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.
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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
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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
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