Campbell on “Infrequently Used Words in the Qur’an”
Women, War & Hypocrites
[A]ccepting the notion that sacred works are designed to reach, and be understood, by the largest possible number of readers, we might wonder why any rare, and potentially unknown, words would be used at all [in the Qur’an].
[I]nfrequently used words are being used to capture important and esoteric ideas that cannot otherwise be described. The Qur’an is often viewed as containing highly pragmatic instructions and injunctions regarding the way that people should live their lives, interspersed with a generous amount of polemic aimed at those who have already failed, or will at some point in the future fail, to live according to God’s will. Much less often, is it viewed as a mystical or spiritual text. However, through an exploration of the infrequently used words in the Qur’an, we can gain tremendous insight into the metaphysical aspects of the text that might otherwise remain hidden to the majority of readers.
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