A study of the etymology of the Arabic word"istorah": A historical and comparative outlook

Abstract

This paper revisits the meaning of the Arabic word ʔustˤu:rah in the Qur'anic text, arguing that this word means a written-down narrative, regardless of accuracy of its content. ʔustˤu:rah may thus denote a true or false piece of writing. This encounters the orthodox viewpoint that ʔustˤu:rah, which appears nine times in the Qur'anic text in the plural as ʔasatˤi:r, means qisˤsˤah (tale), xura:fah (legend), and/or ħika:jah (fable). We contend that ʔustˤu:rah is associated with the form of the narrative rather than its informative value. This reasoning helps us resolve, among other things, the contradiction resulting from viewing ʔustˤu:rah as a synonym of fictitiousness-oriented words like qisˤsˤah, xura:fah and ħika:jah on the one hand and on the other, introducing mastˤu:r, an adjective derived from the same Arabic tri-consonantal root of ʔustˤu:rah (S-T-R), to praise the nature the Holy Qur'an itself, as evident in (ʔatˤ-tˤur: 2).