I'jaz

I'jaz is the Islamic doctrine that the Qur’an is inimitable and miraculous, especially in its language, and that humans cannot produce a work equal to it.

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Qur’an: The central scripture of Islam, regarded by Muslims as God’s revelation to Muhammad. I'jaz identifies the Qur’an itself as the unmatched sign of divine origin.
Qur'anic challenge: Qur’anic passages that challenge opponents to produce a comparable text or chapter. These passages supply the textual basis for the claim that no human work can equal the Qur’an.
Al-Jahiz: An Abbasid-era Arabic writer and theologian known for works on language, literature, and theology. His writings helped shape early discussions of the Qur’an’s rhetorical distinctiveness.
Tahrif: The alteration or distortion of scripture, a concept discussed in Islamic accounts of earlier revelations. I'jaz concerns the Qur’an’s unmatched status, not whether earlier scriptures were altered.
Prophethood in Islam: The Islamic belief that God communicates guidance through human messengers, culminating in Muhammad. The Qur’an’s inimitability is presented as evidence supporting Muhammad’s prophethood.
Nazm (Qur'anic composition): The arrangement and interrelation of words, meanings, and rhetorical structures in Qur’anic discourse. The theory of nazm locates inimitability in the Qur’an’s distinctive composition.
Al-Baqillani: An influential Ash'ari theologian who wrote a major work on the Qur’an’s inimitability. His account made Qur’anic composition central to a systematic defense of i'jaz.
Biblical inspiration: The belief that the Bible was written under divine guidance, understood differently across Christian traditions. It offers a distinct account of scripture’s divine origin rather than the Qur’anic doctrine of inimitability.
Arabic rhetoric: The study and practice of persuasive, eloquent expression in the Arabic language. Claims about the Qur’an’s linguistic excellence draw on Arabic rhetorical analysis.
Balagha: The Arabic art and theory of eloquent expression suited to its context and purpose. I'jaz arguments often describe the Qur’an’s eloquence through concepts developed in balagha.