Arab Rhetoricians’ Understanding of Ijaz Inimitability of Qur’anic Discourse

Abstract

Purpose: The paper aims to discusses the impact of ijaz (inimitability) on Qur’an translation by looking at the notion of equivalence in translation studies and its application to Qur'an translation. The ability to transfer the linguistic and stylistic features of the source text is considered an important factor in achieving equivalence. The views of al-Rummani, al-Khattabi, al-Baqillani, al-Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, and al- Jurjani will be compared and discussed in the context of the Qur'an.

Methodology: The study follows the textual analysis as a valuable research method to gain insights into the content, language and themes of the works of Arab rhetoricians. The study conducts the content analysis to systematically examine the content of set of texts.

Findings: One of the most prominent findings of the study is that the ability to transfer the linguistic and stylistic features of the source text is considered an important factor in achieving equivalence, and due to  the implications of ijaz for Qur'an translation and its impact on the notion of equivalence, it is recommended that the Qur’an’s inimitability should be taken into account when attempting to translate the Qur’an and that any attempt to achieve equivalence should not be at the expense of the stylistic features of the source text.

Originality: The scientific value of the study is that since the Qur’an, by virtue of its inimitability, cannot be literally translated, the translation of its meaning into other languages should aim at achieving an equivalent effect in the target language, without compromising the stylistic features of the Qur’an.