There is no reason to form the mistaken impression, on seeing the word “Introduction” in the title, that I have sat down to write an introduction to the Qur’an Majid. This is not an introduction to the Qur’an; rather, it is an introduction to Tafhim al-Qur’an. I have undertaken to write this introduction with two objectives in view.
First: Before studying the Qur’an, an ordinary reader needs to know certain things thoroughly; knowing them at the outset makes it easier for him to understand the Qur’an’s message. Otherwise, these matters may repeatedly create doubts in his mind during his study of the Qur’an. Often, merely because people do not understand these things, they spend years reaching only the surface of the Qur’an’s inner meaning. They find no way to enter within.
Second: I shall first answer the questions that arise in people’s minds when they try to understand the Qur’an—those that initially arose in my own mind or came before me later.
The Reader’s Difficulty with the Qur’an
Usually, the books we read deal with a definite subject. Within a particular literary style, information on that subject is presented sequentially, and various opinions and arguments are introduced. Therefore, when someone unfamiliar with the Qur’an begins studying this Book for the first time, he proceeds with a familiar expectation. He assumes that, as in ordinary books, the subject matter will first be defined, after which the principal topic will be divided into chapters and sections, and each subject will be discussed in an orderly sequence. In this way, the various spheres of life will be treated separately, with rules and instructions recorded about each according to the previously mentioned order. But after opening the Book and beginning to read, he sees an entirely different picture. He encounters a style of exposition with which he has had no previous acquaintance. He finds matters relating to creed and belief, moral rules and instructions, the ordinances of the Shari‘ah, invitation, admonition, warnings, criticism and review, condemnation and reproach, threats, glad tidings and consolation, arguments and proofs, testimony, historical narratives, and references to ancient archaeological remains. These recur again and again, one after another. The same subject matter is restated in different ways, wrapped in different words. One subject begins after another, and then, apparently unexpectedly, a third subject begins. Indeed, sometimes one subject suddenly intrudes in the middle of another. The perspective shifts repeatedly between the first and second person, and the discourse repeatedly changes direction. There is no sign of dividing the subject matter into chapters and sections. History is nowhere written in the manner of historical writing. Philosophy and supernatural matters are not written in the language of logic and philosophy. Human beings and the substances and materials of the universe are discussed, but not according to the methods of biology and physics. Civilization, culture, politics, economics, and various aspects of social life are discussed, but the methods of social science are not followed. Legal rulings and principles of law are described in a manner entirely different from that of jurists. The teaching concerning morality is presented in a style wholly unlike that found in books on moral philosophy. In general, all this is the opposite of how books are usually written. This sight perplexes a reader. He begins to think that this is a disorganized, incoherent, scattered collection of statements, in which countless “fragments” have been joined together from beginning to end, though they have been recorded in the form of a continuous composition. Those who study the Qur’an from an oppositional standpoint base all their objections, allegations, doubts, and misgivings on this. On the other hand, those with a favorable outlook sometimes try to escape doubt by closing their eyes to the meaning. At times they explain this apparently disorganized presentation in a way that enables them to satisfy themselves. At times they artificially search for connections and arrive at strange conclusions. At other times they accept the theory of “fragmentary composition,” with the result that every verse, separated from its context and surrounding discussion, begins to convey a meaning wholly contrary to the speaker’s purpose.
Again, to understand a book properly, a reader must know the purpose and objective of its subject matter, its main message and claims, and its central topic. At the same time, he must be familiar with its method of exposition. He must know its terminology and its particular method of analysis. Behind the outward structure of its words, he must also keep in view the circumstances and matters to which its descriptions relate. These things are generally easy to find in the books we usually read. Consequently, it is not at all difficult for us to penetrate into the depths of their subject matter. But the Qur’an does not present these things in the way we are accustomed to finding them in other books. Thus, when someone among us studies the Qur’an with the mindset of an ordinary reader of books, he does not discover the subject matter, main message, and central topic of this Book. Its method of exposition and analysis also seems new and unfamiliar to him. In most places, the background of its sentences and statements remains hidden from his sight. As a result, although the reader gains something from the radiant string of knowledge woven among the various disconnected verses, he does not discover the true inner life of the Word of Allah. Instead of acquiring knowledge of the Book, he must be content with acquiring merely a few scattered ideas and counsels from it. Indeed, one reason for the confusion of most people who develop doubts after studying the Qur’an is that they do not know these verbally necessary matters concerning the understanding of the Qur’an’s message. Even so, as they continue reading the Qur’an, they find various subjects scattered throughout its pages. The profound meaning of many verses remains undisclosed to them. They find learned statements in many verses, but in the context of the preceding and following discussion these statements seem entirely out of place. Because they are unfamiliar with explanation, analysis, and modes of exposition in different places, they depart from the true meaning of the verses; and, in most places, because they lack correct knowledge of the background, they consequently fall prey to serious confusion.
The Way Out of the Difficulty
What kind of Book is the Qur’an? How was it revealed? What was the method of its compilation and arrangement? What are its subject matter and topics? With what central subject are its countless subjects at different levels connected? What kind of mode of exposition and method of presenting arguments and proofs has it adopted for presenting and substantiating the statements that follow? If the reader receives clear answers at the outset to these questions and to some other necessary questions of this kind, he can remain free from many apprehensions. The way may be opened for him to understand the meaning of the Qur’an and to reflect and investigate within it. The person who searches the Qur’an Majid for an arrangement like that of conventional books, and becomes restless when he does not find it on its pages and gropes about in every direction, is mentally agitated chiefly because he does not know the answers to these basic questions about the Qur’an. He begins reading the Qur’an with the idea that he is going to read a “religious” book. Regarding the two words “religious” and “book,” his mind generally retains the usual concepts associated with religion and books. But when he finds there a picture completely contrary to his mental ideas, it begins to seem wholly unfamiliar to him. Unable to grasp the central point of the subject, he wanders through every sentence in confusion, as though the Book he is about to read were a completely distinct and novel book in the world of books. Its method of composition is also distinctive and characteristic. In terms of subject matter, topics, and arrangement of discussion, an entirely novel method has been adopted. Therefore, the structural concept of books that has developed in your mind from reading various books until now will be of no use in understanding this Book. Rather, it will obstruct you. To understand it, you must first remove from your mind the ideas and imaginings already lodged there and imprint the novel characteristics of this Book upon your mind. In this connection, the reader must first become acquainted with the original Qur’an. The question of whether or not he believes in it does not arise here. However, to understand this Book, he must accept as his starting point the Book itself and the fundamental matter stated by its presenter, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. That fundamental matter is as follows:
1. Allah, the Almighty, Lord, Creator, Owner, and absolute Ruler of the entire universe, created human beings on this earth as a part of His vast kingdom. He granted them the ability to know, understand, and think. He granted them the freedom to distinguish between good and evil, to choose, will, and resolve, and to use their own powers. In a word, by granting human beings a kind of freedom (autonomy), He installed them on earth as His khalifah, or representative.
2. When appointing human beings to this position, Allah, the Almighty, Lord of the universe, firmly impressed this truth upon their minds: “I alone am your Owner, Master, and Lord, and the Owner and Lord of all creation. In My kingdom you are neither free, arbitrary rulers nor subject to anyone else, nor have you been sent with independent authority granted by anyone besides Me. This is in fact a period of trial for you. When this trial ends, you will have to return to Me. After examining and assessing your deeds, I shall decide which among you succeeded and which failed.
“The right course of action for you is one alone: you must accept Me as your only Master and Ruler. You must act in the world according to the law I send you. You must live with the awareness that this world is a testing ground, so that success in the final judgment before My court may be the true purpose of your life. Every course of action contrary to this is wrong and misleading for you. If you adopt the first course of action—which you have been given the freedom to choose—you will enjoy peace, security, and tranquility in this world. Then, when you return to Me, I shall grant you Paradise, the abode of everlasting comfort and joy. But if you adopt the second course of action—which you have been given complete freedom to choose—you will face disorder and unrest in this world, and when you enter the Hereafter after the end of your worldly life, you will be cast into the deep pit of eternal anguish, suffering, and danger called Hell.”
3. After explaining this clearly, Allah, the Almighty, Lord of the universe, arranged for humankind to dwell on earth. He gave the first group, consisting of two members of the human race—Adam and Eve—the law by which they were to live on earth. According to this law, they and their descendants were to conduct all their worldly affairs. These first descendants of humanity were not created in ignorance, unawareness, and darkness. They knew the truth. They were given a way of life. Obedience to Allah—that is, Islam—was their way of life. They taught their children to live as obedient servants of Allah, that is, as Muslims. But later, through centuries of living, humanity gradually turned away from this correct way of life—that is, the Din—and adopted various wrong courses of action. Overcome by the sleep of heedlessness, they eventually lost this correct way of life. They also distorted it under Satanic provocation. They associated various human and nonhuman, imaginary and material entities in the earth and heavens with Allah in His affairs. By mixing various kinds of imagination, idealism, fabricated doctrines, and philosophies into the true knowledge granted by Allah (al-‘ilm), they created countless religions. They abandoned or distorted the just and balanced moral and cultural system prescribed by Allah (the Shari‘ah), and made laws for themselves according to their desires, interests, and inclinations; as a result, Allah’s earth became filled with oppression and persecution.
4. If Allah had used His Creator’s power to force misguided people back toward the correct course of action and way of life, that would have contradicted the principle of granting human beings limited freedom by Allah. And if He had destroyed humanity as soon as such rebellion appeared, that would have been inconsistent with the time and opportunity He had determined for the entire human race to work on earth. From the beginning of creation, the responsibility He had undertaken was to guide human beings, while preserving their freedom, through the opportunities provided to them during their lives. Therefore, to fulfill the responsibility imposed upon Himself, He began using a group of people from among humanity who believed in Him and acted according to His commands in order to attain His pleasure. He made them His representatives. He sent them His inviolable word. Having granted them true knowledge and the correct law of life, He appointed them to invite the children of Adam to return from the wrong path to this straightforward path of truth.
5. These were Allah’s prophets. Allah continued to send His prophets among different countries and nations. This chain of their coming continued for thousands of years. They numbered in the thousands. All followed the same Din, or way of life. That is, they all followed the correct course of action with which human beings had been acquainted from the first day of creation. They all followed the same guidance. In other words, they adhered to the eternal moral and sociocultural principles established for humanity from the beginning. They all had the same mission: to call their descendants, tribes, and nations toward this Din and guidance. Then they organized those who accepted the call into an Ummah—one that itself obeyed Allah’s law and continued striving and struggling to establish obedience to Allah’s law in the world and to resist tendencies to disobey it. Each of these prophets fulfilled the responsibility of this mission with great excellence in his own age. But it was always found that a large part of humanity was unwilling to accept their call. And those who accepted it and joined the Muslim Ummah gradually began to sink into the sea of distortion themselves. Some of their communities even lost Allah’s guidance altogether. Others mixed their own words with Allah’s word and altered it, thereby disfiguring its very appearance.
6. Finally, Allah, the Almighty, Lord of the universe, sent Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in the land of Arabia. He entrusted him with the same responsibility for which He had previously sent various prophets into the world. Along with ordinary people, he called the misguided communities of earlier prophets toward Allah’s Din. He invited everyone to adopt the correct course of action and the right path. His task was to convey Allah’s guidance anew to all and to transform those who accepted this call and guidance into an Ummah that would, on the one hand, establish its way of life upon Allah’s guidance and, on the other, strive and struggle to reform and rectify the entire world. This Qur’an is the Book of that call and guidance. Allah revealed this Book to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
The Qur’an’s Central Subject
After learning these preliminary matters concerning the Qur’an, it becomes easier for the reader to gain correct knowledge of this Book’s subject matter, central topic, and objective.
Its subject matter is the human being. What benefits humanity in the light of the real and radiant truth—this is the Qur’an’s main subject matter.
Its central topic is that the ideas human beings have formed about Allah, the administration of the universe, their own existence, and their worldly life—because of superficial perception, reliance on guesswork, or servitude to nature—and the outlook and courses of action they have adopted on the basis of those ideas are all, in the light of the true and radiant truth, wrong and defective, and destructive for human beings in their consequences. The real truth is what Allah Himself stated when He appointed human beings as khalifah. In the light of this real truth, the outlook and course of action previously discussed as the correct course for humanity are the ones that are right, sound, and worthy of a good outcome.
The ultimate objective and message are to invite humanity to adopt the correct outlook and course of action and to present Allah’s guidance without ambiguity. Humanity lost these through heedlessness and carelessness, and because of its Satanic impulses it has repeatedly distorted them.
If one reads the Qur’an with these three fundamental matters in view, one will see that throughout its entire scope this Book has not deviated even a hairsbreadth from its subject matter, central topic, and essential objective and message. From beginning to end, its various subjects are connected with its central topic as the small and large pearls of different colors in a pearl necklace are bound together on a single thread in an intimate relationship. The Qur’an discusses the structure of the earth and heavens, the process of human creation, the observation of the signs of the universe, and historical events concerning various earlier nations. It criticizes the creeds and beliefs, moral character, and actions of various nations. It explains supernatural matters. It also mentions many other things. But the Qur’an does not discuss these matters in order to teach people physics, biology, history, philosophy, or any other science. Rather, its purpose is to remove people’s mistaken ideas about the real and radiant truth, implant the true truth in their minds, make clear the error and evil consequences of courses of action opposed to the truth, and invite people toward a course of action corresponding to the truth and possessing a good outcome. For this reason, each subject is discussed only to the extent and in the manner required by its essential objective. After discussing these matters as necessary, the Qur’an always returns to its own objective and central topic, leaving aside unnecessary detail. With profound unity and coherence, all its discussions revolve around the focal point of the call to Islam.
The Method of the Qur’an’s Revelation
However, to fully grasp the Qur’an’s method of exposition and analysis, its mode of arrangement, and its many topics, one must properly understand the manner and circumstances of its revelation.
Allah, the Exalted, did not write this Qur’an all at once, hand it to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and instruct him to invite the people, through its broad dissemination, toward a particular way of life. This is not such a Book at all. Similarly, the subject matter and central topic in this Book were not discussed according to the conventional method of composition. Therefore, the customary method of arranging a composition and the ordinary method by which books are written are entirely absent here. In reality, this is a unique kind of Book. Allah, the Exalted, sent one of His servants as a prophet in the city of Makkah in the land of Arabia. He instructed him to begin the call with his own city and tribe, Quraysh. At the beginning, only the necessary injunctions were given to him for starting this work. These injunctions mainly contained three subjects.
First: Teaching the Prophet. He was taught how to prepare himself to fulfill this great and momentous responsibility and by what method he was to work.
Second: Providing preliminary information about the true truth and briefly refuting the mistaken notions about the truth prevalent among the people around him. Because of these notions, they adopted wrong courses of action.
Third: Inviting people toward the correct course of action. The fundamental principles of character prescribed by Allah, whose observance brings welfare and good fortune to humanity, were stated.
The Early Period of the Islamic Call
In the context of the beginning of the call, these early messages remained limited to a few brief, concise statements. Their language was extremely clear, sweet, highly influential, and rich in the finest literary appeal suited to the taste of the nation addressed. As a result, these words became embedded in the mind like arrows. Because of the resonance and musical grace of the language, the ears were drawn to them rapidly of their own accord. Since they were timely and harmonious with the needs of the mind, the tongue repeated them spontaneously. They also had a strongly local character. Although universal truths were described, the arguments, proofs, and examples were drawn from the nearest environment with which the listeners were thoroughly familiar. Their own history and traditions, the signs they saw every day, and their own doctrinal, moral, and social shortcomings formed the basis of the entire discussion. In this way, an environment conducive to accepting its influence was created.
This early period of the Islamic call continued for about four or five years. During this period, the Prophet’s preaching of Islam produced three kinds of reactions.
Some righteous people accepted the Islamic call. They prepared to form an Ummah known as the “Muslim Ummah.”
2. A large number of people became ready to oppose this call because of ignorance, selfishness, or blind attachment to the customs and traditions of their forefathers.
3. Beyond the boundaries of Makkah and Quraysh, the voice of this new call began to reverberate across a comparatively vast area.
The Second Chapter of the Islamic Call
From this point, the second chapter of this call began. During this period, a severe and life-and-death conflict arose between the Islamic movement and the old Jahiliyyah. This conflict continued for eight or nine years. Not only the people of Makkah and the Quraysh tribe, but also all those in most areas of the vast Arabian land who wished to preserve the old Jahiliyyah unchanged, used force to suppress this movement. They launched false propaganda, raised countless allegations, doubts, misgivings, and objections, and sowed various seeds of provocation in the minds of ordinary people. They made every effort to prevent strangers from hearing the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. They inflicted barbaric and bestial torture on those who accepted Islam. They imposed economic and social boycotts upon them. They persecuted and tortured them so severely that, unable to endure their oppression, many among the Muslims were forced to leave their homeland and migrate to Abyssinia twice; ultimately, all of them had to migrate to Madinah. Yet despite this severe and growing opposition and obstruction, the movement continued to spread. There was no clan or family in Makkah in which at least one person had not accepted Islam. Among the brothers, nephews, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers-in-law of most opponents of Islam, many were not merely followers of the Islamic call but were playing the role of self-sacrificing workers; and their own beloved children were preparing to fight against them. This was the reason for the intensity, sharpness, and bitterness of their hostility. More remarkable still was the fact that those who severed their connection with the old Jahiliyyah and joined this new-born movement had previously been regarded as the finest people in their society. After joining the movement, they became so honest, just, and pure in character that the superiority and greatness of this movement inevitably became evident in the eyes of the people of the world. It was only natural that the superiority of a call which attracted such people and endowed them with such elevated human qualities should shine before the eyes of the world.
During this long and intense period of conflict, Almighty Allah continued to reveal to His Prophet, according to the circumstances and needs, such passionate discourses in which there was the movement of a rushing stream, the tremendous force of a flood, and the sharpness and intensity of fire. Through these discourses, on the one hand, the believers were informed of their initial duties and responsibilities. A collective consciousness was created among them. They were taught taqwa, elevated moral excellence, sound dispositions and proper conduct. They were shown how to propagate Allah’s true religion. By giving them the promise of success and the glad tidings of Paradise, their courage and morale were strengthened. They were inspired to continue striving in Allah’s path with patience, forbearance, steadfastness and high resolve. Such an immense passion and enthusiasm for self-sacrifice was created in them that they became ready to face every kind of danger and to stand firm like immovable mountains before the towering storms of opposition. On the other hand, the opposing peoples—those who had strayed from the path of truth and justice and those who were unconscious in the sleep of heedlessness—were warned by presenting the tragic and destructive ends of nations whose history they knew. The ruined settlements over which they had to pass day and night during their journeys were made a source of instruction and admonition for them. From the hundreds and thousands of clear signs that stood before their eyes day and night in the open expanses of the earth and sky, and whose effects they constantly experienced in their own lives, proofs of tawhid and the Hereafter were presented to them. Shirk, tyranny, denial of the Hereafter and blind imitation of their forefathers’ erroneous path were exposed through unequivocal arguments capable of easily affecting the heart and mind. Then each of their doubts and misgivings was removed. A reasoned answer was given to every question. Their minds were completely freed from the fog of the complex psychological problems from which they themselves suffered and which they sought to create in the minds of others. Thus, Jahiliyyah was seized and encircled so firmly from every side that not an inch of room remained for it to breathe in the world of intellect, thought and mind. At the same time, they were warned of Allah’s wrath, the horrors of the Judgment of the Resurrection and the punishment of Hell. They were reproached for their immoral character, misguided way of life, Jahili customs, hostility to truth and persecution of Muslims. The great principles of civilization, culture and morality upon which, throughout the world, the foundations of the righteous and elevated civilization and culture beloved and chosen by Allah had always been built were placed before them.
This stage was divided into various phases. At each phase, the da‘wah became increasingly comprehensive. On one side, the effort and struggle intensified, while on the other, opposition and obstacles became ever more severe. They had to confront tribes and groups possessing different beliefs and different courses of action. Accordingly, the subjects of the messages coming from Allah continued to grow more varied. This is the background of the Makkan life depicted in the Qur’an.
The Third Chapter of the Da‘wah
After this movement had remained active in Makkah for thirteen years, it suddenly found a base in Madinah. It became possible for it to gather its followers there one by one from throughout Arabia and unite all its strength in a single centre. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and most of the followers of Islam migrated to Madinah. Thus the Islamic da‘wah entered its third stage.
At this stage, the situation changed completely. The Muslim ummah succeeded in establishing an organized state. Armed conflict began with the upholders of the old Jahiliyyah. Conflict also arose with the ummahs of the earlier prophets (the Jews and Christians). Various kinds of hypocrites infiltrated the internal system of the Muslim ummah, and they too had to be fought. After passing through ten years of hard conflict and struggle, the movement reached the destination of success and its authority spread throughout Arabia. The doors of universal da‘wah and reform opened before it. This stage, too, was divided into several phases. Each phase had its own distinctive, necessary and indispensable requirements. In response to these requirements, Almighty Allah continued to reveal to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, discourses and statements that sometimes resembled fiery speeches, sometimes appeared in the form of royal edicts and commands, and sometimes reflected the instruction and teaching of a teacher and the admonition and explanatory effort of a reformer. They explained how to build the group and the state and establish a righteous and wholesome civic life; on what principles and regulations the various departments of life were to be founded; how the hypocrites were to be treated; what policy was to be adopted toward protected non-Muslims, the People of the Book, belligerent enemies and nations bound by treaty; and how this organized body of believers was to prepare itself to fulfill the responsibility of establishing Allah’s vicegerency on earth. Through these speeches, the Muslims were educated and given tarbiyah (training), their weaknesses were removed, they were encouraged to strive with their lives and wealth in Allah’s path, and they were taught the morality appropriate to every condition—victory and defeat, ease and hardship, sorrow and joy, poverty and prosperity, security and fear. They were prepared to become capable, after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, of succeeding him and carrying out the work of Islamic da‘wah and reform. On the other hand, efforts were made to address all those outside the sphere of faith—such as the People of the Book, hypocrites, polytheists and disbelievers—according to their differing circumstances: to understand them, invite them in moving language, rebuke and admonish them sternly, warn them of Allah’s punishment, and teach them through instructive conditions and events. Thus there was no hesitation or ambiguity before them in presenting the truth. This is the background of the Madinan surahs of the Qur’an.
The Qur’an’s Style of Expression
It becomes clear from this account that the Qur’an began to be revealed with a message of da‘wah. From the beginning of the da‘wah until it reached the final destination of completion, different portions of the Qur’an continued to be revealed in response to the diverse and varying needs of the stages and phases it had to pass through during the preceding twenty-three years. Therefore, the method of arranging the style and subject matter used in books written for obtaining a doctorate was not adopted here. Nor were the small and large portions of the Qur’an revealed along with the progress of this da‘wah published in the form of booklets. Rather, they were delivered in the form of speeches and statements and propagated in that manner. Thus what took shape in them was not the style of writing but the manner of speech. Moreover, these speeches were not like those of a professor; they were like the speeches of a caller. They appealed to the heart, mind, intellect and emotions alike. They had to confront every kind of mentality. In presenting and propagating his da‘wah and conducting an effective movement, he had to work in countless varied circumstances. He had to perform all the tasks essential for the bearer of a da‘wah and the leader of a movement: to impress his message upon people’s minds by every possible means, transform their world of thought, create waves in the sea of their emotions, break through the mountains of opposition, correct and train his associates, create motivation, enthusiasm and firm resolve in them, turn enemies into friends and deniers into believers, refute the arguments and proofs of opponents, and shatter their moral strength. For this reason, the form and nature of all the speeches that Almighty Allah revealed to His Prophet concerning this work and responsibility were suited to a da‘wah. One should not look there for the speech style of a college professor.
Another matter can also easily be understood from this. It is why discussion of the same subject appears repeatedly in different places in the Qur’an. A da‘wah and a genuinely active movement have certain natural needs and demands. At whatever stage this movement is situated at a given time, it must speak in a manner suited to that stage. As long as the da‘wah remains at one stage, the issues of later stages cannot be raised there. Rather, the matters relevant to that stage must be discussed repeatedly. It does not matter if months or years pass in this way. But if the same kind of statement continues to be repeated in the same wording and manner, the ears become weary of hearing it and the mind grows bored. Therefore, the matters that need to be repeated at each stage must each time be presented in a new verbal form, a new manner and new colors, refined and expressed in elegant language, so that they may become firmly rooted in the mind through a pleasing emotional effect and each stage of the da‘wah may become strengthened. At the same time, the beliefs and principles upon which the da‘wah is founded must never be allowed to disappear from view, from its first step to its final destination. Rather, they must be repeated at every stage of the da‘wah. Thus we find that all the surahs of the Qur’an revealed during one stage of the Islamic da‘wah generally contain the same kind of subject matter, with only the verbal and expressive form changed. Discussion of tawhid, Allah’s attributes, the Hereafter, accountability in the Hereafter, reward and punishment at the Resurrection, risalah, faith in the Book, taqwa, patience, tawakkul and other fundamental matters of this kind is found repeatedly throughout the Qur’an. This is because at no stage of the movement was it tolerated that these fundamental matters should be ignored. If these basic thoughts and concepts had weakened even slightly, this Islamic movement could never have moved forward with its true vitality.
The Reason for This Arrangement
Why did the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, not preserve the sequence in which the Qur’an had been revealed when arranging and recording it in book form? If we reflect a little, the answer to this question will be found in the account given here.
You have learned from the preceding discussion that the Qur’an was revealed over twenty-three years. It continued to be revealed in the same sequence in which the Islamic da‘wah began and progressed. It can now easily be understood that, after the da‘wah had reached completion, an arrangement of the revealed portions of the Qur’an based solely on the progress of the da‘wah could not possibly be appropriate. A new kind of arrangement, more suited to the circumstances created after the da‘wah had reached completion, was now necessary. At the beginning, the da‘wah first addressed people who were completely unfamiliar with Islam. Therefore, education and instruction began from the very foundation. But after the da‘wah reached completion, its first objective became those who had believed in it, joined an ummah and been entrusted with the responsibility of continuing this work. After giving this da‘wah completeness in both thought and practice, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, handed it over to them. They now first needed to know thoroughly their own responsibilities and duties, the laws governing their lives, and the various trials that had arisen among the ummahs of earlier prophets. Then they would have to advance to present Allah’s commands to the people of the world who were unfamiliar with Islam. Moreover, anyone who reads the Qur’an attentively will find that bringing all material of the same kind together in one place is inconsistent with the nature of the Qur’an. The very nature of the Qur’an requires that, before its reader, the Madinan-stage teachings should be discussed amid the lessons of the Makkan period, the Makkan-stage matters amid the speeches of the Madinan period, discussions of the early period amid the admonitions of the later period, and the regulations of the later period alongside the teachings of the beginning, again and again. In this way, the complete, broader and comprehensive picture of Islam should appear before his eyes. It should never happen that one aspect of Islam remains before him while another remains hidden from his sight.
Furthermore, if the Qur’an had been arranged in the sequence in which it was revealed, it could have been meaningful to people of later times only if the history of its revelation, together with the circumstances and context in which each portion was revealed, had also been written down. That would have been contrary to the purpose for which Almighty Allah gathered, arranged and preserved His revelation. Allah’s purpose was to compile His word in a concise form, in its pure state, without mixing or incorporating any other speech, message or statement into it. This word would be read by people of every level—young and old, children, women and men, city dwellers and villagers, educated people, scholars and ordinary people. People possessing every degree of intellect and knowledge would at least learn what their great Lord wanted from them and what He did not want. Needless to say, if a lengthy history had been attached to this entire word and reading that history had also been made obligatory for everyone, Allah’s purpose in arranging and preserving this word would have been defeated.
In reality, those who regard the present arrangement of the Qur’an as objectionable are not merely unaware of the purpose and objective of this Book; they seem to have fallen into the misconception that it was revealed only for students of history and sociology.
Readers should also know one more thing concerning the present arrangement of the Qur’an. This arrangement was not made by people of a later age. Rather, in accordance with Allah’s command, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, himself arranged and joined the Qur’anic verses in this way. His established practice was that whenever a surah was revealed, he would immediately call one of his scribes (a Qur’an writer), have the verses of the surah recorded in their proper form, and then instruct him to place that surah after or before such-and-such a surah. Similarly, sometimes a portion of the Qur’an would be revealed without the intention that it become an independent surah. In that case he would instruct them to insert it into such-and-such a passage of such-and-such a surah. He would then recite it himself in prayer according to this arrangement and would also recite the Qur’an at other times in the same arrangement. The Companions would memorize the Qur’an according to this arrangement as well. Thus the arrangement of the Qur’an is an established historical fact. On the day the revelation of the Qur’an was completed, its arrangement was also completed. The One who revealed it also arranged it. He had it arranged by the very one into whose heart it had been revealed. No one had either the right or the power to intrude upon or interfere with it.
How the Qur’an Was Compiled
Since prayer had been obligatory for Muslims from the very beginning [It should be noted that the five daily prayers became obligatory a few years after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, received prophethood. But prayer in general had been obligatory from the first day. Not a single moment in the life of Islam passed without prayer being obligatory.] and recitation of the Qur’an had been regarded as an essential part of prayer, the process of memorizing the Qur’an among the Muslims began immediately with its revelation. Whenever a portion of the Qur’an was revealed, the Muslims memorized that portion as well. Thus, although the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had arranged with the help of his scribes for the Qur’an to be written on date leaves, bones and pieces of stone, the preservation of the Qur’an did not depend solely on this arrangement. Rather, as soon as it was revealed, its imprint was made in hundreds of hearts, then thousands, and then hundreds of thousands. No satan had the power to alter even one word of it.
After the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a considerable number of people in Arabia became apostates. To suppress them and prevent the tendency of a group of Muslims to leave Islam, the Companions had to engage in several bloody battles. Many Companions who had memorized the entire Qur’an were martyred in these battles. This caused Umar to think that relying on only one means for preserving the Qur’an was not appropriate. It would not be enough for the Qur’anic revelation to remain inscribed only in people’s hearts; arrangements would also have to be made to preserve it on sheets of paper. He clearly conveyed the matter to the then Caliph, Abu Bakr. After some reflection, Abu Bakr agreed with him. He appointed Zayd, the scribe (secretary) of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to undertake this task. The method established for it was as follows: on the one hand, to collect the separate materials on which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had written the Qur’an; and on the other, to collect from the Companions the separate portions of the Qur’an that each of them possessed in writing. [Reliable sources indicate that during the lifetime of the Messenger, various Companions had written down the Qur’an or portions of it and kept them with themselves. Among them are named Uthman, Ali, Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As, Salim, the freedman of Hudhayfah, Zayd ibn Thabit, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, and Abu Zayd Qays ibn al-Sakan, may Allah be pleased with them.] Along with this, assistance was to be obtained from those who had memorized the Qur’an. After using all three means fully and obtaining one-hundred-percent certainty and assurance of accuracy, every letter, word and sentence of the Qur’an was to be recorded in book form. According to this plan, an accurate and authoritative compilation of the Qur’an was prepared and kept with the Mother of the Believers, Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her. Everyone was given general permission to copy it or to check and correct his own manuscript against it.
Although they spoke the same language, just as differences are found among the spoken languages of our various cities and districts, differences also existed among the spoken languages of Arabia’s various regions and tribes. The Qur’an was revealed in the language spoken by the Quraysh of Makkah. At first, however, people of different regions and tribes were permitted to recite it according to their own pronunciation and mode of expression. This did not cause any difference in meaning; it merely made the wording somewhat easier and gentler for them. But Islam gradually spread. The Arabs crossed their desert regions and conquered a vast expanse of the world. People of other countries and nations began entering the bounds of Islam. Through the extensive mixing of Arabs and non-Arabs, the Arabic language began to be affected. At that time, there was a fear that if permission to read the Qur’an in different pronunciations and forms of expression continued, various kinds of mischief would arise. For example, one person might hear another reciting the Qur’an in an unfamiliar manner and enter into dispute and conflict with him, claiming that he had deliberately distorted the Qur’an. Or this verbal difference might gradually open the door to actual distortion. Or, as a result of the mixing of Arabs and non-Arabs, those whose language became corrupted might interfere with the Qur’an according to their corrupted language and distort its verbal beauty. For all these reasons, Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, after consulting the other Companions, decided that throughout the Islamic world only the copy of the Qur’an written under the direction of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, would be put into circulation. The publication and recitation of written copies using all other pronunciations and forms of expression would be prohibited.
The Qur’an now in our hands is a copy of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq’s manuscript. Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, sent this copy under official arrangements to countries throughout the world. Even today, authoritative copies of that Qur’an can be found in various places around the world. If anyone has even the slightest doubt about the accurate preservation of the Qur’an, he may remove that doubt by traveling to West Africa and buying a copy of the Qur’an from a local bookseller. He may then travel from there to Java in Indonesia. He can listen to a Qur’an recitation from a Hafiz in Java and compare it with the copy in his possession that he purchased in West Africa. He can then compare it with all the copies of the Qur’an preserved in the world’s great libraries, from the time of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, until today. If he finds even a single difference in a letter or its dots, it is his duty to announce this extraordinary discovery to the whole world. Someone may doubt whether the Qur’an was revealed by Allah. But there can be no room for doubt that the Qur’an in our hands is an exact copy, without the slightest alteration or change, of the Qur’an revealed to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and presented by him before the world. This is an historical fact. No second truth supported by such conclusive testimony and evidence can be found in the history of the world. If anyone still doubts this, then he would also have to doubt whether there was ever an empire called the Roman Empire, whether the Mughal dynasty ever ruled India, or whether there was ever a person in the world named Napoleon. To doubt such historical facts is not a sign of knowledge but of ignorance.
The Method of Studying the Qur’an
The Qur’an is an extraordinary Book. Countless people in the world approach the Qur’an with countless purposes. It is not possible for a person to offer advice while taking into account the needs and purposes of all of them. Among this vast number of seekers, I am concerned only with those who wish to understand it and want to know what role this Book plays in solving the problems of human life and how it guides people. I shall offer such people some advice here concerning the method of studying the Qur’an. At the same time, I shall try to address the problems people generally encounter in this matter.
Whether or not a person has faith in the Qur’an, if he wishes to understand this Book, he must first free his mind as far as possible from preconceived ideas and doctrines and from favorable or unfavorable objectives and considerations of self-interest. He must begin studying it with a sincere and genuine purpose: to understand and grasp this Book. Those who read it while nurturing a particular ideology in their minds continue to read their own ideas between its various lines. They do not feel even the slightest breeze of the real Qur’an. Such a method of study is not appropriate for reading any book in the world. As for the Qur’an, it never opens the doors of its inner truth and profound meaning to such readers.
A person who wishes to acquire only a superficial knowledge of the Qur’an may perhaps find one reading sufficient. But for one who wants to descend into the depths of its meaning, even reading it twice may not be enough. He must read it repeatedly, each time in a new manner. He should sit with a pencil and notebook, like a student in a class. Those who prepare to read the Qur’an in this way must read this Book at least twice, solely so that the complete system of thought and action the Qur’an seeks to present may appear before them as a whole. During this preliminary study, they should try to gain a broad understanding of the Qur’an’s entire subject matter. They should see what fundamental ideas this Book presents and how it builds the structure of the system of life upon those ideas. If, during this period, a question arises in the mind or something seems puzzling, it should be noted immediately, without reaching any conclusion about it at that point, and study should patiently continue. It is more likely that its answer will be found somewhere later. When the answer is found, it should be noted alongside the question. But if no answer to a question is found after the first study, the Book must be studied a second time with patience. I can say from my own experience that, after studying it attentively a second time, only rarely does any question remain unanswered.
After gaining a broad view of the Qur’an in this way, one should begin a detailed study of it. In this connection, the reader must certainly note each aspect of the Qur’anic teaching after fully understanding it. For example, he should try to understand what kind of human ideal the Qur’an regards as hateful and rejects. To engrave this matter firmly in his mind, he should write in his notebook on one side “Preferred People” and on the other “Disliked People,” and continue writing the characteristics and qualities of each beneath the relevant heading. Or he should try to learn, from the Qur’an’s viewpoint, upon what matters human welfare and salvation depend and what things it regards as harmful and destructive for humanity. To understand this clearly and in detail, he should follow the same method as before: in his notebook he should write two parallel headings, “Things Essential for Welfare” and “Things Inevitably Leading to Harm.” Then, each day while studying the Qur’an, he should make notes about the two relevant subjects. In this way, he should note the Qur’anic guidance concerning beliefs, character and morality, rights, duties, society, culture, economics, politics, law, the organization and discipline of the group, war, peace treaties and the other affairs of life. He should try to understand what overall picture emerges in each department, and then, when all of them are brought together, what kind of picture of life takes shape.
Again, if one wishes to investigate a particular problem of life and learn the Qur’an’s perspective on it, one must study deeply the ancient and modern literature related to that problem. Through this study, one must clearly understand the fundamental issues involved. What has humanity thought about it so far, and how has it understood it? Which matters still await resolution? Where has the vehicle of human thought become stuck? The Qur’an must be studied with these solvable problems and issues in view. This is the best and most appropriate way to learn the Qur’an’s perspective on any subject. I can say from my own experience that when one continues to study the Qur’an in this way for the purpose of researching and investigating a subject, one finds answers to one’s questions among verses that one may already have read several times, without even the slightest thought that such a truth lay hidden there.
Understanding the Qur’an’s Living Essence
Yet despite all these efforts to understand the Qur’an, no one can become fully acquainted with its living essence until he actually and practically carries out the work and directives for which the Qur’an came. It is not merely a book of doctrine and thought. Therefore, one cannot be expected to understand all its teachings simply by reading it while sitting in an easy chair. Nor, according to the religious conceptions current in the world, is it merely a scripture. It is not possible to uncover all its mysteries and profound truths merely by sitting in a madrasa or khanqah. As stated in the introduction, it is a book of da‘wah and movement. It came and brought this quiet, righteous, sincere person out of a secluded and solitary life into the confrontation with a world opposed to Allah. It placed upon his tongue a powerful voice of protest against falsehood. It engaged him in fierce conflict with the standard-bearers of the age’s unbelief, wickedness, and deviation. It sought out righteous and sincere people from within every home, brought them together beneath the banner of the caller to truth, and by provoking the mischief-makers and agents of corruption in every region of the country, caused them to wage war against the followers of truth. Beginning its work through the call of a single person and continuing until the establishment of the Divine Caliphate, this Book led the great and magnificent Islamic movement for a full twenty-three years. Throughout this long and exhausting conflict between truth and falsehood, at every station and every stage it taught, on the one hand, how to dismantle, and on the other, presented the design for construction. Now tell me: if you do not participate in the struggle between Islam and jahiliyyah, between the dīn and unbelief; if you never have the opportunity to pass through the stations of this conflict and confrontation, then how will all its truths be unveiled to you merely by reading the words of the Qur’an? Full understanding of the Qur’an becomes possible only when you yourself rise with the Qur’an’s da‘wah, begin calling people toward Allah, and continue taking steps exactly as this Book directs. Only then will you be able to gain the experiences of the period during which the Qur’an was revealed. You will witness the stations of Makkah, Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), and Ta’if. The stations from Badr and Uhud through Hunayn and Tabuk will also come before you. You will face Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab. You will meet hypocrites and Jews. You will encounter everyone, from the devoted believers of the first age of Islam to the weak-hearted believers. This is a kind of spiritual discipline. I call it “Qur’anic spiritual discipline.” An extraordinary scene unfolds along this path of discipline. As you continue to pass through its stations, at each station some verses and surahs of the Qur’an will come before you of their own accord. They will keep telling you: “We were revealed at this station and brought these regulations there.” At that time, some insights of lexicography, grammar, and rhetoric may remain beyond the practitioner’s sight; but it can never happen that the Qur’an would withhold its living essence from him. Again, according to this general rule, people will not be able to understand the Qur’an’s laws, its moral teachings, its economic and cultural regulations, and the principles, rules, and laws it has prescribed concerning the various aspects and departments of life until they actually implement them in their own lives. A person who does not follow the Qur’an in his personal life cannot understand it. Nor can a nation whose entire social institutions proceed in a direction contrary to the path and practical policy described by the Qur’an become acquainted with it.
The Universality of the Qur’anic Da‘wah
Everyone knows that the Qur’an came forward claiming to guide all humanity. Yet when a person begins reading the Qur’an, he finds that, for the most part, it presents its discourse with the Arabs living at the time of its revelation in view. Sometimes humanity and people in general are addressed as well. But in most cases it speaks of matters connected with the tastes and preferences of the Arabs, Arabia’s surrounding environment, its history, and its customs. Seeing this, a person begins to wonder: if the Book was revealed to guide all humanity, why does it contain so many temporary, local, and national subjects and elements? Because they fail to understand the significance of this matter, many people become doubtful. They think that perhaps this Book was revealed to reform the Arabs of that time, but was later forcibly stretched and made into a code of life for all humanity.
I would offer the following advice to anyone who raises such an objection not merely as a complaint, but in order genuinely to understand the Qur’an. While reading the Qur’an, first mark all those passages in which it presents beliefs, ideas, moral rules, or practical laws intended exclusively for the Arabs and actually limited by place and time. When the Qur’an addresses people of a particular age in a particular place, protests against their polytheistic beliefs and customs, and uses things around them as the basis for arguments and proofs in favor of tawḥīd, it is not sufficient, on the basis of this alone, to say that the Qur’an’s da‘wah and appeal are local and temporary. One must examine whether everything it says in opposition to shirk applies to every other form of shirk in the world just as it applied to the shirk of the Arab polytheists. Can we not use those same arguments and proofs to purify the thinking of polytheists in every age and every country? And can the Qur’anic method of proving and establishing tawḥīd not be applied everywhere and at all times with only slight modifications? If the answer is affirmative, then there is no reason to call a universal teaching local and temporary merely because it was given by addressing a particular nation in a particular period.
There is no philosophy, way of life, system of life, or philosophy of thought in the world whose entire exposition, from beginning to end, has been presented in a completely abstract form. Rather, every such system has been explained in a manner suited to a particular condition or circumstance. Complete abstraction of this kind is impossible. Even if it were possible, it would remain only in books and papers, like the proverbial judge’s cow, with no sign of it in the cowshed. It could therefore never become an actual system governing human life. Moreover, there is no need for this if one wishes to spread an intellectual, moral, ideological, or cultural movement internationally. Indeed, it is correct to say that trying to make it international from the very beginning is not beneficial for it. There is only one correct and practical method. The movement must present with full force, in the very country where its da‘wah began, the ideas, doctrines, and principles on which it seeks to establish a system of human life. The significance of this da‘wah must be impressed upon the people of that country, whose language, character, nature, habits, and conduct are well known to the movement’s caller. Then, in his own country, he must implement those principles and set an example before the world by managing a successful system of life based on them. Only then will other nations of the world be attracted to it. Their intellectual classes will spontaneously come forward, strive to understand it, and seek to establish it in their own countries. Therefore, there is no basis for saying that a system of thought and action is merely a national da‘wah and movement simply because it was first presented to one nation and the full power of argument was employed to make that nation understand and accept it.
In reality, the distinguishing features of the difference between a national and an international system, and between a temporary and an eternal system, may be identified as follows. A national system either claims the superiority, dominance, or special rights of one nation, or contains principles and ideologies that cannot find a place among other nations. An international system, by contrast, regards all people as equal in dignity, is prepared to grant them equal rights, and contains principles in which universality can be found. Similarly, a temporary system is necessarily founded on principles that lose all their effectiveness as circumstances change over time. Conversely, the principles of an eternal system adapt to every kind of changing condition. If anyone studies the Qur’an with these characteristics before him and tries to identify the features that could genuinely justify regarding the system presented by the Qur’an as temporary or national, he will undoubtedly fail completely.
A Complete Code of Life
The ordinary reader has also heard that the Qur’an is a detailed guide, a code of life, and a book of law. Yet after reading the Qur’an, he does not find detailed instructions and regulations concerning society, culture, politics, economics, and so forth. Rather, he sees that even important obligatory duties such as prayer and zakat—which the Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes—are not accompanied here by every necessary regulation in detail. Consequently, people become unable to understand in what sense this Book is a guide and a code of life. Doubt arises in the reader’s mind about this. All these difficulties and questions have arisen because one aspect of the truth has remained completely hidden from people’s view. That is, Allah the Exalted did not reveal this Book alone; He also sent a Messenger with it. If the original plan had been merely to place in people’s hands a blueprint for a house and then have them build the structure themselves according to it, it would certainly have been necessary to provide us with a detailed account of every small and large detail relating to construction. But when, along with the instructions for construction, an engineer is officially appointed and he himself builds a structure according to those instructions, it can by no means be correct to ignore the engineer and the structure he built, search for a detailed picture of every small and large detail solely in the blueprint, and then, failing to find it there, accuse the blueprint of being incomplete. The Qur’an is not a book containing detailed descriptions of every minor matter. Rather, it presents the fundamental principles and essential matters. Its real task is not merely to present, with a complete analysis, the intellectual and moral foundations of the Islamic way of life; it also powerfully reinforces and firmly consolidates them through scientific arguments, proofs, and emotional appeal. As for constructing the practical framework of the Islamic way of life, the Qur’an does not give people detailed rules and laws concerning every aspect and department of life. Rather, it defines the boundaries of each department and clearly sets up signposts at several points within it. From these, one learns the direction in which the relevant departments should be shaped and constructed in accordance with Allah’s will. It was the task of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to construct in practice the framework of the Islamic way of life according to this guidance and these regulations. He was appointed to present before the people of the world a practical model of individual character and of society and state, formed on the basis of the principles given by the Qur’an.
Legitimate Differences of Opinion
Another question commonly arises in people’s minds in this connection. The question is this: on the one hand, the Qur’an severely condemns those who, even after Allah’s Book has been revealed, embark upon disagreement, factionalism, and sectarianism, thereby dividing and fragmenting their dīn into different parts. On the other hand, however, enormous differences of opinion are found not only among later scholars, but also among the early imams, the Tābi‘īn, and the noble Companions, in analyzing and explaining the meanings of the Qur’an’s injunctions. Perhaps not a single verse containing a legal injunction can be found whose interpretation everyone has agreed upon. Does the condemnation mentioned in the Qur’an, then, apply to them? If they are not the objects of that condemnation, what kind of disagreement and factionalism does the Qur’an prohibit?
This is a subject requiring detailed discussion, and there is no opportunity for such a discussion here. To remove the doubts of an ordinary reader of the Qur’an and a beginner in knowledge, I think it sufficient to offer only a brief indication. The Qur’an does not oppose the sincere differences that arise in interpreting and analyzing the Islamic code of life and laws, while people remain united regarding the dīn and the Islamic way of life and remain organized as a united Islamic group. By contrast, the Qur’an condemns the kind of disagreement that begins with selfishness and a warped outlook and eventually turns into factionalism and mutual conflict. These two kinds of disagreement are not essentially on the same level, nor are their consequences in any way comparable. Therefore, they should not both be driven away with the same stick or subjected to the same ruling.
The first kind of disagreement is the vital center of progress and the pulse of life among human beings. It will necessarily exist in a society of intelligent and thoughtful people. Its existence is itself a sign of life. It can be absent only in a society where intelligence has vanished and wooden people roam in place of flesh-and-blood human beings. As for the second kind of disagreement, people throughout the world know that wherever and in whatever society it raises its head, it tears that society apart. Its existence is not a sign of health but of disease. It has never led any ummah toward a good outcome. Understand the difference between these two types of disagreement in the following way.
In one type of disagreement, the entire Islamic society remains united in obedience to Allah and the Messenger. The Qur’an and Sunnah are unanimously accepted as the sources of the code of life. Thereafter, two scholars may differ while investigating a nonfundamental, minor matter, or two judges may disagree in deciding a case. But neither of them will turn the matter, or his own opinion expressed concerning it, into a foundation of the dīn. Nor will he regard the person who disagrees with him as having departed from the dīn or as outside the dīn. Rather, both will present their arguments and proofs and fulfill, to the best of their ability, their duty of investigation. If it is a matter of public opinion, the public may accept whichever of the two views it chooses; if it is a judicial matter, the country’s highest court may decide; and if it is a social matter, the Islamic social organization may adopt either view, or, if it wishes, both views. The choice should be left to them.
The second type of disagreement concerns the fundamentals of the dīn. Alternatively, a scholar, Sufi, mufti, jurist, or leader may adopt a view on a matter that Allah and His Messenger did not regard as fundamental to the dīn, unnecessarily stretch it into a fundamental matter of the dīn, and then declare every person who holds an opposing view to be outside the dīn and the millah. At the same time, he forms a supporting group and propagates the claim that this one group alone is the true Muslim ummah and that everyone else will be destined for Hell. They continue to proclaim loudly: “Become a Muslim by joining this group; otherwise you are not a Muslim at all.”
The Qur’an opposes this second type of disagreement, factionalism, and sectarianism. Some instances of the first type of disagreement were presented before the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, himself. He not only declared it permissible but praised it as well, because such disagreement proved that in the society he had established there were people capable of reflection, investigation and research, and the proper use of reason. The intelligent and gifted people of society were concerned with their dīn and its laws. Their intellect did not operate outside the dīn; within its boundaries, they actively sought solutions to the problems of life. By remaining united in fundamentals, preserving its unity, and granting its knowledgeable and thoughtful people the freedom to investigate and exercise ijtihād within the proper limits, the Islamic society carried the radiant tradition of keeping the path of progress and advancement open.
I have expressed here what I have recognized as the truth. The knowledge of the ultimate truth belongs only to Allah. My entire reliance is upon Him alone, and to Him I must return.]
I did not write this introduction to answer every kind of question that arises in a reader’s mind while studying the Qur’an. Many such questions arise while reading a particular verse or surah, and their answers have been given in the appropriate places in Tafhīm al-Qur’an. Therefore, leaving those questions aside, I have answered here only those questions that are, in a general way, related to the Qur’an as a whole. I therefore request readers not to read only this brief introduction and then remain under the impression that it is incomplete. Rather, read the entire book. Then see whether any question remains in your mind whose answer you have not found, or whose answer you do not consider sufficient. If you have any such question, please inform the author.*
*The author has passed away, so there is no longer any opportunity to ask him questions. However, I think that if readers remain unsatisfied anywhere after reading this book, they will find the answer by searching through the author’s vast literary treasury. For the source of the literary treasury he created for the Islamic movement is this Qur’an and Tafhīm al-Qur’an. From the dawn of his life, from the day he took up the pen until before his death, he devoted himself to spreading this Qur’anic da‘wah. Thus, in this respect, his literary treasury is his living representative.
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