Written by: Professor Ghulam Ahmad Hariri
Before the advent of Islam, life was confined to a narrow worldview. However, the emergence of Islam marked the beginning of a new era. This transformation brought revolutionary changes to human ideas and thoughts. The universal message of the Qur’an broadened the horizons of life, significantly impacting every aspect of existence — especially literature and language.
The Qur’an enriched literature with freedom of thought, breadth of vision, purity of imagination, and elevation of meaning. Prior to this, Arabic language primarily emphasized emotion and expression. The Qur’an taught the etiquette of expressing noble sentiments and adorned literature with spiritual and artistic beauty. The Qur’an became the axis of Arabic literature, enriching the Arabic language with the sciences and philosophies of the world. Even the literary heritage of the pre-Islamic era was preserved to safeguard the language of the Qur’an.
Based on Qur’anic teachings, the foundational disciplines of Sarf and Nahw (grammar), Maʿānī and Bayān (rhetoric), lexicography, literature, Usūl al-Fiqh, and Tafsīr were established. The Qur’an promoted these sciences and spread them across the world. By the blessings of the Qur’an, the Arabic language was preserved through centuries of trials, while many other languages vanished in a short span.
The Qur’an reshaped literary perspectives, steering literature toward utility, truthfulness, and benefit. It refuted the old notion, “Indeed, the sweetest poetry is the most deceitful,” and directed literature towards justice, service to humanity, truth, modesty, and God-consciousness. It played a vital role in fostering social values, freeing literature from despair and pessimism, and turning it towards continuous effort and life-giving optimism.
The Qur’an set new principles and standards for literature, introducing new criteria for praise and satire and inspiring the promotion of high moral qualities. Due to Qur’anic teachings, Arabic literature flourished with themes of universal unity, human solidarity, intellectual freedom, and ethical values.
During the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the expansion of the Islamic state and the emergence of political issues led to the growth of Arabic prose. Under the influence of the Qur’an, this era’s prose was marked by simplicity and dignity, elevating it above Arabic poetry in status.
The Islamic movement transformed the purpose of poetry. Compared to pre-Islamic poetry, Islamic-era poetry became gentler and more refined. The language became eloquent, pure, and clear. According to Ibn Khaldūn, the poetry of the Islamic period was far superior to that of the pre-Islamic era.
The Qur’an holds a central place in Arabic literary criticism. The principles of criticism were derived from the Qur’an, and critics over the centuries centered their literary and religious analyses around it. For example, Abū al-Hilāl al-ʿAskarī wrote in his book al-Ṣināʿatayn that the book serves both literary and religious purposes.
The Qur’an deeply influenced the fields of Badīʿ (embellishment), Bayān (clarity), and Maʿānī (meaning). In the third century Hijrah, al-Jāḥiẓ raised the debate on words and meanings, which was addressed by ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, who identified the beauty of speech in the arrangement of meanings. This gave rise to a new intellectual dimension in Arabic literature.
Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī’s Iʿjāz al-Qur’ān is considered a significant work in literary criticism. In it, he highlighted the artistic dimensions of the Qur’an across various topics. He explained that the core of the Qur’an’s eloquence lies in its structure, arrangement, and subtleties of meaning — for which no parallel exists.
According to al-Bāqillānī, the beauty of the Qur’an’s speech is such that it penetrates the heart, and the listener experiences a joy comparable to the delight of drinking pure water.
In al-Bāqillānī’s view, the Qur’an’s speech is unique and unparalleled in artistic excellence when compared to all poets and prose writers. He further elaborates that every artist, writer, and poet makes mistakes in their genre, but the language of the Qur’an is free from all defects.
Before the advent of Islam, life was confined to a narrow worldview. However, the emergence of Islam marked the beginning of a new era. This transformation brought revolutionary changes to human ideas and thoughts. The universal message of the Qur’an broadened the horizons of life, significantly impacting every aspect of existence — especially literature and language.
The Qur’an enriched literature with freedom of thought, breadth of vision, purity of imagination, and elevation of meaning. Prior to this, Arabic language primarily emphasized emotion and expression. The Qur’an taught the etiquette of expressing noble sentiments and adorned literature with spiritual and artistic beauty. The Qur’an became the axis of Arabic literature, enriching the Arabic language with the sciences and philosophies of the world. Even the literary heritage of the pre-Islamic era was preserved to safeguard the language of the Qur’an.
Based on Qur’anic teachings, the foundational disciplines of Sarf and Nahw (grammar), Maʿānī and Bayān (rhetoric), lexicography, literature, Usūl al-Fiqh, and Tafsīr were established. The Qur’an promoted these sciences and spread them across the world. By the blessings of the Qur’an, the Arabic language was preserved through centuries of trials, while many other languages vanished in a short span.
The Qur’an reshaped literary perspectives, steering literature toward utility, truthfulness, and benefit. It refuted the old notion, “Indeed, the sweetest poetry is the most deceitful,” and directed literature towards justice, service to humanity, truth, modesty, and God-consciousness. It played a vital role in fostering social values, freeing literature from despair and pessimism, and turning it towards continuous effort and life-giving optimism.
The Qur’an set new principles and standards for literature, introducing new criteria for praise and satire and inspiring the promotion of high moral qualities. Due to Qur’anic teachings, Arabic literature flourished with themes of universal unity, human solidarity, intellectual freedom, and ethical values.
During the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the expansion of the Islamic state and the emergence of political issues led to the growth of Arabic prose. Under the influence of the Qur’an, this era’s prose was marked by simplicity and dignity, elevating it above Arabic poetry in status.
The Islamic movement transformed the purpose of poetry. Compared to pre-Islamic poetry, Islamic-era poetry became gentler and more refined. The language became eloquent, pure, and clear. According to Ibn Khaldūn, the poetry of the Islamic period was far superior to that of the pre-Islamic era.
The Qur’an holds a central place in Arabic literary criticism. The principles of criticism were derived from the Qur’an, and critics over the centuries centered their literary and religious analyses around it. For example, Abū al-Hilāl al-ʿAskarī wrote in his book al-Ṣināʿatayn that the book serves both literary and religious purposes.
The Qur’an deeply influenced the fields of Badīʿ (embellishment), Bayān (clarity), and Maʿānī (meaning). In the third century Hijrah, al-Jāḥiẓ raised the debate on words and meanings, which was addressed by ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, who identified the beauty of speech in the arrangement of meanings. This gave rise to a new intellectual dimension in Arabic literature.
Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī’s Iʿjāz al-Qur’ān is considered a significant work in literary criticism. In it, he highlighted the artistic dimensions of the Qur’an across various topics. He explained that the core of the Qur’an’s eloquence lies in its structure, arrangement, and subtleties of meaning — for which no parallel exists.
According to al-Bāqillānī, the beauty of the Qur’an’s speech is such that it penetrates the heart, and the listener experiences a joy comparable to the delight of drinking pure water.
In al-Bāqillānī’s view, the Qur’an’s speech is unique and unparalleled in artistic excellence when compared to all poets and prose writers. He further elaborates that every artist, writer, and poet makes mistakes in their genre, but the language of the Qur’an is free from all defects.
