De la preuve à la science littéraire. L’inimitabilité du Coran (i῾ǧāz), problématique théologique et source d'inspiration

Abstract

This article examines the theological concept of the inimitability of the Quran (iʿǧāz). It shows how this concept can be transformed from an apologetic argument into a literary and aesthetic interpretation, and assesses its potential for a Christian theology of Islam. After a brief overview of the theological topos of inimitability, the article examines two contemporary authors who have specifically focused on a literary interpretation of the Quran: the German Islamologist and writer Navid Kermani and the French Arabist Iyas Hassan. Navid Kermani interprets inimitability as a poetic experience and an aesthetic event of reception that shapes the understanding of faith. Iyas Hassan complements this perspective with a narratological analysis that highlights the uniqueness of the Quranic narrative structure. These two approaches open up new theological horizons: they conceive of revelation as an aesthetic and dialogical event and also encourage Christian theology to integrate the aesthetic experience and, in particular, attention to language and literary form more fully into its understanding of revelation.