*LANGUAGE OF THE MESSAGE*

* *

Jamshed Akhtar (jamshedakh...@yahoo.com))

From the book: The Ultimate Revelations

The question asked by lot of people is, "Why was Quran revealed in Arabic
and not in any other Language"?

The language of Quran is unique. I aim to show that this language has
several characteristics, which makes it an ideal medium for such a
communication.

In any language the number and construction of its root words are extremely
important as they form the basis of communication and expression. With that
consideration, take a look at this language. The structure of its root is
thoroughly mathematical.

Each pair of the 28 letters of Arabic, in whatever order combined, is
potentially capable of giving a root word, provided that in case of a verb
the second letter is doubled. A biliteral or a unili­teral verb is unknown
to this language.

Then each trio of letters in whatever order combined, is again capable of
giving a root word. The number of words thus formed by permutation and
combination amount to thousands. Out of these, some combinations are yet to
be utilized, but the number of actu­al roots in use, are not less than 25000
.

Now each one of these twenty five thousand roots is further capable of
yielding a further crop of words by a small variation of vowel points. Thus
the language acquires immense capabilities of exact expressions.

Other languages having much smaller number of root words, need the help of
prefixes and suffixes. For example, ancient Sanskrit, although richer than
other Aryan languages, contains only about two thousand roots, which have to
receive aid from 25 prefixes and 200 suffixes. The language of Message, on
the other hand, neither uses prefixes nor suffixes. And because of such
large number of roots available, its vocabulary meets with every human
requirement with its inexhaustible treasure of simple words."

Combination of letters in its roots is also peculiar. When simi­lar letters
are combined, they denote generally different shades of meaning of the same
idea. They are similar in sound? Take Khafar - it means to escort or safe
conduct, or ghafar - to cover or veil, and kafar - to cover or conceal. This
pecul­iarity makes the language extremely rich in synonyms and rhymes,
increasing the beauty and harmony of expression. Based on this
characteristic of language, philologists have divided its roots into
families and clans, an exercise that has often helped in the quest for
origin of words.

Clan organisation is visible here also and it has its advantages. When a
foreign word is traced to this language, and is found to be a fugitive
member of a family or clan of words, while none such family of words exist
in that particular foreign language, then it shows clearly that the word had
migrat­ed originally from this very language.

Third outstanding feature of this language, which is also impor­tant in
relation to a coded message is that, 90% of its roots contain three letters
only. These 'triliterals' are economical, and easy to hear, remember, and
pronounce.

Languages like Hebrew also has a lot of triliterals, but why do we say that
they are not economical? The reason is, in Arabic, for different shades of
meaning, distinct simple words are available. That is why when you want to
translate a triliteral word of this language into a different language, it
results in either long words or complete sentences. Take the word Za'l. It
means 'to produce weak bodied children on account of marriage between near
relatives from the paternal and maternal side'. Or take Lamaz, which means
'to wipe one's lips with the tongue'.

Fourth advantage of this language is that the same root supplies the various
human requirements connected with it. This character­istic has helped it to
keep pace with the developing needs of the society. Take an example.

laban is milk, while malban is milk vessel. malainat is milk spoon. labaan
is breast,

and lab'an means to have udders filled with milk. Then labain is fed on
milk, while laa'ban is much milk giv­ing. labnah is cream cheese, and so on
and on. Now do you see, how the auxiliary requirements have been supplied by
the same trili­teral root?"

Pronunciation is very important here. And this brings to the fifth advantage
of this language. A very impor­tant one that has helped the Message remain
free from distortion. Philologists have isolated twenty one diseases in
relation with the spellings of words, often found present in scripts of
various languages. In this language, its two characteristics, presence of
90% three lettered words and fixed number of letters in a word, has not let
any of these diseases enter into its spellings.

Well, take English, the language in which we are communicating today. It is
because of these diseases that Americans are working to improve its script,
although problems still remain. One such problem is the case of silent or
surplus letters, such as 's' in the is­land or 'l' in the word stalk. In the
language of Message, intro­duction, addition or subtraction of such letters
are not possi­ble in the three lettered words that form its majority.

Sixth point also pertains to spelling of the word. The order in which the
letters are combined is also sure and definite. If the order of letters is
changed, it gives quite different roots. Take for example the word lafah. If
we rotate these words they become, falah, hafal, lahaf, fahal, halaf, etc.

Such group of words shows an additional seventh subtle advan­tage of this
language. Alphabets in some triliterals can be rotated so as to give
dif­ferent shades of meaning to the same idea. This aspect of its roots
completely insures them against metathesis... Then eighth point is that like
the number and order of letters, the accent of a letter is also perfectly
fixed. Slightest change of accent yields a different root, such as, falakh,
falagh, falaq, or fa­lak.

Due to contact with aliens or geographic influence, a difference of accent
in the colloquial speech of a region usually enters but this does not
detract from the permanency of spellings of its words. In such a case, the
language of Hejaz , is the standard language which can always correct a
wrong accent. Take the word 'kharsh', it means to scratch. In Sanskrit it
becomes Aggrish and in Hindi: khurach-na. In Persian, it becomes
kharashi-dan, while in Greek: Xrasso. The Italian: Crucci-are and French:
Courrouc-er meaning to irri­tate are the changed version of kharsh. Then
Russian Krosh-ka which means crumb or a scratched por­tion, English: scratch
and Spanish:Rasca-dura, which represents a metathesis of this word. All
these words show that Kharsh has become a changeling according to different
local accents. But, in this language it must always remain a triliteral
composed of three alphabets khe, re and sheen. The slightest change of
accent will give it a different root, such as qarsh, kars , ghars, qars etc.

The ninth peculiarity of this language, also pertains to the use of
alphabets. Some alphabets are stronger in comparison with oth­ers. Such as
'Ain' is stronger than 'alif'. Using stronger word the action also becomes
strong. Such as Saar means to walk, but if we use the alphabet 'ain',
changing the word to Sar'aa , the meaning changes. It means walking quickly.
And if we convert it to sa'aar, then the meaning will further change and
would imply running.

Then tenth advantage of this language is that, it is also highly
picturesque. Here a verb is often linked up with a noun to denote verbal
action. Thus, the action along with the actor presents a vivid picture
before the mental eye and the meaning gets fully expressed. For example,
take 'kashd'. It means 'to cut a thing with teeth'. This word is a picture
of a specific action. Similarly, take merse which means to soak a thing in
water. I think it is more eloquent than immerse which is based on it.

Eleventh point is a slight variation of this quality. In this language,
often the physical gets moulded into moral, in a subtle pictorial way. The
Message has utilised this peculiarity very effectively. Yes. Take the word
karb. This word actually means to load, but it also signifies dis­tress and
grief, when the load is of troubles.

Then twelfth advantage is that the verb often endows the noun its quality,
so that the resulting noun denotes its reason and philosophy. Apart from
Sanskrit which also provides the philoso­phy of word sometimes, it is an
exclusive virtue of this lan­guage.

Take jan, it means to cover, to conceal. This verb has en­dowed several
derivative nouns with the quality of covering and concealing, such as,
janat. Or janan. Or janain etc.

An embryo in a uterus emerged..

The thirteenth point pertains to the rid­dle of homonyms. By Homonyms, we do
not mean those words that have the same sound as another word but have a
different meaning and origin, like the word Kerb we mentioned a short while
ago. The different meanings of the kerb were related to each oth­er. The
term Homonym is applied to a word only when totally un­connected words
become mixed up into one spelling. Such as the multiple 'grave's of English
language. There are 600 such hom­onyms in English, which are defined and
well marked, besides nu­merous others which have not so far been traced and
earmarked. In fact all languages of the world abound in homonyms except.
Arabic. Philologists of this language have given an interesting explanation
of the riddle of homonym. In their opinion, the letters of alphabet of this
language are very difficult to imitate by alphabets of other languages. For
example triliteral words having second and third alphabets same and first
alphabet either Seen, Se or Swad, will have subtle differences of accent of
's'. To an outsider these three words would sound similar, although the
words would have different meanings. Likewise, four other alphabets resemble
the 'z' sound but again with subtle differences of accent. There are other
alphabets also, difficult to imitate. Such different roots with subtle
difference in accents when adopted into a for­eign language would become
homonyms. In this language, delicate letters like ye, wao, he, alif, ain
etc., help keep the different roots apart in most cases. These experts have
substantiated their claim by successfully analysing hundreds of established
homonyms of different languages into separate and distinct roots traceable
to this language.

Please note, I do not say that this language does not contain a single
for­eign word. After the Phoenicians, these people were the best sailors and
traders. Several trade names and names of commodities have passed from other
languages into this language. In fact, there are more than 200 such foreign
words. They are known as loan words or 'dakhil' in this tongue. Subsequent
to the con­quest of Europe by this nation after the arrival of Message,
about one thousand loan words have passed from this language into European
languages, about which all the philologist agree. But they are mostly terms
of arts and science. Likewise, during the British rule over India , several
English words passed into Hin­dustani and Hindustani words into English.
But, all these loan words had one thing in common. They were all nouns. No
nation, have exchanged any verb from other languages. Such loan words are to
be cautiously avoided in tracing out the roots of one language from the
other. The work of these experts is unique in this respect. They have not
only analysed the homonyms but have also traced the verbs of different
languages to their origin in this language. And this analysis is available
for verification.

All I want to say is that the unique structure of its roots, the vastness of
its vocabulary, the presence of maximum number of synonyms, the philosophy
and reason behind its words and the ab­sence of homonyms in this language,
together with the presence of homonyms in all other languages of the world
show that this is the mysterious mother of all languages which philologists
have been searching for ages.

Sussmilch held that language could not have been invented by man but was a
direct gift from God. But Herder's strongest argument against this is that
if language had been framed by God and by Him instilled into the mind of man
we should expect it to be much more imbued with pure reason, than it is as
an actual matter of fact. Much in all existing languages is so chaotic and
ill-arranged that it could not be God's work, but must come from the hand of
man. [Jesperson p. 27]

Now the question is why haven't the major philologers of the world
considered it in their analysis? Do you think that such big names were
biased? No of course one can not call them biased. The moot fact is that its
can­didature was never considered seriously because script of this language
entered into the scene very late. Although if someone had paid attention,
there was an obvious mystery requiring a probe.

This land was a barren peninsula segregated from the rest of the world. The
isolated tribes in this vast tract led a nomadic life. They had no
philologers like Yashk or Panin to reform or graduate their language like
Sanskrit, yet they were able to chisel and perfect their language to such an
exquisite beauty?

So the question is, did all those diverse tribes speak the same language?
No. The Message came in the language of Quraish, the tribe that were
incharge of the mysterious structure known as Kaaba. After­wards the Message
replaced all other dialects with this language and spread it into large
parts of the world..

The Message has not given any categorical statement on this subject. I think
that the basic structure was a gift, and rest of vocabulary developed with
time.

My fourteenth point pertains to the amazing endurance of this language over
one and a half millennia. It is a fact of history that no other language of
the world, spoken at that time, has managed to survive this term. And it is
also an unwritten rule of history that only five centuries are enough, to
change a language so radically so as to make the works of distant
predecessors al­most incomprehensible to average readers. And yet this
language has not only retained its comprehensibility, it has also
flour­ished tremendously. The development in wording and style has not been
to such an extent that the words should loose their original meanings.

HOW THE MESSAGE USED THIS LANGUAGE

My fifteenth and last point on this topic pertains to the way the Sender
Intelligence has deployed this language for its pecul­iar enigmatic purpose.
How He has used this medium like a deli­cate, finely tuned, deep toned
instrument, and how He has played a tune on this instrument of immense
complexity and simplicity, stretching it to its utmost range and capability.
A man unfamil­iar with the nuances of this language, can never understand,
appreciate or comprehend, the multitude of techniques that has been utilised
by the Message to put its contents across to hu­manity.

Here the case is much more complex. A literary piece in any language,
usually employs, one, two, or a maximum of three, different techniques in a
composition, but, in the 'text of Mes­sage', a study has isolated a minimum
usage of 32 different tech­niques.

Yes, but I will not bore you with the elaboration of these mul­tiple
techniques. I only want to present here, five features, which are related to
my hypothesis.

FIRST, researchers have isolated thousands of words that ap­pear to have
been put at their particular place with so much care, thought and design
that any exchange of synonymous words could result in considerable loss of
impact and import of that sentence.

SECOND, an underlying harmony seems to exist in the employment of alphabets,
particularly in chapters that begin with either a single alphabet, or a set
of alphabets, known as Harf Muqattat or abbreviated letters.

A.L.M.

God! There is no god but He, - the Living, the Self Subsisting, the
Supporter of all..

Interestingly enough, the purpose of these abbreviated letters is shrouded
in mystery, as no one knows their real meaning.

THIRD, an internal phonetic harmony also exists throughout the text, which
is dependent upon the utilisation of alphabets, choice of words and its
proper phonetic interpretation. And it comes through more clearly, when the
text is recited in its musical form, called Qirat.

"FOURTH, the text of Message has a unique format. It is neither prose nor
poetry. The later verses, laying down moral and legal codes have utilised
the prose format, but the early revelations had a lyrical and mystical
quality, endowed with extreme beauty and power.

So I do call to witness the ruddy glow of Sunset; [84:16]

The Night and its Homing; [84:16]

And the moon in her fullness: [84:16]

Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage. [84:16]

What then is the matter with them, that they believe not?- [84:16]

FIFTH, the Message has used the technique of imagery to its fullest. It has
brought us a world, where images dance and move with life, and abstract
things acquire physical forms. In fact, in an age when audio visual help was
not available, the Message con­verted its statements into strong audio
visual signals, with some special use of this language.

I can understand your reservations, but, I will try to explain what I mean
by this conversion of language into an audio visual signal. Take a
particular assertion of Message as a sample. Here Creator has stated.

Now, reach back into the past. Fifteen hundred years ago, there were no
recorders, synthesisers, special effects machines, stock sounds, or fancy
studios. So, the Creator employed the only thing available at the time, the
language itself, to introduce these 'special effects'. And to achieve the
desired effect, it resorted to a peculiarity of this language, which permits
the usage of a word together with its synonym, side by side. Such an
application, in this lan­guage, increases the strength of word tremendously
..."

"Pairs!" It is really difficult to explain. "When we analyse this verse, we
find, that out of eight words, only three words represent life, death and
journeying, while rest of the five words are all simply synonyms of
'We..We..We..We..and We' reinforcing each other, increasing the strength of
word to gigantic proportions, creating an aura of thunder, lightening,
vastness of space and tremendous echo of an extremely awesome voice,
overpowering the senses."

That is why when fifteen centuries ago, an unlearned forty year old man, who
had never preached in public, had never composed a poetry or even a speech,
suddenly started revealing verses that were the ultimate in complexity of
composition and contents, the idolaters of Mecca who were the first
listeners, became baffled and found themselves unable to categorise these
utterances. They called these verses magic. And the accusation acquired more
in­tensity and strength as the verses began gripping and bending the minds
of people, altering their loyalties against strong tribal and family ties,
and challenging the allegiance to old order. The threatened society tried to
persecute the reciters, forbid and cajole the others not to listen to these
verses and when nothing worked they simply tried to create clamour wherever
they heard the recitation in progress.

The unbelievers say:" Listen not this Quran,

But talk at random in the midst of its (reading),

That ye may gain the upper hand!" [41: 26]