A Narrative-Based Approach to the Arabicity of the Quran's Language and Its Points of Similarity and Difference with Human Language

Qorbankhani, Omid

doi:10.22034/hsr.2025.51821.1069

A Narrative-Based Approach to the Arabicity of the Quran's Language and Its Points of Similarity and Difference with Human Language

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Omid Qorbankhani

Assistant Professor, Department of Theology, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

10.22034/hsr.2025.51821.1069

Abstract

The religion of Islam is a universal religion, and consequently, the audience of the Quran includes all human beings from various ethnic backgrounds. However, from among the different languages, the divine will chose the Arabic language to convey the teachings of this holy book. Questions arise in this regard, such as ‘Whether this selection is due to a special characteristic of the Arabic language or if it is merely rooted in being the same language as the Prophet's (PBUH) people?’ ‘If the Quran had been revealed in a non-Arabic language, could it have had a similar role and impact?’ Furthermore, ‘Is the language of the Quran entirely subject to the rules and regulations governing human language, or does it have differences?’ In response to these questions, the present study adopts a narrative-based approach to examine and analyze related hadiths. It concludes that the Arabic language, regarding its special capacities, is the exclusive language of revelation; therefore, the Holy Quran is established upon the Arabic language and is inseparable from it. There are also similarities and differences between the Arabic of the Quran and the conventional Arabic of the era of revelation. These similarities are manifested in the types of letters, word structures, grammatical rules, and expressive style. The differences lie in the semantic system, the textual continuum, and the levels of signification.

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