Divine Speech 


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Qaul: ‘Saying’  
Kitab: Allah’s Book   
Kalam: Allah’s Word (spoken-speech) 
Differences between Qaul and Kalam   







Motivation

Three linguistic constructs of the Prophetic Language is explicated below that deal with the Divine Speech and its different forms and manifestations. The reader must adhere to the Arabic of the Qur’an in order to comprehend the underlying semantics of the said constructions. Forming quick and final opinions, based upon the usage of other languages under similar situations, would surely misguide towards grossly inaccurate and false conclusions.

Prior to contemplating about the Divine Speech the reader must study the following in details and commit certain concepts to memory.

Antique Problems & New Cognition

In the old ages, even up to 100 years ago, there was much confusion about the Allah’s Speech and Communications. For example, the phrase ‘Allah spoke’ indicated that Allah must have lips and tongue and spoke like a human being, this led to major deviations from the Path. At best those who tried to stay clear, they assumed that Allah’s speaking is totally beyond anything we might understand and took it as a matter of blind faith.

Today, we have much less of such problems due to broadening of our imagination about the speech and communication at large:

1.    Unliving communication: Computer systems/networks are able to conduct full communication with each other continually in absence of any human presence or human biological and psychological forms. Moreover these unliving machines are able to aid the human speech and communication to be stored and broadcast/narrowcast across vast distances of time and space.

2.    Text-to-speech synthesis: There is no need for an entity to have lips and tongue to communicate exactly like the humans. Computers are able to orate, with extremely high precision, the human speech. Simply from a digital text such as what you are reading, the computer is able to generate genuine human phonetics reading the text, in absence of lips and tongue and in absence of any human form.

3.    Store-forward unliving communications: Computers/Servers are able to store unlimited amounts of human-like communications e.g. TV programs and maintain the storage for unlimited amounts of time and then if needed at will and at a later time to broadcast/narrowcast the stored human communications through vast distances in space.

4.    Non-cognitive Speech: Cell Signaling within all living beings is an incredible example of molecular communications of non-cognitive nature within living-beings that occurs trillions of times a day in every biological creature. These cell communications are again examples of advanced non-cognitive systems of communications that empower our tongue, lips and brain to function. 

These technological innovations have deformed our conception of human speech vs. Divine Speech i.e. we can now imagine and convince ourselves by the reasons and the rational of technological backdrop that Divine Speech is not a matter of blind faith and can be rendered as human-like as possible in absence of any human form and presence. 





Qaul: ‘Saying’ 

Isfahani
Mufradat
“Al-Qaul (Saying) and Al-qil are the same; and they come in several kinds:

Obviously spoken aloud: Any part of any speech or complete sentence e.g. ‘Zaid left’ both the entire sentence or ‘Zaid’ are Qaul (Saying)

Spoken within one’s Self: ‘they say within their selves if Allah does not torment us [58:8]’ which really means what they believed, within, that they would not be punished.

‘Ilham (Inspiration): ‘We 'said' O Dhul Qarnain… [18:86]’ this form of speech is not as described above, it is a form of inspiration (without actual physical conversation). "


اصفهاني
مفردات

 قول

- القول والقيل واحد. قال تعالى: }ومن أصدق من الله قيلا{ [النساء/122]، والقول يستعمل على أوجه:

أظهرها أن يكون للمركب من الحروف المبرز بالنطق، مفردا كان أو جملة، فالمفرد كقولك: زيد، وخرج. والمركب، زيد منطلق، وهل خرج عمرو، ونحو ذلك، وقد يستعمل الجزء الواحد من الأنواع الثلاثة أعني: الاسم والفعل والأداة قولا، كما قد تسمى القصيدة والخطبة ونحوهما قولا.

الثاني: يقال للمتصور في النفس قبل الإبراز باللفظ: قول، فيقال: في نفسي قول لم أظهره. قال تعالى: }ويقولون في أنفسهم لولا يعذبنا الله{ [المجادلة/ 8]. فجعل ما في اعتقادهم قولا.

السابع: في الإلهام نحو: }قلنا يا ذا القرنين إما أن تعذب{ [الكهف/86] فإن ذلك لم يكن بخطاب ورد عليه فيما روي وذكر، بل كان ذلك إلهاما فسماه قولا.


Declaration of Haqq (Truth) to awaken people and attract their attention: ‘That is, for you, Jesus son of Mary the Qaul-Haqq (True Saying) that which they were doubting [19:34]’ i.e. Declaration of Truth in speech form.


اصفهاني
مفردات

وقوله: }ذلك عيسى ابن مريم قول الحق الذي فيه يمترون{ [مريم/34] فإنما سماه قول الحق تنبيها على ما قال: }إن مثل عيسى عند الله{
Dara
Definition of Allah’s Qaul (Saying): Hu's (ITs, His) Qaul (Saying) is Haqq (Truth) [6:73]. No matter which forms it might take of Ilham (Inspiration) or non-cognitive sounds e.g. Alif-Lum-Mim [2:1] or entire words or sentences and regardless of how it was sent down to us humans or other creatures, the Divine Qaul (Saying) is the very essence of declerational appearance or Haqq (Absolute Truth) amongst the humanity and in this universe—And who has more true speech than Allah? [4:122]

Qaul (Saying) also applies to the concept of Rasul (Messenger). In Arabic Rasul means the intermediate carriers of messages between two sources i.e. one messenger handing off the trusted message to the next messenger and so on until the final destination is reached.


Lisanul Arab (Ibn Manzour Afriqi)
Qaul is ‘ordered’ words/Kalam (Spoken Speech).

لسان العرب  ابن منظور 
القَوْل: الكلام على الترتيب،

Lisanul Arab (Ibn Manzour Afriqi)

It is (customary) said: The camel(s) came Irsalan (A derivative related to Rasul or messenger) to mean they came one after another (small group paused and then another small group up to ten at a time). When the camel(s) arrive at the water, and they are many, they stand over the water one after another and would not come to it all at once to avoid a jam (or small group after another small group).

لسان العرب  ابن منظور
 ويقال: جاءت الإِبل أَرسالاً إذا جاء منها رَسَلٌ بعد رَسَل. والإِبل إذا وَرَدت الماء وهي كثيرة فإِن القَيِّم بها يوردها الحوض رَسَلاً بعد رَسَل، ولا يوردها جملة فتزدحم على الحوض ولا تَرْوَى.
والرَّسَل: قَطيعٌ من الإِبِل قَدْر عشر يُرْسَل بعد قَطِيع.

23:44 Then We sent our Rusul (Messengers) in succession:
ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى


Therefore for spiritual purposes the Qaul (Saying) is conveyed-speech vis-à-vis messages broken apart and delivered by messengers, one after another in some order:

Isfahani
Mufradat
“It is indeed the Qaul (Saying) of the benevolent messenger (Gabriel).
And not the Qaul (Saying) of a poet (Muhammad), few who believe [69:41-40]

The word messenger was used in the first verse and the Qaul (Saying) was attributed to this messenger (Gabriel) (i.e. message entrusted to Gabriel to be carried) and again the second verse uses the same word Qaul (Saying) for the recipient (Muhammad) as ‘his’ Qaul (Saying) i.e. sometimes the same Qaul (Saying) is attributed to the messenger (Gabriel) and the same Qaul (Saying) in other times attributed to the Prophet (Muhammad), both attributions are correct.“


وقوله: }إنه لقول رسول كريم * وما هو بقول شاعر قليلا ما تؤمنون{ [الحاقة/40 - 41] فقد نسب القول إلى الرسول، وذلك أن القول الصادر إليك عن الرسول يبلغه إليك عن مرسل له، فيصح أن تنسبه تارة إلى الرسول، وتارة إلى المرسل، وكلاهما صحيح.






Dara
These are some of the linguistic constructs of the language of the Arab that applies to the Qaul (Saying) as a conveyed-speech via carriers to the final recipient and in all stages the same Qaul (Saying) treated as a message and all the intermediaries and recipients use the same word Qaul (Saying) referring to the unique message i.e. once the same Qaul (Saying) was that of Gabriel and later on delivered to Muhammad and it became his Qaul (Saying):

Isfahani
Mufradat
The same Al-Qaul (Saying) applies to both Rawi (Narrator) as it does to Marwiyy (Original source of the qoute).


اصفهاني
مفردات
 والقول هو قول الراوي كما هو قول المروي عنه. .



Kitab: Allah’s Book

Isfahani
Mufradat
“Al-Katab is the stitching of the fabric/leather one after the other (in a sequence); 'I kataba the mule' means I pierced its snouts with rings; commonly sequencing of the letters one after the other along a line. Kitaba means to organize the lines of alphabets (e.g. like organizing the lines of a poem) and this concept i.e. Kitab was used/borrowed metaphorically for Allah’s Kalam (Spoken Word) although it was not revealed in written form as such.”



اصفهاني
مفردات

- الكتب: ضم أديم إلى أديم بالخياطة، يقال: كتبت السقاء، وكتبت البغلة: جمعت بين شفريها بحلقة، وفي التعارف ضم الحروف بعضها إلى بعض بالخط، وقد يقال ذلك للمضموم بعضها إلى بعض باللفظ، فالأصل في الكتابة: النظم بالخط لكن يستعار كل واحد للآخر، ولهذا سمي كلام الله - وإن لم يكتب - كتابا كقوله: }آلم * ذلك الكتاب{ [البقرة/1 - 2]، وقوله: }قال إني عبد الله آتاني الكتاب{ [مريم/30].


"Orginially Kitab is a Masdar (Verbal Noun), and then was called Maktūb i.e. something within which there is writing. Kitab originally was used as the noun for a ‘page’ i.e. sheet with something written on it:

The people of the book ask you to send them down a Kitab from the sky [The Women:153] i.e. a page with writings on it.

And if we sent you down a Kitab on sheet of paper [The Livestock:7] i.e. written on a piece of paper."

والكتاب في الأصل مصدر، ثم سمي المكتوب فيه كتابا، والكتاب في الأصل اسم للصحيفة مع المكتوب فيه، وفي قوله: }يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنزل عليهم كتابا من السماء{ [النساء/ 153] فإنه يعني صحيفة فيها كتابة، ولهذا قال: }ولو نزلنا عليك كتابا في قرطاس{ الآية [الأنعام/7].

 

Dara
Kitab is a Majaz (Corridor) in this world i.e. we understand the semantics as a written book with organized lines and we pass through the 'corridor' of this meaning to the other world, where the book-semantics reveals itself in a everliving spiritual entity that stores Allah’s words.



Kalam: Allah’s Word (spoken-speech)

Isfahani
Mufradat
Al-Kalām is what is prehended/grasped by the Mudrik’s (Prehender’s, understander’s) sense of hearing. Al-Kalm when it is grasped/prehended by the sense of vision!


اصفهاني
مفردات
  - الكلم: التأثير المدرك بإحدى الحاستين، فالكلام: مدرك بحاسة السمع، والكلم: بحاسة البصر


Allah’s Kalima (Spoken Word) means Allah’s Decrees/commandments: No change for Hu’s (ITs, His) Kalimat [6:115].


اصفهاني
مفردات

وقوله: }وتمت كلمة ربك{ الآية [الأنعام/115]. فالكلمة ههنا القضية، فكل قضية تسمى كلمة سواء كان ذلك مقالا أو فعالا، ووصفها بالصدق؛ لأنه يقال: قول صدق، وفعل صدق، وقوله: }وتمت كلمة ربك{ [الأنعام/115] إشارة إلى نحو قوله: }اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم{ الآية [المائدة/ 3]، ونبه بذلك أنه لا تنسخ الشريعة بعد هذا، وقيل: إشارة إلى ما قال عليه الصلاة والسلام: (أول ما خلق الله تعالى القلم فقال له: أجر بما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامة) (عن عبادة بن الصامت قال: سمعت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: (أول ما خلق الله تبارك وتعالى القلم، ثم قال له: اكتب. قال: وما أكتب؟ قال: فاكتب ما يكون وما هو كائن إلى أن تقوم الساعة (أخرجه أحمد في المسند 5/317، وفي إسناده ابن لهيعة، والترمذي وقال: حسن غريب (انظر: عارضة الأحوذي 12/217)، والحاكم 2/454 برواية أخرى، وقال: صحيح الإسناد، وأقره الذهبي.




Allah’s Kalam (Spoken Speech) with the slaves are in two realms, both this life and the life after:

1.    ‘there was no human that Allah did not Kalam (speak) with him by Wahy or from beyond a veil …[42:51]
2.    La yukallimuhum [2:174]: Allah will not Kalam (Speak) with them on the Day of Resurrection.


Dara
Allah’s Kalima as a unit/part of the Kalam has the property that does make the wrong right and makes the falsehood to be replaced by truth;


10:82 "And Allah by ITs/His Kailma establishes ITs/His truth[10:82]

وَيُحِقُّ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ
 



Differences between Qaul and Kalam    


Lisanul Arab (Ibn Manzour Afriqi)
Ibn Sayyida said: Kalam (Spoken Speech) is a well known Qaul (Saying); it is said that Kalam is sufficient in and of itself i.e. it is a complete sentence while Qaul is not self-sufficient i.e. it is a part of a sentence, incomplete.

Majority of the people say Qur’an is Kalam of Allah and do not say Qur’an is Qaul of Allah! And this is so because this semantical usage of Kalam is quite constrained/restricted i.e. Kalam referring to Qur’an is beyond any editing or change, immutable speech made up of utilizable sounds.

Al-Hassan said: (These mere sounds of Kalam) are expanded by the people (?) and each is assigned different semantics (at a later time).


لسان العرب  ابن منظور
 ابن سيده: الكلام القَوْل، معروف، وقيل: الكلام ما كان مُكْتَفِياً بنفسه وهو الجملة، والقول ما لم يكن مكتفياً بنفسه، وهو الجُزْء من الجملة؛
ومِن أَدلّ الدليل على الفرق بين الكلام والقول إجماعُ الناس على أَن يقولوا القُرآن كلام الله ولا يقولوا القرآن قول الله، وذلك أَنّ هذا موضع ضيِّق متحجر لا يمكن تحريفه ولا يسوغ تبديل شيء من حروفه، فَعُبِّر لذلك عنه بالكلام الذي لا يكون إلا أَصواتاً تامة مفيدة؛ قال أَبو الحسن: ثم إنهم قد يتوسعون فيضعون كل واحد منهما موضع الآخر؛



Definition: Al-Wadh’ (Coinage) is the (specific) Ta’yin (Assignment of Semantics) to an expression indicating the meaning ‘in and of itself’.  By ‘in and of itself’ we are taking a precautionary measure against the Ta’yin (Assignment of Semantics) to an expression based on what is linked to it, for the latter is of the (general) type Ta’yin (Assignment of Semantics) and not Wadh’ (Coinage).



Dara
Kalam is the Divine Speech that violates the rules of causality i.e. there is no need for this speech to have a recipient or an intellect to understand what was said by Allah! However the Qaul requires that the intermediary messengers understand and even follow what was said:

Lisanul Arab (Ibn Manzour Afriqi)
“Al-Anbari said with regards to the phrase of the Adhan (Call for prayers): I bear witness that Muhammad is the Rasul of Allah means I know plainly that indeed Muhammad follows/complies what news/information Allah was given to him.”

“Rasul means that entity that follows/complies/subordinated with the news/information that was given to him/it to deliver (as a messenger to others) and this has been adopted from the phrase ‘the camel(s) came Rasalan i.e. following in an order (commanded by someone else).”

لسان العرب  ابن منظور
وقال أَبو بكر بن الأَنباري في قول المؤذن: أَشهد أَن محمداً رسول الله، أَعلم وأُبَيِّن أَن محمداً مُتابِعٌ للإِخبار عن الله عز وجل.
والرَّسول: معناه في اللغة الذي يُتابِع أَخبار الذي بعثه أَخذاً من قولهم جاءت الإِبل رَسَلاً أَي متتابعة.


In other words, Qaul (Saying) is used in conjunction with the word Rasul (Messenger) but the phrase Allah’s Kalam was not used in the same context! Because Kalam of Allah is far more general beyond any and all barriers of intellects or means of delivery or transmission or storage!




© 2008-2002,  Dara O Shayda