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Draft:Qisas al-Qur'an

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al-Nur al-mubin fi qisas al-anbiya' wa l-mursalin, written by Sayyid Ni'mat Allah al-Jaza'iri

Qisas al-Qur'an (Arabic: قَصَصُ القُرآن), meaning Quranic stories, encompass nearly one-third of the Quranic verses. These stories concern prophets and past nations, as well as events from the period of the Revelation of the Qur'an. The reason for the extensive use of stories in the Qur'an is stated to be their high capacity to influence human thought and soul. The Qur'an itself introduces the purpose of relating these stories as humans taking lessons and, in numerous verses, recommends reflecting on the history of predecessors.

According to Quranic verses, Quranic stories are not fabricated or legendary, but are realities from which the wise take heed and which lead to the guidance of believers. According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, the Qur'an only mentions what is in line with its goal, namely guidance, and does not state the details of events.

Most stories of the Qur'an concern the lives of Prophets. The Qur'an has spoken in detail especially about prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Joseph, and the Prophet of Islam (s).

Story in the Qur'an

The Qur'an places great emphasis on using stories to present Islamic teachings. Nearly one-third of Quranic verses concern the stories of predecessors and events from the period of the Revelation of the Qur'an. In the Qur'an, the world of the Hereafter is also depicted in the form of a story.[1] Quranic stories are called Qisas al-Qur'an. *Qisas* is the plural of *qissa* and means stories.[2]

In verses of the Qur'an, its storytelling feature is mentioned; in Qur'an 20:99, it is stated that the Qur'an relates the stories of predecessors to the Prophet (s). In Sura Yusuf, the story of the life of Joseph (a) is called the best of stories (*ahsan al-qasas*) that is to be told to the Prophet.[3] In some narrations, the expression *ahsan al-qasas* has been applied to the Qur'an itself.[4]

Quranic Goals of Storytelling

The reason for the Qur'an's extensive use of stories is considered to be the high capacity of stories to influence human thought and soul;[5] as human nature turns away from direct advice, and the Qur'an has presented its teachings through stories and indirectly.[6]

The Qur'an introduces its goals in relating stories as giving reassurance to the Prophet,[7] preaching (maw'iza),[8] reminding the believers,[9] and humans taking lessons.[10] In numerous verses of the Qur'an, reflecting on the history of predecessors is recommended.[11] According to Quranic verses, Quranic stories are not fabricated or legendary, but are realities (*al-qasas al-haqq*: Qur'an 3:62) from which the wise take heed and which lead to the guidance of believers.[12]

'Allama Tabataba'i says regarding the Qur'an: "The Qur'an is not a book of history or a novel, but a Mighty Book that no falsehood can approach from before it or from behind it, and later the hands of conspirators cannot let falsehood into it. It is the Qur'an itself that describes itself in many verses as such: (The Qur'an says nothing but the truth) and (after the truth there is nothing but misguidance), (the Qur'an is a book that never seeks help from false and misleading stories for the purpose of truth and guidance), (the Qur'an is a book that guides towards the truth and the straight path), (what is in the Qur'an is a proof for whoever holds fast to it, and a proof against whoever abandons it)."[13][14] Abdullah Jawadi Amuli also does not consider the Qur'an a purely scientific book and believes that the Qur'an is a demonstrative book that accompanies proof with preaching, and in Quranic stories, wisdom, preaching, and excellent disputation are placed side by side.[15]

Some, by examining the stories of the Qur'an, have shown their three general goals as follows:

  • Cognitive goals: expressing religious beliefs such as the necessity of religion and Prophethood;
  • Social goals: expressing the causes of victory or defeat of nations, introducing superior and model nations, expressing the cause of nations enjoying blessings or being afflicted with divine punishments;
  • Ethical and educational goals: introducing models such as the Prophet (s) and Abraham (a) and those who believed with him, introducing Satan as an important factor in human deviation, expressing important ethical values.[16]

Features of Quranic Storytelling

The stories of the Qur'an are not told according to the common methods of story-writing and novel-writing.[17] According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, Quranic stories do not deal with details such as the lineage of persons and the time and place of events and other features that are important for historians and novelists, and only mention what is in line with the goal of the Qur'an, namely guidance.[18]

Regarding the stories of the Qur'an, features have been mentioned in terms of content and structure. Some content-related features of Quranic stories are being real, being purposeful and having a message, mentioning miracles and extraordinary matters, and the existence of different character types in the stories.[19]

It is said that in story-writing, the Qur'an has not followed a specific structural style and has related stories with diverse methods.[20] In some Quranic stories, such as the story of the People of the Cave, a summary of the story is presented at the beginning and then the whole is given in detail. In some stories, such as the story of Moses (a) and Pharaoh, the end of the story is mentioned at its beginning and after that, the story is related from beginning to end. Some Quranic stories, like the story of the birth of Jesus (a), begin suddenly and without introduction and proceed to the end.[21]

Some general features of Quranic stories are as follows:

  • In the Qur'an, parts of the story that play an important role in line with the goal of the Qur'an are highlighted and discussed in detail.
  • The characters of Quranic stories appear in a vivid and personified manner before the audience.
  • Parenthetical sentences are used extensively in Quranic stories.
  • The method of two-way dialogue, especially dialogue between two opposing characters, is among the common methods in Quranic stories.
  • The stories are often composed of few characters. Most of them are based on the tripartite structure of God, the prophet, and the prophet's nation.
  • The stories do not mention the time period of the occurrence of events.
  • The stories usually end by stating the conclusion of the story and an explicit deduction.[22]

Subjects of Quranic Stories

Most stories of the Qur'an concern the lives of Prophets. The Qur'an has spoken in detail especially about prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and the Prophet (s). Besides the prophets, stories are narrated in the Qur'an about other individuals and also some nations and groups.[23] Some Quranic stories include:


Bibliography of Qisas al-Qur'an

Qisas al-Qur'an is one of the most interesting topics in Quranic sciences, and many books have been written about it.[24] These books are often called *Qisas al-Qur'an*. Some of them include:


Notes

  1. ↑ Marwīyān, Ahdāf-i tarbīyatī dar qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, 1384 Sh, p. 201; Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh, pp. 13-15.
  2. ↑ Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh, p. 14; Ṭālibī, "Tārīkh dar qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān", p. 29.
  3. ↑ Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh, p. 14; Qur'an 12:3.
  4. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 9, p. 301.
  5. ↑ Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh, pp. 13-14; Ṭālibī, "Tārīkh dar qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān", p. 29.
  6. ↑ Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh, p. 13.
  7. ↑ Qur'an 11:120.
  8. ↑ Qur'an 11:120.
  9. ↑ Qur'an 11:120.
  10. ↑ Qur'an 12:111.
  11. ↑ Ṭālibī, "Tārīkh dar qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān", p. 29.
  12. ↑ Qur'an 12:111; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 457-458.
  13. ↑ Mūsawī Hamadānī, Tarjuma-yi Tafsīr al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 236.
  14. ↑ For the Qur'an is not a book of history, nor a collection of imaginary stories, but it is a Mighty Book that falsehood does not approach from before it nor from behind it. It has specified that it is the speech of Allah, and that it says nothing but the truth, and that after the truth there is nothing but misguidance, and that it does not seek help for the truth from falsehood, nor does it seek guidance from misguidance, and it is a book that guides to the truth and to a straight path. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Al-Mīzān, Isma'iliyan, vol. 7, p. 166.
  15. ↑ https://javadi.esra.ir/fa/w/تفسیر-سوره-نازعات-جلسه-6-1398/09/04-
  16. ↑ Marwīyān, Ahdāf-i tarbīyatī dar qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, 1384 Sh, pp. 201-207.
  17. ↑ Ḥusaynī, Rīkht-shināsī-yi qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, 1382 Sh, p. 67.
  18. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Al-Mīzān, trans. Mūsawī Hamadānī, p. 64, cited in: Ḥusaynī, Rīkht-shināsī-yi qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, 1382 Sh, p. 67.
  19. ↑ Sangarī, "Ahdāf wa shīwah-hā-yi dāstān-pirdāzī dar Qur'ān", 1384 Sh, pp. 4-7.
  20. ↑ Ṣādiqpūr, "Nagāhī bih wīzhigī-hā-yi sākhtārī-yi dāstān-hā-yi Qur'ān", 1376 Sh, p. 274.
  21. ↑ Ṣādiqpūr, "Nagāhī bih wīzhigī-hā-yi sākhtārī-yi dāstān-hā-yi Qur'ān", 1376 Sh, pp. 275-279.
  22. ↑ Ma'mūrī, Taḥlīl-i sākhtār-i riwāyat dar Qur'ān, 1392 Sh, pp. 66-67.
  23. ↑ See: Balāghī, Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān, 1380 Sh; Ṣuḥafī, Qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, 1379 Sh.
  24. ↑ Ṣādiqpūr, "Kitāb-shināsī-yi qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān", 1377 Sh, pp. 306-307.
  25. ↑ M. Khurāsānī, Mahdī, "Rāhnamā-yi pazhūhish dar dāstān-hā-yi Qur'ān", 1371 Sh, pp. 101-102; Dawrah-yi kāmil-i qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān, Sayyid Muḥammad Ṣuḥafī, 1367 Sh.

References

  • Balāghī, Ṣadr al-Dīn. Qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān. Tehran: Amīr Kabīr, 17th edition, 1380 Sh.
  • Ḥusaynī, Muḥammad. Rīkht-shināsī-yi qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān: Bāz-khwānish-i dawāzdah qiṣṣah-yi Qur'ānī. Tehran: Qūqnūs, 1382 Sh.
  • Sangarī, Muḥammad Riḍā. "Ahdāf wa shīwah-hā-yi dāstān-pirdāzī dar Qur'ān". Āmūzish-i Qur'ān, no. 8, 1384 Sh.
  • Ṣādiqpūr, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. "Nagāhī bih wīzhigī-hā-yi sākhtārī-yi dāstān-hā-yi Qur'ān". Mishkāt, no. 54-55, 1376 Sh.
  • Ṣādiqpūr, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. "Kitāb-shināsī-yi qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān". Mishkāt, no. 60-61, 1377 Sh.
  • Ṣuḥafī, Sayyid Muḥammad. Qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān. Qom: Ahl al-Bayt, 2nd edition, 1379 Sh.
  • Ṭālibī, Tahmāsb. "Tārīkh dar qiṣaṣ-i Qur'ān". Rushd-i Āmūzish-i Tārīkh Magazine, no. 42, Spring 1390 Sh.
  • M. Khurāsānī, Mahdī. "Rāhnamā-yi pazhūhish dar dāstān-hā-yi Qur'ān". Āyinah-yi Pazhūhish, no. 15, 1371 Sh.
  • Marwīyān Ḥusaynī, Muḥmūd. "Ahdāf-i tarbīyatī dar qiṣṣah-hā-yi Qur'ān". Pazhūhish-hā-yi Qur'ānī, no. 41, 1384 Sh.
  • Ma'mūrī, ʿAlī. Taḥlīl-i sākhtār-i riwāyat dar Qur'ān: Barrasī-yi manṭiq-i tawālī-yi pīraft-hā. Tehran: Nigāh-i Muʿāṣir, 1392 Sh.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1374 Sh.
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