The Concept of "Arabi-i Mu'alla" and the Restriction to the Quraish Dialect in Exegesis: A Historical and Linguistic Evaluation of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi's Viewpoint

اصولِ تفسیر میں "عربیِ معلیٰ" اور تخصیصِ لغتِ قریش: جاوید احمد غامدی کی رائے کا تاریخی و لسانی نقد

Abstract

This research article critically evaluates the hermeneutical framework proposed by contemporary Muslim thinker Javed Ahmad Ghamidi regarding the linguistic foundation of Qur'anic exegesis. Ghamidi posits that the Qur'an was revealed exclusively in "Arabi-i Mu'alla"—the high classical Arabic dialect of the Quraish tribe in Makkah—and asserts that pre-Islamic Arabic poetry (Adab Jahili) serves as the primary and supreme linguistic criterion for determining the Qur'anic intent. Utilizing a descriptive, analytical, and critical methodology, this study examines Ghamidi's assertions against classical exegesis (Usul al-Tafsir), pre-Islamic poetry classifications, historical linguistics, and authentic Hadith traditions. The investigation reveals that restricting the language of the Qur'an strictly to the dialect of Quraish overlooks the extensive dialectal and tribal diversity of ancient Arabia, which comprised both Adnani and Qahtani branches. Historical analysis of pre-Islamic poetry, drawing upon Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi’s  Tabqat Fuhul al-Shu'ara' and Dr. Jawad Ali’s Al-Mufassal, demonstrates that the highest registers of pre-Islamic poetry belonged primarily to non-Quraishi bedouin tribes rather than the urban mercantile society of Makkah. Furthermore, textual evidence from classical works such as Ismail bin 'Amir's Kitab al-Lughat fi al-Qur'an and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti’s Al-Itqan confirms the substantial presence of non-Quraishi tribal vocabulary within the Qur'an. The study also highlights a methodological asymmetry in Ghamidi's framework, which downgrades Hadith due to Riwayah bi al-Ma'na while granting supreme hermeneutical authority to pre-Islamic poetry despite its historical transmission vulnerabilities. The article concludes that the Qur'an represents a universal Arabic register (Lingua Franca) incorporating the finest linguistic features of multiple Arab tribes, rather than a dialect restricted exclusively to Quraish.