The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran: A Contribution to the Decoding of the Language of the Koran

353 Pages·2007·19.59 MB·English

by  Christoph Luxenberg

The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran

Christoph Luxenberg
The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran
A Contribution to the Decoding of the Language of the Koran
Verlag Hans Schiler
Bibliografısche Information der Deutschen Bibliothek:
Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der
Deutschen Nationalbib/iografie; detaillierte bib/iografısche Daten
sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrujbar.
British Library Cata/oguing in Publication data:
A catalogue recordfor this book is availablefrom the British Library.
http://www.bl.uk
Library ofC ongress control number available:
http://www.loc.gov
Revised and enlarged edition.
Original published 2000 (2004, 2007):
Die syro-aramiiische Lesart des Koran
Ei n Beitrag zur Entsch/üsse/ung der Koransprache
All rights reserved. No part oft his pub/ication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval
system, transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writingfrom the
Publishers.
C Verlag Hans Schiler, Berlin
111 Edition 2007
Editor: Tim MUcke, textintegration.de
Cover: J2P, using a page of the
Koran codex 328(a) - Hijazi -
by courtesy ofBibliotheque Nationale de France
Printed in Gennany
ISBN-lO: 3-89930-088-2
ISBN-1 3: 978-3-89930-088-8
www.schiler.de
CaNTENIS
Index of K oran S uras 7
Fareword 9
lntrodııction 13
2 Reference Works 20
3. The Working Method Employed ............................................ 22
4. The Arabic Script.. .................................................................. 30
5 The Oral Iradition 34
6. The Arabic Exegesis of the K oran .......................................... 35
7 The Seven Readings 37
Excursus: On the Morphology of ~)L.. 1 ~
(malal'ka = ma/ilyke) .............................................................. 50
Koranic Arabjc and Koranic Aramaic 57
8 Westem Koranjc Studies 66
9. The Language of the Koran .................................................... 68
o.
ı From Syro-Aramaic ı<ı...to (q:ııyilnd)
to Arabic ı:Jic.) (qur>an) ......................................................... 70
Consequences of the Orthographic Transformatian
of q:ııyiln to qur>an ................................................................ 72
On the Spelling of ~..P.-4 (Yağüğ) and C:.?.I....(Mağiiğ) .......... 88
On the Morphology and Etyınology of Syro-Aramaic
r<ı\trı (silfilnd) and Korani c ~ (.~'aytiliı) ........................... ı 00
Qur'an < Q=>ryan: Lcctionary ................................................ ı 04
ll The Histarical Error 109
12. Analysis of lndividual S ura Verses ....................................... 127
Misreadings of ldentical Spellings ........................................ 142
5
Period C onstruction .............................................................. 197
Excursus on the Etymology and Semantics of
Arabic y~ (çlaraba) (to strike) ........................................... 209
13. On Many a Syro-Aramaic Basic Structure
in the Language of the K oran ............................................... 214
Omission of the Perninine Ending of the Adjective
in Classi cal Arabic ................................................................ 219
Misinterpretation or Mistaking of Syro-Aramaic Roots ....... 221
On the Etymology of the Koranic Word ..J.,I>-(şirat) ......... 226
14. Misread Arabic Expressions ................................................. 242
15. The Misreading and Misinterpretation
ofThematic Contents ............................................................ 247
The /fllrlsor Virgins ofParadise .......................................... 247
The Signifıcance ofEphraem the Syrian .............................. 258
Additional Relevant Passages ............................................... 265
16. The Boys ofParadise ............................................................ 284
17. The Analysis oflndividua1 Suras .......................................... 292
Christian Epistolary Literature in the Koran ......................... 300
18. Resunıe ................................................................................. 326
Literature Cited ........................................................................... 335
Index of Arabic/Koranic Terms .................................................. 340
6
Index of Koran S uras
2 100 10:4 196 18:61 143, 149
2:23 69 10:38 69 18:79 183
2:25 265,276 11:13 69 18:94 88
2:26 57 11:24 44 19:5,8 219
2:69 311 11:70 240 19:23 137, 138
2:71 229,233 11:82 lll 19:24 127, 135,
2:98 40 11:86 204, 212 137, 149
2:125 59 11:116, 117 197, 19:25 137
2:126 236 204, 212, 273 19:26 86, 136, 137
2:162,164 225 12:1,2 72, 105 19:65 297
2:248 204,213 12:15 177, 189 19:90 145, 149
2:249 192 12:16 310 19:98 81
2:255 60 12:32 317 19:97 123
2:259 191, 197 12:36 309 20:33,34 294
3:2 60 12:84 256 20:36 299
3:7 106 12:88 93 20:105 145
3:15 265, 276 13:31 150 20:111 60
3:40 219 13:39 106 20:114 122
3:119 329 14:4 68 20:132 297
3:128 314 14:5 100 21:21 195
3:144 316 14:32 225 21:34 316
4:57 265,276 14:37 328 21:87 188
4:82 250 14:41 109 21:96 88
5 323 15:52 240 22:2 220
5:93 192 15:74 lll 22:26 59
6:138, 145 192 16:12 225 22:36 239
6:146 45, 345 16:14 223 23:60 240
6:162 53 16:79 221 24:31 210
7:40 100 16:103 27, 81, 108, 25:3,40 195
7:54 225 112, 117. 122 26:63 !12
7:56 218,230 17:64 242,245 26:84 160
7:143 164, 175 17:66 225 26:90,91 160
7:160 58 18:9 80,85 26:195 108
7:180 116 18:25 58 30:2-5 237
8:2 239 18:47 150 30:30 56
8:4 276 151, 156, 162 31:10 266,276
9:1 97 18:49 153 33:53 192,246
7
33:63 217 50:40 59 74 301
34:5 118 51:47 100 74:31 57
35:9 195 52:20 250 74:51 61
35:12 223 52:24 260, 75:17-18 121
36:56 254 269, 288, 290 76:14 267
37:48,49 266, 288 52:37 233 76:15 282
37:11 306 54:7 240 76:19 260,284,288
37:78,79 157 54:17,22,32,40 124 78:20 244, 148, 149
37:103, 104 166, 175 54:43 97 78:32 257
38:52 265, 269, 271 55:56 265,272 78:33 281
38:82 243 55:68 257 79:27 74
39:29 44 55:70, 72, 74 275 80:15 49
41:3 120 56:2 49 80:22 195
41:40 27, 117 56:6 149 81:3 150
41:44 109, 310 56:17-19 289 81:13 162
41:47 75 56:22-23 260, 82:7 196
42:7 329 262, 265, 278, 288 87:6 122, 303
42:22 47 56:34-37 278 88:22 233,235
42:51 125 66:4 40 96 301,311,320
43:12 266 67:15 195 96:16 49
43:70 253 68:13 76, 79 105:41 lll
43:71 282 68:42,43 59,240 106:1 236
44:35 195 68:51 162, 165 108 292, 300
44:54 250, 255 69:14 145 114:5 242
44:58 124 69:23 267
47:15 87 70:23 297
48:29 59 70:44 240
50:31 162 73 301
8
FOREWORD
In the year 2000 the fırst German edition of this study (Die syro-aramiii
sche Lesart des Koran) presented to the public a fraction ofmore exten
sive investigations on the language of the Koran. A second expanded
edition followed in 2004. A third German edition has been published
recently.
The basis of this fırst English edition is the fırst and, in part, the sec
ond German edition. Beyand that, the present English edition contains
minor supplements and new fındings.
It is hoped that the selection of results made in this publication will
provide a stimulus to Koran researchers to begin discussing the methods
and interpretations arising from them with regard to the contents of the
text of the Koran. From the controversy provoked in the meantime over
the language of the Koran, no objectively grounded refutation has emer
gedin view of the essential fındings presented here.
What is meant by Syro-Aramaic (actually Syriac) is the branch of
Aramaicin the Near East originally spoken in Edessa and the surraund
ing area in Northwest Mesopotamia and predominant as a written lan
guage from Christianization to the origin of the Koran. For more than a
millennium Aramaic was the lingua franca in the entire Middle Eastern
region before b~ing gradually displaced by Arabic beginning in the ih
century. lt is thought that the Greeks were the fırst to call Aramaic Sy
riac (as the language of Assyria in the time of Alexander the Great1).
This term was then adopted by the Christian Arameans, who in this way
wanted to distinguish themselves from their pagan fellow countrymen.
Syriac is also the name given by the Arabs in their early writings (for
example in hadith literature )2 to this Christian Aramaic, which is an ar-
Aramaic as the language of Assyria is attested to in the Old Testament by a
histarical fact in 70 ı B.C. (2 Kings ı 8:26 and lsaiab 36: ı ı; cf. Henri Fleisch,
a
Introduction l'Etude des Langues Semitiques, Paris ı947, p. 69).
2 Thus according to one tradition (hadith) the Prophet is said to have given his
secretary, Zayd ibn Thabit (d. 45/665 A.D.), the task ofleaming Syriac and He
brew in order to read him the writings he received in these languages. Cf., for
9