Models of Communication in the Qur’an Divine–Human Interaction

Abstract

This study uses models of communication, defined as “structures of symbols and rules designed to correspond to the relevant points of an existing structure or process,”1 to explain the process of communication between God and human beings. The invisibility of God to human beings, coupled with His difference in nature, appear to make such interaction difficult – but not impossible – to conceive. A general communication model is constructed in accordance with Qur’an 42:51. Later, specific models are drawn according to the verse’s segments. Each model is elaborated by examples from the Qur’an and the Hadith. In each model, I explicate the process of divine–human interaction by identifying the key elements of communication and their relationships. To devise the models, this study depends heavily on the Qur’an, identifies communication-related verse(s), analyzes the words’ semantic components, and reveals the expression’s rhetorical implications, all drawn from the primary sources of the classical and modern eras.