The Semantics Of Qur Anic Language Al Ira

In The Semantics of Qurʾanic Language: al-Āḫira, Ghassan el Masri offers a semantic study of the concept al-āḫira ‘the End’ in the Qurʾān. The study is prefaced with a detailed account of the late antique concept of etymologia (Semantic Etymology). In his work, he demonstrates the necessity of this concept for appreciating the Qurʾān’s rhetorical strategies for claiming discursive authority in the Abrahamic theological tradition. The author applies the etymological tool to his investigation of the theological significance of al-āḫira, and concludes that the concept is polysemous, and tolerates a large variety of interpretations. The work is unique in that it draws extensively on Biblical material and presents a plethora of pre-Islamic poetry verses in the analysis of the concept.

There is no way to understand the Qur’an properly, or to elucidate as accurately as possible the meaning of its verses, without studying Qur’anic terminology and concepts. Taken together these sum up the universal truths of the Faith (the great moral code), not only animating the text and giving it incredible life, precision, and flexibility, but also enriching the communication of the Qur’anic message through their beautiful and comprehensive nature. This study aims to provide a broad glossary of key Qur’anic terms and set forth these terms’ meanings, both semantically and linguistically, within their Qur’anic context. The format is organized in such a way as to facilitate ease of under-standing, guiding the lay reader carefully and logically through the various nuances of usage and meaning. The meaning of a given Qur’anic term will vary depending on the manner and the context in which it is used, and on the issues and questions in relation to which reference is made to it, and just as a concept gives rise to a term, so also does the term and its usage act to shape the concept. These and other aspects of the Divine communication are mapped and explored, leaving us with a greater appreciation of the Qur’an’s depth and what makes it a linguistic and literary miracle.

There is no way to understand the Qur’an properly, or to elucidate as accurately as possible the meaning of its verses, without studying Qur’anic terminology and concepts. Taken together these sum up the universal truths of the Faith (the great moral code), not only animating the text and giving it incredible life, precision, and flexibility, but also enriching the communication of the Qur’anic message through their beautiful and comprehensive nature. This study aims to provide a broad glossary of key Qur’anic terms and set forth these terms’ meanings, both semantically and linguistically, within their Qur’anic context. The format is organised in such a way as to facilitate ease of under-standing, guiding the lay reader carefully and logically through the various nuances of usage and meaning. The meaning of a given Qur’anic term will vary depending on the manner and the context in which it is used, and on the issues and questions in relation to which reference is made to it, and just as a concept gives rise to a term, so also does the term and its usage act to shape the concept. These and other aspects of the Divine communication are mapped and explored, leaving us with a greater appreciation of the Qur’an’s depth and what makes it a linguistic and literary miracle.

The Qur'an is read by millions of Muslims on a daily basis, yet there is no book available to the reader, Arab or non-Arab, which provides a linguistic and rhetorical insight into Qur'anic discourse. This book explains Qur'an translational problems and provides a thorough account of the unique syntactic, semantic, phonetic, prosodic, pragmatic, and rhetorical features of the Qur'an.

This book is mainly concerned with the meaning and English translation of Qur’anic terms which are therefore, analyzed both out of and in context. This book establishes a method of investigation and analysis that linguists and translators could adopt when embarking on analysis of lexical items of the Qur’an and/or when translating it. Owing to the intrinsic difficulties inherent in the translation of the Qur’an, analytical studies on Qur’anic terms are almost unheard of, in spite of the fact that many are the works that deal with the Qur’an in all languages. Bearing in mind that ‘perfect’ translation is no more than an illusion, and that absolute synonymy is nothing but a myth, establishing the meaning of specialized Qur’anic terms with any degree of accuracy is an extremely daunting task, especially when addressing this issue in a language that is not that of the Qur’an. The present work is an attempt to bring the Qur’an a step closer to both the general reader as well as the specialized researcher. In addition to the semantic study of the Qur’anic terms and investigating their translations in six other renowned works, this book also addresses a number of important linguistic and cultural issues that no serious researcher of the Qur’an can afford to miss. Its depth of analysis and extensive notes are meant to save the reader the extraordinary effort required to check a multitude of works necessary to understand the issues at stake.

This fascinating and important book attempts to investigate the nature of the seven Ahruf in which the Qur’an has been revealed and the reason for the variations in readings among the Qurra’ of the Quran. It studies, examines, and discusses: the revelation of the Qur’an in the seven ahruf concluding that they represent seven linguistical ways of recitation; the compilation of the Quran during the lifetime of the Prophet and the preservation of the Quran in the memories of the Companions as well as in written form, the compilation during the time of Abu Bakr, and the further compilation during the time of Uthman; the problem of naskh to demonstrate the completeness and trustworthiness of the Quran and that no verses are missing or were read and abrogated by naskh al-tilawah either with or without hukm; the Uthmanic masahif and their relation to the seven ahruf; the language of the Quran and whether it includes one, several, or all the dialects of the Arabs; the origin of the qiraat and conditions governing accepted readings; and ikhtiyar (i.e., the selection of one reading rather than another) and the rules governing the Qurra’ who selected a reading.

Text Linguistics of Qur'anic Discourse is an in-depth investigation of the fabric of Qur'anic Discourse. It unravels the texture of the macro Qur'anic text; its cohesion and coherence systems; the notions of intertextuality, semantic relatedness, and thematic sequentiality; the macro textual features of ellipsis, repetition, and argumentation structure; and the contextual, co-textual, grammatical, and semantic factors involved in the macro Qur'anic text. This book is a valuable and methodologically consistent learning and teaching academic resource for universities worldwide in this intriguing new discipline. Through its methodologically coherent discussion and in-depth analysis that is hinged upon modern European text linguistics, Text Linguistics of Qur'anic Discourse provides an insight into the newly established discipline of text linguistics, and explores the different layers of the macro Qur'anic text as an academic requirement.

Republication of Arthur Jeffery's important study, "The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur'?n," offers a new generation of scholars and students access to this foundational text. Arranged in Arabic alphabetical order, Jeffery's compendium of philological scholarship remains an indispensable tool for any serious study of Qur'?nic semantics. Drawing upon etymological examination of languages such as Greek, Persian, Syriac, Ethiopic, Coptic and Nabataean, Jeffery's work illuminates the rich linguistic texture of Islam's holy book. His lengthy introductory essay explores the exegetical analysis offered by medieval Muslim commentators as well as the insights provided by more recent research.