Critics' Views on Systems Theory and Its Foundations

Abstract

The "Theory of Systems," founded by the scholar and rhetorician Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī (d. 471 AH) in the fifth century AH, is one of the most original and profound Arabic critical and rhetorical theories. It represented a qualitative shift in understanding the secret of the beauty of speech and the miraculous nature of the Qur'an, achieving a leap from the study of individual speech elements to the study of the comprehensive, coherent system that connects these elements. The central idea of ​​the theory, in brief, is that the beauty and eloquence of speech lie not in the beauty of individual words or in abstract meanings, but rather in the "articulation," that is, in the special way these words are composed according to the system of grammar and its relationships, to produce a new and influential psychological meaning not found in words alone. Words are like building blocks, and the value of a structure lies not in the quality of the block alone, but in how it is assembled to form a cohesive and beautiful structure. This theory emerged as a mature outcome of the development of Arabic rhetorical thought and as a serious attempt to answer the eternal question: "What is the secret of the Quran's eloquence?" Al-Jurjani proved that the secret of the miraculous nature lies not in its "morphology" or in its lexical strangeness, but rather in this miraculous, inimitable arrangement. Thus, the "Theory of Systems" presented a comprehensive, integrated vision that links wording, meaning, grammar, and the human soul, becoming a pivotal theory that established a comprehensive rhetorical critical school that remains a subject of admiration and study to this day.