MuslimMatters.org » Nouman Ali Khan http://muslimmatters.org Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:23:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Quranic Verbs used for Purification and Exoneration http://muslimmatters.org/2008/02/13/quranic-verbs-used-for-purification-and-exoneration/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/02/13/quranic-verbs-used-for-purification-and-exoneration/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:25:59 +0000 Nouman Ali Khan http://muslimmatters.org/2008/02/13/quranic-verbs-used-for-purification-and-exoneration/ Part of an ongoing series:

  1. The Literary Beauty of the Quran
  2. “Alhamdulillah” - A Linguistic Miracle
  3. Expressions for Giving and Getting Help in Qur’an

On the subject of words that are closely related to one another yet carry slightly different shades of meaning, I am going to be contributing three more posts including this one insha Allah. Thereafter, I’ll attempt to deal with other areas of Qur’anic eloquence. It obviously shouldn’t be assumed that I’m doing justice to the subject in any way. Word by word study of the Qur’an is an ocean and we are just trying to grab at a few drops here and there. While the first installment dealt with words for praise & gratitude and the second with giving and getting help, this, the third one deals with verbs used for purification or exoneration (which is a kind of purification).

مَحَّصَ

To purify something of flaws, blemishes or impurities. مَحَّصَ الذَّهَبَ is the term used to describe the process used to purify gold of its impurities. Our Lord says in 3:141

وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ

So that Allah may purify those who believe of any impurities and that He may deprive the disbelievers.

The choice of the word mahhasa in this ayah is truly profound. To understand it, you need (more…)

]]> http://muslimmatters.org/2008/02/13/quranic-verbs-used-for-purification-and-exoneration/feed/ Expressions for Giving And Getting Help in the Qur’an http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/25/expressions-for-giving-and-getting-help-in-the-quran/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/25/expressions-for-giving-and-getting-help-in-the-quran/#comments Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:36:18 +0000 Nouman Ali Khan http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/25/expressions-for-giving-and-getting-help-in-the-quran/ I was visiting the community in Macon, Georgia yesterday and a friend asked me the difference between two very interesting words in the Qur’an, both of which are used for seeking help:

اِسْتِغاثَة and اِسْتِعانَة . I couldn’t answer him right away so I made it a point to study the matter last night. Before I share what I found with you, know that 1 through 6 are words for ‘getting help’ while 7 and on are words for ‘giving help’. (more…)

]]> http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/25/expressions-for-giving-and-getting-help-in-the-quran/feed/ “Alhamdulillah” - A Linguistic Miracle of the Quran http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/07/alhamdulillah-a-linguistic-miracle-of-the-quran/ http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/07/alhamdulillah-a-linguistic-miracle-of-the-quran/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:36:55 +0000 Nouman Ali Khan http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/07/alhamdulillah-a-linguistic-miracle-of-the-quran/ Writing about the literary dimension of the Qur’an for an audience that may or may not have background in Arabic grammar and rhetoric can be rather challenging. I’m going to attempt to navigate around technical lingo as much as possible. Building a basic familiarity with the subject is my goal, not presenting it in a sophisticated fashion.

The words AlHamdu Lillah are most commonly uttered from Muslim lips around the world. After the basmalah (the tag name used for BISMILLAHI ALRAHMANI ALRAHEEMI)¸ it is the first statement mentioned in the opening surah, al-Fatiha. One way to explore the beauty, precision , and thought provoking eloquence of the Qur’an’s words is to explore the very choice of each word. Arabic is a rich language full of terms similar in meaning.

Hamd, commonly translated ‘praise,’ has sister terms like shukr, madH and thanaa.

Comparing Madh’, Hamd, and Thanaa’

Madh’مَدح : Praise + Mention of noteworthy qualities and actions attributed to someone or something.

By Comparison (more…)

]]> http://muslimmatters.org/2008/01/07/alhamdulillah-a-linguistic-miracle-of-the-quran/feed/ The Literary Beauty of the Qur’an http://muslimmatters.org/2007/10/19/the-literary-beauty-of-the-quran/ http://muslimmatters.org/2007/10/19/the-literary-beauty-of-the-quran/#comments Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:09:52 +0000 Nouman Ali Khan http://muslimmatters.org/2007/10/19/the-literary-beauty-of-the-quran/ The Qur’an; A Literary Marvel

There is enough academic work on the literary beauty of the Qur’an from grammatical, rhetorical, linguistic & other perspectives to take up several lifetimes to even skim through. I am no literary but I do have a deeply rooted conviction that at least a taste of the Qur’an’s majestic precision and subtlety should be appreciated by as many as possible. I think it adds a new dimension of appreciation and awe of the divine word, not just as something to be observed for its religious doctrine (though its guidance is its primary purpose of revelation), but also as a word that mesmerizes its reader or listener. Not only am I not a literary, I am also not a prolific writer as you may have guessed by now. My attempt in this series of mini-articles will be to share some gems of beauty I’ve come to appreciate from various notable sources. Of the many areas of concentration within linguistic analysis of the Qur’an, the ones that have captured my attention the most are (more…)

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