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There are many sciences devoted to the study of the Qur'an itself. The development of such sciences dates from the first day of Qur'anic revelation; over a period of time they were unified and perfected. Today countless books are available on these s...

There are many sciences devoted to the study of th...

Qur'anic revelation, according to the Qur'an itself, is an utterance on behalf of God to His Prophet; the Prophet received the speech of God with all his being, not just by way of learning. In XLII: 51-52 God says, and it was not to be for any man th...

Qur'anic revelation, according to the Qur'an itsel...

More than any other revealed book, especially the Torah and the New Testament, the Qur'an describes the details of the revelation, the transmittance and even accounts of the experience of the revelation. The general belief of Muslims concerning the r...

More than any other revealed book, especially the ...

Most contemporary writers who take an interest in different religions and ideologies adopt the following view of the Qur'an: they say the Prophet was a social genius who appeared to save society from the throes of decline into savagery and to raise i...

Most contemporary writers who take an interest in ...

On four occasions in the Qur'an God says, "Allah is the creator of all beings," XXXIX: 62. The meaning is clear on each occasion; God is stating that everything man may possibly imagine in the world has been created by him and is sustained by Him. Ho...

On four occasions in the Qur'an God says, "Allah i...

After the death of the Prophet a group of his companions, including Ubayy ibn Ka'b, 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'üd, Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah a1-An~?ri, Abü Sa'id al-Khudri, 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, Anas, Abü Hurayrah, Abü MUs?, and, above a...

After the death of the Prophet a group of his comp...

The answer to this question is contained in the previous section where we discussed the eternal validity of the Qur'an: It speaks to, instructs and guides man now as it did in the past. As we have seen, the whole text of the Qur'an is a challenge to ...

The answer to this question is contained in the pr...

All the groups mentioned above are Sunni commentators. Their method, used in the earliest commentaries of this period, was based on ijtihad, that is, the reports of the companions and the followers of the companions were examined according to certain...

All the groups mentioned above are Sunni commentat...

Among the verses in the Qur'an containing orders or laws, there are verses that abrogate verses previously revealed and acted upon. These abrogating verses are called nasikh and those whose validity they terminate are called mansükh. For example, at ...

Among the verses in the Qur'an containing orders o...

Bearing in mind that the Qur'an is valid for all times, the verses revealed in special circumstances informing Muslims c their specific duties are also valid for those who, in future experience the same circumstances. Similarly, those verse which pra...

Bearing in mind that the Qur'an is valid for all t...

This we may attribute, firstly, to the fact that there is no verse whose meaning is totally obscure since the Qur'an describes itself as a light, as a guidance and as an explanation. Thus it is not befitting that there be verses, which fail to reveal...

This we may attribute, firstly, to the fact that t...

Thus the real meaning of the implicit verses can be found in relation to the explicit verses. What is apparent from the verses in which the word ta'wil occurs is that ta'wil does not indicate a literal meaning? It is clear that the actual words of th...

Thus the real meaning of the implicit verses can b...

We shall discuss the word, exegesis, and ta'wil, in relation to three Qur'anic verses. Firstly, in the verses concerning the implicit Mutash?bih and the explicit verses: But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, in truth, that which is allegorical t...

We shall discuss the word, exegesis, and ta'wil, i...

In chapter IV: 36 God says, "And serve God and ascribe nothing as a partner to Him "The verse prohibits pre-Islamic Arabs from their worship of idols, just as chapter XXII: 30 urge them to "shun the filth of idols, and shun lying speech. " On reflect...

In chapter IV: 36 God says, "And serve God and asc...

The perfection and completeness of the Qur'an prove that its validity is not restricted to a particular time or place, since anything perfect is in need of nothing to complete it. In chapter LXXXVI: l3-l4 God confirms that the Qur'an is "a conclusive...

The perfection and completeness of the Qur'an prov...

Man's primary life, namely, the temporal life of this world, is as a bubble on the immense sea of the material; and since a] his transactions concern the material, he is throughout his lift at the mercy of the moving waves. All his senses are occupie...

Man's primary life, namely, the temporal life of t...

The Qur'an, being composed of words and meanings like any other book, explains itself. It does not remain silent when the situation of the text demands proof. Moreover, there is no reason to believe that Qur'anic terms mean anything other than the ac...

The Qur'an, being composed of words and meanings l...

The Qur'an is not directed towards any one particular nation, such as the Arabs, or to a particular sect of Muslims, but to non-Islamic societies as well as the Muslim nation as a whole. There are numerous references to non-believers and idol-worship...

The Qur'an is not directed towards any one particu...

The Qur'an shows man the way to a realization of his goal on earth; it describes this path in the most complete terms It is a way of correctly viewing the reality of things; a vision -personal, social and cosmic - based on a correct manner of behavio...

The Qur'an shows man the way to a realization of h...

The Qur'an refers on several occasions to the fact that it is the word of God that it issues from a divine source in the very words in which the Prophet received them and which he later transmitted. The divine nature of the Qur'an is affirmed in seve...

The Qur'an refers on several occasions to the fact...

The Qur'an Contains a Pattern of a Complete Way of Life for Man The religion of Islam is superior to any other in that it guarantees happiness in man's life. For Muslims, Islam is a belief system with moral and practical laws that have their source i...

The Qur'an Contains a Pattern of a Complete Way of...