Theory of Sarfa

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The theory of Ṣarfa (Arabic: نَظَرِيَّة الصَّرفَة, lit: deterrence) is a theory about the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, which attributes its inimitability to God's intervention in preventing opponents from challenging the Qur'an. This theory had proponents from the second/eighth to the fifth/eleventh century, but most Muslim scholars have opposed it. Some have considered it contrary to the Qur'an's rhetorical inimitability and offered extensive critiques. Ibrahim b. Sayyar, a Mu'tazilite scholar, was one of the earliest proponents of the theory of sarfa. Among Shia scholars, al-Sayyid al-Murtada, Abu al-Salah al-Halabi, al-Khafaji, and al-Bayadi supported this theory. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid and al-Shaykh al-Tusi also endorsed this theory in some of their works while rejecting it in others.

According to this theory, producing a book like the Qur'an is not inherently impossible. Still, God may eliminate people's motivation to challenge the Qur'an, deprive them of their knowledge, or forcibly prevent them from competing with it in other ways. Proponents of Sarfa argue that eloquence is an art accessible to those knowledgeable in language and vocabulary and that the verses of the Qur'an do not possess eloquence beyond human capability. They also cite Qur'an 8:31 and Qur'an 7:146 as evidence for their claim. In contrast, 'Allama Tabataba'i has explained that language knowledge is insufficient for eloquence. Other Quranic scholars have clarified that the Quran's challenge does not extend to all its verses and that the verses of al-Anfal and al-A'raf have alternative interpretations. The most significant work defending Sarfa is the book al-Mudih 'an jihat i'jaz al-Qur'an by al-Sayyid al-Murtada. Ja'far Subhani, in his book al-Ilahiyyat, has presented ten general arguments refuting this theory.

The Concept

The theory of Sarfa (deterrence) suggests that God, through His power, prevents individuals from producing a book or sura similar to the Qur'an, and this divine prevention constitutes the Qur'an's miraculous nature.[1] According to this theory, it is not inherently impossible to produce speech similar to the Qur'an, and some Arab orators before the Prophet's mission had composed speech resembling the Qur'an. However, God subsequently deterred people from rivaling or opposing it.[2]

God's prevention or deterrence, as interpreted by proponents of Sarfa, has been explained in three ways:

  • Removing and eliminating the motivation to challenge.[3]
  • Depriving individuals of the knowledge needed to rival the Qur'an, which can occur in two ways:
  1. The knowledge exists in the challenger's mind, and God removes it.
  2. God eliminates the motivation to acquire such knowledge and expertise from the outset.[4]
  • Forcibly preventing a challenge, even when the motivation and scholarly ability to oppose the Qur'an are present.[5]

Place and Significance

The theory of Sarfa is regarded as the earliest theory and, in a sense, the starting point for discussions about the miraculous nature of the Qur'an.[6] It is a theory concerning the Qur'an's literary inimitability and falls within the field of Qur'anic sciences.[7] It has also been addressed in the disciplines of Quranic exegesis[8] and Islamic theology.[9] Al-Sayyid al-Murtada, a theologian and jurist of the fourth/tenth century, authored an independent work titled al-Mudih 'an jihat i'jaz al-Qur'an to defend the theory of Sarfa.[10] This theory is closely associated with denying the Qur'an's rhetorical inimitability, which is the most well-known aspect of its miraculous nature. Even al-Nazzam, credited as the originator of this theory, was accused of denying prophethood.[11] While most experts in Quranic sciences have rejected the theory, it retains historical significance due to its impact on studies of the Qur'an's rhetorical inimitability.[12] Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat, a researcher in Quranic sciences, described the acceptance of Sarfa and the idea of the Quran's miraculous nature being coercive as dangerous, warning that it could lead to criticism of religion and injustice toward the Qur'an.[13]

Origin of the Theory

Sarfa was presented in the mid-third/ninth century and remained an important and prevalent theory among various theological sects until the late fourth/tenth century.[14] Mu'tazilite thinkers such as al-Nazzam (d. 224/838- 9) and 'Isa b. Sabih al-Muzdar, known as the "Monk of the Mu'tazila", are recognized as the earliest theorists of Sarfa.[15]

Muhammad Abu Zahra, the Egyptian Qur'an scholar, traces the origin of the Sarfa theory to the introduction of Indian ideas into Islamic society during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur (d. 158/774- 5) and afterwards.[16] According to Abu Zahra, this belief originated from Brahman scholars in India, who held that Brahma had prohibited people from producing speech similar to the verses of the Vedas. Later, pseudo-philosophers among Muslims encountered this idea.[17] In his research on the Sarfa theory, Qadizada argues that Abu Zahra's claim lacks historical evidence and has not been referenced by Quranic scholars. He also notes that even before al-Mansur's time, Ja'd b. Dirham did not accept the rhetorical inimitability of the Qur'an.[18]

Perspectives of Opponents and Proponents

Among the Sunnis, Abu Ishaq al-Nazzam al-Mu'tazili (d. 231/845) and Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (d. 456/1064) are identified as proponents of the Sarfa theory. Among the Shia, al-Sayyid al-Murtada (d. 436/1044), his student Abu al-Salah al-Halabi (d. 447/1055-6), and Ibn Sinan al-Khafaji (d. 466/1074) are recognized as adherents of this theory.[19] Al-Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022) supported and reinforced the Sarfa theory in his book Awa'il al-maqalat,[20] and al-Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460/1067) did the same in his Sharh al-jumal.[21] However, Qutb al-Rawandi quotes al-Shaykh al-Mufid as expressing a view contrary to Sarfa,[22] and al-Shaykh al-Tusi later retracted his support for it in his book al-Iqtisad.[23] 'Ali b. Muhammad al-Bayadi (d. 877/1472- 3), a ninth/fifteenth-century scholar, also accepted the Sarfa theory.[24]

It is said that most Muslim scholars attribute the Quran's literary inimitability to its text and oppose the Sarfa theory,[25] with fewer than a dozen individuals supporting it.[26] According to Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat, Shia scholars such as al-Shaykh al-Tusi, al-Shaykh Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita', and Hibat al-Din al-Shahrastani have critiqued and examined the Sarfa theory.[27] Ja'far Subhani, in his book al-Ilahiyyat 'ala huda al-kitab wa-l-sunna wa-l-'aql, presents ten general arguments against this theory.[28] Mustafa Khomeini, a Shia jurist and exegete, also argues that the Sarfa theory is incompatible with the general law of causality, as God does not prevent imitation of the Qur'an directly without the presence of certain intrinsic features in the text.[29]

Sarfa Theory and Literary Eloquence

Eloquence Is an Accessible Art

Al-Sayyid al-Murtada argued that eloquence is an art accessible to everyone, as all the letters of the Arabic alphabet are available to humans, and all sentences are composed of these letters. The Qur'an is likewise made up of these same letters and words. Therefore, what prevents others from producing a structure like that of the Qur'an is a lack of knowledge about eloquence and the arrangement of letters, which is not inherently impossible for humans to achieve.[30] Based on rational principles, even the creation of miraculous speech is denied, as God does not will intrinsic impossibilities.[31]

In contrast, 'Allama Tabataba'i considered eloquence dependent on certain factors, including knowledge of the alphabet and vocabulary. However, the ability to think, articulate thoughts, and possess refined taste is not accessible to everyone.[32] Similarly, Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei argued that having mastery over words and expressions does not necessarily lead to mastery in composition. Just as anyone can stack bricks, but not everyone can construct a magnificent palace.[33]

Comparison with Pre-Islamic Literature

According to al-Nazzam, pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and prose contain examples of excellent and beneficial composition, eloquence, and rhetoric, such that the extraordinary distinction of the Qur'an from them is not readily discernible, and it is deemed possible to produce speech similar to the Qur'an.[34]

In response, some have argued that neither the Arabs contemporaneous with the Prophet (s) nor any scholar has cited examples from pre-Islamic Arabic speech that match the Quran's level, and al-Nazzam himself provided no such examples to support his claim.[35] Furthermore, if pre-Islamic Arabs had texts comparable to the Qur'an, figures like Walid b. al-Mughayra and 'Utba b. Rabi'a, who lived in that era, would not have stated that such speech had never been heard from humans or jinn before.[36]

Structure of Quranic Sentences Are Ordinary

According to Ibn Hazm, merely quoting others and mentioning the names of several individuals (prophets) as found in the Qur'an cannot be considered a miracle. Therefore, the inability to produce something like the Qur'an arises from the fact that God has, in reality, deterred people from doing so.[37]

In his critique of this argument, Qadizada states that Ibn Hazm assumed that the Qur'an challenged others with each individual verse. However, the challenge (tahaddi) pertains to producing something like a single sura, ten suras, or the entire Qur'an.[38] It should also be noted that the Qur'an conveys the essence of others' statements rather than direct quotations, especially since many of those individuals did not speak Arabic.[39]

Argument from the Quran for Sarfa

Proponents of the theory of Sarfa have also referred to the apparent meanings of some Quranic verses.[40] Based on Qur'an 8:31, the polytheists say, "If we want, we [too] can say like this. These are nothing but myths of the ancients." From this, it becomes clear that the Quranic verses did not have an inherent miraculous nature for them.[41] In Qur'an 7:146, God also speaks of turning the polytheists away from the divine signs.[42] If the verse's intent is understood as an existential diversion or deterrence and its aim is turning them away from producing something similar to the verses, this verse could be used as evidence.[43]

Opponents of Sarfa have responded by saying that Qur'an 8:31 demonstrates the Qur'an's eloquence, as the speakers think they can challenge it but cannot do so in practice. It is also possible that they made such a claim merely as boasting.[44] Similarly, in the verse from al-A'raf, other interpretations of the meaning of diversion are possible. Moreover, the verse states, "I will turn them away" in the future, while the Quranic verses had been revealed years before the revelation of Sura al-A'raf.[45]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 138.
  2. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 339.
  3. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 139.
  4. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 140.
  5. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 339; Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 140.
  6. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 53.
  7. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 138.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 1, p. 69.
  9. ↑ Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād, p. 172.
  10. ↑ Ḥusaynī and ʿAbbāsī, Naẓarīyya-yi Ṣarfa dar kitāb-i al-Muwaḍḍiḥ, p. 39.
  11. ↑ Ḥusaynī & ʿAbbāsī, Naẓarīyya-yi Ṣarfa dar kitāb-i al-Muwaḍḍiḥ, p. 41.
  12. ↑ Naṣīrī, Maʿrifat-i Quraʾnī, vol. 3, p. 564.
  13. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 138.
  14. ↑ Ayyāzī, Iʿjāz-i Qurʾān, p. 73.
  15. ↑ Bahādur, Iʿjāz-i Qurʾān, p. 329; A group of authors. Farhangnāma-yi ʿulum-i Qurʾān, p. 3232.
  16. ↑ Abū Zahra, Muʿjiza-yi buzurg; Pazhūhishī dar ʿulum-i Qurʾānī, p. 99- 100.
  17. ↑ Abū Zahra, Muʿjiza-yi buzurg; Pazhūhishī dar ʿulum-i Qurʾānī, p. 99- 100.
  18. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 48.
  19. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 142- 154.
  20. ↑ Mufīd, Awāʾil al-maqālāt, p. 63.
  21. ↑ Ṭūsī, Sharḥ Jumal al-ʿilm wa l-ʿamal, p. 179.
  22. ↑ Rāwandī, al-Kharāʾij wa l-jarāʾiḥ, vol. 3, p. 981.
  23. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Iqtiṣād, p. 173.
  24. ↑ ʿĀmilī Bayāḍī, ʿAṣrat al-Manjūd, p. 233.
  25. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 349.
  26. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 54.
  27. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd, vol. 4, p. 182- 191.
  28. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 344- 349.
  29. ↑ Gharawīyān, Qawl bi Ṣarfa az dīdgāh-i Āyatullāh Muṣṭafā Khomeini; Darbāra-yi Taḥaddī-i Qurʾān, p. 77.
  30. ↑ Sayyid Murtaḍā, al-Muwaḍḍiḥ, p. 138; Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 58.
  31. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 58.
  32. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 64.
  33. ↑ Khoeī, al-Bayān, p. 83.
  34. ↑ A group of authors. Farhangnāma-yi ʿulum-i Qurʾān, p. 3232.
  35. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 344- 345.
  36. ↑ Subḥānī, al-Ilāhīyāt, vol. 3, p. 345.
  37. ↑ Ibn Ḥazm al-Andulīsī, al-Fiṣal, vol. 2, p. 50- 51.
  38. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 65.
  39. ↑ Jawāhirī, Bāzkhwānī-i nazarīyya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 162.
  40. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 60- 61.
  41. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 60- 61.
  42. ↑ Soon I shall turn away from my signs those who are unduly arrogant in the earth.
  43. ↑ Qāḍīzāda, Nigarishī bi naẓarīya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 60- 61.
  44. ↑ Jawāhirī, Bāzkhwānī-i nazarīyya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 160.
  45. ↑ Jawāhirī, Bāzkhwānī-i nazarīyya-yi Ṣarfa, p. 160- 161.

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