The miraculous nature of Muslim Scripture : a study of ʻAbd al-Jabbār's Iʻjāz al-Qur'ān

This thesis is a study of 'Abd al-Jabbar's theory of i'jaz al-Qur'an (the miraculous inimitability of the Qur'an) as expounded in his magnum opus, al-Mughni fi abwab al-tawhid wa al-'adl, part XVI, and in his other works which are related to the subject. The importance of these works lies in the fact that the author was an erudite scholar and a respected leader of the Basra School of the Mu'tazila, and also because his Mughni/ is considered by many as the Encyclopedia of Mu'tazilite philosophy.As a Mu'tazilite, 'Abd al-Jabbar demonstrates the inimitability of the Qur'an in the light of both his doctrine of mu'jiza (the apologetic miracle of a prophet) and khalq al-Qur'an (the createdness of the Qur'an). This thesis argues that although his theory of mu'jiza is incredibly similar to that of the Ash'arites, 'Abd al-Jabbar's rendering of it and his main sources are not the Ash'arites but rather the "School of Jubba'i"Besides demonstrating the Qur'anic inimitability through kalam, 'Abd al-Jabbar also discusses its unsurpassable nature, in terms of the Holy Book's literary uniqueness, fasaha. This argument is distinctly different from the theories of his predecessors. As such, the thesis examines his predecessors' and contemporaries' works on i'jaz in order to shed light on the peculiarity of 'Abd al-Jabbar's theory