Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Assistant professor, Interdisciplinary Quranic Studies Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Keywords
The discussion about the language of the Quran is a dated controversial subject in Quranic Studies. Clearly by talking about the language of the Quran, it does not mean the Arabic language or Arabic dialects used in it. In this article two approaches can be considered for the word "language": philosophical-hermeneutic outlook and textual approach. In the philosophical approach these are the important problems: is the language real or symbolic? ordinary or special? contextual or non-contextual? But in textual viewpoint this is the extraction of the differences between stylistics textual or intertextual that have importance. Muslims usually are interested in philosophical-hermeneutic outlook and orientalists incline to the latter.
We can count important items that take place in the first classification in relation to the language of the Quran, as follows: 1. The language of the Quran is an ordinary one that is based on the language of comprehension and custom of declamation. (Khoyi, 2015, p 281; Maleki Miyanji, 1998, p 25) 2. The language of the Quran is a special language. This uniqueness can be due to the fact that it is "contextual" and to understand it, one must pay attention to its main context and origin. (Izutsu, 1989, p 5) or caused by being symbolic; The way that mystics consider the Quran (See: Sells, 1996; 224) or because it is the language of guidance and faith (Saeedi Roshan, 2002, p 24). 3. The language of the Quran has a combinatorial approach and redaction, news, mystery, allegory, ananlogy, metaphor, truth and metonymy can be seen in it (Tabtabayi, 1996, T3, p 250-251, T1, p256). As it is clear, Philosophic-hermeneutics approach to the Quran is prominent in this oeuvres. But usually textual or intertextual approach is less contemplated.
However, in relation to the second approach which seeks to extract different styles of the Quran and to express its relation with other texts, Alan Jones explain the relation of the language of the Quran with other common styles during the Prophet’s era. Hence he considers four styles in relation to the Quran; the style of the soothsayer (Jones, 1994,33-37), The style of the Orator (same, 38-41), and the style of the story-teller (same 41-42). This study seeks to determine the relationship between the linguistic structures in the Qur’an and the literary texts during the time of the Prophet and before Islam. About the relation between the language of the Quran and other its sections one should not forget the history of the Quran. This research wants to find the different utterance style existed in this book with extracting the linguistic differences of the disparate sections of the Quran. Theodor Nöldeke who started this flow, divide the Quran to four distinctive style then to four decent periods (Nöldeke, 2004). Afterwards, many others demonstrated these distinctive styles in the Qur'an and determined the date of revelation of the verses accordingly. (to be aware of this stylist classification, see: Neuwirth, 2002, 252-259). when we talk about the language of the Quran we should not forget the relation between the language and the textual style of the Quran. The strong resemblance between Surah Al-Rahman and Psalm 136 is not something that can be ignored. Although this is a very new discussion, some researchers have recently addressed this issue (Neuwirth, 2004, 473-475).
What is most relevant to this article is the relationship between the language of the Qur'an and the language of science; Something that has not been considered in any of the previous works. Such an issue is generally addressed in the context of the relationship between science and religion (Barbour,1983, p 268). However, these works also generally address philosophical issues, as positivists and interpreters have argued. In the following, by considering the text of the Qur'an and emphasizing the propositions that fall into scientific categories, we will try to extract the style of the Qur'an and compare it with the style of scientific propositions.
Undoubtedly, in order to establish a relationship between the Qur'an and science, it is necessary that the linguistic differences and similarities between the two be well considered and, accordingly, the quality of their relationship be addressed.
When the term "language" is used, a different meaning is inferred depending on what other word it is added to. Generally, whenever the word is used without any suffix, "ethnic-national language" is meant; It is a set of abstract and mental systems that are part of the capabilities of the human brain and are used to create communication between human beings. (Haghshenas, 1977:12-13). Distinctly, when the term is used in combination, in the form of "language of science" or "language of the Qur'an", it is a special kind of language in which ethnic-national language is its substructure. (Pakatchi, 2009:114). "Language" in this application refers to a particular style of expression that disciplines and experts in each field of knowledge use to solve their problems. This particular style is distinct from the ethnic-national language used by users of that knowledge. This particular style of expression is used in two situations: first, the methods of reasoning and justifying theories; Second, the constructing the meaningful propositions and, consequently, creating the parts, chapters, and the whole of that knowledge. What is most relevant to the subject of this article is the latter.
One of the most important Linguistic distinctions between disciplines is whether they are accurate or not? Although accurate language is used in the experimental sciences, the language of the humanities is inaccurate. Accurate language means that all propositions are clear, expressive, detailed, and free from any ambiguity. Scientific theories in the experimental sciences must have these characteristics, otherwise they will not be accepted. But in the humanities, especially in disciplines such as literature and mysticism, a completely different language is used. Ambiguity and amphibology are two important industries in literature and mysticism that cause the increasing beauty and rhetoric of expressions. consequently, the clarity of the statements is not necessarily an advantage of such disciplines. Generalization is another feature that occurs in texts with inaccurate language and is rarely seen in texts that have accurate language. Generality and ambiguity lead to the polysemy in the language of disciplines such as literature and mysticism. This polysemy enables the experts to convey many concepts to the audience through concise text. In the form and formulating, also clear distinctions can be made between different disciplines. The use of literary industries such as: sermon, dialogue, analogy, metaphor, ellipsis, verbiage, etc. is frequently seen in the humanities, while in the language of the experimental sciences it is less common to see such a style. Accordingly, here we address the linguistic features of literary texts and the special form of the Quran and express its differences with other disciplines. Understanding these differences and similarities seems essential to accessing interdisciplinary Quranic studies.
One of the necessities the researcher of Qur'anic interdisciplinary studies has to know is the current differences between the language of science and the that of the Qur'ān. In this article we express the features of the language of the Qur'ān and clarify its differences with the language of science. When it comes to science, it can cover any area of knowledge, such as the humanities and arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and medical sciences. We will now focus on the language of the Qur'ān, and after stating each of the features, we will determine how it relates to the language of other fields of knowledge. It is necessary to note that the features of the Quran are not exclusive to the following features and undoubtedly other features can also be mentioned. In this research we only emphasize on a few features that are less regarded. Also, expressing these distinctions does not mean that there is no connection between the Qur'an and other human sciences. Rather, these distinctions only indicate that establishing the right communication depends on paying attention to the types of knowledge and trying to create a common language between them. Actually regarding that the revocability of scientific propositions that is one of their principal properties can be found in some of the Qur'anic verses, these verses can have common language with science. In fact, a characteristic such as falsity, which is the main feature of scientific propositions, is evident in some verses of the Qur'an, and the verses can therefore have a common language with science.
Approaching a text, one of the linguistic policies is to use or not to use propositions with ambiguity and amphibology. The language of the exact sciences is at odds with such an approach. The language of science has the characteristics of clarity and is without verbal and semantic Complication. The modern science emphasizes that scientific questions and assumptions should be as clear as possible (Hempel 1958, 46). On the contrary, ambiguity and amphibology play an important role in literary texts, and in particular, the Holy Quran. Mohammad has been considered as the explanatory (Mobayyen) of the Quran (16:44). Accordingly, Muhammad is considered as an explanatory if the ambiguity in the text of the Qur'an is prominent and this ambiguity also makes the role of the Prophet as its interpreter meaningful.
The rhetoric of a literary text depends on the extent to which the language user uses the literary industries. That is why the existence of different types of these industries such as: ˊl-ihām (Double Entendre), ˊl-Taghdim va ˊl-taˊkhir (advancing and retarding), ˊl-ibhām (Opsity), ˊl-ijāz (summary), and etc. has been accepted in the Quran. All of these types can lead to ambiguity and Polysemy of propositions in the text, but no scholar has considered these components as defects of the Qur'an and other literary texts. indeed, the existence of such components in literary texts is a means of acquiring eloquent words. On the contrary, in the language of science, the existence of these types cannot be considered justified and accepted.
For example, in the phrase: "you desire to marry them" (4: 127) there is a consensus among the Quran researchers that the industry of ellipsis has been used (Suy ̄ut ̄ı, 2000, 1/641). The ellipsis in this phrase is due to the omission of the prepositions, which is always used in conjunction with the verb raghaba (in Arabic language), due to which creates two opposite meanings for it: Being interested in and hating something. As a result, this phrase is circulating between two opposing meanings: Do they want to remarry their ex-spouses or they reluctant to marry them? In the Quran (81:17) This ambiguity and Polysemy can also be seen. Here, the polysemy of the word (ˊAsˊas) is due to the existence of two opposing meanings in its original form and word. Because there is no significant analogy for choosing one of these meanings, this proposition has two different meanings, it is not possible to prefer and choose one of them.
Unlike the language of science, this polysemy and ambiguity is one of the important reasons why we encounter an interpretable text in the noble Literary texts. This means that the language of science is translatable, not interpretable, but the language of the Quran is interpretable. The language of science must be such that, as much as possible, the capacity for different interpretations is taken away from it. But in literary texts, the possibility of different interpretations increasingly adds to the semantic beauty of propositions.
One of the most important issues recently discussed in the law and ethics of war is whether it is permissible to take hostages and take prisoners of war in order to earn money. Most legal texts that look at this issue from a moral point of view do not allow such a thing. It may be thought at the outset that phrases in the Quran (8: 67-68) can be a proof of this legal theory:
"It is not for a prophet to have captives [of war] until he inflicts a massacre [upon Allah ’s enemies] in the land. Some Muslims desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires [for you] the Hereafter. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. Had it not been for a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe penalty would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took."
But these verses have a fundamental ambiguity that makes it difficult to relate to legal theory. Because a completely different meaning from the first meaning is also extracted from these verses. According to the second reading, no prophet is allowed to have captives in exchange for ransom until the fire of war has subsided [and the enemy must be killed during the war]. this reading is completely contrary to the meaning we mentioned at the beginning of this discussion (To be aware of these comments: Toosi: 5/155-158; Tabarsi, 1993, 4/858). But both of these meanings are derived from the verse. The ambiguity in this verse leads to the above-mentioned polysemy and makes it difficult to apply it alongside legal theories.
Another instance of ambiguity leading to deep amphibology and polysemy includes the use of the word "heaven" in the Quran. (To read more about these differences see: Rohani Mashhadi and Maāref, 2016, 151-180). Verses related to this term have generally been used by researchers interested in cosmology. But cosmological readings will not be fruitful unless an explicit meaning can be given to it. In some applications, the word has a close meaning to cloud: "And We have sent the fertilizing winds and sent down water from the sky and given you drink from it. And you are not its retainers." (15/22). Sometimes it means a space that surrounds the earth’s surface and is always visible to the naked eye: "Have you not considered how Allah presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky?" (14/24). Some applications also seem to refer to spheres and celestial classes: "Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." and He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection." (41/11-12). A few uses also suggest the meaning of rain "And O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength. And do not turn away, [being] criminals."(11/52). The ambiguity, amphibology and polysemy in this term cause it to be fundamentally different from the applications of the word "sky" in cosmology. This linguistic distinction also makes its application to cosmological interdisciplinary studies complex.
other literary figures that add to the ambiguity and amphibology of the text and thus its further interpretability are: "Advancing and retarding" & "abbreviation and redundancy." Related to the first, Jalaluddin Suy ̄ut ̄ı Provides a list of Quranic propositions and verses to its audience that displacement of the components of the phrases and the disruption of the main order of the proposition has caused ambiguity and problems in the meaning of the phrase (Suy ̄ut ̄ı, idem, 1/622-624). For example, in the first and second verses of Surah Al-Kahf, we are confronted with two contradictory adjectives for a subject: "who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance and straight." (18: 1,2). If the order of the verse is to be the same, "deviance" and "straight" considered as "object" for "has not made therein", we are confronted with a contradictory and ambiguous meaning. But in the real order, the "straight" is an adverb of Manner for the "book" and has slipped out of its original place. In the scientific language, such an advancing and retarding are not allowed. But literary texts are full of such industries. In the figure of abbreviation and redundancy, we are also faced with cases in which the omission or addition of words or phrases causes ambiguity, conciseness, or even amphibology and polysemy of the proposition. One of the notable issues in the discussion is the abbreviation of the omissions that occurred in the process of narrating the stories and events in the Quran. For example, when God narrates the quality of the encounter between The people of hell and the that of heaven, He uses a conditional sentence whose conditional answer is omitted: "But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, "Peace be upon you; you have become pure; so enter it to abide eternally therein," [they will enter]." (39:73). The answer to the condition is omitted here and it is not clear exactly what happens when the gates of heaven are opened. This omission is an example of the ambiguity and amphibology in literary texts. Deletion here allows the audiences, themselves, to place the answer to the condition and complete the image drawn by the Quran. Each audience draws the highest rewards for the owners of the paradise according to their cultural presuppositions and interests. This omission and ambiguity in the phrase has caused this narrative to follow a cross-cultural pattern. In the plot of the narration of the King’s butler’s encounter with Joseph, we are also confronted with absorbing omissions. We see the whole narrative plot in one statement: 'so send me forth Joseph, O man of truth' (12:45-46). 'so send me forth' is a phrase that the king’s butler addresses to the king and asks him to go to Joseph to interpret the dream he has seen. But "Joseph" addresses the king’s butler to Joseph, when the king agrees to his request and sends him to prison to receive the interpretation of the dream. It is clear that a few sentences have been omitted from these two propositions, and without considering these omissions we will encounter a fundamental ambiguity in understanding the narration. Vice versa, Scientific language must be clear and expressive. Any omission that disrupt the meaning is invalid. Abbreviation that annoys the audience is also wrong. But we are allowed in literary and rhetorical language to consider the audience as an effective role in completing the meaning. Such a role is more prominent in analogy, metonymy and metaphors. In the next section, we will discuss the application of these features in the language of the Quran as well as the language of science.
The second characteristic of the language of the Quran, which distinguishes it from that of science, is the extensive use of literary figures such as analogy, metonymy, and metaphor. Analogy is one of the most repetitive literary-rhetorical figures in the Quran. Quranic researchers also use other titles such as "proverbs" (ˊAmsāl) to express analogy. The purpose of using analogy in speech is to bring an abstract concept closer to the mind. In other words, in this way, we identify what we know less (vehicle) by relating it to what we know more (tenor). We also call the relationship between likened and compared the quasi mode. The use of analogy does not necessarily mean facilitating understanding. There are cases in the Quran that have encountered us to complex and difficult meanings. For example, God uses the analogy of light to define what Allah is. The compound nature of this analogy has made it difficult for commentators to understand its quasi-mode and purpose. Such compound similes, which are difficult to understand, abound in the Holy Quran (for example see: 24: 39, 14: 18, and 10: 24).
In metonymy and metaphors, complexity and ambiguity become deeper and more serious. Metonymy and metaphor are types of similes that are only one of the elements of the simile and the rest is omitted. In these two typs, either tenor (Moshabbah) or vehicle (Moshabbahon beh) is mentioned. The amount of omissions in metonymy and metaphor is so great that it is difficult to discern. It is not easy to distinguish between the Real or metaphorical nature of some propositions. Quranic examples such as "And by the dawn when it breathes" (Q. 81: 18); " And We will leave them that day surging over each other" (Q. 18: 99); "And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined." (Q. 54: 12) have such characteristics and their metaphorical nature cannot be understood initially.
One of the most important functions that similes, metaphors and metaphors have in the language of the Qur'an and literary texts is the powerful imagination with which it is created in the text. When the God stated, " And We will leave them that day surging over each other.", this analogy provides an image of humans riding and moving like a sea wave over a large population. Such fascinating imagery has been created using effective metaphorical capabilities in the text, adding multimedia dimensions to the text.
The point that draws to attention the use of metaphor in relation to the distinction between the language of the Quran and science is that the greater the degree of omissions, ambiguity and complexity in the simile and metaphor, the more eloquent value emerges. That is why the hidden metaphor (al-ˊesteˊārah al-makniyah) has more rhetorical value than the obvious metaphor (al-ˊesteˊārah al-tasrihiyah) (Suy ̄ut ̄ı, ibid, 2/55). In fact, the more the audience is forced to try to understand the semantic relationship between the real and metaphorical meaning, the more authoritative and rhetorical it will be; Because it targets a more educated audience. Conversely, the simpler the simile, the metonymy and the metaphor, the more vulgar and popular it will be. Therefore, the language of a literary text needs to have the feature of complexity. But in scientific language, complexity has no place.
The distinction between metaphors in the language of literary texts, in particular the Quran, and metaphors in the language of science is in the degree of their complexity. Complexity is an important component of simile and metaphor in the language of the Quran, but metaphors used in scientific texts not only do not complicate matters, but also help to clarify and remove barriers to understanding complex concepts. For example, physicists used the metaphor of the solar system to understand the relationship of atomic components. No one has seen the atom and its components, but the model used to draw it is the solar system model: The sun is in the center and the rest of the planets are orbiting it. In the atomic model, the atom also has a central nucleus, and electrons revolve around it. All the metaphors used in science have the feature of clarity and clarification and also cause their own perspicuity. But metaphors in the language of the Quran, as well as in the language of literary texts, the more complex and ambiguous, the more valuable they become.
Another fundamental difference between the language of the Quran and the language of science include their holistic or partial approach to phenomena. Holistic approach to the phenomena has led to the emergence of polysemy in the language of the Quran. But the emphasis of the language of science on the partial atomic approach has eliminated the possibility of polysemy. Contrary to the language of the Quran, and more generally, literary texts, general and holistic propositions (with ambiguity) in the language of science are not recommended. Such statements are considered incorrect and unauthorized in the language of science.
The most important general concepts used in the Quran are: invitation to monotheism and denial of polytheism, invitation to establish social justice, acceptance the invitation of the prophets and avoid denying their invitation, paying attention to the origin and resurrection, tell the story of previous prophets and nations, paying attention to the common slogans and themes of all religions, expressing the individual and social rules of Muslims an etc. What shows the generality of the Quran’s approaches to categories, is the approach of this divine book to the rules of jurisprudence and the branches of the rules of religion. It is clear that rulings such as prayer, fasting, Hajj, alms tax, etc. must be expressed in detail and in the form of expressing the pillars and conditions of authenticity and invalidity. None of these pillars and conditions for the subordinate religious rules can be seen in the Quran. Prayer, which is the most important religious duty for every Muslim, is stated in the Quran in a general way and without giving any details. The narrations of the infallibles are quite decisive in explaining the details of the religion’s rulings. Other subdivisions of the rulings have the same feature of generality.
We know that the expression of the rules and news related to religion and the guidance of human beings are the first priority in the text of the Quran. When we encounter general language in expressing sub-rules and news related to human guidance, we also encounter such an approach in expressing scientific content in the first place. We should not expect the Quranic propositions, which are in some way related to the concepts and propositions of the experimental sciences or the humanities, to be expressed with the same characteristics as those presented in the language of science. These propositions in the language of science have the characteristics of clarity, partiality, and distinction.
Newton’s law of gravitation in physics is defined as follows: "The gravitational force between two particles is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two particles, and inversely proportional to their distance from each other." (newton, 1729, p. 392) It is because of this force that the object that is at a distance from the ground falls to the ground and the object that is on the ground is pulled towards the ground. Clearly, this definition is quite distinct, clear, and partial to gravity. But when we refer to the Quranic propositions that the claimants consider to be an equivalent for Newtonian attraction, we are not at all faced with such clarity, distinction, and detail. Note the second verse of Surah Ar-Ra’d: "It is Allah who erected the heavens without pillars that you [can] see...". In this noble verse, we are confronted with the similitude of the heavens and their creation into a structure and the way it is raised. Just as a structure needs columns, so do the heavens need columns. But columns that cannot be seen. When the quasi-mode is omitted from the simile, it will be possible for people with different attitudes to consider the quasi-mode according to their assumptions. To consider Newtonian gravity as the intended meaning of this Quranic phrase is only one of the possible assumptions and of course many other cases are also possible. Therefore, the Quranic proposition, unlike the scientific proposition, has the characteristics of ambiguity, generality and polysemy.
One of the socio-political issues that these days is of great interest to religious intellectuals and reformers is the question of the will of nations to change their social destiny. (Sayyid Qutb, 1991, 4/2049-5020, Tabataba’i, 1996, 11/309, Makarem Shirazi, 1995, 1/145-148). Verse 11 of Surah Ar-Ra’d is generally used to prove this claim:
"For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron." However, before the modern era, a completely different meaning of this verse was understood (Toosi, 6/228, Tabarsi, 1993, 6/430). In the following, two different exegeses are mentioned in this regard. The first commentary refers to a reading that has been considered by the commentators of the Quran almost throughout history. However, But the latter has been brought by religious reformers such as Sayyid Qutb in the atmosphere of Qur'anic exegesis:
As it is clear, the existing ambiguity has caused the verse to tolerate different and multi-meaningful readings. It should be noted that the second meaning, which is an interdisciplinary meaning and has arisen from the connection of the Quranic studies with socio-political sciences, would be incomplete and ineffective if it were to be used without considering other and probable meanings of the verse. Therefore, it should be said that the ambiguity and generality of the Quranic propositions create the ground for the emergence of polysemy. Therefore, holistic approach to the language of the Quran should be considered an important feature that makes a fundamental difference with the language of the Quran. This fundamental distinction in the language of the Quran and science complicates the communication and dialogue between them.
Another important feature of the language of the Quran that is not seen in the language of science is the rhetorical approach and dialogue. A sermon is a one-way speech that is given to motivate the audience to do or leave. But in contrast, dialogue is a Bilateral conversation. Speech and dialogue play an essential role in literary texts, especially the language of the Quran, and cover a large volume of the Quran. In contrast, sermon and dialogue are defects for a text in scientific language.
Sermon is one of the industries of five crafts in logic. Speech analogy (Ghiās-e-khetābi) is made of acceptances (Maghbülāt), suspicions (Maznünāt), and well-knowns (Mashhürāt) (Helli, 1991, 403). The purpose of the sermon is to convince the audience of what is expected to be approved by them (idem.). Therefore, in speech, all persuasive methods that affect the audience in some way can be used. The Sermons in the Quran are both general and specific. General Sermons are often accompanied by words such as "O people," "O you who believe," "O you who disbelieve," and so on. And special Sermons are used with titles such as "O Prophet", "O wives of the Prophet," or "O Messenger," and so on. In Quranic sermons, various Rhetorical techniques such as: story, oath, etiquette, ellipsis, persuasion, threat, allegory, melodic sentences, etc. are used to have a greater impact on the audience and also to create diversity in speech and prevent the listener’s fatigue. the main purpose of the Quran is to guide its audiences and in order to achieve this goal, the sermon is very efficient and worthy of attention. But what is more important in the language of science is the presentation of honest and justified propositions. Truthfulness and justification (sedgh and tojih) are the two main features of propositions in the language of science that can only be obtained through reasoning and inference. These characteristics are independent of whether the general public is convinced of these arguments. The main target audience for the language of science is the elite in the same scientific field. To explain the audience there is no need to sermon. Consider the following examples of how controversial arguments or popular allegories have been used to persuade the audience.
One might think that verse 41 of Surah Ankabut states the opposite of scientific propositions. However, this noble verse is organized according to its acceptances (Maghbülāt) and well-knowns (Mashhürāt), and it still has considerable persuasive power:
"The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew."
In this noble verse, the house of the spider is mentioned as the weakest house. We know that in modern science, spider webs are among the most resistant tissues available and the spider’s web is highly resistant. However, there is no conflict between these scientific propositions and the Quranic proposition. Because here the language of the Quran is organized from the language of rhetoric and using acceptances and well-knowns. However, the language of science in this field follows a precise and detailed language.
Gender, is another situation in which the Holy Qur'an has used acceptances (Maghbülāt) and well-knowns (Mashhürāt) to increase its persuasive influence. In Quran (53: 21-22), in response to the polytheists’ God considers an act of choosing sons for themselves and attributing females to Him an unfair division. According to the assumption that a male is preferable to a female, this division is unfair. This presupposition, with which the Qur'anic proposition has been sympathized with, has been among the acceptances (Maghbülāt) of the Prophet's time. In the category of "witness"(Quran, 2: 282) we also see empathy with the acceptances of the Prophet's time. In this verse, God considers the witness of two women to be equivalent to the witness of a man: "And bring to witness two witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men [available], then a man and two women from those whom you accept as witnesses - so that if one of the women errs, then the other can remind her. And let not the witnesses refuse when they are called upon...". Such a ruling is interpreted to mean that if one of the women errs (through forgetfulness), the other will be reminded the forgotten matter. It seems that such a reasoning was made in order to convince the audience and using eminent, so it proves the rhetorical dimensions of the Quran. However, in modern scientific disciplines, it is not acceptable to use such a language to persuade the audience.
The use of the equivocation in the Qur'an perfectly illustrates its rhetorical approach. There are two significant examples in this regard in the encounter of Abraham with the polytheists and Joseph with his brothers. When Abraham became responsible for the protest of the polytheists against the destruction of their idol, he rejected this accusation and considered it as the act of the great idol. "They said, "Have you done this to our gods, O Abraham? He said, "Rather, this - the largest of them - did it, so ask them, if they should [be able to] speak." (21:62-63). However, Abraham himself was responsible for the defeat of the idols and thus he wanted to make them aware of the disabilities of the idols. In another situation, Joseph places a cup in the baggage of the camels of his brothers and then accuses them of stealing: "So when he had furnished them with their supplies, he put the [gold measuring] bowl into the bag of his brother. Then an announcer called out, "O caravan, indeed you are thieves."(12:68) Clearly, such accusations by Joseph are only to make his brothers realize the evil of their theft in their childhood. Such a thing follows the pattern of the sermon and contains the rules of the spoken language. The use of such a language in scientific propositions will not be acceptable at all. Scientific language cannot use the language of irony and extension to express its purpose. Scientific language must be clear and distinct.
Dialogue is in complete contrast to sermon. The dialogue is based on bilateral conversation. Although the language of science is that of argument and inference, but dialogue is generally not used in the written language of science. However, the Quran, so that to have a greater impact on the audiences, applies this style of expression. accordingly, just as the language of writing can be well observed in the Quran, the spoken language can be found in it.
Conversation and dialogue in the Quran include a wide range of cases. Including God's dialogue with prophets and ordinary human beings, as well as human dialogue with each other or even human dialogue with animals. The beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an with God's conversation with His Prophet in the Cave of Hara shows the great importance of dialogue in the language of the Qur'an. Also, the beginning of some chapters of the Quran with the keyword "say", shows that the nature of these chapters is conversational. But apart from the chapters that begin with "say", God has spoken to His prophets on several occasions. God’s words to Moses on the mount of Torah and to Zechariah about having children, are good examples of this. He has also spoken to other human beings on several occasions, apart from the prophets. God’s Conversation with the people of the Book (2: 136), the polytheists (46: 4; 6: 148), Anti-resurrectionists (36:78-82; 19: 66-67), etc. should be considered as examples of God’s conversation with the opposition
In the Quranic examples of dialogue, generally the story is told through the tools of conversation. Conversation is the most prominent element and component of fictional narratives in the Quran. It is clear that stories and tales have no special place in the language of science. Therefore, it can be considered as one of the basic distinctions between the language of the Quran and the language of science, which shows the element of dialogue and conversation in this holy book.
One of the important distinctions between the language of literary texts, and the language of science, is in the application of verbal complexity. Verbal complexity occurs when advancing and retarding make the Propositions difficult to understand (Shams al-Ulama, 1910, 7). Although some rhetorical scholars have considered the existence of verbal complexity as an error in eloquence (Jorjani, 1987, 82-86), but, generally in Quranic sciences, it considers as one of the rhetorical industries in the Quran (as an example: Suy ̄ut ̄ı, idem, 623 and 624). For example, in the (20: 129) "And if not for a word that preceded from your Lord, punishment would have been an obligation [due immediately], and [if not for] a specified term [decreed].", From a syntactic point of view, it is not possible to add the "a specified term" to "obligation" and if so, the meaning of the phrase will be completely incorrect and incomprehensible. In fact, the "a specified term" must be add to the "word". In fact, the "formal deadline" must be reverted to the "word" but in the current structure it has been omitted from its original place and this retarding can disrupt the meaning of the phrase. In the first verses of Surah Al-Kahf, the retarding of words has caused ambiguity and challenge in the meaning of the phrase: " Who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance." (18: 1-2) In this verse, if "guardianship" is supposed to be a passive object for "made therein" like "deviance", we will face a contradiction. It is clear that this contradiction is due to the fact that the "guardianship" has been delayed from its original position; In fact, "guardianship" is now for "the book" and the meaning of the phrase with this new structure has no ambiguity or problem.
The Quran uses such advancing and retarding in its style of storytelling. One of the most prominent examples in the Quran is the story of cow in Surah Al-Baqarah. God start this story with the sentence "Allah commands you to slaughter a cow."(2: 67). But we know that God’s command to the Israelites to slaughter Baqara, is in the middle of the story. The beginning of this story is actually this sentence: "And [recall] when you slew a man and disputed over it"(2: 72). Here also, we are confronted with a delay in the narration of the story, which, if one is not aware of the course of this story, will be a major challenge for understanding it in the Quran.
The existence of challenging precedence and delays is one of the characteristics of literary texts. Creating a challenge and motivating the audience to overcome these challenges is one of the characteristics that makes a literary text have the maximum participation of the audience in interaction with itself. Also, overcoming these challenges and obstacles is a kind of artistic pleasure in itself. However, the existence of such challenges in a text in scientific language is never recommended. A scientific statement must be explained to the audience in the simplest language. The existence of any precedence and delay that creates semantic confusions in the word is considered a defect for that scientific text.
Disciplines are very distinctive in terms of language. In particular, the literary and artistic disciplines are very different from other types of knowledge. Unlike other types of science, artistic taste and sense play an important role in justifying theories of literary studies and art. The language of the Quran has generally used the same common linguistic features in the language of literary, artistic and mystical texts. The language of the Quran bears the closest resemblance to the humanities, especially literature and mysticism. Experimental humanities in the next stage and natural sciences are the most distant from Quranic studies. The main features of the language of the Quran that make it fundamentally different from other sciences are: 1-The application of ambiguity and linguistic amphibology; 2- Application of simile, metaphor, and metonymy; 3- Holism and polysemy; 4- The use of sermonic language and dialogue; 5- the use of verbal complication. In these five features, one can clearly see the difference between the language of the Quran and the language of science. These five features show the obvious differences between the language of the Qur'an and science. It is necessary to pay attention to these differences in the interdisciplinary integration of the Quran and other sciences.