Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Examining Commentators' Opinions About the Quranic word al-Fīl

Document Type : Review article

Authors
Mohammad Mokfi Rodi 1
Mojtaba Nowruzi 2
Mahdi Arianfar 3
1 graduated MA Student, Mashhad School of Training Quran teachers, University of Quranic Theology, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor in Mashhad School of Training Qurʾān teachers, University of Quranic Theology, Mashhad, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor in Bojnoord School of Training Qurʾān teachers, University of Quranic Theology, Bojnoord, Iran.
Abstract
The Holy Qurʾān was revealed in Arabic, and the Arabic language, like any other language, under the influence of various factors, hosts non-Arabic words from other cultures and languages. After being digested in the Arabic language and structural transformation, these words gradually acquire an Arabic character and are used as familiar words in common conversations and literary texts of the target language. One of the words for which a non-Arabic root is claimed is the word al-Fīl, which is used once in Sura al-Fīl in the Qurʾān. The aim of this study is to find the root of the language of origin of such a word, which is also used in the Qurʾān. This effort leads to a better understanding of the verses that contain these kind of words. This study seeks to answer the question of what is the origin of the word al-Fīl  in Arabic and what is the course of its semantic evolution over time. The results of this study indicate that this word is an Arabized word (al-Dakhīl) and has entered the Arabic language from the Persian word “Peel”, and it has been reflected  in the Qurʾān, Islamic traditions attributed to the Prophet and Arabic poems.
Keywords
Phīl
Peel
genealogy
Historical Linguistics
Persian
Arabic
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Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 5
September 2022
Pages 248-269

  • Receive Date 20 November 2022
  • Accept Date 29 December 2022