Asalaam
alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh
Miracle
Sounds [Onomatopoeia]
in al-Qur'an.
The use
of delicate sounds.. exhibits the Qur’an’s ability to express
meaning and images via the sound of its text:
1 - The
Still Night..
وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَ ىٰ
wallayli izaa sajaa..
“And by the Night when it is still..” [Qur'an 93: 2]
The way the Qur’an
uses the word ‘when it is still’
produces a tranquil tone and a smooth sound. This indicates thepeace, stillness and serenity that night
time provides.
2 - The
Striking of Rocks to Produce Sparks:
The Qur’an
also uses sound to build intense images, for example,
فَالْمُورِيَاتِقَدْحًا
FaalmooriyaatiQad-han
“And the producers of sparks striking” [Qur'an 100: 2] (really referring to war horses galloping and their hooves striking rocks to produce sparks [refer to the tafseers on this verse])
The word for sparks
striking, ‘Qad-han’, that is
used here emits a sound that develops the sense of this image, the
proximity of the Arabic letters Qa
- striking the ‘daal’
and rebounding the ‘ha’
is responsible for this sound.
3 - Splattering
and Scattering..
In another example,:
وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُعْصِرَاتِ مَاءًثَجَّاجًا
Waanzalna mina almu'siraati maa'an thajjaja
And sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring water.[Naba' 78:14]
The use of the word'thajjaja' in
this verse, with its series of vowels emits a sound of splattering
and scattering, which expresses the
image of the drama.
For
example in the verse below the Qur’an uses words that imitate the
sound they denote. This rhetorical device called Onomatopoeia
is widely used throughout the Qur’anic discourse.
4 - Saaaakhah..the loud deafening noise.
فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الصَّاخَّةُ
Fa-itha jaa'ati-ssaaakhah
But when there comes the Deafening Blast. [Abasa 80:33]
The word for ‘deafening noise’, ‘alssaakhah,’ chosen here produces a sound eluding to its meaning.
The Arabic
letters ‘kha’
connected with a 'ta’
[marboota =
a 'ha'
sound] emanate harsh sounds
which conform to the meaning of the text.
5 - TheWaswasa Whispering..
فَ
فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَاوَسْوَسَإِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ
FaWasswassa ilayhi-shaytaan.. [Ta-Ha 20:120]
So Satan whispered to him [Adam]...
The wordWasswassa = Repeated Whispering which is targetted at someone, paused, and then comes back again.
The word is repeated twice [Wass-Wassa] because satan's whispering is targetted at a person - to make them doubt/fear/get confused etc. then he will go away and come back again to whisper again another time...
[Also See Surah al-Naas 114.]
Added - 23/1/2011:
6 - A Moan / Sigh for Destruction - "Haa"
يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ
yaa laytaHaa kaanati-'l QaaDiyah
O I wish ("Haa" - heavy sigh) - had it been (my) Ending.. [Haaqqah 69:27]
7 - Destruction - Damdama! - Pounding:
فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا
fa damdama alayhim Rabbuhum bi dhanbihim fa sawwaahaa
So Pounded [damdama] upon them their Master (because of their sin), so He levelled them (to the ground). (Shams 91:14)
The word Damdama = to pound something on the ground so much so that it becomes flat and one with the ground. So the people of Thamud were flattened into the ground because of their opposition to Allah and their oppression of His believing slaves.
The utilisation of sounds in the Qur’an also play a rhetorical role.
Sounds in the Qur’an are employed to increase the effect of its message. The Arabic language has many words for a single meaning, but yet the Qur’an selects and arranges the words to portray the intended meaning in addition to create sounds to conform to the image, scene and message the book conveys. This is not only done by selecting the right words but also arranging them in a specific way to develop sounds and rhythms. Just by touching upon a few simple examples it can be seen why Pickthall was lead to believe that the Qur’an had an “inimitable symphony”.
A famous Orientalist Arberry comments on his personal experience with the rhythm of the Qur’an:
“Whenever I hear the Quran chanted, it is as though I am listening to Music, underneath the flowing melody there is sounding… insistent beat of a drum, it is like the beating of my heart.”
Arthur J. Arberry. 1964.The Koran Interpreted. Oxford University Press
Refer to
the following Aayaat/verses for more Onomatopoeias' in the
Qur'an.
[al Waqi'ah 56:4],
[Nazi'at 79:6-7], [Ta-Ha 20:120], [Zalzala 99:1].
There
are more, and I will add them inshaa' Allah if I am able to find
them. Maybe you can find more?