Literary Aspects and Purposes of the Qur'anic Narrative between Classical and Modern Scholars

Abstract

Allah, the Exalted, revealed the Holy Qur'an to our Master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and made it the final message of truth addressed to all humankind. The Qur'an employs various means and methods to guide people and direct them to the straight path, diversifying its styles and modes of discourse in order to achieve its intended purpose: the establishment of truth, the refutation of falsehood, and the affirmation of the doctrine of the oneness of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. Among these means and methods is the Qur'anic narrative, which constitutes a broad and significant aspect of the Qur'anic text and its themes. It conveys the accounts of past nations and of Allah's prophets and messengers to their disbelieving peoples with complete truthfulness and a remarkable ability to communicate its message within an authentic, aesthetically appealing, and engaging artistic framework. Furthermore, the Qur'anic narrative has been “constructed with utmost precision from the elements of absolute truth, untouched by any trace of imagination and inaccessible to any intrusion thereof.”
Accordingly, the Qur'anic narrative attained a high degree of beauty, perfection, structural coherence, and diversity in style and modes of presentation. It also fulfilled objectives and purposes that earned it the status of the finest of stories, as indicated in the Almighty's saying: “We relate to you the best of stories through what We have revealed to you of this Qur'an, although before it you were among those unaware of it” (Qur'an 12:3).
Among the finest of these narratives are the story of the People of the Cave and the story of Dhul-Qarnayn. The story of the People of the Cave is the finest account of Allah's righteous servants and believing devotees, while the story of Dhul-Qarnayn is the finest account of kings.