Historiografi Ilmu Iʿjāz Al-Qur’an: Dari Polemik Teologis Sekte Menuju Kodifikasi Disiplin Linguistik Sistematis

Abstract

The historiography of the science of iʿjāz al-Qur’ān (the inimitability of the Qur’ān) is often interpreted through a dichotomy separating theological polemics from the evolution of linguistic methodology, causing its epistemic transformation to appear as a series of disjointed stages. This study aims to trace the evolution of iʿjāz from a polemical discourse into a field defined by linguistic argumentation, methodological maturation, and disciplinary codification. Employing a qualitative approach rooted in intellectual historiography and genealogical analysis of primary and secondary sources, the research utilizes historical-contextual, conceptual, and comparative analyses alongside the mapping of epistemic transformations. The findings reveal four primary trends: theological polemics shaped the initial problem regarding the locus and basis of iʿjāz; argumentation subsequently shifted toward faṣāḥah (eloquence) and balāghah (rhetoric) as instruments of proof; methodology matured through the integration of naḥw (grammar), semantics, balāghah, and ʿAbd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī’s theory of naẓm (compositional structure); and codification ultimately stabilized concepts, terminology, classifications, methods, sources of authority, and the boundaries of the subject matter, while relatively decoupling iʿjāz discussions from direct reliance on kalām (theological) polemics. This evolution enabled iʿjāz to be analyzed through clearly defined objects, stable terminology, transmissible classifications, and replicable procedures of proof. The works of al-Rummānī, al-Khaṭṭābī, al-Bāqillānī, and al-Jurjānī demonstrate a process of selecting and integrating ideas previously dispersed across theology, tafsīr (exegesis), balāghah, and Arabic linguistics. The stability of categories, argumentative procedures, scholarly competence, transmission traditions, and the sustained use of analytical frameworks indicate the formation of a distinct disciplinary identity. Ultimately, iʿjāz attained epistemic status as a relatively systematic field within Qur’anic linguistics, marking a gradual transformation from a theological problem into a linguistic methodology and an established scholarly discipline.