Use of Color in Holy Qur’an and Arabic Prose

Abstract

Current study explores the use of “color” in Holy Qur’an and Arabic prose. Classical and modern Arabic writers use colors not merely as visual descriptors but as symbolic markers that convey emotional, psychological, and cultural meanings. Different colors in Arab-Islamic literature symbolizes purity, innocence, and clarity, grief, mystery, dignity, connotations of life, fertility, and spiritual blessing depending on context. In eloquent prose, colors are used metaphorically to intensify imagination, create contrast, and guide the reader’s emotional response. This symbolic layering enriches narrative texture and reflects the Arabic language’s affinity for vivid, sensory-rich expression. In the Holy Qur’an, color imagination assumes a more profound theological and rhetorical dimension. Colors are used not only for descriptive realism but also to reinforce divine signs and moral reflection. For example, the Qur’an refers to the diversity of colors in nature, such as in plants, mountains, and human appearances, as evidence of Allah’s creative power and wisdom.