Why study "Adab" (literature)?

[Sunni_Student786]

Salaamu alaykum.

This question(s) is perhaps best answered either by the Ulema who visit this board or those people who are advanced students.

I am having trouble understanding why "Adab" (literature) is considered to be a science of the Arabic language and of Islam. I can understand why the
study of certain pre-Islamic poetry and writings are considered absolutely essential to the understanding of the Arabic language insofar as it being an Islamic discipline is concerned because those poems and writings were often relied upon to clarify the meaning of obscure words and deduce grammatical rules. But I do not understand why any "Adab" written after the
revelation of the Quran and recording of the Hadith would need to be studied or understood. How does it make one understand the Islamic sciences better? Is their study simply used as a means for acquiring strength in the use of the rules and meanings of the of the language, much like how a non-Arabic speaker may use children's books and newspapers to help him gain strength in the language so that he could progress onward gradually to the understanding of the Quran and Sunnah?

If so, then why is it that they (the Adab literature) are often studied after already going through the Quran and Sunnah with understanding? In the part of the world from which my parents hail, in our institutions they study works such as, Kalila wa Damna Kitab ul Bukhala Divan al Mutanabbi Maqamat al Hariri and other similar works and I have a hard time understanding WHY they are studied even though they, in many cases, are clearly not religious texts and would not help to shed light on any of the meanings of the words of the Quran, Sunnah, etc.

If anyone could shed light on this question, it would be most appreciated.

Jazakallahu Khair.

Wa'salaam.

[Sunni_Student786]

Would any of the scholars, or students studying to become scholars, care to answer the question(s) above?

[maaz]

well, at shariah program, you start adab right off the bat pretty much. as in, in the beginning with Qasas (stories of the prophets).

i'm surprised you've seen places where they do adab later, as in AFTER the quran and stuff.

my humble understanding is that it is done to strengthen the arabic language (grammer, vocab, sarf, balaga) so its easier to read the serious course texts later on in the studies.

[Mossy]

You also see an additional level of refinement in the literature that followed revelation as the Qu'ran essentially drew together so many threads of grammer and form, providing a reference point as it were for future works in actual literature, distinct from regional/dialectical differences like we see today in spoken arabic again.

[Sunni_Student786]

So if the language was in any way further refined after the revelation of the Quran and the writing down of hte Sunnah, what point would there be in understanding this more "refined" Arabic the knowledge of which was not necessary to understand the Qur'an and the Sunnah? Or am I missing something here?

[Mossy]

The refinement comes from the compilation of the Qu'ran in particular, rather than the more disparate collection of styles extant prior to revelation. As you have more examples of the usage of formal arabic at the time, you can get a better understanding of how the various constructs were used and, of course, more practice... Perhaps ask Mufti Yullan maaz?