Arabic literature is a testament and a monument of the Arab-Islamic civilization and society. According to Holt, et.al. (1977), "the inimitability of the Qu'ran, ensured interest in Arabic literature and literary criticism as the key to the understanding of that doctrine, but it was indirectly that the religion institution made its permanent institution (p. 657)." Through the jealous guardianship and scholarship of those who study the Qu'ran, the expressions and common idioms of the Arabic literature are crafted and enriched. This means that deep within the Arabic literature, traces of Qur'an can be found as the fundamental source of everything and explanation. Foremost of all, Qur'an's literary importance can be traced to its being the first book composed in the Arabic language, which was a breakthrough from the oral traditions of the region (Omrna, 1988).
Fundamentally, Holt, et. al. (1977) noted that the institution itself is the basis of the society. Deep within the Arab-Islamic civilization is the definition and embodiment of Qur'an as the societal law and religious foundation. This means that scholarship has to anchor on Qur'an as they expound doctrines from it. As a result, literature abound regarding the doctrines of Qur'an and the explanation on some religious expressions and issues. As the society depends on Qur'an, we can likened the literary depthness of the Arab-Islamic civilization to the volumes of judicial papers of this day. The religious function of Qur'an and its judicial premises within the society makes it the fundamental book that is studied, expounded, and analyzed by scholars from the old period until now. As noted by Omran (1988), the Holy Book has been the focus of several studies on the theological and legislative aspects of the society.
Haddad (1982) also noted that Qur'anic texts are not just simply for historical purposes, which had been question by several Western scholars. Haddad explained that Khalaf Allah explained that Qur'an is a narrative of literary documents which uses "means of attraction, intimidation, exhortation, admonition, guidance, and direction (p. 47)." Qur'an promotes a very different literary narrative that is often misinterpreted and translated by Western scholars. Simply, Qur'an in itself is a literary masterpiece that has become part of the literature of the Arab-Islamic civilization. It exposes and promotes a new set of narrative approach and pattern that has become distinct to the Arab-Islamic literature.
Moreover, Haddad (1982) suggested that Qur'anic texts narratives can be categorized as history, parable, and allegory. Essa & Ali (2010) noted that most Arab-Islamic writers work on the insight of the sophisticated sense of religion, culture and knowledge, which can be traced to the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This means that the narratives of Qur'an are used by writers to create literary masterpieces with subjects of religion, culture, and knowledge. As much as religion is a very important aspect of the society, it is not surprising to note that literature also works within this aspect of people's lives. Even the culture and knowledge of the region must be deeply anchored on Qur'an because of its importance in daily lives of people, as noted above.
Omran (1988) noted that the importance of Qur'an in the literature history of Arab-Islamic civilization is on its reciprocity. The Arab-Islamic civilization has been expanded with the aid of Qur'an's impact. In fact, the Arabic language got its world prominence from the ages due to the importance of Qur'an. Yet, it must be also be noted that the richness of the oral Arabic language has become the tool for the Holy Book to be written in just precise, beautiful, and attractive narrative. As a result, any person who embraces Islam would be immersed in the study of Arabic literature, which ensures the golden era for the language, gaining official status in the region and throughout the world.
The importance of Qur'an in the Arab region becomes also a fundamental motivation for the spread and enrichment of the Arabic language literary. When Islam spread to other regions, Arabic language immersed into the terms of Persian and Byzantine (Al-Hewar Center, Inc., 1999). With this achievement, the Arabic literature become more and more inclusive. In essence, Qur'an is not just importance as a literary motivator drawing influence on how Arabic literature narrates, writes, and analyzes, but it is also importance because of its religious and societal rule. As the subject of several literary studies and works, Qur'an draws up vast number of Arabic literature within and outside its borders, which also helped to create betterment of the language itself.
References:
Al-Hewar Center, Inc. (1999). ARAB CIVILIZATION. Retrieved from http://www.alhewar.org/ArabCivilization.htm
Essa, A. & Ali, O. (2010). Studies in Islamic Civilization: The Muslim Contribution to the Renaissance. IIIT.
Haddad, Y. (1982). Contemporary Islam and the Challenge of History. SUNY Press.
Holt, P. M., et.al. (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam:, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press.
Omran, E. (1988). Islam, the Qur'an and the Arabic Literature. Retrieved from http://www.al- islam.org/al-serat/arabic.htm
