The Paragraphs and Periods (Full name: Paragraphs and Periods on the Glorification of God and Admonitions; Arabic: الفصول و الغايات في تمجيد الله و المواعظ, romanized: al-Fuṣūl wa-l-ghāyāt fī tamjīd Allāh wa-l-mawā'iẓ)[1] is a collection of homilies in Arabic rhymed prose, authored by al-Ma'arri (d. 1058). The book is noted for being a deliberate imitation of the Quran.[2]
There is no indication that al-Ma'arri intended his work to be viewed as a genuine competitor to the Quran or to assert any claims of divine revelation.[2] Many Muslim contemporaries of al-Maʿarrī believed that his book ridiculed the Quran and condemned it. However, in subsequent centuries, many supporters argued that it represented genuine piety and true glorification of God.[3] Modern scholars hold differing opinions; while some view it as a parody, others see it as a critique of conventional literature.[4]
Citations
edit- ^ Grigoryan 2023, p. 50.
- ^ a b Lawson 2012, p. 26.
- ^ Grigoryan 2023, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Grigoryan 2023, p. 53.
References
edit- Lawson, Todd (2012). Gnostic Apocalypse and Islam: Qur'an, Exegesis, Messianism, and the Literary Origins of the Babi Religion. Routledge. ISBN 9781136622885.
- Grigoryan, Sona (2023). Neither Belief nor Unbelief: Intentional Ambivalence in al-Maʿarrī’s Luzūm. De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783110773644. ISBN 9783110773644.
Further reading
edit- Smoor, Pieter (2014). "A Flash of Understanding the Book al-Fuṣūl wa-l-ghāyāt fī tamjīd Allāh wa-l-mawā'iẓ by Abū l-'Alā' al-Ma'arrī". Bibliotheca Orientalis. 71 (5–6). The Netherlands Institute for the Near East. doi:10.2143/BIOR.71.5.3073485.
- Diez, Martino (2014). "Der Koran des Abū l-ʿAlāʾ. Teil 1: Materialien und Überlegungen zum K. al-Fuṣūl wa-l-ġāyāt des al-Maʿarrī. Teil 2. Glossar". Journal of Qur'anic Studies. 16 (2). The Netherlands Institute for the Near East. doi:10.3366/jqs.2014.0153.
- Blankinship, Kevin (2017). "Der Koran des Abū l-ʿAlāʾ. By Christian Peltz". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 76 (1). Edinburgh University Press. doi:10.1086/690634.