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Linguistics and Islamic Studies in Historical Perspective: the Case of Interdisciplinary Communication Proceedings of The 8th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics (IMCIC 2017) Linguistics and Islamic Studies in Historical Perspective: the Case of Interdisciplinary Communication Olga BERNIKOVA Laboratory for Analysis and Modeling of Social Processes, St Petersburg State University, 11, Universitetskya emb. St Petersburg, 199034, Russia, [email protected] and Oleg REDKIN Laboratory for Analysis and Modelling of Social Processes, St Petersburg State University, 11, Universitetskya emb. St Petersburg, 199034, Russia ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION Islamic Studies and the Arabic language are Linguistics and religion in the case of the Arabic indivisible from each other starting from the language and Islamic Studies are indivisible from appearance of Islam and formation of the Classical each other and could be regarded as a clear example language. The present paper demonstrates of interdisciplinary communication in historical correlation between linguistics and religion in perspective. historical perspective with regard to peculiarities of Arabic is considered to be one of the most powerful the Arabic language which distinguish it from other examples of a sacred language in the history. No prophetic languages. Arabic is considered to be one other linguistic culture has ever blended the of the most powerful examples of a sacred language language of God himself with that of human thought in the history. The authors underline the role of and culture on a comparable scale [1]. written tradition in Islamic Studies and analyze the The study of Islam is always accompanied by a importance of the text of the Qurʾān for those who study of its history, Muslim art, culture, study Islamic civilization. Without understanding of ethnography, etc. Besides that, interdisciplinarity the polyphony of this sacred text, indivisible unity manifests itself in the fact that it is necessary to of its form and content it is impossible to understand study these disciplines, relying upon original social developments both in present and past. The sources in Arabic. That is why it is the obligatory text of the Qurʾān like any other phenomenon is a for any specialist in Islamic Studies to read and multifaceted object that should be studied from understand texts in Arabic. This paper demonstrates different points of view. correlation between religion and language study on the example of the historical development of Islam Keywords: Arabic, linguistics, religion, Islamic and the Arabic language. In this regard the role of Studies, Qurʾān. written tradition, and, foremost, the Qurʾān cannot be overestimated. 311 Proceedings of The 8th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics (IMCIC 2017) 2. ISLAMIC STUDIES AND CLASSICAL The latter frequently requires analysis of a Big Data ARABIC: MUTUAL CORRESPONDENCE set that can be provided by using special IT solutions (primarily for Arabic texts) [3]. The Classical Arabic was a mean of oral In fact, all of these characteristics can be regarded as communication among Muslims from different key professional competencies in Islamic studies tribes and ethnic groups. This universal mean of programs and they are relevant worldwide, having communication existed in the environment of no regional, cultural or ethic restrictions. It is dialectal diversity of Arabia and the languages of obvious that when we speak about training of highly indigenous people on the newly acquired territories skilled specialist in Islamic Studies we suggest his of the caliphate during the initial period of the capability to read and understand classical sources spread of Islam. (i.e. classical texts) in Arabic. Nowadays we witness the tendency to use Modern Classical Arabic is considered to be the language of Standard Arabic as a mean of communication God, therefor it is not a subject for any change. Also among Muslims but on the quite new stage of social it has undergone some changes since 7th century, but development. It is considered that every Muslim compared with other language groups, the language must read the Qurʼān in Arabic, that is why most of change and variation in Standard Arabic has been them should have at least some knowledge of reduced to a minimum [4]. Arabic. Traditionally the Muslim world is considered to be represented by countries, in which various Arabic 3. THE ROLE OF WRITTEN TRADITION vernaculars are spoken (the Arab world) and countries in which national and official languages The written tradition and written texts have played are not genealogically related to Arabic (Iran, crucial role in the cultural history of mankind and Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc.). However due to have been always important source of information the constant growth of Muslims worldwide as well about ancient world and Middle ages. Among the as of intensification of migrations the present day variety of these kinds of documents the sacred texts Muslim world has no longer geographical and are of special importance since they have greatly political boundaries. influenced the mindset of generations during On one hand this kind of reality led to a new wave hundreds of years. The core of each monotheistic of spread of the Arabic language in the world and religion - Judaism Christianity and Islam is hence to the growing interest to its study. implemented in their texts and in Islam first and On the other hand, modern trends in social foremost it is the Holy Qurʼān, as well as Sunnah development, the current geopolitical processes, and Hadith. migrations and national security issues provided Ch. Ferguson, describing relationship between conditions for growing interest in Islamic Studies as language and religion referred it to writing system: well. “whenever Islam spread it introduced Arabic script” In past, the key object of so-called Classical or [5]. Academic Islamic Studies which relied upon the Since the middle of the 7th century CE the Qurʼān source study was Islam in its historical perspective. exists in a written form as a single text. This kind of This approach was characterized by comprehensive written codification ensured its continuity as well as source base, which rests upon the original Arabic guaranteed its transmission through time and space writings, context-historical attitudes to the for many centuries. Thus hitherto except for some information contained therein; knowledge of the graphic innovations (diacritics, signs for vowels, principal terminology and concepts of Islam and etc.) which had been introduced during the first Academic Islamic Studies that reflects specificity decades of hegirah the text of the Qurʼān has and general principles of this religious system [2]. remained unchanged. As for its translations into Today we face another tendency: the object of another language, as a rule they are commonly Islamic Studies now is focused on the classical considered only as attempts of transmission of the original texts as it was before, and at the same times original text and reflections of some aspects of its it also includes modern mass media covering current content and form. political and social events. 312 Proceedings of The 8th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics (IMCIC 2017) 4. INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO 5. THE ARABIC LANGUAGE AND THE THE STUDY OF THE QURʾĀN: THERE IS QURʾĀN NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN Beginning from the first decades of the hegirah the Nowadays the peculiarities of the modern Islamic scrupulous study of the Qurʾān required an word as a whole and the Arab world in particular are interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of the to great extent determined by a number of factors sacred text and participation of not only theologians, such as common religion and common language, but also linguists, as well as historians and history and cultural heritage, shared systems of specialists in textual matters. spiritual values and codes of social behavior. Thus, during the reign of the caliph Osman (644- The advent of Islam marked not only emergence of 656 CE), the secretary of the Prophet - Zaid Ibn another monotheistic religion, but also signified a Thabit was assigned to collect all the existing completely new stage in the history of Asia, Africa Qurʾānic verses, to put them together and to write and Europe. The rapid expansion of the caliphate in them down in a single manuscript. In order to the first centuries of hegirah was accompanied by implement this task Zaid Ibn Thabit was to be an the spread of the Arabic language which was first expert both in religious problems and philology and foremost considered as the language of the new since along with compilation of the verses of the faith on the territories from Gibraltar to Ganges. Qurʾān he had to convey in writing some special It is important that among the mentioned above features of the speech of the tribe of Quraysh to factors religion and language stand on the top of the which the Prophet belonged. paradigm of the self-identification labels for most of Later on, the consolidation of the text into one the Arabs. Besides that, the language alone often manuscript was followed by the development of the stands as a marker of national and religious identity. written system of Arabic, which was aimed at more While arguing on other issues sociolinguists almost accurate reflection of the characteristics of reading unanimously agree on the existence and importance and, which is most importantly, adequate of the inter-relationship between language and transmission of certain terms and expressions, in religion. Talking about co-relation between written order to avoid misinterpretation of the sacred text and oral word Ron Holt points out that “language is and confusion of its meanings. The implementation at the very heart of both faith and theology” [7]. of this task was also impossible without work of John E. Joseph echoes him with the statement that theologians and philologists and their consensus on "religion bound Christian Europe to Latin, the this issue. Islamic world to Arabic, and Jews to Hebrew.
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