Conditions Necessary for the Study of the Qur'an

 

The understanding of the Qur'an requires certain preliminaries which are
briefly described here. The first essential condition necessary for the
study of the Qur'an, is the knowledge of the Arabic language, such as for
the understanding of Hafiz and Sa'di, it is impossible to get anywhere
without the knowledge of the Persian language. In the same way, to acquaint
oneself with the Qur'an without knowing the Arabic language is impossible.
The other essential condition is the knowledge of the history of Islam;
since, unlike the Bible and the Torah, this book was revealed gradually
during a long period of twenty-three years of the Prophet's life, a tumultuous
time in the history of Islam. It is on this account that every verse of
the Qur'an is related to certain specific historical incident called sha'n-i
nuzul The sha'n-i nuzul, by itself does not restrict the meaning of the
verses, but the knowledge of the particulars of revelation throws more
light on the subject of the verses in an effective way. 

The third condition essential for the understanding of the Qur'an, is
the correct knowledge of the sayings of the Prophet (S). He was, according
to the Qur'an itself, the interpreter of the Qur'an par excellence. The
Qur'an says: 

We have revealed to you the Reminder that you may make clear
to men what has been revealed to them ... (16:44) 

The Qur'an also says: 

It is He who has sent among the illiterate a Messenger from
among them, to recite His sings to them, and to purify them and to teach
them the Book and the Wisdom. (62:2) 

According to the Qur'an, the Prophet (S) himself is the exegetist and the
interpreter of the Qur'anic text. Whatever has reached us from the Prophet,
is of great help in our understanding of the Qur'an. For the Shi'ah, who
believe in the infallible Imams (A) also, and believe that the Prophet
(S) has transmitted everything he obtained from God to his spiritual successors
(awliya'), those genuine riwayat (narrations about the Prophet (S)) that
have reached us through the Imams, possess the same degree of authenticity
as those obtained directly from the Prophet (S). Accordingly, the authentic
riwayat of the Imams are of great help to us in our understanding of the
Qur'an. 

A very important point to remember during the initial stages of study,
is that we should try to understand the Qur'an with the help of the Qur'an
itself; because, the verses of the Qur'an constitute a completely united
integral whole, a coherent unified structure. If we single out any verse
from the Qur'an and try to understand it in isolation from the rest of
the Book, it would not be a correct method. However, it is possible that
we may happen to understand it, but the method is not recommended by caution,
as certain verses of the Qur'an are explanatory for certain other verses.
All great commentators of the Qur'an have affirmed this method; the infallible
Imams also had approved of this manner of interpretation of the Qur'anic
verses. The Qur'an has its own specific mode of discussing various problems.
There are instances where if a solitary verse is studied without placing
it in its proper context, it gives quite a different sense than when it
is seen under the light of the verses dealing with a similar subject. 

For instance, the specific mode and style of the Qur'an may be noticed
from the distinction drawn between al-ayat al-muhkamat (the firm verses)
and al-ayat al-mutashabihat (the ambiguous verses). There is a prevalent
view regarding the muhkamat and the mutashabihat. Some people imagine that
al-ayat al-muhkamat are such verses as whose meaning is quite simple and
clear, whereas the meaning of al-ayat al-mutashabihat is cryptic, enigmatic
and puzzling. According to this notion, men are only permitted to cogitate
upon the meaning of al-ayat al-muhkamat, and al-ayat al-mutashabihat are
basically inscrutable and beyond their understanding. Here, the question
arises, what is the philosophy underlying al-ayat al-mutashabihat? Why
has the Qur'an put forward such verses that are incomprehensible? A brief
answer to this question is that neither muhkam means "simple" and "clear",
nor mutashabih means "ambiguous", "cryptic" and "enigmatic." "Ambiguous"
and "enigmatic" are adjectives applicable to sentences that do not convey
the meaning in a direct and simple manner, as are sometimes met in the
writings of various authors. For example, when Sultan Mahmud rewarded the
poetic efforts of Ferdowsi with a reward of an insignificant and humiliating
amount of money, Ferdowsi did not accept it, and instead he accused Sultan
Mahmud of the trait of parsimony in his versified lampoons. Some of them
were quite clear and obvious whereas the others were not devoid of ambiguity
and a lot of enigma. Ferdowsi is quite direct when he says: 

Had the king's mother been an honourable lady,  

He would have rewarded me with knee-high gold and silver. 

However, when he remarks: 

The palm of king Mahmud, the conqueror of lands,  

Was nine times nine and three times four, 

what does he intend to say? Here Ferdowsi has made use of an enigmatic
technique. Those who are interested would like to know the solution: 9
X 9=81, 3 X 4=12, and 81 plus 12 add up to 93. Ferdowsi says, the Sultan's
palm was just like 93. It means that the fist of the Sultan was so tightly
closed that only his thumb was free, and this thumb along with the index
finger (which acquires the shape of 92 and other three fingers make 93.
Through this obscure statement Ferdowsi wants to emphatically report the
miserliness of the Sultan. 

We shall see whether there are actually any enigmatic and abstruse verses
in the Qur'an. Such an assumption contradicts with the text of the Qur'an
which unequivocally states that it is a clear and comprehensible book whose
verses provide guidance and shed light. The core of the problem is that
some of the issues dealt with in the Qur'an are related to metaphysical
matters and the transcendental world, which cannot be expressed in ordinary
language. In the words of Shaykh Shabistari: 

The word fails to encompass meaning,  

The ocean cannot be poured into a pot. 

Since the language of the Qur'an is the same as used by men, inevitably,
the same diction is used for the most sublime and spiritual themes as we
human beings use for earthly subjects. But in order to prevent any misunderstanding
about certain problems, some verses have been devised in such a way that
they need to be explained with the help of other verses. There is no way
except this. For example, the Qur'an wanted to point out to a truth namely,
seeing God through the heart; that is, to witness the presence of God by
means of one's heart. This idea has been expressed in the following terms: 

(Some) faces on the Day shall be bright, looking towards
their Lord. (75:22-23)

Practice Islam and do quran reading and spread the word of truth 

 

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