Regarding the Repetitions in the Qur’an… As Salaamu 'Alaikym : May Allah reward you for your superior work to explain Islam to all of us. My question is about the repetition we find in Qur'an. For example, Surah Al-Rahmaan has some twenty times or more the words "Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you deny?" Similarly we find the sentence " Woe on that Day unto those who give the lie to the truth!" repeated some ten times. There are other such examples. The part of the story of Israelites and Moses, Jesus is repeated many times with different touch in the Qur'an. Similarly, story of Adam and Iblis is repeated in different places in the Qur'an. I will certainly appreciate an understanding of this repetition. It will augment my already strong conviction that Qur’an does not repeat anything for nothing. Every word and punctuation in it is for a reason. Even though some of the reasons may not be obvious immediately or fully to us. Ja Zaakumullaahi Khairan Fid Dunya Wa Fil Akhirah. Abdul Aziz Zilanawala, USA Reply The style of the Qur’an is an eloquent literary style. The Qur’an uses all such styles in communicating its message and in prompting its addressees to act according to the directives of God in the most suitable and the most effective literary styles, used in the human languages. Repetition or taqraar of certain words or phrases is one of the common styles utilized by orators of various languages for numerous purposes. For instance, this style (of repetition) is sometimes used to stress a particular point or to elevate the emotions and the feelings of the addressees or to point out the gravity of a situation. This style is also used in the English language. In fact, if you examine the style of some of the most effective speakers of the English language, you shall see that at numerous occasions, they have resorted to such style. For instance, if you examine Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream”, you shall see that it is actually the effective use of this style, which has made parts of this speech a true masterpiece [1] . In the same manner, the Qur’an, sometimes, has used this literary style for one purpose or another. In Surah Al-Rahmaan , for instance, the words “Which of the blessings [2] of your Lord will you reject”, have been repeated a number of times, to stress the great blessings and signs of the Lord and to point out to him the requirements that these blessings and signs entail for man. The same is the case in Al-Mursalaat (77). The above should adequately explain the reason for the verbal or the phrasal repetition in the Qur’an. The reason for such repetition, as should be clear, is related more to the literary style of the writer or speaker rather than a logical or philosophical requirement. As far as the repetition of narrations regarding past incidents is concerned, it is, as you yourself have correctly acknowledged, it is normally done with a different stress at different places. In other words, the point stressed in a subsequent narration of the same incident is normally quite different than was stressed in its prior narration(s). This, in effect, implies that a subsequent narration of the same incident cannot really be termed as a repetition. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad Home Page [1] Consider the following words: “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It’s a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the former slaveowners will be able to sit down at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today . I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as brothers and sisters. I have a dream today . I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. [2] The Arabic word “ Aalaa ”, generally translated as ‘blessings’ has a much wider connotation and is also used to imply ‘signs’ of power, mercy, wisdom etc.