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o Beginning is with Allah's Personal Name, Ar'Reh'maan, Who is The Fountain of Infinite Mercy. |
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Note for Non-Muslims
I have started the Article with the Personal Name of Allah,
the Exalted, only
because I am already a believer of the Book and I am advised therein to
do so. However, for those who are not
believers and are reading this Book for the first time, the words in
the Heading do not appear in the Original Text of Grand Qur'aan, beginning with
Lane seems to have taken from لسان العرب وكَتَبَ الدابةَ والبغلة والناقةَ يَكْتُبها، ويَكْتِـبُها كَتْباً، وكَتَبَ عليها: خَزَمَ حَياءَها بحَلْقةِ حديدٍ أَو صُفْرٍ تَضُمُّ شُفْرَيْ حيائِها، لئلا يُنْزَى عليها؛
"Some lexicographers claim that no synonyms have exactly the same meaning (in all contexts or social levels of language) because etymology, orthography, phonic qualities, ambiguous meanings, usage, etc. make them unique. Different words that are similar in meaning usually differ for a reason."
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Introduction of Qur'aan: The only Infinitely Reliable Book
1. Universal perception and generally agreed characteristics/definition of "book" and its purpose. "Although the form, content, and provisions for making books have varied widely during their long history, some constant characteristics may be identified. The most obvious is that a book is designed to serve as an instrument of communication —the purpose of such diverse forms as the Babylonian clay tablet, the Egyptian papyrus roll, the medieval vellum or parchment codex, the printed paper codex (most familiar in modern times), microfilm, and various other media and combinations. The second characteristic of the book is its use of writing or some other system of visual symbols (such as pictures or musical notation) to convey meaning. A third distinguishing feature is publication for tangible circulation. A temple column with a message carved on it is not a book nor is a sign or placard, which, though it may be easy enough to transport, is made to attract the eye of the passerby from a fixed location. Nor are private documents considered books. A book may be defined, therefore, as a written (or printed) message of considerable length, meant for public circulation and recorded on materials that are light yet durable enough to afford comparatively easy portability. Its primary purpose is to announce, expound, preserve, and transmit knowledge and information between people, depending on the twin faculties of portability and permanence. Books have attended the preservation and dissemination of knowledge in every literate society." Britannica 2.
Grand Qur'aan: Unprecedented and unique literary
manner of its introduction- The Grand Qur'aan is introduced in an unprecedented and unique literary manner. It begins not by a word of speech but by mentioning the fundamental fact that precedes it, and is the basic and foremost tool for the emergence of a book. The basic and foremost tool of a book is the letter, consonant and diacritic mark/symbol of a language. All other constituents for the formation of a book are secondary in the thought of there having a book.
Alif: First Letter, but not consonant, of Arabic alphabet ( أبجدية عربية), Laa'm and Mee'm: Two consonants of Arabic alphabet, conjoined/stitched together; and both have above them, an ancillary glyph/prolongation sign/mark called "Madda" which means and extends/stretches the sound value of the letter to which it is added. This is the Book. The basic requirement to acquire the ability to read a book of any language is to acquaint oneself with the sound and manner of shaping/drawing of the letters [حروف الهجاء] of Alphabet of that language. Each letter [حرف] is a specific image-symbol-sign-physical entity. It relays distinctive and cognizable sound articulated with the help of sound articulators and ejected/ thrown out of one's mouth, successively in piecemeal.
An alphabet attempts ideally to indicate each separate sound by a
separate symbol. The next step is to know the
conjoining/combining/sewing/compiling together of the letters/consonants, which
creates words with a distinct sound having predetermined
perception/meanings. The words structure into phrases and sentences to
convey ideas, thoughts, knowledge, feelings, data, information, news,
concepts and perceptions for the listener or the reader. These sentences
eventually compile what is called The perception and meanings of this Root "ک ت ب" were to conjoin the os [plural ora/ mouth opening] of she-camel’s vulva, by means of a ring or thong, in order to close the opening that an unknown male, without the will of her owner, might not cover her. Its perception and meaning is to bring the mouth of something together, conjoin it and sew it. [Refer Lane's Lexicon; Vol-7; pp 118-entry in left column] It signifies the act of writing down, in which the basic perception of the Root dominates. Writing, in Arabic particularly, is nothing except bringing closer the particles/consonants of the language and stitching/sewing them together. As is the purpose of stitching the mouth of some receptacle/container, the purpose of writing is to keep the matter preserved, and avoid it being scattered and diminishing. The basic purpose of conjoining the mouth of she-camel's vulva is to ensure protection from the unwanted/undesirable entry into it without the will of the owner when he is away from her. The same objective is there when a person authors/puts down his statement/thoughts in writing, whereby none can pollute/intermix any thing in that written matter/thought in the time and space since it is physically available for reference and visual check.
The act of bringing together, or conjoining and stitching, or scrolling
the papers/parchments/tablets containing written matter yields what is
called
Similarly the basic perception infolded in the Root
"ق
ر أ "
is to collect together a thing at one place/point. It thus changes the
scattered/separated/spread position of a thing into a collective whole.
The basic perception of the Root is compilation, the process of
gathering. When we carry out this process with regard to
letters/alphabet of a language/written material it produces and yields
the product
We will never be able to find a better definition, and comprehensive account as to what a book is, than the factual information infolded in just three consonants of Arabic language, sequenced as "ک ت ب". The best language is obviously the one that conveys volumes of information in few words. ["That language ranks highest which goes farthest in the art of accomplishing much with the little means, OR, in other words, which is able to express the greatest amount of meaning with the simplest mechanism"-Language, its nature, development and origin by Otto Jespersen] This unique style of introducing the Book with a letter and consonants indicates that the writing style of it/Arabic book is not "Scriptio continua" which was the prevalent style in most of other languages of the world during the period of revelation of Grand Qur'aan. The pronouncement of letter and then the consonants and thereafter the words with vowels reflects a natural distancing and space between words as well as between communication of "units of thought" for clarity of understanding by the listener and reader. [So called Mystery of Initial Letter/Consonants.]
Grand Qur’aan’s introduction is as a peculiar Book. A book contains written material; giving information, data, physical facts, narration of facts, events and conduct of the past/generations; knowledge. It contains injunctions/instructions; procedural code, prescription of lawful and unlawful matter or conduct; segregates or demarcates one thing from another, describes the relationship of things and elaborates the cause and effect of events/rise and fall. Moreover, a book may serve as a Guide giving permanent values and the road map for those seeking the destination. The two words
People picking up books have different motives and inclinations, serious as well as non-serious to the extent of few for just killing the time. However, the truth seekers wish to get hold of only such books which would reveal to them the knowledge, information, truth and fact. Nevertheless, the fear, apprehension and uncertainty is always there that whether or not one will find some truth and fact in the book after going through the entire volume and that it might turn out to be an exercise in futility and waste of time. Friends,
who are coming across the Qur'aan for the first time, may reflect on a
unique and unprecedented thing, which they never noticed in any book of
the world they might have read so far. Those books do not care for your fears,
apprehensions, uncertainties and doubts, and time but you still read them in the hope to find some
knowledge and truth. Look into the Book "who" respects your
concerns/fears. It tells you about its peculiarity immediately after
cognitive
introduction
This/here is the Book, you will find all the time reading it, that its contents have absolutely no suspicious-conjectural- whimsical-conflicting-un-certain-illusory-perplexing matter, which causes uncertainty/psychological disturbance. [this feature makes it the Unique Book, the infinitely reliable Book]. [Refer 2:002] This emphatic and absolute negation of presence of any statement within the Book, that might cause disturbance, disquiet or agitation of minds and hearts, helps satisfy your concern, apprehension and uncertainty regarding achieving objective of reading book. This negation might place your mind in tranquil state since it subtly suggests that you will certainly find in the Book nothing but the established and proven truth, a source of tranquility of heart and mind. However, if you claim to be a truth seeker, it has also created an obligation upon you; now you cannot refuse reading it otherwise you will expose yourself, that in fact you are not a truth-seeker but a prisoner of own thoughts and passions. A truth seeker is never biased, prejudiced and whimsical. He is left with no option but to read the Book and accept its contents or venture to prove them wrong. Being claimant of truth-seeker, you have to read it. Reading of a book creates a liability and obligation upon the reader. He has either to accept its words or discard its version by a counter argument and evidence of fact negating its statement.
2.2
Perception and basic signification of
Verbal Noun
The major difference between Verb and Infinitive Noun [مصدر], in meaning, is that verb signifies occurrence of an action within a particular time-period, like the past, present or future. The Infinitive Noun [مصدر] alone can only signify the occurrence of an action within the time-period in which it finds mention. Other words are required to signify the action of the مصدر within the context of past or future. This aspect of peculiar choice of words in a statement of Source language Arabic, when ignored, causes major "translation loss" in the target language for perceiving the compact thought conveyed therein. These words in the translation, "you will find all the time reading it" attempt to convey this aspect of use of an Infinitive Noun [مصدر] in the statement.
The Root of
The Grand Qur'aan itself is the best "Lexicon" that explains perception, meanings, depths and niceties of words and terms used therein, by their use in relation to persons and situation, and cause and effect equation. The psychological makeup of Muna'fi'qeen is duality of thought and conduct which creates a permanent state of restless waver, and toss.
The effect of
Arabic word
However, some information might place the recipient in such doubt, especially such information that is contrary to ones long held perception, culture, practice, matters relating to Non declarative memory that have become habit; that might generate, for some, feeling of irk, disquiet, and disconcert. The Grand Qur'aan highlights the point by quoting the statement of ruling elite in response to an information/invitation: o "It is a fact that we are certainly plunged in doubt about that towards which you are inviting us, the doubt having characteristic trait of a causer of disquiet, irritation, and disconcert". [Refer 11:62] o Moreover, the fact is that they/Bani Iesraa'eel are certainly plunged in doubt regarding it-the Book, the doubt having characteristic trait of a causer of disquiet, irritation, and disconcert. [Refer 11:110 and Replica/Mirror 41:45] o "It is a fact that we are certainly plunged in doubt about that towards which you all are inviting us, the doubt having characteristic trait of a causer of disquiet, irritation, and disconcert". [Refer 14:09] o It is certain that they remained plunged in doubt/skepticism, the doubt having characteristic trait of a causer of disquiet, irritation, and disconcert [in accepting the word of Messengers]. [Refer 34:54] o Moreover, the fact is that those, the posterity after them, who/Bani Iesraa'eel were caused to inherit the Book, certainly are plunged in doubt regarding it/Grand Qur'aan [communicated to you], the doubt having characteristic trait of a causer of disquiet, irritation, and disconcert. [Refer 42:14] Grand Qur'aan
has clarified that
Or do they say to people, "He is a poet, the one for whom We wait with content the frustrating disquieting time". [52:30] The quotes of the response of people of the past, on presentation of information and invitation to adopt a different code and mode of life, depict that their doubt leading to disturbance, irritation and disconcert was not factual but volitional. The volitional doubt will cause disquiet and concern when there is conflict and clash between heart and mind; conflict between desire-emotion-passion-considerations of stakes and rationality. The passion overshadowed their rational intellect.
3. The reason of this unique feature of Grand Qur'aan.
Grand Qur'aan, from day of its introduction to humanity till date is the ONLY Book with the tallest claim that its contents are void of suspicious/conjectural/uncertain/wishful/fake/non substantiated/hearsay/unconfirmed/non established/invalid/ unsound/vague matter, which causes psychological disturbance, and disconcert. This claim in itself, assumes the position of a strong evidence/argument for creating an inclination to accept and believe in it since none of countless books had the courage and confidence to claime their contents as beyond shadow of suspicion. None of the authors and books has ever claimed its contents as absolute and proven fact. Grand Qur'aan is such a Book that
the Great Person, who introduced and
recited it before the people, did not claim to be its author/compiler but
informed the people that it is sent/revealed upon him by his and
the Sustainer Lord of universes-all that exists. This is the reason of
its having the unique feature
Only that book earns the title of "Sublime Book" which is a source of granting tranquility to mind and heart by providing tangible answers to all uncertainties and misconceptions. The uncertainties are satisfied only when the Book narrates nothing but the established and proven truths not merely in relations to time and space, but such that are sustained and are facts not affected by time and space. We might call it the "Absolute Truth" or "established and proven fact in the whole realm of time and space".
while that Grand Qur'aan is the Statement of Proven Fact and Absolute Reality, [Refer 2:91]
Firstly, the negation of presence of any conjectural/wishful/fake/non
substantiated/hearsay/unconfirmed/non established/ invalid/unsound/vague
substance in the constituent matter of the Book finds mention,
and then
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nothing
therein causes perplexity
a book; written reading matter/substance,
respectively emanating from the Root
.
"This is the Qur'aan", where
[فعل مضارع مرفوع بثبوت النون]
Verb: Intransitive; Imperfect; Third Person; Plural; Masculine; Mood:
Indicative evident
by نَ
;[Form-V]; [و- ضمير متصل في محل رفع فاعل]
Subject Pronoun, nominative
state; مصدر-تَرَدُّ دٌ
Verbal noun. Its Root is " ر د د". Basic
perception and signification is to revert back to the original position,
location or state. Measure/Form-V verb relate to
the intensive meaning of Form-II with the
addition of reflexive meaning, i.e. the meanings of Form-II are
reflected back onto the subject of verb.
The indicative mood of the verb signifies continuance, or frequentative
signification. The intensive and
frequentative signification renders its meanings as to cause someone to
waver, vacillate, in an affair, or between two affairs. This reflects a
confounded and perplexed state of heart and mind. [Also see p
228-Vol-3, entry 2; 
Its Root is "
4. Perplexity of some about the Source of
Origin-Author of Qur'aan
