The Impact of Theological Dialectics on the Formulation of Rhetorical Theories (A Comparative Analytical Study of the Writings of al-Jaḥiẓ and al-Jurjani)

Abstract

Lecturer, PhD. Sa'eed Murad Jawad Al-Kuraity

College of Education, Al-Mustaqbal University, Baghdad, Iraq

Corresponding : [email protected]

Abstract

This research explores the epistemological dialectic between Scholastic Theology (Kalam) and Arabic Rhetoric, revealing how elocutionary issues evolved from mere artistic tools into an "argumentative arsenal" serving religious doctrine. The study traces the influence of the Mu'tazilites in employing metaphor (Majaz) as a rational necessity for de-anthropomorphism (Tanzih), contrasting it with the Ash'arite vision, which formulated the "Theory of Systems" (Nazm) based on the concept of Internal Speech (Al-Kalam al-Nafsi).

The research aims to demonstrate that Arabic rhetoric, during its golden eras, was pre-eminently a "Rhetoric of the Theologians" (Balaat al-Mutakallimin), transitioning from "literary taste" to "logical rigor" through the mechanisms of analysis and synthesis. The final assessment concludes that while this synthesis served rhetoric by establishing its methodological foundations, it later constrained it with rigid normativity. The study relies on a comparative balance between original primary sources and modern translated discourses to provide a comprehensive perspective on how theological thought shaped the identity of Arabic literary criticism and its ontological dimensions.

Keywords :Balaat al-Mutakallimin. Al-Kalam al-Nafsi. Al-Tanzih wa al-Majaz