Tafannun (stylistic variation) in similar meanings and utterances in the Quran

Abstract

Similar words and utterances in the Quran are the subject of the technical term lafzi mutashabih. The rephrasing of meanings (mana) and use of different words (lafz) in the Quran are dealt with under the rubric of the theme "Quranic style. " The stylistic variations in the Quran are expressed as takrar al-Quran, tasrif (Affix and Paraphrase), udul (inver-sion), and tafannun (stylistic variation). However, when compared with other terms of exe-gesis, "tafannun" remained in the background and its conceptualization was thwarted. This could be attributed not only to other concepts brought to the fore but also to the fact that tafannun underwent semantic restriction and was confined to iftinan within the framework of badi. This study aims to clarify the true meaning of tafannun which reflects stylistic varia-tions in the Quran and revealing the contribution of this term to the more appropriate interp-retation of the Quran, assessing its significance for the field of tafsir. The first chapter of this study deals with the etymology of tafannun, its historical background and conceptualization as well as the relationship between ijaz (inimitability) and tafannun in the history of tafsir, while the second one identifies and illustrates the kinds of tafannun to expound on the true nature of this concept. Summary: Similar words and utterances in the Quran are the subject of the technical term lafzi mutashabih. The change and variety of the rephrasing of meanings (mana) and words (lafz) in the Quran are dealt with under the rubric of the theme "Quranic style. " The stylistic differences and variations in the Quran are expressed in the literature with terms such as takrar al-Quran, tasrif (affix and paraphrase), udul (inversion), tafannun (stylistic varia-tion). However, in the terminology of exegesis, the term "tafannun" remained in the backgro-und, and its conceptualization was thwarted. This could be attributed not only to other con-cepts brought to the fore but also to the fact that the word tafannun underwent semantic restriction and therefore was confined to iftinan within the framework of badi. Yet in earlier times it was widely used in the exegesis literature as part of Arabic language to identify the stylistic variations in the Quran. Starting with 8th century AH, there have been numerous references to the term tafannun. From 9th century AH to present, many Muslim exegetes, es-pecially Ibn Ashur (1879-1973) used tafannun as one of the fundamental concepts to unders-tand and explain the proper meaning of the Quran. This study aims to clarify the true meaning of tafannun which reflects stylistic variations in the Quran and revealing the contribution of it to the proper interpretation of the Quran, as-sessing its significance for tafsir. The first chapter of this study deals with the etymology of tafannun, its historical background and conceptualization as well as the relationship between ijaz (inimitability) and tafannun in the history of tafsir, while the second one identifies and illustrates the kinds of tafannun to expound on the true nature of this concept. According to the result of this research, iftinan means following various styles and genres (types), while tafannun denotes variations in styles and genres (types). In vernacular, these two terms are considered the same. The term iftinan was dealt with in some works under the subject of muhassinat al-manaviyya within the framework of badi. In the Arabic literature, when the definition of the term iftinan was given, the term tafannun was not defined under any section of any book or any other place in the rhetoric of science. Tafannun is used to exp-ress the way any action is carried out, as it is mentioned in the definition of iftinan. The word tafannun was used to demonstrate the expertise, depth and mastery of Islamic scholars in one or various fields of Islamic studies in the early works of Islamic literature. In later times, the term iftinan was used to show rhetorical and oracy skills of a person. Abu Hilal al-Askari (d. 400/1009) define tafannun as "the variation in words while two paragraphs bear the same meaning. " His definition proved to be a turning point in the conceptualization process of the word tafannun. Al-Zamakhshari (d. 538/1144) was the first Islamic scholar to refer to the word tafannun in the interpretation of the Quran. He used the words iftinan and tafannun in the same sense in his works. He mostly regarded examples of iltifat as iftinan. Abu Bakr al-Razi (d. 666/1268), establishing a connection between tafannun and repetition, stated that the term tafannun was used to avoid boredom of repetitive diction. Among other authors who used the term tafannun in their works, Baydawi, (d. 685/1286), Nisaburi (d. 730/1329), Ibn Cemaa (d. 733/1333), Abu Hayyan (d. 745/1344), Samin al-Halabi (d. 756/1355), Zarkashi (d. 794/1392), Suyuti, (d. 911/1505), Hatib al-Shirbini (d. 977/1570), Shihab al-Din al-Khafaji (d. 1069/1659), Alusi, (d. 1270/1854), Muhammad Ab-duh (1849-1905)-Rashid Rida (1865-1935) and Ibn Ashur are the notable ones. Rather than merely defining the term tafannun, the majority of these commentators emphasized the func-tion, benefit and aim of this word. Thanks to the use of this word by these commentators, a distinction was made between tafannun called iftinan as a literary device in the science of badi and tafannun gaining a new meaning used to express stylistic variations. As a result, two words with the same dictionary definition were distinguished from each other during the conceptualization process. Among the authors using the word tafannun, Ibn Ashur clearly de-fined the term and contributed significantly to its conceptualization. He defines the word ta-fannun as the uniqueness of the Quran in employing stylistic variations by offering synony-mous words in case of itiraz (discursive), tanzir, (resemblance), tazyil (appendix) and takrar (repetition), creating the most comprehensive definition until that time. Tafannun is also defined as expression of the same meaning through re-signifying, stylistic variation in two verses, difference in the repetition of parables, variations in choice of diction and synonymous words, and avoidance of repetition. As a result of its definition, the word tafannun also denotes providing stylistic variations, using vivid language, avoiding prosaic diction, using denotative and connotative language, helping readers to grasp shades of mea-ning and read between the lines in the most clear and economic way. In the related literature, there are a lot of references to the word tafannun when demonstra-ting ijaz of the Quran. When looked at the historical development of the relationship between ijaz and tafannun, it is observed that tafannun was accepted to be an element of ijaz. Defined as providing stylistic variation, tafannun is employed in various ways. The literary devices used to carry out tafannun are through udul, iltifat, taqdim and tahir, change of ut-terances, use of synonymous words, objection, resemblance, and addition. In the proper in-terpretation of the Quran, tafannun has a comprehensive usage, making many more acade-mic studies a necessity with a view to making a significant contribution to a deeper and better grasp of words and shades of meanings employed in the Quran.