لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Understanding the Uniqueness of
"The Qur'an"
The study and knowledge of the Qur'an is essential
for every learned person as well as for all faithful believers. It is specially
essential for those scholars who are interested in the study of man and
society, since this book has been effectively instrumental not only in
moulding the destinies of Islamic societies, but also in shaping the destiny
of the human race as a whole. A brief glance over history would be enough
to provide sufficient proof of the claim that there has been no such book
that has ever influenced human societies to the magnitude of the Qur'an.
It is for the same reason that the Qur'an automatically steps into the
precincts of sociological discussions, and becomes the elemental constituent
of the subjects of research in this discipline. This means that any deep
study and profound research in the field of world history of the last fourteen
hundred years, is impossible without the knowledge of the Qur'an.
The study of the Qur'an is essential for every
committed Muslim, since it is the main source and foundation of the religious
thought and faith. Whatsoever gives meaning, essence and sanctity to his
existence lies in the Holy Qur'an.
The Qur'an is not just like other religious books
which are content to discuss the problems of existence of God and creation
in cryptic tones, or like those which merely convey a series of simple
moral advice and counsels, so that those who believe in them are hopelessly
left to search for guidance in other sources. Unlike such books the Qur'an
formulates the tenets of faith besides communicating the ideas and views
that are essential for a man of faith and belief. Similarly, it also lays
down the principles of moral and ethical values for the purpose of social
and familial existence. It leaves the job of explanation, interpretation,
and occasionally that of ijtihad and application of principles (usul) to
secondary matters (furu') to be dealt with through ijtihad and sunnah.
Accordingly, utilization of any other source depends on the prior knowledge
of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the criterion and standard for judging all
other sources. We should judge hadith and sunnah in the light of the Qur'an.
We can accept it only when it is in accordance with the Qur'an, otherwise
we do not accept it.
There are four more books that come after the
Qur'an, and are regarded as the most sacred and the most authentic sources
(by the Shi'ah Muslims). They are: Al-Kafi, Man la yahduruhu al-faqih,
Tahdhib, and Istibsar. There are also other sources like the Nahj al-Balaghah,
and the prayers of al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah. All these books are secondary
to the Qur'an, and their authenticity of source is not so absolute as that
of the Qur'an. A hadith from al-Kafi is as trustworthy as it may be in
conformity with the Qur'an, and reliable so far as its words comply with
the teachings of the Qur'an and do not go against it. The Prophet (S) and
the infallible Imams have said that their traditions should be checked
in the light of the Qur'an; if they do not coincide with the words of the
Qur'an, they should be regarded as false and fake, and as being wrongfully
attributed to them; since they have not said anything that can go against
the Qur'anic teachings.
Approaches to the Understanding of the Qur'an
Now that the necessity of understanding the Qur'an
has been confirmed, let us see what are the ways of understanding this
book. Generally for the purpose of a profound understanding of any book
it is necessary to study it in three ways:
1. Authentication:
At this stage, we want to know to what extent
the relationship of a book with its author is authentic. Suppose we want
to study the Diwan-Hafiz, or the Ruba'iyyat of 'Umar Khayyam. At first,
we have to see whether the work which is attributed to Hafiz, wholly belongs
to him, or whether a part of it is Hafiz's work and the rest is an apocryphal
annexation to it. Similarly in the case of 'Umar Khayyam, and others too,
we must judiciously scrutinize their works. It is here that the matter
of examination of manuscripts --and for that matter the oldest of them--
becomes relevant. Thus we see that none of these books can dispense with
such a treatment. The Diwan-e-Hafiz printed by the late Qazvini, which
has been based on some of the most authentic manuscripts of Hafiz's work,
varies greatly from the ordinary editions of Hafiz. printed in Iran and
Bombay, which are usually found in homes. The editions of Hafiz's works
published during the last thirty or forty years contain as much as twice
the amount of Hafiz's original works. In view of certain modern manuscript
experts of repute, they are fake; although we occasionally come across
in them some verses which match the sublime heights of Hafiz's poetry.
Likewise when we study the quatrains attributed to 'Umar Khayyam, we shall
find nearly two hundred quatrains of the same poetical standard with only
minor differences usually possible even among the authentic verses of a
single poet. However, if we look back at the history of Khayyam's times,
we shall notice that the number of quatrains attributed to him may perhaps
be less than twenty. The authenticity of the rest of them is either doubtful,
or may with certainty be said to belong to other poets.
It means that the first step towards the research
study of any book is to see to what extent the book in our hands is authentic,
whether all the things recorded on its pages are genuine, or if only a
part of it is authentic. Moreover, what criteria and standards should be
employed in order to judge the authenticity and genuineness of authorship?
By what logic can the authenticity of any book be totally rejected or affirmed?
The Qur'an is absolutely exempt from all such
criteria that may be applicable to all worldly books. It is regarded as
the exclusively singular book since the ancient times. No book of ancient
days has remained above doubt to such extent despite a long lapse of several
hundred years. No one can ever say about it that such and such a surah
has a questionable authenticity or such and such a verse that is present
in such and such a manuscript is missing from another manuscript. The Qur'an
stands above the notions of manuscript reading. There is no place for the
slightest doubt that all of the verses that exist in the Qur'an are those
conveyed to Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah (S) who communicated them as the miraculous
Word of God. Nobody can ever claim that another version of the Qur'an existed
anywhere, or still exists. There has not been any Orientalist either who
would begin the study of the Qur'an by saying, "let us trace from the earliest
of the manuscripts of the Qur'an to see what was included in it and what
was not." The Qur'an is absolutely free from this kind of investigation
necessary in case of such books as the Bible, the Torah, or the Avesta,
or the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, or the Gulistan of Sa'di and every other
ancient or not so ancient work.
Only for the study of the Qur'an no such questions
arise, and the Qur'an is far above the usual norms of authenticity and
the craft of manuscript reading. Moreover, besides the fact that the Qur'an
is one of the heavenly scriptures and has been regarded by its followers
as the most basic and authentic proof of the Prophet's (S) claim to prophethood,
and as the greatest of his miracles, the Qur'an, unlike the Torah, was
not revealed at one time and was not subject to later difficulties in distinguishing
the true manuscript. The verses of the Qur'an were revealed gradually during
a span of twenty-three years. From the very first day, the eager Muslims
memorized its verses, preserved and recorded them. Those were the days
when the Muslim society was quite a simple society. No other book existed
besides the Qur'an, and the Muslims were inevitably inclined to memorize
its verses. Their clear, unmarked minds and their powerful memory, their
general ignorance about reading and writing, all these factors assisted
them in acquiring and retaining their information regarding the Qur'an.
This is the reason why the message of the Qur'an, which was so congenial
to their sensibilities and their natural propensities, got effectively
imprinted on their hearts like inscription on stone. Since they believed
it to be the Word of God, it was sacred to them also. They couldn't permit
themselves that a single word or even a letter of it be altered or replaced
in its text. They tried to acquire the nearness to God by reciting its
verses. It should be noted here that from the very early days the Prophet
(S) had engaged a group of scribes for the purpose of writing down the
Qur'an, who were known as the "Scribes of the Revelation." This should
be regarded as one of the merits in favour of the Qur'an from which all
other ancient books are excluded. The absence of any alteration and change
in the Word of God was on account of this process of writing and recording
from the very beginning.
The other reason responsible for the popularity
of the Qur'an among the people was its extraordinary, supernatural literary
and artistic dimension depicted in its rhetoric and eloquence. It was this
strong literary attraction towards the Qur'an, which had an appeal for
the people, that prompted them to immediately memorize its verses. But
unlike other literary works like the Diwan-e-Hafiz and poems of Rumi, which
are exposed to meddling by admirers who think they are improving on the
original, nobody could ever give himself the permission of meddling with
the sacred text; for the Qur'an immediately declared in one of its verses:
Had he [the Prophet (S)] invented against Us any
sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, then We would surely
have cut his life vein. (69:44-46)
There are several other verses in the Qur'an that
forbid forgery in relation to the Word of God. The gravity of this sin
as stressed by the Qur'an had profound impression upon minds and served
as a severe discouragement in this regard. In this way, before any type
of alterations could have taken place in its verses, they were repeated
often, thus reaching a stage that it was impossible to increase, diminish
or alter even a single word in this heavenly book. Accordingly, there is
neither any need of any discussion about the Qur'an from the point of view
of authenticity, nor does any scholar of the Qur'an throughout the world
see any necessity of such a discussion. However, I think, it is necessary
to remind the readers about the fact that, because of the rapid expansion
of the Islamic domain and distance of the major part of the population
living far away from Medina, which was the center of huffaz (those who
memorized) of the Qur'an and the Companions of the Prophet, there arose
the danger of occurrence of advertent or wilful gradual alteration in the
Qur'anic text. But the prompt dexterity and timely awareness on the part
of early Muslims averted this danger. Within the first five decades, they
utilized the services of the Sahabah (the Companions of the Prophet) and
those of the huffaz of the Qur'an for the purpose of averting the chances
of conscious or inadvertent alterations in the text of the Qur'an. They
distributed approved copies of the Qur'an from Medina to the surrounding
regions. They thus checked any chances of wrongdoing, especially on the
part of the Jews, who are well-known champions in this field.
2. Analytical Study:
During this stage of study and analysis of a book,
it is essential to understand these things: the subject it deals with,
the goal that it pursues, its outlook regarding the world, its point of
view concerning man and society, its style and treatment of the subject-whether
the treatment of the subject is in an intellectual and scholarly manner,
or whether it has its own characteristic style. One more question that
is relevant in this context is whether this book contains any message and
guidance for humanity or not. If the answer to this question is in the
affirmative, then what is the message that it conveys? The first group
of questions are, of course, concerned with the point of view and outlook
of the book regarding man and universe, about life and death etc. In other
words, these questions are associated with the, world-outlook of the book,
and in terms of Islamic philosophy, with its al-hikmat al-nazariyyah (theoretical
wisdom). But the second group of questions is concerned with the perspective
of future of mankind offered by the book. They deal with the suggested
basis for moulding the human kind and human societies. This aspect may
be regarded as the "message" of the book.
This sort of understanding is, however, concerned
with the subject of the book, and is relevant in regard to all kinds of
books, whether it is the medical treatise of Ibn Sina, or if it is the
Gulistan of Sa'di. It is possible that a book may lack an outlook as well
as a message, or it may contain an outlook but not a message, or it may
contain both.
Regarding the analytical study of the Qur'an we
shall have to see, in general, what sort of problems does the Qur'an deal
with, and what is its manner of presenting them. What is its manner of
argument and its approach to various problems? Does the Qur'an, being the
defender, presenter and protector of faith, and its message being a religious
message, view reason as a rival to its teachings, and clings to a defensive
posture against it, or whether it considers reason as a supporter and protector
of faith and relies upon its power? These questions and various other queries,
arise during the analytical study of the Qur'an.
3. Study of the Sources of Ideas:
At this stage, i.e. after verification of authenticity
of the authorship of a book, and after thorough study and analysis of its
contents, we come to the stage of exploring whether the contents of the
book comprise of its author's own original ideas, or, the ideas have been
borrowed from some other source. For instance, in studying Hafiz's works,
after verifying the authenticity of the verses and making their analytical
study, we have to see whether these themes, ideas and thoughts that have
been incorporated into Hafiz's poetry and poured into the moulds of his
words, phrases, couplets, language and style, are actually the creations
of Hafiz, or whether only the words and phrases and the beauty, art and
craftsmanship reflected in the verses come from Hafiz, whereas the thoughts
and ideas belong to someone else, or have been borrowed from another source.
After ascertaining his artistic originality, the intellectual originality
of Hafiz's works has also to be established.
This kind of study regarding Hafiz, or any other
author, implies the study of the source and roots of the author's ideas
and thought. This sort of study is secondary to an analytical study; that
is, firstly the contents of the author's thought should be completely understood,
and afterwards an attempt should be made to identify its roots and sources.
Otherwise, the result of one's effort will be something like the works
of certain writers of history of various sciences, who write without any
thorough knowledge of the subject, or similar to the works of those writers
of philosophical books, who undertake, for instance, a comparative study
of Ibn Sina and Aristotle, without any knowledge of either. After superficial
comparison and on discovering some literal similitudes between the works
of the two great thinkers, they immediately sit down to pass a quick judgment.
Although, for the purpose of a comparative study, very deep and profound
knowledge of the ideas and thoughts of both of the philosophers is required.
A lifetime of study is necessary for such a task; otherwise, it has no
more value than can be given to blind imitative conjectures.
For the study and understanding of the Qur'an,
an analytical study must be followed by a comparative and historical study.
That is, the contents of the Qur'an should be compared with other books
that existed at that time, specially the religious ones. For the purpose
of such a comparison, it is essential to keep in mind the conditions and
relations of the Arabian peninsula with other parts of the world, and the
number of educated Arabs living in Mecca at the time. Only then we can
arrive at an estimation of the influence of other books of those times
on the contents of the Qur'an, and if we find something common in them,
discover its proportions. We can then see whether the material that has
been borrowed from other books is used in an original manner or not. Does
the Qur'an go even further to the extent of playing a role in amending
the contents of those books and setting right the errors occurring in them?
