify but still shows comparable features, with a 3-3-3 stress pattern and a looser triadic rhyme, which also preserves older case vowels, revealing a dialect distinct from Safaitic.<ref name=":1" /> He notes that these findings suggest that the Quran’s poetic style did not emerge in isolation, but rather continued an existing Pre-Islamic Arabic poetic tradition, reflected across different dialects.<ref name=":1" />

	==See also==		==See also==
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	*[http://quranx.com/ Quranx.com] - easily navigable translations and etymological background for each verse in the Quran		*[http://quranx.com/ Quranx.com] - easily navigable translations and etymological background for each verse in the Quran
	*[~~http~~://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/~~Quran/index~~.~~htm~~ Skeptic's Annotated Quran]		*[https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/page.php?type=mainintro&book=q&id=2 Skeptic's Annotated Quran]
	*[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/denis_giron/multiple.html Qur'an: A Work of Multiple Hands?] ''- Denis Giron''		*[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/denis_giron/multiple.html Qur'an: A Work of Multiple Hands?] ''- Denis Giron''

CPO675: /* Orality */ Have added a section on the formulaic language of the Qur'an, citing Andrew Bannister as a source an provided examples from his 2014 book, and Nicolai Sinai's summary and approval.

2025-03-28T21:16:41Z

Orality: Have added a section on the formulaic language of the Qur'an, citing Andrew Bannister as a source an provided examples from his 2014 book, and Nicolai Sinai's summary and approval.

Show changes

CPO675: /* Saj' and Soothsayers (kuhhān) */ grammar fix

2025-02-02T22:05:14Z

Saj' and Soothsayers (kuhhān): grammar fix

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	Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers (sg. kāhin pl. kuhhān).<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref>		Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers (sg. kāhin pl. kuhhān).<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref>

	Gelder (2012) ~~discussed~~ early examples in his paper "''Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)"'', noting that in pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, as well as mantic utterances of soothsayers and diviners, it was used for special occasions and genres: pithy sayings, maxims, proverbs, speeches of heightened emotion or for solemn occasions.<ref name=":0">Gelder, Geert Jan van. "Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)". ''Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology'', New York, USA: New York University Press, 2012, pp. 110-113. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814745113.003.0040</nowiki></ref> An example provided is from the mother of the pre-Islamic poet-brigand Taʾabbaṭa Sharrā, lamenting her son: ''wā-bnāh wa-bna l-layl * laysa bi-zummayl * sharūbun lil-qayl * raqūdun bil-layl * wa-wādin dhī hawl * ʾajazta bil-layl * taḍribu bidh-dhayl * bi-rajlin ka-th-thawl O son, son of the night * he is no coward taking flight * who drinks at noon bright * or sleeps at night * many a wadi full of fright * you crossed at night * shaking your coat’s hem * with men like bees in a swarm.''<ref name=":0" />		Gelder (2012) discusses early examples in his paper "''Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)"'', noting that in pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, as well as mantic utterances of soothsayers and diviners, it was used for special occasions and genres: pithy sayings, maxims, proverbs, speeches of heightened emotion or for solemn occasions.<ref name=":0">Gelder, Geert Jan van. "Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)". ''Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology'', New York, USA: New York University Press, 2012, pp. 110-113. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814745113.003.0040</nowiki></ref> An example provided is from the mother of the pre-Islamic poet-brigand Taʾabbaṭa Sharrā, lamenting her son: ''wā-bnāh wa-bna l-layl * laysa bi-zummayl * sharūbun lil-qayl * raqūdun bil-layl * wa-wādin dhī hawl * ʾajazta bil-layl * taḍribu bidh-dhayl * bi-rajlin ka-th-thawl O son, son of the night * he is no coward taking flight * who drinks at noon bright * or sleeps at night * many a wadi full of fright * you crossed at night * shaking your coat’s hem * with men like bees in a swarm.''<ref name=":0" />

	Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabia.		Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabia.

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	{{Quote\|Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 107-108). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.\|Nothing compels us to view the milieu of the Qur’an as a culturally undeveloped space. Indeed, the cultural and social scenario of the peripheral Hijaz is only being explored by research; yet the literature that we already possess, in particular poetry and heroic prose narratives, justifies an image of a society whose verbal sensibilities and literary formation defy all clichés of an “empty Hijaz.”<sup>10</sup> The extensive corpus of hero stories of the so-called ayyām al-ʿarab,<sup>11</sup> the “battle days of the Arab tribes disparately transmitted prose texts interspersed with poetry that report the tribal confrontations of sixth/seventh centuries, offers—despite the fact that it was written down only in retrospect—an authentic record of autochthonous nomadic culture, and provides convincing explanations of the social and ideological preconditions for the changes that set in with the Qur’anic proclamation.}}		{{Quote\|Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 107-108). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.\|Nothing compels us to view the milieu of the Qur’an as a culturally undeveloped space. Indeed, the cultural and social scenario of the peripheral Hijaz is only being explored by research; yet the literature that we already possess, in particular poetry and heroic prose narratives, justifies an image of a society whose verbal sensibilities and literary formation defy all clichés of an “empty Hijaz.”<sup>10</sup> The extensive corpus of hero stories of the so-called ayyām al-ʿarab,<sup>11</sup> the “battle days of the Arab tribes disparately transmitted prose texts interspersed with poetry that report the tribal confrontations of sixth/seventh centuries, offers—despite the fact that it was written down only in retrospect—an authentic record of autochthonous nomadic culture, and provides convincing explanations of the social and ideological preconditions for the changes that set in with the Qur’anic proclamation.}}

	==== Saj' and Soothsayers ====		==== Saj' and Soothsayers (kuhhān) ====
	Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers.<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref> Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabia.		Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers (sg. kāhin pl. kuhhān).<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref>
	{{Quote\|Hoyland, Robert G.. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Peoples of the Ancient World) (pp. 220-223). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.\|~~Supernatural speech~~ When, after communion with the spirits, diviners gave their response to those who had sought them out, they did so in a highly stylised language, in rhymed prose of lofty style and cryptic diction. This distinctive style of divinatory speech was evidently employed to highlight the supernatural origin of the message, for the diviners were but the mouthpiece of a spirit. Often they would begin with a string of oaths, issued fast and hard like a drum roll, which formed the prelude to their verdict. It was a common practice to test prospective diviners by challenging them to identify a concealed object. Here is the reply of Salma al-’Udhri to such a challenge by two members of the tribe of Khuza’a, who are considering employing him to adjudicate in a contest of honour between them about who has the better horse (Ibn Habib, Mun. 110): <i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>
			Gelder (2012) discussed early examples in his paper "''Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)"'', noting that in pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, as well as mantic utterances of soothsayers and diviners, it was used for special occasions and genres: pithy sayings, maxims, proverbs, speeches of heightened emotion or for solemn occasions.<ref name=":0">Gelder, Geert Jan van. "Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Sajʿ)". ''Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology'', New York, USA: New York University Press, 2012, pp. 110-113. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814745113.003.0040</nowiki></ref> An example provided is from the mother of the pre-Islamic poet-brigand Taʾabbaṭa Sharrā, lamenting her son: ''wā-bnāh wa-bna l-layl * laysa bi-zummayl * sharūbun lil-qayl * raqūdun bil-layl * wa-wādin dhī hawl * ʾajazta bil-layl * taḍribu bidh-dhayl * bi-rajlin ka-th-thawl O son, son of the night * he is no coward taking flight * who drinks at noon bright * or sleeps at night * many a wadi full of fright * you crossed at night * shaking your coat’s hem * with men like bees in a swarm.''<ref name=":0" />

			Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabia.
			{{Quote\|Hoyland, Robert G.. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Peoples of the Ancient World) (pp. 220-223). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.\|When, after communion with the spirits, diviners gave their response to those who had sought them out, they did so in a highly stylised language, in rhymed prose of lofty style and cryptic diction. This distinctive style of divinatory speech was evidently employed to highlight the supernatural origin of the message, for the diviners were but the mouthpiece of a spirit. Often they would begin with a string of oaths, issued fast and hard like a drum roll, which formed the prelude to their verdict. It was a common practice to test prospective diviners by challenging them to identify a concealed object. Here is the reply of Salma al-’Udhri to such a challenge by two members of the tribe of Khuza’a, who are considering employing him to adjudicate in a contest of honour between them about who has the better horse (Ibn Habib, Mun. 110): <i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>

	Having passed this test, the diviners would then proceed to give their answer to the question set before them. Here, for example, is the reply of a diviner of ‘Usfan to two members of the tribe of Quraysh, who had asked which of them was the more noble (Ibn Habib, Mun. 108): <i>I swear by dust-coloured gazelles (halaftu bi-azbin ‘ufri) in mirage-glinting deserts (bi-lamma‘ati qafri) roaming among thorn-trees and lote-trees (yarudna bayna silmin wa-sidri) The highest degree of glory and honour (inna sana’ al-majdi thumma l-fakhri) is ever to be found in ‘A’idh (la-fî ‘A’idh ilâ âkhiri d-dahri) </i>		Having passed this test, the diviners would then proceed to give their answer to the question set before them. Here, for example, is the reply of a diviner of ‘Usfan to two members of the tribe of Quraysh, who had asked which of them was the more noble (Ibn Habib, Mun. 108): <i>I swear by dust-coloured gazelles (halaftu bi-azbin ‘ufri) in mirage-glinting deserts (bi-lamma‘ati qafri) roaming among thorn-trees and lote-trees (yarudna bayna silmin wa-sidri) The highest degree of glory and honour (inna sana’ al-majdi thumma l-fakhri) is ever to be found in ‘A’idh (la-fî ‘A’idh ilâ âkhiri d-dahri) </i>

CPO675: /* Saj' and Soothsayers */ Added more info on the Qur'ans link with pre-Islamic saj'

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Saj' and Soothsayers: Added more info on the Qur'ans link with pre-Islamic saj'

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	==== Saj' and Soothsayers ====		==== Saj' and Soothsayers ====
	Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 ~~saj~~'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers.<ref>Ibid. pp. 103</ref> As Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic ~~Arabic literature~~.		Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry or "rhymed prose" known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 Saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers.<ref>''Ibid. pp. 103'' & Stewart, Devin (2006). "Soothsayer" Entry. ''[https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol5/page/n81/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 5.] Brill. pp. 78–80.'' </ref> Neuwirth (2019) notes, although the Qur’an presents only a polemical stance toward the soothsayers, it nonetheless attests a clearly perceived formal relationship to the mantic forms of discourse of the early Arab seers, who's oracular pronouncements were marked by metrically undefined rhyming prose, which bore similarities to the early Meccan suras—particularly in their use of introductory oath clusters, a structure not found elsewhere.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (p. 425). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition. </ref> Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabia.
	{{Quote\|Hoyland, Robert G.. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Peoples of the Ancient World) (pp. 220-223). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.\|Supernatural speech When, after communion with the spirits, diviners gave their response to those who had sought them out, they did so in a highly stylised language, in rhymed prose of lofty style and cryptic diction. This distinctive style of divinatory speech was evidently employed to highlight the supernatural origin of the message, for the diviners were but the mouthpiece of a spirit. Often they would begin with a string of oaths, issued fast and hard like a drum roll, which formed the prelude to their verdict. It was a common practice to test prospective diviners by challenging them to identify a concealed object. Here is the reply of Salma al-’Udhri to such a challenge by two members of the tribe of Khuza’a, who are considering employing him to adjudicate in a contest of honour between them about who has the better horse (Ibn Habib, Mun. 110): <i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>		{{Quote\|Hoyland, Robert G.. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Peoples of the Ancient World) (pp. 220-223). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.\|Supernatural speech When, after communion with the spirits, diviners gave their response to those who had sought them out, they did so in a highly stylised language, in rhymed prose of lofty style and cryptic diction. This distinctive style of divinatory speech was evidently employed to highlight the supernatural origin of the message, for the diviners were but the mouthpiece of a spirit. Often they would begin with a string of oaths, issued fast and hard like a drum roll, which formed the prelude to their verdict. It was a common practice to test prospective diviners by challenging them to identify a concealed object. Here is the reply of Salma al-’Udhri to such a challenge by two members of the tribe of Khuza’a, who are considering employing him to adjudicate in a contest of honour between them about who has the better horse (Ibn Habib, Mun. 110): <i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>

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	<i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>		<i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>

	Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>}}		Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>}}Stewart (2006) has classified five main types of Saj' patterns found in the Qur'an.<ref>Stewart, Devin (2006). "Rhymed Prose". [https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up Encyclopedia Of The Quran Vol 4.] Brill. pp. 476–484. ''pp. 479-181.''

			Read for free on internet archive: https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaOfTheQuranVol4/page/n483/mode/2up</ref>

	==See also==		==See also==

CPO675: /* Orality */ Added section on the Qur'an's link with poetry, prose and saj' - link to academic papers/books provided for people wanting to read more.

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Orality: Added section on the Qur'an's link with poetry, prose and saj' - link to academic papers/books provided for people wanting to read more.

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	• <i>“Agonistically toned”</i>: Oral cultures generally throw down dares, puzzles, and provocations for its listeners to keep them engaged. “Proverbs and riddles are not used simply to store knowledge but to engage others in verbal and intellectual combat: utterance of one proverb or riddle challenges hearers to top it with a more apposite or a contradictory one.” On a similar note excessively violent material with gory detail, as well as rich declarations of praise, are common. The audience is not only to be interested; they must react. We have seen already the ‘challenge verse’ of Yūnus 10:38. More examples would include the very colorful explanations of Paradise and frightening imagery of damnation.}}		• <i>“Agonistically toned”</i>: Oral cultures generally throw down dares, puzzles, and provocations for its listeners to keep them engaged. “Proverbs and riddles are not used simply to store knowledge but to engage others in verbal and intellectual combat: utterance of one proverb or riddle challenges hearers to top it with a more apposite or a contradictory one.” On a similar note excessively violent material with gory detail, as well as rich declarations of praise, are common. The audience is not only to be interested; they must react. We have seen already the ‘challenge verse’ of Yūnus 10:38. More examples would include the very colorful explanations of Paradise and frightening imagery of damnation.}}

			=== Poetry and prose ===
			The Qur'an contains both poetry and prose, as did some other Arabic literature at the time, such as the Ayyām al-ʿarab.<ref>Toral-Niehoff, Isabel. “Talking about Arab Origins: The Transmission of the Ayyām al-ʿarab in al-Kūfa, al-Baṣra and Baghdād.” In ''The Place to Go: Contexts of Learning in Baghdad, 750-1000 C.E.'', edited by Jens Scheiner and Damien Janos, 47–76. Gerlach Press, 2021. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1b9f5pp.8</nowiki>.</ref>
			{{Quote\|Neuwirth, Angelika. The Qur'an and Late Antiquity: A Shared Heritage (Oxford Studies in Late Antiquity) (pp. 107-108). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.\|Nothing compels us to view the milieu of the Qur’an as a culturally undeveloped space. Indeed, the cultural and social scenario of the peripheral Hijaz is only being explored by research; yet the literature that we already possess, in particular poetry and heroic prose narratives, justifies an image of a society whose verbal sensibilities and literary formation defy all clichés of an “empty Hijaz.”<sup>10</sup> The extensive corpus of hero stories of the so-called ayyām al-ʿarab,<sup>11</sup> the “battle days of the Arab tribes disparately transmitted prose texts interspersed with poetry that report the tribal confrontations of sixth/seventh centuries, offers—despite the fact that it was written down only in retrospect—an authentic record of autochthonous nomadic culture, and provides convincing explanations of the social and ideological preconditions for the changes that set in with the Qur’anic proclamation.}}

			==== Saj' and Soothsayers ====
			Many academics (and traditional Islamic scholars) have noted the comparison of the style with a pre-Islamic form of what one would consider a type of poetry known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saj%27 saj'].<ref>Stewart, Devin J. “Sajʿ in the ‘Qurʾān’: Prosody and Structure.” ''Journal of Arabic Literature'', vol. 21, no. 2, 1990, pp. 101–39. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183221</nowiki>. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.</ref> It was heavily associated with Soothsayers.<ref>Ibid. pp. 103</ref> As Hoyland (2001) writes about pre-Islamic Arabic literature.
			{{Quote\|Hoyland, Robert G.. Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Peoples of the Ancient World) (pp. 220-223). Taylor & Francis. Kindle Edition.\|Supernatural speech When, after communion with the spirits, diviners gave their response to those who had sought them out, they did so in a highly stylised language, in rhymed prose of lofty style and cryptic diction. This distinctive style of divinatory speech was evidently employed to highlight the supernatural origin of the message, for the diviners were but the mouthpiece of a spirit. Often they would begin with a string of oaths, issued fast and hard like a drum roll, which formed the prelude to their verdict. It was a common practice to test prospective diviners by challenging them to identify a concealed object. Here is the reply of Salma al-’Udhri to such a challenge by two members of the tribe of Khuza’a, who are considering employing him to adjudicate in a contest of honour between them about who has the better horse (Ibn Habib, Mun. 110): <i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>

			Having passed this test, the diviners would then proceed to give their answer to the question set before them. Here, for example, is the reply of a diviner of ‘Usfan to two members of the tribe of Quraysh, who had asked which of them was the more noble (Ibn Habib, Mun. 108): <i>I swear by dust-coloured gazelles (halaftu bi-azbin ‘ufri) in mirage-glinting deserts (bi-lamma‘ati qafri) roaming among thorn-trees and lote-trees (yarudna bayna silmin wa-sidri) The highest degree of glory and honour (inna sana’ al-majdi thumma l-fakhri) is ever to be found in ‘A’idh (la-fî ‘A’idh ilâ âkhiri d-dahri) </i>

			Though the Quran vigorously asserts that it is ‘not diviner’s speech’ (lâ bi-qawli kâhin), one can understand why Muhammad’s contemporaries regarded it as such, since the same rhythmic drive is present, though the content has of course been adapted to the new message. Here is a particularly fine example (91.1–10): <i>By the sun and its midday brightness (wash-shamsi wa-ḍuḥâ-hâ) By the moon which rises after it (wa-l-qamari idhâ talâ-hâ) By the day which reveals its splendour (wan-nahâri idhâ jallâ-hâ) By the night which veils it (wal-layli idhâ yaghshâ-hâ) By the heaven and Him that built it (was-samâ’i wa-mâ banâ-hâ) By the earth and Him that spread it (wa-l-ardi wa-mâ ṭaḥâ-hâ) By a soul and Him that moulded it (wa-nafsin wa-mâ sawwâ-hâ) And gave it knowledge of sin and piety (fa-alhama-hâ fujûra-hâ wa-taqwâ-hâ) Blessed shall be the man who has kept it pure (qad aflaha man zakkâ-hâ) And ruined he that has corrupted it (wa-qad khâba man dassâ-hâ)</i>

			Like the characters of Greek and Latin histories, pre-Islamic heroes were made to utter speeches felt by the later Muslim historian to be appropriate to the event or subject being treated, deemed to be similar to what would have been uttered by such a figure on such an occasion. These are usually long and fulsome, packed with rhetorical devices, whereas it may be that pre-Islamic Arabic oratory was, by contrast, not so different from the short staccato-like expression of the diviners. Here is one of God’s first addresses to Muhammad (74.1–7): <i>You, enveloped in your cloak (yâ ayyuhâ l-muddaththir) Arise and warn (qum fa-andhir) Magnify your Lord (wa-rabbaka fa-kabbir) Purify your attire (wa-thiyâbaka fa-ṭahhir) Shun pollution (war-rujza fa-hjur) Do not grant favours in expectation of gain (wa-lâ tamnun tastakthiru) For your Lord’s sake be patient (wa-li-rabbika fa-ṣbir)</i>

			This may be compared with the words of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, orator of the tribe of Asad, who represented them to the Prophet (Ibn al-Athir, Usd 2.29): <i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>

			Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>
			<i>I swear by the light and the moon (ahlifu bin-nûri wa-l-qamri) by the lightning flash and by fate (was-sana wad-dahri) by the winds and the cleaving (war-riyâhi wa-l-fatri) You have hidden for me a vulture’s corpse (la-qad khaba’tum lî juththata nasri) in a bundle of hair (fi ‘ikmin min sha’ri) in the possession of the youth from the Banu Nasr (ma’a l-fatâ min banî Nasri)</i>

			Having passed this test, the diviners would then proceed to give their answer to the question set before them. Here, for example, is the reply of a diviner of ‘Usfan to two members of the tribe of Quraysh, who had asked which of them was the more noble (Ibn Habib, Mun. 108): <i>I swear by dust-coloured gazelles (halaftu bi-azbin ‘ufri) in mirage-glinting deserts (bi-lamma‘ati qafri) roaming among thorn-trees and lote-trees (yarudna bayna silmin wa-sidri) The highest degree of glory and honour (inna sana’ al-majdi thumma l-fakhri) is ever to be found in ‘A’idh (la-fî ‘A’idh ilâ âkhiri d-dahri) </i>

			Though the Quran vigorously asserts that it is ‘not diviner’s speech’ (lâ bi-qawli kâhin), one can understand why Muhammad’s contemporaries regarded it as such, since the same rhythmic drive is present, though the content has of course been adapted to the new message. Here is a particularly fine example (91.1–10):
			<i>By the sun and its midday brightness (wash-shamsi wa-ḍuḥâ-hâ) By the moon which rises after it (wa-l-qamari idhâ talâ-hâ) By the day which reveals its splendour (wan-nahâri idhâ jallâ-hâ) By the night which veils it (wal-layli idhâ yaghshâ-hâ) By the heaven and Him that built it (was-samâ’i wa-mâ banâ-hâ) By the earth and Him that spread it (wa-l-ardi wa-mâ ṭaḥâ-hâ) By a soul and Him that moulded it (wa-nafsin wa-mâ sawwâ-hâ) And gave it knowledge of sin and piety (fa-alhama-hâ fujûra-hâ wa-taqwâ-hâ) Blessed shall be the man who has kept it pure (qad aflaha man zakkâ-hâ) And ruined he that has corrupted it (wa-qad khâba man dassâ-hâ)</i>

			Like the characters of Greek and Latin histories, pre-Islamic heroes were made to utter speeches felt by the later Muslim historian to be appropriate to the event or subject being treated, deemed to be similar to what would have been uttered by such a figure on such an occasion. These are usually long and fulsome, packed with rhetorical devices, whereas it may be that pre-Islamic Arabic oratory was, by contrast, not so different from the short staccato-like expression of the diviners. Here is one of God’s first addresses to Muhammad (74.1–7): <i>You, enveloped in your cloak (yâ ayyuhâ l-muddaththir) Arise and warn (qum fa-andhir) Magnify your Lord (wa-rabbaka fa-kabbir) Purify your attire (wa-thiyâbaka fa-ṭahhir) Shun pollution (war-rujza fa-hjur) Do not grant favours in expectation of gain (wa-lâ tamnun tastakthiru) For your Lord’s sake be patient (wa-li-rabbika fa-ṣbir)</i>

			This may be compared with the words of Hadrami ibn ‘Amir, orator of the tribe of Asad, who represented them to the Prophet (Ibn al-Athir, Usd 2.29):
			<i>We have come to you (innâ ataynâka) journeying through a black night (nataḍarra’ al-layla al-bahîma) in a sterile white year (fi sanatin shahbâ’) of our own accord (wa-lam tursil ilaynâ) We are of your ilk (wa-naḥnu minka) united by [our common ancestor] Khuzayma (tajma’unâ Khuzayma) Our sacred territories are well protected (ḥimânâ manî’) our women are virtuous (wa-nisâ’unâ mawâjid) our sons brave and noble (wa-abnâ’unâ anjâd amjâd)</i>

			Similar also are the sermons of the famed bishop of Najran, Quss ibn Sa’ida, of whom Muhammad is said to have memorised the following excerpt (Isfahani 14.40): <i>Oh people, assemble (ayyuhâ n-nâsu jtami’û) listen and pay heed (wa-sma’û wa-’û) All who live die (man ‘âsha mât) and all who die are lost (wa-man mâta fât) and everything that is coming will come (wa-kulla mâ huwa âtin ât)</i>}}

	==See also==		==See also==