A Study in Arabic Phonology: God’s Calling of His Prophets in The Quran/ دراسة في علم الأصوات العربية: نداء الله لأنبيائه في القرآن

Obaida Lukman Mohammed Ameen, Masoud Sulaiman

Abstract


The divine calls addressed by Allah to His prophets (peace be upon them) occupy a distinguished position among other forms of address. This precedence carries profound rhetorical, stylistic, doctrinal, and educational implications. Such a call represents the highest honor, value, and status, as it originates from the Creator (Glorified and Exalted be He) and is directed to the chosen among His creation. Linguistic sounds constitute a uniquely human phenomenon bestowed by Allah upon humankind as a mark of dignity and honor. They are among the greatest blessings granted to humanity, and their function extends beyond mere articulation to encompass psychological and aesthetic dimensions. The linguistic sound is an active component in shaping meaning, which grants it a prominent place in both classical and modern linguistic studies. In this research, particular attention is given to certain phonetic features in the Qur’anic text, such as voicing and devoicing, plosiveness and fricativeness, in order to uncover the phonetic contextual significance of the prophets’ calls in the Holy Qur’an. The study adopts a descriptive analytical methodology by selecting one instance of divine address for each prophet, with the cited evidence highlighted in bold. Consideration is given to the views of both early and modern scholars, with a preference for the latter due to the increased precision made possible by modern phonetic technology. The textual analysis is based on data derived from a carefully designed manual statistical table, and the study reaches several findings, the most significant of which are presented in the conclusion.

Keywords


Arabic Phonetics; Qur’anic Discourse; Divine Calls; Voiced And Voiceless Sounds; Phonetic Significance

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18860/ijazarabi.v9i4.41202

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