[MS] Saj' dan Fawasil: Satu Analisis Paradigmatik

Saj' and Fawasil: A Paradigmatic Analysis

Abstract

This study discusses the classical scholarly debate in the Islamic discipline of balaghah (rhetoric) concerning the use of the terms saj' (rhymed prose) or fawasil (verse endings) to describe the phonetic harmony at the conclusions of Qur'anic verses. This research argues that the debate is not merely a terminological issue but rather reflects a more subtle clash of epistemological paradigms in approaching the revealed text. Through a qualitative content analysis of primary works in balaghah, this study identifies and compares the arguments of two main schools of thought. The first group, grounded in the paradigm of purification (al-tanzih), rejects the term saj' on theological and ethical (adab) grounds, and prioritizes the term fawasil, which is derived from the Qur'an itself. The second group, rooted in the paradigm of analysis and disclosure (al-kashf), accepts saj' as a valid descriptive category based on textual observation, distinguishing it into praiseworthy (mahmud) and blameworthy (madhmum) types. The discussion demonstrates that this clash yields two distinct emphases in understanding the Qur'an's rhetorical inimitability (i'jaz al-balaghi): either as a transcendent uniqueness that is a difference in kind, or as the highest paradigmatic excellence within the same genus (perfection within the same genus). In conclusion, this debate can be understood as a collective effort by the scholars to formulate a "sacred rhetoric" that allows for a scholarly explanation of the beauty of the Qur'an's language without compromising its unique and inimitable status as the Kalamullah (Word of God).