Why Readers Should Not Be Shaping the Meaning of the Quran

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 5 August 2024 All Logical Truths Are True By Definition. Every Competent Logician In The World, Without Knowing Anything About Islam, The Quran, Muslims, Their History Etc., Will Come To The Same Conclusions As I Have, Working With The Same Data, Which Is The Quran’s Text. -------- This article is a response to: The Hermeneutical Dance: How Readers and Tools Shape the Meaning of Religious Texts by Adis Duderija. Do the scientists and their tools shape the nature of the universe, or do they try to discover its true nature? We know the answer to that question. What makes it possible to describe nature, its phenomena and the laws that govern it using the language of mathematics? It is because Allah created a Universe with elementary building blocks governed by unchanging laws of cause and effect. There is consistency and connectedness from the quantum level to the level of the universe and the multiverse. It, therefore, lends itself to be described using the language of mathematics. So, what do we expect from the Quran, which is the word of Allah, who created the Universe that can be described using the language of mathematics? We expect Allah to use language precisely in communicating His Message as mathematics does in explaining the world. Given each word's wide range of meanings, it seems insurmountable, but Allah accomplishes this seemingly impossible task and asks us to accept that as one of the proofs that the Book is the word of Allah. How does He do that? Consider a jigsaw puzzle. Do we not know when we have arranged it correctly? Similarly, we know we have understood the Quran correctly when understanding each verse does not contradict our understanding of any other verse. At the same time, we adhere to the literal meaning and reject fanciful interpretations, emphasizing the need for a serious and scholarly approach to the Quran. The Problems with Islamic Scholarship The problem with Islamic scholarship is that logic is a tool they use only when it is convenient but not otherwise. One scholar commented that using logic is good, but not too much logic! That is good advice in politics but not in science or the study of a Book like the Quran. If the scholars used logic consistently, they would have to reject the entire corpus of the ahadith as unreliable, misleading, and even mischievous, which I do, but they are unable to. Adis Duderija, in one of his articles, proposed the use of the Mythology, Theology and Poetry framework to understand religion. While this may be a useful tool for academics and observers, it is not suitable for those who earnestly believe in the Quran as the word of Allah. In the following discussion, we will examine this framework to demonstrate its unsuitability for a serious study of the Quran. The Ahadith Are Islam’s Mythology In Islam, the ahadith are mythology with fanciful stories on every subject, which prevent the correct understanding of the Quran and perpetuate false notions such as: 1. Attributes of Allah. The ahadith make him a whimsical God because “He does what He wills” and, therefore, cannot be bound by any rules. He can consequently contradict Himself; hence, there is nothing wrong in understanding the Quran with many contradictions. This single misunderstanding makes them ignore logic when inconvenient and use it when convenient. However, according to the Quran, Allah binds Himself to His word, which He never changes, which means His behaviour is also governed by never changing laws, and He is never whimsical. He is, therefore, always logical and consistent, and His Book has the same property of logical consistency and integrity. 2. Pre-destination. Every person born was predestined to be born, and every event was predestined. This contradicts the Quran, which does not say right in the beginning that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the seal of the prophets. It makes this declaration at the appropriate time when it becomes clear that the Deen can be completed with Him, and it is safe to declare him the seal. So, even Muhammad (PBUH) becoming the seal or the last Prophet was not pre-destined. 3. Status of Women. The ahadith contain fabricated stories to reduce the status of women according to the prevailing patriarchal culture of those times. Women are weak-minded, which is why their testimony is worth half that of a man, and spiritually inferior because, during their monthly periods, they cannot offer Salat. There will be more women in Hell than men, while the men in Heaven will have two worldly wives. It is a logical and mathematical impossibility, and yet the ahadith say that. This strengthens the belief that logic is unimportant in religious matters, and we must not question these sources. 4. Non-Muslims. They are all Kafir and destined for Hell when the Quran is inclusive and says anyone who believes in Allah (by any name) and does good deeds will enter Heaven 5. Laws of inheritance. Arbitrary rules have been framed in the man-made Shariat limiting the use of wills and the share that a woman can inherit even when she is the only heir. 6. Divorce process. The word three does not even appear in the divorce verses; therefore, Triple Talaq, whether in one sitting or spread over a period, is against the Quran’s Shariat. In the Quran, divorce is a two-stage process with a mandatory period of 4 months or three menstrual cycles in between. The woman stays in her husband’s home, and reconciliation is possible. There is no third stage, which means that at the end of the period, they are either reconciled or part ways, which makes the divorce irreversible. If they reconcile, however, before the end of this period and later wish to divorce, the process is repeated. Since reconciliation is always possible, this can go on many times. The woman has the option to refuse reconciliation or reconcile on her terms, and make it difficult for the man to make this a game. 7. Justification for war. The ahadith support the view that the Prophet’s mission was to end disbelief and by force if necessary, which runs counter to the clear Message from the Quran. 8. Existence of soul. We have an immortal soul. Every soul was gathered in Alam-e-Arwah before birth, where Allah spoke and took a covenant from them, to which each soul would be held accountable. After death, the souls reside in Alam-e-Barzakh. The souls of evil people will be punished in the grave. These are pure myths unsupported by the Quran. Theology: The five pillars of Islam and the six articles of faith or Kalima are the formulations of theology. The requirement of reciting the Kalima Shahida while converting to Islam is also a formula devised by theology which runs counter to the Message of the Quran. A person who says he has accepted Islam and follows its two tenets of offering Salat and paying Zakat is a Muslim, according to the Quran. He is not even required to have faith, let alone declare or witness the truth of Allah as the only God and Muhammad as His Messenger. Poetry The Quran explicitly rejects the notion that it is poetry (18:69) We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qur´an making things clear: Using the framework described above severely hinders the correct understanding of the Quran. The Appropriate Framework to Use Is Made Clear By The Quran Attributes of the Quran that help in understanding it as intended by Allah (27:1) These are verses of the Qur´an, a book that makes (things) clear; (18:28) (It is) a Qur´an in Arabic, without any crookedness (therein): so that they may guard against Evil. (4:82) Do they not consider the Qur´an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would indeed have found therein Much discrepancy. (18:69) We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qur´an making things clear: (39:23) Allah has revealed the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating (its teaching in manifold forms): the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah´s praises. Such is the guidance of Allah: He guides therewith whom He pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide. (10:82) "And Allah by His words doth prove and establish His truth, however much the sinners may hate it!" (9:125) But those in whose hearts is a disease, - it will add doubt to their doubt, and they will die in a state of Unbelief. The Important Points to Note Are: a) That the Quran is not a book of poetry. Poets use keywords in such a fashion that the word can take all or several of its many meanings, and yet the verse remains intelligible or the same word is used in a single verse with different meanings. This is a characteristic of poetry. The Quran clarifies that it is not a book of poetry; therefore, it uses words to describe the meaning and not to confuse or allow different interpretations. The key takeaway here is that one should not interpret the Quran as one would interpret poetry and debate about the other meanings that its verse can take but should take the simple and straightforward meaning communicated by it and be consistent with the rest of the Book. This especially concerns the ‘Muhkamat’ verses instructing a Muslim in the proper practice or conduct. As far as allegorical verses are concerned, they can be taken literally or allegorically without affecting how a Muslim is required to conduct his affairs. b) The message is repeated, taking manifold forms that assist in correcting the interpretation. Any mistake in understanding a verse, therefore, gets easily corrected. c) Any doubt regarding the interpretation of any verse of the Quran can be settled with the help of other verses of the Quran. The Quran is its best and most comprehensive commentary. d) The consistency, clarity and lack of discrepancy that the Quran shows is phenomenal. It is a book of over 6000 verses, and yet one would be hard-pressed to find any word that takes two or more meanings across these 6000+ verses. The consistency is not within a verse or Sûrah alone but across the Book. With such consistency, only someone careless can go wrong or someone “in whose heart is a disease” can go astray. Given the properties of the Book described above, the tool of logical inference alone is needed to arrive at a precise understanding of the Book as intended by Allah. The Quran provides enough data to determine the meaning of each keyword precisely as meant by it. Using only the tool of inferential logic, I have covered the entire Book and written on every subject. All logical truths are true by definition. Every competent logician in the world, without knowing anything about Islam, the Quran, Muslims, their history, etc., will come to the same conclusions as I have, working with the same data, which is the Quran’s text. Since I draw my conclusions using only the tool of inferential logic, I am confident about their correctness even if nobody agrees with me and even if what I say goes against the consensus of all the scholars, past and present. I know I am right, and they are wrong and will proclaim this publicly because Allah asks Muslims to proclaim the truth. There is neither conceit nor arrogance in doing so. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful. (39:32) Who, then, doth more wrong than one who utters a lie concerning Allah, and rejects the Truth when it comes to him; is there not in Hell an abode for blasphemers? (33) And he who brings the Truth and he who confirms (and supports) it - such are the men who do right. (34) They shall have all that they wish for, in the presence of their Lord: such is the reward of those who do good: (35) So that Allah will turn off from them (even) the worst in their deeds and give them their reward according to the best of what they have done. What I have said here is amply demonstrated in over a hundred articles. These articles provide an opportunity to pick holes in the methodology, and I welcome Adis to do so. Subjecting the Book to logical analysis for a precise understanding does not resemble a dance with the text ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/shaping-meaning-quran/d/132864 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism