The theory of Sarfa by Nazzām and its dominant paradigms

The miraculous nature of the Holy Quran, from the third century AH, has been the subject of serious attention by Mu'tazilite scholars. Sarfa is one of the theories put forward by some Baghdad Mu'tazilites, such as Nazzām, to demonstrate the uniqueness of the Holy Qur'an. This investigation seeks to answer the question “What patterns have led the Mu'tazilite scholars in the third century to discuss the miracle of the Holy Qur'an and in particular the theory of Sarfa?” For this purpose, Cohen's paradigmatic analysis method is adopted and while identifying the dominant patterns, the relationship between the theory of Sarfa and existing models are explored. The results suggest the interdependence and interaction between the paradigms and discourses governing the Islamic society at that time. Other historical studies also exhibit that when the scientific discourse of the Holy Quran met the questions raised in the new discourse, this gave rise to a paradigm that sparked a discussion about the nature of the Holy Quran’s uniqueness. In addition, inspired by the Aristotelian model, Nazzām presented his theory of ​​the miraculous nature of the Holy Qur'an in response to the proponents of the Platonic model, ruling out Platonic interpretation of the status of the Qur'an. Also, based on the Greek model of science, he repudiated the existence of any miracle in the text of the Quran, placing more emphasis on the verbal form.