إِنّا جَعَلناهُ قُرآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُم تَعقِلونَ

We have made it an Arabic Quran so that you may apply reason.

EXEGESIS

The pronoun it refers to the manifest book mentioned in the previous verse, i.e. the Quran.

Qurʾān here means that which is read (maqrūʾ) and thus the meaning would be: We have made the manifest book a text to be read in the Arabic language.^{‎[1]Mizan, 18/83.}

ʿArabiyyan can either mean the language of the Arabs, and the verse is simply stating that the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language. However, another meaning of it is eloquent and clear speech,^{‎[2]Raghib, p. 557.} and thus the verse is stating that the Quran has been made into the most eloquent book, so that its contents can easily be understood and pondered over.^{‎[3]Amthal, 16/11; Furqan, 26/274.}

Whilst the word laʿalla literally means ‘perhaps’, This does not imply that God doubts the efficacy of the Quran, nor does it suggest that God hopes or desires an outcome that is difficult to achieve. Instead, it serves to acknowledge the varying intellectual and moral capacities of those who listen to the Quran. Additionally, this suggests that the successful fulfilment of the Quran’s intended purpose requires the presence of other crucial elements beyond merely listening to its teachings.^{‎[4]Amthal, 16/11.}

EXPOSITION

This verse is the subject of the oath which was mentioned in the previous verse. God swears By the manifest book, the Quran, that He has made it readable in the Arabic language so that people may apply reason and ponder (see also 11:2, 20:113, 39:28, 41:3 and 42:7). Some exegetes interpret this to mean that there was a point when the Quran existed in a form beyond the reach of human reason and intellect. To make it accessible, the Quran had to be transformed and conveyed through human concepts and language.^{‎[5]Mizan, 18/83.}

Other exegetes deny this implication and state that the verse is simply stating that God has sent down this book in your language and style, O Arabs, so that you may understand it and ponder over it, just as the people of any language understand something that is told to them in their language. In other words, the reason for making it in Arabic is so that people who understand Arabic can benefit from it by pondering over its contents.^{‎[6]Fadlallah, 20/213.} Interestingly, the oath’s subject and object both refer to the Quran, showcasing the remarkable rhetorical style of the sacred text.^{‎[7]Daqaiq, 12/34.}

Some theologians have used this verse to argue that the Quran is created (majʿūl) rather than primordially eternal. They further contend that since Arabic itself is not primordially eternal, that which is in Arabic – like the Quran – cannot be considered primordially eternal either.^{‎[8]Tibyan, 9/180.}

Exegetes argue that Arabic was chosen for the Quran’s revelation due to its purported superiority in expressing profound meanings clearly. The name of the language, ‘Arabic’, itself reflects this quality, as it is derived from a root which means ‘to make clear or distinct’.^{‎[9]Mudarrisi, 12/428; Munyah, 25/159.}

Some exegetes argue that emphasising the Quran’s Arabic language serves as a subtle critique of the polytheists, highlighting their failure to contemplate the text despite its revelation in their native tongue rather than a foreign language.^{‎[10] Ibn Ashur, 25/212.}

The Arabic nature of the Quran is repeated eleven times throughout the Quran, with descriptions such as an Arabic Quran (12:2, 20:113, 39:28, 41:3, 41:4, 42:7), a dispensation in Arabic (13:37), and in a clear Arabic language (16:103, 26:195, 46:12).

One might postulate that this assertion is inconsistent with the fact that the Quran also contains many non-Arabic words. However, the incorporation of foreign words into a language is a natural process that does not necessarily compromise its purity. These words assimilate into the language’s structure and are no longer considered foreign once they adopt its characteristics. Arabic, for example, has absorbed non-Arabic words without undermining its integrity in poetry or prose. This practice was common in ancient Arab writings.

Likewise, the Quran, although entirely Arabic, contains non-Arabic roots that have been Arabicised and assimilated into its text. Books have been written on this topic, such as al-Muhadhdhab fī mā Waqaʿa fī al-Qurʾān min al-Muʿarrab by Suyūṭī, which elaborately discusses the non-Arabic words in the Quran.

[1] Mizan, 18/83.
[2] Raghib, p. 557.
[3] Amthal, 16/11; Furqan, 26/274.
[4] Amthal, 16/11.
[5] Mizan, 18/83.
[6] Fadlallah, 20/213.
[7] Daqaiq, 12/34.
[8] Tibyan, 9/180.
[9] Mudarrisi, 12/428; Munyah, 25/159.
[10] Ibn Ashur, 25/212.