Revelation in the Qur'an : A Semantic Study of the Roots N-Z-l and W-ḥ-y

In Revelation in the Qur'an Simon P. Loynes presents a semantic study of the Arabic roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y in order to elucidate the modalities of revelation in the Qur'an. Through an exhaustive analysis of their occurrences in the Qur'an, and with reference to pre-Islamic poetry, Loynes argues that the two roots represent distinct occurrences, with the former concerned with spatial events and the latter with communicative. This has significant consequences for understanding the Qur'an's unique concept of revelation and how this is both in concord and at variance with earlier religious traditions. ‎Contents 7 ‎Acknowledgements 11 ‎Figures and Tables 12 ‎Note on Transliteration, Conventions, and Abbreviations 13 ‎Introduction 15 ‎1. The Roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y in Previous Scholarship 16 ‎2. Overall Approach of the Study 24 ‎Chapter 1. Divine Sending Down (tanzīl) I: Actors, Spatiality, and Interaction 34 ‎1. Overview of the Root n-z-l 34 ‎2. Spatial Implications of the Root n-z-l and the Author of the Act 38 ‎3. The Divine Sending Down of Non-revelatory Things 43 ‎Chapter 2. Divine Sending Down (tanzīl) II: The Revelatory Message 50 ‎1. The Celestial Scripture 50 ‎2. The Divine Sending Down of the Celestial Scripture 55 ‎3. The Relationship of the Celestial Scripture to the Qur’anic Revelations 62 ‎3.1. Aspects of the Celestial Scripture 65 ‎4. The Primary Celestial Event 68 ‎4.1. Secondary Celestial-Terrestrial Spatial Events 74 ‎Chapter 3. God’s Esoteric Communication (waḥy) 77 ‎1. The Root w-ḥ-y in Pre-Islamic Poetry 77 ‎1.1. The Substantive waḥy 78 ‎1.2. The Form IV Verb awḥā and Its Verbal Noun īḥāʾ 82 ‎1.3. The Relationship between Form I waḥy and Form IV awḥā 83 ‎2. The Root w-ḥ-y in the Qur’an 84 ‎2.1. The Verb awḥā as Divine Communication 85 ‎2.2. Non-divine Agents 87 ‎2.3. The Word waḥy as a Verbal Noun 88 ‎2.4. Defining the Divine Communication Process 90 ‎2.5. The Content of the Divine Communication 96 ‎2.6. The Spirit (al-rūḥ) 99 ‎3. Adopting a Translation for the Root w-ḥ-y 101 ‎Chapter 4. The Chronological Distribution and Literary Contexts of the Roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y 103 ‎1. The Chronological Distribution of the Roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y 103 ‎1.1. The Chronological Scheme and the Basic Unit of Measurement 103 ‎1.2. The Qur’an by Verse Count 106 ‎1.3. The Chronological Distribution of the Root n-z-l 106 ‎1.4. The Chronological Distribution of the Root w-ḥ-y 107 ‎1.5. Conclusion 108 ‎2. Form-Critical Analysis of the Roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y 108 ‎2.1. Form Criticism of the Qur’an 109 ‎2.2. The Primary Formal Types of the Qur’an 112 ‎2.3. The Basic Unit of Measurement 115 ‎2.4. The Distribution of the Roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y according to Formal Type 116 ‎3. Addressing the Chronological Distribution of the Roots 118 ‎Chapter 5. The Principal Rhetorical Functions of Divine Sending Down and Divine Communication 122 ‎1. The Principal Rhetorical Function of Divine Sending Down 124 ‎1.1. ‘Revelation Affirmations’ 124 ‎1.2. ‘Polemics’ 129 ‎1.3. Other Formal Types 134 ‎1.4. Conclusion 136 ‎2. The Principal Rhetorical Function of Divine Communication 137 ‎2.1. ‘Messenger Addresses’ 137 ‎2.2. ‘Narratives’ 141 ‎2.3. Other Formal Types 143 ‎2.4. Conclusion 145 ‎3. The Dynamic Nature of the Qur’an’s Self-Referentiality 146 ‎Chapter 6. The Qur’anic Concept of Revelation 151 ‎1. From Divine Sending Down (tanzīl) to Divine Communication (waḥy) 155 ‎2. Implications of the Study 158 ‎2.1. The Arabian Characteristics of the Modality of Revelation 158 ‎2.2. The Chronology of the Qur’an 160 ‎2.3. A Note on the Traditional Islamic Understanding of Revelation 161 ‎Appendix 1. Verses with the Root n-z-l Classified according to Formal Type 164 ‎Appendix 2. Verses with the Root w-ḥ-y Classified according to Formal Type 174 ‎Bibliography 176 ‎General Index 190 ‎Index of Qur’anic Verses 192 "In Revelation in the Qur'an Simon P. Loynes presents a semantic study of the Arabic roots n-z-l and w-h+Đ-y in order to shed light on the modalities of revelation in the Qur'an. Through an exhaustive analysis of their occurrences in the Qur'an as well as pre-Islamic poetry, Loynes argues that the two roots represent distinct occurrences in the Qur'anic concept of revelation, with the former concerned with spatial events and the latter with communicative. This has significant consequences for understanding the Qur'an's unique concept of revelation and how this is both in concord and at variance with earlier revelations"-- Provided by publisher "In Revelation in the Qur'an, Simon P. Loynes presents a semantic study of the Arabic roots n-z-l and w-ḥ-y in order to shed light on the modalities of revelation in the Qur'an. Through an exhaustive analysis of their occurrences in the Qur'an as well as pre-Islamic poetry, Loynes argues that the two roots represent distinct occurrences in the Qur'anic concept of revelation, with the former concerned with spatial events and the latter with communicative. This has significant consequences for understanding the Qur'an's unique concept of revelation and how this is both in concord and at variance with earlier revelations"-- Provided by publisher