LessonsSajʿ and Muwāzanah: Rhymed Prose, Rhythmic Endings, and BalanceQuiz

There is a terminological discussion about calling Qurʾānic fawāṣil asjāʿ. Audible correspondence can be recognized if sajʿ is understood broadly as matching endings. Yet where the term suggests forced rhyming, fawāṣil is the more fitting designation for Qurʾānic passages.

A further explanation concerns the limits of applying literary terms to revealed speech. Sonic resemblance alone does not make Qurʾānic discourse ordinary rhymed prose.

Thus the endings can be studied for sound and meaning while retaining the designation fawāṣil al-Qurʾān.

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Why “sajʿ” is debated for Qurʾānic endings

Sajʿ and Muwāzanah: Rhymed Prose, Rhythmic Endings, and Balance

There is a terminological discussion about calling Qurʾānic fawāṣil asjāʿ. Audible correspondence can be recognized if sajʿ is understood broadly as matching endings. Yet where the term suggests forced rhyming, fawāṣil is the more fitting designation for Qurʾānic passages.

A further explanation concerns the limits of applying literary terms to revealed speech. Sonic resemblance alone does not make Qurʾānic discourse ordinary rhymed prose.

Thus the endings can be studied for sound and meaning while retaining the designation fawāṣil al-Qurʾān.