Awantipora, Oct 16: Two-day international conference on ‘Major Trends in Rhetorical and Stylistic Exegesis of Quran’ began at Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) here on Tuesday.
The conference is being organised by the department of Arabic Language and Literature, IUST.
In a statement issued here, a varsity spokesman said: “Prof Abdul Majid Qazi, from department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, gave a detailed presentation of his research paper on ‘Quranic Discourse: A Literary, Linguistic and Intellectual Perspective.’ His paper focuses on three major components, viz., Arabs’ response to Quran, brief survey of Quranic literature, and the connection of Quran with the Arabic language.”
Prof Qazi said before the Holy Quran was revealed, the Arabs were an isolated lot of tribes, “living on the periphery in their desert, far from the arena of the history.” “It is the Holy Quran that breathed into them the spirit of human instinct,” said Prof Qazi, who was bestowed with presidential award in 2005 for his contribution towards Arabic language and literature.
He deliberated at length upon the surrender of the ancient Arabs to the power of Holy Quran. “The literary and artistic appeal of Quran was so magnetic that Arabs had to surrender despite their extreme opposition towards the holy book,” he said, and added, “It was evident that Quran was supreme and miraculous.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr S K Anjum, Head, department of Arabic, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, said, Quran is the highest of all texts and stands much above poetry and prose. “Whenever you listen to the verses of the Holy Quran, you feel mesmerized, especially during Taraweeh prayers,” he said.
Dr Anjum, who has authored 19 books and numerous research papers, said no author could ever claim that his book contains no errors, however, “the Holy Quran can not only claim but also challenge that it is free of errors of any sort.”
Honourable Vice Chancellor, IUST, Prof Mushtaq A Siddiqi, who was chief guest on the occasion, said since the Holy Quran was revealed in Arabic, “there must be something special about this language.”
He said it was important for Muslims to learn the Arabic language properly, so as to have a correct interpretation of Holy Quran as well Islam.” “Besides, it can also help us understand each other’s culture and interact with each other in a better way,” he said.
Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Abdul Salam Bhat, said Quran has inimitable features and the scholars need to come forward to unfold them.
He dealt with the differences between Quran and other books. “The holy book follows all-together a different methodology than rest of the books. And then, no other book has taken as long as 23 years to be written,” he said, adding that only Quran has oaths, which have been taken to sensitize the readers about something big to happen.
He further said Quran offers narratives about the previous prophets, the objective of which was to convince the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that the path he has been given is the same as given to the previous prophets. “Besides, these also aimed to let people know about the consequences of disobeying Allah and his prophet,” he said.
Dean Academic Affairs, IUST, Prof A M Shah, said there is a need to address the queries of youth regarding Islam in a stylistic manner. He cited some examples as to how to make people understand the teachings of Quran.
Earlier, welcoming the guests, Head, department of Arabic, Dr Abdul Majeed Andrabi said the purpose of organising the conference was to explore the rhetorical and stylistic dimensions of the Holy Quran. The session began with paying tributes to late Dr Arif Qazi, former Head, department of Arabic, IUST. Meanwhile, Dr Irfani Rahim, Sr. Assistant Professor, department of Arabic, conducted the proceedings of the conference.
Later, a presentation on ‘Al Taa al Mabsoutah of Holy Quran: A Pragmatic and Social Study’ was delivered by Dr Manal (Msh) Najar, Associate Professor, University of Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through video-conferencing.
Among others, Dr Naseem Akhtar from department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, Syed Riyaz Ruffai, Registrar IUST, Arabic scholars from various parts of India, deans of various schools of IUST, and heads, faculty and students from various departments of IUST were present on the occasion.
