The Inimitbility (i’jaz) of the Holy Quran

By Shaikh Abbas Mirza
According to the prominent Arabic lexicographer, al Raghib al Isfahānī (d. 425 AH), the word i’jāz is derived from the Arabic radicals ‘a j z which first literally meant `delayed` or to delay from executing an action after the command has been issued. It was then later used in the conventional (‘urf) of the Arabs to mean `to be incapable of, to be weak` (al Isfahānī 1992). Hence when applied in relation to the Qur’an it implies that the human kind is rendered people incapable of producing a word like Qur’an. However, ayatollah Khu’i in the prolegomena to the Qur’an states i’jāz means that a person claiming a divine appointment proves the truthfulness of his claim by doing things that go beyond the laws of nature (Khu’i, 2000, p. 39). This definition seems not to differentiate between a miracle (mu’jizah) and inimitability (i’jāz), nevertheless they come from the same root word while mu’jizah is the active principle of a’jaza and i’jāz is the verbal noun.
Thereby, this definition consists in the belief that the Qur’an is a miracle (mu’jizah) bestowed upon the prophet and while being so it also proves the truthfulness of the prophet. The Qur’an challenges Jinn and mankind to bring forth a similar text like Qur’an: `Say: If the whole of mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support`(17:88) In Arabic language this is referred as a tahadi and it seems that the Qur’an is presenting challenges to jinn and men in different stages (Ma’rafat, 1999, pp. 367, 368).
First it challenges them in the absolute sense; to bring-forth a book like Qur’an then it ask for a chapter then when the limitation of man is manifested it ask for at-least a verse to be reproduce like Qur’an. Similar to the view of Ayatullah Khu’i, Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli philosophically analyse tahadi and concluded it to be a miracle he asserts: `If the book is not the word of God then it would have to be the word of a man, thus, a human being is able to produce a similar text, however no man has ever able to produce a verse like it exhibiting the Qur’an to be the work of God. Through this Qur’an becomes a miracle and also establishes the apostleship of the Prophet of Islam` (Amuli 1999, p.128-9).
It appears that the Qur’an has not called itself as a miracle rather it is logically concluded and extrapolated from the challenge that it invokes.
There seems to be a difference of opinion among the Muslim scholars in relation to the miraculous nature of the Qur’an some of the early Mu’tazilite theologians introduce the concept of sarfah (turning away), which means the attempts made by the people will be rendered futile by God. The theory of sarfah was heavily criticised by many Muslim and Orientalist scholars, such as Wansbrough wrote that the theory of sarfah is `slightly unrealistic` and unsatisfactory (Wansbrough, 1977, p.80). Abd al-Jabbar (d. 1025 CE), the Mu’tazilite theologian also rejected sarfah because of its obvious weaknesses.
`Abd al-Jabbar rejects the doctrine of sarfa for two main reasons. Firstly, because it contradicts the verse of the Qur’an stating that neither jinn nor human can rival the Qur’an, and secondly because it makes a miracle of something other than the Qur’an, i.e., the sarfah, the prohibition from production, and not the Qur’an itself. In addition to this, according to ‘Abd al-Jabbar, the doctrine of sarfah displays four major weaknesses:
1. It ignores the well-known fact that the Arabs of Muhammad’s time had acknowledged the superior quality of speech of the Qur’an;
2. It is in direct conflict with the meaning of the verses of the Challenge;
3. It implies that the Qur’an is not a miracle; and 4. It asserts that the Arabs were out of their minds (khuruj ‘an al-’aql).This doctrine, in fact, implies that they could have produced a rival to the Qur’an, but simply decided against doing so. It effectively calls into question either their motives or their sanity. Therefore, according to `Abd al-Jabbar the correct interpretation of sarfah is that the motives to rival the Qur’an disappeared (insarafah) because of the recognition of the impossibility of doing so.` (Rahman, 1996, p.409).
The inimitability of the Qur’an encompasses a wider range than just in its eloquence, thereby restricting it self to a particular language or a race.
As Qur’an is the divine book and for all humanity the challenge given by the Qur’an is for and on many different levels. Nevertheless, the majority addressed in the particular verse of tahadi is not only Arabs; `if all mankind and jinns were to gathertogether`(17.88).
The Western scholar Schuon in his book ‘Understanding Islam’ asserts: The supernatural character of the Qur’an is not just in its content but rather it is also in its exterior efficacy, in the miracle of expansion of Islam (Schuon. 1963, p.48, 49).
Here what he meant is that even in its spirit it cannot be inimitable, there has not been a book that has played a role like Qur’an in guiding people towards the straight path. The I’jāz of the Qur’an lies in its being a guide (Q.28.49), ‘no single, whether human or jinn, can produce a better hidaya than Qur’an (Von Denffer, 1994, p.152).
Ayatullah Javadi Amuli a prominent theoshopher from Iran in relation to the inimitability asserts: The reality of the Qur’an is the manifestation of the beautiful names revealed in concepts and words to the prophet so that everyone can understand. Nevertheless witnessing of these beautiful names is only possible by insān al kāmil (Perfect Man) as the Qur’an says `we indeed offer the trust to the heavens and the earth but they refused it` (33:72), and it was man who bear and deliver this message. Therefore, the word of God is in like manner to God (Amuli, 1999 p.163- 4).
Hence this makes it impossible to jinn and men to replicate even a single verse of it. To understand how inimitable Qur’an is, Allāma Tabātabāī says that no one can claim that he is aware of all the miraculous dimension of the Qur’an because we are still veiled from many secrets of it (Tabātabāī, 1991).

The Different Dimensions of Inimitability of the Qur’an.

1. Rhetoric and Eloquence
The reason we begin with this is because the art or the ‘par excellence’ of that era was rhetoric, eloquence, poetry and language. According to the Islamic theology the Divine Wisdom requires that every prophet adheres to a specific miracle like that which is accustomed among the people, for example Prophet Esa’s miracle was to raise dead and cure the uncured as the science of medicine was in its peak at that time. Likewise the miracle of Moses was to transform his staff to a python that will engulf the snakes of the magicians because the sorcery and magic was in its peak during his time.
While observing the Qur’an as a miracle we should keep in mind that during pre-Islamic Arabia, the Arabs were well-known for their supremacy in language and were very proud and haughty about their language. The reason we highlight this point is because to comprehend the unique nature of the eloquence and rhetoric one has to be an expert in the language investigated or rely upon the opinions of the experts.
Nevertheless, this is the way of the intellectuals and norm of the society in any period of time. As mentioned by the famous scholar Huston Smith: `Wisdom,` says a famous adage, `has enlightened on three things: the brain of the Franks, the hands of the Chinese, and the tongue of the Arabs.
While the rhetoric and eloquence of the Qur’an is discussed the following points are taken into consideration; the unique sentence structure and
syntax that do not really follow a set pattern but differs. However for a linguist this might be considered as a limitation but the way Qur’an has used makes it unique and profound.
Another example of its eloquence is the effect that it creates through its rhyme which ends up in a beautiful rhythm like poetry but it is not poetry (Qadhi, 2003, p.268). It has been reported that almost after a century had passed, Ibn Abi al-‘Awja’, Ibn Maqaaffa’, Abu Shakir al-Dysani, and ‘Abdul Malik al-Basri decided to take up the challenge of the Qur’an.
They worked for a year and a half, but failed to accomplish anything remotely resembling such eloquent beauty. Whilst they were engaged in a meeting discussing their works in the Masjid al-Harām, the Sixth Imam, Sādiq walked by and recited the very verse which challenges jinn and men to bring the like of the Qur’an. (17:88) (Yazdi, 19996,p.254).
Now let us also focus on observations of Oriental scholars, such as E. H. Palmer he says `the best of Arab writers has never succeeded in producing anything equal in merit to the Qur’an` (Palmer, 1900, p. IV) and the famous Arabist H. A. R. Gibb asserts: …the Meccans still demanded of him a miracle, and with remarkable boldness and self confidence Mohammad appealed as a supreme confirmation of his mission to the Koran itself. Like all Arabs they were the connoisseurs of language and rhetoric. (Gibb, 1980, p. 28).
In another of his works he asserts: As a literary monument the Koran thus stands by itself, a production unique to the Arabic literature, having neither forerunners nor successors in its own idiom. Muslims of all ages are united in proclaiming the inimitability not only of its contents but also of its style….. and in forcing the High Arabic idiom into the expression of new ranges of thought the Koran develops a bold and strikingly effective rhetorical prose in which all the resources of syntactical modulation are exploited with great freedom and originality (Gibb, 1963, p.36).
Until today we do not find any individual or institution bringing forth a book as eloquent as the Qur’an.