Abstract:

Muslim scholars define in general the word furq?n in the Qur??n as ?separator/proof between haqq (truth) and b?til (false)?. Of the meanings of this word they also report ?salvation?, ?assistance?, ?victory?, ?way out (of a difficult situation)?, and the like. As for Orientalist scholars, they claim that furq?n is a loan word from Syriac going back to the word purq?na, meaning ?salvation? again. Acknowledging the partial credibility of all these meanings, in this article we present a different definion for the furq?n. On the basis of its etimological morphology, semantical and contextual peculiarities in the Qur??nic verses, we argue that instead of ?separator/proof? between haqq and b?til, furq?n means ?separating judgment? between the group that respresents haqq (ahl al- haqq) and the group that represents b?til (ahl al- b?til), or ?separation judgment? regarding the two groups. On the other hand, we underline the fact that even though the Qur??n does mention the word furq?n, this furq?n does not refer exclusively to the Qur??n itself or any other sacred scripture, neither to the Old Tastement nor to the New Tastement.

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