Poetry

Arabic Poetry is a form of metrical speech with a rhyme. [12] The rhyme in Arabic poetry
is achieved by every line of the poem ending upon a specific letter. [13] The metrical
aspect of Arabic poetry is due to its rhythmical divisions, these divisions are called ‘al-
Bihar’, literally meaning ‘The Seas’ in Arabic. This term has been used to describe the
rhythmical divisions as a result of the way the poem moves according to its rhythm.

In Arabic poetry there are sixteen rhythmical patterns, which all of Arabic poetry adheres
too or is loosely based upon;

1. at-Tawîl
2. al-Bassit
3. al-Wafir
4. al-Kamil
5. ar-Rajs
6. al-Khafif
7. al-Hazaj
8. al-Muttakarib
9. al-Munsarih
10. al-Muktatab
11. al-Muktadarak
12. al-Madid
13. al-Mujtath
14. al-Ramel
15. al-Khabab
16. as-Saria'

Each one of the al-Bihar have a unique rhythmical division. [14] The al-Bihar were first
codified in the 8th century by al-Khalil bin Ahmad and have changed little since. The al-
Bihar are based on the length of syllables. A short syllable is a consonant followed by a
short vowel. A long syllable is a vowelled letter followed by either an unvowelled
consonant or a long vowel. A nunation sign at the end of a word also makes the final
syllable long. In Arabic poetry each line is divided into two halves.



Unique Fusion of Metrical and non-Metrical Speech

Some parts of the Qur’an follow the rules of poetry, that is, some verses can be
described as one of the al-Bihar. [23] When the totality of a Qur’anic Chapter, that
contains some these verses is analysed, it is not possible to distinguish its literary form.

“The Qur'an is not verse, but it is rhythmic. The rhythm of some verses resemble the
regularity of saj’…But it was recognized by Quraysh critics to belong to neither one nor
the other category.” [24]

The Qur’an achieves this unique literary form by intermingling metrical and non-Metrical
speech in such a way that the difference can not be perceived. [25] This intermingling of
metrical and non-metrical composition is present throughout the whole of the Qur’an.
The following examples illustrate this,

“But the righteous will be in Gardens with Springs – ‘Enter in Peace and Safety!’ – and
We shall remove any bitterness from their hearts: [they will be like] brothers, sitting on
couches, face to face. No weariness will ever touch them there, nor will they ever be
expelled. [Prophet] tell My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful, but My torment
is the truly painful one. Tell them too about Abraham’s guests: when they came to him
and said “Peace,” he said, ‘We are afraid of you’” [26]

When reading the original Arabic of the above verse the reader moves from metric
composition to prose with out experiencing the slightest change of style or mode. [27]
The same mingling of metrical and non-metrical composition can be observed in the
following verse from Chapter 12 of the Qur’an.

“When she heard their malicious talk, she prepared a banquet and sent for them, giving
each of them a knife. She said Joseph, ‘Come out and show yourself to them!’ and when
the women saw him, they were stunned by his beauty, and cut their hands, exclaiming,
‘Great God! He cannot be mortal! He must be a precious angel!’ She said, ‘This is the
one you blamed me for. I tried to seduce him and he wanted to remain chaste, but if he
does not do what I command now, he will be put in prison and degraded.’” [28]

The phrase “This is the one you blamed me for” in Arabic is poetic. It has a metrical
structure in which the rules of Arabic poetry are observed, [29] Commenting on this
feature Mitwalli states,

“It is almost impossible for the listener to detect the shift from one form to the other, nor
does this exquisite mingling impinge on the fluidity of expression or impair its meaning.”
[30]

The Qur’an is truly unique in composition. It is neither prose nor poetry. [31] This
inimitable style is achieved by intermingling metrical and non-metrical composition and
by not adhering to the rules of poetry or prose. In addition to this, the Qur’an uses
expressions that are eloquent, full of sublime rhetoric and adheres to the grammatical
rules of Classical Arabic. [32]

Literary and Stylistic Differences

The most predominant opinion on the inimitability of the Qur’an is that it exhibits a unique
literary form. However, some Scholars are of the opinion that the early Meccan chapters
have similar structural features than that of the kahin form of rhymed prose [33]. These
same Scholars still admit that the Qur’an is unique due to its stylistic and literary features
[34]. This could be the main reason why those who used to recite in the kahin form of
Arabic were not able to challenge the Qur’an. But this can also raise the question ‘If the
Qur'an is a form of rhymed prose then why were those who used kahin unable to
challenge the Qur'an?’ [35]

Even if this opinion is accepted, the stylistic and literary features that render the Qur’an
inimitable and unique include semantically driven assonance and rhyme [36],
grammatical shift [37]; interrelation between sound, structure and meaning [38] and its
unique linguistic genre. [39] These are valid and powerful arguments that explain how
the Qur'an differs from rhymed prose from a literary and stylistics point of view. Please
see references above for more information.
read full article, very interesting read : http://www.theinimitablequran.com/QuranicStyle.html