Salama Dawoud: The Quran Cannot Be Judged by Our Own Use of Language

Dr. Salama Dawoud, former president of Al-Azhar University and a professor of rhetoric and criticism, has cautioned against judging the Quran by the limits of one’s own command of language.

Dawoud said Imam Al-Khattabi offers a model of refined conduct and a firmly grounded scholarly approach to engaging with Quranic verses and reflecting on their miraculous qualities.

His remarks stressed that the Quran should not be measured against the ways people ordinarily express themselves. A reader’s linguistic weaknesses, he argued, should not become a standard for judging the text.

Dawoud’s emphasis on Al-Khattabi’s approach placed scholarly discipline alongside respect for scripture, presenting both as essential to thoughtful engagement with the Quran and its language.