Mapping the Dialect Density of the Qur͗ān: In the Context of ͑Aṭā b. Abī Rabāḥ’s Gharīb al-Qur͗ān

Abstract

In the history of exegesis and the Qur͗ān, there have been debates about the nature of the al- Qur͗ānic language, and today there is still no common opinion on this issue. In this respect, the subject of this article is to map the Qur͗ānic dialect density through the narrations of ͑Aṭā b. Abī Rabāḥ (d. 114/732). The aim of this article, which focuses on the meaning level of dialects, is to construct a theory that reveals the structure and nature of the Qur͗ānic language. The assumption of this study is that the Qur͗ān constructs a superior language that covers different dialects. In accordance with the subject and purpose of the study, a literature review and content analysis based on phenomenology and grounded theory patterns of the qualitative research method were conducted. In the literature review in the field, it has been seen that the oldest surviving copy of ͑Aṭā’s narrations on dialect and Gharīb al-Qur͗ān has not been studied in line with the subject and purpose of this article. Firstly, the copies of Atā’s narrations were identified. Subsequently, a table of strange words in the narrations is given, and the number of references to tribes, a genealogical tree and their locations on the map are given. As a result of the data obtained in the article, it has been determined that two-thirds of the Qur͗ānic language in the context of dialects is in the Muḍar dialect, including the dialect of Quraysh, and one-third is in the dialect of the ͑Āriba Arabs. According to the analysed data, it was seen that the Qur͗ān consciously constructed a meta-language.