Arrangement of the Qur’an According to Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi in the Book Indicators of Miraculousness in Patterns of Conciseness: A Descriptive and Analytical Study

Abstract

This research examines the concept of Quranic arrangement (an Nazm al Qurani) according to Badiuzzaman Said Nursi’s understanding of what the clearest aspect of the miraculous nature of the Noble Qur’an is as found in his book Indicators of Miraculousness in Patterns of Conciseness (Ishārat al-Iʿjāz fī Maẓānn al-Ījāz). The research applies the descriptive and analytical methods. The research comprises two chapters, and under each chapter there are subtopics. The first chapter deals with Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani’s theory of Qur’anic arrangement (naẓm) because his is the most famous and influential articulation of the concept in classical Islamic scholarship. The second chapter examines Nursi’s ideas about Quranic arrangement, and it is the main point of this research. He borrows from al-Jurjani’s principles, applying them to selected Quranic verses to demonstrate how the word choice and phrasing cannot be improved upon in conveying the Quran’s objectives. Due to their importance in realizing the nature of the linguistic miracle, Nursi devotes considerable attention to identifying what those objectives are. He explains the apparent repetition in the Qur'an and its ruling, and in the last author studies the nature of the arrangements from the semantic point of view and from the point of view of meanings. It is understood from the study of the Qur’anic arrangements of Nursi that there is nothing new in his theories except to illustrate Abd al-Qaher al-Jurjani principles by applying them practically to selected Quranic verses.