قرآن پر "القول" کا اطلاق: کلامی تناظر میں تفسیری مطالعہ

The Qur’an as al-Qawl (The Divine Speech): A Theological Study from Exegetical Perspective

Abstract

The Holy Qur’an is the sacred Word of Allah. In the Qur’an itself, it is described by the term al-Qawl (“the Speech” or “the Word”). The application of this term to the Qur’an has given rise to a number of important scholarly discussions. This article aims to examine these debates in detail. Allah Almighty declares in the Qur’an: “So give glad tidings to My servants—those who listen attentively to the Word and then follow the best of it. They are the ones whom Allah has guided, and they are the people of understanding.” (Qur’an 39:17–18) There are several possible reasons for describing the Qur’an as al-Qawl. The Qur’an is the final and definitive Divine discourse, and as the last of the revealed scriptures, it may be designated al-Qawl to signify its conclusive and authoritative nature. In numerous Qur’anic passages, the term al-Qawl is employed in the sense of a final divine decree or an irrevocable judgment. Accordingly, the designation may indicate that the Qur’an is Allah’s final message to humanity. Another subtle wisdom may be that this terminology emphasizes that every single word of the Qur’an constitutes the Qur’an itself. In Arabic usage, kalām (speech/discourse) generally consists of at least two words or a complete sentence, whereas qawl (utterance/word) is broader in scope and may refer even to a single word or expression. Thus, referring to the Qur’an as al-Qawl highlights the sanctity and authority of each of its words. This article also investigates the scholarly discussions that have arisen from the Qur’an being described as the “statement of the Messenger” (qawl al-rasūl). It also examines, through exegetical sources, the interpretation of those Qur’anic passages in which the Qur’an is attributed to Jibrīl (Gabriel) as his “statement” (qawl Jibrīl). The study adopts an analytical approach in exploring these theological and exegetical issues.