Style of brevity in the Holy Quran
Among the most creative methods in the speech of the Arabs: is brevity, as it is their competition, and a goal for which their eloquence competes, so the Qur’an came with the most creative brevity, and the multiple meanings are taken from the short and brief phrase.
And the secrets of downloading in every chapter are very gentle and hidden, an end that beats the world’s understanding, increases its insight and does not tell you like an expert. Some of the Roman patriarchs said to Omar Ibn Al-Khattab when he heard God’s saying: And whoever obeys God and His Messenger and fears God and fears Him, those are the Winners [Surat An-Nur: 52]. He said: God has summed up in this verse what was revealed to Jesus regarding the conditions of this world and the Hereafter.
Ibn Qutayba said: “If you want to know that – meaning this wonder of the Qur’an’s wonders, which is brevity – then reflect on His saying, Glory be to Him: Take forgiveness, enjoin custom and turn away from the ignorant [Surah Al-A’raf: 199]. Connecting those who cut ties, forgiving the wrongdoers, giving to those who hold back, enjoining what is good, fearing God, upholding ties of kinship, guarding the tongue against lying, and turning a blind eye to taboos and prohibitions.”[8]
Rather, this and what is similar to it is known and known. Because every soul you know and every heart yearns for.
In turning away from the ignorant, there is patience and forbearance, and self-purification from playing with the fool.
Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Saadi – may God Almighty have mercy on him – said: This verse includes good manners with people and what should be done in dealing with them. Their natures allow it, rather he is grateful to everyone for what he met with of beautiful words or deeds, or what is less than that, and overlooks their shortcomings, and turns a blind eye to their shortcomings, and is not arrogant towards the young because of his smallness, nor the lack of mind because of his shortcomings, nor the poor because of his poverty, but rather he treats everyone With kindness and reciprocity, as the situation requires, and their hearts will be glad to him.”[9]
Thus his saying: and enjoin custom, he said – may God have mercy on him: “With every good speech, beautiful deed, and perfect creation for the near and far, so make what comes to people from you either teaching knowledge, or urging for good, or upholding ties of kinship, or honoring parents, or reconciliation between people, or Useful advice, or correct opinion, or assistance in righteousness and piety, or rebuke for evil, or guidance to achieve a religious or worldly interest, and since it is necessary to harm the ignorant, God Almighty commands that he meets the ignorant by turning away from him and not confronting him with his ignorance, so whoever hurts you by saying or Do it, do not harm him, and whoever forbids you, do not forbid him, and whoever cuts you off, separate him, and whoever wrongs you, treat him justly.” His words ended, may God have mercy on him [10].
Likewise, if we contemplate the saying of God Almighty: Indeed, God commands justice, kindness, and giving to relatives, and He forbids indecency, evil, and transgression, He admonishes you. Perhaps you will remember [Surat An-Nahl: 90].
This verse is inclusive of all commands and all prohibitions, there is nothing left but it is included in it, so it is a rule under which all the details are included, so every issue that includes justice, charity, or connection, then is from what God has commanded, and everything that includes indecency, evil, or transgression is from what God has forbidden. Blessed be he who made guidance, healing of breasts, criterion, and light in his words.
Likewise, contemplate his saying: Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it [Al-Zalzalah: 7, 8].
You see it inclusive of all good, as well as all evil, and so on in enticement and intimidation.
And he, , said when he mentioned the earth: He brought forth from it its water and its pasture [Surah Al-Naza’at: 31]. How did he indicate by two things all that he produced from the earth as sustenance and enjoyment for the sleeping, from grass, trees, grain, fruit, firewood, storm, clothing, fire, and salt? Because fire is from sticks and salt is from water.
And he informs you that he wanted that when he said: enjoyment for you and your cattle [Surah Al-Naza’at: 33].
And likewise in the description of the wine of Paradise: they will not be separated from it, nor will they bleed [Surah Al-Waqi’ah: 19]. How did he deny with these two words all the defects of wine, and combined his saying: And they do not bleed, that the mind does not go away, and the money does not go away?
as well as not running out of drink; Because the drink of the world is running out, the majority of the readers of Medina and Basra, and some of the readers of Kufa, read “they bleed” by opening the zai, meaning: nor do they bleed their minds when drinking it.
And the general reciters of Kufa recited: Nor shall they bleed from it [Al-Saffat:47].
This means: that when they drink their drink runs out, it does not intoxicate them and does not end.
And reflect on his saying , for example: And you have lived in retribution [Al-Baqara: 179]. It is one of the collections of words, and the closest wisdom among the Arabs to it: “Killing is better for killing.” It means: If we wanted to come up with the wisest Arabic phrase from the Arabic word and Arabic proverbs and what the Arabs created of short, tight sentences, their saying: “Killing is better for killing” in expressing retribution.
This is a brief phrase that has a great meaning, “Killing is the same as killing.” Killing by qisas repels and negates killing that is by assault.
But the Almighty’s saying: And there is life for you in retaliation [Al-Baqara: 179], which is more informative, more beautiful, more informative, and more beneficial. Because it is very eloquent and eloquent, with its strangeness in including something and against it.
Retribution is killing and missing out on life, yet it was made life, why? And you have lived in retribution, meaning killing retribution – this is more amazing than their saying: killing is better than killing!
And for you in retribution is life [Al-Baqarah: 179], although retribution is killing, he said that there is life in it; Because retaliation deters, many killings and crimes will not occur if retaliation is carried out. Because retribution will terrorize criminals and murderers, they will not be killed, so all those who were going to be killed will live.
So his saying: And for you in retaliation – which is killing – life [Surah Al-Baqara: 179], was astonishing, brilliant, informative, and more astonishing than the nasal killing of killing.
In addition, he defined retaliation and denied life, and you have in retaliation this knowledge of the definition, then he said: life. Nobody, what he said: and you in the retribution of life.
He said: And there is life for you in retaliation [Al-Baqarah: 179], to indicate that in this kind of judgment which is retaliation, there is a great life. For what is in retribution for deterrence?
Many souls would have been killed without executing the sentence of retribution and without deciding the verdict of retribution in reality.
Al-Qasimi – may God have mercy on him – said: “The scholars of the statement agreed that this verse is in brevity with the collection of meanings that reach the highest degrees, because the Arabs expressed this meaning in many words, such as their saying: killing some to revive all, and others saying: kill more to kill less.” And the finest expressions transmitted from the Arabs in this section are their saying: Killing is the best way to kill.
It is known to everyone with understanding that between this Arabic phrase and what is in the Qur’an is what is between God and His creation – meaning this is the speech of creation and this is the word of God – and how can this phrase for the Arabs reach the sweetness, beauty, and eloquence of the Qur’an”[11].
Therefore, the words of God are not similar to the words of any of His creations.
Al-Qasimi – may God have mercy on him – mentioned about twenty aspects in explaining the supremacy of the verse over the rule of the Arabs.
Among them: is that the verse in it is steadfast in contrast to the proverb because not every killing is the same as killing, but rather it may be more appropriate for it! It is an unjust killing.
So they say: killing is the opposite of killing, killing in general includes killing rightly and killing wrongly.
But the Almighty said: And for you in retribution [Al-Baqara: 179]. Retribution is justice, retribution is rightful killing. In short, the word retribution means rightful killing, while the Arabs say, “Killing is better than killing.” Killing is the first in general that assumes rightful killing and wrongful killing.
If it was unlawful killing, then this opens the door to killing and not closes the door, so consider the difference between the accuracy of the Qur’an and the wonders of the Qur’an, and what other rulings can open, to respond to it from revenues and open to it from objections.
Moreover, the verse is devoid of repetition of the refusal to kill, which occurs in the proverb and devoid of repetition is more informative than what is included in the rules of eloquence.
Then the verse included the art of the beautiful, which is to make one of the two opposites, what are the two opposites? Death and life.
He made one of the two opposites a place and a place for his opposite, and the stability of life in death is a great exaggeration. Likewise, the word retribution is equal, and it informs about justice in contrast to absolute killing. Killing is the same as killing.
Then the verse deters both killing and wounding and for you in retribution [Al-Baqara: 179]. Even in wounds resulting from intentional assaults.
Moreover, the verse is a deterrent to killing and wounding together, because it includes retaliation for them, in contrast to the expression of the Arabs, “Killing is better than killing,” which does not contain mention of wounds.
And ponder the words of God Almighty: And they ran ahead of the door, and she pulled his shirt from behind, and they met her master at the door [Surah Yusuf: 25].
This is one of the wonders of the Qur’an, so the two heavyweights cannot bear to gather all the meanings in these, which do not exceed ten words.
The depiction of the scene is the depiction of the scene, which is not accomplished by the Arabs with such words. If the story was told to an Arab and he was told to express it in the briefest phrase, he would not be able to come up with such a thing, he could not.
And they ran ahead of the door, and she untied his shirt from behind, and met her master at the door [Surah Yusuf: 25].
These words describe a scene that depicts you as if you are present in it looking at him, looking at him as they race, and he wants to run away, and she wants to catch up with him and catch him before he runs away to get what she wants in the indecency with him.
And they ran ahead of the door and broke his shirt from behind [Surah Yusuf: 25]. So she was able to grab the edge of his shirt – not him – and the piece was cut off as a result of his quest to escape and her quest to catch him, and they reached the door, so Alfia found her master and her husband at the door, so it was a surprise and this scene, he and she behind him and the master in front of them receiving them at the door, he is inside and Yusuf is outside Alfia, her master is at the door [Surah Yusuf: 25].
This portrayal could not have come to pass, if the details were told to an eloquent Arab, and it was said to him while he did not know the verse and had not heard of it: He filmed this scene for us?
How many words do you need to express these meanings in and of themselves in full, and to depict the scene accurately as if we see it, portray it for us as if we see it, it contains all these details and every word has a meaning?
And they raced there, the door to the side of the door, to that side, and raced to the door, and Alfia, her master, at the gate, are two words: and raced to the gate.
She ripped his shirt from the anus, and it was clear where the cut was, and she, his shirt, ripped from the anus.
And they both found her master – he is the husband of the woman – there is a difference between her master and his master, although he is his master, but the expression “her master” here in this context is more informative, and here the calamity occurred and the surprise is greater, her master, here is the scandal. And they met her master at the door.
This is a part of a verse that depicts many things. It depicts the whole scene with accuracy and the benefits and details that are present in it. Only the word of God can depict, express and collect what has been collected.
