Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction to the
Sciences of the
Quraan
by
Abu Ammaar
Yasir
Qadhi
ISBN
898649 32 4
British Library
Cataloguing
in Publication
Data.
is
AH/1999 CE
A 11 rig/its reserved. No pan ofthis publication may be reproduced in any language. Hored in
a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission ofthe copyright owner.
'typeset bv:
)istnhution
Published by:
Distribution
Birmingham
United Kingdom
B1II9AW
Intcrm-i: www.al-hidaayah.co.uk
Dedicated
to:
0 My Lord! Bestow your Mercy on them, even as they reared me when I was young /l 7:24/
Contents
TRANSLITERATION TABLE
INTRODUCTION
1.
1.
12
18 18
II.
'Uloom al-Qur'aan
19
19
III.
The
History
of
'Uloom al-Qur'aan
2.
I.
THE QUR'AAN
The Linguistic Meaning
of the
24
Word
'Qur'aan'
24
25
II.
The
26
The Qur'aan
as the
Speech of Allaah
29 30
35
40
45 46
52
IV The Names
of* the
it
Qur'aan
54
55
VThe
VI.
Qur'aan as
The Sunnah
as
it
57 57
ti if
Qur'aan
58
61
61
II.
62
III.
64 64
67
68
69
72
6 5 1
4.
I.
GRADUAL REVELATION
The
Stages of Revelation
75 75 75
76
78
79
II.
80
Revelation
81
5.
I.
88
89
91
II.
The
Last Revelation
III.
Relative First
95 97
6.
I.
Madance
98 99
100 100
1
II.
III.
The Attributes
02
102
V The
7.
I.
Benefits ol
on Asbaab an-Nuzool
II.
109 110
1
The Wordings of Asbaab an-Nuzool III. Multiple Asbaab an-Nuzool for One Verse IV Multiple Verses for One Sabab an-Nuzool V A Person as Sabab an-Nuzool VI. The Rulings from these Verses
VII.
17
The
Benefits ol
119
24
8.
I.
125 131
II.
III.
135
IV
A.
of the Mus_-haf.
The Qur'aan
.1
in Print
145
Winning!
146
147
B.
C.
I).
147 149
151
1
Original Mus-haes?
52
152
1
54
154
156 157 160
161
The Soorahs
ot the
Qur'aan
163 164
164 165 166
of the Soorahs
Other Classifications
9.
I.
166
167 170
172 172
1
10.
I.
The Meaning
Ahruf
The Number of Ahruf of the Qur'aan III. What is Meant by the Ahruf of the Qur'aan?
11.
73
174
basis
WHATSOEVER
176
iave
><
76
The
Wisdom
in the
Various Ahrul
II.
I.
184 184
II.
III.
an Authentic Qiraa'a
187
191
V The Authentic
1)
Qira'aat
Naafi' al-Madanee
Aboo
'
Amr al-Basjee
4) Ibn
'Aamir as-Shaamee
195 195
5) 'Aasjm al-Koofee 6)
7)
Hamza al-Koofee
Al-Kisaa'ee
8)
9)
10)Khalaf
VI.
199
VII.
Qira'aat
200
202
VIII.
IX.
12.
Qira'aat
202
207
207
208
i
The Qur'aan as Mihkam and Mutashaabih The Exact Meaning of Mihkam and Mutashaabii
The Attributes ofAllaah
as
Mutashaabih?
21
II.
221
Majaaz?
The 'Aam and the Khaas IV The Mutlaq and the Muqayyad
III.
229 230
231
VThc Mantooq
VI.
and Matlioom
the
Mansookh
The
Definition of Naskh
'Nas/(h'
III.
Naskh
236
237
238
B.
C.
\:
The Verse and Ruling in the Qi jr'aan The Rulings of the Naasikh and Mansookh
Blessings of Naskh
Benefits Benefits
240 243
244
The
VI.
The
Benefits ol
VII.
The
The
Difference Between
VIII.
of the Sword'
Last
Example
2^5
Conclusion
14.
256
FJAAZAL-QUR'AAN
I.
Definition of I'jaaz
I'jaaz
262
The Qur'aan
(^)
264 265
The Language and Style of the Qur'aan The Predictions of n n. Qur'aan C. The Stories in the Qur'aan
The Purposes of the D.
Stories
267
272 274
275
The Beliefs and Laws of the Qur'aan E. The Scientific Facts of the Qur'aan F. The Effect the Qur'aan has on its Listeners G. The Lack ok Contradictions in the Qur'aan H. The Ease by which the Qur'aan is Memorised
276
278
286
287 289
VI.
The Quantity
for I'jaaz
15.
I.
The
289 290
293 293 294 296 297
II.
The
A.
B.
III.
D. Tin- CoMiMLvnoN
Tafseer
299
by hie
Qur'aan
300
302 303
2)
3)
Tafseer by
if.
306 309
309
3
1
Tafseer
by Arabic
us.
Linguistic
Islaamic
Poetry Prohibited?
312
Whose Poetry?
5) 6)
314 315
317
317
319
(Ra'y)
320
32
Where
is
Ra'y Used?
A Divine Blessing
V The Qualifications of a
VI.
324
A. Tafseer based
B.
D. Scientific Tafseer
E. Tafseer based
F.
on Inner MEANINGS
Modernistic Tafseers
VII.
Some Famous
Tafseers
']aaini'al-Bayaan'ofat_-Tabarcc
'Tafseer
'Mafaatihal-Ghayb'ofar-Raazee
'al-Kashaaf'ofaz-Zamakhsharee
VIII.
342 344
348
The Dangers
of
Improper Tafseer
16.
I.
The Types of
II.
353
III.
Languages
A Review of Some
17.
I.
Translations
369
374
The Authorship
Qur'aan
374
Sincerity
An Example of the
Prophet's
(^)
375
Authorship Theories
376 376
377
}7X
A Poet? A Madman?
Taught by Others?
Imagination?
II.
381
Some Books
by Orientalists
383 383
384
388
392
EPILOGUE
I.
The
392 393
II.
An Appeal
397
4
1
BIBLIOGRAPHY
11
Transliteration Table
Consonants
t-
Introduction
All Praise
is
due
to Allaah.
We
praise
Him,
seek
evil
lis
help,
forgiveness.
We
seek refuge in
Whoever Allaah
none
He
him.
I
no deity
partners.
that
I
is
worthy of worship
testily
He
alone, having
no
Muhammad
(i^g) is
His
laith!
Have taqtva
ot Allaah. as
He
except as Muslims"
(3:1 02]
oy l3 ,_s jS
ici\
\yu"j
0 Mankind! Have
Who
He created
rights,
his wife,
He
created
1:1
"
*t" ' K
'
forgive
whoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger has indeed achieved the
As
best
to
what
Speech
is
guidance
the guidance ol
Muhammad
And
Introduction
is
misguidance, and
every misguidance
is
in the fire
(-^g)
which he
Companions to give every time they spoke, the Prophet (gg) (Sjg) summarized the essence of Islaam. The words, despite their hrevity, are deep in meantaught the
ing.
its
In the
(ccmaan).
The
and
in affirming
wa as-Sifaat). The fact that a person testifies that Allaah He is the One who is asked in all matters, He exists, and possesses such Names and Attributes that
acts.
it
make
it
Muslim
will be
is
he
will
worship
(j^g).
Muhammad
This
the
essence of the "Oneness ot Actions' (Tawheed al-U/oohiyyah); that nil of a person's acts
will
The
($,)
would
ol
recite
importance
taqwa.
The famous
is
student
103
as, "It
He
life
is
He
is
Him,
so
it
He
is
never disbelieved.""'
The taqwa
Allaah
is
the
(^) summarized
is
the source of
all
guidance,
anil the
source of all misguidance. Guidance comes only from the two inspirations
the
is
must contain
in
it
the best of
is
matters
all
is
in all that
is
needed by
superior to
example
ol
All that
is
opposed
to the
Qur'aan
anil
and actions of the Prophet Muhammad Sunnah and in this opposition lies the
fire
source of
Hell.
all evil
ot
The work
first
that
is
in
is
of the
It is
This speech
is
a translation ol
what
is
which the
I'rophel (Sgl
would
give
whenever he
Damascus,
lafscer, 4/24S.
14
An
however, an introduction to certain concepts that the scholars of the past have discussed under the topic of 'uloom al-Quraan.
Work on
ance
this
hook began
in the
had received
planned
my acceptto
letter to the
had
initially
study in
the 'College of Qur'aan and Islaamic Sciences' in the University, and, as preparation
for the studies
ahead,
This
initial
had arrived
in
my
and
edit the
Even though
factors,
I
ol
chose to study
was
still
greatly fasci-
nated by the subject of 'uloom al-Qur'aan. This fascination was the primary motive
that led
me
to
continue editing and revising the work over the next two years.
The
was needed
In
to
Madeenah,
I
had access
fell
to
references,
straints that
had
The primary
classical
sources for this book were the general books of 'uloom al-Ouruan
- both
I
and
also particularly
benefited from az-Zarqaani's Manaahil, and as-Sabt's analysis and critique of az-
in the University
also utilized
done
to ensure as
all
much
Not
cussed in this
works of 'uloom al-Qur'aan have been diswork. Some have been left out due to the language barrier - certain
sciences arc so intricately related to the Arabic language that their explanation
would
were
be
of little
(a
cursory look
I
at
many
am
referring to).
Other
topics
it
is
hoped
that they
may
inshaa Allaah. Yet other topics were discussed, but not in great detail, primarily the fact that their understanding
due
to
and
practicality are
/{baas, the
dependent on a knowledge
of
word
pairs).
The
science ol tajweed
is it
discussed
I
feel
work
all
uloom
al-Qur'aan. The fundamental and important topics related to this science have
an English-speaking audience
ol
Although
a previous
'uloom al-Qur'aan
Introduction
would help in understanding the concepts in this work, I have purposely ensured that such a knowledge is not a prerequisite to benefit from the work. Therefore, this hook
is
written with the assumption that the reader has not hail any previous exposure to
'uluom al-Qur'aan.
The
kept in
that
is
first
fifteen chapters
form the main portion of the work, and discuss the stand-
Throughout the work, the nature ol the audience was mind, and concepts were presented and developed in (what is hoped is) a style
an English-speaking audience.
in particular
suitable for
last
The
first,
I
two chapters
in
mind: 'The Translation of the Qur'aan", and 'The Qur'aan and Orientalists'. In the
have discussed the various topics related
a history to the translation of the
Qur'aan from
of its translation
in English.
The chapter
brief reviews of
translations. In the
second, certain views of Orientalists were given concerning the 'authorship' of the
It is
hoped
that
in particular
- are
myself.
As was mentioned earlier, the initial purpose of writing this book was to benefit As Imaam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj (d. 261 A.H.) wrote in the introduction to
"...
his Salicelr.
if (the
it,
it
was willed
it
that
complete
then the
person
who would
would be myself in
particular, before
as the
Andalusian
scholar Ibn Rushil (d. 595 A.H.) wrote in the introduction to his
(il-Miijttihid tea Xiluuiytit al-Mucjiasid.
"My purpose
in
so that
it
may
serve as a reminder for myself concerning the opinions of the scholars in the
1
The work
(d.
being written,
can-
words
of al-'Imaail
al-Asfahaance
a
597 A.H.),
ii,
who wrote/
book
anil finishes
it
except that
this part,
had added
more; and
lo
if 1
easier
comprehend; and
had only
this, in fact, is
one of the
of the
greatest lessons
a clear indication
of man.
ad-Deen al-Khaazin (d. 741 A.H.), a famous scholar and interpreter of the Qur'aan, outlined the aims of his work when he
accurate his observations are! 'Alaa
wrote, in the introduction to his tafseer,
It is
How
ing a topic that has already been written about, ensure that his
porates live benefits: thai
it
work
it
incor-
combines
Saheeh Muslim,
v.
1.
p. 8.
-I
IbnKushd.
p.
1.
1'ros.
Mailccnah, 1986),
p. 7.
16
An
it
and
that
it
undue
And
hope
I
that this
hook
ol
mine
is
have mentioned...
Of course, human
fection.
enterprise
is
per-
As Imaam ash-Shaafi'ce
perfection to any
is
exist,
and benefit
from the
monious
in
sharing with
I
me
and affording
is
me
his constructive
criticism, for
am
in great
need
them, and,
'the religion
comments may be
Of course, no
there are
for
it is
one person;
many
to
my my
parents,
their upbringing
me where
am
today.
am honoured
fact that
teacher.
Shaykh
Abd
ar-Razaaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-'Abaad, took time out of his busy
schedule to go over the portions of this book related to 'aqeedah, anil to benefit
me
am
Muhammad Anwar
completing
his
Sahib
for
critical
My
friends
and fellow students of knowledge, Abu Abdillaah do David Dillon and Abu Sufyaan was
in for their
and Abu Sulaymaan, deserve my gratitude forgoing over the manuscript and sharing
with
me
I
help
in
my
gratitude tor
(hat
America, and
comto al-
of the work.
would
advice,
like to
ot
me
my
questions, giving
all
me
or simply encouraging
me
in
reward
of them!
note must be added concerning the mention and refutation of certain views of
group
is
mentioned,
concerning the
,
Qur'aan
as the
found
more
for a
'aqeedah, they
in this
work
number ot reasons.
the concepts discussed are not in reality outside the realm of'uloom al-Our'aa/i, and a
discussion and refutation of certain incorrect views regarding these topics will only
6
7
Tafscer til-KJuiaziii, p. 3.
c as-Sakhaawi,
p. 54.
Introduction
17
help explain each concept better. Secondly, during the last few years, the ideas of this
in the
West, and
the.Ahlas-Su nnii/i
waal-Jamaa'ah
yet,
have made
it
no thor-
ough refutation
book
is
and
as
exhaustive. However,
Ash'arees differed with
it
was decided
common
a
glimpse
in this this
such refutations.
are
mentioned
work
enough
to caure-
examine the
ology
perhaps
solving them.
the author wishes to
student of knowl-
and opin-
it
If there
is
any
credit to be given,
is
is
and presentation
all
that the
All that
that
I
correct in this
is
work and
ol
is
all
is
incorrect
it
causes
their
.1
them
to
grow
'best
meen
Abu Ammaar
27th
Ramadhan. 1418
A.I
I.
CE)
The
- al-Madcenah an-Nabaivccxah
This Statement
is
based upon a slatcmcm of the Companion Ibn Mas'ood. who. afar responding to
iliis
a question,
would make
CHAPTER
An Introduction to
'Uloom al-Qur aan
?
I.
the knowledge of those sciences that have a direct bearing on the recitation, history,
It
is,
of
primary importance.
'uloom al-Quraan deals with the
Thus,
for
to recitation,
Quraan
of
its
recitation.
With regards
to the history of the Qur'aan, 'uloom al-Qur'aan deals with the stages
and history
of
writing the Qur'aanic script {/asm al-masaaljif), and the preservation of the Qur'aan.
With regards
revelations, the
to
its
ol the malice anil madance was revealed in, the understanding of its abrogated rulings and verses (naasil{h wa al-mansOo\h), the knowledge ol the various classifications of its verses (mulikiim anil mutashaabih, 'nam and l(/iaas, mutlaq and muqqayad, etc.), the knowledge of the inimitable style of the Qur'aan
knowledge
it
knowledge
(i'jaaz
sis
(lafscer),
of the Qur'aan
has
in reality the
knowl-
required to
know
in
branch
of Islaamic
Interpretation'
('Um Usool
al-Tafscer) instead
far
from the
or
truth.''
little
c ar-RoomeC, Fahd ibn 'Abil al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan: Dirasaaljl 'L'lutim al-Ouraan. Makuhali
199-1. a. 33,
at-Tawbah, Riyadh.
wiili
Uspol at-tafseer.
An
of the script of the
19
is
more
general then
'///;/
Usool at-Tafsecr.
II.
Benefits of Studying
There are many
'Uloom al-Qur'aan
knowledge
ot
benefits to the
'uloom al-Qur'aan.
Firstly,
it
enables
the reader to realize the wealth of knowledge anil insight that exists with regards to
Book of Allaah. As some of the scholars of the past said, "True knowledge is to know one's ignorance." Only when a person realizes what he does not know will lie appreciate how little he docs know. Secondly, enables the student ot knowledge to
the
it
he
will be familiar
its
of its rev-
elation
comprehension.
When
he
reads the books ol tafseer, he will be able to understand the terms used, and benefit
in
them to a greater extent. In other words, he will be equipped knowledge and to learn more about his religion. Thirdly, it
its
increases a person's belief (ecmaan), because he will realize the beauty of the Qur'aan
revelation.
He
will not
be
enemies, ami
with regards
authenticity.
He will
Book
that
its
knowledge
ot the
Quraan, unadulterated by
opponents.
Ii is
no exaggeration
is
lo say that,
once
and what
tion to
is
required for
him
to
know, the
know
Quraan and
sciences.
As Allaah saw"
in
die Qur'aan.
#<_4Vi
(This
they
!M$^^s%3#^i3ftj
is .ii Book chat We have sent down to you. lull ol blessings, so chat may ponder over iis wises, and thai men of understanding may re-
member.
[38:29]
ill.
The
Like
all
knowledge
ol
|u
Ii
Quraan
is
onlj
iii
Arabic, and
is
.is
shall be
-,i\s."
ill
when used
book
Quraan.
When
only
this
phrase
is
used in
language other than Arabic, n contains an additional implicit clause that should be understood b> the
audience, and this clause
is.
"the
meaning ol which
The meaning
ol
is."
is
in Arabit
therefore, this
as. "
is..."
20
An
Sjx-^j sSpU^^4^!^!#ii;i|(
Those
not
injustice,
have
security,
they asked,
soul)?"
not
They had understood that the verse was referring to those believers who did commit any injustice, or sin. The Prophet (^) replied that the injustice referred
was shirl{, or
the association of partners with Allaah."
of the
to in this verse
Companions
said, "I
in
its
revelation. Ibn
is
Mas'ood
in the
whom
there
is
no
no soorah
And
and
there
is
revelation! If there
it
were any person that knew more about the Qur'aan than
did,
(to
was
possible for
1
me
'
to reach him,
would
ride (on
my camel)
I
towards him
get this
knowledge)."
is
'Alec ibn
Abec Taalib
me! For
swear
by Allaah, there
me except
is
mountain or on
a plain!"
There were many Companions who were famous for their knowledge of the among them the four Khulajaa ar-Rauslndoon ,' 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (d. 32 AH.), 'Abdullaah ibn Abbaas (d. 68 AH.), Ubay ibn Ka'ab (d. 32 AH.), Zayd ibn
Qur'aan,
4
Thaabit
(d.
(d.
(d.
73
AH.) and
Aa'ishah
(d.
57 A.H.).
after the
The
generation that
came
and passed
100 A.H.),
ibn Rabaah (d. 114 A.FL), were all famous in Makkah; Ubay ibn Ka'ab's students, Zayd ibn Aslam (d. 63 A.H.), Aboo al-'Aaliyah (d. 90 A.H.) and Muhammad ibn Ka'ab (d. 120 A.H.), were the teachers of Madecnah; and in Iraaq, 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood left behind his great legacy to Alqamah ibn Qays (d. 60 A.H.), Masrooq ibn
10 A.H.),
10 A.H.).
all
These three
places,
centres of
12 13 14
'I
ar-Roomee.
p.
37.
first
tour caliphs.
Aboo
Baler,
in. n. 't
AK
An
Thus
liars,
21
the
'..by
of the umtnah,
who
protected
it
of
and the
ignorant* 1
in
on each science
of the
during
a
knowledge occupied
more important status than the written transmission. In addition, the general level of knowledge was high, and did not warrant the extensive writing down of knowledge.
The
ple,
first
of
each
wrote a
tafseer
A.H.),
(d.
197A.H.),and Shu'bah
Muhammad
'an
(d.
310
would
benefit from.
(d.
Other
early tafsccrs
318), Ibn
Abee Haatim
(d.
al-Haakim
(d.
Mardawayh
410). All
(g)
(d.
of the first of
kind),
(d.
wa
al-Mansool{li; Ibn
Qutaybah
book on
rare
words
in
Aboo
Ishaac|
az-Zajjaaj (d. 311) wrote a grammatical analysis of the Qur'aan, 'Iraab al-Quraan;
Ibn Darstawayh
Vjaaz al-Quraan;
rare
(d.
Aboo Bakr
book on the
(d.
words
in the Qur'aan,
403)
al-Quraan;
Imaam
an-Nasaa'ec
(d.
(d.
468) 634)
wrote his famous book on Asbaab an-Nuzool; 'Urn ad-Deen as-Sakhaawee wrote one on the various qira'aat, and so on.
It
(d.
must
also be
mentioned
books,
many
of the
books
of
hadceth, such as the Saheehs of al-Bukhaarce and Muslim, included sections on vari-
ous topics of 'uloom al-Quraan. For example, most of the books of the Sunnali have
chapters on the tafseer of the Qur'aan, the benefits of reciting the Qur'aan, the history
IS
ol
who will
22
An
of the
later
all
of these sciences
into
first
one book, and thus began the era of the classic works on 'uloom al-Qur'aan. The works oi this nature were actually meant to be works ol tafseer. One ol the first
is
works that
is
not extant)
is
that of
Aboo Hakr
total
Muhammad
thirty
ibn Khalat ibn al-Marzabaan (d. 309 A.H.), entitled 'al-liaawee fee
of
is
Ibraaheem Sa'eed
related aspects
(d.
330), otherwise
known
is
of a
meaning,
its
interpretation,
its
purpose of revelation,
proper method
of recitation, to stop
how
is
where
of
its
and
its
where not
to,
and so
forth.
all
This work
considered to be the
first
kind
in
expansive approach to
of the Qur'aan.
'
There appeared
az-Zarkashee
(d.
after this,
finally
Badr ad-Deen
as al-Hoofee's work).
This
a
is
classics
on
little
over
91
1
century
ad-Deen as-Suyootee
(d.
al-Qur'aan. These two works are considered the standard resource works on 'uloom al-Qur'aan, and both have been printed a
ades.
the
last
few dec-
to
no exception. The
known books
of this era
Quraan, one by Dr. Subhee Saalih and the other by Dr. Mannaa' al-Qattaan.
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be great interest in English circles concerning this topic. Other topics, such as hadeelh
tion.
1
"
is
and fiqh, have been given greater attenAhmed Von Denffer's book, 'Uloom al-
lf>
ar-Roomce,
p. 45,
Pihrist, p. 24.
az-Zarqaanec,
n.il., p.
Cairo,
14.
>5
and Qaltaan, Manna': Mabaliith ft 'Uloom al-Qur'aan, Muasasat al-Risalal, Beirut, 1983,
4 1-48,
18
ol
where
lie lists
tie-Id
the hijrah, starting From the second century until the present one.
19 In hadeelh. the best works out lor introductory-level students are lladitli Literature: In Origin.:. Devel-
in
Indianapolis. 1977); in
Muhammad Zubayr Siddiqi (Islamic Texts Society. .ondon, 9}), and StudMuhammad Mustafa Azami (American Trust Publication. Usool al-Fiqli, a good work is by Mohammad Hashim Kamali. Principles of Islamic
I 1
20
There
This
is.
is
the only
book
that this
this topic
trom
Muslim
author.
however,
a translation ol
Ibn Taymiyyah's.
An
Qur'aati:
23
presents
An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan. It is a useful book in that it a summary of many concepts of 'uloom al-Quraan, and is meant lor a young
However, probably due
to the
adult audience.
21
Published
by.
CHAPTER
The Qur'aan
i.
of the
Word
'Qur'aan'
different opinions
(d.
310 A.H.),
is
word
'qur'aan'
'to
and thus
translates as
'The Recita-
And
(it is) a
Qur'aan which
We
parts.. .
I7:H)6|
and
He
says,
It is for
Us
to collect
it
and
to Recite
it
(Ar.
qur'aanahoo).
When We
have-
recited
it.
then follow
its
On
word
Imaam
ash-Shaafi'ee
(d.
'qur'aan'
was
tah" or TnjecT."
He
'
word without
'lawn'.
One of
hamza, such that 'Qur'aan' would ihcqiniaal also pronounced it this way.
a
2
'
is
combined is called HajjOiraan, from the same root word. Therefore the meaning ol the word 'qur'aan' would be, 'That which is joined together," because its verses and soorahs are combined to form this book. In this case, the word would be pronounced the same way
as
Imaam
ash-Shaafi'cc pronounced
it,
22
23
The books given to Moosaa and "Ecsaa, respectively. The qiraaa ol'lhn Kathecr. See ("h. 1, 'The Qira'aal
1
ol the
qira'aat.
2-t
(A.
The Qur'aan
25
A fourth opinion-'
is
that 'qur'aan'
to'.
comes from
the
is
'to
resemble, to be similar
composed
one
another in comprehension, and soorahs that resemble each other in beauty and prose.-"
Yet another opinion called such since
it
is
that 'Qur'aan'
stories,
is
combines
is from qui', which means 'to combine'. commands, promises and punishments. 2
'
It is
the
first
word 'qur'aan' is the verbal noun ot qania The proof for this is that it is named such in
a
noun
ot'qara'a.
may be
asked:
how
fact that
the
hamza,
as
it is
well
are equally
question
is
due
of recitation (tajweed)
ol
many words. In other words, the qira'aat that pronounce word 'Qur'aan' without a hamza do not intend to change the pronunciation of the word 'Qur'aan' itself, but rather this occurs due to a particular rule of recitation
those qira'aat, and affects
the
(tajweed) that affects
many words
in the
word 'Qur'aan'
is
word
is still
the same.
II.
The
wording
only.
There
no difference of opinion
2" it
what
the Qur'aan
is,
way
to
define
is.
One of
the
more appropriate
definitions
is
as follows:'"'
The Qur'aan
(j^) in
is
the Arabic
He
revealed to
Muhammad
wording and
in the mus-hafs,
2")
(d.
as al-I-arraa', a
famous grammar-
26
ol
these
p.276-8,
and Baazmool,
an-Nihaayah,
Muhammad
v.
ihn
I'mar ibn
Riyaadh, 1996,
v.
I,
p.
23-27.
27
28
This
is
in his
4, p.
30.
is
A
cl.
that
essential,
extraneous,
and be as succinct as
29
az-Zarqaanec.
I,
p. 21.
26
An
Ouraan
is
Qur'aan
in the
Quraan
into
said,
lore,
"
Imaam az-Zarkashee
"Know that
it
the Qur'aan has been revealed in the language of the Arabs. Thereit
is
impermissible to recite
in
in the
Qur'aan that
is
in the
them the
verses,
...this
(the Qur'aan)
is
in a clear
Arabic tongue-
16:103]
and.
Verily.
We have
revealed this as
an Arabic Qur'aan"
[12:2
and.
42:7]
being
in Arabic,
it
is
clear that
any non-
However,
tions
is
every single word in the Qur'aan originally from the Arabic language?
exist narra-
from some ol the Companions, and many grammarians after them, concerning
certain
for
words
in the
to
example, Ibn Abbaas claimed that the word toor was Syriac for mountain,
"to
meant
intend' in the
for
Roman
Hebrew
was Persian
Sanfor
skrit), miskfiaat
was
was Greek
a small river.
52
same opinion.
This opinion
some
later scholars to
come
forth with
numerous examples of
in the
in the
words
that
that
were claimed
(d.
to
be non-Arabic
list
in origin, yet
mentioned
Qur'aan.
As-SuyoOf.ee
of over
hundred words
Qur'aan
in a
were claimed
be non-Arabic
in origin,
and even
versified these
words
poem."
$0
3
See Ch.
15,
'The Translation
v.
I ,
ol the
Qur'aan," lor a
more
az-Zarkashee,
p. 287.
v. I,
32 33
p. 288.
p.
8 1 -84.
The Qur'aan
Other scholars, however, denied the claim
words
in the
27
any non-Arabic
they held the view that these verses precluded the existence of foreign words in the
Qur'aan.
Imaam
strict in this
matter, for
in this
he wrote concerning some grammarians ot his time, "And some have spoken
topic (of foreign
words
in
speaking
it
ol
them have
is
pre-
sumed
there
is
that the
part Arabic
and
Qur'aan
explicit that
54
nothing
the
is
in the
at-
Tabaree
(d.
languages simultaneously, and thus the Companions' claims that these words were
,s non-Arabic only meant that they were also used by other languages as well.
How-
ever, this is
when he
said,
is
The
me
meanis
ing that there are foreign words in the Qur'aan, anil thai the Qur'aan
in Arabic] arc correct. like the scholars said
|
only
This
is
is
foreign,
However,
to Ara-
these
bic words,
were exchanged
became
these
that the
a part ol Arabic.
in
Then
the
time
who says
only in Arabic
is
correct,
some
foreign words
also correct.
Howtor all in
words became
and
if
was
as if he
ot
is
no non-Arabic words
in the
Qur'aan,
ofAllaah...
The next part of the definition o! the Qur'aan states that it is the '...Speech (kalaam) The Qur'aan is the Speech (k,itlaai>i) of Allaah, that He spoke in a manner
'
34
az-Zarkashce,
as-Suyootee,
v.
v. 1,
1 ,
p. 287,
1
35
36 37
p.
78.
p.
289.
28
An
that befits
all
Due
to the
Qur'aan
is
and the
concerning
The
is
Qur'aan
says,
And
il
all
and the
its
wherewith
(l<alaam)
behind
it
to
add to
supply,
is
the
Words
Wisc
Therefore, this part of the definition limits the Qur'aan to the kalaam that Allaah
revealed to
the Prophet
Muhammad
().
($^g),
that
He
spoke
to
other than
The Qur'aan
down
to the
Prophet
And
truly, this
Qur'aan
is
a revelation
heart
(O
Muhammad)
so that you
may
be
among
The
states:'...//;
the definition affirms that the words of the Qur'aan arc from Allaah,
Jihrccl or
even
Muhammad
(^), as
sects
Ask'arees, allege.
only inspired in
meaning, while
its
wording
is
(^g).
The
next part of the definition states: '...which has been preserved in the mus-hafs...
a written
'.
A mus-haf is
it
When
used
in this definition, to
it
refers
be written.'" Therefore,
includes one hundred and fourteen soorahs, starting with Soora/i al-Faatihah and
in
any one
of the mus-hajs
38
to be a liadeeth in
is
discussed in
more detail
in
'The Collection
ol the
The Quraan
of 'Uthmaan.
29
to
such as those whose recitation was abrogated (the mansooltfi), and those readings that
{%$)
when he
recited the
Qur'aan
tor
The
all
of them. 41
The
sions...
'.
next part of the definition states: '...and has reached us by mutawaatir transmis-
A transmission
is
called
mutawaatir when
it is
reported by a large
lie.
number of
all
The Qur'aan
authenticity.
(in
many
people narrated
4
it
that there
is
no question of
that
The
last part
of the definition
to
it.'
states: '...and
is
a challenge to
is
mankind
to
it
produce
something similar
extraneous in that
docs not
inspired in
which case
this portion
is
This portion
essential,
would how-
(i'jaaz)
challenged
mankind
and
this
challenge
is
and not
whole Qur'aan
and
Qur'aan. Thus,
if
someone has
45
recited a
is
possible to say in
III.
The Qur'aan
found
in
as the
Speech of Allaah
as the
Speech
(l^alaain)
However,
was
felt
work
for
number of reasons:
Firstly,
due
to the
it
deals with
some
and
-III
Sec Ch.'s
III
and
i,
'The
Ahmfoi
ol the 4
1
The mus-hafs
Meaning
See Ch.
thai
Ch. H
-12
for a
more
detailed discussion
point.
4i
'tihaad' definition
for lurlher
details.
44
IS.
which
is
Quraan,
lor further
details.
45
e az-Zarqaance,
v.
I.
p. 22.
30
An
has been the subject o! great controversy during the history of Islaam, and great scholars
it,
therefore
it
deserves
the
/(ti/iiiiin
ol
of Ahlas-Sunnah
this topic in
wa
English.
in
particular as the
kalaam
of Allaah,
it is
necessary
Tin-:
The
topic of the
kalaam
one of the Attributes that Allaah has Speech (l{alaam). When dealing with the
principles
The
Perfect
first
Names and
Attributes;
Names
Names and
lim.
Anil to
Allaah belong
(all)
Names, so
call
on
lim with
them.. [7:180]
Names and
fulness
and error
(20:52)
that
do not
befit
His Glory.'"
The second
principle
that Allaah's
Names and
and do
"There
is
nothing that
is
similar to
Him, and
lie
is
Seer- [42:11]
46
thosc
in a
An
expression that translates as 'The Followers ol the Siiiinah ami the Right Group.' to dili'erentiate
ilo
who
I
not follow
tin-
Smuiii/i. or the
Companions
ol
number
lei
I
ummah would
I
of which would be
in the
lire oi
excepi
the characteristics
today,
mailing the.
47
I
Uil us-Stinnali
it
am tallowing wa al-Jamaa'ah.
in
and
my Companions"
louever.
a
should be kept
mind
that this
is
and
it
is
hoped
that
perhaps 48
more
and
cither,
concepts
"I faith
The affirmation
is
Names and
Attributes, in general.
OCCUR
each
Name and
Attribute
Bcstowei
dI
mentioned and affirmed individually. For example. 'The All-Seer". 'The Ever-Living'. 'The Mc rc\ etc. As lor negation, this OCCUTS in general, unspccific terms (most ol the time): lor
.
example. 'There
is
nothing that
is
is
none
thai
is
equal to
lim'. etc.
Negation
ol
and
error)
is
rare,
and only
lor a purpose.
The Qur'aan
Therefore, since Allaah's Attributes are unique,
it
31
is
mankind
it is
to
even though
to.
pos-
Name
is
or Attribute refers
For example,
Allaah has described Himself in the Qur'aan as al-Hayy, which means, 'The EverLiving.'
Life,
is
Mankind understands
will
that Allaah
Ever-Living; that
He was
always with
and
always be with
the
life
Life.
He
is
though he himself
'alive' (hayy),
that he has
Himsell as having,
him,
(or
man's
life
was given
of
life
him, and
it
shall be taken
away from
has the
Himself with. In
addition,
man
unlike Allaah. So
man
characteristic of
ol
Creator. Therefore,
Names and
Attributes of Allaah.
therefore,
It is essential,
when
not to deny or distort the meanings of these described Himself with these
to
Names and Attributes of Allaah, Names and Attributes, since Allaah has
it is
Names and
Attributes. Likewise,
make
these attributes similar to those of the Creation, nor try to delve into the
'how-ness' of His Attributes, since the attributes of the creation are imperfect, whereas
the Attributes of Allaah are Perfect and
Unique.
mind, we now proceed
to the
With
these
in
concept of the
kfllaam of Allaah.
Allaah,
all
Praise
and Glory be
to
acteristic o\l{alaam in
Him, has described Himself as having the CharAmongst these verses are
the following:
Moosaa-
|4:164|
Word
{/(ii/ihim) ol
fulfilled in [ruth
and
jus-
tice" |6:115|
to write the
ice. ins
my Lord would
even
if
We
32
An
And the
Word ofAllaah
(l{uliniu)
is
Peace he on you." a
Word
from
Lord who
affirm
is
Mosi Merciful*
|36:S8|
Therefore,
we
for
He Speaks
when He
wishes, and to
whomever He
We
some
ol
to 12:2^
In addition, the
Balaam ofAllaah
and
letters.
The
in the story
am
which
is
inspired to you'
[20:1 1-1 3|
ol
Moosaa: When
his
in the
These
described a
Moosaa and Moosaa heard this speech. meeting between Aadam and Moosaa, in which
whom Allaah
spoke
to,
from behind a
veil,
was no
4 ''
interpreter
their
answered, "Yes."
The hadeeth
is
stated
in
kalaam
"When
the
angels
move
wings
in
49
Tlit Qur'aan
33
chain over .a
ol the
rock...'""'
of the sound
/{alaam ol Allaah,
which
^alaam
is
with sound.
1
belief
of thesalaf.
(d.
290 A.H.),
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal (d. 24 A.H.) was "When Allaah spoke to Moosaa, did He by Moosaa):" Imaam Ahmad answered. "Yes.
all ol
and
we
his
narrate
them as we heard them." Imaam al-Bukhaaree (d. 256 A.H.) narrated in book al-Adab al-Mufrad the hadceth of the Prophet ($g) referring to the Day of
will occur,
and
it
in
it is:
"...and their
Lord
is
will call
them with
a voice, the
'I
one
who
1
is
"
just as the
one
who
lar can,
is
and
He
will sav,
am
the King...'"
also ex-
plicit in
and (dory be
can hear
it
just as those
who
are
Imaam al-Bukhaaree Him, speaks with sound. Those who arc close lar can, and this is only so lor Allaah. And in this is
to
1
proof that the sound of Allaah does not resemble the sound of mankind.""
It is,
of course, essential
to
keep
in
mind
it is
that the
ble that
impermissible
Allaah says,
"There
is
le is
lie
I |
The
(and
ol
it
fact that
something
that
docs not require proof and can be seen even by the most ignorant person. The Qur'aan
is
words
2:
It
therefore
Balaam
of Allaah consists of
is
words and
of
letters.
composed
words and
will
he
(^g)
"'Whoever
recites
And do not
and Laam
is
Mean is (counted as) a word, but rather Alifis a word, Meem is a word.*"" Therefore, the Prophet (5Eg) divided the
Some groups
reiers to
5n
Reported by al-Bukhaaree.
ol the angel's
sound described
ol
in the
movement
number
,
ways:
firsdy,
the
is
Sound
WY.vaWs l^alaiim
is
wings
al-|udav',
il
p. 167);
the wings
Ahmad
ibn
Hambal
in
in Kitchib as-Sitiinali.
# i".
52
>^
al-Adab al-Mufrad.
cl".
al-luday'. p. 165.
54
"
34
An
letters.
is
of Allaali
Injccl. in
Hebrew, and
was
As Imaain
ad-Daarimee
you!
Verily...
(d.
who deny
and
this concept.
"Woe
to
Allaah
knowledgeable
of all
languages, and
in Arabic,
language
He
wishes. If He wishes,
He speaks
has
and
if
He
wishes, in Syriac, so
He
made
He
language of their peoples." 55 In other words, just as Allaah has sent every prophet to
preach
in the
to
revealed a
Book
was
also in
its
language.
is
Another
clear proofs
characteristic ol the
Balaam of Allaah
that
it is
from the Qur'aan, the Siinnah, the statements of the saliif, and clear
The Qur'aan
says,
Vcrily to
and
all
that
is
in
it,
between the creation, which includes the world and between the Command, which is His Speech. The Speech is
in fact the
Our Word
and
it is..
unto a thing
[16:40]
whin We
intend
it.
is
only
lli.it
We
vi\
unto
'lie''-
of Allaah, by the
if it
Will
it
ol
Allaah,
is
were created,
would mean
has
is
object does not have the ability to create another object; only the Creator has this
ability.
(d.
"He
Qur'aan
"To
Him
Com51
mand,"
so the creation
and His
Imaam Ahmad
of Allaah
is
ibn
Hambal
17
241 A.H.) also used this verse to prove that the kfllaam
not created.
The Prophet
in ihc
/(it /initial
(^5) said,
"Whoever dismounts
evil that
is
at
any
place,
and
will
says,
'I
seek refuge
until he
created,'
nothing
/(a
harm him
Allaah
is
moves from
his stop.
laam
of
not cre-
55
"56
t al-Juday',
|>.
123.
57
5S
Reported by Muslim
.mil others.
$5
Prophet
(gg)
commanded
Allaah from
Attributes),
{Wis hui/ccr/i
all
types of
evil.
Imaam
al-Hukhaaree
(d.
256 A. H.)
stated, "In
is
Nu'aym
ibn
Hammaad
nor
in the
"It is
ated,
is
an uncreated Attribute
is
A simple
of
Allaah
that
is
not created
is
as follows: If the
would mean
one of Allaah's
attributes (that of
speech) had a beginning, yet Allaah's attributes do not change with time, tor the
Qur aan
says,
It is
the Pirst
(i.e.,
there
I
is
nothing before
lim).
ami
le is
die Last
(i.e.,
there
is
nothing
after
Iim)... |^7:3|
Him. The
/(a/aam ol Allaah
is
an Attribute
ol Allaah,
all of
and uncreated.
The Qur'aan
In this section,
it
as
thi-.
Kaiawi
oi-
Am ami
were discussed.
It
Quraan
is
same
Some
narrations
fact that
the Qur'aan
the /(allium of Allaah. However, in this section, this topic will be discussed in greater
detail,
along with a
brief history
to
this belief".
in particular
is
is
that Allaah
Himself has
referred to
it
as
-f '-Ti--'-' ""
>'
Y.
-i
Anil
il
any of the idolaters seeks your protection, then grant him proteche
tion, so that
may
hear the
Word
{/(tiLiant) ol
Allaah. .. |9:o|
meaning
have prevented
they prevented
The Prophet ($g) also said. "Verily, the Quraysh Word {/(a/aam) o( my Lord, meaning that from spreading the Qur'aan. The Prophet (^) also said in referhim
Qur'aan.
me Irom
spreading the
S9
(>()
nl-Judny", p.
Reported
fay
Qudaama.
'Abdiillaah ihn
Ahmad:
til-
36
An
ence
to the
Qur'aan, "The superiority of the Balaam of Allaah over all other kalaam
is
(like)
The
Qur'aan
is
the
Balaam
ol
all
of the
wa
al-Jamaa'ah after
the Qur'aan
is
the
characterised by
same
characteristics as the
kalaam
of Allaah. In fact,
ol
As was proven
verse,
Balaam
of
Allaah
is
|39:28|
is
not
created."''-'
'Amr
ibn
Deenar
(d.
126 A.H.)
stated, "I
have met the Companions of the Prophet (5g), and those that came after
them
them
said,
Allaah
is
the Creator,
Him Him
created,
is
the
kalaam
ot
will return.""'
(d.
the hearts, recited by the tongues, and revealed to the Prophet (S)," and in
that, "...the
Qur'aan
is
not created.""
Imaam Maalik
it
(d.
who says that the Qur'aan is created, what should "He should be forced to repent, and he refuses, then 65 his head should be cut offl" Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee (d. 204 A.H.) stated, "Whoever states that the Qur'aan is created is a disbeliever.""" Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal (d. 241 A.H.) stated, "It has been narrated from many of ourW<//~that they used to say,
179 A.H.) was asked concerning one
to
him:
He
replied,
'The Qur'aan
is
and
it
is
I
is
also
what
believe,
and
(of
am
our
beliefs).
The
is
or a statement ot the
only (source) is the Quraan, or the hadcclh ot the Prophet (^). Companions or Successors. As for anything besides these (sources),
7
then none of it
praiseworthy.'"'
61
Reported by
Ahmad and
others. For a detailed discussion of the authenticity of the luuUrth. see allor the oilier side,
All)aance's</</-Dtf W;//j.
#1333. and
al-)uday\
p. S7.
62 63 64 65
Reported by
al-I .aalikaa'ee,
355.
Reported by al-Bayhaqee
lit//:
in his
Sunan.
p. 14.
al-AI{bar. p. 3(11.
Reported by al-Laalikaa'ee,
494.
66 67
al-Khamees,
p. 44.
Ahmad
in his
as-Sunnah, #108.
The Qur'aan
37
Imaam
The Qur'aan
as
is
It
originated from
Him
re-
an articulated speech
manner
that
is
was
(jgj)
is
man
is
a disbeliever
Whoever hears it and thinks it is the speech of whom Allaah has condemned and threatened with
I will
burn him
to
him who
said,
is
we know and
of
is
the
of the
Creator
humans, and
mankind."'
The
deny.
narrations from the salaf concerning the fact that the Qur'aan
is
is
not created
has reached and far exceeded the level oimutawaatir, and this
a fact that
no one can
To
give
Siinnuli.
Aboo al-Qaasim
same
it is
Hibatullaah ihn
Hasan
fifty
five-hundred and
whom
slated the
fact:
"The
is
Qur'aan
is
and whoever
states that
created
disbeliever." After
naming
all of
these scholars,
Imaam
al-Laalikaa'ee wrote,'"
So
sors,
and
lifly
whom
accepted and are well-pleased with, not including the Companions, from
all
different places
of these
And were
|
to busy myself in
meaning
first
6K
Ic is
Aim
la'alar
Ahmed
ihn
Muhammad
is
al -Tahaawcc. d.
i21 A.I
I.
In the
iva al-
jurists of this
Nu'man
and
ihn Thaabit,
and
lanifah),
is
gives a clear
it
and lucid explanation of the basics of the belief of ibi: Akl al-Siiiinu/i
al-]ama\ih. In addition,
clearly
is
shows
thai
as the beliefs
ol''the
many
those
who claim
792 A.H.).
absolutely ignore
has a valuable
al-Hanafee
(d.
69
70
point
p. 344.
For these numerous quotes, see the previous hundred pages (25()->4S).
38
An
number
myself
ol
restricted
to
to transmissions
generation, no one refuted or contradicted (hem, and whoever did so. they
were forced
to repent, or they
were
commanded
to
be killed or banished...
The
first
person lo claim that the Qur'aan was created was a person by the
(d.
name
ol
Ja'ad ibn
Dirham
ot the leaders ol
ol l^ahiam.
He was
1
executed
this
and other
heretical beliefs.
lowever, his
Jahm
ibn
Salwaan
it
128 A.H.),
the
was able
to
much
greater extent,
and
is
after
him
group known
ol
as the
Islaam
be outside the
Islaam lor
The Jahmiyyah
this belief ot
in
Ahmad
ibn
240),
one
ol the callers to
Ma'moon
ology.
Ma'moon
many
ol
them
to
renounce the
beliel ol the
all
and claim
that
over the Muslim lands were ordered to publicly proclaim this ideology. Those that
refused were brutally tortured.
Only
managed to number ot years, and beaten ami whipped so severely that doctors pronounced him on the verge ol death.' This was one ot the greatest trials to ever inflict the Muslim Utnuiah. and it was only during the Caliphate ol Multawakil (during the year 237 A.H.) when orthodoxy was finally redeemed.
(d.
Hambal
241 A.H.),
Imaam Ahmad ibn last through this torture without relenting. Imaam
a
Ahmad was
jailed lor a
'
)uring this period, due to the great controversy that was generated over this issue,
to the beliel
The
first
group, comprised of"the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah 7 * claimed that the
It
was this group that temporarily gained popularity among the power ol the Caliph Ma'moon, many scholars were forced to
71 Thefahmiyyah denied all of the names ami attributes ofAllaah. This led them to believe that Allaah would not Ik- seen in the Hereafter, tli.it Allaah is not above [isiairaa) lis Throne, that He docs not have
I
He
ol
'face'),
and so
is
clear
li.it.
Jahmiyyah, in
many
11
Walter M. Patron's
The
Mu'tazilah were a group that tried lo harmonise Greek philosophy with Islaam.
The Qur'aan
39
as the Waaqifiyyah
opinion on
It
this issue,
and
said,
"We do
not say
it is
do we say
that
not created."
the status ol the Qur'aan, but rather had studied the evidences,
to the
conclusion that
proofs
of' the
it
Ahlas-Sunnah united on
group.
is
new inno-
One of the sa/af was asked concerning this group, and he replied, "The Qur'aan it is not created. And can it be other than this? Or can We can never have any doubts about it, ever!!" And anyone say other than this? Imaam Ahmad (d. 241 A.H.) said, "As for the Waaqifiyyah, then be in no doubt of
the
7,1
their disbelief!""
The
that the
last
this time
recita-
that the
recita-
was not praiseworthy, since the statement, "My two meanings, one which
the
is
Qur'aan
is
The
incorrect meaning,
intended,
is
meaning
Quraan,
created,
if the person intended that the sound was created, then this is a correct meaning, since recitation (i.e., what is recited) is not.
71 '
Imaam Ahmad
"The
ibn
Hambal
(d.
them says that the Quraan is created; another says diat it is the /(alaam of Allaah, and stop at that; and the third say, 'Our recitation of the Qur'aan is created.' For me, these three groups have the same status (in another narration, he added:) and all of them are of the Jahmiyyah, disbefahi/iiyyah are of three types:
One group
of
lievers.
They should be
77
forced to repent,
and
ii
killed!"
After this period, different groups evolved, the most prominent amongst
them
that
is still
it
will
be discussed in
7-1
al-Laalikaa'ee,
ibid. #S-I4.
#531.
al-Lalikaa'ee, pps. .585-399
75 76 77 78
For further
details,
sec-
al-KhaUaa],v.5,p. 125.
lilih
and
sixth
histori-
cal reasons,
and the
had
are
Many ol
the
lamous scholars
ol
the past
ol the classical
The
many and wide-spread; even such famous Daaral-Uloom and Dcoband are primarily Ash'aree.
40
An
group
and
their
ings of Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee ibn Ismaa'ccl al-Ash'arce (d. 324 A.H.).
*"
With regards
was unknown and
that the
to the /(iihium
to \\\csalaf.
They claimed
as-Sunnah. However, they explained this attribute in a unique way, for they claimed
that Allaah 's
kplaam was an
it
"internal'
Balaam -
a l{aUiam that
men
an internal speech that cannot be heard. Therefore, they claimed that Allaah
his
They
ing
Balaam does not consist ol words or letters. is not related to His Will; in other words,
le
is
when He
They
Allaah
Ibis led
"expressions' ol the
is
of the
Therefore, according to them, the essence ol the Torah, the Injeel and the Qur'aan
the same. Since they claimed that Allaah's
Balaam
is
followed
up
this principle
is
text
created, but
is
not.
not the
Balaam
ol Allaah.
7')
It
liimscll
his lifetime.
)uring the
first
phase, he was a
Mn 'lasilee.
(d.
However,
left
ihem and
Aboo
Muhammad
nate!) the
of the Mu'tazilah and defend the teachings ofAht as-Sunnah, but unfortu-
methodology
was
it-.cll
greatly influenced bj
Greek
phi-
into
many
Names and
Attributes ol
a
Allaah. (Only one ol their errors will be elaborated in this section, but
refutation ol
one point
ol belief ol
any group
is
ol that
last
groups claim
was
to be
Ahl
as-
must be
During the
ol
stage ol his
It
life,
al-Ash'aree
Ahl
iii-Suninih.
ol
book al-I6aanah,
Attributes ol Allaah. such as isliwaa (rising over the throne), wajh, yad and other attributes. Therefore, in
reality,
Aboo al-Hasan
tin
al-Ash'aree. lor
il
they were.
his death,
and not
which he
renounced before
811
It
his death.
this section
\\
is
group
ol
ith
regards to the
kfiliiiim ol
our purposes.
81
lo ihe
These
are the
Ish'arees
with regard'.
kaliiam ol Allaah.
must be mentioned that some of these points are based upon certain principles
many
ol the
mentioned or
subject,
quoted
in the Bibliography.
The Qur'aan
41
(d.
mind
(i.e.,
mind has no
sound or words,
The primary
and Attributes
is
Ash 'arees
all
wished
to
remove
many
of Allaah's
of the creation.
in essence
is
to
and
logic to
Names and
some
type of resemblance, or
not.
anthropomorphic83
Based
on
felt
Names and
Attributes
which they
to their literal,
understood meanings,
thinking that by doing this they were removing any fear of resemblance between Allaah
reality, their
Names and
Attributes
them
to
deny and
distort
many or
Allaah's
Names and Attributes. They used their intellect as the criterion to understand Names and Attributes. Whatever they felt was not befitting to Allaah, even if
it,
it
is
found
is
examined. Then,
it...
the
becomes obligatory
intellect to
to believe in
But
it
as for those
(attributes)
be impossible, then
becomes ob-
ligatory to interpret
for
it is
not imaginable that the traditions will contain something that contradicts the
intellect.
As
which contain
of
characteristics of
"M
resemblance
(of
them
and those
Therefore, they took their intellect to be their criterion to accept and understand
the Attributes ol Allaah, so whatever their intellect agreed with, they accepted,
and
whatever their
intellect
And
had
the\'
"How?"
or
"Why?"
it
point,
and
that
that Allaah,
is,
(dory be
to
Him,
and Allaah
is
Therefore,
it is
not appropri-
ate to re-interpret
Name
S2
cf.
al-Ghazalee,
Abu Hamid:
ol thesalaf.
v.l, p. 133. It is
claimed that
Imaam
al-Ghazalce,
at the
end of his
life recanted
.mil
characteristics.
v.l, p.
From
90.
42
An
Attributes
and
to try to understand
attributes ot
the creation.
Imaam
al-Barbahaaree
(d.
329),
ot thesa/af, said:
May Allaah
the Lord, the
anil
about
Most High,
an innovation
misguidance. Nothing
is
He
has
described Himself with in the Qur'aan. and what the Messenger ot Allaah
(^) explained
Allaah,
"I
to the
Companions...
No
attributes Ol
who
The
Qur'aan
Yet,
is
ol Allaah,
the Ash
'iirecs
To
illustrate this
'
who
speaks must speak with sound and breath, and these are
combination
of or-
free
letters,
and has
a specific place in
it, it
letter
sequen-
eternity.""
Therefore, ac-
cording to them,
was not
Balaam
It
to
were,
it
would be
created.
concepts in
those
ol
Allaah to
creation,
the creation,
that, since
not like
Had
is
ibem
would have
saved them from falling into the error ot denying these Attributes.
As
ments
of Allaah
is
without sound,
proofs that were given in the previous section from the Qur'aan, Sunnah and stateof thcsalaf.
The presumption
all
that
tion based
all
upon the
characteristics of
sound must come from organs is a presumphumans. Therefore, it is not necessarily true for
to
objects. Allaah,
Him,
has
made
the
Heavens and
the
Command
and
said.
8"5
l')No). p. 2S.
86
cf al-Juday", pps 375-379, anil Noor, pps. 517-542, tor these and oilier logical proofs thai the. -L>7; 'arees
The Ash'arees
word l;ahium
signifies
an
internal thought,
understood meaning
'l(tilaam'
ofthe word
nidiitt)
l^alaiim in the
I
(such as
to denote
lis
more
detailed discussion.
The Quraan
43
l-J
WGft ^i
|
'We
come,
to
willingly!"-
-4 1
and Ailaah,
peak
all
Him,
will
make
the skins
<>!
the dishelievers
on the Day
Judgement,
<?A
say,
(our skins)
testify against
all
They will
-
say. "Ailaah
He
causes
things to
speak...
|4I:211
Ailaah caused these objects to speak, yet these objects do not have the organs that
humans need
ing as
all
things, capable
ofspeak-
He wishes?
(d.
Imaam Ahmad
"As tor their claim (meaning the claim ofthejafimiyya/l, which was later
taken by the. -ls/i'cim:<) that sound can only occur from a combination ol the
throat,
and
lips,
Heavens and
Earth
They both
said.
We
come,
willingly!'*
And
say,
birds to glorify
Daawood-
[21:79]
that they
(i.e.,
Do
about
these people
presume
Heavens
ami
when
Do
you think
make them
to speak, as
if
He
would
entail
ol
it is
an analogy
(d.
is
Ahmad
ol
ihn
Hambal
290
A.H.)
said.
"My
lather
(Imaam Ahmad)
is
'The luulceih
when
like (the
87
ar-Rddd
'ala
al-Jalimiyyah,
p.
51;
cE al-Harbcc,
p. 375.
44
An
a rock.
And
this (hadceth) is
Whoever presumes
that Allaah
is
a disbeliever! Verily,
came
to us!"
s ''
In this narration.
we will continue to narrate these luidccth as Imaam Ahmad is staling that any person who
is
of
'Abdullaah
said, "I
asked
my
father:
Some
Imaam Ahmad
replied.
sound,
They wish
and deny
Imaam
ash-Shahrastaanee
al-
sound
And
And
this (belief)
In addition,
is
without sound,
II
is
spoke
to
Himr
II
Moosaa
means
0 Moosaa, Verily, am
I
am
Allaah. there-
is
not
god save
they state
to
this,
it
and
askeil
Moosaa
worship
it
However,
if
it
must be asked,
is
"How
you
without sound?"
is
whom
Allaah:
The Qur'aan
is
mentions that one of the blessings that certain prophets have been given
Allaah spoke to them directly:
that
S8 89 90
91
This
,uit
hor adds:
l>y
Ami
the.
\s/i 'drees'.
Reported
'Abdullaah ihn
Ahmad
in as-Sunnah,
534.
al-Harbcc.
p. 373.
p. ^1 i;
Nihaayat al-Aqdaam,
p. 36S.
The Qur'aan
*'
45
7J f'>
'.
-i"
-*'"'i'f ''
\>
-if it-
(with
.1
higher status)
over others.
Some
ol
them
Allaali
spoke
tO...
[2:253]
Also, if Allaah speaks to a prophet, but thai prophet eannot hear him, then of
what difference
says,
is
this type
of inspiration
to the
to
him,
unless
il
or (that)
He
will
by
lis
Permission.
ol inspirations.
Il,
when Allaah
how
is
this different
If the
/(<//(/!/;
of Allaah
is
mind,
then what
is
Knowledge
('Urn) of Allaah,
and His
Speech. Allaah has described Himself with both of these characteristics in the
is
is
the
same
as the Attribute ol
Knowledge.
this
its is
There
muteness,
well
is
another point that the belief of the Ash 'arce s implies, and
fust as the attribute
is
a very
dangerous implication:
is
of speech
is
noble attribute,
opposite,
It is
a characteristic that
is it
considered praiseworthy.
known
that
is
mute
not
like
the
one who
speaks. Therefore, to
it
claim that Allaah docs not possess the attribute of speech (or to interpret
Ash'arees do)
yet Allaah
is
away
is
as the
is
in reality
blasphemous, as
this
mute,
free
principle of faith
was
ot
used
to
The
stories of
clearly
The
story of Ibraaheem
and the
idols
is
well
all
of
When
Qur'aan.
92
The
46
An
of them, did
it!
(Why
if
left
Ihraaheem) that
these (idols)
do
and upon
|2I:6?-67|
that
lave you
no sense:!"
showed
his
worship, primarily because they could not speak. After they themselves acknowledged
this,
Ibraahccm rebuked them, and asked them, "Have you no sense?!" meaning,
can an object that cannot even speak be worthy of worship?" Notice that
to a
"How
for
the Ask'arees,
"Our god
- an
mind!"
for they
meant!! This
actions,
why
knew
that their
when
the Children of Israa'eel took the calf that they had built as an
reprimanded
in
Did
il
TheQur'aan
-17
And
made
in his
image of a
realise that
made
sound
(like the
mooing
ol 'a
cowl.
could not .<ptii/(ti> them, nor guide them to the (straight) path:
[7:148]
In these
calf,
two
verses, Allaah
ol Israa'eel for
worshipping the
it
was not
one
that
it
made
of intelligent speech.
show
that
at-
do not
were rebuked
lor taking
and thus
lell
into the
same
Moosaa
This
he
is
worshipping
of
idols.""
that the
kplaam
Allaah
is
which
when He wishes
is
to.
but rather
(in
He
is
continually
related to
His Will
in
Speaks
when He wishes
to
Speak)
is
clearly
shown
His
Command, whenever
it
le
intends
thing,
is
only that
He
says.
'Be!
-and
is [37:82|
He
shows that His ftttlaam is related to His Will, forwhenevcr says to it "Be!" which proves that Allaah Speaks when He-
Aiul
to
place,
and
his
Lord
spoke with
to
Moosaa
after
Moosaa
meetHe-
nor after
it
when
Reported by 'AbduUaah
il<n
Ahmad.
# 209.
4K
An
faila
am
ol
Allaah
is all
the
in essence the
in reality,
when
translated
it
into
is
well
known
differs
In addition,
and
is
one whole
444
concept, then this raises a problem that the Ash 'area must solve. The following conversation between
as-Sija/.ee (d.
prove interesting:"
to the
understand
(i.e..
il
the
/(<i/aai)i
of
Allaah cannot be
all ol
the kfllaam
of Allaah)?"
hesitated a
little,
question?"
"Forget what
intend,
and respond
told
to
my
ques-
Aboo Nasr
him what he
responded,
"What
single
intend
is
Allaah.
then
dun there
is
not
/{</A/i//;/
ol
comprehended
dial
it.
and
this
is
would imply
do
Moosaa had
be< n give n
ol the
know
hend some
part ol
this
the
same thing
that
you pretend
is
tbu
one
you
who
can he divided
is
opponent
will
be the
he believed
what was
I
stated in the
Qur'aan and
but you
re-
lis
Messenger
that
it
(i^g),
was obligatory
to turn
your intellect (to understand these concepts). \ct. your intellect has forced
to agree
you
into parts),
and
94
[t should
I".-
pointed out that thtAsh'aree scholars themselves have differed with regards in
this point.
Some of them
itsell is
commands,
lliis.
gave dillerent classification, but the majority did not agree with
and of
ol
innovation.
The
amongst
ol 'aqecdah. p. 537,
95
Reported in Dur Ta'aarud al-'Aql ten un-Siiql, 2/90. Taken from Noor,
The Qur'aan
ThcAsh'aree responded, "This requires some rime
left
49
for
me to think," and
the conversation.
it
In other words,
parts,
is
one essence,
anil
when Allaah spoke to Moosaa, did Moosaa bear all ol thc^alaam ofAllaah? It so, then this implies that Moosaa gained all the know ledge ol Allaah, and this is not possible. However, it this is not so, then this implies that Moosaa understood a part of
then
the
l{d
laam
ol
Allaah. which
is
believe.
The
final
in tact the
the belie!
of the Ash 'arees. Since the Ash'arees claimed that Allaah did not actually
speak the
Quraan with
a voice that
is
is
number of
"Where did
is
from?
And
what, then,
its
words
anil letters?"
In other words, since the Ash 'cures claimed that AWaah's kalaam could not be heard,
the
And
if,
as
it
is
letters,
then what
which
is
letters,
o!
Allaah?
is
Concerning
were forced
not
in Arabic,
letters),
who
(or
first
to actually "express"
it,
'aires
amongst themol
selves into a
are equally
blasphemous! Most
(in
them
in the
stateil
created in the
Lauh al-Mahfoodh
Arabic words of the Qur'aan did not exist until they were created by Allaah
explicitly
that Allaah
first
made
Jibrcel
it,
was the
to verbalize
thus making the Qur'aan the speech of Jibrcel; yet others staled
in
that the
meaning and
first
Muhammad
This
is
In other words, the Ash'arees were torceil to admit that the Arabic Qur'aan the actual l{alaaw of Allaah.
differentiated
not
and
that
it is
created.
due
with-
out language, sounil anil words, anil between the actual Qur'aan.
reciteil anil
which
is
in Arabic,
heard, and
is
ing to them,
'internal
I
is
and believe
Quraan
is
created, even
"...but
not."
Ibraaheem al-Haajooree
1277 A. H.),
is
wrote,
"The
that
the Qur'aan.
meaning the
internal
kalaam
(ot Allaah)
is
50
An
that
we
recite, is created."'"'
'aires
Qur'aan
is
created.
must be asked:
When
all of
those
who
ot disbelief
concept
where they
referring to the
Qur'aan that
known
to all
Imaam
al-Laalikaa'ee (d. 418 A.H.) quoted over five-hundred scholars of the saluf
Qur'aan
is
scholars differentiate between this 'internal \alaam' and the actual Qur'aan,
that the
and
state
Qur'aan
is
none ol the sa/aj preached or believed the doctrines that theAsh'arees invented, and none of them ditlercntiated between an 'internal Balaam ol Allaah' and the Qur'aan. What the salaf were referring 10 when they said that the
very clear:
The answer is
Qur'aan
is
is
not created,
is
Qur'aan, and not an imaginary and invented 'internal /(a/aam'. even a single scholar (before
None of them,
it
his teacher
Ibn Kullaab),
mentioned
Allaah, and
this
concept
ol
and the
actual Qur'aan!
is
is
the Balaam ol
"The Qur'aan
is
only an expression
created"!!
.\rc these
two examples
tin-
In fact,
beliefs
some
ot the early scholars during the time of the:m /^/explicitly refuted the
(d.
of
Imaam al-Bukhaarec
was
is
later
taken by
(i.e.,
Aboo al-Hasan
al-
Ash'aree),
"Whoever presumes
ol that
that the
Qur'aan
it is is
two things
an 'internal' /{alaain
ami an expression
Balaam), or that
whom there no other god, he is a heretic (zindceq) who wishes to destroy Islaam. He is a disbeliever in Allaah. This Qur'aan is the Qur'aan
that Allaah revealed through (ibreel to the Prophet (S^,)..."" r
Abbaas
ol
Ahmad
ibn
'Umar
Imaam
as-Shaali'ee
(d.
%
97 98
p. 11)4.
Taken from
|uday', p.
I
If
mejawharah
book ol
luclay'. p. 436.
TheQuraan
Ami
it
51
all
die siinnah
right!)
guided scholars
time
the
and
concerning the
is
mandatory
to believe in
them,
in
them,
just as
them
to AW.iAi... land
many of which
in
and then
with
letters,
and
in different languages,
it.
and
it.
words, and
soorahs....
and
of this, we
accept
and do not
reject
nor do
we
interpret
them with
the interpretaol
anthropomorphism
the
it
anthropomorphisms... Rather,
as tin Prophet
we
it.
say
what
and interpret
(^)
t
interpreted
lie >,(/<//.
.
and
the scholars ol
those
1 1
>
are well
known
and
character.
And we
agree upon thai which they agreed upon, ami do not talk
(i.e..
we do
were not given by them), but rather we accept the apparent meanings
narrations (of the hadeelh) and the verses (of the Qur'aan).
And we do
not
give for these verses the interpretations ol the A /// tazilah, or the Ash a tees, or the
ent
meanings ol
state.
it),
and believe in
rather, we accept wc accept the apparit without comparing 1 hem to the (.real ion).
(i.e..
1
And we
them
is
is
obligatory,
and
it
to
speak
the
ol
(i.e.,
way
an innovation
In addition, the beliefs ol the Ash'arees arc very similar to the beliefs ol the
who believed
Qur'aan
of the Qur'aan is created, this the recitation ol the Qur'aan is also creis
ol a created text!
Imaam Ahmad
"The Lafdhiyyah
' n another narration, SB))* concerning those who say, 'Our recitation ol the Qur'aan
Jahm (ibn came with something created (to the Prophet Imaam Ahmad was asked, "What is vour opinion
are in reality encircling the belief ol
is
created":
Imaam Ahmad
this,
replied.
then he
created,
something created!"
"
It
Ash 'arces.
created.
99
inn
101
May',
.i.lh -I
p.
4 i8.
I'M.
adh-Dhahabi.u/-Wuw,p.
)hiihabi.<//-f
'/.
p.
212.
52
An
Conclusion
The
Attributes of Allaah as
mentioned
in the
literally (in
He
Speech
is
composed
of
words and
and
is
'how-ncss' of these Attributes are not delved into, and any negative similarity be-
tween these Attributes and the attributes of the creation arc negated
this Attribute, that the
of
is
is
Speech of Allaah
Understanding these Attributes 'literally' does not mean understanding them in manner that they are found in the creation, or comparing them with the attributes of the creation; rather, it means affirming the linguistic meaning of that Attribute in a manner that befits the Creator, anil will never completely be understood by mankind.
not).
the
The
all
phic understanding of the Attributes of Allaah. If they had only understood that the
Attributes of Allaah cannot be
compared
remove
to the attributes
based upon the attributes of the creation, they would not have had to resort
'rationalise' these Attributes to
this
remove
this
im-
aginary anthropomorphism that they believed existed in the Qur'aan and Sunnah,
example
of
how
deviation occurs
when
not followed; they wished to refute the beliefs of the Mu'tazilah anil
the Jahiniyyah, and affirm the Attributes ot Allaah, but since they were so influenced
by the principles of Greek logic and rationalism, they ended up agreeing with the
beliefs of the
same groups
and
Qur'aan
is
created.
Imaam Muhammad
ibn al-Hasan
al-
Aajurree
(d.
is
And
they should
know
that
it
is
the
"It
it
a /u/mice
created!" or says,
"The Qur'aan
is
(i.e.,
"My
an
recitation ol the
is
Qur'aan
is
created!"
is
(i.e..
Im/Mcc), or
"The Quraan
(i.e.,
in the
Lank al-MakfoodhV
a person
is
that
he he
left,
warned
against.
And upon
(:gg).
with them, and the statements ot the Successors, and the scholars
the
And
and
useless
upon
this path.
ThcQuraan
then
I
53
hope
lor
him
all
good from
Allaah...'
102 ash-Sharcc'ah.
v.
1, p.
259.
it
it
is
best to avoid
one
is
is still
valid anil
need not be
ami
considered
It
it
to
should be pointed out thai some of the Ash'arees claim that the aqcedah of
in this section) is
AM as-Sunnah wa al(d.
an invention
ol
of Ibn
Taymiyyah
728 A.H.).
They claim
ings that the
that the
first
in their literary
mean-
he was the
lirst
to
the actual Ifahuim ol Allaah. In order to refute this view, this author purposely avoided
ol
last
was done
to prove-
docs not belong to Ibn Taymiyyah, but rather to Allaah and to His of the Companions, Successors, and the scholars of Ail
as-
Messenger
Sunnah
after
that
is
single scholar
"Can you name even one As for us, we have quoted the Qur'aan, and the Sunnah, and the statements of the Companions and Successors, and the scholars ol the first generations, the likes ol Imaani Ahmad, Aboo Hanecfah, as-Shaali'ce, Maalik, althe
first
must be asked
person before
Aboo al-Hasan
who held
beliefs.
Who
is
and
Jahm
ibn Sarwaan,
who
they cannot
then
know
who
have
turned away from accepting the Qur'aan and Sunnah, unless and until
desires!
to
is
by the beliefs of
the Ash arees. So. for example, they quote the likes of al-Baaqillaancc (d, 4(13 A.M.). al-Qurtubee (d. 671
A.H.).
an-Nawawcc
(d. (d.
(d. 91
A.H.). Ibn
all
Hajr al-Haythamee
many more
of these
of
who
all
are the
refuted in a
first
number
ways.
Firstly,
it
is
the scholars
three generations of
thehijrah,
tions!
would he
was on
simple reason that there were none. The Ash 'aree beliefs were founded and propagated
during the fourth century of the hijrah, and became increasingly popular after that.
the Prophet
of
(3SS) to
We arc commanded by
as pari
first
and scholars
that
is
come
then
we
look
at
them
not
individually,
and what
is
good
Iron)
them we
at
lake,
and what
incorrect
we do
we do
agree that
all ol
these scholars
The
likes of al-Baaqillaani
on some
points (in
as-Suyootcc even
it
fore
is
them
their
own
in,
but
we excuse
due
to the
were
they were not exposed to the proper 'aqeedah and therefore followed the 'aqeedah ol their scholars
anil teachers,
which happened
Wc consider them
as our scholars,
and
,
love
and
for thesalaf
are
more beloved
who came
after
ol
famous scholars
all
and
will
(d.
always
exist.
The
likes ol
(d.
Qudaamah
Dhahahee
(d.
(d.
may be quoted. The point is that all these scholars of later generamay quote famous names, and the Ahl as-Sunnah may quote famous
ol tin sa/al,
and those
and
54
An
<>l
the
Qur'aan
iv.
by
number oi names,
is
including:
it
The
is
by
this
name name
that the
Book
ol
Allaah
is
best
known.
In
one
Say:
"II all
ol
to gather together to
produce someit
- even
if
2)
The
all
Kilcuib (Book):
is
in the
Qur'aan. This
taining
the
Book
linal
Prophet
(5|g),
con-
is
is
no doubt
in
it,
guidance
lor
The names
recited
ami preserved
in the hearts,
by writing.
The Furqaan (Criterion): Allaah has used this name four times in relerencc to the Qur'aan. The Qur'aan is the Criterion between taivheed and truth and false3)
jt/j ///<,
evil.
Allaah says.
I51esscd be
lis
Slave
4)
The
times in
the Qur'aan.
The
Qur'aan
is
Guidance and
says.
Remem-
brance
ol the
purpose
ot lite, as
past nations,
103
Gf.Daraz,p. 12-13.
The Qur'aan
..And verily this (Qur'aan)
[43-33]
is
55
Reminder
{Dliily) for
5)
The
all
of
its
derivatives,
is
used to
'nazala'
hundred and
forty verses. to a
The
root
1
word
an object from
higher place
lower place.
'"
The Qur'aan,
($|g).
therefore,
is a
down from
As
Allaah says,
And
it
is
is
from Allaah,
all
all
Glory
to
is
also
one
of the
many
Glory be
to
Him.
is
sects claim, as
He
the
one
who
There are
as 'names', but
more appropriate
and are
Imaam az-Zarkashee
over
fifty
more
v.
The Qur'aan
as
it
Describes
Itself
to describe the
itself.
numerous
mention
here,""' therefore
The believers
down.
-*
- r->
at,'
'*"
them
*f
'.< "$
let
than
all
The 'Bounty' and 'Mercy' referred to in this verse have been ars of tafseer to mean Islaam and the Qur'aan.
Some
1114
This word
is
in the
Qur'aan:
i)
specific to the
Qur'aan.
ii)
We
sky..."
^:22).
iii)
and
p.
blessings,
such as "...and
105
|l)(i
1 1.
He
sent
down
v. I,
tranquillity
upon them
Damishqi.
M.
az-Zarkashee,
p.
274-76.
next section.
For one
ol die best
discussions of the
1977,
where he
lists
in his
book.
56
An
()
I
mankind!
Verily, there
has
come
.mil. anil
We
()
to
All Praise
and Thanks he
to Allaah,
it
Who
Lias sent
down
to
His
slave tin-
in
Straight to give
warning
ol a severe
punishment from
lim,
and
to give-
.And
We send down
who
belicve
[ 1
in the
is
a healing
and
mercy
to
those
7:82]
down
its
parts resembling
Verily,
We
have sent
down
to
it
in truth.
So who-
is
own
loss
39:41
And
this
is
the Blessed
it?
Reminder which
Wc
(dare to)
deny
[21:50]
The Quraan
57
sent
down
to
)tir (
Command.
but
You did not know what the Book (Qur'aan) was. nor
faith (eetnaan),
We
made
it
a light
by which
^*" * -
We
(itiide those
whom We
I'll
will" [42:52]
''"\fs"'
.-'-*'
"i','
mankind, and
1-45:2111
This (Qur'aan)
is
a clear insight
and evidence
for
guid-
tor
people
who
vi.
The Sunnah
as
it
The importance ol the Qur'aan is so great that the Prophet (^) said, "The best of who learn the Qur'aan ami teach to others." " Although this hadeeth is
7 it
in the context ol
no reason not
to
the
that
all,
what good
is
not
numerous hadeeth
(d. 3113
ol the
its reciter.
on
this topic,
Imaam an-Nasaa'ee
interpreter, Ibn
8
A.H.)
(d.
Katheer
778
title.
Some
(i^g) said,
- one
in the
in
on
to
it,
for
you
will
(Musnad
Ahmad).
'Umar
people
by
it"
(<yg) said,
(i.e.,
Book, anil
He
will
debase others
(Muslim).
al-Ash'aree stated that the Prophet
lor you, or against
($^,) said,
Aboo Maalik
"The Qur'aan
is
either
you." (Muslim).
Anas reported
that the Prophet (3g) said, "Verily, Allaah has chosen people
ol the
amongst
107 Reported In al-ISukliaaree. IDS All of these ahadeelh have been taken from
Muhammad
l'S8.
al-
and
58
An
ol
who know
it
and practice
"The Qur'aan is an intercessor, and an intercession that is accepted, and a nuiti/ii/,"" and a credible (book). Whoever puts it ahead of him. it will lead him to Paradise, and whoever throws behind him,
Ibn Mas'ood reported that the Prophet
(^)
said,
it
it
will
Nawwaas
(^)
said, "Allaah
has
set forth
There
is
is
road which
On
a wall in
"Proceed straight
to
any
side!'
a curtain
calls
red inside.'
(The Prophet
on
actions); the
open doors
are the
is
things that
He
has prohibited: the voice which calls from the end of the road
calls
the
from above
is
'Amr reported
is
that the
Prophet
(5^g) said.
"The Hook
of
Allaah
Allaah which
down
is
to the earth"
There
scription
(:Sfj).
is
a narration in
at-Tirmidhee which
it
a very eloquent
is
as has
is
statement
and
is
as follows:
it
is
the Criterion;
it
cannot be taken
Whoever abandons
due
it
to
arrogance
will
will be misled
by
it is
the
Wise Remembrance;
themselves of
it
it is
Its
wonders
it
upon
will
it
cording
to
it
will be just;
and whoever
calls to
will
Ti
ik
ti
ii.
Qi
k'aan
Aboo Moosaa
glory to Allaah
is
(Sg) said,
"Part of showing
to
show
respect to a white-haired
in
it
Muslim, and
a carrier of the
it
Qur'aan
leave
it),
who
and
(i.e.,
overstep
its
(i.e.,
(Aboo Daawood).
109
kmaahil
\.
is
one
who is
and goes
to all
extremes to save
person, d. an-
Nihaayah,
11"
1 1 1
.
4, p. 303. p.
i.
Daeefat-Ttrmidhee,
349
it
in
Slmrh
.-U/cediili <ii-~]}ilhuiu>iyyah. p.
71
The Qur'aan
'Aa'ishali reported that the
59
Prophet
(Jgg) said,
lluentlv
is
who
reads
it
with
Daawood).
Allaah
"Whoever wishes
to love
let
him
read the
mus-haf
(?&;)
(Ibn
Nu'aym
is
in his
Hilyd).
to
'Amr reported
it
said,
"There
no cause
be envious
of a) person
anil
whom Allaah
he recites
to
in the
I
one
me!
wish
doing!'
(The second
it
ot a) a
person
whom
1
spends
in
good causes, so
wish
had
would do what he
<-ge,)
is
doing!'" (al-Bukhaarcc)
will be
Aboo lurayrah
I
said,
"The Qur'aan
ol
brought
read
will
on the Day
then
ol
Judgement, and
it)!'
will say,
'O
My
a
who
It
and practised
say,
So he
will be
adorned with
this!'
crown
'O
My
Lord! Increase
it
So he
of glory
will
will say,
It
'O
My Lord!
will
be
said,
Ik pleased with Him!' So He (Allaah) 'Recite! And rise!" and every verse he recites
will
him with
Ibn
the
'Amr reported
one
Prophet
be said to the
companion of
recites,
(i.e.,
'Recite,
and
rise!"
he
he
in his
it.
am
A /if- 1 Miim-Meem
will
count as a
Mean
has
thirty (rewards)."
(Khateeb al-Baghilaadce).
(-^g) said,
is
enclosed
by skin
it
(i.e.,
il
person memorises the entire Qur'aan)."' then Allaah will never burn
Aboo Hurayrah
gather together dering over
it,
in
upon them, and mercy surrounds them, them, and Allaah remembers them in His gathering" (Aboo
Daawood).
12
have given to
I,
p. 136). This
is .mi
number ofscholars concerning this hadceth. understanding of ilic/wi/cc//;. The other interpretaduring the lifetime ol the Prophcl
I
that
a lire,
il
the mus-lni)
was wrapped
ol these
in a leather skin
is
>-T.
then thrown in
is
il
would
Qur'aan. There
no contradiction
both
and Allaah
knows
best.
60
An
Aboo Moosaa
recites the
(^)
said,
"The
its
believer
who
Qur'aan
its
fragrance
is
pleasing and
laste is sweet.
who does not recite the Qur'aan is like a dry date - it has no fragrance but its taste is sweet. The hypocrite who recites the Qur'aan is like a basil - its fragrance is sweet, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'aan is
The believer
like a
colocynth
it
its
laste
is
bitter"
(Muslim).
C H A
E R
Inspiration
- al-Wahy
I.
The Concept
ol
of Wahy
and messengers, and inspiring them with His message,
oi s/iir/{ to
Since the creation of mankind, Allaah has communicated with them by choosing
some
them
as prophets
to
to Earth,
...then
to
Me - and
shall
whoever follows
My
Guidance, there
In another verse.
He
stated,
C> Children ol
Aadam!
If
amongst
right-
My
verses, then
fear,
them
shall he
no
S.<swf'
,-
* '<.
'C
*. j-
>' jf\^
'
-*
\*
*' '
-V \"-V '
-*
*&**&> Wwf-' m *
A ni
" \ m -
62
An
Verily
We
liave inspired
you
(()
Muhammad)
as
We
inspired
Nooh and
the
And We
and Ishaaq.
Daawood Wi
have men-
And
whom We
whom we
ami
to
directly.
hearers ol
And
Allaah
is
Kvcr-I'owcrlul, All-
Wise [4:163-65]
In
tact, this
common,
that
when
($^),
the disbelievers of
at
the prophethood of
Muhammad
Allaah revealed.
cause
ol
wonder
lor
mankind
that
We
to a
man
from among
themselves...'. [10:2]
.is
one
ol their
own
The
final recipient ol
prophets that
was Muhammad, the sou ol 'AbduUaah, the Arab, When he ($g) was called by his Lord to return to his eternal the Qurashee, (j^). resting place, his servant Umm Ayman was found crying. She was told, "Do not grieve; Verily he (g?,) is now in a better place than where he used to be." She rewas ever
to be inspired by Allaah.
sponded,
"(I
am
(g;)
better for
him
(than ibis
life).
am
crying because
this.
now
lis
revelation to
mankind!"
When
she said
with
hcr.
M>
II.
means
to
to inspire, or to
communicate
in a
manner
to
that
is
not obvious or
apparent
anybody
else, in a swilt
mean-
number
of places in the
The
natural order
Then
I
He
(as)
te
affair* |4I:I2)
ol
Reported by
Mi
Inspiration
al-Wahy
63
2)
and
what (mankind)
1
builds.
Then,
eat
of all
fruits,
and
16:68-69]
is
endowed
with;
and search
for nectar
from flow-
Human
intuition
is
And we
for
inspired the
fear
him. then cast him into the river and fear not. nor grieve'* |28:7|
that
if
on the
river,
Allaah would
had received
this
ilhaam from
make
its
recipient a prophet.
When Allaah
\i^yo^^\^>z^o n^lf^j^^\j-^)^o^
[
<...he
his people,
(by gestures
1
and signs)
19:
In
"this
Zakariyyah did
Evil whispers
says,
(amongsl mankind)
CO
and again.
64
An
for every
among
inspiring one
another....- [6:1 12
We
who,
of mensays,
14:5]
6)
Guidance
to the angels
'I
am
who
have believed*i...[8:12]
is
The
chapter,
and
is
the
'wuliy'
when
ol
Islaamic
sciences.
the types
and categories
ol nuihy
is
Allaah's state-
'-*-'*
E
'
"
'-
It
is
human
wills by
unless
or (that)
He
His Permission.
Verily.
These
III.
The Procedure
Wahy can'occur
in
of Wahy
His message
directly to
in
two forms:
I
By way of dreams.
is
This
the
first
Inspiration - al-Wahy
65
ports,
"The commencement
upon
the Prophet
($gg)
was
it
in
the lorm ol
that
came
mission ol prophethood, he (^g) would see dreams of events which would eventually
come
sun
rises
every morning.
The dreams
Allaah. This
is
ol all the
shown some event of the future, or given commandments by proven by the dream in which Ibraaheem saw himself sacrificing his
command
from Allaah,
him
to
said,
my
have seen
in a
dream
that
am
my
lather,
you
will find
$7:102)
was
command
was
in
Another example of this is the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. The Prophet ($g) had been shown a vision in which the Muslims were performing the rites of 'Umrah, and the
Companions
enter
be
in
set
($) from Madeenah to Makkah hoping The pagans of Makkah, however, did not allow the Muslims
to to
Makkah, and
a treaty
known
was enacted between the Muslims and the pagans, later to One of the conditions of the treaty was that,
the
Muslims would return and complete the rites of 'Umrah. As Muslims returned sad-heartened to Madeenah, Allaah revealed,
Indeed,
of a surely
shall
Allaah
fulfil
the
dream which
if
He showed
rites
lis
Allaah
wills, secure,
of pilgrim-
none
|48:27|
IH
Reported bj al-liukliaurce.
66
An
The
'Umrah
agreement.
The dream
The Prophet
"Nothing
is left
" but he did say, (3D never received any Qur'aan in this manner,
When
he was
asked what this was, he replied, "A true dream."'"' In other words, the only type of
inspiration that
to a
is left
alter the
(-^g) is in
dreams
of
dream
is
one out
forty-six parts of
2) Direct
prophethood.""
This
This
is
is
the second
way
in
to the
prophets
directly.
the
meaning
of the verse,
It is
human
to
him
unless
be...
from behind
a veil... |42:
Allaah speaks directly to the prophet, but the prophet does not see him.
An example
of this
to
Moosaa on Mount
Toor,:
,_$!>_/
JJ
to
\i
him. (Moosaa)
said,
"O
My
Lord! Allow
me
to look at you!'
m The Prophet
(j|),
when he went on
(i^g),
his
was
a veil
see
Him?""" meaning
that there
was a
The Prophet (^g) replied, veil of Light that was between the
lli.U
not explicit.
The
particular narration
on the authority
sitting
smiled.
just
amongst them, when he dozed oil. He then raised his head and smile. C) Messenger ol Allaah (55) " lie replied, "\soorah has
is
been revealed
mention
to
be
so.
Therefore,
it
is
Id
17
Reported by al-Bukhaarec.
Some commentators
Ik lore his
six. anil
traction as being the time that the Prophet (5J3) received true
dreams
prophethood
Allaah
months)
over the total time ol his prophethood {2i years): hence one out ol lorn
1
know
best.
18
The
late
Makkan
Heavens.
as
taken from
I
Makkah
to Jerusalem,
and then
to the
19
Reported by Muslim.
Inspiration - al-Wahy
67
fact,
Day of Judgement
is
not
manner
(i.e.,
the Prophet
received
two verses of Soorah al-Baqarah were revealed in them Irom Allaah. without an intermedial-Mi'raaj),
it
wa
However, there
is
no authentic, ex-
plicit
cannot be accepted.
B.
With an
intermediary
ol inspiration.
This
tvahy
is
is
common method
This method
is
ol
when
the
meaning ol
the phrase,
-*
<Ii
is
thai Allaah
should speak
to
him
unless...
It-
sends a messenger, so
le inspires
him
Willi
what
He
wills..."
[42:5]
hidden.
Jj>A4
\3-*^ ^j^Jh,Cr*
Whoever is an enemy
this (Qur'aan)
lo [ibreel (lei
him
he has broughl
|2:')7|
down
to
In another verse.
"And
is
(|
a Revelation
ibreel)
brought down;
Upon your
heart (()
Muhammad)
that
you may be
among
When
to
the Prophet
(5^5)
saw
her uncle.
Waraqah
ibn Nawfal.
lo Christianity,
(*g?,)
informed him
what he had
p. 196-7.
68
An
seen,
Waraqah
told
is
the
same one,
the
Naamoos (Keeper
of Se-
crets),
whom
Allaah sent
Moosaal
it is
When
essential to discuss
tions: firstly,
how Allaah
how
Jibreel
and
Prophet
Muhammad
to the
Angels
Balaam
that
It
of Allaah
is
(act
Qur'aan
in a
manner
befitting
Him,
not similar or
com-
was
to the beliefs of
some
is
of the
innovated
sects.
Therefore,
di-
Qur'aan
The Prophet
ants).
"Whenever Allaah
His serv-
He
speaks with the inspiration, and (because of this) the heavens themselves
When
to
down
in a
swoon and
prostrate to
Heaven (i.e., the angels) hear of it, Him. The first one to raise his head is
Jibreel,
inspiration that
He
wishes.
Then
Jibreel
passes by the angels; whenever he goes by any heaven, the angels of that heaven ask
say,
Truth,
and
He
is
is
Apart from the proofs from the Qur'aan and Sunnah that were quoted above
(in
the section concerning the /{cilaam of Allaah), there exist narrations from such scholars as
Imaam
(d.
ash-Shaafi'cc
(d.
204 A.H.),
this
Bukhaaree
Imaam Maalik (d. 179 A.H.). and alI2! point. Imaam Ahmad (d. 241 A.H.) was
Jibreel,
on
(-^g)
($gz).
Imaam al-Bayhaqee
(d.
in
"Verily.
We
have revealed
it
in the
Night
of
Decree
[97:
121
Reported in al-Uukhaaree.
Reported by al-Hukhaaree. Ibn Khuzaymah. ar.-Tabar.iani. and others. This hadceth
is
122
in relerencc to
when
tear
is
removed from
Say?"
truth,
1
and
He
is
the
.54:23]
[iulaihi. pps.
dozen scholars on
this
one
issue.
1779.
Inspiration - ul-Wahy
69
This verse
it
best
- "We
hear
and understand
so the angel
lower one
However, some scholars claimed that fibred took the Qur'aan from the LauhalMtiljJ'oodJi
(The Protected
Tablet).
I2
''
Those who
the Qur'aan that allude to the Lauhal-Maljfoodli (which will he discussed in the next
chapter).
explicitly
mention
Qur'aan from the Latih al-Mci/jJoodh. Other scholars, primary those of the Ac// 'arces,
claimed that Jibrccl was inspired the meaning ot the Qur'aan, but the wording
either from Jibrccl or
is
Muhammad
in a
is
its
is
ad-
herents deny what Allaah has affirmed for Himself namely that the Qur'aan
His
Balaam that
He Spoke
is
Him. To say
that the
wording
type ol
of the Qur'aan
from
Jibrccl or
Muhammad
for the
only,
and not
for the
Qur'aan, as shall
be explained shortly.
to the
communicated
this to the
Prophet
in
The
revelation
came
Prophet
for the
(jig) in a
ing of a
to
hell.
is
break into
says,
VerilyWe
2) Jibreel
shall
send
down
to
you
heavy speech"
to the
|7.?:5|
Prophet
(*^g).
This type
of
inspiration
was
The
two methods
is
which she
stated that
"O
Allaah's Messenger!
it
comes
ol
like the
bell.
is
This form
is
inspired.
I
me
in the
form
man and
me, and
125
1
Damishqi,
4,
p. 62
26 See Oh.
tor a
more
detailed discussion
of the Lauh
al-MalijoodJi.
7(i
An
ol
the Qur'aan
Therefore,
state of the
its
angelic form,
and the
Prophet
this state
would change
difficult for
he
($yg)
angel,
and
was
human
remained as he was,
him.
However,
in
(?yg)
In the
beginning ol
his
verses that Jibreel recited to him, so he ($g) used to quickly repeat after fibred, even
)o not
Qur aan);
it
is
lor
Us
its
to collect
recital..
and Recite
it.
Alter
we have
recited
il
to you.
then fellow
175:16-18)
The Prophet
no need
lor
(-^)
was assured
that he
would not
was
him
And do
|20:ll-l|
not he in haste (in taking) the Qur'aan (Irom the angel) before us
is
inspiration
completed
lo you.
and
say.
Jibreel came in the form ol a man and Companions or any other bystanders. Although the Companions saw Jibreel on a number of occasions in the form ol a man, he never inspired the Prophet (gg) with the Qur'aan on these occasions. Thus it may be surmised that when Jibreel came to the Prophet (j^g) in this form, with the iculv,',
in Iront ol the
came
to the
Prophet (g)
in his
on
different shape.
Cave
ol
Hiraa'
when
the
first
revelation
tion)
wa
al-Mi'raaj. 12
I2S
cation.
cl.
Qattaan.
p. 39.
it
The scholar
as
is
also quoted
ol this
on
iliis
point ol conimuniwill
However,
to
should he kept in mind that the exaet nature such the investigation
into,
communication
this subject
never he
known
limited.
mankind, and
should be kept
129
("II.
I'baydi.ii, p. $4-36.
is
Some
scholars claim that the Prophet (Jg) saw Jibreel in his natural lorm
[aspiration - nl-Wahy
71
that fibred
had
six
1
heavens
It
in height.
(yg)
with?
The answer is
is
that the
Prophet
(3^5)
is
communicated with
whose name
the Qur'aan
fibreel.
(S^g), when
fibreel said.
"This
(the
sound
to
ol) a
skies,
An
angel
it
them, and
come down
to the earth,
has never
down
"I
before today."
his salaams to
lights that
them, and said to the Prophet (%), you have been given, which have not been
(i.e.,
Soorah al-Faatihah),
in
it
and (he
you
last verses of
any word
except that
($yg) in-
will
be granted
'1
it."
whispered
whom
the Prophet
(5gg)
communicated with,
knowledge he
is
is
came with
given
the Qur'aan,
And
this
(Qur'aan)
is
a Revelation
down
all ol
the Qur'aan.
in a
The effect that the revelation process had on the Prophet (3|g) has been recorded number of luidccth. 'Aa'ishah narrates, "Sometimes the revelations wotdd de($yg)
his forehead
would
glisten
that
could
became
head during the inspiration process, and the Companions, due to their love
Prophet
())
would
eager to witness the revelation upon the Prophet (^,). It would be so curious about witnessing such a rare phenom-
Umayyah
to
Umayyah
was
at (a
(J^g) lifetime),
"How
wish
p, II.
132
72
An
when
person
came
to
him and
said, "()
What
is
one who
soaked
came to came and stuck his head into (i^g). his face was red (due to
then
it
perfume?" So the Prophet (^) waited lor a while, until the inspiration him. 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab motioned to Ya'la, "Come quickly!" so Ya'la
the Prophet's
(jgg)
He
some
time,
was
lilted oil
This narration shows the extreme desirethem (with non-scented ones)..." the Companions had to see the Prophet (gg) during this state, and also demon-
(j^g).
To summarise
Qayyim's
1)
is
al-
(d.
ol the types ol
wahy:
(yg)
before his
2)
The inspiration
that
used
to
(-^g)
heart by the
in
Holy
Spirit has
whispered
1
my
heart that a person will never die until his (preordained) lime comes..."
3)
The The
angel useil to
come
to
him
in the
form
ol a
human and
4)
5)
inspiration used to
come
to
in
him
like the
ringing of a
bell.
He
(J^g)
was created
in.
6)
him
(5S>) directly,
wa al-Mi'raaj.
directly, just like
He
spoke
to
Moosaa, and
this also
wa al-Mi'raaj.
third, fourth
The
only.
revelation ol the
and
fifth
methods
iy.
The
Qudsee
I
K hadeeth
injustice
a hadeeth in
(-gg)
Allaah. For example, the Prophet (^g) said, "Allaah said, '0
My servants,
have made-
haraam
for
it
also, so
do not be
54
The
it
state thai a
is
person
this state,
1
not allowed to
who desires lo perform the major or minor pilgrimage must perfume the body, hence the reason lor the question.
is
enter.
luring
35 Reported In al-Bukhaarcc.
J6
Zand al-Ma'ad.
id, p. 18.
1
',
#2085.
Inspiration -at-Whhy
73
There arc
1 )
that the
Qur'aan
is
the
to the
Prophet
(^g) in
in
many
It is
said,
Allaah
said...'
ol
(^)
saiil
that Allaah
said...'.
its
prose or content.
it.
It is
an open challenge
mankind
to
produce even
chapter similar to
it.
A.
nature in
3)
Allaah has promised to preserve the Qur'aan, whereas no such promise exists for
the hadeeth Qudsee.
4)
The Qur'aan
verses
ol
narration.
There
is
no
difits
what
and
letters are.
(i.e..
exist in the
form oiahaad
tor
it
is still
a hadeeth that
an
act of
worship
to recite the
Qur'aan, whereas
this
is
who
if he
The
recitation
of the Qur'aan. on
an
act of
worship
in
and
ot
itself.
This point also implies that a hadeeth Qudsee cannot be read in prayers, and
if
done
Only
the Qur'aan
may be
recited in
prayer.
159 This
thai
is tlii-
.ill
Some
scholars, however,
n.i>
hadeeth Qudsee
this
is
thai
fhcAsh'aree
Allaah.
laith.
There
is
"meaning' and are not die actual kfilaam ol Allaah reeks o! absolutely no prool to show that the words ol the hadeeth Qudsee are not Iroin
savs...".
it
When
best.
I
its literal,
apparent meaning:
namely, that Allaah actually spoke these weirds, and the Prophet (JS) was inspired these words; and Allaah
knows
(in
is
iowever. the wording? of the hadeeth Qudsee have not been promised to he preserved by Allaah
contrast to the Qur'aan); only their mornings have been preserved. Therefore, the
in dilierent
found
works
ol
The Qur'aan. on
1
Quraanic
hadeeth Qudsee. on the other hand, are subject to a difference ot opinion over their authenticity, just like
other hadeeth.
74
An
It
all
of the hadeeth
of the
Prophet
(),
whether they
down
to
"And he
sent
(%g,)
own
desires: rather
it is
only a revelation
down
to
him
|^3:3-4|
This verse does not speak only of the Qur'aan but also of the Sunnah.
(ijl) said. "Verily,
I
1
The Prophet
(i.e.,
Siinini/i)'.""
was given the Qur'aan and something equivalent CO it Since the Prophet ($,) said. '...I was given..." this implies that
the
his (JH)
Sunnah
is
The difference,
is
between the
the
Sunnah
is
that the
Quraan
the Speech of Allaah, inspired to the Prophet f^g) in wording and meaning, whereas
is is
die Sunnah
the speech of
Muhammad
it
thcSunneih
an integral part
is
of Isiaamic belief
and
law.
and
its
meanings safeguarded
superior to
since
it is
HI
at
HA
E R
Gradual Revelation
The
pro-
received
was discussed
in the
ol
previous chap-
This chapter
now seeks
(J^g).
to explain the
piece-meal revelation
Prophet
Muhammad
gradual revelation.
(5gg),
it
should be
like the
mentioned
prophet
was given
to the particular
once. This
is
why
the people at the time of the Prophet (&,) were suras the
Qur'aan
says,
Those
Thus
wlio disbelieve
sent
:isk.
'Why
is
all at
oncer'
(it is
down
it
in parts) so thai
We may
Wc
have revealed
Another proof
that
the Torah
all at
once, as
men-
144-1 54). MJ
I.
The
The
Stages of Revelation
vast majority ol scholars hold the
ol revelation
oc-
The
The
the Preserved Tablet,
first stage
1
Luiili
al-Mahfoodh. or
which
is
with Allaah,
all
Praise be to
\M H'
cf.
Baazmool
lor a
more
detailed discussion,
ol Allaah' in
v. I,
p.40-42.
2.
Sec
The
I
Ch.
this point,
it
ami die
The Ash'arees
exist until
Created in
lie
Lctuh al-Mahfondh. whereas A/il as-Simmi/i claim dial die Qur'aan existed widioul any beginol
ning (from eternity) as the Jplaam ofAllaah, and was written in theLauh al-Mahfoodh before the creation .-J .L
76
An
is
the Tablet
upon which
all
oJ the
until the
"The
He said to
it,
"Write!"
It
responded, "()
My
al-
Lord!
And what
shall
Day
ol
Judgement.
Mahfoodh.
Therefore, included in the Lauhal-Mahfoodh
ol this writing,
is is the text ofthe Qur'aan. The method known only to Allaah. The tact that the Qur'aan
and when
it
occurred,
is is
written
on the Lauhal-Mahfoodh
mentioned
in the
Qur'aan
itself:
Nay!
This
is
indeed
.1
Malgoodh.. [85:21-2]
and
also.
And this
is
(i.e.,
the
Lauh
al-Mahfoodk) [56:77-78]
Part ol the
wisdom
is
ot this stage is to
prove
ofthe
Qur'aan, as
its safety.
it
its
This
knowledge
ol Allaah, as the
Lauh
it
all
commands and
decrees of Allaah.
The Qur'aan
Lauh al-Mahfoodh
The second
From
the
a place called
stage
in
in in
Lauh al-Mahfoodh, Allaah revealed the Qur'aan to the lower heavens, "The House of Honour" (cd-Bayt al-'Izza). This revelation occurred Ramadaan, on the Night ol Decree (Lay/ut al-Oadr). The proof for this is found some verses ol the Qur'aan, and the statements ofthe Companions.
The Qur'aan
states,
The month
ol
Ramadaan
is
the
month
in
revealed...-
[2:185]
and
it
also states.
!5\^3J^<^4l^j3lLil
-14
Reported by
'Aqeedah at-Tahaawiyyuh,
p,
Gradual Revelation
77
We have
sent
it
(the Qur'aan)
down, on
a Blessed
Night-
|44:s|
The Qur'aan
Night
as,
We have
sent
it
down
in the
These verses specify that the entire Qur'aan was sent down Ramadaan, and specifically on the Night of Decree.
in the
month
or
Explaining these verses, Ihn 'Abbaas said, "'The whole Qur'aan was sent
down
to
the lower heavens on the Night of Decree. Then, whenever Allaah wished to inspire
He would
inspire
it,"
l4,
and
in
1
another narration,
"...it
a period of
twenty years."
'"'
Ibn 'Abbaas mention thai the place the Qur'aan was revealed lo
or,
of
Honour.'
14 '
down
in
one
night.
The famous
(d.
lower heavens?
The
response
In
its
revelation
is
it
a sign
of the eminence
to.
whom
was revealed
This
is
is is
an indication
the
last
Book
of all hooks
be revealed), revealed
has been
it
all
And were
at
once,
(5g5).
differentiate
to
between him
and the other prophets (by causing the two matters together:
(in the
Quraan
be revealed piece-meal).
Therefore, (by this initial descent to the lower heavens) Allaah the
combined
lower
it
He made
prophets
once
to the
He honoured him
In other words, this initial descent of the Qur'aan to the lower heavens
lar to the revelation of
was simi-
it
was done
at
once; therefore in
Prophet
Yet, the
shared the
same procedure of
prophets had.
145
146 Narrated by al-Haakim, al-Nasaa'i and al-Baihai|ce. 147 Dr. Subhi Salih. in his Mabahithfi 'Uloom at-Qur'aan,
since these narrations
p.
two
(SS).
we cannot
(personal reasoning), therefore Ibn Abbaas must have heard this from
and
on the
lh.it
Prophet Qg)).
148 Baazmool, p. 44.
78
An
THE THIRD
The
final stage of revelation
STACK
to
was alluded
by Ibn 'Abhaas
of the
in his
previous narra-
manded him
verse.
to bring.
The Qur'aan
many
verses. In
one
Allaah says,
-a
'%
is
a revelation
heart
(O Muhammad),
so thai
The procedure
been discussed
Some
five.
and
yet
The reason
variously to be
sixty,
Madeenah, and
that his
The
difference,
therefore, revolves
1
Makkah
widespread
lims,
away
at the
heard the
Lauh al-Mahfoodh to negate the Qur'aan from Allaah. These narrations do not mention
that
Jibreel in that
Lauh al-Mahfoodh:
was
to
is
explicit
He
wished
to reveal.
The
($>)
discussed, and
it
was shown
that Jibreel
heard the Qur'aan from Allaah. In other words, what Jibreel recited
to the
Prophet
that Allaah
Spoke
Some
this
took the
was
the only
method by which
Qur'aan. This opinion is rewhole concept of the Qur'aan being the actual
stated that Jibreel heard the
Qur'aan from
Allaah and took the Qur'aan from the Lauh al-Mahfoodh. Whether Jibreel also took
the Qur'aan Irom the
Lauh al-Mahfoodh or
not,
is,
as
az-Zarqaanec
is
stated, "...not ol
1
we are
Allaah alone."
Gradual Revelation
7 l>
The
authenticity.
They
|21:27|
il"
lie-
Command*
and
calls
meaning that they do not disobey Allaah. Allaah then him the
"trustworthy
Spirit.. |26:19.i|
meaning
thai Jibreel
was trustworthy
in revealing the
was chosen by Allaah to be the recipient ot the he (sgg) would not forget or miss any verse. When
the Prophet (#5) used to hurriedly recite the verses from Jibreel, in tear that he might
forget,
Allaah revealed.
Move
Il is
make
its
haste therewith.
for
Us
to collect
it.
anil to give
you
to
((
Muhammad)
it."
recited
it
The Prophet
tation before
was
he ($^) should
memorised the
(yg) hail
a failure in his
revelation,
him
thai a failure
on
his part to
do so would mean
Prophet:
() Messenger! Proclaim
from your Lord.
sage!- [5:67]
If you
(the message)
so.
sent
down
1
to
you
do not do
lis
mes-
Fourthly, Allaah even ruled out the possibility that the Prophet (5S) might
tamper
le said.
to collect
cm
is
for
Us
II
and Recite
il
in you."
80
An
And
lie
(Muhammad)
is
own
desires:
il
is
only an
inspiration that
inspired" |53:3-4]
Say
(O Muhammad):
desire.
I
"It is
not for
me
is
to
change
it
(the Qur'aan)
1
from
my
own
revealed to me'
10:15]
punishment
is
promised
for forging
any revelation:
"And
surely
if
he
(Muhammad) had
artery!" |69:44-6|
it
to
Us,
We
and then
off his
safely,
cast
on
It
its
The Qur'aan
in
eternity.
was
then written
the
the
Lauh
During
month
in
began
to the
lower heavens.
The
to the
Prophet
it
faith-
who
then passed
on
to
mankind.
is
come with
this
to
A.H.) discusses
ques-
and concludes:
It
evidences that the (quantity) of the Qur'aan revealed would depend on the
particular situation; five verses, or ten verses, or more, or
tion
less.
The
revela-
"f-rt
t4*"*
"...except those
who
As
mention only
five verses,
such as
would teach
and
evening,
say. "Jibreel
report in al-I'ayhaqcc that Ulnar ibn al-Khattaab said, 'Learn the Qur'aan
Gradual Revelation
81
five verses at a
come
meaning of these
reports
that Jibreel
would quote
the Prophet
(jgg) live
time.
This
is
Deenar
Aboo
Quraan
another question
is
ot revelation
(-^g) life,
changer
(g;) life,
much
narrates,
which most of the revela"Allaah increased the wahx upon the Prophet
it
on
this
phenomenon,
This
said,
shows
that the
(jgg)
passed away
ol revelations.
And
the
tb.it
Conquest
ot
Makkah.
the delegations
tribes to the
Prophet
(Jgj)
number ol questions
in
frequency
(to
And
this
is
in contrast to the
ot the
come
between the
This gradually
ol the
long
Then,
And
the
II.
down
to
its
in
its
entirety to the
Prophet
However,
this
many
verses,
was not the case. The Qur'aan in fact refers and from these verses some ol the merits and
gradual revelation
in
Allaah says.
IM
1^2
as-Suyootce,
v.
I,
p. ">7.
The translation
ai places.
Reported by al-Bukhaarcc.
153 fiK&<j/-&anw\v.9,p,8.
82
An
<>!
the
Qur'aan
-Anil
it
(is a)
Qur'aan which
it
We have
might
recite
to
mankind
at intervals.
And
verily.
We
have revealed
it
hy
stages!- [17:106]
When
the disbelievers
(3gg) to
mocked
entirety,
Allaah revealed:
And
at
those
who
dishelieve say.
sent
Why
it
is
him
all
oncer' Thus
(it is
down
in parts) that to
We may strengthen
a blessing that
your heart
thereby.
And We have
revealed
you gradually,
in stages.. |25:.i2|
Thus
was considered
ummah.
1
Some
1)
*'
To strengthen the
($g)
The Prophet
wards
cerer, a
attitude
of his people
he was
to-
his message.
They
that
a sor-
-Indeed,
ers)
We know
1
is
straitened hy
what they
(the disbeliev-
say
1=5:971
of the
Qur'aan
to the
Prophet
(5^*),
he was reaffirmed
discusses the
and
zeal.
This
is
what Allaah
alludes to
when He
Thus
[25:321
(it is
sent
down
in parts) that
We may strengthen
of the
in the content
earlier revelations in
Makkah, where
after
how
ships and torments that they faced from their peoples. In Soora/i
Hood,
men-
"And
gers
all
that
We
relate to
you
(()
Muhammad)
is
in order that
We may make
1 : 1
20|
17.
Gradual Revelation
S3
There are
number of ways
in
(2g)
ol
stories.
told to learn
f**
it's
y\t\
>.
-J, \\"
-**
l"'^'*
"Therefore, he patient
((.)
Muhammad),
like the
He
will
(S^)
was
and
all
their
mockery of Islaam.
do no harm
-^
So
let
We know
anil
He
(-gg)
&$k2&'&
Allaah has
ordained
"Verily,
it
is
ami
the messengers
who will
be Victori-
ous".. [58:211
And. he
(-^g)
was reassured by
'Verily, their
llighl. anil
This gradual
the
method
pa-
tience,
idolaters.
The Qur'aan
says, as
'
-\
X'-'' '\-'{'t
> ''*\'
i-*iif T'r'*
\<"
we
relate to
gers
is
in
order that
to
you (() Muhammad) ol the news ol the messenWe may make your heart strong ami firm! And in this
as ait
has
come
admonition
<tn<l
,i
believers* [11:1201
2)
To
simplify
its
The
piece-meal revelations
the Qur'aan
made
it
Companions
to
understand, memorise and implement the portions that were revealed. If the Qur'aan
all at
its
once,
it
of
Companions to Companions
84
An
even alter
its
revelation
its
compilation
fin-
ished.
narrates that
'Abdullaah ibn
Mas'ood, 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, and others, would learn ten verses of the Qur'aan,
they
They used
all
studied
its
and injunctions
"We learnt the text ot the Qur'aan, and ^ Another Successor, Aboo Nadrah (d. together."
to say,
1
"We used
'
to learn
five verses in
the
morning, and
five verses at a
five in
the evening, tor he told us that fibred used to bring (on average)
1
1 '
time."
Thus, even
after the
Companions adopted the same gradual approach in teaching it to the later generations. They had learnt the benefits of teaching the Qur'aan gradually from the piecemeal revelation
It
ot the Qur'aan.
that,
it
all at
the
To rah was
revealed),
due
were revealed
and written.
3)
was a strong incentive to ensure that the verses were memorised This was crucial for the preservation of the Qur'aan.
(-^).
to
The
said,
(yg)
questions in
order to outwit him, but every time Allaah would reply to their queries. As Ibn 'Abbaas
"Whenever the disbelievers brought a new question would reveal to them an answer (through the Qur'aan)."
to this aspect
to the
1
'"
of the revelation,
And no example
you) except dial
or similitude
reveal to
do they hring
(to
oppose or
to find fault in
We
this similitude),
and the
of such verses;
when
the idolaters
demanded
miracles
155
ibid., p. 110.
Gradual Revelation
85
And even
to
il
them, and
We had sent down unto them angels, and the dead had spoken We had gathered together all things before their very eyes, they
willed, but
ig-
Included
in this
(-^g)
lems that the believers faced. Whenever a situation or crises arose, the Qur'aan would
clearly lay out the solution.
to the
For example,
when Khawlah
bint Tha'labah
complained
1
Prophet
(_
that her
to her,
'"'
Allaah
revealed.
who
cerning her husband, and complains to Allaah. Allaah hears the argument
between both
of"
you;
verily.
Allaah
is
whose Hearing encompasses all voices! The woman came complaining to the Prophet (#|), and I was sitting in the corner of the room, straining to hear what she was saying (in one narration, 'I could hear some
'Aa'ishah reports, "All praise be to Allaah,
of
it
and some of
it
could
not'),
who disputes
'1
1
'
Even though
'Aa'ishah
was
sitting in the
all
to
Praise be
Him, heard
it
from above the seven heavens, and immediately sent down these
all
future spouses
who
same problem.
fact that the
Therefore, the
tions
to the
ques-
was
in fact the
word
ol
Allaah, re-
To prove
Quraan.
it
Indeed, one of the most outstanding miracles of the Qur'aan was that
vealed over a period of two decades;
idolaters,
it it
was
re-
catered to a plethora of
answered many questions from believers and situations, it solved a wide variety of problems, it
frequently
commanded
of its
six
and the
is
and
contradicted by another!
is
A humaninvariably
authored book
of this size
if
written instantaneously,
158
the hack of
The Arabs had a custom known as ithihuar, in which a man would tell his wife, "You arc to me like my mother." This statement meant that the man had taken a vow upon himself not to approach
It
was as
il'the
woman
"suspended'
state: neither
she could remarry, nor was she a proper wife to the husband. After this particular incident, the Qur'aan
prohibited this act
(cf.
58:1-10)
86
An
bound
to contain errors
it is
ol
the
Qur'aan when
To add
to
its
miracu-
and arrangement
ol the verses
Prophet
(%?,)
would
instruct his
verses.
literally
assembled out
It
was
as
if
an
over two
decades to form
a flawless masterpiece.
j $h X T.'^^ \\A\^\ A \
Do
it
many contradictions in a
To
gradual manner.
no
specific
Companions is that He revealed to them the made it easier tor them to adopt these laws. Inilaws ol" lialaal and haraain.'"' The Companions during
this stage,
the
ol
Makkan
stage were being trained spiritually so that they could lorm the nucleus
the future
Muslim
state in
Allaah then
to
could adapt
first
revelations
exist-
ence of Allaah through His Creation. These verses called upon the pagans
the one true
worship
God, and
of
not to call
upon others
for help
and
aid.
They
elaborated the
unique concept
tawheed, and instilled in the early Muslims the strong faith that
Soon
came down
This
fact
establishing the basics ol worship, and warning against the major sins.
"
was
staled by Aa'ishah
(i.e.,
when
first
revelations only
when
the peo-
ple were firm in their conviction ol Islaam, Allaah revealed the luilaal
If the
will
first
and \\\clnnaam.
fornicate," they
And
the
first
'Do no
were revealed gradually, to ease the process of conversion upon the early Muslims.
6)
To
The process ol
mentioned
was
a difficult
one
for the
Prophet
(i^g),
as
was
a cold
6,
"Tin- malice
lliis.
and madanee
see 7.ari|.iaiKe.
p. l7.
Narrated
In'
al-Hukhaarec.
Gradual Revelation
87
night,
Had
the
Quraan been
revealed
all at
once,
difficult lor
the Prophet
() to bear.
great scholar
To summarise the concept of the gradual revelation, it is appropriate to quote die and interpreter ol the Qur'aan, Aboo al-Fidaa Ismaa'eel ibn 'Umar (d.
known
this
as Ibn Katheer,
who
stated:"
'
And
all
of
was given
to the
Prophet
(i^g),
would come
him
continually,
at
home
the
or while travelling.
And
come
to
him with
Quraan, unlike
who would
greater,
he-
was
and
all
of them.
to
The Qur'aan
is
the most
the
honoured book
Muhammad
And
I
(i^g)
is
Allaah combined
le tirst
once,
it
He
then revealed
II
J
l
I.
The
First
and the
Last Revelations
The changing
nicated to him.
point in the
lite ol
the Prophet
ol
Muhammad
(-^S) -
and
lor all ol
humanity afterwards
the (-^)
first
commu-
human
before
of which no
so thai you
may warn
the
nil
that
surrounds
it
|42:7|
1
meaning
"all
"4
!
In
no
monumental
Say, '()
Mankind!
Verily
am
sent to
you
I
all as
Whom
The Prophet
kind:
|7:1SS|
was
to
Revelation to
Man-
And
truly, this
(Qur'aan)
is
a Revelation
Which
heart
(O Muhammad),
so that
you
may be one
first
received?
64
The
First
89
l.
The
1 )
First Revelation
first
The
first five
Read! In the
Name
of your L.ord,
Who
has created
is
(all
that exists}.
las
Created
man from
[96:1-5]
a clot.
Read!
Verily,
your Lord
Who
The
in
lias
which he
knew not-
is i\\c
"The commencement of the divine revelation to Allaah's Messenwas in the form of good dreams which came true, like the bright daylight. Then, ger the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him (^,). He used to go for seclusion to the Cave of Hiraa where he used to worship Allaah continuously lor many days, before his desire to see his family (caused him to return). He used to take with him food lor
which she
,
the
stay,
to
Khadeejah
in the
to take his
Cave
of Hiraa'.
The
angel (Jibrcel)
came
to to
The Prophet
(|) responded,
"I
me so me to again replied, 'I do not know how to read!' Thereupon he caught me for read, and the second lime, ami pressed me until could not bear Ie then released me and asked me to read. again responded, 'I do now know how to read' (in another narration, "What shall read:'). Thereupon, he caught me for the third time, and pressed me, and then released me and said,
The Prophet
I I
($g)
me
(forcibly)
and pressed
hard that
any more.
He
then released
me ami
I
again asked
it.
Read! in the
name
ol
your Lord,
who
was
created. Created
man
from
a clot.
Read!
And
your Lord
is
the
first
and
is
it
is
There
A.H.),
(d.
105
we
used to
ments.
to the
around him
l
him).
He
is
used
the
to
gar-
(96:1)
he
said,
'This
first
sooiuh to be revealed
165 az-Zarqaancc,
v.
I.
p. 94.
90
An
2)
Soorah al-Muddathir.
Bukhaarcc.
in
The proof
for this
is
in al-
He
"
replied,
was revealed
first."
The
"I
was informed
that
it
was
Readl In the
Name
of your I.ord.|%:l
I
|"
am only
telling
he said, heard
'I
was
in the
I
mountain
ol Hiraa',
and when
came down
to the valley (I
a voice), so
I
looked
to the right,
I
me. Then
vealed,
and to the left, anil in Iront of me, and behind saw him meaning Jibreel - and a great fear
re-
overtook me! So
|'"
7-4-:
1
which
entirety
first,
was revealed
remaining verses
ol
ars
have claimed that Jaabir was not present when the Prophet (^g) began narrating
which he
(3ig)
(3gg)
was mid-way
which Jaabir
"While
was walking,
visited
sky.
who had
me at
and the
dent,
which proves
which describes the encounter with Jibreel five verses ol Soorah al-'Alaq were revealed
\~
and
is
this
second
opinion
3)
a narration in
al-Rayhaqee that
this narration
is
4)
The
verse revealed
Revelations
91
Name
ol
Bestower
proof.'"
7
ol
is
II.
The
Last Revelation
a
There are
(i^5)
number
is
ot opinions
concerning the
is
last
received. This
because there
discusses this
revelation,
subject,
first
hadeeth in
states
what the
revelation, as fol-
lows:
I)
IMi
4*
And
fear the
day
in
which you
Then everyone
will
|
be
paid what he earned, and they will not be dealt with unjustly* |2:28l
(3gg) lived
nine
was
re-
was
4i)l
\jaS\
\j-\'-
.()
you
il
who
you
in-
terest,
5)
was
( )
you
who
believe!
II
il
down
12:282
-I)
Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim report from al-Baraa' ibn 'Aazib that the
final verse-
(a
person
who
167 Both
is
ol the
ol
du Companion who
missing:
168
ct;
cl. '/..ir/.ur. p.
Ubaydaat, pps.
Qauaan.
pps.
<>9
92
An
't."w>if
.' fc
<
|4:1761
5)
Al-Haakim
the last
reports
final revelation
comprised
of
two
l^=a_ii \ 3
"\yj
r^
3 *W-J^
A
6)
(.rily.
there has
[9:128-9]
Muslim
Nasr,
i?\*
"'~\^v\
When
7)
the
to you,
[110:1-4]
verse,
And whoever
kills a
is
Hell, to abide
was the
S)
last
verse revealed,
and no verse
after
it
abrogated
it.
Ibn
Mardawayh
narrates from
Umm Salama:
"The
was,
(their prayers,
and
said),
"Never will
allow
one
ol another..."' 1: 195
see that
(lirst)
men
(in the
The
Do
not wish for those things which AJlaah has
First
93
to excel for
men
a
there
is
reward
for
women
and then
there
is
reward
for
He
Verily, the
the believing
Allaah has prepared lor them forgiveness, and a great reward- [33:35]
and
finally
Me
revealed,
$b&$+ i#$&w
i
Ncver
will
allow to he
last
lost the
work
ol
any of
you... [3:195]
Therefore,
9)
it
was the
verse revealed."
last soorcth re-
10)
At-Tabaree reported that Mu'aawiyah ibn Abec Sufyaan claimed that the
verse revealed
last
was the
last verse
last
10).
11)
It
Today
My
Fa-
vours upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion [5:3]
A cursory
many of them,
since each
Companion
'Aazib was referring to the final verse revealed concerning the laws of inheritance;
Umm Salama was referring to the last verse revealed concerning the relative status of
men and women; concerning 4:93, Ibn
rogated
of
it,"
it
ab-
shows
that he
was
manslaughter; and Ibn 'Abbaas' report concerning Soorah al-Nasr talks about the
final
The
report of 'Aa'ishah
94
An
soorah to
was Soorah al-Maa'idah means that this was the last be revealed which contained any legal rulings, as other narrations show.
of these verses are from the same passage
is
As
in the
Qur'aan,
ions, as
it
possible that
seems as
it
mus-hflf is
last.
The
strongest opinion
is
the
first
one, since
explicitly
its
revelation
(5) death.
The meaning ol
of Resurrec-
refers to
which yon
2:28
As
is
what
is
commonly
believed by most
Muslims
to
be
jSS^JfcfoISIfJJI
Today
I
However,
this
at
Day ol
(5^5)
Aralah,
number
months before
the Prophet's
death. Since
refers to the
many Muslims
meant by
ami
{luiluul
end
ol the revelation.
What
is
actually
however,
of Islaam
luinuim) have been revealed. (This also explains 'Aa'ishah's opinion that the last soorah
to
is
in
it
was the
lasi
revelation ol the Qur'aan continued to the Prophet (^g) until only days before he (^g) died. In fact, no
that this
was the
last
verse of the
Qur'aan to be revealed.
'"
v.
I.
p. J6.
Aim Shahbah,
pps. 125-127.
The
in.
First
and
Last Revelations
Relative First
The
general.
first
two sections
and
last revelations
of the Qur'aan
first
in
The
and
last rev-
and the
last revela-
in the
intoxi-
The
lirst
These verses have been arranged chronologically by the scholars of Islaam. verse to mention intoxicants was:
intoxicants
benefit to
is
In
is
them
is
and
(also)
some
caused)
gained)..." [2:219]
The
next verse that was revealed restricted the consumption of intoxicants, such
that they
0 You who
aess...[4:43]
believe!
Do
The
tion:
last
amount
ol
consump-
->'
"
''?~.
"fri>"
to excite
intoxi-
Another topic
for
which the
and
last verses
verse revealed
Makkan
stage:
96
An
Say:
do not
find in that
to a
me
he
dead animal, or
or the flesh
surely
impure
- or the impi-
Alter
lastly
this, 16:1 14
was
revealed,
and
this
was followed
in
Madeenah by
2:73,
and
by
5:3,
which
A similar examination ol
The knowledge ol
ings
ate the history
this
chronology
It
and appreci-
171
eCAbuShahbah.pps.
129-130.
C H A P
E R
The Muslims
started out
in
Makkah, and
yet within a
few
The
to
the Prophet
finally
(S^g)
from Makkah
Madeenah.
that the
It
was
Muslims
fear.
had
it is
a state in
which they
in a differ-
Therefore,
specific
in
Madeenah
ent
way than
had done
in
tent, style
and syntax
of these
Makkah. There is a marked difference in the verse contwo periods, reflecting the different circumstances that
topic that
is
the
Muslims were
in. It is this
verses.
The Qur'aan
This
is
is
no surprise
says.
Muslim,
for
Allaah
Iimsell has
promised
to safeguard
it.
The
Qur'aan
&Sj^iM\yJ^(ScA^i
Verily, it is
We who
We
will
guard
it
The Qur'aan
these aspects
is
has been preserved so carefully that not only has the actual text been
all
related
knowledge
that
is
needed
to
understand
it.
Among
The Prophet
remark whether
a verse
was malice or
madanee, but the Companions understood the importance of this topic and carefully
preserved this knowledge, as
said: "I
it is
essential in
know where it was revealed. And there is not that know the reason behind its revelation. And
I
a single verse in
person that
reach him.
I
did,
and
it
was
possible for
1
me
:
to
my camel)
towards him
knowledge)."
172
Reported by al-Bukhaaree.
98
An
It is
because
of this
enthusiasm
of
the
Companions
concerning a verse's revelation was preserved. The scholar Aboo Bakr al-Baac]illaanee
(d.
403 A.H.)
said,
l7<
This (preservation)
panions ami Successors,
is
Com-
[usl like
anil
memorize
his
first
so too the
Qur'aan
it
in tact to
an even greater
Thus,
it
is
not
uncommon
to find a
Companion
concerning a
verse's revelation
seem
irrelevant.
Such
cir-
(i^,) was in. For example, al-Bukhaaree narrates that verse was revealed atTabook during the last third of the night, when the Prophet (jgg) was with Umm Salamah. Ibn Mas'ood said, "Once, we were with the Prophet (-yg) in
one
when
Allaah revealed,
V'
forth...-" |77:1|.'"'
And
the verse,
was revealed
guards."
tent
'at
night
when
When
l,s
ami
promised
to
protect me."
First,
it is
and madanee
verses.
I.
defined.
The
first
definition relies
upon
According to
if
a verse
the hijrah,
it
is
hijral),
is
considered
madanee. This definition ignores the actual place of revelation. Therefore, those verses
revealed at the Farewell Pilgrimage (8 A.H.), or the
173
1
az-Zarkashee,
v.
I,p. 191.
7-1
Reported by al-Bukhaaree,
75 Reported by at-Tirmidhcc and al-Haakim. 76 For other examples ot this nature, sec Xarzur. pps.
I
56-138.
Nk
M.iiskn
;in<i ih<
M.ui.inii Vitm
-.
yy
would be considered madanee by this definition, even though the actual place of revelation was Makkah. The criterion according to this definition, once again, is the time
of revelation, not place. This
is
it
is
the
is
therefore the
one primarily
the place
utilised
by the scholars
of
Islaam.
If
it
The second
verse
definition relies
in
upon
it
was revealed
Madeenah,
is
where the verse was revealed. madanee, and if it was revealed in Makkah.
at
a
is
Makkah during
first
The
flaw
classified as either
its
scheme.
is
the verse
meant
if
polytheists of
Makkah,
is
it
is
the
verse
is
will
be considered
the
madanee.
One ol
many verses in
Qur'aan
a specific portion of
all
Madeenan. Sometimes, the mankind, such as the People ol the Hook, ami
or
Makkan
other times,
Ii
it
addresses
of the creation.
is
also possible to
definitions
is
when
soorah
and
to say, tor
place, yet
whom
it
is
ar-Ra'ad.
ists ol
Makkah.
should also be mentioned that certain modern authors''
It
of
Makkan and Madeenan periods into three stages: early, middle, and late revelations. They then attempted to show that each of these three stages has a unique style
the
and
one another.
II.
The Knowledge
malice or madanee.
The first way is by relying upon reports from the Companions; in other words, a Companion specifically states the place and/or time ol revelation, or gives some external information from which the time of revelation can be inferred. The second way is
by personal reasoning, or ijtihaad. In this method, a scholar will take the verses' meaning
and
style into
account ami
try to
is
malice or madanee.
177
ct".
100
An
curred
is
at a certain
knowledge
is
taken as undisputed
This
because the Companions were present at the time of revelation, and were the only
a certain verse
is
may be
it
accepted or rejected.
The
known
characteristics ot mak){ec
be discussed next)
incorrect.
may be
ill.
The Attributes
This
is
of
Revelations
that they each
have unique
need.
The
of
Muslims
and
revelation, Islaam
to
was
a relatively
new
religion,
and the
beliefs ot
Islaam
still
had
little
power,
and thus needed continual moral encouragement. In the second period, however, the
Muslims had
daily
their
own
state
and were
needed
relatively established.
in neeil
The
beliefs of
Islaam
in their
of divine guidance
and
social lives.
They
also
to
know
and
ttmmah
varied according to
its
situation, so did
the style
and content
of the revelation.
the
common themes
Ol
that
of
every makfcee
I79
madanee verse
and
themes; rather, these arc general trends that are applicable to most mal{l{cc and madanee
verses.
as
common
themes:
The
call to
Names and
is
Attributes,
and
rejecting
all false
deities
and
idols.
The
tact that
there
only one
true god
is
proven
in these verses.
Many malfam
78 Unless there exist statements to the contrary by other Companions. There arc
inspecting the various reports by
number of methods
beyond
ol
Companions
the scope ol this book. 179 For these attributes, see: az-'/.arkashee, 1/187-191; as-Suyootee. 1/22-23; Qattaan, 6.3-64; Ubaydaal
114-117.
) )
the
Madance
Verses
101
The
Day
ol
Judgement.
The
upon the
stories
Day
'aqecdah.
The
establishment of morality. For example, malice verses called lor good con-
and
was a custom amongst the Arabs of female infanticide). At this stage, only a broad basis of morality was established; specific laws (concerning lornication, drinking, etc.,)
4)
The
stories
The
trials
mal{l<ec soorahs
emphasised the
sto-
ries of
faced
at
the idola-
ters of
the punishment
As
1
for the
madance
revelations, their
common
themes
The
detailed laws
familial
and
societal
relationships. Included in this are laws forjihaad, marriage, inheritance, the laws
state in
crimes (Iwdood).
discussion with the Jews and Christians concerning their religions, and an
3)
The
invite
and Jews
to Islaam, primarily
in their
books and
beliefs,
Moosaa and
'Eesaa.
and
treachery.
The exposition of the plots of the hypocrites. The Madcenan phase witnessed a new phenomenon that was unknown to the Muslims of Makkah -that of hypocrisy.
For the
first
time,
it
was
socially
and
politically
advantageous
to be consid-
new breed
of people, those
who
professed belief
and
caution the
more than pretenders! Thus, the madanee verses menwarn the Muslims against their Muslims not be become like them.
their plots, in order to
in the
Makkan
stage, but
it
was
in
Madcenah
that the
number of
102
An
Specific Characteristics of
verses
Some
1
specific characteristics of
makkee revelations
is
such as Alif-
and Aali-
which have
a verse
and the
story ol
Aadam and
Some
1
specific characteristics of
madancc
revelations are:
a
crime (lutdood)
is
madauee.
is
3)
madanee.
4)
5) Generally,
their
makkee counterparts.
iv.
The
There
Madanee
particular verse
more to the knowledge of makkee and madanee verses than whether a was revealed before or after the hijrah. The scholar Aboo al-Qaasim
an-Naysabooree
(d.
Hasan
ibn
Muhammad
Amongst
406A.H.) wrote:
is
the
knowledge
tli.it
ol
its
revelation, anil
classification into
vet
is
huh
at
was
revealed at
yet
is
Makkah
madanee, and
Madccnah
Makkah ,u Madccnah
categories).
concern-
These
is
Book
*3
181
See
C.h.
').
'The Beginning
v. I.
ol die Soorahs'.
182 18s
a/.-Zarkashcc.
p. 192.
See az-Zarkashce,
p.
I87-2DS
li>r
the
Madancc
Verses
103
the soorahs
whose
verses, or
The madanee
Those soorahs
soorahs.
These
whose
verses, or
most
of
whose
verses,
were revealed
3)
in
which there
is
it
is
unsure
The madancc
Muhammad,
The
soorahs in
which there
is
number:
alal-
The
4)
rest
Malice verses
in general
to earlier,
might
ple,
be madancc,
is
w For exam-
Soorah al-Anfaal
Allaah
is
madanee,
64
in particular
is
($!).
Sufficient for
you and
who
follow you!"
is
5)
Madanee
makjfee except lor three verses which were revealed after the hijrah, verses 151-153,
will recite to
for
that
That which was revealed at Makkah yet is madanee. In other words, those verses were revealed after the hijrah at Makkah. An example of this is the verse
Today
for you,
fa-
at the
it
was revealed
after
considered madanee.
in
is
mal{kcc.
For example.
'^C^JJJ^^^^J
And
offer prayers perfectly at the
1
in
some hours ol
the night...-
11:1 14|
fS4
The
and
actual
arrangement
ol the verses
ol the
soorahs
verses.
PH An
at
Makkah and
is
Imm
\o\\.
then rain
down
stones
on us from
it
the
sky...' |8:.52|
to be malfcce since
A ijrah.
in
entirely,
and the
first
lew verses
ol
Soorah
first
at
Aboo
whom you
was
Allaah guides
whom
He
wills- |2S:56]
(jgi;)
in his bed.
However,
1
as "Aa'ishah narrated,
of the
Makkah to Madeenah. The first soorah to be taken Madeenah was Soorah Yoosut. 'Aul ibn Afra was among the eighty Ansaar who embraced Islaam at the hands of the Prophet ($g) in Makkah (at the second covenant ol al- Aqabah). He returned to Madeenah atter he had memorised Soorah Yoosul, and recited it to the people ol Madeenah, which led to the conversion of many people. After this, more and more soorahs were taken from Makkah to
That which was taken from
to
from
Makkah
Madeenah.
12)
to
number of
For
Makkah
^$^j&J$if&$&k
(()
Muhammad)
about lighting
in
the Sacred
Months
was revealed when the Muslims of Makkah were being attacked by the pagans
during the Sacred Months. These Muslims asked the Prophet
(jyg)
allowed to light back, and Allaah revealed the answer in this verse. Also in this cat-
1X5 az-Zarkashec,v.
I,
p. 191.
The-
Makkcc and
the
Madance
Verses
105
cgory
lims
is
the verse that prohibits interest (2:278), and the verse that informs the
to
Musal-
ii
is
would
them
(4:99).
Another example
Baraa'ah).
The Prophet
13) That which was revealed during the hijrah. On the way from Makkah to Madeenah, during the hijrah, Allaah revealed these verses to console the Prophet ($^)
Airily.
He Who
you back
14)
to the place
of return
(i.e..
to Abyssinia.
These
the
Negus of
Abyssinia:
pZ j \1SZ
&
^Ak=> &ttl
& Js$\J*1^J
is
()
Come
to a
word
that
just
ami
fair
between us
.mil
you. that
IS)
we worship none
That which was revealed while the Prophet (3^) was travelling. Most of the Qur'aan was revealed when the Prophet (>yg) was not travelling. However, some of
the Qur'aan
battles or travels
when
the
of mal{l{ec
arc the
more impor-
v.
The
Some
Benefits of
verses
are:
This knowledge
is
key
to
The
lact that
l\Z&\$3<&\'$t&&j&tf%fa
Airily.
He Who
Muhammad)
Makkah)
you back
to the place
of return
(i.e.,
|28:8S|
IX()
Sec Ch.
7.
106
An
2)
This knowledge helps differentiate the abrogated verses from the non-abrogated
ones. For example,
ings,
if
different rul-
but one
is
11
is
madanee
3)
It
verse.
lile
of the Prophet
(,-gg).
For example,
in the
malice
verses, the
Prophet (-^)
is
madanee verses he
ol the
told to
beware
ol the plotting
life
a better
understanding of the
Prophet
(-^g),
and
Companions.
first
4)
It
anil
most
the mal^kce revelations. In these soorahs, the Qur'aan talks about lawheed
(mono-
Hell and
other crucial topics. In the madanee revelations, on the other hand, the Qur'aan
primarily talks about laws for the individual, family and state.
which
were implemented
verses.
is
appreciated
an understanding
t)
It
and madanee
to
Islaam (da'tvah).
methods
depending on
whom
The
polvthe-
are given different arguments than the Jews or Christians, tor example.
The
caller to
No
the importance ol
trust,
hope, prayer,
is always given on - of directing all forms of worship, from love, fear, lawheed sacrifice, and vows only to Allaah. Likewise, all da'tvah should
Lastly,
it
ol the
Qur'aan was
preserved.
A person cannot
at the
II
when
and how
actual
a verse
meaning and
87 Sec Ch.
13,
Abrogation
in
the Qur'aan.'
CHAP T
E R
I.
The
asbaab an-nuzool)
is
rencethai was the direct cause of revelation ofa particular verse ovsooralt of the Qur'aan.
the verses ol the
Quraan may
Ik-
oi
wen
Quraan The
^Ui^i^^j
guide mankind oul
<<\
14:1
Inn this docs noi qualify as asabab an-nuzool for the revelation of the Qur'aan, as shall be discussed
later.
As
lor the
statement
ol
is
not a single
verse in die
Qur'aan excepi
know
its
revelation...," this
docs
a specific
cause
ol
ii.
ol revelation,
when such
Those
occurrence.
arc-
the subject
of this chapter.
,i
cause
ol revelation ol a particular
must have
re-
occurred shortly before the revelation. In other words, the verses must have been
vealed in
occurrence.
An example
ol this are
All. ih
i.
regards toyoui
1IIH
An
ol
the
Quraan
were revealed when the Prophet (5g) visited Jaabir inn 'Abdillaah while he was sick, and he asked the Prophet (^g) how he should divide his money among his children. " Therefore, the sabab an-nuzool of this verse was the question
These
verses
Prophet ($g).
the sabab an-nuzool must be a specific incident; therefore
ot the
it
As was mentioned,
since this
is
Quraan, but
must
before the revelation of the verse. Therefore to claim that the sabab an-nuzool ol Soonib
al-Fcel ("I lave
(105:1)),
you not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners
is
ol the
elephants?"
set
was
incorrect.
Abrahah
out
with an army of elephants to destroy the Ka'bah. but this occurred before the Prophet's (Sgg) birth.
Even though
meaning
ol the verses,
it
docs
not qualify
d.S
There
but a
is
little
this topic.
This
is
when
verse
the verse precedes the actual occurrence; for example, a verse mentions a pre-
comes
is
meaning of a
An example of this
the verse.
swear by
this city!
Ami you
arc a free
(man)
in this city...|90:l-2|
(jsjg)
in
Makkah,
person in
Makkah
the
verse,
lie
put to flight,
[54:45]
it
at
to
Makkah were
to say that the
'put to (light'
However,
it
seems strained
verse, or that
Conquest
ol
Makkah was
first
was the sabab an-nuzool of the second. Rather, these verses were
true.
predictions that
came
189
ct.
Abu
Sbahbali.
p.
2%,
lor these
ami
oilier
examples.
109
Asbaub an-Nuzool
specifically
on the topic
of
asbaab aii-nuzool.
(d.
The
first
person
to write a
book exclusively on
this topic
1
ollmaam
al-Hukhaarec.
""
The
91
ft Asbaab an-Nuzool. Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr (d. 852 A.H.) also authored a
topic. In this era,
work on
this
one
of the
is
by Khaleefah Aleeway.
entitled ]ami'
of the
most authentic
is
by
the
entitled Saheeh
II.
The
is
a par-
occurrence
no room
verse.
for
personal reasoning
It is
who were
when
the verse
was revealed
to
The
sources for asbaab an-nuzool, therefore, are hadeeth from the Prophet
(d.
(jig),
or
487 A.H.)
said, "It
is
not permit-
ted to speak about asbaab an-nuzool except by transmitting reports from those
who
Companions witnessed
is
the ac-
accepted.
The
scholars have differed with regards to the testimony of the Successors, or the
students of the
Companions: should
it, all
way back
to the
Companions.
is
with
Companions
anil their
(d.
A.H.), 'Ikrimah
Sadoosee(d. 110A.H.).
'4
190 Unfortunately,
liis
lost, anil is
Imaam
'Alec
al-Madincc
p.
only known through later references of it. See the wa Manhajuhu fi Naqd ar-Rijal by Ikraam Allaali al-
Umm
220.
all
narrations, authentic
and oth-
is
Irom
Unfortunately, the publishers name, city and dale of publication are not mentioned.
19? Al-Waahidee, p. 8.
194
as-Suyootee. 1/42.
1(1
An
Quraan
Asbaaii ,\N-Nr/.o<)i.
in nar-
The Wordings
It is
()]
to
be
ina
This
is
Companions intended
imply that
it
particular act
came under
(i.e., "I
that
was the
own
uncertainty in
came down
regarding...').
in narrating
There arc two primary ways or wordings thai the Companions used
such incidents.
The
clear
first
manner of phrasing
that
is
(bund
in
Companions
(Sfe)
and unequivocal concerning the sabab an-nuzool of the verse; lor example, the statement: 'The reason this verse was revealed was...,' or. 'The Prophet
is
nuzool
it.
no doubt or ambiguity
in accepting
The second
for
act.'
is
not explicit
and unequivocal
in nature;
because
this type ol
\\\i:
sabab an-nuzool. In other words, due to the ambiguity in the wording of the state-
ment,
In
to
;\
it
does not give certain knowledge, and can be interpreted either way.
such a case,
Imaam al-Bukhaaree
(d.
(d.
On
the other
Ahmad
ibn
Hambal
(d.
Zarkashee only accepted such reports to mean that the ruling of the verse applied to
that situation, but the situation
It is
was not
more than one narration concerning the sabab anwill be discussed in greater detail in the
in this section
(i.e.,
is
nuzool
This occurrence
is
The
point that
wished
to
be understood
that,
il
one
ol
is
manner
not
(i.e.,
ol
the verse,
and the
latter as
is
the
tilth (i.e.,
have sexual
rela-
l')S
Uh.ml.ut.
p.t.H.
The Causes
The verse has two narrations concerning
"I'his verse
oilier
its
ol
Revelation
Asbaab an-.\'uzool
Umar
1
narrated,
""
to prohibit it)." in
On
the
which he
was revealed
in
The
When
this superstition,
'"1
is
seen that there are two narrations for the sabub an-nuzool
ol
'Umar
is
It
could imply
was revealed
it
in
which case
wotdd be
(In-
which case
this is
its
one
can be
sabub an-nuzool).
The
in
report of
however,
is
explicit in
its
wording,
was revealed
response to
in
al-Bukhaaree, the
was revealed in response to the question ol the Ansaar. The narration ot Ibn 'Umar shows that this verse also prohibits anal intercourse, and therefore he said. 'This verse was revealed concerning anal interone takes precedence,
i.e.,
the verse
course.'
in.
One Verse
more than one narration concerning
such example concerning verse 2:22^
exisls
One
When
1)
It
""
is
is
weak one
is
rejected
For example, there are two reports concerning the subub an-nuzool iorsoorah 93,
5 tf^
Your Lord has neither
(s^g)
a die Forenoon!
And
by the Night
when
it is
Still!
that
one
ot the
women
Quraysh
1%
Reported
in
al-Bukhaarcc.
it
Ins wife
112
An
"()
Muhammad,
left
response to her.
that the Prophet
On
( jfcg)
about
this.
Prophet
($^5) to
discovered a dead
When
it
she removed
this soonih
was
re-
weak,-'""
it is
investigated to see
it
grounds
For example,
nuzool
other
above.
(i.e.,
one
of
them
narrated in a clear
manner
the
first
type of phrasing
mentioned
is
whereas the
is
not,
Another reason
tions
is
that
one narration
is
is
if
one
of the narra-
reported by a
at the
and
was present
based on second-hand
The
verse.
is
from the
command
(or knowledge) ol
my
its
I.ord...'|17:85]
sabab an-nuzool.
who
was walking with the Prophet (Sg) in Madeenah, and he was leaning on a stick. We passed by a group of Jews, who whispered to one another, 'Why ilo you not ask him something (to try to outwit him): *Thcn they asked. 'Tell us about the Spirit.'
said, "I
:
inspired.
When
read.
4*
'
^<i\'
is
from the
command
knowledge)
ol
my
little"
|17:S5|.-""
The second
to baffle
report
is
who
Makkah
order
(3|g), in
about the
Spirit,
did, Allaah
it is
the Quraysh
who
Jews.'"-'
200 There
2(i|
is
an
unknown
narrator in
its
comments
in luilh
(v.
8. p.
671
).
Reported in al-Bukhaarec.
Virr.ittil in at-Tirmiilhcc.
202
"
an-Niizoul
13
is
given to the
first
was present
})
Ii
at the
both reports are equivalent in authenticity, and there does not exist any means
ol giving preference to
in
any one
ot
them, then
was revealed
response to both
(d.
ol
the incidents.
is
Ibn Hajr
nothing
to prevent there
one cause
ol revelation."
is
This stance
taken
when
it is
same time frame. An example ol this is the 'Verse o\ li'aan' (24:4), which deals with the case of a husband who accuses his wife of adultery without the necessary lour
witnesses.
AI-Bukhaarce narrates
Prophet
(syg) said,
Umayyah
The
1
"O Umayyah!
we will have to punish you (for slander by whipping you with eighty lashes)!"" Umayyah responded. "() Messenger of Allaah (i^g)! A man sees his wile with another man; does he need to go and seek other witnesses!" But the Prophet (-^g) repeated what he had said. Umayyah responded, "I swear by Him who has sent you! I am
truthful,
and Allaah
will reveal to
you (concerning
my
innocence)
to free
me
of the
punishment!"
["hereafter, fibred
if*.
S" *
Si'S '\*t\tf
'">'> "{>'"
As
tor those
who
selves,
then
let
them
in
al-Bukhaaree
states that
'Uwaymir saw
"(
)
his wife
came
to the
Messenger of
A man
man, should he
kill
The Prophet
He
it
is
response
both reports arc equally authentic and the time frames are
known
to be far
was
revealed
203
A leeway,
|>.
15,
204
Up to this
However,
lime, the only verves governing accusations Stated thai an accuser hail to hrinj; tour wit-
would he u hipped
i>l
I
lor slander.
seems apparent
Iil.i.il
u hen 'Uwaymir came to the Prophet (Sg), the Prophet (SSI could immediately respond to
14
An
which
it is
are authentic,
and none
all of
of
more than one report ai asbaab an-nuzool, all of which can be given preference over the others, and
all
inconceivable that
was revealed on
is
As az-Zarkashce
stated, "It
ple of
And
is
the
wisdom behind
it is
of this
single verse),
that
ol a verse,
it
gives the ruling concerning that incident. Therefore, the the Prophet ($g), so that the people can be
same
verse
to
is
re-revealed to
that the
show them
"'
An example
is
of the verse,
It
is
is
all
of these incidents
have occurred
simultaneously.
The
first
report
that of at-Tirmidhcc.
who
Abee Taalib
pagans.
as
When
next
second report
(Jg) sal
The who narrates from Ibn Mas'ood that once the Prophet to a grave, and started crying. Then he (3g) said, "'This grave is the grave
the Prophet {%&)
was informed
is
from al-Haakim
of
my
mother.
for her,
but
He
forbade me."
He
And
lastly.
Taalib
was on
his
($ig) tried to convince him to become a him, saying, "() Aboo Taalib, are you going to
away from the religion of (your father) 'Abdul Muttalib?" Therefore Aboo Taalib died upon the religion of his father. The Prophet (i^g) said, "I will continue to seek
forgiveness for you as long as
I
am
this.
Allaah
it is
concluded that
it
was revealed
revealed
that
Therefore,
try to find
story, ol
when it comes to reports on asbaab anwhich of these reports is the strongest (so, for
do hold the
to the
above
book
206 az-Zarkashec, v.
p. 29,31. p. 91.
Tlic
Causes of Revelation
Asbaab an-Ntizonl
1^
view that
it
is
iv.
or question, thus
different verses.
number of
For example,
Umm
I
Salamah. one
ol
"O
Messenger of Allaah!
mentions
men
(in the
women!"
In response to her
three verses:
firstly,
the verse.
**
ij^2&\ ^j-^r^
tWiJ ^X
ol
Do
there
made some
|4:32|
you
to excel over
others. For
is
men
there
for
is
.mil lor
women
rewanl
,:
:*! ./-v
:*({-
/i *>K"
y.
>
i
'tf\
Verily,
the believing
men
anil
women, ami
the
them
lorgive-
and
lastly,
the verse,
S^ -^ ^ 4
allow to he
lost
the
work of any
ol
one
ot
another* |3:l^|
2ox
cl.
az-Zarkashec,
v. I.
pps.
I' 1 - *!.
where
lie lias
whole
section devoted
i<>
such examples.
16
An Immiluction
to
There are
.1
number oi
different narrations in
which
Umm
senger ofAllaah (sg) this question, and each narration gives one of these verses. Therefore,
ii is
concluded that
all oi
"'
nuzool,
v.
A Person as
was a source
stated,
Sabab an-Nuzool
to record
as
of
honour and
Waqqaas
"Four verses
first
ol the
my mother promised
not to eat or
Muhammad
try to force
you
to join in
worship with
Me
parttreat
them
in this
The second verse was revealed concerning the booiy we had captured
in war.
it
There
to
was
sword
that
really liked, so
ol
me.
Allaah revealed.
(3^g) visited
me w hen was
1 I
sick.
asked him,
it?'
'()
Prophet
(jgg)!
I
wish to distribute
'A
my
'
wealth, should
give
away
this,
hall ol
He
answered, 'No!'
then asked.
ol a third
third
le
so from
a
I
group
went
the Ansaar.
One
ol
them
hit
me on my
nose
to the
Prophet
(5^,) (to
'Umar
ol in
number
(i.e.,
of verses that
him.
le slated, "1
agreed with
my
Lord
I
my judgement
So Allaah
agreed with
only
my
Lord's)
to take
was
thai)
($gg), 'II
we were
the 'Station of
Ihraahcem vl
as a place of prayer?!'
revealed.
21
W The revelation oi
is
Ik
first
versi
hi
response to I'm
the third by
m
.il
Salamah's question
is
narrated bj
|>.
ai
Tirmidhec,
n.irr.ited
by
Ahmad, and
'2.
2 111 Sa'ad was probably refcrringw 2:180, 'It is writ ten for you
.1
to leave
and
v. I.
kin..."
211
az-Zarkashcc,
is
p. is.
212 This
llu
it
Ka'abah.
It
used to he right
ill
laliphate oi
"Umar
ibn al-KhaJjaab.
was moved
The Causes
of Revelation
Asbaab an-Nuzool
17
And
oflbraheem
as a place
),
ofprayer* |2:125|
tolil
the Prophet
(,
'Verily,
0
(Thirdly,)
you
who
once the Prophet's (^) wives complained to him, so I told them, 'If (-^g) could divorce all of you and replace you with better
women.'"'"
In fact,
Muhammad
(i^g)
was himsell
revealed,
asked
Jibrccl,
"Why do you
visit
us
And we
(the angels)
command of your
Lord..... 1 19:64
was
vi.
The
which
it
be extended to
wording implies?
in
In other words,
is it
which
it
was
revealed, or
the verse?
To quote an example,
it,
and whatever he
forbids
it...|59:7|
does
(Jig)
commanded
or
wording
The
majority of scholars hold the view that the rulings from such verses are ap-
wording
is
The
verse that
'Umar
is
referring to
is
66:S, it
may he
that
il
he divorced
you, his Lord will give him, instead ot you, wives better than you...'
1H
An
noi restricted to the sabab an-nuzool, but rather to every case that
wording
of
eration for a
its
comes under the maxims in //</// is, "The considruling comes from the generality of the wording, and not the specificity
one
ol
circumstance
ol revelation."
So, for example, the verses ol li'aan - despite the fact that they were revealed lor
particular persons (the Prophet
(j^g)
to
'Uwaymir) -
his
because
is
not possible to
its
as a
guidance for
Companions.
However, there are
apply to the Muslims
a very small
number of verses
this
is
meant
to
apply only for the sabab an-nuzool for which they were revealed. These verses cannot
in
general.
When
to
know whether
(i.e..
general, or whether they are an exception. For example, the verses ol li'aan were re-
that a
husband accuses
It
his wife
of
makes sense
to
apply this
ruling to every similar case. However, the verses that came down to clear 'Aa'ishah of N the (alse charges that were impugned on her arc obviously meant only lor her. and not lor the Muslims in general.
This practice
(ol
ol the verse and not from was the one practised by the Companions and those who jurists.
The
other opinion
that ol applyis
According to these
jurists, in
the verse
Ujiyaas)
must be resorted
to, as
the
initial
example of the
verse,
it...,"
command
anil prohibition
(S^g), this
verse
is
fact is also
who
used
this verse as
evidence for
commands and
you curse
woman came to 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, anil said. "I have those ladies who tattoo themselves or tattoo others, and those
ami those
ladies
heard
ladies
who
who
more
beautiful), thereby
He answered.
214
'
liy
some
hypocrites ol
amongst
the people of
Madccnah.
Tin-
Cm uses
of Revelation
119
"Anil
why should
and
when
the Prophet
(jyg)
arc cursed
to cover,
it.
He answered,
it,
iir" |59:7|
to the generality
of
meaning
(that the
(<yg) in all
matters),
to
its
sabab an-nuzool.
it
In
fact, in
an even more
explicit report,
is
from a verse
to be taken
a
Once,
have
man came to the Prophet (-jyg) and said, "O Meskissed a woman that was unlawful for me to kiss, so do
me as you please!" 'Umar chilled him, "Allaah hid your sin, if only you had done the same!" The Prophet (Sgz) remained silent, and did not respond to the man. Alter a while, the man left the gathering. The Prophet (j^g) ordered that he be called, and
when he came,
the Prophet
(>gg) recited a
verse that
had
just
been revealed
to
him:
_ji.
"Verily,
evil deeils
1:1
H|
In other
good deeds
Allaah
order for
him
to
be forgiven.
commanded him to follow up this evil dead with The man askeil him. "O Messenger of
(5)! Is this
''
me?"
to
He
(jfe)
it
is
for
all
of
him.
vii.
The
To
Benefits ol
Some
1)
arrive at a
tions or
This by
far
knowledge
said, "It
is
ol
487 A.H.)
its
Taymiyyah
(d.
said,
"The knowledge
its
in
under-
cause
of revelation
Daqceq
al-'Ecd
(d.
120
An
Quraan
ol the
powerful tool
that
in
Quraan."
-So
important
is
thi
1
knowledge
one who
deprived
ol
it
is
Some examples
'Urwah
importance of this
topic.
Verily,
it is
(the
mountains
ol) Safa
and Marwa
So
'L'mruh to the
House
(ol
Allaah)
to pass
between them[2:158]
Marwa is an integral aspect of Hajj and 'Umrah, understand how these verses implied this obligation, since the
Sala and
sin...
verse says,
it is
not a
to pass
of
is
no
sin if one
ob-
He
went
and asked her concerning these verses. She some doubts that the Muslims two idols, one on Sala and the other used to be
ol
these idols.
When
the
Makkah used to walk between Sala and Marwa lor the Muslims conquered Makkah, they destroyed these idols,
to
but were concerned about this 'pagan' ritual that used to be performed between Sala
them
that there
was no
sin
on them
for
practice
and
hail
the
was not revealed to explain the legal status ol the act of walking between Sala and Marwa. but rather to remove any doubts that the Muslims had with regards to its relationship with the
the verse shows that the verse
pagan custom
ol old.
'Urwah
was able
to
understand
is
meaning. 217
Another example
4l)i Aa-j
^-ri^j3j^^
faces
you
Face of Allaah"
it
is
an
incorrect
group
verse
ol
not
know which
(^S). this
was
p.
5.
The Ca uses
ing that in circumstances where
1
of Revelation
Asbaab an-Nuzool
it is
still
accept the prayer.-" According to other reports, this verse was revealed concern-
in
'Ulnar said. "This verse was revealed concerning the traveller on his mount. Wherever he laces (his prayer
is
acceptable)."'
meaning
might cause.
another example
is
There
is
no
sin
ilo
verse caused
one of the Companions, Qudaamah wine was allowed. He used this verse to and would not
ol this
be-
was allowed
verse been
known
to
response to a question by
This verse was revealed in some Muslims concerning those people who had fought the drinking of alcohol was prohibited; would Allaah punish them
drinking alcohol, or accept their martyrdom? This verse was then revealed, an-
swering them that Allaah would not hold them accountable for what they had eaten
or drank in the past, since these actions
cants.
It
of intoxi-
can be seen from these three example that without the asbaab an-nuzool,
difficult,
if
it
would
be very
2)
To understand
which
a verse
was
revealed.
il
the
impossible to understand
first
An example are
the
twenty verses
ol
Soora/i
al-Noor.
These
verses
were
it
was unknown,
would be impossible
to
were referring
to.
218 alAVaahidee,
p. 30.
v. I,
p.
10.
name
is
ol
Qudaamah
ihn
Madhoon 's
brother,
T'thmaan
(v. 1,
ihn
Madhoon.
when
This
who
all later
authors (including
cursory look
at
any hook
ol history
'Ulhmaan
that
ibn
Madhoon
Sahaabah,
clearly
mentions
Qudaamah ibn Madhoon died in the year Mt A.I In fact, Ibn Hajr was Qudaamah who held this Opinion, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab had him flogged
ol
7103, and
Abu Shahbah,
p. 138).
122
An
Likewise,
it
is
necessary to
know
\4^&^&-^<jpdjm**Jb
Verily
woman who
lias
come
to
her husband,*
in 3)
order to understand
its
meaning.
To apply
A know
know when
the verses
example of the verses in Soorali al-Noor, it is obvious these 'Aa'ishah and her accusers only, the verse reads.
hh%lJ2\J\J^^p\
\'crily
those
who
lilt-
and the
Hereafter...[24:23]
who
repentance
is still
asbaab an-nuzool,
is
possible to
who accuse other women." By knowing know when to apply the verses according to
to
the the
and when
apply
it
it
was revealed
4)
To know
the person
who
an honour
is
for
him.
On
the
was a
disbeliever, this
women
to
'Umar
(#j;) to
them
of
to
do
This
is
an honour
'Umar.
On
Aboo Lahab,
O V^J sA <4^ ^
1
loo!-
1:1
The knowledge of asbaab an-nuzool also prevents the application of the verse to the wrong persons. For example, when Mu'aawiyah wanted to nominate his son Yazeed for the position of the next caliph, he instructed all of the governors to make this announcement. The governor ol Madeenah, Marwaan, called the people and asked them to give allegiance to Yazecd, and he said, "This is the custom of Aboo Hakr and
221
Qattaan, p. 80.
The Causes
<>I
Revelation
'Umar." 'Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr said. "Nay, rather the custom
Heraclius!"
his sister
ol
Caesar and
Marwaan tried to capture 'Abd ar-Rahmaan, but he entered the house of Aa'ishah. Marwaan then said, "I swear by Allaah, he is the one this verse is
referring to.
'Bui
he
who
Woe
Day
to you! ol
Do
you hold on
in the
promise
thai
shall
Judgement),
when
the generations
before
To
tell
this,
'Aa'ishah replied.
swear by Allaah, he
is
you wish
can
edge
asbaab an-nuzool enabled her to prevent the application ol this verse to one
it
whom
to.
222 az-Zarqaanee,
v.
I,
p.
(cf.
el-Isaabak, #5165),
CHAP T E
The compilation
history, lor
ol
the Qur'aan
is
unique phenomenon
to
that
is
peculiar to Islaamic
no other
religious
Qur'aan.
the
scriptures.
in
its
original
form.
it
not be preserved,
when Allaah
has taken
it
and protect
it?
For
He
says,
0^fc3$G&&fy
Vcrily.
a
We
this
Remembrance
We
are ol
And when
the Prophet
(-ge)
was
*.
Do
lect
not
it
it!
For
it
is
for
Us
to
Col-
as,
...an
it
from
in front
is
a revelation
from
One who
is
All-Wise,
Worthy of Praise*
This
is
one
of the
ummah - and
is
the Prophet
(3^5)
- has
The Qur'aan
223 Rhaleefith,p.9.
The Compilation
serving earlier Scriptures had been placed
of the Qur'aan
125
upon
its
recipients, without
any divine
aid.
_A_Y~i 4J.fr
\j>\^=!j
and the
4jjl
priests
them was entrusted the protection of the Bool; of Allaah. and hey were witit...
nesses to
[5:44
Thus, the
earlier nations
Crea-
An
in the
is
It
prophethood
is
of
Muhammad
Gil) or not,
must conclude
that the
Qur'aan that
present today
the
same Qur'aan
Companions.
therefore behoves
its
Muslims when
making such bold claims to investigate the manner in which it was preserved.
There
the history ol
The
ol
first is
the
preservation of the Qur'aan during the lifetime of the Prophet (5g); the second, de-
compilation
All that
ol the
'Uthmaan.
not related to
its
preservation,
and
much
detail.
I.
($g) Life
itsell
was
alludes
to:
]y *o\)
He
is
the
one
Who
them His
signs,
and teach them the Book, and the Wisdom: and before
deed
in manifest error |62:2|
was sent
in the
to illiterate, but so
was
the
himself Allaah
commands mankind
>>
Qur'aan:
126
An
S.i\
(()
Muhammad
is
(55)):
'O Mankiiul!
Verily,
am
sent to
you
all.
as the
Messenger of Allaah,
earth.
to
Whom
There
and
lis
Messenger.
who
Those
who
The
fact that
meant
to
be one
oJ
Himself.
literary
It
Muhammad
(gg)
was
illiterate,
was not from him, but rather from the Creator then Irom where did he bring lorth the
itself says:
The Qur'aan
(( )
Muhammad)
it
(i.e..
the revela-
right
hand! In
l
|2 >:48|.
::
'
In other words,
il
had been
a writer, anil
one
to
whom
the people-
knew
(5^5)
claim
illiterate, anil
well-known
The
lact that
the Prophet
(sgg)
that he
art ol
was sent
to
was
illiterate
does
On
the contrary, the Arabs of the Prophet's (Sg) time had a very strong oral tradition of
poetry,
tribes ol
in
produc-
The annual
honour
is
poet
would
compete
is
lor the
having
poem
the Ka'bah.
What
known, however,
that the
knowledge
ol
was minimal. It is said that, at the lime of the advent of Islaam, only seventeen peopleknew how to read and write in Makkah. Thus, the Arabs were forced to pass on
most
ol their history anil poetry orally,
Prophet
was
sent to.
224
li
should
Ik-
mentioned
to read
that
.i
small
numher
eventually learnt
illiteracy
how
and
and
write.
They claimed
tor
I
he Prophet (5)
to
remain
illiterate,
and
lluis
is
Allaah taughl
him how
and
this
opinion
rejected by the
majority ol scholars. In addition, these 'prools' clearly contradict die <,)ur'a.m's description "I die I'rophci
(Si5)
v.
I.
The Compilation
ot the
Quraan 127
facts in mind, it is doubtful that the Qur'aan was written down during Makkan period, meaning the first two or three years. However, due to the modest number ofsoorahs revealed, it would have been very easy to memorise this quantity. The prayer (siilaat) had already been made obligatory before the Prophet's n so the Companions would have had to memo(5lS) journey ofal-Israa tea al-Mi'raaj,
With these
''
rise
The earliest
hijrah),
The
had a saheefah (parchment) that one ot the Companions. Khabaab ibn al-Arath, had
to leach
her family.
this
'
Khabaab would
secretly
come
to the
house of
he
first
Haa
written on
it.
After
'Umar
read
it.
"How
beautiful
and eloquent
is
this speech!""'
and
Qur'aan
was a
revelation
from Allaah and accepted Islaam. This story indicates that the Qur'aan
to others
of the Prophet's
mission,
when
the
Muslims were
still
The Prophet
($&,)
was
He
him, so he
used to
repeating the verses even before Jibrecl finished. Allaah then revealed, to
reassure him,
It is
for
Us
to collect
it
and
it
|7S:16-1 7|
to
' <">
*&
Verily,
ol
or (sometimes) a third
anil so
do
226
his
is
(sysp to
to Jerusalem,
lo
the Heavens. At this occasion. Allaah obligated the prayer live time a
clay.
Before
this,
twice a day.
and according
p.
on
some
scholars
thcwwiWol
this story
thcwraA and
is
stories.
128
An
Quraan
much of the Qur'aan
as easy
group of
(believers)
with
you....
so recite as
foryou...|7.?:2<)|
In later years,
when
(^) used
(around
to recite, in
one
and
an-N'isaa'
a sixth ot the
Qur'aan).
The concern
(^) showed in teaching the Qur'aan is shown by 'Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit reported, "Whenever a person mi(-gg)
to
him
recitation of the
to distort the
meaning
that
these verses).
would ensure
a teacher to teach
him
the Qur'aan.
Such was the concern of the Prophet (^g) in teaching the Qur'aan to the new Muslims that he would even send Companions to other cities to ensure that the Muslims in those cities could memorise the Qur'aan. Even before the hijruh, the Prophet (^5) sent two Companions, Ibn Umm Makioom and Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr. to teach
the
(3^) sent
Mu'aadh
Makkah
to teach the
Qur'aan
to those
who had
The Companions
Qur'aan.
(Sgg)
concern
They would
for
and memorise
as
as possible.
Those
not
all
'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab,
"Uthmaan
ibn al-Yamaan, "Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr. 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas,
Mu'aadh
ibn fabal.
Zayd
dent
ol Bi'r
\
Mu'oonulr'" alone, which occurred in the fourth year after the hijruh.
Yamaamah
if
shows
that
many
ol
the
ions had
memorised most,
not
of the Qur'aan.
that
seem
to
a certain
number
people memorised the Qur'aan during the Prophet's (^g) lifetime. For example, a
Anas ibn Maalik as saying that only four people memorised the Qur'aan before the Prophet's (^e) death: Ubay ibn Ka'ab, Mu'aadh ibn fabal, Zayd ibn Thaabil and Aboo Zayd (his name was Qays ibn as-Sakan). Annarration in al-Bukhaaree mentions
other narration, also in al-Bukhaaree, states that the Prophet (^J) said, "Learn the
Qur'aan from four people: 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Saalim, Mu'aadh ibn
fabal,
and
Ubay
ibn Ka'ab."
228 Uhay<laat.p.l20.
229 Muharakloorcc.
2
ill
p. 170.
Tin-
Prophet (sS)
Companions
p.
th.it h.ul
pretended to
(/>'/'/)
show an
were disbelievers.
When
545.
Companions reached
the Well
Muharaktooree.
"
129
The meaning
tions,
is
ol these narrations, as
that these
Imaam adh-Dhahabee (d. 748 A.H.) menCompanions were the ones who were the foremost in the memoriand
it
is
ol
the Qur'aan
go hack
in their
Companions were
knowledge of the
recitation of the
Imaam adh-Dhahabee said, alter mentioning the names ol the seven Companions"' who were the most lamous as having memorised the Qur'aan. "These are the ones whom we know to have memorised the Qur'aan during
ing
it
(|g),
directly,
and
t/ini'tiut.-
The Qur'aan
their recitations
During the later periods, the Prophet (j^) also made sure that the Qur'aan was written down, and not just memorised. Al-Bukhaaree reports the following story:
When
it
was
revealed:
Not
who
sit
at
home ami
Zayd
me. and
tell
him
to bring
the ink-pot and the scapula bone the Prophet (S5) told him. Write:
"Not equal
verse)'".
home and
end ofthe
(^g.)
ensure
its
preservation.
was
nar-
written
rates. "I
down, but he
to
(-^g) also
checked whether
was written
correctly.
Zayd
used to write the Revelation (the Qur'aan) lor the Prophet (5&),and he would
dictate
I
it
me.
When
he finished, he would
I
command
me: 'Read
it
(back to me)!' So
hail written)..."'"
the Qur'aan
common
that
to
Zayd
"During the
(^), we used
compile
>
and
Tabaqaal
ol scribes for
the Prophet
among them
Zayd bin
Thaabit.
231
'The Qira'aal
ol
the
Quraan'
lor details
on the i/ini'atil.
\M)
An
Quraan
Tlie
(5^,)
Companions
also
had
their
own
The Prophet
the
23*
me except
it."
Qur'aan.
Whoever
So com-
mon,
in fact,
Prophet
(3^*)
had
to issue
an order prohib-
iting the
Companions from
travelling to
fall
enemy territories with copies ot the Qur'aan. into enemy hands and thus be disrespected."'
for their
'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab, 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, and some of
over fifteen
Qur'aan.
ol
m These were not complete copies of the Qur'aan, nor was the arrangement
six soorahs,
amongst them 'Aa'ishah and Hafsa. Some sources have Companions who were recorded to have written down most of the
thesooraks in them the same as the later arrangement. For example, Ibn Mas'ood
and the order of ihc soorahs was not the order which one hundred and fourteen soorahs
c/iioo/
''"
present today.
Ubay
who
it
try to cast
of the
were actually
'verses' that
were
left
out of
and
know
to write the
a
Qur'aan
in
part ot the
They
were
ever,
fully
aware
ol
were not a
Howwas
of
because
no
fear ol
them mixing
text
account, and assume that these additions were actually a part ot the Qur'aan.
was
the practice of the Prophet (^g) to recite the Qur'aan to the Angel Jibrcel
month
of
Ramadaan. and
(3g*.),
Jibreel
would
also recite
it
back
to
(gjji|)
con-
it
to
me
twice.
whole Qur'aan to me every Ramadaan, but this do not see (any explanation for this) except that
command was
p.
later
later
allowed tin
'ompan-
down
I
22-25.
239
prayer that
is
meant
v.
to
he recited
in
the
will
ii'ilr
prayer.
in greater detail in
240 az-Zarqaanee,
I,
p. 271.
This point
be discussed
Ch.
17.
>\
my
is
near."'
11
In another narration,
of
(iS) used
Ramadaan.
anil recite to
(^) used
Jihreel
Qur'aan to
heard
it
from
he (^5) died, he recited the Qur'aan twice to twice. During this last recitation. Zayd ihn Thaahit
was present.
The
written
Prophet
(jig)
hook during
that the
to he
his lifetime,
nor did he
command
in
Companions
hut he
(i^g)
to
do
so.
He made sure
it
Qur'aan was
down
its totality,
compiled between
number ol reasons
compile
in one book, since the Qur'aan was not in any danger ol being There were numerous Companions who had memorised all of it, and each Companion had memorised various portions ol it.
whole Qur'aan
lost.
2)
During the
since
(y?,),
vealed. Therefore
it
compile
last
all
of it
in
one book.
only-
The
verse
was revealed
The arrangement
(Sis), in
ol the verses and sooraks was not chronological. Verses that w ere revealed years alter the hijmh could be placed, by the command of the Prophet
the midst
oima^an
verses,
and
could not have compiled the Qur'aan in the correct order until
verses
had
been revealed.
4)
that used to be a part ol the Qur'aan, but Allaah lifetime ol the Prophet
it
During the
(^),
this
abrogatermi-
could occur
at
was
wahy be
To summarise, when
the Prophet
(-^5)
memorised by many ol the Companions, and existed in written form, but it had not been compiled between two covers. Rather, it was scattered in loose fragments that
were owned by different people.
plete) copies ol the
Some Companions
incom-
Qur'aan.
II.
The
First
Compilation
(&),
the
Companions chose
the best of
them
to
be
affairs of the
Muslims. The
first
issue that
Aboo Bakr
hail to ileal
Some
'Muslims'
hail
accepted
241
Reported by al-Bukhaarcc.
132
An
Quraan
Islaam during the lifetime ol the Prophet (gg) tor political reasons, and immediately
after the death of the
state.
Prophet
(i^g),
new
Islaamic
Many ol
prophets.
of wars that
Companions who had memorised the large number ol qurrad (memorizcrs of the Qur'aan) alarmed 'Umar, and he went to Aboo Bakr and said, "Many of the memorizcrs of the Qur'aan have died, and I am scared lest more die in later battles. This might lead to the loss of the Qur'aan, unless you collect it." 'Umar not only realised the danger of this great loss, but also proposed
a solution.
Yamaamah (12 A.H.), " around seventy Quraan were martvred. The death of such a
Aboo Bakr
Bakr, the one
replied,
"How can
do
that
(3gg)
Aboo
whom
could not
He was
the religion.
to convince
and proving
to
him
was
in
realised that this act did not qualify as an innovation in the religion, since the
lation
was of general
to
Muslims.
He
continued
to
to the project.
Companion Zayd bin Thaabit in charge of collecting the entire Qur'aan in one manuscript. Aboo Bakr told him, "You are an intelligent young man, and we do not doubt you. You used to write the revelation for the Prophet (i^g), so we want you
to collect the Qur'aan."
24 ''
He was
also
(5^5),
and
in
it
was because
Prophet
of this that
Aboo Bakr
Prophet
"You used
(i^g)."
This
is
ordered for Zayd to be called. Once, after the Prophet's (HI) death, some people entered in upon Zayd and asked him, "Narrate to us something
(iig)."
He responded,
I
narrate to you?
(or,
"And
neighbour of the Prophet (JH), so whenever any inspiration came to him, he would call me to write it...""'"' Zayd,
I
what should
narrate to you?")
used to be
who
is
hail
claimed to be a prophet.
It
was one
ol the
The
133
whom
the Prophet
(Sg;)
the
2)
Quraan.
had memorised the entire Qur'aan during the
ibn Maalik said,
lifetime of the
He
et's
Prophet
(3j).
Anas
"Only lour people memorised the Qur'aan before the Prophibn Ka'ab,
Mu'aadh
ibn Jabal,
Zayd."
3)
He was
relatively
his
memory
years old,
was sharper.
He
Madeenah.
was brought
This
is
to the
Prophet
(5^5)!
Banec an-Najjaar, and he has memorised seventeen soorahs' So the Prophet (t^g), and he was well pleased with that.""'
()
He was
the
Ramadaan
as-Sulamce
died.
The famous
successor,
(i^S) to Jibrecl),
and because
put
of this,
in
Aboo Bakr
ol
relied
it
upon him
compila-
tion, anil
Uthmaan
him
charge
writing
tion)."
5)
24 '
He was one
'Uthmaan
(d.
recita-
preferred
Sulayman ibn Yasaar (d. 100 A.H.) said, "Neither 'Umar nor anyone over Zayd ibn Thaabit when it came to the laws of
recitation of the Qur'aan."
inheritance...
and the
Aamiribn Sharaheel ash-Sha'bee overwhelmed and conquered the people (of the Qur'aan), and his knowledge of the
among
the
Companions
that 'Umar,
reciters
'Uthmaan and
"Alee
all
said,
he passed away in 45 A.H. The "May Allaah have mercy on him! He was a scholar
sent out scholars to take over the judicial posts
all
Zayd
in
Madeenah
amongst
its
inhabitants!"'""'
ol Zayd as the monumental task, for he had in him all the qualities that were needed for this undertaking. But Zayd too was reluctant, and it was only after both Aboo Bakr and 'Umar convinced him that he agreed to do the task. "It Would have been easier for me to move a mountain than do that which they told me
Thus,
it is
person
who should
to do,"
he
said.
247
Reported by al-Bnkhaaree.
p. 112.
v. I.
The meaning
ol
is
248 al-Hamad.
249 az-Zarkashcc.
p. 237. p.
1
1
5.
M An
He
Introduction
i<>
set
about collecting the various fragments of the Qur'aan from "the pieces of
wood
He
required
at least
who
hail learnt
(S^g) directly,
and
at least
(-^g). to
acceptance
'Umar
up
in the
claimed, "Whoever has learnt any Qur'aan from the Prophet (*g)
it
forth.""
11
At
this,
him the scraps and parchments upon which they had Aboo Hakr told them, "Sit at the door ol the mosque. Whoever
it
dovvn."
:,:
Some
scholars have
Zayd
found the
.1
Messenger...f9: I2N|
that only
was the
only one that brought a parchment that had these verses written on
fact,
when
ibn 'Affaan said, "I testify that these verses have been
employed by Zayd ensured the authenticity of the compilation. F.ven though Zayd had memorised the entire Qur'aan, and could have written it from
strict criteria
The
his
own memory,
and
($,).
he
still
made
the verse,
a written
copy
under the
Prophet
The
Zayd them
was looking
two
(3H), but nobody else had brought forth written copies until Khu/.aymah came. Another narration adds, i could not find a verse that I used to hear from the Prophet (Sag), until 1 found it with a person from the Ansaar, and I did not find it with anybody else.
men who
have
lultilleil
so
put
it
in
its
proper soorah." 1
ot the
'*
Qur'aan
anil
251
Ibn
AUc Daawood, p.
111.
252
ibid,. p. in.
Daawood,
p. II.
8.
135
ment of the
verses
was known
to the
verse 'in
its
proper soorah.'
Now,
lor the
first
was
in
after the
alive, the
when
all
Qur'aan had been compiled. The written copy of the Qur'aan was called
(literally
a mus-haj'
meaning
a collection
the Prophet
($,).
to be
an
official
to follow. Rather, of
it was meant
to preserve the
Qur'aan
entirety,
and ensure
that
none
plished a
momentous
its verses were lost. In this, Aboo Bakr accomAbec Taalib remarked, "The person with the is
Aboo
Bakr.
May
Allaah's mercy be
first
AUaah."
254
There
is
some
itsell
Aboo
be an
Bakr's mus-haf. Most of the scholars are of the opinion not concern
official
Aboo
it
same order
preserve
all
of 'Uthmaan. Also,
is
is
of
'Uthmaanic one or
compilation, and
not, or
in the same arrangement ol soorahs as that of the whether it was written with the intent ol preserving all the
for the
'Uthmaanic
is
this
compilation that
is
in.
'Umar
the Muslims.
five-fold
Under
Muslims expanded
When
nants of the Persian Empire, Egypt, Syria and parts of the then-defunct Byzantine
(Eastern
Roman) Empire.
'Uthmaan took over the
caliphate,
waging jihaad
tor the
this
One
256 Qattaan.
p.
128.
As
was the
first
to
compile the
being the
first is
weak.
cl.
.
p. Id.
10,
s(>
An
territories
differ-
enemy.
Muslims from
Iraq.'""'
each regarding
They began contending with each other, These Muslims were not Companions, and therefore were not trained in the proper manner and etiquette of the recitation of the Qur'aan. One of the Companions who was present amongst them.
his recitation superior to his brother's.
I
Muslims from
He
advised them
He therefore
left
Azerbaijan
for
Madeenah,
to report
to the caliph
'Uthmaan.
Faithful!"
its
Hudhayfah pleaded
like the
to
'Uthmaan. "save
the
this
it
disagrees about
told
Book,
Hudhayfah
new Muslims
in
what Hudhayfah had told him, and requested their advice on this matter. The Companions, in return, asked 'Uthmaan what he thought the best plan of action was. 'Uthmaan told them his opinion: Official copies
Companions.
informed them
of the
He
and
all
other copies
ummah would
Abee Taalib
"O
People!
Do
'Uthmaan, but only say good about him. Concerning the burning of the mus-htifs, I swear by Allaah, he only did this after he hail called all of us. He asked us, 'What do
you think (should be done) concerning these
reached
recitations (in Azerbaijan).2 For
is
it
has
me
'I
is
better,
and
this (alti-
We
we
is
do?'
He
re-
sponded,
think
we should
of
consolidate the
so that there
an excellent
The action
the
Companions.
Companions agreed
daughter
of
'Umar
He
him the mus-haf that Aboo Bakr had then chose a committee of four people.'"
al-
namely Zayd ibn Thaabit. 'Abdullaah ibn az-Zubayr, Sa'eed ibn al-'Aas and 'Abd
2^S
recitations ofSyria
and
one another w
ill
he understood alter
one reads
259
'h. |l>
on the
is
ii/jruf.
This incident
in
reported in al-Bukhaarcc.
I
that
occurred
lder alarmed
2611
convene
2d
this
is
('I..
Ilm Abee
Daawood.
p. 26.
The Compilation
of the Qur'aan
137
mus-haf ol Ahoo Bakr. He chose Zayd ihn Thaabil for the same reasons that Aboo Bakr had done before him, and Sa'ced ibn al-
Rahmaan
for his
knowledge
ol
Imaam
ol the
ailh-I
)hahabee
(d.
members
committee
whom
'Uthmaan chose to write the mus-haf, due to his eloquence, and because his (Arabic style was very similar to the Prophet's (). The other two members were respectable Companions, knowledgeable of the Arabic language and of the Qur'aan.
Apart from Zayd, the other three committee members were
I
mm
the Quraysh.
differ (on
it
told
them,
"It
you
(three)
and Zayd
how
to spell a
it
in
was
'Uthmaan
should they
(i.e.,
word
in the
Qurayshee
Madanee
style ol 'tabooh'
it
with a laa marbooljih): 'Uthmaan answered them that they should write
since this
as laboot,
was the
style
of the Quraysh.
that the
cerning even such minor details as the spellings of certain words. At times,
when
hapso that
was a difference of opinion, they even called that particular scribe (if pened to be other than Zayd) who had written the verse for the Prophet (gg,),
they could ask
it
task,
'Uthmaan ordered
that
one copy
ol this mtt.<-
hafbe sent
necessary
this
to every province,
to
burn
it
all
was
a drastic step,
but
was
unity of the
Muslims was
ol
to be preserved.
'Uthmaan's mus-haf. By
Uthmaan
panions.""
provided a copy
would serve
were
in
as a
model
Uthmaan
I
Com'
Abee Taalib
said. "If
charge
(of
as he did."
the Qur'aan.
He
kept
Makkan
to Syria
50 A.H.); Aboo
'Abd
ar-
to
262 adh-I>hahahcc.,S7un.
263
v.
J,
p. 449.
Reported bj al-Bukhaarec.
p.
264 eC al-Mamad.
is
changed
mind;
cf,
Ibn Abee
Daawood,
According
i<>
famous historian, tbn Kathccr, 'Uthmaan wrote to Ibn Mas'ood advising him to follow the consensus the oilier Companions, which lie agreed to do; cl. al-Bidaayah we an-Nihaayah, v. 7. p. 207.
the
2>>i>
"I
az-Zarqaanee,
v.l, p. 262..
"
$8
An
to
Qays
Basrah
(d.
~ 55 A.H.).
and
it
J ''
All
of these
reciters
were well-known
is
in fact
preserved.
in
A.H.
:,,S
Aboo
the following:
1)
The reason
that each of
in
them compiled
the Qur'aan
was
different.
Aboo Bakr
number of deaths
lost.
of those
who
being
comers
to Islaam,
who were
He
wished
to unite the
ami
The number ol
so,
people
who were in charge ol the two compilations was different. the person who was the best suited and most qualified to do
namely Zayd ibn Thabit. 'Uthmaan, on the other hand, used the services of Zayd but also had three ol the major Companions, all of whom were known for
their
.?)
to help him.
The number
made was
'Uthmaan ordered
4)
Since
'Uthmaan
did in destroying
all
all
other written
future copies
would
have
5)
to rely
upon
the original
'Uthmaanic ones.
Aboo
itself
ar-
ranging the soorahs properly; only the verses of each soorah were arranged.
in their
proper
According
to
written to preserve
left
it.'
all
seven
ahruf but the mus-hafof "Uthmaan only included one harf and
six.
basis to support
267 az-7.arc|.iancc.
26S
cf.
v. I.
p.
404.
p. 2X.
Aboo Sulaymaan,
v.
However, the
Khayyam
1
(d. 2411
A.H.)
lists
the
kittles ol
cf Toareekjt,
p.
60,
p.
253.
p. 145.
139
Taymiyyah
(d.
die year that the Prophet ($) passed away, Jihrccl went over the Qur'aan with
him
it is
twice,
and
is
the recitation
ofZayd
and
Aboo
Bakr, 'Umar,
'Uthmaan and
write
it it.
first) to
Then
of
'Uthmaan, during
his caliphate,
ordered
all
to all
Companions
agreed to
iv.
The
Different Mus-hafs
A.
The Appearance
of
tj
if.
Mus-hafs
The
spelling of the
words
ol the
Qur'aan
is
not the
written
modern Arabic. Among these peculiarities in the writing ol the mus-hafIs Uthmaanic script eliminated certain alifs (tor example the wonl 'rahmaan' is without an a/if); added certain silent letters (for example the word 'salaat' is
merged particular words
usually written as one
(for
followed by 'maa'
it
is
spelt the
same word
were
Some
ol these pe-
culiarities
common
grammar changed
that
word
written without
an
a/if,
since there
is
an alternate
recitation
'nndi/u.'
Had
on
this
without an
a/if,
The
manner of writing
Due
mus-haf'of 'Uthmaan,
die legitimacy ol
This
was primarily based upon the origin of the spelling: was it from the Prophet (jg$) himself, or was it by consensus of the Companions? Or, was the spelling ol the Qur aan not based upon either ol these two factors, but upon the popudifference ol opinion
lar
custom
of that
time?
The
271
Aboo Sulaymaan.
p. 51.
lias
purposely been
left
short, since
It
further Jit. ul, see L'li.iydaat. pps. Hs-4S; az-Zarc|aanee. v.l. pps 569- 573.
re.nl in'
Some
nation
wisdom behind such subtle changes, but in reality than certain know ledge, cl. as-Sabt. v. 1. pps. 4(15-41 5.
the
"
14(1
An
1)
The spelling
ol
ol the
mus-haf
The proponents ol
into
this
first
group claimed
Sunnah
(j^g)
is
This opinion
in the spelling
is
'Uthmaan
said to the
comit
you
of the Quraysh."
this
Had
any word.
The second group claimed that the spelling of the Qur'aan was not from
(^5) but from the
the Prophet
'Uthmaan,
lowed
to
Companions. Since the Companions all agreed to the spelling of which later generations are not al-
change.
of these groups,
Both
??/-
generations to conform
to.
Imaam Ahmad
tha;
(d.
He
answered,
"It
is
forbidden
'Uthmaan
(d.
in (the letters)
any
(letter)
Imaam Maalik
newly invented
written
first!"
!
179
in
styles
',
and methods,
"No!
It
may
444
way
it
was
In fact,
(d.
A.H.)
said, "I
in this issue!"'
Imaam al-Bayhaqce
Whoever
worthy. Therefore,
we should
them.
2)
The
the spell-
ing that they did was because that was the procedure ol writing at the time. Since this
(Sgs)
mpposcdh commanded
v.
the scribe
how
to write cer-
weak or
forged,
cl".
az-Zarqaance,
I, p.
377.
275 Qaisaan,
p.329.
p.380.
141
may
This
is
fact that
to
conform
to a
manner that
if the rules
were different in their time, they would have written the mus-haf differ-
In
first
to in light
the
to
with the
Book
must not be
its
retain
sanctity.
Therefore,
haf of
ions
it is
concluded that
it
is
Uthmaan,
them.
The
Script
of the Mus-haf
the 'Uthmaanic
'"
almost incomprehensible
modern-day Arabic
1 *"
readers.
The mus-hafs
:
or vowel marks
{tashl{eel).
"
This
was the
line
traditional
manner of writing
letter baa, taa,
at that time.
the vowel
marks assigned
to
it.
It
and
a
The Arabs
at that
letter
such
in the
There were no indications signifying the ending of the verses, and the only sign that
ended was the basmalak. 2*2 There were also no textual divisions
(into
278 In hut. al-Azhar released afalwa in the year 1355 A.H. slating that
it
to print a
in
The scrip!
is
ol the
Arabic
is
letters.
it li
which
this text
The script,
then,
arc written.
This
is
to be differentiated
from the Spelling, which was the topic of the previous section.
to differentiate
280
between different
letters
letters thai
is
way
if
to differentiate
between the
it
is
a taa,
and
is
a yaa.
ol yhnfiithha. /(asra,
281
The
las/f/url ol the
diacritical
marks
and damina
(in
Urdu, the
letters
zeer, zabar.
correctly.
282
ol
the ninth.
142
An
of'tlic
Qur'aan
text
embellishments,
was
written.
>mis-/u/fs.
As
is
well-known,
modern
ol this
mus-hiifs
is
strikingly different
The
There
was.
first
change
to occur
marks - the
tashkfel.
who
the
first
The name
that
is
is
name
ol
Aboo al-Aswad ad-Du'aly (d. 69 A.H.), who was also the first to codify the science of Arabic grammar (naluv). According to one report, 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib asked him to make the mus_-luif easier for the people to recite, bin he initially declined to do so,
since he did not believe
verse.
it
recite the
all ties
(
|
':
3|
all ties with the pagans and His Apostle." This drastic change in meaning occurred by changing only one vowel (i.e., pronouncing rasooltlh as rasoolih).
Said
Aboo al-Aswad,
"I
did not think the state of the people had degenerated to this
to
with a scribe.
a
under 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, and requested him to supply him Aboo al-Aswad told the scribe, "If pronounce (the vowel) it, then write
I
letter.
If I
pronounce
it
it
pronounce an
then write
below the
letter."-
'
reacting to the
new to
They had
of 'Uthmaan, without
tashl{ccl.
started the
rudimentary
(d.
art ol tashl{ccl.
(d. 11(1
A.H.) and
Muhammad
as
10 A.H.).
However, some
the
first
(inn/til) lor
time,
tasl{heel. Yet
states that
was
to
do
this,
but
command
filth
of Hajjaaj ibn
Caliph.
Umayyad
'Abd al-Malik ibn Marvvaan, and not under the caliphate of 'Alee.
In
combining
all ol
lows:
to
add the
tas///(cc/
into the
mus-haf on an
official
283 al-Hamad.
p. 4<'2.
According
to other reports,
Ziyaad
il>n
person misprocf.
nounce the
verse in Iron! ol
p. s2K.
Aboo al-Aswad
so that
lie
would
al-Badawee.
143
during the caliphate of 'Alee, and his students Yahya ibn Ya'mar and Nasr ibn
to officially
A.H.).
do
so,
however, as both
al-
Muhammad
them
in this
endeav-
Muhammad
first
Az-Zarqaanee
May
Allaah have mercy on these two scholars (Yahya ibn Ya'mar and
for they
were successful
in this
to increase the
number of dots of
above three.
had
great impact in
first
to
and Yahya
who
They did
ol the
Ummayad
1.,
Aboo al-Aswad
which means that
while
Abd
less
alive, the
down
in red to
distinguish
it
text of
two centuries
sa laf
ol
these
It is
ol
to the mus_-lmf.
(d. 96 A.H.), Qataadah (d. two generations concerning the prohibition Other scholars, however, such as al-Hasan al1
Basree
addition of
AH.) and Ibn Seereen (d. these dots."""' Imaam Maalik (d.
10
tion ol taskhcel
and nuqat
in the
Qur'aan.
He
to
ask
me concerning the
I
As
for the
major mttt-hafs,
is
don't think they should be doited, nor should anything be added that
for the
not in them.
I
As
minor
nius-hafi
it."
2 "'
don't see
Therefore,
that the
Qur'aan
2X4 az-Zarqaancc,
v.l, p.
v, I.
p.
al-Hamad
287 al-Hamad.
n. 517.
144
An
should be
left
the
way
that
it
was
written,
intts_-lnifs
This
strictness
was due
concern
all
felt
by these scholars
keep the
script
of the mtu-luif
of Uthmaan
pure from
less strict
additions.
However,
the taskheel
became
average person
reports, "1
properly reciting
was gained, lor it aided the the Qur'aan. Khalal ibn Hishaam (d. 229 A.H.)
to the benefit that
(d.
used
to sit in the
444 A.H.)
happened
to
come
Its
date (of
last
10 A.H.' It
had
tasl(heel,
281
was
centuries, further
as the writing
at the
word '/(/nuns' (five) was written, and after every ten, 'ashr (ten), after which the numbering would start from the beginning, until the end of that particular soorah. Soon afterwards, the word /(/nuns was
dots at the end of a verse. After every five verses, the
word
<///
which were
in the
written in the margin of the mus_-laf. Eventually, the verses were indicated by a circle
at the
end
is
of
number of the
verse
was written
circle, as
During
century of the hijrah, the primary material upon which the mttsAfter the
men
the art ot
Muslim conquest of Trans-oxania in the Muslims learnt from Chinese craftspaper-making, and thus paper became the primary material upon
written."""
The
was the
sixth
first
Ummayad
He
Abee Hayyaaj
to write the
Qur'aan
in
p. 5 8.
1
ol
Qur'aan Project'
script,
in 1982.
to
prim
ol the
'Uthmaanic one
in
b'thman and
a
due
had written
portion ol the
Qur aan.
1.
pps. sSS
s(>2.
p. d.
The Compilation
ing the Abbasid era, Khaleel bin
of the Qur'aan
145
Ahmad
(cl.
and made
a
it
simpler.
He
to
above the
dam ma
lor
ti,
shaddah
lor
showing
assimilation, anil a small l(haa without the dot to indicate that the letter
had no vowel
silent."'
in
came
in the third
century ol
M7 A.H.). who
Qur'aan.
script,
He
which
former
Koofee
based. Ibn
Muqlah
also established rules lor the writing ol each letter. Ibn al-Bawvvaab (d. 4 Li
A. II.) also played a vital role in the spreading of the Nas^hee script. In the seventh
century ol
lar script.
hijrali,
""
The
Our'ticin
ill
With the advent of the printing press, die /;//-<// changed accordingly. The first Qur'aan thai is known to have been printed with movable type techniques was done in 1694 CE, in Hamburg. Germany. It was edited by a lew. Abraham Hinkcllmann,
and contained many
There
errors.
Al-Hamad
criticises
it
as follows:
are major errors (in this print), anil on almost every page the
reader will find manifest examples of these... which only proves the poor
level of
ol
"'
ils
rules.
In
84
bering differed from traditional mus-hafs. This mus-haf was actually a reproduction of
a
famous Turkish
in
mtts-hiif,
'Uthmaan
(d.
1(1
published
centuries
Leipzig,
and became
The
(in
first
mus-hafdone by Muslims in this style is reputed to be the one done in St. CE. These were followed by mus-hafs printed in Kazan
(in
(in
1890 CE).
is
one
that
Egypt, in 1925.
was written by
committee ol schol-
al-Husaynee.
2'H
The origin
of these
word
ef.
shaddah (double
letter),
and the
without
al-Badawee,
p. 530. ol the
ol the script
al-
jjamail's dissertation
on
litis
topic.
p.
p.
602.
604.
296
Cf.
Von
Denl'ler. p. 65.
146
An
Since then,
literally
is
hundreds
the
lor the
of
One of the
more
the
beautiful ones
I'ahd
'Madeenah mits-haf
Printing ot the
King
Complex
have been
Holy Qur'aan
'an 'Aasim."'
in
Madeenah.
also printed
All of these
in the qiraa'a of
Hats
There are
Warsh
'an
Naff
(printed in Algeria
in the qiraa'a
and Mo-
ofQaloon
Naff
(printed in Libya).
one
of
two
in
Maghrihcc
which
is
very unique ami confusing for the unaccustomed eye. For example, the letter qaaf'xs
represented with one dot above a circle
(vs.
two
dots),
and the
letter fact
below
it
(vs.
above
it)!
it
has also
a
a
in Braille!
The
Ministry of Religious
in
.Affairs in
represented by
and each
diacritical
mark
also has
its
other mtts-hafi,
is
below the
in
letter.
Not only
that,
ous signs
for
soorah numbers!
Warning!
Before completing this section concerning the evolution of the script of the mus-
haf.
it
is
(^)
in
which he
said,
"When you
decorate your mosques, and beautify you r mtis-hafs, then destruction will
Thh hadceth
mosques and
tor the
time
is
of destruction
warning to the
which case any unnecessary and excessive decoration of the mus-hafis to be discouraged. This is one of the indications of the austerity anil simplicity of Islaam, such that even its places of worship anil its Sacred Book must be absent from
all
Muslims,299
types of embellishments,
which
typically
is
an indication
of arrogance,
and
a love
humility.
1.
Musannafx
cf.
as-Saheelwh
1351.
Due
Muslims
to decorate their
a
mosques. Therefore,
factual prophecy.
makes sense
to
The Compilation
B.
of
the Qur'aan
147
There
'Uthmaan
compiled:
1)
Imaam az-Zarkashcc follows Aboo 'Amrad-Daancc's (d. 444 A. II.) opinion that number ol mus-hafs was lour; 'Uthmaan kept one in Madeenah, and sent the Other three to Koolah, Basrah and Shaam (Syria). Ad-1 )aanee writes in WisMuqm', "The majority ol the scholars hold that when 'Uthmaan wrote the mus-haf Inthe
\
ordered lour copies to be written, and he sent one to each of the major prov1
inces."""
2)
As-Suyootce.
copies,
in his Itc/aan,
(d.
852 A.M.).
were
live
to the
cities
and Makkah.
.?)
Some
Madeenah."
4)
-'
Aboo Haatim
one was
ol
I.)
sent to
Makkah,
last ol
the seven
5)
Lastly,
some maintain
thej
It is
know the exact number of mus-hafs that 'Uthmaan ol the number ol original mus-hafs, all future
one
However,
il
is
probably
has the strongest historical evidence. At the time that the mus-
were commissioned. Yemen, Bahrain and Egypt would probably not have merhaving
a special
mus-haj "sent
to
them, and il does not seem too unrealistic to 'Uthmaan was none other than the mus?hafo\
in his
possession.
C.
Sur-
The different
in a
copies that
is
Uthmaan
no
extra verse in
done accidentally or by
50(1
az-Zarkashcc.v.l,p.240.
as-Suyootee,
\.
501
I.
p.
80.
i02
az-Zarqnance,
v.l,
p.406.
148
An
chance. Rather, these slight changes were done in order to accommodate the various
recitations
of a particular verse (the akruf). If the Prophet ($g) had recited the verse
of ways,
in
number
and
it
was
spelling.
il
The example
ol
'maalikf and
not
all
'nuilily
be accommodated
one
spelling,
then
it
tions in
diil
one mus-haf, and another recitation in another mus-haf. The Companions not write both recitations in one mus-haf'lor tear ol confusion between the two.
fact that
The
1)
the
Ulhmaanic mus-hafs
differed
is
known by two
ways:
in letters
The
q'trdaaf.
and
sometimes words
that
even
il
this script
were with-
some
ot the qira'aat
On
the
This
ence
letter
read
as
laa yal^haafu...'.
script,
is
to a fa. a differ-
in the
quada of Ibn
it
'Aamir.
who
read 3: 1 84 as
bi zuburi
rest of
zuburi tval
that the
l{itaab' (i.e.,
known
mus-
whereas the
ot the
added
in
one
2) Visual Inspection:
it is
known
is
who were
fortunate
enough
to
have read
reported
this
original mus-hafs of
'Uthmaan, or
at least
knew and
who
did. In lad. a
number
ol scholars
Some authors have mentioned at least ten scholars of the first four centuries of the hijrah who had written specific tracts on this topic, amongst them, al-Kisaa'ee (d. 189
A.H.), and al-Farraa'
these classical works
A.I
I.),
(d.
is
207 A.H.).
!
"
the
famous scholar
work authored by 'Abdullaah ibn Abee Daawood (d. 316 ol Inulceth, Aboo Daawood (d. 275 A.H.), which
$03 az-Zarqaanec,
3(M
illi
v.l.
p.262.
I
Those
(il
'Aasim. Kisaa'cc.
.mil
l.im/.i.
Ibn KatheCE
That of NaatV
Ibn "Aamir.
I
I
306 This point will be better understood alter one reads Ch.
on the
,/ira'aal.
307
308
it.
Daawood,
p. 10.
ii
Unfortunately, the
Orientalist scholar
Arthur [effery (published in Cairo, 1936), as pan otitis famous work Materials for the History of the Text of
the I Inly Our'aan,
which
is
C".h. 17.
The Compilation
ol the
Qur'aan
14
Khaalid ibn Iyaas (d.circa I50A.H.) reported that he read the mus-hafof 'Uthmaan,
it
Madeenah
in
""
The
llrst
of these was
a/if,
2:
meaning
that
was without an
This
is
in the actual
script
is
between the
qira'aat.
Of the
in the
rest
do
not. In the
same way,
all
still
found
There
differed
are
more than
The
other mus-hafs
mus-haf that
'Uthmaan
sent to Syria had the extra letters, but the others did not.""
earlier, are
letters
and words.
the others.
one
reflects
over this
phenomenon, he
the Qur'aan has been preserved even to the minutest detail. This the differences that originated in the different mus-hafs of
scattered in the various qira'aat,
so because are
still
all
of
'Uthmaan
found
The Prophet
upon
later.
used
to recite the
Qur'aan
in all
of
trivial
was
most minute
detail.
D.
It is
Okiginal Mus-hafs ?
to
to these
original mus-hafs.
As
his
mus-haf of Aboo Bakr, after he passed away it was given to 'Umar. On death-bed, Umar did not nominate any one successor after him, but rather a
for the
committee
ate
Caliph present, as
was
the case
when 'Umar passed away, there was no immediwhen Aboo Bakr passed away. The mus-haf'was
(5^j).
then naturally inherited by Hafsah, his daughter and a wife of the Prophet
Ac-
cording to a report from Ibn Abce Daawood's Kitaah al-Masaahif Hafsah was very
protective of the
that he
mus-haf and even refused to give it 'Uthmaan until he assured her would return it. " During the caliphates of 'Uthmaan and 'Alec, it remained
1
with Hafsah.
$09
many more
p. 9.
Daawood.
pps. 57-49.
around
sixty differences
150
An
of
the
Quraan
al-Hakam
65 A.H.) became the gov-
Marwaan
to
ibn
(tl.
ernor of Madeenah.
Marwaan wanted
mus-haf was sufficient for die Muslims, bin Halsah refused to hand it over. Marwaan had to wait until Hafsah passed away in 41 A.H. before destroying the mits-haf' [: He
said,
all
that
(oi
is
in this
'Ulhmaan), so
some time people would doubt the veracity of this mus-haf, or they would say that there was something in it that had not been written down. (Therefore, to prevent
these doubts
I
burnt
il!
it)."
As
for the
(d.
to
Damascus, and
England
via
was
"verv large,
think,
made
ol
camel
skin'.
Some
likely.
made
in
its
way
to
it
Leningrad, but
this
Another opinion
states that
was burned
in a lire that
occurred
K52 A.H.) also reported seeing the mus-haf of Syria."' Ibn Battuta
(d.
traveller, reports
seeing
for the
hafs that
were copied
many musMadeenah
manuscript:
Ibn (ubair
(d.
614 A.H./I217
Madeenah
until the
A.H/J
184
CE) saw the manuscript in the mosque of CE. Some say it remained in Madeenah
in
1
Turks took
from there
$34 A.l
I.
1915 CE.
It
has been
re-
ported that this copy was removed by the Turkish authorities to Istanbul,
from where
it
came
to Berlin
I.
The
Treaty
ol Versailles,
Within
si\
of the
present
original
treaty,
Germany
(sic) ol
will restore to
lis
Ma)esty,
King
ol
Hcdjaz, the
Koran
the Caliph
Medinah by
the
stated to have
been presented
to
ex-Emperor William
The manuscript
This copy
see.
is
now on
exhibit at the
Topkapi
Museum
There
is
also a
USSR)
that
is
alleged to
If this is
be-
is
an
"Uthmaanic mus-haf
it
for himself.
?I2
In feet, he ordered
ibid., p. 25.
li>r
t <
In-
Hi
114 515
Qaaaao
p.
54,
v.
Von Dcnffer,
I.
p.62.
.iz-Xarq.nici-.
p. 411s. p. 62.
316
The Compilation
and the one he was reading Irom when he was murdered.
(after the
of the Qur'aan
151
It
came
in
Umayyads had
taken
it
until, in 1869,
to St. Petersburg.
They
and
it
The
this the
mus-hafis available
made facsimiles ol the mus-haf, and because of through this medium at a number of leading universities
Uthmaanic
first
and
private collections."
at least
two imis-lhifs
Even
if they
worst copies of the original, since the style of writing conforms to the
few
x.
The Verses
or the
Qur'aan
as
an
'aayali.
This word,
linguistically,
has a
And
ol his
them
Kingdom
is lli.it
there shall
come
to
you
wooden
2)
An admonition
ln this there
3)
is
who give
thought"
16:
A miracle. Allaah
says,
ol Israel
(aayuh)
we gave them
[2:21
jXjiyt Jx\)
in
place of another
best
(O
Muhammad)
116:1011
them
are ignorant!"
and concludes
thai
il
is
being an original mus-haf ol Uihmaan. As lor the other copies in Kgypt lhal are reputed to be 'Uthmaanic
mus-hafs. he concludes that this
is
very unlikely, as
less likely
number ol
al-Hamad.
191-3.
152
An
When
used
in Islaamic sciences,
it is
defined to be
a pari
is
before
and
i,a
after
it.
with a
Combining
a miracle
a verse ol the
Qur'aan, and
inimitable).""
It
mankind
to
benefit from,
and admonitions
and
ot
where
a verse
is
essential for a
number of rea-
prayer.
il
memo-
he must recite seven other verses of the Qur'aan instead of it, and this cannot be done unless one knows the beginning and end ol a verse. Mosi scholars also encourage the recitation of three short or one long verse after the
Faatihah, and this recitation
2)
is
also
dependent upon
It
this
knowledge.
The proper
pause
at the
is
mandatory is
to
end of every
verse,
the
is
from the middle of a verse; any recitation should be started from the beginning of
a verse,
and concluded
at
tion {tajweed)
3)
the
end
ol a verse.
it is
The
Some
ob-
sermon
to
include
at least
one
full
verse in
it.
The ease
lar
in
The
passage
simplified by the
Qur'aan.
to
how
The
first
opinion
is
that
all
of this knowledge
is
in
other
words, the beginning and end ol every single verse was taught to the
the Prophet
(??,).
this
(g;) said,
"Whoever memorises
1
usooiuh
in
i|S
d. az-Zarqaanee,
v.
1 ,
p.
339.
tor
i'jttttz'
lor a discission ol
IUM
153
composed of thirty
its
companions
until he
was
It is,
Messed
(i.e.,
Ik
le in
Whose
lands
last
is
the
Dominion"
|67:1|
for in-
deed
and, "...and in
(It is)
it
{Soorah
al-Baqarah), there
the Foot-Stool."
a verse
which
is
the
Queen
ol all
other verses.
the 'Verse ol
that the
Qur'aan
hail already
been divided
The second
edge
is
opinion, and perhaps the stronger one. states that most of this knowl(l^g),
and some
ol
it is
{ijtihaad)
fact that
who
some
Qur'aan
(as shall
from the Prophet (3g), they claim that most of the locations for the breaks between the verses were well-known, and from the Prophet (^g), whereas some locations were
arrived at based
upon
ijtihaad.
is
The reason
as follows:
explained
at par-
When
the Prophet
places
(5^5)
used to
recite the
ticular places.
Those
(S^g) recited
diller-
ence
ol
opinion occurs
at those places
where he
(gz)
some
as a verse break,
beginning of a new
Moosaa
writes:'-"
The reason
is
that
Quraan)...The locations
anil
DO difference
Then
(-Sgl
upon
that
And
Prophet (Sg) sometimes stopped, and sometimes did not: these locations
are the reason lor the difference ol opinion, and
where
formed
ijtihaad.
Of course,
scholars
even
when
ijtihaad
was
employed
Ol primary importance
522
Reported by Aboo
)aawood.
523 Reported by
52-1
Ahmad.
Reported by at-Tirmidhee.
52*5
Moosaa,
p. 52.
1^4
An
ot the verse;
ol
its
sister verses?
what was
sister
ol the
'-'"
and
alter it?
its
its
and established
the
should be emphasised again that the actual arrangement ol the words and phrases same - the difference of opinion occurs only where one verse ends and the next
7
verse begins.'-'
in the
Qur'aan?
difference ol opinion.
ol'thi: c/inuicit)
the scholars
ions.
Each
city
own
verse-number.
this
is
The scholars of
Koofah held the view that there were 6236 verses (and
present in the
nitis_-lafs
the
6204
verses.
in
number, whereas
Mims
Madccnah
and the
later
62 14 verses.
in
where
to stop
start
another.
lor
example, some
whereas others
into
consider
verses.
last 'verse'
two
there
is
ol the
($J|) himself.
agreed
(ijnuni')
on
this point.
Aboo
ol
Ja'far ibn
Zubayr
(d.
is
"Flic arrangement
the
matter which
it
mm
command
(i.e..
exercise
ijtihiiiid in ill.
mailer
in
which there
is
no difference of opinion
among
the Muslims.'
lor
more
details
and examples.
is
in the
Quraan
p.
a difference ol
opinion concerning
its
stains
is
the
basmalah
the beginning of each soorati, and this difference will be elaborated on in a separate section.
27.
Qaaaan,
p.
59.
The Compilation
o!
the
Quraan
155
The
used to
to
mention
where
to put the
verse in the
tell
own judgement,
for Jibreel
'Uthmaan ibn Abee al-'Aas reported that lie was once sitting by the Prophet (gg) when he noticed that the Prophet (55) raised his eyes and fixed his gaze (an indication that he (j^g) was being inspired), then he said, "Jibreel came to me and com-
manded me
Allaah
justice....""! 16:90].
which soorah
do
so.
who
die
bequeath
them
a year's
out...l2:240]
He went
to
"Uthmaan
it,
ibn 'Altaan,
so
why do you
1
write it?"
and asked him, "This verse has been abrogated by He answered, "O my nephew, I will not
its
'Uthmaan
signified that he
knew
to leave
to.
fact that
the Prophet
(|)
and to the ment of the verses must have been taught by the Prophet
the prayers in
Companions
is
individually,
shows
the
(jge) to
all ol
which the
recitation
($yg)
recite
(*yg) recited
and he (3^) rccitcil al-Baqarah, and Aali-'Imraan, and Nisaa', and Araaf, and many more soorahs in the prayer,"' and he recited Soorah Qaal more than once during
in Fajr,
the Friday sermons. In addition, the Prophet (5^5) used to recite the entire
Qur'aan
Ramadaan, and this was witnessed by Zayd ibn Thaabit. ThereCompanions must have heard the various verses put together to form the
ol
soorah.
This
is
gatherings ol the
why as-Suyootec said, "The recitation of the Prophet (^) in front of the Companions proves that the arrangement ol the verses is Irom him.
530
Reported
in
Musnad Ahmad.
v.
331
$32
Repotted by al-Bukhaarec.
it.
az-Zarqaancc,
1. 1>.
347.
156
An
Quraan
and the Companions could not change the order of the verses from what the Prophet
(SS>) recited.
is
imttawaatir.'"'
This
is
absolutely no
known
difference ot opinion in
Letters
in the
letters,
with difference of
is
The
due
and,
pronounce
script,
as
mentioned
one another.
Iraq, called
(d.
famous governor of
1
10A.H.), Abooal-'Aaliyah
(d.
commanded
and words, and they concluded that there were 77,439 words, and
Qur'aan." Other opinions give different numbers, but they are
letters in the
same range
as the
in
I
examples
cited.
Imaam
as-Sakhaawee's
(d.
643 A.H.)
state-
mind
tor a
in
such discussions.
He
all of
would be
book
that
is
As
for the
Qur'aan,
Companions and
those after
them
agreed that these numbers have no Islaamic significance or valid esoteric interpretations whatsoever.""
The
longest verse
89:
1 .
is
The
shortest verse
is
93:1, lVa
ad-duha and
'Wa
al-fajr'.
letters in writing,
pronunciation.
The
is
'fa-asqaynaafamooku,
in 15:22,
$33
as-Suyoojcc,
v.
I.
v.
p. 82.
I,
334 ax-'/arkashec.
$35
p. 249.
as-Sakhaawce,p.231.
cf.
$36
Qattaan,
is
337 This
according
of Hats.
Some
of the
c/ini'mil
consider
llic
disjointed letters to be a
would make
these letters the smallest verse in the Qur'aan, lor these qiraaat.
The Compilation
oi
the Qur'aan
157
The
The basmalah
is
Basmai.au as a Verse
Qur'aan, except for Soorah at-Tawbah, and reads, as every Muslim knows,
Name
Bestowcr
of
Mercy).
There
this
is
a difference ot
is
ol the ol
phrase
to
be considered as
beginning
a
each soorah,
merely
and
is
meant
to identify
The scholars are agreed that the basmalah docs not form
and that
"Verily,
it
Soorah at-Tawbah,
is
a verse
of the Qur'aan
is
in 27:3(1
it
(the letter)
(reads): In the
its
Name
ol Allaah,
The
Kvcr-.Merciful, the
ol the
1)
Bestowcr
status at the
beginning
would
the
first
verse
at
ol'
every soorah.
the
first
part ol the
and not a
3)
The basmalah
other soorahs.
is
4)
The basmalah
a verse in
is
any soorah
that has
is
been placed
at
not to be counted as
is
5)
The basmalah
not
which
is
used
to
can be seen that the above opinions can be divided into two main categories:
those
who
at the
it
is
a verse in the
who
claim that
is
not.
is
ol the
a verse
(d.
ash-Shaafi'cc
(d.
204 A. II.),
Imaam Ahmad
241
to
A.I
and
"Uthmaan ordered
be written
at
ninth soorah, Soorah at-Tawbah). This, according to them, automatically implies that
[he basmalah at the beginning ot the soorahs
is
a verse in die
Com-
in the
to be the Qur'aan,
J38 c
Il.n
Knihcer.
v.
I, p. 17.
158
An
and did nol write anything besides it. In addition, they also use as evidence those narrations in which ihe Prophet ($g) recited the basmalah at the beginning of certain
soorahs,
in
(3jg)
me:
We
|I-'oun-
In this narration, the Prophet (syg) started the soorah with the basmalah,
and
it
can be
interred that
it
However, those
a part
do not hold the basmalah at the beginning ol the soorahs to be of the Qur'aan, such as Imaam Maalik (d. 179 A.H.), Aboo Hanccfah (d. 15(1
fact that
is
to signify
where
new
said,
soorah
starts, as
"The Prophet
(-eg) said,
(Sgg)
did not
c\m\>.\\
is
until the
basmalah was
the hadceth in
which the
and
Prophet
Me
My
servant, so
when he
All Praise
I
is
due to AUaab
[1:1]
respond,
"My servant
not a verse.
narration
Aboo
Plurayrah,
who
4,
AI1 Praise
is
is
due
to
Allanh
ol
1 :
the Book'
oft-re-
peated verses.'"
(^)
not a verse ol
Based on
to
be a verse
at
$39
Reported
ly
J40 Reported by
159
some
was
revealed in
some
all
ol the
ahmfoi
out of others!
342
This opinion
the basmalah
would perhaps
is
were
fact that
written in
Had
some
left
ahmj
some
of the
imts-haf anil
out ol others.
is
a part
a part ol the
other soorahs. the purpose ol the-basmalah, as the narration of Ibn 'Abbaas mentions,
is
to differentiate
next.
The strongest prool tor this opinion is an authentic narration that leaves no room for any doubt. Aboo Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (^g) said, "When you recite,
A1I l'niisc
is
due
to
Allaah
ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem' tor verily it (i.e., the Faatihah) is the 'Mother of the Qur'aan' anil the "Mother of the Book' and the 'Seven oft-repeated verses'; anil 'Bismi/lah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem' is a verse ol it. This narrathen recite (with
it),
'Bismillaah
'
tion
is
basmalah
is
a verse of
all
is
based on
no strong
is
a verse at the
(yg)
there
is
a soorah in the
Qur'aan
It
composed of thirty
is,
companions
until
he was forgiven.
Blessed be
He
in
Whose Hands
is
is
|,
w
is
composed
ol thirty verses
The
is
issue ol
a verse at the
beginning
ol the soorahs or
is
not
the basmalah
it
is
a part
of the verse
in
J42
^4
5
cl.
al-Banna,
p. 358.
For
.1
is
narrated through a
number of
ol
different chains,
most
ol
which make
tins a
statement
Aboo
is
(5&<)- This is why some scholars staled Aboo Hurayrah. anil not a ladceth).
not authentic
(meaning
thai n
is
.1
statement
$44
cl.
ar-Kaazic.
Muhammad
an explanation
ol the
Aboo Daawood.
160
An
is it
a verse; is
it :
only
beginning
of all
a verse or
it
not
is
permitted. As such,
person
who denies
writes,
"There
is
no difference
1 '"'
of
opinion
among
(at
the
Muslims
that a person
is
who
not to
To conclude,
Faatihah, but
best.
is
the basmalah
is
counted as
a verse at the
beginning of Soorah
al-
knows
As
been
ibn
Soorah at-Tawbah does not begin with the basmalah, there have
There arc narrations from 'Alec left out of at-Tawbah since the basmalah signifies peace and mercy, and at-Tawbah was revealed as a warning and threat lor the pagans. Other weak narrations mention the story that the Companions cliil not know whether at-Tawbah and al-Anfaal were two soorahs or one, so they purinterpretations seeking to explain this.
to the effect that the
many
Abee Taalib
basmalah was
posely
left
'
The
is
as alit
Qushayree
because
not
at
the beginning of
is
VI.
The Soorahs
The word
'soorah'
of the Qur'aan
means an enclosure or a
an elevated plain."
it
1
around
a city.
It is
"
When
meaning,
signifies a specific
linguistic
is
group of verses
in the
Combing its
"The
meaning to
the Islaamic
all
other
say
it is
from the
word
so
it is
the reciter of the Qur'aan rises from one level to another, or due to
(the
And
it
is
p.
472.
This narration
will
v.
lie
1,
p. 26.3.
p. 136.
v.
I.
p. 9.
The Compilation
ol the
Quraan
161
it is
obligatory to follow
that
it
and
is
recom-
arrangement
Qur'aan,
ijtihaad
mus-haf. he
employed
own
ijtihaad in the
This
is
the opinion ot
1
Imaam Maalik
(d.
Ahoo Bakr
al-Baaqillaancc
(d. 4<>.?
is
A.H.)."
The
'Alec's
proof that
is
Companions
For example,
then al-Muddathir, and soon. Both ihc mits-hafs ol 'Ubay ibn Ka'aband Ibn Mas'ood
started with al-Bacjarah,
been
so, these
arrangement
ol the soorahs.
However,
this
is
Comin
Most
ol
them were
not constitute any proof. Apart from that, these mitsot the
hafs
Prophet
it
(Sjg),
when
The second opinion claims that part ot the arrangement was done by the Prophet (Sg), and part by the ijtihaad of the Companions. The followers of this opinion, however, have disagreed as to how many soorahs were arranged by the Prophet (-^5) and how many by the Companions. The most common opinion amongst
ranged by the Prophet
(jjsjg)
this
group
is
were
ar-
though
it
is
at-Tawbah.
why
in the tjwaal
soorahs}"
'Uthmaan answered, "The soorahs used to be revealed to the Prophet (^?,), so whenever something was revealed he would call a scribe anil tell him, "Put this verse in the soorah in which such-and-such is mentioned." Soorah al-Antaal was one ot the first soorahs to be revealed in Madeenah, anil Soorah at-Tawbah was one ol the
?5
as-Suyootee,
v.
I ,
p. 82.
last
<i2
For
:i
section
of this chapter.
162
An
last parts of
its
story
was similar to
it
it
(i.e.,
Soorah at-Tawbah
(j^g)
thought that
was
a part
this issue, so
put the
two of these
together,
and did not write the basmalah between them, and put them
who
if it
was not
weak."^ Therefore,
all
ar-
ranged by the Prophet (^g), was held by as-Suyootcc (who claimed that this was the ol scholars), al-Bayhaqcc (d. 458 A.H.) and others.
should be pointed out that the proponents of both of the above opinions claim
nil
agreed to
it
{ijmua).
3)
The
last
opinion
command
of the
Prophet (^).
Companions
(%0,)
and
this
is
why 'Uthmaan
ar-
in the present
arrangement.
is
This
(&f,)
is
used to
Companions
in
in a specific order,
and he (^)
and he (^) said, "I have been AahVImraan, given in place of the Torah the seven tjwaal, and I have been given in place ol the Psalms the mi cen, and have been given in place of the Gospel the mathaam. and was honoured over the others with the mufasatl. This hadeeth will be discussed in
I I
"'
it
clearly
shows
that the
some order by
Also,
when
it
(^) must
it.
have recited
in a particular order,
recited
When
Uthmaan compiled
to this order.
the
heard from the Prophet ($g). Another proof is that none of the Companions objected
Therefore, the arrangement of lUc soorahs must have been
that
is
known
to the
Companions, and
why
they agreed to
is
it
(ijmaa).
the narration of
Hudhaytah at-Thaqafcc
'We break
(d.
42 A.H.),
which he
said, "I
'How do you
They
replied,
it
353
>54
Reported by
In
its
others,
cf.
Qattaan
p. 14
$.
chain
Yazced
al-b'arscc.
whom
Ahmad
Shaakir
no
basis."
See Qattaan.
44.
Reported bj Muslim.
in his
Kabeer; c as_-Saheehah
1480.
The Compilation
then seven, then nine, then eleven, then thirteen, then the
""
ot the
Quraan
163
five,
iniifassa/
from Qaal
to
the end.'"
Companions would
to all the
reeite the
Qur'aan
in a specific
the
life
of the
Imaam al-Karmaanee
the
said,
Qur'aan
is
written in the
"The arrangement ol the soorahs is Irom Allaah, and Lauh al-Mahfoodh in this arrangement. It was recited to
order every year, and he (gg) recited
(d.
it
(ihreel
by the Prophet
(jyg) in this
twice the
year he died."
328 A.H.)
said,
twenty
or so years.
A soorah
would be revealed
and
response to a happening. Jibreel used to inform the Prophet (-^) ol the arrangement
and place
ol
the verses
soorahs, so the
all
arrangement
it
ol the soorahs
is
rangement
of the verses
and words -
ol
is
(^g). Therefore,
what
it
should
proofs
the Qur'aan."
Al-Hamad
writes,
"The
($,),
given (by the proponents ot the second opinion) are not explicit, and the possibility
this
and
this
many of the
wisdom behind
rangement
of the soorahs.
fact,
The
tween thesoorahs. In
entitled Tanaasiq
and
this
is
all
the
A very small
Tawbah
are in fact
said.
be
13 soorahs.
Imaam az-Zaxkashee
Ami know
lirst
that the
1
of
those in authority,"'
is
14. as is
present
lasi ol
in ihe
of which
A.I
I.)
is
which
an-Naas. Mujaahid
(il.
lull
saiil
thai there
is
were
$.
as
named each of
them
separately.
$57 Reported by
$58
recite
Aboo Daawood.
v.l, p.
259.
Whal
is
imam
In
is
not to
was
occasionally
consider
soorah
.is
having
.i
position that
hx.Ahlal-ti.aU an al-'Aqd.
$62
az-Zarkashce,
v.
I,
p. 251.
164
An
names of the
soorahs,
many
of
them have been given by the Prophet mention the names of al-Baqarah, Aalithe soorahs are not found in the hadeeth
it is
all
Some
possible
that
even
the
is
from the Prophet (JH)). 363 For example Soorah at-Tawbah also called al-Baraa'ah, and Soorah al-Ghaafir is also called al-Mu'min. A. soorah
names
was
typically
named
tor a story,
is
theme or word
in
it.
is
Soorah al-K.awtb.ar.
The
Classification
of the Soorahs
and the
The soorahs of the Qur'aan arc grouped into four categories, the tjwaal (long) soorahs,
the mi'ecn (hundred) soorahs, the mathaani (oft-recited) soorahs
jointed) soorahs.
miifassal (dis-
(j||) in
which he
said, "I
in
place
in place of the
and
mitfasjal.'"
The tjwaal soorahs: These are the first seven soorahs Faatihah. Some have added at-Tawbah as included in the
1)
in the
Qur'aan
after the
is
no
it
The
mieeti:
hundred
verses,
prayers
4)
quent occurrence
from Qaaf
(or,
of the
basmalah.
They
start,
As
appear
Faatir.
be any consensus.
Some have
Soorah
This would then imply that the tjwaal arc the soorahs from al-Baqarah
to
at-Tawbah;
the mi-een from Yoonus to al-Faatir; the mathaani from Ya Seen to al-Hujuraat and
v.
I, p.
270,
where
lie
Reported In
at
cl.
us_-Saheehah
148(1.
165
this classification
is
Other Classifications
The Quraan
of days.
1)
facilitate reading.
These
divi-
sions have been adopted to assist the completion ol the Qur'aan in a certain
number
The ones
that are
more common
is
in the
Manzil:
The Qur'aan
in
a person wishes to
finish the
Qur'aan
Most
quoted
(3^5)
of the
Companions used
Qur'aan
earlier
asked the
how
Three
soorahs, then fixe soorahs, then seven soorahs, then nine soorahs, then eleven
words, the
first
day
of the
recite
five soorahs;
from
is
2) Juz:
The Qur'aan
in
is
is
called a juz.
This
is
done
order to
is
facilitate its
tries, this
division
3) Hizb: The mus-hafs printed in Arab countries are typically divided into hizbs. The Qur'aan is composed of sixty hizbs, and thus every juz contains two hizbs. The
is
is
the
The
of text.
The ruku
is
accompanied
by three numbers.
The top number denotes the number of the ruku with respect to The middle number indicates the number of verses in that The bottom number indicates the number of the rul(ii with respect to the juz in
it
which
occurs.
36
s
)
Although Tarhooni
in his
work does
not hold
hat
it
is
ol
the differ-
ent categories to he sequential. So, lor example, he holds that the tjwaal arc from al-Baqarah to al-Aaral",
in the mi'cai\
C H A P T E R
Soorahs
I.
The
Different Categories
be divided into ten categories, into which
all
the
L4 soorahs
1)
may
be classified.'"
The
Haa-Yaa-'Ayn-Saad, Haa-Meem,
These
number. This
The
is
The
first
category
is
the glorification by
means
ol Praise,
All Praise is
due to Allaah..^.
1:1
and,
-Blessed he
He
in
whose Hands
is
the
Dominion"
|67:1
The second
category
is
the glorification by
means of negating
attributes ol
weak-
He
(i.e..
He
is
Rxalled over
nil evil
that
is
attrib-
uted to
Him)"
17:1
and,
<
dorily the
Name ol
|87:l
1.
""
567
az-Zarkashce,v. I.p.164-181.
rhis distinction will be better appreciated
ii
36S
Al/uu/i'
different
mean togs
I
>i
'Subhoon
and 'AUhmuliilhluah'
'.
he
latter
le possesses the
Most
IVrlcct
Names ami
attributes oi imperfection,
Attributes.
The Beginnings
There are
in the first
of the
Soorahs
167
hall of
them
are
3)
Call.
For example.
(22:1
fit
tj*X^#Cft
J.\3\l\i,"0
Mankind"
and
others);
(5:1
anil others);
(33:1
and others).
(Sg).
jjltpClilJi "Successful
(80:1).
This occurs
twenty-
three soorahs.
5)
An
it
$ "By
when
6)
which
are
Makkan.
O ^cJ^>^'j-~
~'&\>\
(110:1), or jffi<julfy
A Command, For example, $*<$&$$ "Read, in the name of your Lord!" (96:
He
is
1 ),
or j^-lilifyji "Say:
this category. 8)
(1
12:1)
There arc
fit
into
S^:Li,U
"What
^2ll>jS5j\ll*j\
Recompense?"
(107:1).
This
An
'
"Woe
Aboo
to those
who
give less in
measure
(104:1),
ith
and weight!"
and
1^,'y
j.'
0}j^'^k=^' "Woe 3
:
to every slanderer
oi
I
and backbiter!"
._!-'-
them)!" (111:1). These are the only three soorahs where this occurs.
10)
A Reason or Cause. There is only one soorah where this occurs: .^-i.-ii.'V
(106:1).
"For
the
ii.
The
The
Disjointed Letters
.
half the
letters,
five.
The most
common
mean,
in
seventeen soorahs.
The
least
common
are l^aaj
and noon.
as to the
ol these
letters are
the
initials of
who
to the sensible.
Some
ol
the
more common
16S
An
ol
the Qur'aan
These
letters are
is
from the
Miilaslnnibili,""
their
mean-
ings.
This opinion
is
a very
common
one, and
it is
Ahoo
Bakr as-Siddecc|
of the Qur'aan
is
hook has
(in
in the
the muqatm'aat)."
it
opinion
is
some purpose and meaning. I'akhr ad-Deen ar-Raazee commenting on this view, "It is not possible that Allaah would include something in His Book that His Creation would not understand, because
these letters have
saiil,
606 A.H.)
Allaah
is
the
from
2)
it.
meanings.'"'
These
from the names of Allaah. There are reports from Ibn 'Abbaas
these reports are
to this effect,
Majeed,
all
weak
name
of
''
letters.
same
is
Dawn"
(89:
).
This view
have
much
These
letters represent
is
rejected outright, as
They stand
'
for specific
for phrases.
Allaah.
Know), or
and
Muhammad.
Again, there
is
no proof
for this.
6) Esoteric Interpretations.
and
is
to
support them.
They
names
of the Qur'aan.
Most
of the scholars
have rejected
this
letters.
They
arc
meant
The
Qur'aan, anil
make
noise
(i.e.,
babble)
in the
midst of
it.
so that you
may overcome
$69 See
( :!..
2,
Verses'.
$70 az-Zarkashec,
liakr.
.is
I.
p. 17?. It is essential,
il
however, to
verity
il
this actually
was
tin-
statement
ol
Aboo
az-Zarkashec reports
\.
without an isnaad.
i/l
az-Zarkashce,
1. p.
17$.
572
Ubayiiaat, p. 208.
The Beginnings
Thus, Alhiah revealed these
letters to
of the Soorahs
169
is
a
it.
in
support of
They
arc the
names of the
Although
soorahs.
is
etc.
this
does not
meaning
than a
third of the soorahs actually begin with these letters, therefore this cannot be their
primary purpose.
10)
to
miiqaUa'aat as the
verse of the
Qur'aan
man
is
being
reminded
1 1
of his limited
know
ledge,
and the
knowledge
of his Creator.
They
arc being
reminded
that this
Qur'aan
yet
it
is
composed
of their letters, in
its
the
same
as their words,
and
cannot be imitated
style
To add weight
to this explanation,
it
is
all
soorahs
where
these letters occur, the very next verse mentions the Qur'aan. For example,
Kjtdii
AIif
-Liim-Mcem. This
is
is
no doubt
in
it.
a guid-
This
last
(d.
538 A.H.)
in his fa-
(d.
if
is
not a
him
7"
take the other half and form a speech that can compete with the
Qur'aan!""
12)
They
The
phenomenon
was
to follow.
started b\ the
ters at the
<>l
poem
that
Also, the Arabs at the time of the Prophet (Sg) never questioned the muqata'aat, despite the fact that they tried everything to disparage the Prophet (5^).
letters
use in the
poems
opinion, the muqatta'aat are used to attract attention to the soorahs, and to prove
to the disbelieving
Arabs that the Qur'aan was a revelation from Allaah, since even
Tafieer ar-Raazee,
v.
p.
7.
374
this
docs not occur are al-'Ankabool and ar-Room. hut even these mention
ol
7.
the jw;n;/;s.
375 al-Kashaaf,
v.
p.
170
An
though the mucjathi'aal were used by the poets of old, the Qur'aan"s
inimitable.
In a topic of this nature,
it is
style
of "poetry'
is
ions
in
is
the correct one, since there (Iocs not exist absolute proof for any ol
first
opinion!).
Many
Opinions
eight, nine,
and
ten,
to
be the
first,
as
was
pointed out
letters,
earlier,
it is
knows
meanings
but this does not rule out the possibility that they
possible to grasp.
Concerning the
last
It
be any
grounds
them.
strongest opinions,
It is
best.
ol
the mttqatta'aat
is
known
is
only to
prove both by showing the Arabs that the Qur'aan the miraculous nature of the Qur'aan,
Allaah; but
to
despite
its
inimitability
letters
the
poems
oldld.
177
'" 8
III.
beginning
of the soorahs
last
have
a certain
is
unique
style,
so too
The
part of a speech
the part
with, therefore
it
characteristics that
make
it
The endings of
strong impact
and
forceful, leaving a
upon
An example
is
376
/.arzur, p. I S7.
377 Also
Aboo Bakr
v. I,
p. 7.
Permanent Scholars (al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah) of Saudi Arabia was asked conbeginning ol the soorahs. In response k> ibis question, they issued
a
letters ai the
faiwa (#
p.
knows
best -
the beginning
it
is
composed
ol
these
same disjointed
they talk
I
And
ibis
opinion
is
lajjaaj
Afeeii,
Soorahs
171
(Quraan)
is a
Message
lor
mankind (ami
a prooi against
them),
in
is
worthy
ol
may take
hecd!.[ 14:52]
is
Another example
the
last
al-Baqarah. Soorah Aali-*Imraan ends with the exhortation of being patient and persevering in the cause of Allaah; Soorah al-Maa'idah
of the
An
with
its
Indeed,
[23:
The
ending
ol"
relationship ol the ending ol a soorah with the beginning ol the next one
beginning
ol a
soorah
is
related to the
the previous one, either by meaning, or wording. For example, the ending
is a
Soorah al-I'aatihah
answer
to be
patient
and
fear Allaah,
to fear Allaah,
and
lultil
the laws
of being
just
amongst
with regards
and
and
obligations.
An example
of a relationship
in
wording
>-
is
"And
stars..
in
at
|52:49|
ol
Soorah an-Najm,
By the star
when
it
goes down
[53:
word
'star.
ef.
az-Zarkashee,
v.
I.
p. 186.
CHAPTER
(I
i.
number of mean-
ings, including:
1
A letter or a
alphabet.
means
2)
'The border, the edge of something, the brink.' For example, Allaah
says,
Ancl
(i.e.,
among mankind
is
he
who
in
worships Allaah
1
(as
it
were) upon
half
doubt) |22:1
3)
To
to distort.'
^<L*_*5
...
(lit.,
yitharifutia)
words from
14:46)
Its
is
and
However,
given as follows:
read.
The ahruf are the various ways that the verses of the Qur'aan arc Imaam al-Qurtubee (d. 671 A.H.) said, "Every variation of a word in the Qur'aan is said to be a harf. So, for example, when we say the harf of Ibn Mas'ood, means the
it
way
that Ibn
Mas'ood used
Most English authors translate ahruf as 'modes' or 'dialects.' However, in this book the word will be left in Arabic since the meaning is broader than these translated
words.
380 Ubayda.it.
p. 153.
"
173
The proof for this is found in many much so that it reaches the level of mulawaatir. (syg), Jalaal ad-Dcen as-Suyootee lists twenty-one companions who narrated that the Qur'aan was revealed in seven ahruf'* Some of these narrations are as follows:
narrations from the Prophet
1
1)
the Qur'aan to
me
in
one
hjirf
and
recited
it
back
to
him, but
it
requested
number
"It
of harf)
and he continued
(d.
1
to increase
for
me,
until
ahruf." Ibn
Shihaab az-Zuhrec
has reached
me
one
(in
differ 2)
about what
is
permitted or forbidden.
"'
(j^g)
outskirts of
said,
of Banoo Ghifaar)
when
Jibreel
came
to in
him and
commanded
this!" Jibreel
that
you
recite the
Qur'aan
to
your people
Prophet
ble
of doing
then
recite the
My
this!" Jibreel
then
came
a third
commanded you
to recite the
Qur'aan
to
your people
in three ahruf."
The Prophet
ask Allaah's
last, Jibreel
My
and
came
to
has
commanded you
recite,
to recite the
Qur'aan
right.
your people
3)
whichever hflrfthey
they
would be
'Umar ibn al-Khattaab narrated, "I was sitting in the masjid when I heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem recite Soorah al-Furqaan. I was almost about to jump on him in his prayer, but I waited until he finished, and then grabbed him by his garment and asked him, 'Who taught you to recite in such a manner?'" He replied, 'It was the
Prophet (5^) himself!'
I
learnt thiSSOOrah
I
was
diftcreni
from your
recitation!"
Therefore,
dragged
al-
him
to the
Prophet (g) and complained to him that Hishaam had recited Soorah
manner different from what he (^) had taught me. At this, the Prophet (5^5) told me to let go of Hishaam, and asked him to recite Soorah al-Furqaan. Hishaam recited the Soorah in the same way I had heard him before. When he finished, the Prophet ($g) said, 'It was revealed this way." He then asked me to recite the same soorah. When I had finished, he (^g) said, 'It was (also) revealed this way. Indeed, the
Furqaan
in a
in
is
easy for
so
381 Kmutawaath ftadeeih is one thai is reported hy a large number of much so dial ihcy could not all he mistaken or agree upon a lie.
382 as-Suyootee.
583
vol. I, p. 45.
174
An
4) In a story similar to
'Umar's, 'Ubay ibn Ka'ab also heard two people reciting the
Quraan
parties
in a
manner
to the
different from
(jj|)
what he had
this point,
learnt. Alter
some
discussion, both
went
ol
Prophet
to him.
He
(j^g)
ap-
proved
both
a sort
parties' recitations.
Ubay
exist
my mind
chest,
fear!
even
I
in the
(before Islaam)!
When
I
the Messenger
was
I
affected,
my
in
whereupon
started sweating,
and
as
though
were looking
Allaah
Then the Prophet (3jg) said, 'O Ubay! A message was sent to mc to recite the Quraan in one harf but requested (Allaah) to make things easy on my nation. A second message came that should recite the Quraan in two ahruf but I again made
I I
the
same
5)
request.
to recite the
Qur'aan
(^g)
in
seven ahruf"
Jibreel,
"O [ibrcel! have been sent to an illiterate nation. Among them arc old and young men and women, and those who have never read any writing!" Jibreel answered him, "O
ibn Ka'ab narrates that once the Prophet
Ubay
I
met
and
said,
Muhammad,
in
seven
in.
What
is
Meant by
the
would be useful
to
mention some
The
different
ahruf are all directly from Allaah, ami not from the Companions. where the Companions differed from each other, it was clear
hail
is
one
been taught
directly
(Slg),
who was
inspired
by Allaah. This
why
the Prophet
(Sfe;)
'Umarand Hishaam,
2)
"It
was revealed
The reason the Prophet (5^5) requested the number of ahruf to be increased was to make the memorisation and recitation of the Qur'aan easier for his Uminah. The Prophet (-gg) prayed to increase thc<//yv(/"bccause in hxsummiih were "... old and young men and women, and those who have never read any writing." Therelore, the limitations ol the
Qur'aan being
in
tie-
can be assumed
all
the ahruf to
the
Companions,
'Umar
know about
Narrated hv at-Tirmidhee.
175
cause lor Ubay's doubts was the fact that he was unaware of these ahruf and the
Prophet
4)
($^,)
had
to
The
of
Qur'aan
in a different
recognise that
Hishaam
was
showing
of
different
Each one
correct."
of these
ahruf
is
complete in and
of itself.
The
is
the
(-Us) "...so
they are
in
This
is
one harf is
less.
sufficient.
The Prophet
($g)
number
of
ahruf until
Jibrccl
therefore interpretations to the effect that 'seven' indicates an unspecified plurality (this
of
Qaadee
'Iyaad
ol
(d.
false.
in the
Musnad
Imaam Ahmad
Qur'aan
was revealed
in
in
ten ahruf.
that, in the
Some scholars have tried to explain the first Makkan stage, the Qur'aan was revealed in three
stage, Allaah increased this to seven
die
Madeenan
need
to resort to
The
In
hijra/i.
one
skirts
H)
A
ol
last
from these
is
not
rel-
the concern
shown by
to
the
Companions
in the preservation
all
Com-
despite the fact that these recitations were said lo have been learnt from
until they
to the
As
issue.
tor
what
is
on
(his
Ibn Qutaybah
listed
thirty-five
opinions on this
issue,
and
as-
Suyootee
of
over
forty.
reciter (o
meaning
of (he
was
futile!
On
the other
hand,
Imaam Muhammad
c(. cf..
X
.589
176
An
oi the
Qur'aan
>l
the
t/ini'iiai
have sought
to discover the
meanings of
this
these hadeeth (about the almif). anil have pondered over them,
topic lor
my mind
to that
the correct
answer
The
reason that such a great difference ol opinion exists concerning the exact
ol the akrufis
meaning
due
any
explicit narration
upon
their exami-
(ijtihaacl).
Therefore,
it
to arrive at
one
is
specific
is
alone
is
correct
and
all
else
wrong,
pure
tolly.
eliminate
What is desired, however, is to narrow down as many as possible based upon the evidences.
dis-
A.
basis \w iatsoever:
In this category
Some
of these
are:
ot texts.
and mctaphoric, naasikh and mansookfi. Other categories include those given by grammarians and linguists, specifying different
literal
verb forms.
2)
An
esoteric interpretation by certain Soofi groups, claiming that there arc seven
levels 3)
to
each verse.
recita-
tion
for the
no proof
common
sense.
B.
Those opinions which have some apparent BUT ARE WEAK OPINIONS:
category are the following opinions:
basis,
Included
I)
in this
These ahruf are seven different ways to pronounce the words, without actually
changing the
letters.
However,
this
in
words
$90
Itr,
p. 10.
Itr,
391
122-190.
177
is
?)
on
weak
commands and
prohibitions, promises
and ambiguous.
4)
The
is
contradicted histori-
cally, as
qira'aat*
None of the
this view, as
Ibn Taymiyvah
(d.
"There
not the
is
no difference
ol
opinion
among
same
as the seven
famous qira'aal."
oi'ihc
ahruf u>
C. Tl fOSE OPINIONS
These opinions
have
mm the meanings ol
the a handed h.
There
are three
The
seven ahruf rcicr to the seven dialects (lughaat) of the Arabs prevalent
(3^5).
at
the
Each of these
among
the Arabs,
names ol other tribes). Thus, under this opinion, various would be pronounced according to the pronunciation of that particular tribe, and words from one dialect would be replaced by other words used by that particular
verses
tribe.
Some
meaning
dialect
ol
scholars say that these seven dialects are spread throughout the Qur'aan,
that part ot the
Qur'aan
forth.
is
in the dialect
in the
of Hudhayl, and so
reciteil in
each
Bayhaqee
2)
(d.
54
ol recitation (lahajaat)
replaced by their synonyms. In other words, the scxcnulmtj have the exact same meanings but different wordings.
ol
Imaam
at-Tabarec
(d.
>1
A.I
I.).
at-Tahaawee
(d.
321
(d.
$92 }93
$94
For
;>
two InuUnli,
sec
Itr. p.
38.
on the qira'aat.
86.
178
An
the-
Quraan
3)
The
seven
tihritf refer to
ence
1
.
one
of the following
Change
in
:5,
/(</
al- 'i/ini
il-manfoosh
is
changed
to
ol
Differences in wordings or letters such that they conform to the vowelless, dotless
script just
of'Uthmaan.
1 '"
is
changed xafatathabatoo
is
in 49:6,
changed
to nuilil{i
the script
of'Uthmaan.
Change
in
word
wa qaatalu wa qutilit
is
changed
to
wa
4.
i! iin I it
wa
qaatalu.
of a letter or
Addition or subtraction
recited
word. For example, in 57:24. Ja inna Alhiaha without the pronoun,^/ inaAllaah al-ghaniyul
The form
of
the
word
structure
is
to
amanaatihim
is
changed
to the singular//
amanatihim.
Ibraaheema musallaa
7.
I
is
read in the
command
wattakhidhoo.
)if
(called tas-hcci) or
pronouncing certain
atifs
andyaas differently
(called imaalak).
(d.
This
was
ibn
Qutaybah
(d.
403 A.H.),
Makkcc
A.I
I.),
Abee Taalib
(d.
the same.
Among these
the fact that
it
one seems
to
have the
least
weight. Despite
it
does
more
than one
ol
these seven categories. Therefore, the third definition does not really an-
The
1
first
It
them.''
two opinions, on the other hand, have very strong evidences to support seems - and Allaah knows best - that both ot these opinions have an elethem,
anil there does not exist
ment
them.
of truth in
any grounds
first,
are
found
>% The
letters
iliil
not have
.lots
or diacritical
marks
tn distinguish
between certain
on 'The Collection
ol the Qur'aan."
.597
pps. 168-177.
79
is
to,
words,
letters,
these variations
variations
ditl
made
it
easier for
the
Companions
seven different ways of recitation lor each verse, but whenever such variations existed,
the different ways of recitation never exceeded seven.""
iv.
still
present
today.
()l
goes back to his definition that the ahruf represent seven ways that the verse can
still
The
in the
previous
The The
(d.
scholars of Islaam are divided into three opinions with regards to this issue.
first
group
of scholars,
(d.
32
5S4 A.H.)
composed of at-Tabaree (d. 510 A.H.), at-Tahaawee and those who follow them, argue that only
of the
one harf is
($9. but
in existence today.
Qur'aan
in
Companions
at
when 'Uthmaan
committee assigned
("Uthmaan) chose
to write the
He
writes,
"The
Imaam
He
is
ment of 'Uthmaan
Tabaree anil those
harf.
to the
committee
it
mus-haf
"...
1
Quraysh."'"
who
In
"How
posely have
(5SI i" facilitate the memorisation ot the Qur'aan, since the dialects ol the
facilitation (i.e.. the ahruj)
it.
was
it
In fact,
became
the cause
oi
people
new
to Islaam
began
ar-
m
401
598
ef.
al-Qaarec,
p. 7'>.
I.
p.
U4, which
is
az-Zarqanee,v.
p.
Chapter 8 lor
p. 162.
.i
Quraan.
4H2
riuydaat.
180
An
'Uthmaan
to discard the
other
six
one
luirj.
so thai the
The Com-
panions agreed
is
to this action
the
Companions
holds thai
all
of the ahruf zk
to preserve all
ofAboo Bakr al-Baai|illaani (d. 403 A.H.), and a small group of scholars. They claim that the Companions would never abandon a recitation that they used to recite
during the lifetime of the Prophet (^g). anil thai they would not discard any knowl-
The
Jazarcc
third
(d.
group of scholars
is
composed
(d.
ol Ilin
Taymiyyah
(d.
Shaatibee
(d.
(d.
832 A.H.) anil others. They argue that 'Uthmaan preserved the ahruj
to
him
to
do
so.
ol
The
question then
On what
basis did
The answer
ol the
to this is
'Uthmaan decide which portions of twofold: First, Zayd ibn Thabit was in
when
the Prophet
($g)
It
whole Qur'aan
months before
his ($g)
death/"4
can
lie
Prophet
(5^g) recited,
the
with the
mus-haf of 'Uthmaan. Obviously, they would eliminate only that which they knew was not a part ol the Qur'aan, and their consensus is binding on the ummah.
Ibn al-Jazarcc
(d.
4 '*
ol the .../A//
and the
later
generations are ol
the opinion that the 'Uthmaanic mus-hafs contains ol the seven ahruf only
thai
which
its
script allows.
(What
is
The
is
present
mus-haf contains
all
this reading,
and not
a single letter
from
it
missing.
The
seems
1)
third opinion
(i.e.,
that a portion
tor the
to
following reasons:
in preserving the
knowledge
They understood
403
The
Arabic
is
is
Milium, which
is
is
is
waliy thai
when
commanded
Some
4(15
Moosaa
Chapter
for
more
details.
it
404 Actually, the I'rophel (Sg) recited the whole Qur'aan twice to
Jibreel, anil
heard
scholars held the view thai these recilalions of the Qur'aan occurred in different uhmf. See
pp.
263-73-.
v. 1.
p. 31.
with changes.
knowledge
to the iinimah.
It is
because
ol this
much so that the Muslims even know how many white hairs the Prophet's (jgg) beard contained!'"" Therefore, it cannot be said that the Companions purposely left out six ahj'itf a\v\ preserved onlv one ol them in the mtt$r&flfof 'Uthmaan without bringing forth some strong, unequivocal
information exists about every topic of Islaam, so
proof.
Al-Qaarce
writes.
(that the
it
This opinion
Companions
left
out
six
ah ruf)
is
strange,
and
consensus of the Companions, since each of the ah ruf is part of the Qur'aan.
Therefore,
of the
Companions
we
Companions were
at-Tabarec
(d.
it
310
claims,
all
seven ahrufsince
was
we
This concession
in
was given so
that they
could choose to
Qur'aan
ever was the easiest for him. There was no concession, however, in preserv-
all
ot them... that
were not
2)
abrogated...'"'
as
was mentioned
earlier,
to the
Arabs
seems
would encompass different readings, and hence the different ahruf. Also, as was mentioned in the relevant chapter, the script of the Uthmaanic nuis-hafwas writso that
it
reci-
and
this
shows
that the
mus-^afwas
more
the differences in the ten qinuuit originate from? All scholars are these ten qira'aat originated Irom the Prophet
(%ig)
unanimous
is
that
himself; therefore
seems appar-
some
Imaam
at-Tabarec
is
forced to
Makkcc
ibn
Abec Taalib
(d.
At-Tabarec concedes
the inus-haf of
to
"Uthmaan
and
this
what we
also believe.
However, he also
wHw-/w/(ol"Uihmaan) has
six.
These two
posi-
beard
and
:
hair."
Reported by at-Tirmidhce
p. 71.
i.1
Shamaail,
407 al-Qaaree,
'S
Mih.iuiJi there
stroll};
different e
of opinion ovei
this
Si
.1!
la 111.11 1, p.
SI.
where he
tries to
Muslims invented
it.
409 al-Hamad,
p. 140.
182
An
4) to
The
"Uthmaan ordered
change
is
to
number
occurred
some
ol the mi<s-haJs.^"'YWis
reflected in
a goal in
be
that,
by these
for the
second opinion
(that
the ahruf were actually preserved), because ol the lact that certain variations that
to recite as part ol the
the
Companions used
part ol the
Qur'aan
qira'aat).
These variant
final
reading
ol the
(%,) to Jibrccl.
'Uthmaan
Imaam
(5|)
al-Qistillaanee (d. 923 A.H.) said, "In this (last) recitation of the Prophet (*g) to
Jibrcel, there
were two
memorisation of the Qur'aan, and, second, to affirm those verses that were not abrogated and to indicate which verses were."412
V.
The Wisdom
Obviously,
it
in the
Various Ahruf
act,
cannot be said for certain the exact wisdom behind any Divine
knowledge
is
infinite.
of
the revelation ol the Qur'aan in seven ahruf had the following benefits:
1)
To
facilitate the
is
is
not
all
speak Arabic
same
it. It
way: each
tribe
unique
to
the Qur'aan had only been revealed in one ha rf it would have been difficult for the many different Arab tribes to memorise the Qur'aan properly. However, since the Qur'aan
was revealed
in
its
memorisation. This
To prove
ences, the
of these
differ-
meanings
of
the ahruf did not contradict one another, but rather were
complementary.
3)
To prove
that
Muhammad
he (^g) was
the revelation of
all
tribal dialects
and
different words,
his time.
eloquent speech of
4 1"
See
( -li.
8.
'The
Quraan,"
and examples.
41
Ibn al-Jazarce,
p.
JL
412
Uwais.p.8.
cItr,pps.
2 16-228.
183
To honour
in
the
uminah
oi the Prophet Muhammad {??,), anil show its superiority No other nation hail heen given its hook in such a manner,
varying ahruf,
and
his
umnnih, occu-
pied over other nations. In one hadeeth, the Prophet ($^) remarked.
"The
earlier
in
(ol
Heaven),
in
seven ahruf.""'
il-4
Kc
|<>rn.il
In
ill l.i.ikim.
us-S.i/in/hi/i
iS7D,
I'
T E
The
i.
'Qira'aat'
means
In Qur'aanic sciences,
it
reciting the
is
in
existence today.
to
As Imaain az-Zarkashcc
(5gg),
Qur'aan
the
was given
Muhammad
is
and the
words
anil
pronunciations
ol this revelation.
Each qiraaa has its own peculiar rules of recitation (tajweed) and variations in words and letters, and is named alter the reciter (Oaarec) who was famous lor that
particular qiraa'a.
II.
The
be
Each generation
Muslims learns
backwards
before
learnt
it,
until the
who
it
himself.
As 'Umar
"The
is
recita-
tion of the
Qur'aan
is
Sunnah; the
later
ones. Therefore, recite the Qur'aan only as you have been taught."'
This
the fun-
damental principle
in
Qur'aan
in
the Prophet
rised
it
(yg)
recited the
Qur'aan
Companions memo-
than
this.
When
the
Some them memorised only one half, others more Companions spread throughout the Muslim lands, they took
of
with them the variations that they had learnt from the Prophet (3^).
stood the importance of the oral transmission of the Qur'aan.
'Umar
ibn al-Khattaab.
sent to
Hims, Ubay
ibn Ka'ab to
Damascus.""
-IIS -lid
lir.p.2-U
Wnh.iilxi/. p.
4(>
The
Likewise, during his caliphate,
recitation
185
'Uthmaan
of the proper
reciters ot the
Qur'aan
all
each with
the
copy of his
official
mus-fwf.
He kept Zayd
(d.
ibn Thaabit in
Makkan
63 A.H.);
to Syria
Mughcerah
70
AH.) was
(tabi'oon),
sent to Koofah;
Basrah
(d.
55 A.H.)."" 7
The Companions,
in turn, recited
to the
Successors
who
rank those
tor their
knowledge
ol the
Thus, among the Companions, there were many who were famous as having heard
from the Prophet (^) most if not all of the Qur'aan. Included in this category are 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, 'Alec ibn AbccTaalib, 'Ubay ibn Ka'ab, 'Ahdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Zayd ibn Thaabit, Aboo ad-Dardaa, and Aboo Moosaa al-Ash'arce. These Companions taught those Companions who were younger or had not had as much exposure lurayrah anil Ibn Abbaas, who both to the Prophet's (^g) recitation, such as .Aboo
I
learnt
from Ubay.
Some
learnt
as, for
example, Ibn
These Companions then taught the Successors. Since the Companions spread
over the various parts of the
type of recitation. Again,
ol the
all
Prophet (^g), and the Companions spread the different variations throughout
the
Muslim world.
Those famous among the Successors for the recitation of the Qur'aan are: in Madcenah, Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib (d. 90 A.H.), 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr (d. 94 A.H.), Saalim (d. 106 A.H. ), and "Umar ibn Abd al-Azeez (d. 103 A.M.); in Makkah, 'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr(d.72A.H.),'Ataa ibnAbeeRabah (d. 1 14 A.H.),Taawoos (d. 106A.H.),
Mujaahid
(d. (d.
103 A.H.)
and 'Ikrimah
(d.
60 A.H.),
(d.
Alqamah
Aboo
Nakhaa'ee
(d.
1
al-'Aaliyah
(d.
89 A.H.), Qataadah
10 A.H.)
(d.
Around
after
first
of the
Qur'aan
whom
ol
named. At
this time,
along with
many
other sci-
ences
members
ol this
generation
took from the Successors the various recitations that they had learnt from the
panions, and adopted a specific
Comcalled
way
ol reciting the
Qur'aan, and
this
is
what
is
417 az-Zarqaance,
v. 1. 1>.
404.
this
is
a partial
list anil is
Those who
arc intcrcstci
may
consult Ubaydaai.
p. 161,
Qajjaan,
p. 170,
and az-Zarqaance,
pps. 414-416.
186
An
a qiraa'a.
is
most famous
of the Qur'aan
them
To summarise, the qua ant are particular methodologies of reciting the Quraan. They arc named alter the Qaarees who recited the Qur'aan in that particular manner, and were famous as being the leaders in this field. They represent the various ways that the Companions learnt the Q)ur'aan from the Prophet (^). They dilter from
each other
are not the
in various
(tajtveed).
They
same
as the seven
almif
as shall be elaborated
upon
shortly.
the differibn
(d. (d.
Saliaam
(d.
qira'aat.
Ah mad
book on
five
282 A.H.) compiled his book on twenty qira'aat (including the famous 'seven'). Even
compiled
work on
the qira'aat.
However,
(d.
is
the
Ahmad
ibn Mujaahid
qua
which he compiled seven of the most famous in the Muslim world. He was the first to limit Qaarees, for he wanted to combine the most famous recitamajor cities
five
territories
Makkah, Madecnah, Koofah, Basrah, and Damascus, for these were the from which the knowledge oi Islaam sprung forth - the knowledge ol
tafsecr,
the
Qur'aan,
hadceth aadfiqh.
(that
I
He wrote
(i.e..
in his introduction,
(i.e..
So these seven
(i.e.,
Da-
They
tion,
territories,
and
He
number ofa&ra/that
(Jgg)
the Qur'aan
was revealed
many
different qira'aat
as the
lalsc,
obviously
Due
to this
many of the
later
Mujaahid
to task,
a different
(d.
number, so
Many of the
seli to
restricted
so,
seven
i/ini'tiul,
and said
that
he was mistaken
this,
doing
and wished
that he
had chosen
who
-119
Uwais.p.
16. p. *7.
V).
421)
-121
Ibn Mujaahid,
[bn al-Jazarce, p.
The
Another misconception
that arose
187
was
that
some
scholars
assumed
qim'aat were the ow/y authentic qiraaat of the Qur'aan. Thus, these scholars considered any qiraa'a besides these seven to be detective (shaadh) qim'aat. This, too,
is
misconception, as there were other authentic qiraaat thai Ibn Mujaahid did not compile.
Due
became
to the popularity
and excellence
ol Ibn
the most
famous qiraaat
ol that time,
ol
knowledge
lelt
Other qim'aat to study these seven. Eventually, except for three other authentic qim'aat,
all
lelt.
and only these ten were studied. This does not imply,
however, that
ten.
somehow
a portion ol the
Qur'aan was
lost
merely
would not
ol the tact
mean
that they
(i^), lor
Prophet
Muhammad
is
it:
OjM-^Ij^Ux^I
Verily,
it
is
We who have
revealed the
Quraan, and
it"
[15:9]
III.
The Conditions
It
for
an Authentic Qiraa'a
during the
first
was mentioned
/iijra/i.
there were
many
established rules in order to differentiate the authentic qiraaat from the unauthentic ones.
The famous
said:
Muhammad
Every
ner,
is
qiraa'a that
if
il
by
one mana
the mus-htijs ol
Uthmaan, even
such
match
to the
ol narrators
back
Prophet (Sg),
that
it
was revealed
in.
whether
be from the seven qiraaat (mentioned above), or from the ten qiraaat, or
qiraa'a fails to
will
122
This
is
luiilcrlh.
The reason
books
Authentic Books",
Names
ol Narrators',
Asmaa
ar-Rijaat, written by
win A.I
I.).
hook
as authentic t-Li/itc/n.
collection ol al-Bukhaarcc
and inaulhcntic
ahaadceth
188
An
And
this
(i.e..
these conditions)
among
and
the present.
''
The qiraa'a must conform to Arabic grammar. It is not essential, however, that the grammar used be agreed upon by all Arabic grammarians, or that the qiraa'a em1
ploy the most fluent and eloquent of phrases and expressions. This
is
the
it
meaning
ol
it
by one manner."
ol
The
basic requirement
is
that
Arabic grammar.
this condition.
424
Some
qiraa'a
is
They
argue,
"II a
proven
to
have originated Irom the Prophet (^). then we cannot apply the
it.
rules of grammar to
If
we were
do
this,
and presumed an
(-^g)
then
we would
this
made
What
is
implying
is
that
it
is
its
qira'aat, that
is
and the
rules
who
two.
ofgrammar must be based on this. Among Makkcc ibn Abee Taalib (d. 437
For them, the conditions for an
444 A.H.).
last
is
examined,
it
is
apparent
first
category ot
il
grammar
as invalid
it
contra-
qira'aat.
Hamzah
2)
all
426 This point will be discussed in greater detail below. include this condition or not.
on the compilation
Qur'aan,
was mentioned that 'Uthmaan sent out between Muslim world. All ol them were without dots and
vowel marks. Also, these mus-hafs had minor variations between them.
As long
in
it
was considered
to
have
'
conformed
all
Soorah al-Faatihah
is
written in
in
the
'Uthmaanic mus-hafs
which
an example where
p. '.
v.
az-Zarqaanec,
is
I ,
He
>2
>.
v.
I .
p.
471
427 The qiraa'a of 'Aasim and al-Kisaa'ec 428 Thc<//nw'</i>l Warsh. Ihn
K.itluer. Ihn '.Viniir.
Hamzah
The
the conformation
is
Qira'aat of the
Qur'aan
89
"not obvious."
is lyiyfa
is
in 2:259,
where one
l(ayfa
recitation
one
letter
becomes
nunshiruha.
An example
the others
is
conforming
to
one
of the mus-hafi ol
'Uthmaan without
who
read 3:184 as
wa
bi
wa az-ziiburi
in
it.
An example
a
ol a qiraa'a that
contradicts
all
the mus-hafi ol
'Uthmaan
is
the qiraa'a
behind them.
king
who seized
them,
a
in front ol
king
who
an authentic
recitation.
(sttheeh)
chain
ol narrators
and guarantees
by Allaah
been sent
down
to
as part ol the
Qur'aan, recited
Muslim iimmab without any atldition or deletion. As was quoted from 'Umar earlier (and this same statement has also been made by Zayd ibn Thaabit, and many ol the Successors), "The recitation ol the Qur'aan
the
is
it
recite
is:
to
be
The overwhelming majority ol scholars claimed that they did. The only Makkec ibn Abee Taalib (d. 437 A.H.), and later Ibn
i.s
ol
these scholars
arc-
"Some
can only be proven with mutawaalir narrations! The Haws in this opinion are obvious..."
4
However,
work, wrote:
this
opinion
itsell
(ijinaa') of
almost
all
the
other scholars.
Imaam an-Nuwayree
897 A.H.),
commentator of Ibn
al-Jazarcc's
This opinion
(ijnnni')
is
;i
of the
and many
scholars, so
i
many
Abd
Imaam Nawawec.
of the Qur'aan.
to con-
429 430
431
others
190
An
(,)ui'.i,m
tradict
them
in the later
(i.e.,
rimes are
Makkee
45 '
1 '
followed
him
Ibn al-Jazaree).
seems
to
realistic
value, for even he admits, in another of his works, that the ten qirdaat are
mutawaatir.
if he
that the
means
is
our times,
this
is
he means
then
it
it
is
possible thai he
was
to
mutawaatir.
when
there ex-
numerous qirdaat
(-^g),
besides the ten that are present today. According to him, such
qirdaat could be recited as long as they had an authentic chain ol narrators back to the
Prophet
even
if
However, since
in
becomes more
in
mutawaatir.
that
it
must be mutawaatir.
a
and conform
exists,
It
it
to at least
qirada
grammar.
should be mentioned, however, that there has never existed any mutawaatir qirada
that contradicted
any rule
ol
-l
i2
Makkee
is
quoted
as
lirsi
I
to hold this
opinion in
.ill
fowevcr,
his
Ma'aam
al-Oira'aat, in
p. 43,
which he
clearly States
shaadh
qira'aat) implies
this
is
the opinI
we believe and hold to." 1 did not see am of the other hooks thai know whether this was his earlier opinion, or his later one. nor could
any case, further research must he done
Alice Taalih.
to ascertain
do
not
ascertain
when he wrote
opinion
ol
the hook. In
whether this
really
was the
final
Makkee
ibn
433 al-Qadhi.
H4
p.8.
Uwais,
p. 12.
quoting from Ihn al-Jazaree's Miinjid aJ-Muqreai. Also, see Uwais' discussion on
this
differentiation
for the
between the Qur'aan and the qira'aat, and state that, in order must hv mutawaatir. hut in order foraqira'a to he accepted, an
to solve the
if
ahaad narration
preserved
it
Therefore,
a qira'tk is substantiated as
is
pari
of the Qur'aan.
This
is
fault
numerous attempts
that
Qaarcc. Ahil
al-.
exam-
al-Qaaree, p.
ft,
The
If
Qira'aat
of the Qur'aan we
191
we ponder
finds
tUc qiraa'a
'condition'
Firstly,
tic,
is
rejected, for
two reasons:
is
no authen-
basis in Arabic
grammar.
Secondly, even if we allow for the possibility that there exists such a qiraaa
- an
any basis
we can
discover in Arabic
qiraa'a.
grammar
This
is
such a
possibility ol
it
will
be limited. Also,
'Uthmaanic script,
this is
is
it.
To conclude,
product
therefore,
we
say:
This
last
and
is
756 A.H.)
The
nised by others
and every
any of these
qira'aal
in, is
None can
still
them by now.
rv.
qimda
fails to
it
is
egory. Different scholars have adopted different classifications for defining those qira'aat
that
of the
simpler ones
is
as follows:
Ai
1)
The
Saleel
(Authentic) Qira'aat:
These
Ahmad as-Sliaatihce kl. 590 A.H.) compiled the seven qira'aal ol Aboo Bakribn Mujaahid
as the Sluuuibiyah to facilitate
v.
poem known
its
memorisation.
I,
p.
82
78
192
An
2)
The Shaadh
an authentic chain
ol nar-
and conform
to
mus-hafs of 'Uthmaan. In addition, they are not nuitawaatir. In other words, they
that the
allow.
Most
ol
the time
in tact
was
The meaning ol
ol this nature, in
the
Companions
way
Another explanation
that
were
a part ol the
ahrnj
were revealed
to the Prophet
(^)
qira'aat
are allowed by the mus-hafoi 'Uthmaan, but do not have authentic chains of narrations back to the Prophet (3^g).
nia/a/<i
An example
ol this
is
yawmu
4)
three criterion
meaning from.
lo,
only those
is
who
"Allaah
afraid of the
all
knowledgeable
ol
His
He
is
far
removed from
Him!!)
three types of qirdaat, the shaadh, the dii'ccf and
The
to
the Baatil,
and
is
in fact
it
is
haraam (forbidden
recites these
the Qur'aan. If it
will not
be acceptable, nor
is
qirdaat.
ol tajsccr
However, the shaadh and the da'ccf qirdaat may be studied under the science
(ami other sciences, such as the science of grammar. or nahw) as long as they
are identified as such. The shaadh qirdaat, in particular, used to form a part of the
in,
himself,
egory
fall
many of the
Companions, and
to
mits-haf.
form
a part
Com-
The
As-Suyootee,"' following Ibn al-Jazaree
into six categories,
1
Qiraaat of the
Quraan
193
(d.
832 A.H.).
which
are, briefly:
Mutawaatir. These are the seven qira'aat compiled by Ibn Mujaahid, plus the
Other three.
2)
ol
and
tjiruqs (to be
discussed below
3)
).
Ahaad
(Singular):
These
tion,
to the
Arabic
grammar
4)
same
as shaadh above).
Shaadh
(Irregular):
narration back to
5)
These are theqira'aat that do not have an authentic chain of the Prophet (j^g) (the same as da'ce] above). These are the
qira'aat that
Mawdpo'
(Fabricated):
Mndraj (Interpolated): In
this category,
that the
verse.
Companions used
to
add
for the
...and
he has a brother or
sister.. .
(4:12)
a brother or sister
was
Abee Waqqaas
as, "...and
he has
from the
same mother."
These types
of additions arc explained as having
(^).
which case
it
was
was one
of the ahritfoi
was
later
final recitation to
first
two
types,
ered part of the Qur'aan, and can be recited in prayer, but the
v.
The Authentic
Now
Qira'aat
is
time
to
whom
they are
named
alter."'
The
Aboo Bakr
(d.
ibn
Mujaahid
(d.
in his
in his
441
as-Suyoojcc,
v. I.
v.
p. 102
I,
p. 102.
al-
biographical information in this section, unless otherwise rclcrcnccil. was taken Irom
a/Zarqaancc.
v.l.
194
An
Quraan
1)
Naafi' al-Mctdanee:
He
is
an Istahanian family.
He
ai-Rahmaan ibn Abee Na'eem al-Laythee, originally from was one ot the major scholars ot qira'aat during his time. He
in
in the
same
city at the
age
A.H.
He
learnt the
Aboo
who
Hurayrah,
who took
ol
his recitation
from
the Prophet
Alter the era ol the Successors, he was taken as the chief Qaaree of
his qiraa'a
Madeenah. Eventually,
Madeenah.
used to
Among
recite the
his students
179 A.H.).
Imaam Maalik
Qur'aan
the
Naafi'
is
Sunnah" w meaning
in the qiraa'a
to say,
was
who
Qaloon:
He
is
'Eesaa ibn
Mcena
life in
He
Aboo Sa'eed 'Uthmaan ibn Sa'eed al-Misrce (1 10-197 A.M.). He lived in Egypt, but travelled to Madeenah in 155 A.M. to study under Naafi". and recited the Qur'aan to him many times. Eventually, he returned to Egypt, and became
ii)
Warsh:
He
is
2)
He
is
in
Makkah
in
45 A.H.
He was among
as
the generation of the Successors (he met some Anas ibn Maalik and 'Abdullaah ibn a/.-Zubayr). and learnt early Successors, such as Abee Saa'ib, Mujaahid ibn Jabr (d. 103
A.H.). and Darbaas, the slave ot Ibn 'Abbaas. Darbaas learnt the Qur'aan from Ibn
'Abbaas.
who
lea
ml
who both
learn
il
Imaam
ot
of
we found
Makkah upon
his qiraa'a."
4 *''
Qaarecs
is
who
al-Buz/.ee:
He
Abul Hasan
j
Ahmad
id
Buzzah al-Makkee (170-250 A.H.). al-Haraam at Makkah, and the leading Qaaree
ibn
Makkah during
his lime.
444 al-Haashimee,
|>.
w.
ol
445
Knee
his
ihcuonl 'Qur'aan*; c
Cfa. -.
446 al-Haashimcc,
The
(Jim
ihii ol
the
Quraan
195
ii)
Qumbul: He
is
ibn 'Abel
le
He
1)
Zabaan ibn al-'Alaa ibn Amniaar al-Basree. He was born in 69 A.H. anil passed away in 54 A.H. He was born in Makkah. but grew up in Basrah. He studied
1
the Qur'aan
A.H.),
95 A.H.),
who
learnt
Companions, who
learnt
who
ad-Doori:
to
He
is
first
compile different
ii)
as-Soosee:
He
is
He
Imaam
an-N'asaa'ee
303 A.I
I.),
of Sanan lame.
4) Ibn
'
Aamir ash-Shaamee:
Abdullaah ibn 'Aamir al-Yahsabee. born
capital of the
in 21
He
is
A.H.
He
lived his
I
life
in
Muslim empire in those days. le met some of the Companions, and studied the Qur'aan under the Companion Aboo ad-Dardaa. and al-Mugheerah ibn Abee Shihaab. He was the Imaam of the Ummayad Mosque (the primary mosque in Damascus) during the time of 'Umar ibn 'Alul al-'Azeez (d.
Damascus, which was the
103 A.M.). and
was well-known
Among
(i.e., least
number ofpeople between him and the Prophet under a Companion. He was also Chief Judge of Da-
He
lis A.H.
Qaarees
who
and
Hishaam:
He
is
Hishaam
ibn
'Ammaarad-Damishqce
his
( 1
53-245 A.H.).
He was
well-known
knowledge ofhtidcelh
:im\fiq/i,
Ibn Zhakwan:
He
is
ol the
(173-242 A.H.).
He
5)
'Aasjm al-Koojce:
He
ol
is
among the
of Aboo
Successors.
He was the
as-
during
his time,
Imaam
of the
Qaarees
in
Koofah,
Abd ar-Rahmaan
-147
The
truth
ofMuharram.
196
An
Sulamec
(d.
75 A.H.).
He
learnt the
'Abil
ar-Rahmaan (who
These
Taalib,
learnt
Abee Taalib, and was the teacher ofal-Hasan antl al-Husayn), (d. 83 A.H.) and Aboo "Amr ash-Shaybaanee (d. 95 A.H.). the Qur'aan from Ubay ibn Ka'ab, 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, 'Alee ibn Abee
all
learnt
(3gg).
He
passed away
127 A.H.
He
asked,
(i.e.,
recite in the
qiraaa of 'Aasim.
ol
Imaam Aboo Haneelah (d. 150 Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal (d.
A.H.),
who
used to
"Which
the qira'aat
is
do you prefer?"
He
replied,
4 '"'
"The
who
Shu'ba:
He
is
Shu'ba ibn 'Iyaash al-Koofee, born 95 A.H. and passed away 193
A.H.
ii)
Hafs:
a step-son of 'Aasim.
He is Aboo 'Amr Hafs ibn Sulaymaan al-Asadec al-Koofee (90-180 A.H.), He was the most knowledgeable person of the qiraaa ol 'Aasim.
6)
Hamzah al-Koofee:
He is Hamzah
ibn
ions,
and
learnt the
(d.
148
Prophet
1
($H) through 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib anil 'Abclullaah ibn Mas'ood.
He passed away
56
A.H.
Qaarees through
whom
his qiraaa
is
preserved arc:
Khalaf:
He
is
He memo-
rised the
He
ii)
own
qiraa'a, different
Hamzah
(see below).
Khallaad:
1
born
19
He
He
was
7)
Al-Kisaciee:
He
is
'Alee ibn
Hamzah
He was
the most
knowledgeable
of his
contemporaries
field.
considered one of
in the
He
him
to listen to the
to record
to
started every
in great esteem.
He
passed
HH
,il
Ixisliinur. p.
16.
The
His two primary students
i)
197
who
al-Layth:
He
is
He
same ad-Dooree who is the Student ol Ahoo Atnr Basree (mentioned above), for he studied and preserved both o( these qira'aat.
ii)
ad-Dooree:
He
the
These are the seven Qaarees whom Ibn Mujaahid compiled in his book Kilaab alQiraaat. Of these, all are from non-Arab backgrounds except Ibn 'Aamir and Aboo
'Amr. The following three Qaarees complete the ten authentic qiraaat.
8)
He
is
among
A.H.
the Successors.
He
is
one of
the teachers of
Imaam
others.
He
passed
away
130
who
(d.
ibn
Jamaz
170 A.H.)
9)
Ya'qoob al-Basree:
He
is
of the
'Amr ibn 'Alaa. He studied under Aboo alMundhir Salaam ibn Sulayman. His qiraa'a goes back to the Prophet (j^g) through Aboo Moosaa al-Ash'arce. He was initially considered among the seven major Qaarees by many of the early scholars, but Ibn Mujaahid gave his position to al-Kisaa'ee instead. He passed away 205 A.H.
Qaarees in Basrah after the death of Aboo
(Muhammad
d.
235 A.H.),
of the
A.H. ).
10) Klnilaf
This
is
the
specific qiraa'a
same Khalal that is one of the two students of Hamzah. He adopted a of his own, and is usually called Khalaf "al-'Aashir (the 'tenth' Khali).
who
292 A.H.)
mutawaatir chains
of
Prophet
qiraa'a.
(}^g).
Each
qiraa'a
is
Imaam
of that
Of course,
qira'aat are
more than just two students; the reason that the preserved through only two is that Aboo 'Amr 'Uthmaan ibn Sa'eed (d.
these Qaarees had
444), better
known
as
of each Qaaree in his book, Kitaab at-Tayseer fee al-Qira 'aat as-Saba.
Raawis
(narrators),
differ
from each other. Thus, although other Raawis also narrated each
only the
198
An
Quraan
in
recitation
<>i
such
detail.
References to the
recitation ol other
however, louiul
in
These Raawis
io ol
each Raawi. Hals quoted 'Aasim as saying that the qirada he taught him was that
Aboo 'Abd al-Rahmaan as-Sulamce (d. 70 Add.) from 'Alee ibn Abce Taalib, while the one that he taught Aboo Hakr ibn Iyaasli (i.e., Shu'ba, the other Raawi ol Aasim) was that of Zirr ibn Hubaysh (d. 83 A.H.) from Ibn Mas'ood. 44
''
However,
to the differences
ences in the rules ol tajweed ol the Raawis). For example, Shu'ba and Hals dilfcr from
whole Qur'aan. " To preserve even these diflerenccs, however, the qirdaat are always mentioned including the Raawis. So, when someone recites the qirada of Naafi", lor example, he should mention whether it is through Warsh or Qaloon (for example, by saying, "The qirada ol Naafi' through the riwaayah ol Warsh." or. "The qirada ol Warsh 'an Naali' " lor short). m
each other
in
around
directly
Most of the time, these students, who were Oaarccs in their own right, studied under the Oaarec whose qirada it was. Thus, lor example, Warsh and Qaloon
Imaam
Naali", as did
When
The
inter-
may
These
are
may be used
some
are
named
1)
the
lassaar
Aboo Sa'ced
al-Basree.
He passed away
10
A.H.
He
is
Muhammad
ibn 'Abd
al-Rahmaan as-Suhaymcc
al-
ol the
44" Wohaibcc,
-till
p. 106. fort)
ili.n
a total
ofaround
p. I4n.
five
hundred limes
Qur'aan.
it
might appear
many.
1.
al-Qaarec,
-HI
Actually, there
a third level
of narration, below
tiiruq (pi.
ofraawi, called
a hin-cq (path).
lor
in the particulars ol
pronunciation,
However, on some
(
lorn
pany. lor example) and one printed in Saudi Arabia or Egypt, and see }0:54. The difference in the words
due
of Hals
',/
'Aasim'
4^2
ell
The
3)
Qira'aat of the
Qur'aan
199
Yahya al-Yazcedee:
He
is
is
He passed
al-Shamboozee:
He
Ibraaheem al-Shamboozee.
He
were
recited by the
Companis
Of course,
vi.
The
The
Qira'aat
Today
vital part of
qira'aat
were once a
the
Muslim
itmmali,
and each
part or the
to recite according to
city
one
of the qiraaat.
Not
surprisingly, the
city.
people of a particular
would
Oaaree of that
in the third
Thus,
century of
Aboo Amr, those ol followed Ibn Aamir, Makkah took after Ibn
Madcenah followed
Naafl".
Eventually, however, most of the other qira'aat died out and were replaced by other
is
Muslim world
and
a
recites
ol
Aasim through
where other
rough
breakdown
is
as lollows:
Qiraa'a
ST^m
Muslim World
Area
200 An Introduction
to the Sciences
of the Qur'aan
This
is
re-
spective countries.''
The
student
may
of course,
in at least
The
first
way
is
to
(its
actual
1
1
name
to
is
Hirz al-Amaatiec
wa
poem
(d.
consisting ot
73 couplets, written by
Imaam
The
Qaasim
(short
first
Ahmad
ash-Shaatibce
foi
ad-Durrah al-Madhiyyah ) by
the
first
Muhammad
.
memo-
qirdaat. This
moves on to the second poem, which deals with the last three the primary method by which the qirdaat are taught throughout the
Muslim world.
is
memorising the
which
is
poem
that deals
Muhammad
ibn al-Jazarec.'
VII.
The
The
relationship of the ahruf with the authentic qira'aat must b\ essence the definition ol ahruf is, and
upon what
that the
ahruf arc
in existence today. Therefore, the scholars of Islaam have defined this relationship
depending upon
"
(d.
The opinion
is
of Imaam at-Tabarce
(d.
ami
others,
the Qur'aan.
This
is because, as was mentioned in the last chapter, they hold that 'Uthmaan eliminated the other six </ Aw/" and preserved only one ha if.
the imis-hafo\
However,
this
of the
authentic qira'aat
originate from? In
that only
one harf then where do all the differences between the qira'aat addition, as was mentioned in the previous chapter, the opinion
to
be the strongest.
45.? This table was taken from .ill labash, p. 50. In this author's opinion, lu- has greatb exaggerated ihipredominance oftheqiraa'a of Ibn 'Aamir; .nil looree's percentage should also be less; and Qaloon should be more- than 0.7 '/< In addition, Hals is probabl) closer to 97 than 95%. and All. ili knows best.
.
i.
454
Tin- Tayyibah
is
recorded more differences between the various Uiniq than ash-Shaatibce did.
455
ill Ilr.
pps. ?4o-s57.
The
2)
Qira'aat of the
Qur'aan 201
The opinion
of al-Baaqillaani
(d. 41)3
A.H.) and
few scholars
is
that
all ol
the
seven ahrttf'arc preserved in the qira'aat, such that each harf is found scattered through-
is
no single
c/iraa'a that
one
harf, but
each
c/iraa'a
sum
total
of the
qira'aat, the
ahrafiuc preserved.
is
all ot tin-
ahrufhave
from
that
many
Companions used
in
seems
a peculiar harf'ol the Qur'aan, but this was not preserved in the
3) Tlie
(d.
(d.
832
perhaps
all ol
that the qira'aat represent portions ol the seven akruf, but not
the
seven ahrttf in
totality.
qira'aat,
differences, originate
from the seven ahrttf. but not every difference between the seven
ol
the
inasmuch as the script of the /;///>-//<{/ of 'Uthmaan allows them to. In the last chapter, the methodology that the Companions used to decide which ahrttf to preserve was discussed. Those ahrttf that were preserved are the ones
that are in existence today,
in the qira'aat.
To summarise the
A.H.),
last
two chapters,
we quote Makkee
ibn
Abee Taalib
(d.
437
who
wrote:
When the
COnquered
territories
this
recitation ol the
Quraan and
(i.e.,
the
-irea
the various
territories differed
based on the
differences of the
Companions.
the writing of the mtts-luifs,
to follow
ii
new
provinces,
and discard
other
readings, each of the territories continued to recite the Qur'aan the same-
way
ll
that they
.I'-
conformed
left
mus-haf
they
that recitation...
This new
recitation
it
Imaams'
(Qaarees) in the
same form,
ami they
upon
of the territories - none of whom differed with die mus-haf lhal 'Uthmaan
for
.i
>!
the ahruj
1101 |u*t
the seven.
2(12
An
had sent
to
is
Therefore, the differences in the qira'aat are remnants of die differences in the
dial the Prophet (j^g) taught the recitation ol the
ions,
Qur'aan
to the ditlercnt
way Compan-
and these differences were among the seven alnttfoi the Qur'aan which Allaah
(Slg).
final recita-
tations ol the
vin.
The
many
ol the benefits
Some of the
The
facilitation ol the
Arab
tribes
were used
to.
but also
words and
is
letters.
a revelation
trom Allaah.
for
sands
3)
ol dillerences
between the
contradictor)'.
qira'aat
of these
have
a direct, authentic,
manner,
5)
as shall
the
Qur aan
in a
complementary
the Qur'aan that are different trom each other in pronunciation and meaning,
text
IX.
Some Examples
It
is
strate
some
demonmeanfrom
ings.
4 ""
ol
belief,
and the
last
JW Ibn AbeeThalib.
'an
Ma'ani al-Qira'aat.
cd.
I>r.
Muhyi
59.
not
imply that the Qur'aan would have Income monotonous had the qira aat not existed,
effect.
hut rather that the different qira aat are one ol the factors that contribute to this miraculous person
1611
Any
who has dealt with the qira'aat knows this feeling. Many ol the dillerences in the qira aat do not affect the meaning ofa verse, hut
ol certain in
pronunciation
result in a
vowels and
letters.
However,
change
meaning'.
The
contradicting each other, the qiraaal taken together add
203
fact,
in
rate verses,
both
ol
other.
The
seem
Muhammad Ameen
ash-Shanqcetec
(d.
1393 A.H.),
said in his
famous
lafscer,
Adwaa
al-Bayaan, "In the event that the different qira'aal considered as different
verses..."' "'
1
mean-
with stories or
belief, as the
examples below
show.
1)
4.
The
first
is
is
most
is
is
ol
and
one of the
that Allaah
The word maalik means Names oi Allaah. The meaning of this name when
is
attributed to Allaah
tion,
the
all of
the Crea-
and therefore
to
power Him.
the
do
He has lull right to do as He pleases with His creation, and He has what He pleases with His creation, and no one can stop or question
of
The verse therefore translates, "The Only Owner of the Day name (\laalil{) is also mentioned in.
Judgement." This
4%\&.^\$
Say:
O Allaah!
Kingdoms!"
[3:26]
Allaah
is
the
Owner who
Possesses
all
things,
He
will
Own
The
(i.e..
the
Day
ol
Judgement)
|25:26|
will
be (he true
Most Beneficent"
Allaah
is
is
Day of Judgement,
ol
that
He
Day
Judgement
one
who
is
the
Maalil^
on
ol all that
was before
that
Day!
that ol Naafi",
malif(i
yawm
and
sovereign, monarch,"
also
Aboo Amr, Ibn 'Aamir. Ibn Katheer and a/if. The word 'malil{ means, "king, one of the Names of Allaah. This also has the con-
who
A king (Ma/i/()
-16
Adwaa al-Bayaan,
v.
b. p.
680.
204
An
Quraan
and property
ment."
(like a Maalik]),
as
but also the authority to rule, judge and command. The "The King (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Judgeone of the names of Allaah, is mentioned in the Qur'aan:
.....The King...*|
W:2.5
and
also,
The name
of
Allaah
'Malik.'
is
a description of
Allaah
a
(i.e.,sifah
dhaatiyyah), since
He
is
The
(i.e.,
name
'Maalil(
is
description of Allaah
of all ol
and His
4 "'
ac-
tions
It
He
is
"The Owner'
His creation.
can he seen that the two readings increase the overall meaning ol the verse, each
a
giving
connotation not given by the other, and thus increasing the beauty and eloof the verse.
quence
The
of the
result
is
th;H Allaah
is
Day of
in
He
will
be the
Owner
(Maa/ik.)
Day of Judgement
in this
all
And
Allaah
is
the
King
(Malik.)
in this
on
know
most
humiliated of creation, and that the true Might, and Power, and Glory and
to
lim.
..The
from Allaah.
reply:)
It is
Day when they will (all) come out, nothing ol them will be hidden Whose is the Kingdom on this Dayr! (Allaah Himself will
Allaah's. the
Unique, the
Irresistible.. [40:16]
He is the Malik, ol the Day of JudgeHe is the only one whom Kingship belongs to, besides
and on
this
the kings
and
will
be
in
power and
that
He
is
Day of Judgeto.
He
is
the only
one
whom
Ownership belongs
So,
none
I,
p. 403.
The
2)
Qira'aat
This verse
the story of a
ever bring
it
man who
to life.
back
Thus,
hundred
years, then
The first reading ol the relevant part ol the verse, by al-Kisaa'ee, Ibn 'Aamir, 'Aasim and Hamzah, is. "I{ayfa nunshizuha." This is in reference to the resurrection ol the donkey. The word nunshizuha means, "to cause to rise." The verse therefore translates,
"Look
at
how We
raise
We
cause the bones to join one another anil stand up again (Irom the dust)."
The second reading, by Aboo 'Amr, Naafi', and Ibn Kathecr, is, "l^ayfa nunshiriiha." The word nunshiruha means, "to bring to life, to resurrect." The verse then translates,
"...how
We
resurrect
it
and bring
it
back
to lite."
Again, both readings give different meanings, but put together these readings help
The bones
of the
donkey were
"raised up'
from the
dust and 'resurrected' (meaning clothed with flesh) in front of the man. Each reading
gives only a part of the picture, but put together, a
3) In
more graphic
picture
is
given.
same
The
is,
'I
is
indeed capable
shows
man
and repented
The second
which
dered
reading, that ol
Hamzah and
al-Kisaa'ee,
is.
was
'Know that Allaah is capable ol all things.'" the donkey was shown to him, he was or-
Once
of
all
more meaning
to
know
that Allaah
is
indeed capable
Allaah
is
He
responded
4'
command, and
6.
For the
example,
it
will
difle re
The
lieve!
relevant verse discusses the procedure lor ablution (ivudoo). In the reading of
Naafi'. Ibn
be-
When
you intend to pray; wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows,
feet
up
to the ankles..."
The word
same
read
i'jaaz ol the
Qur'ann can be
telt. lor
the very
verse
is
the
commaml
and response!
206
An
arjulakurn,
and
in this tense,
is
it
refers
washing
ot the feet
commanded, according
the
word
aijulikjtm, in
which case
it
refers
back
wotdd
and hands up
washing
to the
is
feet..."
According
to this recitation,
not
and wiping
is
sufficient.
qira'aat.
is
This
is
Does one
similar to
how
the head
wiped
in ablution),
or docs
is
wash
hands and
no
feet.
However,
it
person
is
wearin fact
them on, he
to
is
allowed -
feet,
and
is
not obliged to
Zarkashee
said,
"These two
verses can be
combined
deals with wiping over the socks, while the second reading deals with
feet (in case of
-M '"
Therefore, each of these recitations adds a very essential ruling concerning the
ablution,
It
and there
is
of the eloquence
ol the
Qur'aan, and form an integral factor in the miraculous nature ot the Qur'aan. For
indeed, what other book in
the qirdaat
human
is
displayed in
meaning of the verse, not only in story-telling but also in beliefs and commands and prohibitions! To add to this miracle, all of these changes originate from the one script of 'Uthmaan! Indeed, there can be no doubt the Qur'aan \slhc ultimate miracle
the
465 Set
Fiqfi
as-Sunnak,
\.
v.l.
pps. 44-46,
li>r
further ilcuiils
on
this issue.
466 az-Zarkashcc,
2.
|>.
52.
CHAPTER
12
The Qur'aan
der for a person to fully understand and appreciate the Qur'aan, he must be knowledgeable of various aspects related to the Arabic language.
Among
(for (for
these aspects
is
the
knowledge
of the
how words
give particular
meanings
is
example,
text
used
(for
example, Iniqeeqce
meaning
example, iminlooq and maJlioom). M " Also essential are other categories of texts (such
as the
I.
Definition of
The word
Muhkam
and Mutashaabih
One Names
muhkam comes
Judges.'
Al-Hal{cim,
meaning 'The
One who
a criterion
2)
of a standard,
by which
judge good or
evil.
A mtlh^am
interpretation
ple
verse
is
one
that
it
is
clear in
its
to interpretation.
Imaam al-Qurtubee
is
(d.
known,
verse
"The muhkam is the (phrase or word) whose meaning understood anil its exposition clear. "'"^An exam-
of a
muhkam
is.
467 This
iliai
is
one
<>l
the areas
where
il
is
mic
to say
much
Quraan.
of such concepts to a non-Arabic audience is not only tedious, from these concepts, a strum: loinrnanil (if the
necessary.
However,
in
some
essential aspects of
ill
i--
knowledge, the more important categories were chosen (the muhlyim and mullasliubih. the 'nam and
the iimtJtK/
/(/muss,
mttisi/(li
and
tmUlUirit/
much detail
I
work
(an
exception was made, however, lor the iimhlytm and mttthlslnibih. due to he misconceptions prevalent alioui
it,
and the
iiiiusi/(li
may
468 Ubaydaat,
p. 197.
208
An
All
praise
is
due
to Allaah, the
is
This verse
is
no ambiguity
means
is
'to
resemble, to be simi-
one
'unclear.'
related to the
first,
which resem-
ble
difficult to distinguish,
in
hence
'unclear.'
used
in
in
Jews say
the Qur'aan,
...to
us, all
is
(Ar. tashabaha)...[2:70\
word
clear,
used in the
in the
meaning
clear,
('resembling').
It is
used
in
the
famous
Inulcelh ol the
is
Prophet
(yg) in
which he
"The
halaal
is
which
some
translators claim.
'"
said,
10:
and.
rAlif-Laam-Raa. (This
iilkiimil)...
1
is
a)
Book the
1:1
is
is
a clear, perfect
Book which
said, "Allaah
lis
verses
from any
entering
it.
He set
it
forth with
it
commands and
1
prohibitions.
This
is
because to ikftaam
something means
to better
and protect
it."''
As Allaah
Yiisul 'Alec.
See
'A
Review
ol
Some Translations'
in
Ch.
It lor a
more
detailed discus-
471
Zarzur. p. 163.
The
tii-Mnh/(iim
wa al-Mtttas/iaabi/i 209
(it is)
"Falsehood cannot
come
to
it
from before
|4
it
or from behind
:42
it.
sent
down by
the All-Wise.
On
Qur'aan mutashaabih:
d>& 0&^&frZX'S$&
"Allaah has sent
recited.....|?9:2?|
down
Book
that
is
mutashaabih
olt-
is
ami laws, so
In
no contradictions or differences
them.
one verse
question
is.
"Me
(Allaah)
it
is
Hook. In
who has sent down to yon (0 Muhammad) the hk niuhj(iiiii -they are the foundation ol the Book mutashaabih So as for those who have a deviation in their
the one
.
which
lor
its
is
la
will except
in
it.
grounded
knowledge:
is
lit
y say
"We believe
all
And none
re-
?:7|
The word tawed has purposely not been translated above, because
depends upon how one reads the
verse.
its
meaning
Thcrelore
'ta'weel'
it
is
necessary to
first
explain the
meaning
1)
ol the
To understand
connotation
is
word
in light
some
its
word
itself,
in
occurs. For
"He was
'lion'
is
not understood in
sense.
it
he word
is
context
is
necessary to
make
ta'weel
and
ol its
connotations,
one.
meaning
the most
common
210 An Introduction
Qur'aan
2)
To explain
is
is
the same as
tafseer, in
explained so that
when Moosaa did not underhim why he had done these acts.'
and
said.
18:N2|
The
with
It is
meaning of ta'weel
Do
(i.e.,
its
(the
do they await
for
its
fiillilmcnt)...?|7:5.?|
when
the
dream
that he
had
finally
comes
true,
This
is
the ta'weel
(i.e..
fulfilment) of
my dream
ol old...
12:1(M)|
1
With
these
meanings
it,
under discussion
is
examined. In
the Book.
muhkam
He
As the authentic
These
and
As
for the
reading
($)).
it.
Both
first
ol
the Prophet
The
way
read
ol a
The verse
phrase.
When
in this context,
ami methodology
grounded
in
its
knowledge." This
one
meaning
weel
is
the interpreta-
ol the interpretation ol
am
of those well-grounded
who know
472
did.
the
meaning
(ol
the mutashaabih).
in
knowledge,
in
Simrah al-KahK verses MI-N2. lor the various acts that Rhiilr
47
d. Ibn Kathcer,
ibid.
v.
v.
I,
p. 370.
474
I.
p.
370-372.
v.
47
as-Suyootee.
2. p. 4.
The
a/-Muh/aim wa al-Mutashaabih
Therefore both of these readings are correct, and each changes the meaning ol the word 'tawed' accordingly. The mutashaabih verses can be understood from one perspective (from the perspective of simply understanding these verses
guistic
from their
lin-
meanings), and cannot be understood from another perspective (from the per-
'ulootn al-Qur'aan
lists
this issue
However,
in reality,
almost
all ol
a similar
meaning. Az-Zarqaanee
similar
states,
we
look
at
we do
we
see thai
they are
all
and
close in meaning.""'
are:
Some
1)
The muhfcam
that
which
is
clear in
and
mutashaabih.
2)
The muhftam
The muhkam The muhl(am The muhkam
As can be
whose meaning
is
not understood.
valid
that
can be understood by
itself
in
order for
it
to be
understood,
same theme:
in
the
muhkam
verses
whereas the mutashaabih verses arc those verses that are not clear
selves,
meaning by themit is
and
in
necessary to
look at
them
the
muhkam
verses.
The Prophet
once recited
4
this verse
and then
said,
who
follow the mutashaabih ol the Qur'aan, then these are the ones
'"
whom Allaah
has
Prophet
(-gg)
warns Muslims
who
them
in light ol the
muhkam. The
these people
interpret
who
are being
and
them according
to their desires.
who
interpret the
mutashaabih verses
this
is
in light
of the
muhkam
47(>
ibid.
v.
2.
pps. 5-7.
\.
-177
-47S
az-Zarqaanec,
2. p.
295.
Narrated by al-Bukhaarec.
212
An
"I
am
who know
do
so.
the
meaning
(of the
is
mutashaabih)."*
possible,
and there
no harm
of the
if one is
qualified to
What
is
blameworthy
is
the
improper interpretation
mutashaabih.
that
it is
and
a criterion
evil;
He
one another
in
finally.
He
and
part mutashaabih,
tortion,
and
part of
it
ol the
to
in their hearts.'
The portion
all
ing that
ance.
it
comprises
muhfcam forms the foundation of the Book, meanthe moral and social laws that mankind needs for its guidis
The mutashaabih
in
clear in
its
meaning
to "those well
grounded
knowledge, and
it is
known
only to Allaah.
as
Mutashaabih ?
been the subject of great controversy
at certain
One of the
times
in
Islaamic history
meant by 'mutashaabih'
only
The
opinion of
all
the scholars of thesalaf, without any exception, is that the Atmuh/(am from one perspective, and mutashaabih from another
perspective.
The
meaning they
mutashaabih
meaning and connotations of these Attributes are known; anil in the actuality and 'how-ness' of the Attributes. For
ol
'Knowledge'.
The meaning
is
of
word 'knowledge'
is
When
this Attribute
applied
to Allaah, this
we know
infinite
anil
this Attribute,
"Knowledge' can never be understood, since our limited minds cannot compre-
hend the
Knowledge
of
Allaah.
This agrees with the two recitations of the verse of Soorah Aali-'Imraan:
479 as-Suyoojee,
481)
v.
2. p. 4.
ii
Allaah
lowcvcr.
due
was decided
hoped
that a
Names and
Attributes ol Allaah
may
be available in English
The
...and
al-Muh_k,am
wa
al-Mutashaabih 213
none know
its
in
knowledge; they
mutashaabih)
is
say,
"We believe
in
it,
all
of
it
[3:7]
As was mentioned
implies that
ness'.
in the
previous section,
and 'how-
On the other
hand,
well-grounded
in this case,
perspective
(that of their
Many
imply
is
that
some
.
meaning and
known
only to Allaah.
In addition,
when
the Ash 'aires see a person of Ah/ as-Stinmih discuss the Attributes of
when you
see those
who
follow
Our aan,
is
whom Allaah
has mentioned,
beware of them"" implying that the person who mentions the Attributes of Allaah,
found
in the
uraan
the one
who
is
Examples
the
Hands
iyad)
His Face
[u/ajh) (55:27),
Throne
(20:5).
meaning of these
verses
is
known
apparent
(Ar. 'dhaahir')
meaning
ot these verses
meaning
that
is
these verses.
The
first
can never
be
known
)
'tafweed
this philoso-
phy
to thtsalaf,
of Allaah."
meanings
ple,
mean
over the
of the
Throne, and so
forth.
in
The
may be found
summa-
as follows:
meaning of the
verses
is
number
of implications,
amongst them:
485
4X1
Ilin
Taymiyyuh, ai-Tiidnntriyyah
p. 58.
I,
p. 314-316.
2M An
1)
in
to
mislead
guiding them.
concerning His Attributes, but rather hinted
at
them
in
such couched and vague language that the truth cannot be arrived
except by claiming that the verses pertaining to this topic are not to be under-
meanings of
He
revealed, but instead believe the exact opposite of what the verses clearly
4)
That Allaah
is
from the
first
of them
to the last ot
them,
did not understand this important concept properly, lor no quotes are found from
that agree with
what the Ash'arees say. This implies that, cither the salaf (in which case the scholars of these Ash'arees are
plain
more knowledgeable than the sataf), or that they knew the truth but did not exit (in which case the saLij were not sincere in spreading the religion ol
Islaam). Both ol these possibilities cannot be true, as the sti/tif are the most knowlol this
umtnah, by testimony
ot the
Prophet
my
6)
That the salaf were ignorant, illiterate people, reading these verses pertaining to the Attributes ol Allaah. and not understanding anything from them, nor caring
to
7)
That,
what the Ash'arees say is true and all of these implications are correct, it would have been more beneficial and wiser not to reveal these verses, since the
revelation of these verses has caused nothing but deception
and doubts!
All praise
all
is
due
to Allaah.
He
is
above
all
Him!
Verily. Allaah,
Praise
and Glory be
and
creation creation
is,
is!
He
is
'arees,
as
was explained
in
the section
is
they
ditl
tributes ol Allaah properly. Instead, they only understood these verses as referring to
human-like (anthropomorphic)
nied the meanings
of
attributes, ami.
based on
this
when Allaah
"The Ever-
He
e.g.,
The Ever-Merciful
Throne*
(20:5))
The
is
that
it
implied a body
this
in
need
ol
to rest
upon! Based on
verse. Like-
when Allaah
says,
His two Hands are outstretched" [5:64] the only understanding that the Ash 'arees
physical hands!
Had
is
above
and
that
His
Attributes cannot be
creation,
it
would have
Allaah clearly
states,
..There
is
This verse
in
and of
is
a clear
and simple
Him-
two Attributes
that are also found in the creation, that of hearing and sight!
Why
understand that Allaah has the Attributes of Hearinto errors with regards
ing and Seeing, but these two Attributes arc not similar to the hearing and seeing of
mankind; why
is it
fall
to other Attributes?
Him,
names and
unique
to
them.
certain
So Allaah has
these
ings
called
Himself with
Names and
Attributes,
and
Names and
Attributes,
when
mean-
which none
share.
And,
He
names (and
These names
are the
Irom their owners... but when they are ascribed to their ownit.
different
from the
(The Ever-Living),
He
said,
% I -rut - rr---*
There
fjc^^'y^l^
some ol His
i,
Allaah!
is
tainerofall- |2:255|
Likewise.
for
He
He
said.
J/J^opl ^Kj-^^P
^^ ^1
216
An
III-
brings out the living (hayy) from the dead, anil brings out the dead
living...- [30:19]
from the
And
in
neither
is
is
this
o!
al-Hayy
I
(i.e.,
Allaah
hayy
(i.e.,
man),
since al-Hayy
one
he
Names ol
Allaah, particular to
ileail' is
living {hayy)
from the
the
name
of life that
is
Anil Allaah has called Himself Samee' (All-Hearing) and Baseer (AllSeeing), lor
He
said.
"...truly,
Allaah
I
is
Samee and
'
Bascen- |4:58)
and
le
has called
some of
.i
lis
He
said,
1_/Uja L>;,.
Verily,
We
have created
\
semen...
But neither
is
is
baseer'.
And
One
Full ol Kindness)
.in,
He
said.
'.--
t-JJ,
Allaah
is.
lor
mankind, the
Ra'oof. the
Rahccm
|22:6t|
anil
He
has called
some of His
He
said,
"Verily, there
has
come
to
you
yourselves... lor
the believers,
he
is
But neither
rahecm..}.
is
is
the
Rahecm
like the
And
to
le
and described
has attributed
attributes...
(For example)
He
Speech
(/(tiiaam). tor
He
said,
-Mr.,.-"'
directly ([(allama) to
Moosaa
(4:164]
And
le
described
some of His
He
said.
The
al-Mukfcam wa al-Mutashaabih 2 1
...tnen,
when
this
Hut neither
is
Kalaam
other Balaam. J.
And He
some
ol
has described Himself as being istiwaa over the Throne, lor He-
And He
objects, for
He
*jyj**^t^-4
So
that
(i.e..
so that you
may
ride
...and neither
The purpose
ality of
ot this
long quote
is
to
show
names and
attributes
of
Allaah that have also been given to the creation, but the difference between the actuthe two
is
it is
not proper
to
deny or
Thcre
is
He
is
to these Attributes
meaning in
manner that
befits Allaah,
and not
ness' of
human mind.
1
In addition, the
'"'
tacts,
including:'
This presumption
in itself, a
very
how can
it
ent, clear
2)
In arriving at this presumption, ihc As/t 'arees absolutely ignored the verses that
negate any relationship between the Attributes of Allaah and those of His creation,
such
as,
There
is
nothing similar
to
Him*
|42:l
One Who
revealed.
,''.-'
o hi;
it,,.
Jljo
485
zi.
at-Tadmureeyah, p.52.
218
An
Both
is
His Hands
revealed.
the
same One
Who
Therc
is
nothing similar
to
Him
(42:1
1]
Why do not
to
meanings of both
ol
Hands
negated
(in this example, that His two same time negating what He has
many man-
them to deny many Divine Attributes; Attributes that are clearly mentioned in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, such as the proper understanding of the \alaam ofAllaah (as was discussed earlier); the (act that Allaah
This presumption
of theirs led
is
many more
4)
Attributes.
all
The
net result of
of
this
was
that, in their
resemblance between Allaah anil the creation, they ended up comparing Allaah
with inanimate objects, or with non-existent objects, or ascribing
dictory Attributes.""
to
Him
contra-
The example
in
to the Attribute
a
of kplaam
voice, they in
Him
is
Imaam Maalik
man who
lis
Throne's
[20:5]
how
is
Imaam Maalik
it is
responded, "'Istiwaa'
it
is
well-known
(in
unknown.
Yet belief in
this
is
obligatory,
man away from me, for think he is an evil person!"* In this very explicit text, Imaam Maalik staled that the meaning of istiwtiu is well-known in the Arabic language, yet, when this Attribute is applied to Allaah, the actuality ot it is
an innovation. Get
is is
is
lefi
is
I
ol
le
it,
nor
He
in
from
ol
it
nor behind
it!
nor
is
He inside ol
l.in thai
it,
nor outside
ol
it.
nor
connected to
verses
I
nor
is
He
disconnected from
and
Allaah
were asked
to give a definition of
something
that
was non-
existent,
a heller description
cfi
Ubaydaat. p.204.
The
al-Muhfytm
wci al-Mutashaabili
meaning
to
it
(conit is
philosophy
ol
deny the
fact that
it
is
obliga-
tact that
edge
ol
is
tinknow
a."
Also, the questioner indicated that he understood the verse properly, tor he asked.
"How
is
this istiwaa:"
meant, namely that Allaah has 'Risen over' (istiwaa) His Throne; his question was
not about what istiwaa meant, but
how
Imaam
him
for
criticise or
apparent mean-
ing of the verse (that Allaah has the Attribute of istiwaa), but instead criticised
meaning -
for
is
him, "al-lstiwaa
is
obligatory'
is
ihc Ash 'a rees. This phrase shows that to believe in this istiwaa
in the
phrase 'belief in
belief in
it
is
well-
known. ..and
that the
it is
obligatory..."
ol
who
claim
in
what
is
obligatory 5 " In
it is
was Imaam Maalik referring to when he Imaam Maalik understood that this Attribute had
"...
said, "...belief in
a
meaning
to
it
it.
other-
belief in
it is
this .At-
must be believed
\s>
some-
thing to believe in
It
- the Attribute
of istiwaa'.).
all
tion
and understanding of the Attributes of Allaah. They would take the apparent
ol these verses (thus believing in
meanings
concept
what Allaah
ot
revealed), without
compar-
them with
Imaam al-Bukhaarce
(d.
2% A.H.),
His creafor
Nu'aym
tion has
self
ibn
Hammaad
(d.
228 A.H.),
said.
to
committed
disbelief,
Him-
And
there
is
no anthropomorphism
(5^s)
Imaam and
scholar
will
of
Rahooyah
238 A.M.)
There
like
only be anthropomorphism
is
hand
is
my
like
my
seeing", so this
is
anthropomor-
phism. As for
Attributes ol)
Hand
how
-ISS
.ul-Dli.ilul.i.
.;/-{.
'//<'. p. (.7.
220
An
Quraan
is
is
nothing similar
In conclusion, the
to
Him, and He
).'
addressed His creation in the language that they know. To presume that the verses
pertaining to the Attributes of Allaah carry no
to the
meanings
of their
in reality a
Why
vealed these concepts, in these clear wordings, except that they be understood in this
manner?
Instead of 'reading
die
.
in'
in the
Speech of Allaah,
l.v//
\iicc<
If
understanding of these
verses.
the Ash 'aires claim that the verses pertaining to the Attributes of Allaah are
in light of the
muhkam
such
as,
There
This
is
is
nothing similar
l<>
Him
|42:l
the proper
imttaslnuibih verses.
The
statement,
mutashaabih ," is a
incorrect
of
"The verses pertaining to the Attributes of Allaah are from the vague and imprecise phrase, for it carries a correct meaning, anil an
is
known only to Allaah, and it is impermissible to delve The incorrect meaning of this phrase, and the one that the. \sli 'aires
mentioned
in the
intend,
is
mankind by
their linguistic
To conclude
(d.
this section,
we quote
436 A.H.),
who wrote.
for the Attributes (of Allaah). then all that has
As
been narrated
in the
them on
their apparent
meanings
same time
to
Some groups
denied these
Other groups
tried to affirm
them
in such a
manner
that they
ended up
comparing them
ogy
is
to the attributes
of the creation.
And
to take the
is
Allaah
And
same methodology
is
is
well
known
489 ad-Dhahabi,a/-WHW,
p. 67.
The
al-Miihl^aiti
wa
al-Miitashaabih
22
Glory be
to
Him.
is
in reality
an affirmation of
He
His Attributes
is
of their actuality.
So
if
we
all
say.
these are
say.
And we do
not
'The weaning of
'
'Power',
of Hearing' and
cars,
'Seeing
is
So we do
we say
that
it
is
is
obligatory to
(i.e..
between the
attributes ol Allaah
and the
-There
[42:ll|
is
nothing similar to
Him. and He
is
the
AIM
learing. All-Sccing.
in
knowl-
edge
thai they
(i.e.,
the religion,
and 0C-
ensed them with the disbelief 'oj'the anthropomorphism:..'"" they were responded
lo
Book of Allaah.
whose meaning
mnhj(am
lieve in
them
to the
And
them
it is
obligatory to affirm
all
of these
(verses),
and be-
both
ol the
(the
sunnah
in
Prophet (5S)
understood
in a similar
manner, ami
dealt with
the
the miilashaabih
tire
and both
are accepted.'"'
These and of
definitions concentrated
on one theme:
tluit
the
muhjfam
them.
There are
490
Is
it
not as
if al-Khateeb
al-Baghdaadee
is
I/;/
as-Sunnah.
49
ad-Dhahabi. al-L'hiwn:
p. 48.
222
An
Quraan
'to
"to
be unclear', and
resemble".
Some of
the schol-
have defined the mutashaabih verses as those verses which resemble one another
wording. There
is
in their
no contradiction between
this definition of
mutashaabih
utilized
that
utilises
It
word 'mutashaabih' ("to be unclear"), and this the second meaning of the word 'mutashaabih' ('to resemble").
meanings
of the
definition
can also be said that the discussion of the previous section involved the
to meanings,
whereas
mutashaabih
a separate science,
and
it
is
upon
in this section.
The
ing
is
is
quoted by as-Suyootee
those verses which are not repeated, and the mutashaabih are those verses
repeated."
1 '2
is
Az-Zarkashee
exactly the
1)
lists
many
phrases
in
in
most
of
them
2) 3)
Thrice,
"Do they
and 40:2
Four times,
20:116|)
(e.g.,
"And when
We
4)
Five times,
(e.g.,
and 64:12})
5)
Six times,
(e.g.,
who
29:24, 30:37,
As
ing,
az-Zarkashee also divides them into various categories, classifying them based
the type of difference between the verses: involves the addition or subtraction of a letter or
upon
1)
The difference
it
word
(e.g.. "It
is
not, they will not believe" (2:6), and, "Anil not, they will not believe" (36: 10)); or,
the same,
2)
them and
3)
the exchange of a
word with
its
synonym
(e.g..
"There gushed
forth therefrom
twelve springs" (2:60), and "There flowed forth therefrom twelve springs" (7:158));
492 as-Suyook-c.
v.
2. p.
5,
Verses
how
they
number ol books written concentrating on these change the meaning of the verse.*9* These subtle changes
a
differences,
bring about
and
to
why one
manner
one
and
in a slightly different
manner
in
another part.
Qur'aan;
in
in the
one
verse,
Allaah says.
(also)*
17:31
and
in
.....Wc will
At
first
seem
to
if
be any benefit
in reversing the
order
ol
the
pronouns
son and
in a particular
order
is
seen.
The
verse reads.
E
^. *>>,'>.?"'. '-"-.<='
'>, f '1^"t
And do
not
kill
We
will
provide them
17:31
And do not
nance
lor
kill
We
you and
them-
|6:l 51|
in dilferent situations,
flu
firsl
verse
is
addressed
in thost
who
with poverty
in the future
because of their
children.
enough
for
by stating that
Me
nance
The second
verse,
on
is
inflicted
it is
In this case, the parents are actually feeling the effects of this
4'4
v.
pus. 113-134.
4y5 One ofthe classics rhai is available in print \sal-Burliaanfi Mulaihaabih ul-Our'aun Ham/ah al-Karmaanec (d. 51)0 A.H.I, )ar al-Wal'a. Cairo. 1991.
I
hy
Mahmood
ihn
224
An
He will
dren. Thus, the exchange o! the pronouns in the two verses adds a subtle
meaning
to
each verse.
II.
the
Majaazee
its
word
this
is is
used
in
original
- then
referred to as
a Iniqccqcc meaning.
is
On
it
word
is
used
in a
metaphorical sense
in other words, a
is
meaning or connotation
dren
a
that
the
apply the
word
majaazee meaning.
that are given ol
Examples
majaaz
in the
verses,
wing ofsubmission
anil humility
of 'wing'
is
is
no
actual wing);
And ask
(the 'town' with
its
the town
is
where we
were....-
2:82
example
ol
majaaz); anil.
,jJ>a.'->
o\
...a
S:77|
(meaning
It
was very
close to collapsing).
a
4 "'
history,
such as
(d.
Muhammad
a topic
al-Ameen ash-
(d.
1393 A.H.),'"
who denied
of debate
among
the
scholars.
Ibn
Qudaamah,
498 These are perhaps the two most famous scholars who have- denied the existed ol majaaz language
in the
Arabic
lit
anil the
in the
not presi
Qur'aan.
The
(d.
Shaniicclcc!). have conceded to the existence ol majaaz in the Qur'aan. In lact, the \:\mo\\\
Hambalcc scholar
Ibn
Qudaamah
620
A.I
1.)
I
went
CO
exists in the
made
The
as
Majaaz?
to
due
many of the
of innovation (such
many
ol the At-
mentioned
in
and
others.
majaaz
However, even
reasons:
1
if
it is
in the
Qur'aan, the
Attributes of Allaah can never claimed to be examples of majaaz for the following
All verses
in a haqeeqee
is
manner
unless there
all linguists.
is
reason
in
agreed upon by
is
Thus,
bring clear proof from the Qur'aan or Sunnali to prove this point.
there
is
lack
in a
haqeeqee sense,
viz., that
Allaah has
Throne, but
it
cannot
lie
being haqeeqee
proven
many
>...anil
[ 1
1:7|
and.
S:7t|
and.
The
(angels)
who
it.
glorify the
and.
... eight
angels will, on thai Day; hear the Throne of your Lord above them*
[69:17]
in
is
to be considered
an innovator. This
is
is
many
Qudaamah)
majaaz.
cannot be examples
ol
It is
(i.e..
in the
between the
-!/;/ as-
226 An Introduction
Qur'aan
show
a
that the
Throne
ol
Allaah
is
how
else
was
it,
it
how
surround
it.
and eight
angels hold
unless
haqeeqce Throne?
Can
it
will
Throne
is
a luiqecqcc throne.
the other
fundamentals
ol
faith
language; in a
manner
all
that leaves
no room
confusion or ambi-
guity.
To claim
that Allaah,
in
Praise
is,
and Glory be
to
Him,
revealed His
Names
ami Attributes
His
language;
majaazee form
in reality, to
Names and
in
them
in
vague, couched
language
due
to Allaah,
He
is
above
all
that they
The Qur'aan
describes
itself in
many
to the Light; is
possible that
one
of the
is
most important
revealed in such
Names and
Attributes of Allaah
The
In other
words,
when
it
is
said,
is
asked, but
is
it
is
well-known
the people
who are
asked. Likewise,
it
when
it is
"Zayd was a
lion
during the
battle," the
is
that
is
understood from
this
Zayd is well-known not to be an animal, that Zayd was a very brave person. The point
that
is trying to be made is that majaaz can only be used when the subject is wellknown and understood, and thus there is no danger that a person might be con-
meaning
anil the
unseen, however, such as the Attributes of Allaah, majaaz simply cannot be applied,
due
hilly
tween the Attributes of Allaah and those of His creation, there can be no majaaz
when
4)
it
comes
One ol
heard,
defined
is:
Majaaz
is
that
which on the
as
a
is
permissible
is
to negate.
it
when
the phrase,
"Zayd was
a lion.
a lion
battlefield"
is
possible to say,
It it
were claimed
lowed
to
person
is
al-
.....both ol
1*5:641
is
Allaah's hands are not outstretched," thus clearly and explicitly going against the
verse in the Qur'aan).
5)
To claim
majaazee.
that
some
is
is,
in essence, to
claim that
What
there that
Attributes ol
as
and
istiwaa)
and others
haqecqce (such as the Knowledge, Life, Hearing and Seeing ol Allaah)? Just as
these scholars acknowledge that Allaah has the Attributes of
Knowledge.
Life
to those
a wajh, yad,
these are different than the wajh and \acl ol the creation.
ol the verses that
some
if
no defence
someone were
majaazee. In
to
fact,
some
of the deviant
Falaasij'a, or
'Philoso-
phers') did in actuality claim that all the verses pertaining to the matters
of the
ol
Heaven
anil Hell,
and
The claim
is
that
majaaz
opens the door to many extreme deviations Irom the true religion
Of course,
all ol
these points
come
were of the opinion that Allaah's Attributes are haqecqee, and arc affirmed
Allaah
that they
do not resemble
of the crea-
The
AM
in
found
in the
of these
Attributes, nor
do they
limit
them
to a particular
manner. As
lor the
deny these
in
a haqeeqee manner.
is
Ami
who affirms
these Attributes
an anlhropomorphist
those
reality,
who
affirm
these Attributes (lUc A/il tis-Sitniwfi) consider these people lo be ileniers anil
negators
is
(oi
And
who
say
affirm
these Attributes)...
v.
5,
|>.
L98.
"...and theAsh'arees"\
228 An Introduction
Qur'aan
Imaam
ad-I)hahabi
(d.
748 A.I
all
I)
stated,
"He
swear by Allaali!!
He who
misinterprets
has been narrated of them upon majaaz, will eventually end up negating the Creator
ol all
Him
to non-existent objects...'"''
in.
the
Khaas
is
'general')
word
that applies to
is.
all
the
members of a
says,
specific set,
Every soul
This verse
K/iaas
is
human, animal
is
or jinn.
(lit.
word
it
that
is
used to denote
a limited
dif-
can be applied.
The primary
and
is
number of objects;
aam.
~
in
application
is
'Aam
that
is
totally unspecified.
This
is
An example
ot this
the verse,
<Allaah
is
no exceptions
to this verse. in
'Aam
in
meaning. This
is
also
uncommon
in
the Qur'aan.
An example
of this
the verse,
the place
depart..." |2:199|
The "people'
Even though
/(/iaas (i.e.,
referred to in this verse are the other tribes ol Arabia besides the
Quraysh.
is
the
wording seems
to
be 'aam
(i.e., all
people), the
meaning
in lact
3)
This
is
the most
common
Q)ur'aan.
An example
of this
the verse.
501
..,I-I
">liahabi,tf/-l7'\ p. 269.
The Clear
ant!
Unclear Verses
al-Muhl^am
iva al-Mutashaabih
229
"Forbidden
to
you
(in
marriage)
are...
your step-daughters...
who
have been
whom
with... |4:23]
is
in that
forbid-
den
in marriage. in
deducing the
The may
Qur'aan might give a general ruling in one place, yet anspecify that rule not to apply in certain circumstances.
iv.
the
Muqayyad
to
Amut/aq (lit., 'unconditional') verse is one that is absolute in its scope, not limited what it applies. It differs from the 'aam in that the 'aam applies to all members thai
its
are included in
member ot
is,
its
all
the
set.
members of a
specific set,
An example
ot a
mutlaq verse
...(the
is
mutlaq.
applied to
all slaves,
then
it
The muqayyad
there
is
(lit.,
"qualified') occurs
is
when
'a
mutlaq
is
specified by an adjective.
is
mutlaq, but
house.
two-story house'
muqayyad, since
is
where Allaah
states,
Whoever kills a
believer unintentionally
must
forbidden
him
sexually,
like (he
230 An Introduction
to the Sciences
of the Qur'aail
This verse
lim.
is
muqayyad
since
it
must be
Mus-
These
ticular,
ami deducing
laws. In par-
another case-
in
muqayyad,
treed have to be a
Muslim,
same ruling
(that
o freeing a slave),
I
when mentioned
that the slave
in the context ol
is
muqayyad
must be
Mus-
lim? So, does the muqayyad ruling concerning involuntary manslaughter altect the
According
mutlaq
is
and Ihimbalces),
is
in this
case the
affected by the
that
must be
Muslim. According
affected by the
muqayyad
in this case,
and
it is
on the other hand, the mutlaq is noi allowed to tree a non-Muslim slave in
v.
the apparent
meaning
in the sentence.
command
number
in the verse,
...lhen
he must
last
when he
returns..."
[2:196]
is
obvious, and
is
the
mantooq
ol
the verse.
is
The mafhoom
ol a verse,
an understanding
are
is
There
al-mitl{haalafah.
Mafhoom al-muwaafaqah is defined to be the extension ol a ruling Irom a mencase to an un mentioned one due to a commonality between the two. For example. Allaah commands believers with regards to their parents
tioned
<<AikI
in
them
|1 7:2.5
is
also forbidden.
to
them,
harm and
504
a
cl.
QaQaan,
"I
|>.
2-17.
Ol course,
this
is
number
al-Mufiffam
wa
al-Mutashaabik
231
Mafkoom
the
is
unmentioned
is
due
that
And whoever amongst you does not have the means lo marry Iree. believing women, they may marry believing girls from among the (slaves) whom
your
It
right
hands
possess.." |4:2S|
this verse
is
- the mafhoom
is
women, he
Again, these categories are used in deducing laws from the Qur'aan.
vi.
the
Mansookh
and
its
importance
be discussed
ol this topic,
integral relationship to
uloom
al-
Qur'aan,
will
in a separate chapter.
CHAP T E R
13
i.
The
Definition of Naskh
miasil{h
1
n-s-l(h,
''
following meanings:'"
1
'To remove, to abolish, to abrogate'. For example. Allaah says in the Qur'aan.
Ly^^AJ^Obl.
We
thai
Ml
fl
jj'
j-iL^ j^_l_lU
<>r
do not abrogate
(Ar. min.<al(h)
is
.i
verse.
We
and
in
another verse,
...bin
in,..
|22:52|
2)
may
Verily.
We
were recording
(Ar. 'nastansi^ku')
is
to d<> 145:291
From
s)
also called
As
for
its
it
is:
The
abrogation of a ruling bv
.i
Therefore,
at least
is
iuiasil{h
."""
The naasikfi
ruling
the ruling that repeals the mamooklr. imusi^/i, the active partici-
i>i
these meanings
ii.
is
the primary one. anil which are connotations, this is of little conse|>|>s.
quence
point.
in
non-Arabic readers,
1S-2I
ii>r.i
discussion of this
506
'.\i
IcaSI
a ruling,
more than One naasil(li and/or mansooltfl verse. In oilier words, and one verse can be abrogate more than one ruling.
Abrogation
in the
Qur'aan
pic, is
the ruling that does the abrogating, while mansookfi, the passive form,
is
is
the
ruling that
abrogated.
The
first
Qur'aan, that
of "specification'
(/<//f/ra). 'Specification'
general ruling found in another verse, whereas naskh involves abrogating the
ruling in toto
(i.e., it is
The
dilfcr-
ol a
previous Islaamic
and
is
therefore
.
'in'niMon' (bac/aa'ah)
previously existed
from another phenomenon known as must have an Islaamic ruling on exactly the same subject which was then
different
In other words, in order for naskfi to occur, there
abrogated by a
any laws
that
edent Islaamic rulings are not considered as examples of naskh, but rather of 'initiation' (badaa'ah).
to one's
a verse
was revealed
that
prohibited marriage to one's step-mother (verse 4:22). Even though this verse re-
it
however, an example of
practices, but not
'initiating' a
is
new Islaamic
ruling.
in
The
His
phrase:
'...of a ruling...',
belief Caqeedah). In other words, naskfi cannot occur with regards to belief in Allaah,
Names ami
Attributes, the
is
Day
ol
to the
fundamentals
ol belief It
Allaah says.
He has ordained
and
thai
lor
which
We
we have ordained
for
is
in
the Qur'aan or
Siainah; naskh cannot occur with respect to ijmaa' (consensus) or i/iyaas (analogy). In
is
'
">n7
This
is
due
can occur only during the lifetime of the Prophet (SS). as shall be
i. is
mentioned
fujh
shortly,
whereas ijmaa' and qiyaas must occur after the Prophet (5Ki
any student
ol usool al-
'
234
An
Quraan
Lastly, this
though
its
explicit
example that
be discussed
The
phrase:
a ruling...
means that the naasity ruling (the one that does the come horn the Quraan or Siimnih; ijtihaad (personal reason',
cannot abrogate
a ruling
it',
The
phrase:
is
'...that
was revealed
after
riding thai
that nasty could only occur in the lifetime ol the Prophet (Sgg). since alter his death
no
new
Nasty
were
primarily a Madinese
phenomenon,
finalised.
should be pointed out that the salaf did not use the term 'nasty'
to refer exclu-
sively to abrogation.
They
term
to
initiation (badaa'ah).
to
The first person to limit the meaning ol the word nasty to apply Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee (d. 204 A.H.), in his famous treatise on
the scholars ol the
three gen-
Therefore,
first
was "abrogated" {nasatya) by another verse, an example ol nasty. It is this exact factor which confusion with regards to the numberol naasity/
mansooty verses
in
upon
shortly).
For example,
own, without
permission..." [24:27]
verse,
Ajys_l^_/i; \2yj\y*-St
$ ^Li*-_^0&,jJ
of
-Ami
there
is
no
sin
on you
if you
This
is
its
mentioned
is
naskh
is
In the termi-
nology
ol
referred to today as
tatysees.
508 .m-N.ih.ias.
p. 104. p. I^.
509 ash-Shanqeejee,
Abrogation
in the
Due
to the
importance
have been
a great
it
many books
written
the Qur'aan. In
tc/fseer,
fact,
would probably be no
'uloom al-Qur'aan
is
that of naskji.
One
ten
of the
first
to write a treatise
(d.
1 1
concerning
famous Successor,
to
Qataadah as-Sadoosee
7 A.H.).
Some
ol the
(d.
have writ(d.
on
Ahmad
(d.
ibn
Hambal
241 A.H.).
Siiiuiii
fame, and
Makkcc
Abee Taalib
(d.
(d.
al-Maalikee
Jalaal
(d.
ad-Dccn as-Suyootce
a
911 A.H.).'
"
Without
era
is
doubt, the most thorough discussion of the topic of naskji written in this
it,
cusses practically every verse that has ever been claimed to have been abrogated, and
offers his
own
Muhammad
al-Ameen
ash-Shanc|cctcc.
ii.
Only some S/iee'ee Aboo Muslim al-Isfahaanee, d. 322 A.H.), have raised Aboo Muslim claims that, while it is not inconceivable
no rulings
to
demonstrate
first
it."
"
However,
as Ibn al-
Jawzee
ity
(d.
of nasl{h,
and
in this
the scholars
before him.
is
very
on the occurrence
of naskh.
The Qur'aan
says,
510 This
^1
1
lisi
lias
p. S.
Ii
'niislf/i
'above,
Aboo Muslim did not deny the validity ol whal has been defined as name it as such. In Aboo Muslim's Opinion, all the examples ofmisl(h are
was
specified by the 'naasikli
to
have been
meant only
time a
Aboo Muslim
66.
"
2 Mi
An
ol the
Qur'aan
ruling, or cause
it
to
it,
We
ware
In
that Allaah
savs.
And when
We
change
Qur'aan)
- they
say.
in
place
ol
another
and
are
down
'You
1
(O Muhammad)
is
Qur'aan or Sunnah
a
where nasty has been mentioned explicitly. For example, initially, was prohibited from fleeing from the enemy il he were laced with
(a ratio
ten
of
to 10,
cf.
8:65).
ij
U n==*^* ^SJ o
J*
He knows that
there
is
weak-
il
hundred
overcome two
hundred,... [8:66]
The
With
ratio
to
one Muslim
is
lor every
two non-Muslim
soldiers.
,|:
explicit.
is
quoted
is
the Prophet's
so, for
used to forbid you to visit graves, but now you may freely do (3^5) , they remind you of death. " Once again, the occurrence of nasty is explicit.
statement.
III.
The
There
number of conditions that the scholars ol uspol al-fiqh and uloom alOar'aan have laid down in order to substantiate any claim ol nasty. One ol the reasons lor this
is
that nasty
is
nasty implies discarding a ruling for another one. As long as both rulings can be
applied, nasty
is
not resorted
to.
512
cf.
asb-Shanqeeiee,
p.
99.
an-NaasikJi
wa al-Mansookh 237
The more
1
that the
two rulings
be-
question must directly contradict each other, such that both rulings cannot be
way
if
to reconcile
them. This
is
when
there exists
no
to
other
way
to explain the
two
rulings. Therefore,
one
ol the rulings
can apply
a specific case,
cannot be considered
an example of naskji.
2)
The
naasikh ruling
naskh to be substantiated, a
in
earlier one.
two
ous ruling
tion
is
(e.g.,
known
must be known
ruling.
3)
was revealed
in the
Qur'aan or Sunnah,
a
his
is
ol ijiihaacl
cannot abrogate
(ijmaci),
it is
command
command
in the
command
that originated
naasikji ruling
must
origi-
nate from an equal or greater authority than the mansookji. In other words, an
luidccth cannot, according to those
a
who
Qur'aan or
is
it is
iv.
The
The
Categories of
Naskh
may be
classified in
naasikji
different categories.
They may be
classified
and mansookji
or with respect to the rulings ol the mansookji in comparison with the naasikji.
S|4
Fbr other conditions of naskh, see Ibn al-)a\vzec's conditions (Malbarcc, pps. 95-97); Ibn al-'Arabcc's
V.
(Madgharcc.
2, pps. 1-6);
238 An Introduction
to the
A.
Naasiki i.wn
M.wm
><
iki
As was mentioned
do not play
a role
can
come
in
these possibilities together, there are lour logical scenarios ol nasty) with regards to die
The Qur'aan
is
This category
agreed upon by
all
those
who
An
example
of this
is
widowed
was
vear:
to be
main-
husband
for a period ol
one
^f^Jj^fjil^
Ami
those
ol
bequeath
lor
them
a year's
oui....|2:24l)|
verse.
leave
behind
should
days...[2:234]
2)
The Qur'aan
majority
is
The
by the
ol
An exam-
ple ol this
Muslims used
to
to pray
command
of the Prophet
(S>)
(i.e.,
was
be Makkah,
Verily!
We
Muhammad)
(at
towards the
heavens. Surely.
We
shall turn
you
So turn
|2:I44|
your face
in the direction
af the Masjidul-Hflraam
Makkah). ..
The
initial
came down
in the
Abrogation
in the
Qur'aan
an-Naasikh
wa al-Mansookh
239
3)
The Sunnah
This category
i)
may
Kmutawaatir hadeeth abrogating the Qur'aan. This was allowed by Imaam Maalik
1
Aboo Haneefah (d. 50 A.H.), and one of the opinions of Imaam Ah mad (d. 241 A.H.). They reasoned that both are forms of revelation from Allaah. and since both give indisputable knowledge (qat_'cc ath-thuboot), they may abrogate one an(d.
1
79 A.H.),
other.
abrogating the
Quraan
is
jfc$
&
It
is
when any
ol
lie
has
wealth, that he
make
kin... |2:I8()|
This ruling was abrogated by the hadeeth of the Prophet (#) in which he said, "There
is
no bequest
ii)
to
an
heir."
1 '''
An ahaad
hadeeth abrogating the Qur'aan. Most of the scholars did not allow
Qur'aan
is
This
rect one.
is
1
Ash-Shanqcctcc discusses
this
question in detail/
rare.
He docs
to ash-
must be known
ahaad narra-
An example
according
it is
Shanqeetee,
is
known
that this occurred during the Battle of Khaybar, and as such 'abrogated' the previous
ruling that
it
of 16:45)."' to
Imaam
ash-Shaafi'ee
abrogate the
to
He
felt
The Sunnah
those
who upheld
may
515
Ms hadeeth
in Akjfaam ul-fana'aiz,
where
lit-
states that
51 7
ash-Shanqeetee,
p.
240 An Introduction
to the Sciences
of die Quraan
i)
A mutawaatir hadeeth
An ahaad hadeeth
ii)
iii)
iv)
The
upon by
all
is
scholars.
The
last
category, that of
mutawaatir one,
held by those
who
allow an ahaad
The
majority, however,
do
B. Ti
ii
Verse and
Ruung
it is
i\
ii
ik
Qur'aan
With
chap-
there existed verses that used to be recited as part of the Qur'aan, but
whose
recitation
was
later
abrogated
at
the
command
of Allaah.
Some of these
abrogated
Thus, (with respect to the Qur'aan only, and not the Sttiinah) naskh
fied as follows:
1
may be classi-
The Abrogation
of the
is
wa at-Tilaawah).
ruling applied.
is its
An example
of
said. "It
had been
This was
it
revealed in the Qur'aan that ten clear sucklings (of a baby with a
riage unlawful
later
(i.e..
that the
foster-child).
died and
was before
the relevant
The Abrogation
) .
ol the
at-
Tilaawah
When
and
is
but the ruling does not apply. period of one year for the
An example
(2:240).
of this
is
widow
Even though
5]N Reported by Muslim. This docs not mean thai he verse had heen accidentally
l
lell
hill
rather that
it
a short
S8).
Some
scholars (such as Mustafa Zayil) have rejected this narration, claiming that
is
narrated
it),
and
in
ol the
Qur'aan to he accepted,
is
it
must he narrated
it
mutawaatir
hadeeth. This
may
I
saheeh. as
is
reported in Muslim.
Muwall.i.
Ahoo >aawood
at-
is
is
a dillerence ol
minimum number
re-
Some
scholars say
based on
this hadeeth,
one. In any case, the verse that initially prescribed ten sucklings can be taken as an example of this category.
Abrogation
in the
Qur'aan
an-Nuasil^h
wa al-Mansoofy
241
is still
Another example
tion.
is
punishment
for fornica-
">L;a_- ^Hi&l
J^_3
'
illegal
they
testily,
then
confine them to their houses until death overtakes them, or until Allaah ordains tor them
some
(other)
way
|4:I5|
This verse
in Soora/i
an-Noor,
jr
The (unmarried)
flog each of
them with
hundred
3)
The Abrogation
al-
Hukm).
In this case, Allaah
ing.
left
For example,
a verse in the
order those
'Umar
in
mosque,
"Verily,
Allaah sent
Muhammad
was
JIS>)
le sent
it,
the
verse of stoning
revealed with
we
recited
ol
I
memorised
and understood
we also did
say.
the same.
am
(may
forget
and)
'We do not
find the
punishment
ol
stoning in the
Book
is
ol Allaah,'"'"
and
in
duty
laid
down
is
book
lor
married
adultery
when
proof
esin
zanayaafarjumoohum
or
min
Allaah...'"'"
man
woman,
if they
commit
recalls a lecture he
in a
attended
in
America
,i
The
.is
knowledgeable, said
people have thai
in
gathering
<>l
lor this
crimes,
Afl/;! It's
Quraan!
521
lh.it
low true was 'Umar. may Allaah reward him! Reported by al-liukhaarec and Muslim. In another narration. 'Umar said, "Were ii noi
lis
.ill
me ol adding
to the
Hook
Ihn
ol Allaah.
own
hands'"
^22
Reported by
al-
cl.
l.i/ni. p. 9,
242
An
clearly
shows the
fact that
"I
'Umar
ibn alto
Khattaab narrated,
once came
I
Prophet
($y),
me
this
is
may
"O Messenger of Allaah! Dictate to The Prophet (-gg) responded, "No, I cannot do
to
anymore,"
meaning
that he
do
of the verse.
hibitions
There are also references to a number of verses not related to commands and prowhose recitation was abrogated. An example of this are those verses revealed
A group
ing
ol disbelievers
to the
him
to
The Prophet
()
sent
ions to teach
them
left
the Qur'aan
this
When
the
Companions
with
Anas ibn Maalik reported, "Allaah revealed verses of the Qur'aan concerning them (the martyrs): 'Tell our people that we have met our Lord, anil He is pleased with us, and we are pleased with Him.* This was then abrogated after we had
to this incident.
been reciting
it
tor a while,
and
<Do not
presume
;
'
that those
who have
dead.......|3:l69].
This report
is
were
recited in prayer,
and
whose
recitation
was
later
Companions
Another
nothing
is
He
stated,
"We used
to con-
two
valleys ot gold,
he would wish
for a third,
will ever
and Allaah
of
forgives
who
However,
(the recitation
'5
this verse
him was
'verse'
was abrogated
is
as
being part
in
ol the
Qur'aan,
it
still
found
Ubay
ibn Ka'ab also reported, "Soorali al-Ahzaab used to be equal (in length) to Soorah
many
in
verses
whose
as the Soorah
al-Ahzaab that
is
present
today's mus-
haj
is
less
Soorah al-Baqarah.
52
<
v.
6, p. 975.
524 al-Malbaaiee,
5.
in
"
an-Naasifyi
wa al-Mansool{h 243
and the
which
explicitly
show
of the abrogated
verse.
Aboo Umaamah
in prayer
was unable
to.
In the morning, he
went
When
the Prophet
(ygj)
tried to recite
such-and-such
this,
the second
too!"
man
came because
"It
The Prophet
explained.
same reason!" and the third, "And I was abrogated last night, v s meaning that they
of the
tl
is
memory of the
verse!
Prophet
(3^5)
(-^g)
knew
C. Ti
if.
Rui .i\( ;s
<
>F
The
rulings
1)
it
might be one
that requires
ol'
more
effort.
With
naasikh
The
naasikh ruling
more
difficult
An example of
tor
(c, 4:15).
punishment
Allaah then revealed the verses of flogging lor the unmarried and stoning
(cl.,
for the
married persons
24:2).
2)
The
naasikh ruling
is
difficulty.
ol
For example, the verses that were revealed concerning the change
the qiblah
from Jerusalem
in eflort.
to
Makkah;
is
3)
The
naasikh ruling
is
was easier
is
lor the
example
it
been quoted
to four
tin-
month and
1
was
the
mentioned
ratio of
with regards to
to
when
Muslims
to
non-Muslims was
for every
this
was
later
reduced
one Muslim
is
two non-Muslims.
Initially, fasting
Another example
was prescribed
528
Reported In
ai-
jahaawec.
here
is
a difference ol
from the Prophet (SB). However, since he saw the Prophet (SB), he
tilt luiilcclli is
considered authentic
(v.
(cl.
Tahzeeb al-Katnaat,
a
v.
2,
another narration
\
is
p.
the Prophet
24-4
An
Quraan
...as
it
was
eat,
drink or have intercourse after he had prayed the evening prayer (Isluta), or gone to
sleep at night. Alter this, Allaah revealed,
It is
now
lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wile on the niglu
of the
fast...
le
ance)* [2:187]
Therefore, a
4) In
Muslim may
is
eat,
There
no naasikh command
place
ol the
mansookh.
An example
ol this
is
the
com-
mand
going
to see the
Prophet
($g*) privately.
Allaah revealed.
you
who
believe!
When
in private,
spend something
in charity before
totally.
Arc
you
afraid ol
it,
spending
in charity
Il
you do not do
doing
it),
then
(at least)
this charity
to
do
it.
v.
The
With
Blessings of
Naskh
two
types ol naskh that occurred.
There
is
general naskh, in
re-
which some
verses ol the
It is
chapter so
far.
an-Ntiasiltfi wti
al-Mansoo\h 245
From
beliefs lor
mankind
a general
code of
and
life in this
them an
everlasting
the Hereafter.
The most
a constant
theme
that ol the
One-
Ancl
verily,
Wc
have sent
among every
16:36] in
ol
messengers
(risalauh). anil
Day
ol
Judgement
for all
These fundamentals
all
ol belie!, or 'aqeedah.
remained unchanged
However,
ance
in
its
without guid-
social
and
them
in their
mutual
affairs,
all
and
was
that
lor them a set of them concerning all was harmful to them. These
instruct
code
o! laws varied
for
each
set
of peoples
to.
had their
own
specific
Allaah says,
4jl|
And
they
may mention
the
ceremonies, so that
was possible
for
one messen-
(And 'Kesaa
before
me
nia/(c
to
Moosaa.
With
the
coming of the
and
religions
were abrogated:
And whoever
it
will
never he accepted
246
An
Quraan
is
The
role
and
status of the
Quraan with
made
clear in the
billowing verse:
C^tiijpjtj
-,-C
-
^->
--
And We have
sent
down
to you (()
Muhammad)
it.
the
Book
in truth,
il|
con-
came
before
and
is
muhaymin
over
^ :-4X
that the
il
Qur'aan
a witness
conforms with
rejected.
accepted,
and
'
all
that contradicts
it
is
The Qur'aan, therefore, acts as a naasil(h agent over the when they conflict with the Qur'aan/ 2
1
one of the greatest blessings of the Qur'aan, for it shows that it is the most complete Book (since nothing can abrogate the Qur'aan after it), and that it is supeThis
is
rior to all
it
abrogates
all
It
also demonstrates
sel
ummah
of the
it
Prophet
(-yg)
all
and suitable
times. This
in contrast to all
With regards to the specific nasftfl of the Qur'aan, Makkee ibn Abee Taalib (d. M>7 A.H.) slated.
And
this
of
this too
has
many
benefits to
it.
(meaning
I
nasf(h)
is
from
Allaali.
and
is
meant
widi
to be lor the
a
betterment
lis
worshippers. So,
He commands them
it
ruling at a
He knows
I
that
le
already
knows
command
will
he removed
from
hem
at a later
laid
down
>,
.
in the
following verse:
-*
> *-\\
s>>y
with
all
thai
is
honourable
for
evil
them from
all
dial
is
evil anil
immoral; he allows
all
them
all
that
is
thai
i>
^29
530
cl. .in
mi
this
verse
-Nahaas,
|>.
116.
Abrogation in the
Quraan
247
is
for the
ii
to
it.
be forgotten, except
iliat
We
substitute in
or similar to
it.
ware
that Allaah
indeed capable ot
in
all
things?" |2:106|
its
Each type
benefit in this
tion ol "the
of
benefits.
As
for
the abrogation ol the ruling without any replacing ruling, or with a lighter ruling, the
is
obvious, in that
it
lightens the
says,
burden
ot
worship, and
is
manifesta-
, *
j^s-^- -aa
Allaah wishes to lighten (the
aJJ Jo
J_
you..... |4:28|
burden) on
and.
'%J&<0\ fr
Now has Allaah made
If the mtusityi ruling
is
it
means
S-lIJ
...
j^ C--iJ
Ail
Jrt^J
[8: ^7|
Allaah
is
may
Also,
if
the naasityi
It
multiply.
more difficult, the rewards for that particular deed will also should be remembered that what might seem like something difficult to
be beneficial
to us or to the
us might
in tact
Muslims.
L>
A>--- o
,
c c>- 'j
And
it is
though
it
is
beneficial for
it
And it is possible dial you love something, even though tor you. And Allaah knows, and you do not knows [2:216]
you.
is
harmful
Thus, the stoning of the married adulterer might be a hardship lor him, but
as a very severe deterrent for others,
it
serves
and
betterment tor
society.
is
As
a relor
minder
248 An Introduction
Qur'aan
is
was
is
another
indication ol the
Mercy
oJ
Allaah, since
it
He
would not be
As
tor the
abrogation
ol
ruling, this
is
another
come from
the Sunnah,
Sunnah
in
order
VI.
The
From
Benefits ot
all
is
apparent that
this
know ledge
are:
is
an
essential one.
1)
Some
meant
to be applied.
This
why
cerned
in preserving this
judge
The
judge replied
do
so)
And
blessed with
wisdom
by saying,
"
(Wisdom
32
is
in
earlier (revelations)
and theharaam
in
person
obliged to
know
he wishes
to derive laws
this
should
knowl-
tor a
or scholar {nuijtahid).
"It is
Imaam
gion
ol
Allaah. unless he
knowledgeable
its
ol the
Book
its
ol Allaah.
and
naasikji
from
its
mansookh, and
its
muhkam
from
its
mutashaabih, ami
its
interpretation,
and
process ol revelation,
and
malice Irom
maduiicc.
531
Ibn Ha/.m. p. 5
Abrogation
in the
Qur'aan
an-Naasity
wa al-Mansooty 249
ol
and
the 2)
its
this,
he must be knowledgeable
Suiiiia/i.
s/iaree'ah.
it
would be
Muslims
a
to
religion.
By knowing
ummah
it
in this
gradual
to
revelation. Also,
demonstrates
him
some
3)
The
The concept
talists
of
Islaam
(in particular,
Orien-
to ridicule anil
essential that
show contradictions and discrepancies in the sharee'ah. Muslims understand and appreciate the concept of" nasty, so
and misinterpretations
of those
who seek
vii.
The
Difference Between
("specification")
the beginning of
and
many
and
tatysees.
Tatysees
is
defined to be the specification ofa general ruling 'aam). such that what
(
seems
to be a general ruling
hand
ol the thief.
And
The verse
is
the chief -
5:38]
general ('aam), and implies that the hand of every thief must be cut.
The Prophet
certain
(-gg),
steal
above
monetary value.
below
him.
is
Therefore, the Prophet f^g) specified the general ruling of the verse. This, then,
an
example
steal
ol tatyisces:
who
above
a certain
to
5.53
55-1
an-Nahaas,
p. 124. y. 54.
ash-Shanqcejcc,
250
An
By the lime!
All
of mankind
is in
a loss.
Except those
who
believe,
and do
righteous deeds, and exhort one another in truth, and exhort one another in patience
1
103:1-3]
is
all ol
mankind
it
will
he
in loss.
The
kind
2)
last verse,
however,
an example
oi'latyisees,
since
who
ruling,
ous ruling
in
tatyisccs.
The
naasityi
must be revealed
tatyisces.
whereas there
is
no such time
restriction
4)
on
Nasl{h only occurs with respect to the Qur'aan or the Sunnah. Tatyisccs,
on the
other hand,
ruling
may
only
c/iyaas.
may
come from
may be
based on
common
sense or ijtihaad.
viii.
The
in
number of verses
arc-
opinion
still
concerning those verses whose recitation has not been abrogated, and
in
found
is
the mtts-haf. As for those verses whose recitation has been abrogated,
of ascertaining their exact
there
no means
Some of the
number of cases
that
were
What
is
meant by 'Candidates
gives the
number
exama little to
as
examples
However,
ol these
many
verses,
rest
be examples
ol nastyi.
Abrogation
in the
Qur'aan
of Verses
Naskh
252
An
'Then,
when
the Sacred
kill
you
linil
them
last
verses to
revealed,
last
with the treatment of the disbelievers. According to the scholars that have over a hunnus/(/i,
any verse
that had commanded any type ol treatment with the was revealed was "abrogated' by this verse. For example,
less
than
The
majority of Ibn
Hazm's
cases arc
mansookh because
ol this verse.
on
this topic.""
'Uthmaan
vnses
that
to
them can
He gives a
useful
categorisation of the types of verses that have been claimed to have been abrogated by
The main
categories are:
Those
verses
which
are statements
of fact;
for
example,
Those
verses
example,
- >
Say:
it,
surely.
too
am
end
which
ol
wrong-doers
will not
be successluU
[6:135]
3)
Those
verses
of the disbelievers,
which command the believers to turn away from the evil treatment and to deal with them peacefully; for example,
Mahmood:
l'W2.
Atiyitl tis-Sityf,
Masters Diss..
Madecnah,
meet
their
Day which
and.
ii-
is
foolish..
4)
Those
verses
say.....
|20:130|
is
Those
verses
to
spread the
t-
I'^-T'-'i-
-V-
-f~
Say:
Obey
il
(i.e.,
Muhammad
(i.e..
lo
that
which
is
placed
upon
The
Messenger's
duty
6)
is
command
and
to fight
only
in self-defence; for
example,
way
ol
Allaah those
who
do not
limits.....
[2:190]
Those
verses
had
>*>U
i_j
&> Jj
\yy o p
kill
find them,
who
join a group,
"
254 An Introduction
to the Sciences
of the Quraan
It
that, in reality,
least.
most of
Some of them
Almost
all
merely apply to situations other than those that they were revealed
these 'mansool{h' verses can
similar to the situation in
still
for.
of
be said
to
apply
when
the
Muslims
are in a situation
'Verse ol the
revealed.
Thus, the
in fact,
Sword'
in reality
it
does not abrogate a large number of verses; does not abrogate any verse!
exists
az-Zarqaance
concludes that
such
a difference
'nasltfi
of opinion
is
that
a
when used by
'nasl^li'
Successor.
As was mentioned
earlier, for
mean
lis
Messenger*
|K:1
]
was 'abrogated'
by,
rH 4
And know
you obtain -
one-fifth
is
for Allaah
and
His Messenger...-
However,
this
is
a perfect
example
ofoaftfisees, for
how much
oi 'the spoils ol
state.
is
that
example,
Aml
you
to
Allaah belongs the east and west. So wherever you turn (in prayer).
of Allaah"
|2:1
L =>
|
was abrogated by
2: 149).
the verse
first
believers to face
it is
Makkah
(verse
In reality, the
verse
that
all
right to
command
the believ-
ers to face
any direction
in prayer.
As Allaah
-<It is
not piety that you turn you faces east or west, hut (line) piety
in Allaah. .. |2:1 77|
is
(found
in)
anil,
53? az-Zarqaance,
v.
2,
pps. 27S-282.
an-Naasity
wa
al-Mansool{h 255
The fools
among men
will say,
(the
Muslims)
to
To Allaah
be-
|2:I42|
is
is
claimed to be abrogated
it is
commanding
place;
Last
Example
in
Another example
which there
is
example
is
of scholars
be a classic case of nasltfi. Other scholars, however, held the opinion that these
verses
,,s
meaning
ofnusl{h,
it
There
are
two verses
The
first
one
is,
Say: There
is
much harm
in
is,
0 you who
Believe!
[4:43]
The
verse that
is
0 you who
an abomination
ol Satan's
was
was understood by the Companions to had only limited its consumption. There
examples
The
wine.
first
is
not occur,
there
is still
who claimed that nasty did much harm anil some benefit in
still
prohibited
538
cf!
asli-Sliaiu|celcc. p. 135.
256 An Introduction
Quraan
is still
meaning
under
of the verses
(i.e.,
the mantpoq)
do not come
naskfl, since
no verse was, according lo them, "abrogated.' what these scholars are claiming wine
still
In other words,
is
contains
lims
still
'much harm and some benefit' and Muswhile they are drunk. Even though the verse proto
is
only an understanding of
in the text.
it is
essential to
According
is
to the majority
falls
<>f
scholars,
if
(maflwom)
ot a
verse
abrogated, this
under
nasl{li.
Az-Zarkashee
understanding of a verse to have been abrogated, either with the explicit meaning of
the verse, or without
1
it."'
"
(manlpoq)
ol the verse
(i.e.,
"Do
is
not ap-
proach prayers
in a state
(mafhoom)
not drunk
during the time ot prayer) was abrogated. This comes under nasty.
In the
same way,
there are
many
in disaIt
would
less difference of
laws of these verses rather than whether the verses can be considered examples
nasty.
Conclusion
This section
there
is
it
comes
some books concerning the number of naasityi and mansootyi pairs in the Qur'aan, but at the same time there is unequivocal proof to show that nasty has indeed occurred on several occasions. As as-Suyootee wrote, "In
great exaggeration in
reality,
it
(meaning nasty)
5
is
rare, despite
many have
exaggerated the
ul-liuhr,
2, p. 28.
v. ),
p.
W.
lie
ofnasftfi.
II
I"
I"
K R
i.
Definition of Fjaaz
The word
kind
is
i'jaaz
comes from
'a-j-z,
which means
"to
be incapable
ol, to
be weak'.
Therefore, the miracles that the prophets performed are Galled mu'jizafl, since
incapable ot
is
man-
performing such
teals.
This word
use
it.
Companions
many other terms in Islaamic sciences, it was coined by later scholars and accepted among the timmah.'* Probably the first to use this term was Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal (d. 204 A.H.). Mi
However,
'Mujiza/i' are defined to be acts performed by prophets of a miraculous nature thai
humans
is
example of a mu'jizah
An The
be
'aayah. or bayyinah.
that the scholars
There are
number of conditions
have given
lor
an act
to
considered a mu'jizah?**
1
It
command
ol
Ailaah.
2)
>)
It
It
4)
5)
It
must occur
act
at the
hands
of a
person
who
claims prophethood.
The
that
of the prophet.
For example,
it
if
he
but instead
this will
542
There
is
no harm
in coining
new terms
to
a basis in
Islaam. as the
acts
naming
^4
of a
religious nature
5
a bid'ah.
Faqihee,
Muhammad
Hanccl. Nadhariyva
i'jaaz
Diss.,
S4-I
p. 13.
258
An
Quraan
a
6)
il
stone will speak, and the stone speaks and says that that person
to
a liar
claim
prophethood,
be considered
is
a imt'jizah.
When
books
Quraan
is
set apart
from
all
other
cannot be
this.
rivalled or imitated.
This
no
the
the poet,
how knowledgeable
how well-versed
is
the the
ol
grammarian - none can bring lorth anything similar to Speech of Allaah, and the difference between the Speech
His Creation
is
ot
Creation.^
miraculous
When
ers
a
a supernatural act
called a
l^araamah
inferior to that of
mu'jizah.
An example
of a /(araama/i
is
Companions
a for
re-
mosque
ot the Prophet
during
When
the time
came
''
them
to
and
led
Ibn Taymiyyah
(d.
have mentioned
the mu'jizaat
his
a
of their prophets, as they arc signs and miracles that prove (the truthfulness) of
prophethood.
Ami
this
is
truthfulness,
of that prophet.
evil person,
When
as a
hands
ol
an
such
magician or an innovator,
(sihr).
man orjinn. Due to the fact that the jinn have man (for example, they can carry very heavy obpeople might be deceived into preevil jinn.
reality,
and
suming these
tricks of a
acts to
be 'miracles'. In
aided by their
human
magician:
S4t The last portion of the sentence, The difference between...', is Aboo 'Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sulamee, although some weak narrations
(SSI).
raise
cE al-l-aahkaa'cc,
v.
2.
557.
^4ti S-17
Reported by al-Bukhaarcc.
Itr.
p.3.5.
"Is this
will
never be successful!"
10:77]
cast
down (what
they had),
Moosaa
for
said.
What
it.
the
work
ol 'evil-doers'[ 10:81
\yi~*>lj\ |_jxl^>
d si-^-^LU
i
tAa2jj>-L* jS
swallow up
-And throw
(()
Moosaa) what
is
in
your hand!
is
It
will
all
that
he may attain!-
Thus, the
not in any
'miracles'
rival
of the magician are the weakest forms of 'miracles', and can/(tinniiihia/ anil
way
mu'jizaat.
ii.
Pjaaz
is
Simmth of Allaah
that
whenever
He
sends a prophet,
Me
gives that
prophet certain miracles anil signs to prove his prophcthood to his people.
cles
The
mira-
to all
Muslims. Allaah
says.
~^_jj-?}
.
y *.. ^-^i
. *
Sy)
i All'
i,u *j\Je
Oys^-i
And We
(saying).
will
'I
make him
to
(T.esaa) a
Messenger
a sign
to the
Children of
I
Israa'ecl.
have come
it
you with
design lor
it,
you out
ol clay, as
a
and
it
becomes
the leper,
and
heal
blind,
and
and
eat.
life
by Allaah's Leave.
what you
store in
a sign lor
260
An
So many,
said,
were given
Allaah
"And
(just)
many
miracles
We gave them...!"
|2:2I1]
Despite
all
The
disbelievers
and
re-
{>$*#&&<&<<;&{}))>
And they
forth
say,
'We
you
a
until
you cause
ol
a spring to gusli
Or you have
garden
date palms
and grapes,
cause the
and cause
heavens
gush
Or you
ol
to tall
upon
and
Or you have
house
sky.
adornahlc
material
gold and
faith in
silver),
we
will put
no
your ascension
book
Lord!
that
I
we would
just a
read!'.Answer
them (O Muhammad).
[1
'Glorified be
my
am
man,
sent as a Messenger!'-
7:90-93
told.
'
*C>
..And even
to
them,
We had sent down unto them angels, and the dead had spoken and We had gathered together all things before their very eye.
if
even then they would not have believed, unless Allaah willed, but most of
them behave
ignorantly! |6:1
I'jaaz al-Ottraan
261
($gf)
has
been given:
down
to
him from
to
am
a
is
hai>e sent
down
a
recited to
them}
Verily,
mercy and
reminder
people
who
believe'.. |29:5()-1
Even
this,
however, was not sufficient for the disbelieving Makkans. They claimed
(5j||)
was
a liar
who
sessed by jinn.
this! II
we wish, we
old'..
1
These
8:31
them
to fulfil this
claim
of theirs.
The Challenge!
These
verses are called the verses ot ta/itiddi (challenge),
and
this
challenge proves
There are
in the
They
arc, in the
Qur'aan. as follows:
\<
"VCf'-x' -
"
't.
\-
"'\
.
>
fel<''-4
' *t-
1-
'
>
f-i?<
262
An
Quraan
have sent
"And
if you are in
doubt as
to
what
it
We
down
But
to
il
it.
you are
truthful.
you do not do
you cannot do
it
men and
.' >
2)
\*u ?>,
-M-r \
>>
Or do they
say.
"Me
it.
(Muhammad
call
(jgg-)) lias
forged
it!"
and
10:3H|
'"?>
3)
,-->
*&*"
\' \*\'
s^
-A
.<(
)r
do
they say,
'He
(Muhammad
it,
ill'
lorgcd.vo'W;) similar to
il
and
call
you are
truthful...
1:13]
all
like
1
of the
1
even
7:8S|
5)
()r
do they
say.
'I
le has forged
it!"
believe! Let
truthful...
a recitation similar to
These
any
five verses
to bring forth:
'recitation'
be bought forth; two verses mention one soorah, one verse mentions
states that a
ten soonihs,
is
and one
last of
Verses
a graduality in the
number ofsoorahs
5"
>8 Ubay.la.it.
p. 217.
1'jaaz al-Ou'raan
263
1)
The
challenge was to produce something similar to the whole Qur'aan. was then reduced to ten soorahs, then to finally to one soorah. This is the most common opinion, and is the opinion oflbn Katheer (d. 774 A.H.).
initial
This
2)
The
initial
challenge was to produce only one soorah (10:38). This was then in-
Quraan.
one soorah
they were unable
The
lo
initial
this,
When
do
the challenge was reduced to tensoorahs that would imitate the Qur'aan
in content. Lastly, the in
in prose
Quraan
Zarkashec
4)
al-Burhaan. u<>
in these
There
is
no graduality
is
in
one soorah,
whole Qur'aan.
is
It is
must be imitated
the challenge
to
OI when
first
opinion)
This
is
issuing the challenge to produce ten soorahs similar to the Qur'aan, whereas
is
this qualification
not mentioned in any other verse. This hints to the fact that these
ten soorahs did not have to be as 'authentic' as the other imitations. In other words, the
it
that
had
to
be imitated.
When
the
to
do even
the challenge
was
re-
duced
to
one soorah
But
if
you do not do
fuel are
it
it
I-irc
whose
men and
2:23-24]
is still
whether
to pride
this
challenge
opera-
or
was
it
meant only
(|g)
time? The
skill ol
ol the
Prophet
(gg)
used
themselves in their
poetry and their eloquence, so Allaah issued this challenge to them. However, this
does not
mean
for
is
meant
there
that
is still
an open challenge
similar to the
ol
Quraan, and
this
Dav
Judgement.
549 az-Zarkashee,
v.
2, p.
10.
550
ct:itr,p. 12.?.
264
An
<>l
the Qur'aan
in.
The Qur'aan
The Qur'aan
Prophet
this miracle as
And they
say,
'Why arc
down
to
him from
am
it
not a
is
than
that
is
mercy and
reminder
people
who
When
the disbelievers asked for miracles from the Prophet ($g). Allaah revealed that
itsell is
the Qur'aan
sufficient as a miracle.
The Prophet
said,
(5gg;)
Qur'aan when he
cause
tion
in
him.
my
(i.e..
will
have
the largest
number
ol
followers on the
Day of Judgement.
The
ol
fact that
the Prophet ($g) said that he hoped he would have the most
of
number
is
followers
on the Day
Judgement shows
greater than any miracle that any previous prophet was given.
The beauty
ol this
i'jaaz.
The Qur'aan
other miracles
is
was given
Among his
was the splitting of the moon in half the increase of an inadequate amount of food to a very large quantity, the speaking of stones, animals and trees to him, and the sprouting of water from his ($) hands when the Companions were
short ol it."
front
:
However, none
of these miracles
at specific
were permanent
they occurred
in
Muslims must
in
The
fact
the time ol the miracle, for they themselves were not present.
iil
al-Bukhaarec.
.il
-W.i.i.l.iVi,
Muqbil ilm
nun
Dalaa il an-Nubuwuiah,
>.ir
al-Arqam, Kuwait.
I'<X7, tor
I'jaaz al-Qu'raan
265
Man
less
being the
Irail
word
is
much
it
than the impact of sight. These miracles of a surety occurred, but the
clfcct that
these miracles
had on those
have on
later
generations
who saw them is much greater than the impact that will who merely read about them. The beauty and the power or
that
it
is
is
permanent miracle
see
live,
born
in.
historian
and
sociologist, Ibn
Khaldoon
(d.
808 A.H.),
states
Know
l^,)rate
th:it
the greatest ol
is
all
miracles,
blessed,
the
Prophet
This
is
because
all
wains
is
ol
the in-
and
and
all
is
unlike
therefore,
proofin one
that
it is
and
the
will
meaning
ol
the Prophets
(5gjs)
state-
ment.
"...1
one -for
il is
the inspiration in
lollowers..."
1
essence
And Shaykh
al-Islaam Ibn
Taymiyyah
(d.
is
"The
and
tion
call
il is
Muhammad
is
came with,
lor n
is
the religion
ol
prophethood
Muhammad
very revelafor
it
is
the
(to the
prophethood of
Muhammad
iv.
The Types
How
is
of I'jaaz
what aspect of the Qur'aan makes
il
so miraculous?
And what
which
it
Qur aan came with; the predicwas preserved, and so forth. In reality.
integral part of the
553
554
hr. p.
5.
Majmoo' itl-l:attiiiwii.\.\\.\\
$24.
266 An Introduction
Qur'aan
i'jaaz
is
that
it
is
not just
at
it.
miraculous
one
facet,
all
facets
and angles
is
that
Az-Zarkashee,
in trying to
an example of
ol
quotes have
i'jaaz, anil
"...the
statement
those
who
Qur'aan
is
due
to all of the
is in
previous factors simultaneously, and not by any one of them only. For (the i'jaaz)
combining
all of
these facets..."
55S
The
scholar
Muhammad
of the
The eloquence
of
2)
ol its verses
the
man-
3)
The
The
it
stories
and accounts
of the nations
to such information.
The
came
true.
The Names and Attributes of Allaah, all Glory be to Him, and the attribution of all that Befits Him, and the negation of all that does not Befit Him, and the call
ol
Him
(in
All of this
human
was inspired by
Allaah.
7)
The
that
came
called
for.
All
world and
in the
Hereafter.
The
the sharee'ah
is
the only
example of
of laws.
it
The
fact that
The ease
by which
is
it is
memorised, and
known by
ance. This
in contrast to all
memo-
Qur'aan.
that are present in
it,
<))
and the
fact that a
reader never
it
tires of
he has heard
it
or read
a
it.
This
is
more than
few times
without
it
gelling
555 az-Zarkashcc.
v.
1, p.
106.
p.
56
<>t
the
Quraan
I'jaaz
al-Qu
man
267
Again, the
i'jaaz ol the
Quraan cannot be
limited to one
list.
as-
in this
including
were unknown
at
almif,
(^): die impact that it has on those who listen to it; the miraculous nature of the and what remains ol them in theqira'aat; the euphonious quality ol the Qur'aan,
will he discussed in greater detail he7
A.
The
miracles that were given to the prophets were chosen so that they would have
that particular nation.
ol the
time
ol
Moosaa greatly excelled in the "art" ol sorcery and magic, the miracles that were given to Moosaa were of a similar type, except much stronger and more powerful (for example, the staff, the
shining hand, the splitting of the Nile, and others). Likewise, the
people
at
and
therefore,
During the time of the Prophet (Jig), the Arahs had reached the peak ofeloquence, and this was their most prized art! Poetry was what they valued the most, and each tribe competed with others to sec which one could produce the most skilled and eloquent poet. During the annual
lair ol
all
compete
lor the
honour of having
their
poem win
lair.
Due
to the
that
was given
a miracle
Prophet
was
ol a similar
that
it
was
On
top of
this,
and
told
them
futile.
557 Sonic
<>l
the aspects of i'jaaz have already been discussed, such as the compilation of the Qur'aan. the
diligence with
which
all
the
knowledge
thai
is
Jiuitliiiicc
ami
iihinc'ii>/\h, etc.).
and the
a
tlliruf 'M\*\
would, in
Tact,
in this
book
is
merely
discussion of
facets ol i'jaaz\
p. 55.
Darwish.
268
An
Quraan
sent
And
il
you are
in
doubt
as to to
what
We have
down
to
il
il...,
if you
you do not do
fuel are
and of d
surely
you cannot do
it
men and
1 ''''
Some of the
1
The placement
been given by
word
in perfect context,
over
its
synonyms. The
connotations given by the chosen word arc better than those that would have
its
synonyms.
2)
The unique
clear
sentence structure and syntax, which does not follow any one pat-
style
is
unic|uc,
and
its
rhythm
and resounding.
(past vs. present; plural vs. singular, etc.) to give
3)
deeper
4)
The
its
when
discuss-
The
perfect
detail.
When
and when
phrase
message
across,
it
remains
brief.
Al-Azhar University
is
also
of literary i'jaaz.
Their
list
as follows:""'
1)
The form
ol the
townsmen
latter.
The rhythms ot
than in poetry.
in prose
and
less
patterned
in
The Qur'aanic words neither transgress by their banality nor by their extreme
rarity,
5)
such
At the
in the
such
and radiance
ol
Quraan
and
that
and rides
it
Islamic sciences
to
arts for
Thus,
is
almost impossible
express the ideas of the text by only one interpretation, either in Arabic or in any
559
S6II
.1. Itr,
pps. 199-280;
Qauaan.
Klialila. p.
24-2
>.
I'jaaz
al-Quraan 269
There
is
a perfect intellect
emotion,
and
moral principles, the words have both persuasive teaching and emotive force. Throughout the whole Qur'aan the speech maintains its surprising solemnity, power and majesty which nothing can disturb.
The
i'jaaz, is
literary aspect
The Qur'aan
is
in
"...clear
o! i'jaaz, a thor-
ough understanding
language
is
essential.
Instead ol detailing and giving examples of these various aspects of literary i'jaaz
a task
which
is
it
would perhaps be
more prudent
had on
its first
listeners.
is
Makkah
at the
time of
He
once passed by the Prophet (^), and heard him reciting the visible effect on him, and he went away shaken and startled by
Jahl,
what he had heard. The news of this incident spread throughout Makkah. Aboo
afraid that the people
this
rushed
to al-Walecd.
and
him,
that
"O my uncle!
say? For
Muhammad)
none amongst
composition
know
message)."
is
Al-Waleed
replied,
you
who knows
poetry as well as
compete with
me
in
speech (meaning the Quraan) does not bear any similarity to anything
know, and
is
is
charm.
Its first
part
is
fruitful
it
and
its last
abundant (meaning
because of
is full
of
It
conquers
that has
(all
and destroys
all
come
(of poetry,
its
eloquence)!"
Aboo
think
"Leave
me
for a
may
an appropriate response
to give to tfie
Aboo
Jahl
came back to him and asked him what he had prepared. Al-Waleed, during
could not think of any explanation to give except, "This (the Qur'aan)
is
this time,
on
its
Allaah revealed.
iSJQ^L. aJjAS
270
An
Nay! Verily he
(i.e..
and
signs... Verily,
him he
cursed,
how he
1
plotted!
him
be cursed;
he thought
Then Then
irritated:
word ofa
This, then,
is
will cast
him
the testimony from the greatest poet alive at the time of the Prophet
is
that
of'Utbah
il)ii
Rabee". 'Uthali
other
the subject of
all
elders of the
sage
was once sitting with (%?,) came up. The the problems that this 'new' mes-
Muhammad
had caused
rid
among
their people,
and
ways
that they
could
was explained
to
him
in a gentle
manner
Common
vol-
sense,
As proof
ol his convictions,
(*ig).
Utbah himsell
He
{$,)
t<>
and
him
abandon preaching
finished,
this
the
Quraysh return
(i^g),
to the
he
(-gg)
asked,
in
"Have you
O Aboo
al-Waleed
(\.hc /(itiiytt
of'Utbah)?"
When
he applied
"Then
listen to
me:
In the
name ol
Mean.
A
is)
in detail - a
Qur'aan
in Arabic, lor a
people
who
reflect.
Giving glad
tidings,
and warning
listen not
ol (a severe
punish-
|-M:1-4|
The Prophet
etly,
(3)
continued
to recite, until
sal
qui-
you please."
swear by the Lord
When
'Utbah returned
this
of the Ka'bah,
'Utbah
not the
same
left
us!"
"-ill
Ubaydaat,
p. 225*
Any
person
who
basic
them-
selves!
Vjaoz al-Ou'raan
271
And
poetry,
for I will
indeed,
it
I
have heard
speech
is it
the like of
which
is it
swear by Allaah,
listen to
it is
nor
sorcery.
O gathering of
I
Quraysh,
me. Leave
man
alone,
tribes)...,"""''
meaning
that the
Qur'aan
will be the
among
the Arabs.
of the
Unays was one of the famous poets of Arabia. He once went to Makkah to do some trading, and happened to come across the Prophet (3|). and listened to him recite the Qur'aan. So attracted was he to this recitation, that he was delayed from returning to his caravan. When he finally arrived, he was asked
saw the beauty
of the Qur'aan.
be sent by Allaah.
I
The
I
by
And
also
a
is
cannot be uttered by
Yet another story
in no way resemble those uttered compared his words to the verses of a poet, but such words poet. By Allaah, he is the truthful, and they are the liars!""'
(^)
recite
was the
story
first
my
said, "...and
was
as if my heart
is
was about
this
to fly
And
the
of 'Ulnar's conversion
beautiful
said,
"How
iWi) to
and eloquent
announce
his conversion.
is
In fact, so obvious
to imitate Liar',
it
who
have
tried
have miserably
the Prophet's
()
death,
who had
claimed
to
be
The Companion
him
to
Musaylamah.
'verses',
Amr asked
tion'.
Musaylamah
replied that
Musaylamah whether he had received any 'revelahe had, and started to quote it to Amr. After he had
'Amr could not contain his patience anymore, and burst out, "You know as well as I do that you arc among the liars!" With that, 'Amr left Musaylamah's camp, and returned to Madeenah. In another incident, two messengers of Musaylamah came to Aboo Bakr, and recited to him some of Musaylamah's
quoted three
'revelations'.
Aboo Bakr
is
replied,
to
"Subkaan AllaahW
Woe
to you!
This speech
is
not
divine!
How
he managing
it)?!
562
Itr,
p. 142.
two
frogs!
151. Among the 'revelations' of Musaylamah are the lollowing 'verses': "The frog! Daughter of We protect what you protect! Your top part is in water, and your bottom part in mud. Neither do
spoil the waier!
To
and
to
Quraysh
the
Quraysh are
a rebellious
people." There
not
much
to
comment concerning
cl. Itr.
pps. 150-151.
272
An
is
so great that
it is
considered to be the
work
for
To conclude,
A.H.).
it is
who
said: "II
we
quence
ol the
noble Qur'aan,
we
sail
into a
deep ocean
that has
no escape from
it!"
B.
The
all
The Qur'aan
cluded
in this
contains
many
category are
dbyZ&'ifS2 \fJ$-j>{k*i
.,.no
good
will
it
do
to a
il
he
fore...|6:158|
Without
is
concerning
its
own
i'jaaz. In
will
remain unrivalled
and unimitated
of eternity.
Say:
II
all
of mankind
and//'/;/;
even
il
The
(utility ol
And
if
you are
in
doubt as
to
what
it...,
We
you do not do
fuel are
it
whose
men
commenting on
is
of a surety you
this, in itself, is
cannot do
it...",
meaning
that this
challenge for
of eternity,
and
another miracle, since Allaah has predicted, in very certain and sure terms, without
any doubt or
fear, that
nothing
will
be able
to
match
this
Qur'aan,
for all
it
of eternity.
to this
And this
is
exactly
day
566 567
cl".
Ubaydaat.
p. 200.
p.
224.
Itr.
of the
Quraan
so
I'jaaz
al-Quraan 27 ^
can they do
so, for
how
can they
ilo
when
the
Quraan
is
the
kalaatn
ofADaafc...?" 1 "
has also predicteil the fact that
it
The Quraan
served for
all of
will
[ire-
eternity:
^j^iM\yJ^\Q^^[
"Verily,
it is
We who
We
will
guard
it
There are
predicted the
sians.
Qur'aan
the Per-
outcome
of a battle that
the
Romans and
Before the advent ofTslaam, the Persians had attacked the Romans, and cona part of Syria,
quered
hijrah
Romans attacked back, ami tried to regain their lost (S^g). territory. The Muslims in Makkah were hoping that the Romans would win, as they were Christians (and thus closer in faith to them), while the disbelievers of Makkah
of the Prophet
were hoping that the Persians would win, since they were fire-worshippers. During
this battle, the Persians
lievers ol
won, and
this
was a cause
Makkah.
-A/if- 1 .itiii-Mcaii.
and
nine years,""
|
and on
JO:
1-
5j
Romans
and
this
This
battle occurred
when
the
Muslims were
themselves 'rejoicing' because of their victory over the Quravsh. Fhus, this verse predicted
Makkah
(4X:27).
Even though
nature in the Qur'aan, they are nonetheless an integral aspect of the concept ol
t.
p. 64.
The
Iir.
Arabic
is
bid}' s'meen,
meaning
few years.
The
weird
biili'
implies any
and
less
than ten.
p. $01.
S7U
274
An
Quraan
C.
The
The Prophet
for
such information.
He
had
lived
and during
this
he read any
of a sudden, he started
the creation of the
from
Heavens and
of
Aadam
to
Nooh, from
Moosaa
whale
of Yoonus...
obtain
all
of this knowledge?
Say: If
recited (the
I
Qur'aan)
to you. a
nor would
Ic
have
made
it
known
to you. Verily,
I
lived
amongst you
1
10: ld|
(^) had
life
amongst
the people of Makkah, during which time he (^g) was not known tor any literary activity, was a very powerful factor that proved that his revelation was not from himself,
stories of the
people
This
is
part of the
We
ol
You
when
they cast
lots
which
ol
And
also,
This
is
the
news
ol the
unseen which
this...[l 1:49
I'juaz
al-Quraan 275
Before beginning the story of Ybosuf. Allaah reminds the Prophet ($g),
Wc
relate to
ol all stories
through
Our
revelations to
you
ol the
this (revelation),
who knew
At the conclusion
ol
the
same
story,
Allaah says,
This
is
pan
ol
the news ol
tin-
unseen that
We reveal
by inspiration to you.
their plans (nor
were
number
Muhammad) were not on the western side (of the mountain) We made clear to Moosaa the commandment, nor were you among when those present! Hut We created generations (alter Moosaa). mh\ long were the ages that passed over them! And (neither) were you a dweller amongst the people ol iVladyan. reciting Our verses to them, but We were the ones sending Messengers! And neitherwere you at the side ol (Mount) Toorwhen We called...- |2H:44-4(.|
you (O
And
There are
many
One of
is
to
of
the previ-
ous nations
The
upon
their
own
religion,
and the
They
are
the past.
276 An Introduction
Qur'aan
Or were
As Allaah
says.
Verily, this
Qur'aan narrates
to the
ol
the (points)
stories
is
is
one
of
way
Allaah
(all
to
Qur'aan contains
benefit Irom.
The stories in
Prophet
(i^g),
one
i'jaaz of
the Qur'aan.
I ).
Thf. Beliefs
with regards
and
beliefs in a
in this life
next.
As an
and sharec'ah
is
of
that of the
al-Asmaa'
even
lindus,
all
the Christians
a
and
the
lindus
on.
The
claim
is
a false
to
monotheism,
attribute to their
god
a firm set
of spiritual
beliefs.
With regards
from
all
to
all
human
and
rationale.
For example,
ol
as the
means
commulor the
and honour
who
to the
prophets ol Allaah
I'jaciz
al-Qu'raan 277
is
is
the
broad aspects." In
its
final
form,
it
was revealed
to the
in a specific place
totality,
when
applied in
ment of the individual and society - irrelevant of the time, place or people. No matter what aspect of the sharee'ah is taken, it is found to be perfect in all regards. The laws
governing personal hygiene, familial
cal dealings
life,
apparent.
For an example,
relations with
in fact
single.. .
24:32
prohibits incest:
p^ypJc^p^ypJ^
Forhidden to you are your mothers,
maternal aunts...* |4:23|
sisters,
vour
adultery:
&tf&itt
And do not approach unlawful
sexual intercourse..."
1
7:32
it
biological differences
between
societal
...
marry
women
four... |4:3|
women
to,
the Qur'aan
down
571
There
is
room
lor
change
in
Sunnah
or ijmaa'.
The
public- interest
when
278 An Imroikiction
Qur'aan
...and
It
treat
kindness..." |4:19|
is
in a
manner that
in
accordance with
the
way
Men are the protectors and maintaincrsol women, because AUaah lias made
oiu
ol
diem
to
support
them (women)...
|4:34|
where girls were buried alive, women had no rights whatsoever, sexual licentiousness prevailed, and prostitution in all its forms was rampant. Yet, these verses provided - and will continue to provide for all ol eternity - a perfect marital and familial set of laws.
verses,
it
These
should be kept
in
in a society
no system
ol
man-made
set ol
country
is
examined, one
and unjust
legislations. In addition,
such constitutions
is
In conclusion, the 'aqecdah and sharee'ah of Islaam are further proofs for the i'jaaz
lor a perfect
for
humanity.
E.
The
Scientific Fa<
ts
<
if ti ik
Qur'aan
in these
One
cerns
its
i'jaaz
of the Qur'aan
times con-
comments on aspects of science that the Prophet (-^) and his people could not have known about. There are a number of books written about this topic, perhaps the most popular being Maurice Bucaille's The Bible, the Our an, and Science?73
572 The American Constitution, lor example, initially equated a black slave u> three-fifths of a whitman. This strange fraction was decided upon id resolve a conflict between those who wanted black people lo equal one while man. anil those who claimed that black people were not to be considered men at all; the
difference ol opinion could only be resolved with this Iraction. In tution prohibited the transportation
this law.
57.3
it
I'll'),
die ISih
Amendment ofthe
lonsti-
and manufacture
due
to public indifference
of
had
to
Amendment
it
later.
This
book
details
many
I
Sometimes,
however, the author's interpretations are not consistent with the understanding of the verse, such as pps,
167-9. Also,
one of the
last
ladiths,
very
lis
and the
oi the
Quraan
I'jaaz
It
is
meant
for the
to subjects
of
a scientific
nature are
descriptive.
5'4
The i'jaaz,
however, appears
to
even
modern
science,
(3|).
and imparts knowledge that was unknown during the lifetime of the Prophet
free
stationary,
and
all
the other
planets
and
stars rotate
about
it.
There
tion
are
numerous examples
life.
is
of
of human
The sperm
of man
referred to as a 'mixture
of liquids'
(7(r.2).
since the
cles,
sperm
composed
of various secretions
from the
testicles,
the prostrate
literally
a very
referred to in a
which
number of verses by the word 'nutfah' (cf. 75:37), mixed fluid. The sperm then joins the female egg, in the mother's womb, a 'safe lodging" (23:13).
is
its
development,
surrounded by three
its
layers: the
abdomi-
choriono-amniotic membranes.
iib
't <>
He
and
wombs of your
along three
veils of
From
this,
b\^a':\ jjlrj
r.'-i-^.
...Wc
made
embryo "clings"
womb by means ot the umbilical cord), then We made chewed lump of flesh, then We made out of flesh, bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought
new
creature. Se Blessed be Allaah. the best of creators.. [23: 14|
forth as a
574 Although
is
this
is
-an exception
280 An Introduction
to the
Sciences ol the
Quraan
During
narrow and
the delivery process, the passage of die baby from the mother's
is
womb
to
the outside world occurs through the birth canal. Typically, this canal
tight.
extremely
birth, certain
the release of certain hormones, the contractions of the uterus, and the breakage of
the 'bag of water' surrounding the baby,
loose.
all
which contribute
to
This
is
referred to in 80:20,
"Then
We made
canal) easy."
to appreciate the
it
beauty
of the
above verses
is
to see pictures
human embryo as
first
The
ol
refer-
appearance
the
em-
mentioned
in
the verse,
AYe
a clinging
entity,
then into a
lump of flesh
(partly) in proportion
(partly) out of
proportion" |22:5|
The
were unknown
Qur'aan
to the peo1
in science.
"
Other
ol
(
the creation
falls
kind
to
His
Exist-
424
Verily, in the
die night
and
men
ol
understanding. Those
their sides,
who
remember Allaah
down on
and con-
575
10 ihi-
is
ihe
Human by
Most
(I
)ar al-
l'J8.?).
ot the
this reference.
I'jaaz al-Qu'raan
28
One
creation
final
ol
actual science).
The Qur'aan
is
the
Allaah,
<Vjv
H
in it |2:1
"there
is
no doubt
Likewise, the laws that govern the creation are also Irom Allaah.
'science',
What
is
studied as
is
the attempt by
man
to
is
and
clearly
Earth being
in so
Sun around
the Earth.
Therefore,
when
there
is
a conflict
(meaning
Muslim must
'fact'.
take the verse of the Qur'aan - without hesitation - over any scientific
tion of such a verse, or even the apparent
A rejecis,
meaning
of
mount
for the
to a rejection ol Allaah's
evolution
upon by the majority of non-Muslim scholars. Whether there is strong proof to back up this theory or not is irrelevant - the Qur'aan is clear that Allaah created Aadam from His own Hands, and
most
part, agreed
<lrom
him
He created
|4:1
his mate,
le
spread forth
many
Muslim can never believe in the theory that men are descendants of apes, no matter what 'proof might seem to exist."'' Neither is it allowed, as some Muslim rationalists have done, to try to interpret clear Qur'aanic texts to suit modern
theories.
Creation of
Aadam and Eve as actually having been man species is almost as blasphemous as
It is
the creation of
place!
a verse
an apparent
conflict
between
and a
scientific fact,
when no such
is
conflict exists.
fact that
the theory
ofevolution
is
in itself full
its
problems.
"
282
An
is
dhannee ad-dalaalah ) For example, some scholars have understood certain verses
(e.g.,
of the Qur'aan
"And
Earth
it is
He who
flat,
is
(1.5:3),
and
(15:19))
'to
is
which means
is flat,
and
to
conclude
this
not
flat,
this interpretation
must be
rejected.
The
meaning
place for Also,
this
Earth as
a very vast
is
exist.
become an
all
loo
common
trend
among
Musbook
the Qur'aan.
of science,
nor
Once again, the Qur'aan "...is a book of guidance... and not , " mine of cryptic notes on scientific facts.
For example,
travel
many
by man:
r^k&fji.
Assembly
ol
Men
;ind///;ws!
II
to pass
ol
the
Heavens
and Earth - then pass! But you will never he able to pass
authority (from Allaah)
f
55:33]
at-
However,
whispers
of
Heaven
to inter-galactic travel!
is
must be put
in
its
does more
when
certain verses in the Qur'aan are 'bent over backwards," so as to say, to seek to
facts.
One
feel that, in
ol
the Qur'aan Joes not need such whimsical verification, as this chapter shows.
I
579 Yon
words, there are not scientific allusions buried under every third verse
in
which
this
arc.
(For example,
ernist'
1935),
movement, claimed
When
such
and
from the verse, they should he mentioned (such as the examples quoted above),
they go against the intent and
but
when
meaning
ol the verse,
doned.^"
F.
its
is
Listeners
the effect that the Qur'aan
An
to the
has on those
who
Is
listen to
it
"
No
Qur'aan.
remain indifferent of
The effect
that the
ibn al-Khattaab and al-Waleed ibn al-Mughecrah has already been discussed above.
The Qur'aan
itself
it
has on
its
listeners in
many
says:
verses.
For the disbelievers, the Qur'aan can only cause them despair, and increase their arrogance, since they must reject what they
know
to
be
true.
The Qur'aan
disbelieve say,
'Do not
listen to this
in
may overcome
|41:26)
"And
surely
We
have explained
it
in this
may
only increases
them
17:41
in the
Qur'aan
liar -
who
il
painful torment!
And when
them
jest!..
|45:7-9|
is
Chapter
it
15,
under
'Scientific Tafseer.
This
is
is
more applicable
those
who listen
to
and understand
in
all,
of this
lost in translation.
284 An Introduction
to the Sciences
ofthe
Quraan
As
>."">'/'
there
\'>z'C- 1
\ '\'
/Vm-1'rV ww t-^I
i
And whenever
comes down
a soorah.
some
who
listen to
to the
Messenger, you
thai they
ofthe truth
have
the
recognised.
They
say.
'Our Lord!
We
believe, so write us
down among
witnesses'" |5:83|
it
of Allaali,
when Allaah
is
mentioned,
it
feel a
tremor
in
and when
lis
> i
If *
\>
%1313\
"Allaah has sent
down
it
its
part resembling
each other
their
in
who
fear
(when they
recite
it
or hear
it).
Then
their skin
and
remembrance ofAllaah
|39:23]
And how
could
it
of the Qur'aan
1'jaaz
al-Qu'raan 285
We
sent
down
this
Qur'aan on
bumbling
itsell
parables
mankind
that they
may
G.
in
the Qur'aan
is
One of the aspects of i'jaaz that the Qur'aan alludes to dictions in it. The Qur'aan challenges,
that
it
contains no contra-
<
Do they
not
it
they
would have
many
contradictions!" |4:82|
in
The
no contradictions
of
it
having been
a clear indication
its
contradictions in
its
origin.
H. The Eask
There
look
at
is
by
is
Memorised
number ot
its
adherents
is
who
Holy
Scriptures. In
no other religion
memorising
its
who
have memorised,
Holy Scriptures than in Islaam; and no other in totality, its Holy Scripture.
Every Muslim knows by experience the case with which the Qur'aan
rised. In contrast,
is
memois
an attempt
to
an
memory, but
becomes
the actual
to
keep
in
more impossible
it
to
memo-
The memorisation
still
although perseverance
sation
is
needed
in
memorising
In addition, the
common and
numerous
that there
community of Muslims in the world except that amongst them. Every person in the Muslim community knows ol
is
not a single
rare or exceptional.
in
It is
not
uncommon
to
proper sen-
tences, yet
Also,
it is
possible to
meet people
5S2
This author mentions the case of one of his friends in the College of Qur'aan
at
the University of
Madccnah.
He
hail
completed
six
years of age!
286
An
life,
when he
Qur'aan.
as
it
he
is
The
tact that
memorised is one ol the specialities and exclusive no other nation was given the blessing ot being able to
al-
memorise
to his
its
Holy
book al-Huth
Hifdh
ol
Memorising Knowl-
edge),
"All praise
is
due
to Allaah,
who
all
other nations
All. i, ih
mil blessed us with the memorisation ol the Qur'aan. ..For the fact that
it
has
those
from parchments
it...
(i.e..
memorising
such a
v. Intrinsic vs.
Extrinsic
The
i'jaaz of the
Quraan
is
a tact that
no Muslim can
is it
is
(d. 224),
to claim that
if any
person tried do
to so, Allaah would prevent him and lake away his capabilities and powers. This is called 'saifa/i'.nr 'aversion', since Allaah would avert any such attempts. An-Nadhaam was influenced by Hindu philosophy, lor the Hindus believed that the Vedas could be
it
in
itself,
but
it
any attempted
to
Brahma would
later
An-Nadhaam was
(d.
Aboo Ishaaq
al-Isfaraa'eencc
418 A.H.) of xhcAhl as-Sitnmih, al-Murtadhaa of the Shee'ah, and other scholars.
i'jaaz,
The
according to these scholars, was not internal to the Qur'aan, but rather
Power of Allaah.
This opinion
is
This opinion
rejected,
in the
Qur'aan:
p.
1.
165.
I
585 al-Awajee.p.
no.
I'jaaz al-Qu'raan
287
Say: II all ol
mankind And jinn gathered together to produce the like ol the -even it they helped one another!" I7:8S|
it
|
Quraan), deII
still
(fixi'jaaz "I
would he no benas
il
it
would he
the
same
dead corpses
to 'gather to-
shows
that the
Qur'aan
itself is the
source o(i'jaaz...
ol the (utility of their
tact that
Allaah
still
is
informing them
gath-
possess the
power and
is
normally do.
If they did
The
miracle
power
Qur'aan
itself is inimitable.
If the
i'jaaz
is
mean
that the
Qur'aan by
is
itself
unique qualities
of
to
it.
the Speech
Allaah,
Speech
number ot different aspects of i'jaaz were discussed which show thai the i'jaaz of the Qur'aan is internal
quence, laws and
beliefs, predictions,
of
Qur'aan
its
itself
The
elo-
and the
effect that
has on
The
is
that the
who
vi.
The Quantity
What
is
for I'jaaz
the
is
words, what
minimum portion ol the Qur'aan that qualifies as i'jaaz': In other the minimum portion of the Qur'aan that is capable of proving its
this matter: a a
miraculous nature?
The ijaaz
soorah by
ol the
itself
is
dependent on the whole Quraan. In other words, does not have i'jaaz - only the Qur'aan taken in its entirety is
is
Quraan
miracle. This
2)
The
i'jaaz of the
Qur'aan
is
its
entirety,
whether
it is
ol verses
equivalent to a small
'/aaz.
ol
three-
who
hold
this
opinion
i'jaaz.
586 as-Suyooiee,
v.
2. p.
288
An
3)
is
minimum
whole
quantity.
it
Qur'aan
is
a miracle by
itself,
as long as
verse).
forms
As long as
it
considered to be an example ol
in the
i'jaaz.
There
is
proof for
all
of these opinions
it
Qur'aan,
for
Allaah challenges
to
some
speech equivalent to
it
(52:34).
The
scholars
first
opinion was held by some of the Mit'lazilah, the second by most of the
al-Qur'aan, and the third by
last
oVuloom
(d.
opinion
the i'jaaz
in the
is
limited to a certain
ol the letters "I
it
minimum
Quraan.
having
sounds
the
and
in the
occurrence ol
is
its
words, as
we also find
and
this
in
its
verses
and soorahs.
it
The Qur'aan
i'jaaz
is
sufficient (lor
throughout).
is
Qattaan's remark
Any
elo-
some
it
be
in
its
quence, or
in
its
However,
a portion of the
Qur'aan
i'jaaz;
Qur'aan
is
miraculous
every aspect,
some aspects, but only the whole Qur'aan and Allaah knows best.""
in
miraculous
in
p. 399.
p.
264
2. p. 105,
aZ-Zarkashcc, K
lor
another aspect
ol i'jaaz.
Also see
tli.n
.i
portion ol the Qur'aan can be imitated, hut only that a portion ol the Qur'aan does not substantiate every
aspect o( i'jaaz - only the whole Qur'aan can be claimed to
do
so.
CHAPTER
15
The topic oftafseer is the most important topic ot'ii/oom al-Our'aan, since in many
ways
it
is
al-Ourazn first
to
and without
in
which most
works
in this Held
have
I.
The
The word
elucidate, to interpret.'
comes from 'fassam\ which means, 'to explain, to expound, to The word tafseer is the verbal noun ot'fassara', and means 'the
,'"
the
word tafseer is a
transposition ivoms-fr,
which
woman who
is
is
called a
'saafirah\
and the
crets of
ol
would mean uncovering the meanings and exposing the sethe Qur'aan. However, the stronger opinion is the first one. even though both
meanings are
correct.
is
these
defined to be:
its
The
science by
5 '"
is
understood,
its
rulings derived.
this subject
is
Another
then,
is
common word
if
is
heard in
tafseer
the
word
'ta'weel'.
What,
the difference,
'ta'weel'
any,
between
and ta'weel?
'to
The word
tions arc. here.
return, to revert."
its
which implies
are repeated
word
to see
what
The meanings
of the word
'ta'weel'
were given
earlier,
The word
1)
'ta'weel'
To understand
connotation
is
word
590 az-Zarkashee,
"591
v.
2. p. 147.
as-Suyootcc.
v.
2, p.
223.
290 An Introduction
to the Sciences
of"
the Qur'aan
2)
3)
To explain
word or phrase.
of an event.
The
With
actuality
main opinions
as to the differ-
ence between
1)
and
ta'wcel, as follows:""
They
as his
(d.
310A.H.),
commentary
is is
of the
Quraan
2)
Tafseer
used used
in
in
ta'weel
choosing one
connotations
of a
word
that possesses
many
connotations.
3)
According
reasoning
to
al-Maatureedec
is
(d.
is
based on
called tafseer,
whereas when
it
is
based on personal
is
known
as ta'weel.
4)
Aboo
literal
Taalib at-Tha'labce held the view that tafseer was the explanation of the
meaning
of the verse,
verse.
Vcrily,
is
your Lord
is
ever-Watchful
|8V:14|
is
that Allaah
to
is
aware
of all that
man
is
warning
5)
man
commandments of Allaah.
in a verse,
Tafseer
is
meant
meanings of the individual words meaning of the verse as a whole. amongst these
five,
whereas
There
is
no one
correct opinion
two words
in all of these
common
understanding
in
modern usage of the two words is the second one, namely that tafseer is used to explain the meaning or intent of a verse which has only one connotation, whereas ta'wcel
is
used
when one
ol the possible
connotations
of a verse or
word
is
II.
The
The question
in the
Why
is
all,
Qur'aan:
Verily this
is
most
right" [17:9|
Book: And
is
not the
and of itself,
as
it
says.
592
cl..
as-Suy<)tcc.
v.2.
pps. 221-2,
ar-Roomee, pps.
8-9,
Zacabozo, p.
14.
The
Interpretation of the
Quraan
Tafseer 291
y y
1
---^ VJj^_>
lor everything,
down
the
Hook to you
as
an explanation
1
6:891?
Indeed,
it is
who approaches
it.
As Allaah
This (Qur'aan)
is
a declaration lor
oil evil [3:1
mankind,
38
is
who ward
But
this in
that a person
who
and
grammar and
ol
knowledge
will benefit
al-Ouraan
same degree
lacts will.
a certain
wisdom behind
A person specialised
who is
al-Ouraan
will
it,
be better able to grasp the intended meanings of a verse, and derive rulings from
contrast to the average layman,
in
al-Itqaan.^"
He
begins
In-
is
known
fact that
is
man
in a
way
that the
However, there
why
tafseer is nec-
essary despite these facts. First of all, Allaah uses the most clear, eloquent and concise
language, and
in
is
clear to those
who are
well-grounded
in the
itsell
who
does not always mention the events or references for which each particular verse was
revealed,
in
order
and
totally
under-
stood. Lastly,
that
some words may have multiple meanings, and docs tafseer to explain what is meant by the wordcan be said that the purpose
clarify;
ol tafseer is to
\
is
It
Qur'aan came to
1)
The
elaboration of a perfect set of beliefs with regards to the Creator, ami the
The perfection
of personal
set
The
establishment of a
familial relations.
4)
The establishment
of
|>.
223.
"
292
An
Quraan
5)
The
among
and
warning.
in store for the believers,
To give
the
punishment
To prove
and
this
is
miraculous nature
Qur'aan
is
(i'jaaz).
to explain all
to
mankind.
From
become apparent.
The science of tafsecr is meant to explain to mankind the Book that has been revealed to them from Allaah. The Qur'aan is like a treasure trappeil in a glass receptacle;
mankind can view and
tafsecr acts like the
benefit from this treasure, but they arc in need of tafsecr, for
it
key that unlocks the treasure, so that mankind can benefit from
Mu'aawiyah
not
(d.
"The examlike a
ple of a people
of
group
mes-
people
who have a
night,
sage.
in the
person
who comes
to
them with
ibn
like
lamp and
(d.
in the
message."
fubayr
recites the
And the Successor Sa'eed Quraan and does not explain it, is
an ignorant person.
As-Suyootee
said,
is
all
The
lirst
reason
is
with respect to
ol
topic.
It
Allaah.
wisdom
anil virtue.
will
Its
happen
The second
the linn
reason
is
with respect to
its
goal.
Its
goal
is
mankind
to
handhold
ol Allaah.
is
and
one
that
does not
aspect of this religion and this world, in the near or distant future,
ol the sciences ol thtsharce'ah
in
need
and knowledge
ot the religion,
and
this
knowl-
edge can only be obtained through the understanding of the Book of Allaah.
itself
commands
its
and
to reflect
upon
its
meanings,
for
it
says,
#._4Vi
(This
is)
\j^^^j^yS^}p^\^\i^
sent
down
they
may ponder
verses,
understanding
may
re-
member.. |38:29
It is
is
its
verses.'
51'
ibid., p. 12.
596 as-Suyooicc,
2, p.
224;
cl.
Zarabozo.
p. 12.
The
in.
Tafseer 293
The
History of Tafseer
A.
Ii is
no surprise
the Prophet
(^)
himself. In fact,
later,
roles
be expounded on
was
to interpret the
And We have
so that you
and so
sent down to you (O Muhammad (syg)) the Remembrance, may clearly explain to mankind what has been revealed to them, that they may give thought" 1(>:44|
1
The
This was so
number
and the
was a relatively easy matter. Companions were witnessing the circumstances during which it was revealed. They
(j||) life
were aware of the reason behind the revelation of a verse (asbaab an-mtzool),
such did not need to search for
Secondly, the Arabic ot the
this
anil as
to.
knowledge
as later interpreters
would have
as the
Qur'aan
in their dialect.
in general,
alive,
still
understanding any verse, they could turn to the Prophet (5^) for an explanation. An example quoted earlier is with regards to the verse,
difficulties in
jLj^xy^JLjj [
Those who believe and do not mix
i;
iiJi
The Companions
Luqmaan,
asked,
"O Messenger of Allaah! Who amongst us does not do inThe Prophet (-yg) replied, "Have you not read the statement of
Verily; shirk,
is
v7
'
to in this
verse
was
shirk,,
or the association
and
M An
ol
the
Quraan
Quraan, and studied its ideas and injunctions all together.'"''"' This narration shows that the Companions were eager to understand Qur'aan, so much so that they would not memorise any verses until they hail
Liincd.
to say.
They used
"We
learnt the
(j^g),
and quantity
of the
Qur'aan
that
he interpreted,
will
B. Tin.
After the death of the Prophet (^), the science of tafseer took on a
Thus it can be considered that the first true mufassirs were actually the Companions. The sources that the Companions used lor tafseer were the Qur'aan, the statements of the Prophet {&,), the principles ol Arabic grammar anil rhetoric, their own personal reasoning (ijtihaad), and pagan and Judaco-Chrisriaa customs
approach.
that
were prevalent
at
There were many among the Companions who were well known for ol the Qur'aan. As-Suyootec wrote, "There
for their
knowl-
are ten
who
were famous
know
ar-Raashidoon,
Aboo Moosaa al-Ash'arce and 'Abdullaah ibn Zubayr. As Khulafaa, Alee ibn Abee Taalib has the most narrations amongst them; as
Zayd
ibn Thaahit.
other three, there reports are very rare to find, since they died relatively other words, the tafseer narrations of
earlier..."'
In
Aboo
Bakr,
are not as
common due
to the
lad that they were not compiled because of their relatively early
much
of the
many ami
Qur'aan was
much
knowledge
of tafseer,
well
known
lor their
were not
whom
as-
'Umar
said,
"Ibn Abbaas
is
Muhammad
This
is
due
598
Ibn Taymiyyah, p.
12.
lirsi
599
lour caliphs.
Aboo
li.ikr.
600 as-Suyootec,
6(11
i<>
v.
2. p.
v. I.
239.
p.
adh-Dhahabee,
whenever
it
appears
Dr.
ad-Adh-Dhahabee's
The
tor
Tcifseer
295
he
in
(gg) said,
"O
Allaah! Give
him
the
knowledge
ot the Book,
and
ol
Wisdom!"
and was
another narration,
"O
to
Allaah! Give
him
the
know
a wife
interpretation.""""'
He
used
accompany
aunt
Maymoonah was
passed away).
Ibn 'Abbaas
was held
in great esteem
(gg)
'Umar used to let Ibn 'Abbaas enter into the meetings ofthe older Companions, so some of them complained, "Whyis it that you let him enter, even though wc have sons the same age as him (whom you do not allow to enter)?" 'Umar answered, "Since he is amongst the most knowledgeable ol you!" So he called them one day, to prove to them this statement, and he asked them, "What do you think ol the verse,
only thirteen
the Prophet
when
^LJdl
<When the help of Allaah comes, and the Conquest"
1
10:1]?
Some
ol
reply,
to
thank
victory."
Umar
Ibn Abbaas?"
He
He
replied,
to
"This
is
an indi-
that his
lire is
about
"When
a sign
of your ap-
,f#
(
'Umar
ilorily
and ask
He
is
ever-accepting repentance!*
said, "I don't
10:3]
know any
other
meaning
to this except
said!"
41
The
ibn
narrations ol Ibn 'Abbaas, along with those ol Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Alec
Taalib,
Abee
are the
be found
in tafseer literature.
left
Each one
students
ol
them
established centres
many
among the
Successors after
The Companions
Qur'aan. This
discussed, did the
is
much
Companions
own
Such
inter-
Another characteristic
ol this time-
compared
to later generations.
602
MH
296 An Introduction
Qur'aan
C.
The Period of
if
Succfssors
Companions, the students of the Companions took over the responsibility ofexplaining the Qur'aan. The Successors used the same sources to interpret the Qur'aan that the Companions did, except that they added to the list ol sources the interpretations ol the Companions. The}' understood that an interpretaAlter the generation ol the
tion given by the
Companions
alter
ol
the Prophet
{$,)
pretation ot
any person
Qur'aan
that the
during
this
Companions' personal reasoning (ijtilhiad) own personal reasoning (ijlihaad), and Judaeothe Arabic language, their
the
to different
Mus-
lim cities in order to teach people the religion ol Islaam. Each one taught
cessors,
many Suc-
most
ol
whom
became
scholars in their
own
right in
due lime.
Historically, three
pire:
know
In
ars
in the Muslim embecame leading centres of Successors, including the know ledge oftafieer.
(d.
Taawoos
(d.
in this field,
and
their
names
are
still
to be
lound
in
In Madeenah, the influence of 'Ubay ibn Ka'ab was the strongest in the arena of
tiifieer,
and
(d.
his students
1
Muhammad
emerged
ibn Ka'ab
al-
Quradee
tufsccr in
18 A.I
I.)
s6 A.M.)
as the scholars of
Madeenah during
In Koofah. 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood left behind his great legacy to 'Alqamah ibn Qays (d. 61 A.H.). Masrooq (d. 63 A.H.). and al-Aswad ibn \azeed (d. 74 A.H.). Other Successors from Koofah who were famous for their know ledge oftafieer were:
'Aamir ash-Sha'bcc
as-Sadoosec
(d.
1
I
(d.
(d.
10 A.H.)
and Qataadah
A.H.)
During (known as
Christians
Israaeeliyaat),
emphasis was placed on Judaeo-Christian tradition and because ol this, many ol these narrations entered into
traditions
Islaamic literature.
Com1
panion,
d.
43 A.H.). Ka'ab ai-Ahbaar (he embraced Islaam after the death of the
Prophet
($)
Also during
much greater
is
ot the
Companions. Another
the
The
Tafseer
297
(-^g). This was due to the powas rampant throughout the Muslim territories at that time. Lastly, the quantity of verses for which narrations exist from the Successors is greater than that for the Companions, since more verses needed explanation than during the time of the Companions.
and
D.
The Computation
of Tafseer
After the period ol the Successors, the stage of the actual compilation and writing
ol tafseer ol their
began.
The most
of luideeth,
who,
as part
narrations and works of luideeth, also had sections on tafseer. Therefore, dur-
ing this stage, the narrations of tafseer were considered a branch at luideeth literature.
Some of the
were known
1
Iaaroon as-Sulamee
(d.
(d.
A.H.),
Aadam
Abee Iyaas
(d.
Abd
ibn
Humayd
,,H
249 A.H.).
day.'
The
luideeth,
from
during
ited to
this stage
and the emergence of independent works solely on tafseer. Another stride was that every verse was discussed, so that tafseer was not only lim(yg)
and Companions
encompassed
first
all
In attempting to
person
a
comprehensive
tafseer
of
the
ol
faced with
almost
first
there-
are a
number of
earliest
works referenced
ubayr
(d.
95 A-H.).'"^ Most
likely, this
work was
from the
(d.
composed
of narrations
previous generations.
An
Nadeem
438
ibn Bukayr.
He wrote to al-Farraa:
if
mc concerning
am
unable
you think
il
suitable to compile
this,
I
something
can return to
together so that
he
muadhin
may
interpret
it,
until the
whole book
was
finished.
The
Aboo
don't
al-'Abbaas, said.
think that
'No one before him every did anything anyone can add lo what he wrote!'
and
604 adh-Dhahabee,v.l,p.
<>05
ibid., v.l. p. 155. ibid., v.l. p. 154.
52.
606
298
An
we can
is
definitely
one
of the
earliest
works of this
nature."" Ibn
this
Maajah
a tafseer ol the
was limited
to narrations
generations.
classics available
is
tafseer ol
heavily based on narrations, also discusses the grammatical analysis of the verse, the
and, on occasion,
many
first
tafseer to
attempt
to
Aboo Bakr ibn Mundhiran-Naisapooree(d. 5dX A.I I.), Ibn Abee Haatim (d.327 A.H.), AbooShaykh ibn Hibbaan (d. 369 A.H.), al-Haakim (d. 405 A.H.) and Aboo Bakr ibn Mardaway h
Other
tafseers
(cl.
410).'
,H
was
also placed
on personal reasoning
and
madh-hab (such
and
as
and
Maalil^ees) appeared.
Another aspect
that
this
ol the isnaad
Irom
tafseer narrations,
led to the
in tafseer literature.
A Summary
To summarise,
first
it is
of" tafseer
The
period
is
Companions and
sisted
ol Opinion
deal-
was.
in
when
absolutely necessary.
The
During
second period
is
the era of the late Successors, and the generation after them.
tafseer narrations
ol
therefore
become
($yg)
a part
ol"
the Prophet
Companions began
to
be compiled,
whereas
to a specific area.
The
works
third stage
saw the
rise ol
independent
ol the
among the
Islaamic sciences. This stage, which can be said to begin in the second hall
its
era,
is
it
has been
adh-Dhahabee.
pps. 151-56.
The
of the third century, also produced the
first
T&fseer 299
complete Qur'aanic
tafsccrs,
whose comtafscer
reliance
much
were written
based on sectarian
who
it
Prophet
(i^g)
refers to the
tians!
'"'
The
gence
ol
final period
of the history oftafseer, which has lasted from the fourth century
Other
tajseers
sought
combine
all of
approach
to interpretation.
iy.
The
By the
Principles of Tafseer
"Principles of Tafseer
is
in interpreting the
who
proper tafseer.
is
The science
the
of tafseer is
based
on well-grounded, systematic
These
ol tafscer, said,"
11
The
should
Whoever wishes
itself.
to interpret the
Qur'aan, he
lirst
This
is
rated succinctly in
another place,
and what
It
is
summarized
that,
in another...
he has done
it is
the explainer ol
the
Quraan, and
is
a clarilicrto
Imaam
(SS) said
And
Allaah said.
610 as-Suyooicc,
<>l
I
v.
v.
2. p. 190. 2. p.
as-Suyooicc,
22s.
300
An
of"
the Qur'aan
Airily,
We
may
judge
between mankind by
|4:105|
And
something similar to
It"
meaning the
Sitnmih.
it
(the lafsecr) in the Siimui/i. he turns to the Statefor they are the
was revealed
and since they were blessed with complete understanding, and true knowl-
These
now be
discussed
in
greater detail.
Tafseer or
the Qur'aan by
ti ik
Qur'aan
is
The most
Alter
all,
important source
is
of
the
Quraan
itself.
the Qur'aan
any one
must be
looked
says,
at.
The meanings
of the
)o they not
it
than Allaah. they would surely have found In this verse, the
for
many contradictions in
command
it is
is
had
it
verses
another. Therefore,
Qur'aan
This principle
tion
is
is
demonstrated
in
many verses
in the
O4^^'4}^tej^50^^P5
My the Heavens, and the taariq.
tjiariq is? (It is)
And what
will
the
ref-
erence to
the
path of those
whom
|1:7|
612
The
is
Tafseer 301
explained in 4:69
as:
And
will he in the
comcom-
pany
ful followers,
panions are!
who
"those
whom You
have favoured'
are.
some
is
mentioned
in brief,
and
in
another place
verse 2:37
Aadam,
states,
Then
Aadam
and
He
essential to
<
live) said,
"Our Lord!
We
II
us.
we
Other verses
another passage
in the
Qur'aan, or
tell
the reader
says,
We
forbade
them such
(foods) that
We
have already
mentioned
to
you
in
the Qur'aan
(cl.
fy%2i\i^pcte
Lawtul
to
you
which w
il
After two verses, the beasts that are forbidden are "recited":
.ill
flesh of pigs....
302
An
The Prophet
Qur'aan when
(3gg) also
lie
ilo nut
mix
The Companions
ofLuqmaan,
what the
asked,
"O Messenger
\ eri
I
ol Allaah!
Who
The Prophet
..jj'tjfo *lrffl _ j
is
words, the Prophet (^) quoted them another verse in the Qur'aan to explain to them
'injustice' referred to in the verse actually
meant - an example
ol tafseer ol
Included
in the interpretation
is
the
know
ledge
mansookh
and
different categories of
muhftam and mutashaabih. the 'inim and the /(baas, the imttlaq and the muqqayad, the mantpoq and the mafhoom, the baqceqee and the majaazee, and other categories which were not discussed). This is because a general ruling ('aam) in one
verses (the
and so
must be considered
to arrive at a
proper understanding
oi
to
form
complete picture,
To conclude,
its
it
is
sister verses;
verse.
2)
Tafseer
isy
ti
m Sunnai
itself,
is
by the Sinina/i.
It
taken to
is
in fact
other words, a person wishing to understand the Qur'aan must turn to the Sitnnah
order to understand
arrive at a proper
In fact,
it
correctly.
to
understanding
roles
of the Prophet
($sjg)
was
to explain the
meanings
ol
the Qur'aan to
mankind. Allaah
says,
Anil
We
have sent
down
to
you
to
(()
Muhammad
1
(5g)) the
Remembrance,
so that
revealed to them,
and so
may
give thought"
6:44
The
Therefore, not only was the job
ol
Interpretation
of the Qur'aan
Tafseer 303
the Prophet
(^)
to
convey the
literal text of
the
its
explanation as well/' 14
wits
Explained?
arises, then, as to
how much
by the Prophet (^g)r In other words, do there exist narrations from the Prophet
it
not. then
how
is
the previ-
Qur'aan understood?
The
scholars of Islaam were divided into two opinions with regards to this issue.
(d.
728 A.H.) was of the view that the Prophet (j) Jalaal ad-Dccn as-Suyootee (d. 91 A.H.) claimed
1
of it.
615
In fact, both
of these
is
understood. Those
who claimed
there-
do not
tailed
exist
very
many
On
only
managed
weak
which he (^) explicitly interpreted other hand, what Ibn Taymiyyah meant was that the Prophet (>)
anil fabricated ones) in
verse.'"
On
the
left
us
all
the nec-
essary
knowledge needed
in
the Prophet
(=^g)
essential to
(^) on
Quraan, but
also in
light of all
of the hudceth
in light
Prophet
of the
($).
beliefs or
and
of the actions
can
This opinion
Abel
is
ar-Rahmaan as-Sulamee
told us that they
who
taught us the Qur'aan, such as 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood,
would not memorise more than ten verses until they had understood what knowledge it contained, anil implemented it. They used to say, 'So we learnt the Qur'aan, (its) knowledge and (its) implementation at the same time.'"'
and others,
It is
Companions made sure that they understood the meanimplemented it. 'Umar narrated, "Amongst the last verses
dl4 al-Albaancc,
Islaamiyah. Egypt,
Muhammad
n.il.l. p.5.
v.
al-
615 adh-Dhahabce,
1.
p. 14. Actually,
as-Suyotee clarifies
lii.s
which agree;
616
cf.
view
cl.
Itqaan,
v.
2, p.
Itqaan,
2,
pps. 244-264.
>n4
An
Introduction to
tlic
Sciences ol the
Quraan
to
before explaining
them
to us."
61 "
and the Prophet (g) passed away This narration explicitly shows that the Prophet (-gg)
to interest,
used
to
make
Companions understood
son that the verses of interest were not explained in great detail was due to the sudden
(,).
As was mentioned
tion
The
of 'wrongdoing* (6:82) as skir% has already been given above. This example
knowledge
of the interpretation of the Prophet (^), for even the Companof Arabic, could not understand the correct interpreta-
(^g).
Another example
is
the luidecth
with,' anil
the Prophet
(i@$) in
which he explained
1
'...those
whom
"...those
who
and Christians.""
He
seeing olAllaah by the believers in Paradise,"'' and that u I - Kciwth a r (1(18:1) was
river that
my
life
me
in Paradise."
numerous example
from the
(jgg)
which explain
tafseer.
(i.e..
Day
Day of Judgement).
will
It
will
have
it.""'
Although
this luidecth
can be used
The
luidecth describes
is,
how
it
will
"As for the thief, male or female, cut off his/her hand"
The
Sunnah of the Prophet (g) explains that the thief's hand is only to be cut off if he steals above a certain monetary value, and that in such a case the right hand is to be
cut off from the wrist
joint/'""'
These additional
itself.
understanding
this
sftt
...
-"fX*
Sis-Xt-z
me anything which
is
Say,
do not
find in that
to
who
wishes to eat
it
of'
619 Reported by
62(1
Ahmad
at
anil
Ibn Maajah,
Reported by Reported by
at- Tirmidhee.
621
in
622
Reported by Muslim.
Reported by
cl.
at
Tirmidhee.
625
al-Alhaanee. Matiziliit, p. 6.
The
However,
this verse
Tafieer
305
is
list all
animals with
fangs or claws, anil excludes from the general ruling of dead animals seafood
locusts.
and
From
it
is
ex-
plained the
1)
Quraan
By
his
implementation
The Prophet
(||),
by his actions
ol prayer.
and statements, showed the believers the exact procedure and timings
and the
2)
commanding
...when the
ol light in
ol a
word or
phrase. The
example
in
which
falls in
this category.
4)
verse.
ol the specification
of
By generalising a
An example
ol this is
Ami
it
you
travel
il
is
no
sin
upon you
il
you shorten
|4:
1
your prayers,
you
who
disbelieve
1)
enemy
attacks.
The
of security)
a charity
626
ibid, p. 7.
Reported by Muslim.
306
An
Quraan
in
6)
By explaining the
plained
intent of a verse.
The example
ex-
...
those
whom
who
are astray*
1:7]
as the Jews
7)
and Christians
under
this category.
to the verse.
An example ot
this
is
the
prohibition ol joining a
(i.e.,
woman
aunt
ing a
8)
in
marriage
as co-wives),
sister (4:23).
woman
with her
verse. In other
all
af-
good
treat-
ment
<>Ancl live
9)
By showing
cussed."
2"
dis-
Sunnah
is
of equal
The
unfor
Qur'aan can never be understood properly without the Sunnah. Even the Companions,
whose knowledge
of the Arabic
difficulty
derstanding
many
up
the exact
meaning
them.
tafseer
of
the Qur'aan by the Sunnah, are the two ultimate sources for understanding the Qur'aan.
is
allowed to contradict
itself
on the interpretation
of the
Qur'aan - no interpretation
is
3)
ti ik
Companions
After the Qur'aan and Sunnah, the next important source for understanding the
Qur'aan
is
ions are taken as a fundamental source of tafseer for the following reasons:
1)
The primary
reason
is
that the
Companions
was chosen by
Allaah to accompany the Prophet (^g), and to pass on the religion anil teachings
in
Chapter
1.3.
The
oflslaam
testified
Tafsecr
?()7
to later generations.
Allaah says
in the
Qur'aan,
Muhammad (^)
(i.e.,
is
who
are with
him
the
Companions)
ami merciful
in prostration,
down
In
Hc
is
|99:8|
said,
"The
best ol
all
that will follow them, then those that will follow them.""'
2)
The Companions
t
Many
of
its
risen
hey were familiar with the asbaab an-mizool, with the makjfee and madanee verses,
and with the naasikh and mamookh* and did not need
knowledge,
5)
go searching
for this
as later
The Qur'aan was revealed in the Arabic that the Companions spoke. Therefore, many words and phrases that later generations had difficulty understanding were
clear to the
Companions.
the most knowledgeable ol generations with regards to
4)
There
of a verse,
is
a difference of opinion
of a
Companion
is
ol
must
sources of
tcifieer?
Al-Haakim an-Naisapooree
for
(d. 4(14
equivalent to a hadeeth of the Prophet (^), such interpretations must have originated from the Prophet
to be
is
(5^)ars,
However,
this
opinion
(d.
not accepted in
its
generality,
(d.
such as an-Nawawee
91
(d.
Companion
equivalent to a
hadeeth
when
it
Mh
Reported bj al-Bukhaaree.
WN An
<>t
the Qur'aan
personal reasoning
(ijlilnuul),
is
Companions'
ijtilniad,
A report from
Companion
of the Prophet (HD; rather, it is given a status below that of a hadeeth."^ However, this does not diminish the status of the tafsecr from the Companions. The Companions
or this nation,
and
Az-Zarkashce summarised
As
w hen he
said.
it
Companions,
is
investigated into:
it
this interpretation
the language,
and there
II
no doulu
this interpretation.
no doubt concerning
this type
of interpretation.612
After the interpretation of the Qur'aan by itself and by the hadeeth of the Prophet
(8t)i 1)
the
Companions
relied
to interpret the
Qur'aan:""
grammar and
pre-Islaamic po-
2)
3)
at the
4)
intellect
upon knowledge).
Another
qira'aat
integral aspect
of the
tafsecr
of the Companions
is
the shaadh
and
mudraj
earlier. It is
when
may be
studied as tafseer.
One
of the interpretations
ol this type of
that they
of interpretation by
the
in the
shaadh qiraa'a
ol
an expiation
read by
him
as: "fast
differed over
whether
was necessary
if
whether
it
an oath.
a verse, that interif
To conclude,
pretation
exist narrations
if
the
Companions agreed
it
to
an interpretation of
qualifies as ijmaa'.
On
there
ol a verse,
and
there does not exist any narrations to the contrary from other
Companions,
this inter-
631
cf.
632 az-Zarkashec, v. 2,
633 eadh-Dhahabec,v.
p. 63.
The
pretation
is
Tafseer
309
is
by the Prophet
Companions which
If there-
Companions concerning
to
same
verse, in
of the Successors
Before moving on to the next section, a brief note concerning the tafseer narrations
Some
be the next source of tafseer after the tafseer of the Companions. As proof for
knowledge
in
of the
(d.
10
A.H.)
said,
"There
is
it."
Mujaahid
(d.
103
I
A.H.)
Qur'aan
Abbaas
its
interpretation."
This
is
why Sutyaan
ath-Thawrcc
this
(d. 161
A.H.)
for
said,
"When you
1
should be sufficient
you!"
'"
They claimed
that
an interpretation
of
Successor could not have originated from the Prophet (^g), as could the interpreta-
tion of a
Companion,
saw
the Prophet
(-^,).
ness the revelation, as did the generation before them, and their trustworthiness
not
(in
guaranteed specifically
for
Companions
Companions
is
guaranteed by the
is
not the case for the Successors, for they have been praised as
not individually).
(d.
728 A.H.)
said, is
same
they differed
among
have no authority over the other group, nor over the generations
resort to
''
in
4) Tafseer
This topic
is
in reality
ami
tafseer
by
classical poetry.
The
language
clear;
it
is
'o-l
p. 58.
(>>t
Ibn Taymiyyah,
p. 59.
310
An
revealed in
'a
16: 103),
in
order to understand
cannot be overemphasised. In
is
di.it
one
ii
so that
liJ^I^J^sJ^LjpicU^AlJjJlu^
We have
H2:2|
sent
down
to
The
ol
Imaam Maalik
(d.
is
brought
I
to
me, having
inter-
will
make an examof
The famous
is
Ibn "Abbaas,
in
Mujaahid
(d.
impermissible
Day
to speak
Allaah
(d.
it
he
is
not knowl-
Imaam
ash-Shaatibee
then
it
will be
no way other
than this.""*
Therefore,
it
is
essential to
it is
have
of
knowing
Imaam
al-Qurtubee
(d.
researching into
its
interchangeable phrases,
(characteristics)
ofsuccinct speech,
deletion,
and
ellipsis.
Who-
ami
lie
who
interpret
''
its
context shows
is
a characteristic
text. In
other cases, words or even phrases might appear missing, yet this of eloquent Arabic, since the missing words are understood by consome verses, it might appear that the logical sequence of words has been
specific. In
meanings
that
present.
of
Such
characteristics,
and
known
to the Arabs,
The
dict
636 az-Zarkashee,
v.
2. p. 160.
I. p.
v.
293;
63'i
al-Qurtuhcc,
v.
I.
p. +9.
ol
A Review
ol
some
Translations' in
Ch.
16.
The
ions.
Tafseer 31
This
is
($|g)
are
they wish to express than later scholars of the language arc. Likewise, the
ot the
Companions
is
knowledge ol any
grammarian.
Therefore, the status ol interpreting the Qur'aan based on the Arabic language comes
after these three sources,
To
give an
example
ol
it,
concerning
3>j
...and
He caused
rain to descend
sky, to
and
to
make your
it
teet
"This verse
is
majaaz, and
means
down
patience
1'4
"
which show
to
be taken
in a
haqeeqee
manner;
Tabarec
that
it
actually rained
'firm'
this rain
caused the
to
desert sand to
(d.
become
Companions
walk. At-
Companions and
Successors.
And
it
is
an opinion
is
mistaken
when
it
contradicts those
whom we
have mentioned.""'"
Linguistic
vs.
Islaamic
When
there occurs a
word or phrase
in the
Islaamic
meaning
(i.e.,
is
re-
To
give an
exam-
Arabic word
'salacit'
linguistically
its shcir'ee
means
at specific
Therefore,
is
when
the
Prophet (<^)
commanded,
640 at-Tayyaar,
641
at-Taharcc.
\\
v.
41
9, p. 197.
312
An
ol
the Qur'aan
s>.
<jfcll
And do
1
upon them
(the hypocrites
who
died)
9:84
lie
word
'scilaal' is
is
taken in
its shar'ee
is
meaning
(i.e.,
hypocrite
meaning ol
the word.
In order to prohibit even verbally asking for their forgiveness, other verses -.uvMutdccth
must be used.
On
may
1
be purified by
it,
and
sancti-
with
it,
and make
salaat for
them*
|9:
1)3|
the
word
'suhitit' is
understood
in
its
linguistic
meaning,
i.e..
a verbal invocation
(^g),
of
he
blessing and forgiveness, since there exist narrations that the Prophet
when
used
to receive
An
is
interpret-
was a
Companions.
Poetry Prohibited?
Certain verses of the Qur'aan and luulecth seem to prohibit poetry.
essential to discuss
It is
therefore
them
to
The
Q)ur'aan says.
Do
and
th.it
remember Allaah...
[26:224-7]
who
versify
The Prophet
(gs;)
better for a
man's chest
to
be
filled
with poetry."'
excessively in-
who becomes
much
so that
1
it
'fills
his chest'
remembrance
ol the Qur'aan."'
642 d. al-'Uthaymeen,
64
s
p. 29.
644
al-Alhaunce. S.ilurlhih.
\.
I.
p.
660.
The
the Qur'aan or the Prophet
It
sit ninth
- Ttifsccr
313
it is
only
evil
that
is
censured. In
6*5
tact,
(^)
stated, "Indeed,
wisdom
in it."
might be asked,
"How can we
(d.
- the Speech
of Allaah
by
poetry,
which
is
the speech ol
men:"
328 A.I
I.),
Aboo Bakr
ibn al-Anbaaree
are
in
There
numerous
concerning their explaining the obscure and rare words in the Qur'aan with
poetry. Yet, despite this,
grammarians, and
(of understanding)
said,
some who have no knowledge have criticized the "When you do this, you are make poetry a source rather than the Qu r'aan!" And they said. "How can you
when
poetry
lias
been condemned
Quraan and
sniiiin/i:'."
The
wish to
response to this
is
is
we
is
words
in
it.
This
Aerily.
We
have revealed
this as
an Arabic Qur'aan*
2:2|
and He
says,
...(the
Qur'aan
is)
in a clear,
is
purpose
ol poetry
and
not meant
to be the basis
said, "If
Ibn Abbaas
seek
it
you ask
is
me
language, then
is
in poetry, for
poetry
that
was revealed
in
to
to their recordings,
and
the other
Companions
in a
them
Or He
will take
I6:47|
At
this,
an old
man from
the tribe ol
said,
"This
is
from our
"Is
dialect.
this
Takfiawuf'means
that the
line
little)."
something
He
recited to
them the
as-Suyoojec,
v.
1,
v.
p. 157.
647 az-Zatkashee,
2, p.
294.
314
An
'I
from
As u hen
used
for
At
this,
'Umar said,
When
asked,
is
"What
i
he
replied,
lie
times. Therein
As-Suyooiec,
of
in his cil-llqaan,
quotes
while he was interpreting the Qur'aan to those around him. Naafi' said
panion,
com-
"Come,
let
us go to this person
who
is
it."'"'
They went
to Ibn 'Abbaas in
"We wish
to ask
Allaah. and
(lor
we want you
to explain
it
language
your statements),
lor verily
me
ol
the verse,
There
is
no
ray<b in
is
it
|2:2|?"
in
it."
no doubt
They
asked,
"Do
the
Arabs
know
this
meaning?"
He
replied, "Yes.
Have you
Zabaree:
'(
)
Umanmuh! There
is
is
truth.
There
Naafi' then proceeded to ask Ibn 'Abbaas the interpretation ofa further one hundred
verses, in
to
show
that Ibn
meaning ol
the verse. However, tor every obscure phrase in each verse, Ibn 'Abbaas
its
was able
to explain
1
the necessity ol
to
interpret the
Com-
Whose Poetry?
The
question
arises,
however, as
scholars
The
whose poetry may be used to interpret the have divided the Arab poets into four categories,
to
648 adh-Dhahahee.
p.
SO:
el'.
Zarabozo,
p. 20.
fell
649 This
is
themselves
i<>
be more knowledgeIt is
(5g).
and
in fact
for this
"The Khawaarij
of the
lelllire."
(Reported In
Ahmad.
'oil
cC Milhkaat
#
I.
3554).
p.
I
as-Suyonlee,
el.
v.
5X.
nS|
as-Suyootee,
v.
I.pps. I58-I7S.
p. 55.
652
'Abd .ir-Raheem.
The
Prc-Islaamic poets, meaning those
(^5)-
Tafseer
$15
1)
who
ot the
Prophet
Examples of
this
Naahighah.
2)
Contemporary poets, meaning those who were alive when the Prophet (^g) announced his prophcthood. Examples in this category include Labeed. and the famous Companion, Hassaan ibn Thaabit.
Early poets, meaning those
.3)
who appeared
Examples
after the
still
rela-
and Farazdaq.
Later poets,
Concerning the
poetry of dispute
two
categories, there
The
frame
and the
last
famous poets
in this
interpret the Qur'aan, since at this early stage, the Arabic language
was
still
relatively
pure and free from the foreign influences that was indicative
last
ol later times.
As
for the
do not allow
Qur'aan
use ol
for his
tin-
known
To conclude,
Such poetry
is
it
is
know ledge of Arabic language anil words and phrases in the Qur'aan.
interpretation of an ob-
only used
is
to obtain a linguistic
meaning or
not directly used to form the basis for any Islaamic rulings.
5)
Another
integral
Qur'aan
is
is
the
because the
it
addressed
many of
it
the issues related to that society. Therefore, in order to understand such verses,
essential to
is
know
manners
verses themselves
do not allude
to them.
653
cf.
'Abd ar-Raheem,
p. 56-57.
S16
An
<y^
>
-"<' 5
(O Muhammad) concerning
arc-
mankind, and
And
ii
is
(he)
who
tears Allaah.
So
(therefore) enter
houses through their proper doors, and fear Allaah thai you
ful. |2:l
may
he success-
89 1.
who
is
unaware
ol
of the
is
customs
of the pre-Islaamic
Arabs
will
bcwildercdly ask.
"Of what
relationship
Allaah?"
The answer
Islaamic Arabs.
refrain
knowing one
be sighted
When
the
moon used
to
pagans
ol old
would
from entering their houses through their front doors, and instead would jump
over their back walls to enter their houses. Thus, Allaah revealed in this verse the
prohibition of such superstitions, and told
in
them
any
Aud
it
to deal justly ol
marry
women
"Urwah
ibn Zubair could not understand ihe relationship ol taking care of orphans
She
replied,
women. He went to his aunt, Aa'ishah, to ask her to clear up "O my nephew! This verse is referring to the orphan girl
is
who
is
in the care of to
and wealth.
He
wishes
marry
her,
without paying her the dowry that she deserves, so this verse
prohibited
think that
to
them (the guardians) from marrying them (the orphans) it they did not they would be able to deal justly with these girls in their dowry, but instead
1 "'
knowledge
of pre-Islaamic
this verse.
654
cl".
Ibn Katheer,
v.
I.
p. 242.
v.
I.
p.
wx.
The
As
a last
Tafsccr
317
Alla;ih has not ordained the baheera, or the saaibah, or the wascelah, or the
Innini, hut
those
lies
against Allaah.
And most
of
them
Once again,
what
it
is
Arab customs
Allaah
in
order to understand
this verse
referring
to.
The Arabs
of old
and
in this verse
no
basis in the religion of Allaah, but instead are lies that the
Him.'''"'
is
Although
this
source of tafseer
it is
must have.
6)
rations arc mostly found in ludaco-Christian sources, such as the Torah, the Bible
and the Talmud, although some were orally passed down. Although most of the hradeeliyaat deal with the stories of the previous nations, there are also narrations on
aspects of laws, beliefs
Hadeeth Related
to Israel 'eeliyaat
that deal with the use anil value of hraa'eeliyaat,
seem
to contradict themselves.
However,
as usual in cases in
to 'contradict'
that such
The Prophet
verse of the
Israel
(-g) said,
if
it
is
a sentence
(i.e.,
Qur'aan or hadeeth
let
him
residence in Hell."
10 '
In this hadeeth,
it
appears that
hraa eeliyaat
another hadeeth,
it is
reported that
(j|)
'Umaronce came
I
to the
this,
Prophet
(5|)
with a
The Prophet
that
I
is
'Umarr'"
He
re-
book
had copied
the Prophet
can add,
to
my
(present) knowledge,
more knowledge." At
flushed,
this,
became so angry that his checks appeared the Companions to be called to the masjid.
656
el!
2, p.
121.
slK
An
(-gg)
He
and
"O
people! Verily.
to
precise
of speech... and
have come
pure.
swear by
Him
whose Hands
mc!""
is
,s
my
life,
were Moosaa
to follow
The
Torah
in
it
to the
Muslims
in Arabic.
remarked,
say,
"Do
not believe the People ol the Hook, nor disbelieve them, but rather,
in Allaah,
"We believe
to us.
vealed to you.'" In this narration, the Prophet ($g) told the Muslims that they were
not allowed to believe in such narrations, nor could they deny their truthlulness. but
down
do not
contradict any
know ledge,
as their
lims cannot outright deny their authenticity, nor can they convincingly affirm them.
The
to
Muslims
that
are
warned
The Prophet
felt
it
'Umar
the
would increase
his
(s^g)
explained that
all
knowledge
that
was
essential to
know was
available in the
The Qur'aan
ers
also
(cl.
makes an
of the Cave'
Book concerning
their exact
number:
f't*..
>.
>'
And they
and
ing at the
eighth.
were
three, the
five,
were
the
sixth
wildly
muss-
unknown. (Others) say that tin \ were seven, the clog being the Answer (() Muhammad): 'My Lord knows best their numbers; none
a lew."
proof.
And do not
consult any ol
them
affair (of
if
IWJ,
for
varying narrations.
The
In these verses, a
this
Tafsecr
319
number of people
silently
in
approved
the
one.
the Jews and Christians debate amongst themselves and with the Muslims on topics
unknown.
due
to the last
two
facts, there is
no great benefit
for the
which there
exists certain
knowledge.
Lastly, there
is
no reason
Muslims
and Chris-
tians concerning such narrations, since they themselves are only guessing,
and
if this
1
it
in the
Qur'aan oxSiinncih.''*
it is
"
not surprising
'Abbaas, quoting
the
many Israu'ccliyaal
narrations.
Romans
and Ibn During the Battle of Yarmuk against 'Amr found two loads of books of the Chrisas 'Abdullaah ibn
'Amr ibn
al-'Aas
tians
However, none
This
is
Companions used
is
knowledge.
impos-
which
facts they
intact.
During the period of the Successors, the lsraa 'eeliyaal literature began playing a more prominent role in tafsecr. This was primarily due to a number of famous scholars
conversion, they used to narrate the Israa'eeliyaat that they had learnt in their youth.
(d.
32 A.H.),
Wahb
(d.
ibn
Munnabih
1
(d.
10 A.FI.),
159 A.H.).""
became
lax
literature
and thus many of these narrations entered inio tafsecr and were accepted as fact. Even such prominent scholars such as Imaam
(d.
(d.
for
including such material in their tafsecr literature, although these two scholars would
usually point out the uselessness of such material.
categories:'
'"'
the Bi-
659
ft- Ilin
Taymiyyah,
p. 57,
I, p. 185.
660 adh-Dhahabw, w
661
ibid.
v.
I,
p.
206.
v.
662 adh-Dhahabcc.
l.p.189.
MU An
ble.
common
to
Flood
may be
prophets
evil
Sulaymaan ordering
re-
the death of one of his generals so that he could marry his wife. Such crimes are
Him. These
types ol
one explains
their falsehood.
Those narrations concerning which the Muslims have no knowledge. The majority ol Isradeeliyaat narrations fall under this category. It has been allowed to
narrate such stories without actually believing in them. For example, almost
the stories in the Bible arc, in general,
terparts.
all
Names,
figures
and places
in the Bible
more which
mentioned
in the
and other
Isradeeliyaat material."'"
it is
These
they
not
known whether
ixsAzraa'eel),""*
Death (known in Muslim literature dog of the Sleepers of the Cave, the part ol the the colour of the
of
cow
that
Moosaa
hit the
man
names
ol the birds
which
Ibraaheem
resurrected."''"'
(d.
Ibn Taymiyyah
Isradeeliyaat.
permits
it,
but
7)
(Ra'y)
The last
bic as
ra'y.
source ot tafseer
tafseer
by subjective opinion,
commonly known
in
Ara-
(i/ti/iaad) to arrive at
an
interpretation ol a verse,
and
this
is
66
This
is
lunhcr indication
fact is
ol the i'jiwz
<>l
is
more tedious
This
I
name does
1
Qur'aan or luuict'lh
ilo
is
saler not
oca
WC
not
know
name. For
'UmarSulaiman, 'Aalimal-Malaaikatal-Abraar,
665
cf.
The
lb/seer 321
A number of scholars
is
a difference of
They claimed
it.
In reality, as
many
only
verbal.'"'"
This
is
because
ra'y is of
two
types:
ray that
is is
based upon knowledge and conforms with the Qur'aan and Sunna/i, and ray that
based upon desires and disagrees with the Qur'aan and Sunnah. Those scholars that
arc quoted as prohibiting tafseer with ra'y in reality are prohibiting the second cat-
ra'y in
general.
that ra'y
is
of two types
is
found
in the
The
first
The
ing:1
upon knowledge
is
The
verse,
Or
on
it)? |-t7:24|
mankind
to
ponder and
reflect
The
verse,
(This
is)
Book
that
We
its
have sent
verses,
down
member.
|38:29|
Once
ponder over
its
verses.
The
verse,
-...I!
it
in authority
it>.
|4:83|
667 c adh-Dhahabee,
668 adh-Dhahabee,
v.
v.
I.
p. 267; ai-Tayyaar, p.
322
An
This verse shows that there are people (the scholars) who are qualified to extract some knowledge that others might not be able to, once again proving that tafseer
with ra v
4)
is
allowed,
if
The
made
"O Allaah!
Grant him
interpretation"
shows
meanings
why
the Prophet
those after
this
them
all
and
allowed. For
example,
in
when Aboo Bakr was asked concerning the case ol l^alaalah mentioned
my
ra'y, so
il
it
is
correct,
it is
from Allaah,
and
is
incorrect,
it
is
The
is
a part
any stagnation
ra'y is
that
with
one type of
The
1
upon
desires
is
prohibited are:
The
Say:
My
evil
them,...
[7:33]
and
2)
The
verse,
thai
of
17:36]
These two
is
and included
in this
ray that
not based
upon knowledge.
3)
The many
that ol
show
is
Aboo
Bakr,
who
said,
"What
earth
would give
me
support, and
I
what sky
would
shelter
me,
if I said
prove that
ra'y that
praisewor-
The ra'y that is praiseworthy is that which is based upon knowledge, and performed by one who is qualified to do so. Therefore, this type
and
ra'y that is
blameworthy.
669 ai-Talxircc,
67(1
v.
4. p. 28-1.
ar-Roomee,
p.
X2.
The
Tafseer
323
of ray does not contradict the Qur'aan, the Sunnah, the statements of the Companions anil the rules ol the Arabic language; rather, such a ra'y
is
The ra'y that is blameworthy is that which is performed without knowledge, by one who is not qualified to perform it. Such types ol ra'y typically contradict stronger
sources
ol tafscci:
Where
It is
is
Ray Used?
tafseer
obvious that
by personal reasoning
(ra'y)
cannot, by
its
very definition,
say.
however, that
lor those
it
ol tafseer,
and as such
is
it.
Any time an
interpretation based
is
on
ol tafseer,
must be
no guarantee that
correct.
Some
1
might be used
as lollows:'"'
To uncover meanings
2)
To discover certain hidden aspects of the Qur'aan within the realm of human limit. An example ol this is when a certain linguist sees why one phrase or woril
has been used
in a certain
context over
its
synonyms.
their perspectives.
3)
To
and understand
An example
ol this is
when
between
a set ol verses.
4)
t)
To extract and
To demonstrate the
Qur'aan.
Divine Blessing
Perhaps one
ol the
most important
is
factors that
is
a divine blessing
is
because
based upon
ra'y
These
and mercy
of
Ailaah,
was
this type ol
understanding
Bless
when he
(jg) said,
"O Ailaah!
him
of interpretation."'
this type of
it.
ways
to achieve
As
know."''
7'
This
is
-So
(.71
ci:
Ik. P
75.
Reported bj
Aboo Nu'aym.
324
An
If a
person makes his intentions sincere for the sake of Allaah, and practices the
strives to
gain
more knowledge,
it is
be blessed with
this type
of ability.
v.
The Qualifications of a Mufassir A person who wishes to interpret the Qur'aan (a mufassir)
and
qualities before he
just pick
is
must
to
fulfill
certain con-
ditions
allowed
of
to explain the
Qur'aan
rybody can
up the Book
from
Allaah and
start interpreting
(d.
it!
As was quoted
ble for
earlier
Imaam
ash-Shaafi'ee
204 A.H.),
"It is
impermissiis
any person
to give verdicts
knowl-
from
its
mansooltfi,
and
its
muhfcam
from from
its its
mulashaabih, and
its
interpretation,
and
its
madanee, and
its
of the Sunnah..."
asbaab an-nuzool.
On top of this, he
As-Suyootee,
before he
is
summary of
and
others,
required to have.
Some
7 ''
of these qualities,
The
first
the Qur'aan,
guide people
to the Straight
Path
to the best
of his abilities. 2)
The correct
cal or his
If
person
is
misguided
will
in interpreting the
Quraan,
lor
motive
be
to
defame Islaam, or
defend
3)
To be free from
If a person
is
and
about innovating
must
love
and
respect the
is
of the Book of Allaah. Also, the mufassir Quraan, and have the proper beliefs concerning it.
that he
is
758
A.H.)
must witness
that
it
(the Qur'aan)
is
the /(a/aam of
to the
Prophet
(s^g)
its
meanings unless
ii
his heart
is
free of misreally
to the Qur'aan,
(which
prevents
C>7-f
.in-N.ili.i.is. p. 12-t.
v.
67^ as-Suyooicc,
2,
>.
2.
The
4)
Interpretation
<>i
the
Quraan
Tafseer
325
heart.
fear
abilities,
and
if
he
falls
into a sin, he
it.
must immediately
meanings, ex-
This
is
Qayyim
cept if it
said,
is
"No
pure, and
is
lull
{'aqecdah),
that
many of the
heresies
and innovations
Qur'aan.
misguided
6)
sects did
with regards
to the
understanding
of the
A basic
previous section.
7)
Knowledge of the Arabic language and its vocabulary. Such knowledge must, of course, be on a scholarly level; a person whose primary language is Arabic is not
necessarily knowledgeable of Arabic to the level that
is
Qur'aan.
X)
'))
Knowledge Knowledge
of Arabic
of
grammar (nahw).
(satf).
Arabic morphology
basis of Arabic
10)
1 1
Knowledge of the
(ishliqaaq)
1
Knowledge
of
oratory.'"'
12) 13)
the
s_alecl,
so that
he
is
aware
ol
The knowledge
The knowledge
related sciences.
(-yg). in
8)
malice
ol\' i'jaaz
of the Qur'aan.
endowment that is not possible to obtain by one's self. This is a type of gift from Allaah to whomever He chooses. This type of intellect was what the Prophet ($g) prayed for when he prayed for Ibn 'Abbaas, "O Allaah, grant him
divine
an understanding
of interpretation."
678 Zamralcc,
p.
1.
is
summary
ol
knowl-
edge related to the Arabic language. These are the knowledges u( ma'aaiii,
Inulee'.
and bayaan.
326 An Introduction
Qur aim
can he appreciated that not everyone
it,
From
is
this
list,
which
is
lar
from exhaustive,
it
qualified to pick
up the Qur'aan
in particular if
he
is
not
fifteen
knowledge
ol
In addition, the
knowledge required
(in
scholars)
is
It is
fore, to see
(d.
language
is a
vi.
The Types
of Tafseer
is
know by
which no one can be excused from not knowing, a type which sl of, and a type which none can know except for Allaah."'' As
ol
because
ol their
speech, this
is
due As
knowledge
type
Arabic vocabulary,
grammar and
which no one can be excused from not knowing, this refers to the basic principles of Islaam, such as the Oneness of God (tawlwed), the finality of the prophelhood of
Muhammad
type
(*yg),
in
aware
ol, this is
the
branches of 'ulootn al-Qur'aan, and are capable afijtihaad. They are, therefore, qualified to interpret the verses ol the
Qur'aan in
is
manner which
of.
As
whose knowledge
matters
known only to Allaah, this is the knowledge of the Day ol Judgement anil the actuality ol
However, what
is
meant
in this section
by the
types"
methodologies that the scholars of tafseer have used while interpreting the Qur'aan.
During the
and
that
it
hundreds
oltafseers,
is
of them.
It is
can be
classified,
common.
categories,
The
when
found
main
each of which has certain commonalties that which will be discussed below. Ofcourse,
a certain tafseer in that tafseer
is is
all
that
is
the general
methodology
the
book
ol
is
as
shown.
the most
methodology
will
will be elaborated
famous tafscers that were written with that upon in the next section."""'
()X(I
Ibn Taymiyynh.
Ahmad
2.
|>.
)r.
Na.isir al-Aql,
469.
az-Zarkashec,
v.
164.
all
<>l
682
The primary
Ivrv
adh-Dhahabcc
\\u in-,
an-Najdcc
(entire work),
The
A. Tafseer based
This category
is
Tafsccr
527
on Narrations
tafsccr
known
is
as tafsccr bil
mathoor, or
based on narrations. In
ol the
interpreted based
Qur'aan, luidecth
ol
of the Prophet
tafsccr
is,
(sy?).
ol course,
method
referenced
work where
the isnaad
was found.
this type ol tafseer are:"'"
jaami' al-Bayaan
(d.
by
will
be discussed
2)
work
the
is
ing tafseer.
The author is a famous scholar of luidecth. and one ol the Imaams of science at jarh wa ta'dcel (the science of categorising the people of narrations
reliability). In his
work
ol tafsccr.
he kept
his
own comments
classic 3)
to a
ol narrations
is
from the
Prophet (^) and the sa/af This tafseer was only printed recently, and
one of the
works
recently, after
having existed
tor centuries
form. Although the author quotes from the sa/af. he does not include the isnaads
thus
making
it
from
it.
On
occasion, he
ascribes views
said...'.
stating,
"Some of them
rarely
draws
How-
work
is
it
one wishes
Al-Kashf wa al-Bayaan
A.H.)
(d.
this tafsccr.
724
reported by ath-Tha'labee... As a
number ol fabricated luidecth which have been man, ath-Tha'labee was righteous and pious,
ol tafseer all
but he cared
little
kinds
weak and
fabricated..."'''
6X5 ar-Roomcc,
p. 90.
v.
I,
pps 214-261.
tafsccr of Ibn jareer
at-Tabaree
(d. .527
and the
revolve
of Ibn al-Mundhir
(d.
518 A.H.).
It is
all
two are
is
Imaam Ahmad
Hambal
(d.
241
A.H.) authored
voluminous work
missing.
40
328 An Introduction
to the
Sciences
<>l
the
Quraan
ol Israa'eeliyaat narrations.
This
quantity
Alh- Tha'labce
grammar
ol the
Quraan, and
Muhammad ai-Husayn
a very
ibn
516 A.H.).
famous scholar
fiqh.
ol
ol Inideeth (his
hadeeth.Sharh as-Sunnah.
ars praised
is
his
and
Many schol-
hh tafseer,
anil
"The
tafseer ot
al-Baghawee
summarised version
he avoided narrat-
ing fabricated traditions anil the views ol the innovators.""'"' the interpretations of the salaf without isnaad.
6)
546 A.H.).
its
it
a very
famous scholar
ol
became
out that
7)
'*'
it.
Katheer ad-Dimashqee
(d. 77-4
A.H.). (This
work
8)
Al-jawaahir al-Hjissaan
Tha'aalibee
(d.
by
Abd ar-Rahmaan
from over
it
ath-
this tafseer
a hunon Ibn
refer-
enced.
9)
[alaal
all
ad-Deen as-Suyootee
The work
its
is
and the salaf concerning the interpretation of every voluminous and extremely useful; however, in order to maxto
imise
value,
it
needs
be
weak
narrations
Fatk al-Oadeer, by
Muhammad
of
ibn 'Alee
ash-Shawkaanee
(d.
1250 A.H.).
The
author was
lamous scholar
is
Yemen, and one of the greatest scholars of his an excellent combination of interpretation based upon narrain
the
i/ira'aat,
of
the
to eloquently
summarise an
five
interpreta-
tion ol the
1 1
volumes.
Adwaa' al-Bayaanfcc
ash-Shanqeetce
Muhammad al-Ameen
many
the
of that. In the work,
(d. 1.393
just
one indication
upon himself to
interpret the
No student
knowledge can
afford
be without
this
p.
-1".
.il-Qanaan. p. 565.
The
the work, but his
Tafseer
329
he
left,
main student (Shaykh Atiyyah Saalim) took over from where last two volumes of the ttifsccr.
not exhaustive, and neither arc
in
all
Of course,
ogy
of tafscer
However,
B. Tafsf-fj* based
Tafsecr ar-Ra'y
rily
ox Personal Opinions
earlier.
These
tafsccrs are
on
ijtihaad
of the
phrasing
various linguistic connotations carried by a word, and other factors. Of course, this
does not imply that the narrations of the Prophet (^g) and Companions are absolutely ignored in these works, but rather that the primary purpose and source of these
seers taf
was
ijtihaad.
methodology are useful works, the arose was that the two primary sources of tafseer - tafscer of the Qur aan
this
with the Qur'aan and Sunnah - were not given great emphasis by most of these scholars,
became
well
known
the Prophet
tion,
(-ig),
some of these
ol
my
that
is
blamewor-
thy; in other
words, scholars
in
who
tions of the
Qur'aan
One
dict
of the best
forms
one
in
which
is
by narrations
it
is
given prec-
it.
Some of
combined
these two types of tafscer. with the proper emphasis on each type.
two
cat-
based upon
ra'y
praiseworthy arc:
"1
(d.
will
2)
Anwaar
at-Tanzeel
wa
(d.
691 A.H.).
The
is
salaf, az-
own ijtihaad.
Raazce's
688 ar-Roomee,
p. 103;
v.
I,pps. 297-368.
330 An Introduction
Qur'aan
3)
(cl.
701 A.H.).
and
his tafseer
lie
found
in
the
latter.
on the
4)
literary
eloquence
the verses.
(d.
741
The
summaprimarily
some
summary
on al-Baghawee's work.
5)
The author based his tafseer primarily on arRaazce's work, and added many benefits Irom az-Zamakhsharce's work. The author was not merely a compiler of quotes, lor he frequently gives his own opinan-Naysabooree
(d.
728 A.H.).
ions,
tafseer contains
a
some philosophical
.
defence
of
6)
Al-Balr al-Muheei, by
(d. 7-45
Muhammad
ol the to
known asAbooHayyaan
its
A.H.) This
is
a very useful
grammatical analysis
glance, the
tion of
tlie
work seems
as
work
Another
ol az-
that
Aboo Hayyaan
refutes
many
Zamakhsharcc's
he shows
heretical ideas
itself (in
other words,
how az-Zamakhsharee
ad-Deen as-Suyootee
This
tafseer is
(d.
ad-Deen al-Muhalla (d. 864 A.H.) and his student. 91 1 A.H.). This tafseer was started by al-Muhalla.
it,
it
alter
in this category,
and
size.
al-Hakeem al-Khabcer, by
wise
Ma 'rifat/ii ba 'di Ma 'aanec Kalaami Rabina ibn Muhammad, other977 A.H.). Despite
its
known
f,
as al-Khateeb
lengthy
title.
the tafseer
to simplify
The author
works
ol
benefits Irom
al-Baydaawee.
own
critical
comments
as well. In addition,
he
strives to
show
The
(
Tafseer 331
')
Irshaad al-
'Ac//
Aboo as-Sa'ood
is
Muhammad
ibn
Muhammad al-'Imaadee
especially usciul lor
its
(d.
moder-
ate-sized one.
and
its
arrangement.
'
(I)
1270 A.H.).
many tafseers, and also gives his opinions. However, on many occasions, the author gives bizarre Soofi interpretations to a verse, and this is why some scholars use this tafseer as an example ol tafseer al-ishaaree (to be
discussed below).
1)
ad-Deen al-Qaasimee (d. 1332 A.H.). The author was a famous scholar ol Syria, and his work earned him considerable praise by the scholars of his lime, such as Muhammad Rasheed Rida (d. 1354 A. H.) and
others.
This
tafseer
is
tafseers,
other
12)
Tafseer
1376 A.H.).
ol the
defender
His aim
in this tafseer
was
it is
interpretations ol the Qur'aan in simple language, without any detailed discussions or evidences from other sources;
hence
It is
is
of
to
go
he should obtain.
contrary,
upon knowledge does not imply that all that is contained in them is correct; on the some of them contain grave errors (such as the works of an-Nasatee ami arRaazee), while others are relatively error-tree (such as as-Sa'adee's work).
The
of one
with
ra'y that is
many;
in fact,
Tanzeeh al-Oiiraan
'an al-Mataa'in,
by Qadec
ol the
Abd
al-Jabbaar
al-Hamadanee
(d.
Ma'tazilah.
Al-Kashaaf by
next section).
Aboo
Hasan
at-
Tabarsee
(d.
'
332
An
The Qur'aan
it is
is,
of course, the
no surprise
have turned
to the
Qur'aan with
this in
known
some
ship to fiqh. and do not discuss verses primarily related to other matters. However,
most of the
emphasis on law-related
verses.
Some
1)
of the famous
tafseers written
tafseer
is
2)
Akfcaam al-Ouraan, by Aboo Bakr al-Bayhaqee (d. 458 A.H.). This compilation of narrations from Imaam as-Shaafi'ee.
Tafseer Ahfraam al-Ouraan, by
1)
al-'Arabee
(d.
Al-Jaami'
li
(d.
67 1 A.H.).
incor-
To
would not be
icct, for
methodology
in
Quraan. However,
the tafseer
5)
is
Hamba/ee
6)
tafseer in
Tafseer
Aayat a/~Ah/<aam, by
Muhammad
in India,
Siddecq Hasan
Khaan
(d.
1307 A.H.) This tafseer only discusses those verses that deal with JJq/i.
The
author was one of the scholars otAhl al-Hcideeth does not conform
to
and therefore
his
tafseer
7)
He
also restricts
and
is
and
is
not con-
689 ;.r-Roomcc.
p. 94.
The Interpretation
ot the
Qur'aan
Tafsecr 333
D. Scientific Tafseer
Another category of tafseer
'ilmee.
is
'scientific tafseer,
its title,
or tafseer al-
This type
of tafseer, as
scientific facts.
and seek
to
explain these verses in the light of 'modern' science. Therefore, these tafseers seek to
elaborate
upon
as
Quraan.
it is
However,
abso-
methodology
none
famous
interpretation followed such a methodology; instead, these authors sought to provethat the
Qur'aan mentions every type of science and knowledge known to man. Most
even went
to ludicrous extremes,
of these interpretations
laid
down
the sciences
and principles
medicine,
diving!"'"'
all;
mentioned or hinted
at.
but never
all
any discipline
or principle explained.
To presume
is
condemn
forms the
knowledge
it
is
absurd.
in this
1359 A.H.). There are other tafseers that have been influenced to various degrees by
this type ol interpretation,
perhaps one
ol
by
Ahmad
ibn Mustafa al-Maraaghee (d. 1952 CE). In this work, the author denies or
all of
creation,
6'"!!
scientific research
this theory'
and
states,"'''
mean
tafseer al-'ilmec,
which
tries to
prove thai
the un-
discovered
690 For a
list
V.
2,
pps. 518-522.
691
an-Najdec.
p. 69.
it
692 adh-Dhahabee,
this
2. p,
5s4.
ol the over-zealousne-s ol
1
_'.
pps. 51
-588.
334
An
Quraan
and care
lor the
who
that
Quraan.
which
The
we
find a plethora
in
Quraan
it.
so that
appears as
il
all
die sciences
in
whether
explicitly or implicitly.
And
this
is
we mentioned
Quraan
its
are the
authenticity,
and
i'jaaz,
and
permanency
can be applied in
all
generations).
In
reality, il
seems
awed with the West and its sciences, that they felt that the only way of proving Islaam was to show that the Qur'aan had preceded the West in the knowledge of all of these sciences. These authors tailed to realise, however, that the goal ol the Prophet () was not to teach mankind science, but rather to teach them the worship of Allaah! It is not of the primary goals of the Sharee'ah to provide and elaborate upon the disciplines ol modern science, as Imaam ash-Shaatibee (d. 79(1 A.I I.) mentioned over six
centuries ago.
693
that,'''"
Companions and
yet
the Successors
ol the
and
those that
its
came
alter
Qur'aan and
sciences
we discussed
in
us,
(i.e..
some basic
sciences)...
such a
light),
(i.e..
it
and
at least
the
scientific interpretation)
proven
to us.
But
we do
And
this
is
Qur'aan
to affirm
are
presuming
(exists in the
we
Arabs bad, and other (sciences) that are well-known; material that
il
In other words,
this
it
much emphasis on
facts that a
is
shows
that
it
is
in
stated,
in the
is
Quraan
sixth century
CE would
Qur'aan
a gross error.
To conclude,
this field.
tafseer al-'ilmee
must be placed
in
its
much em-
phasis should not be given to this topic, and neither should one exert
mankind
erly
down when
is
resorted
Tafseer al-'ilmee
is
is
used properly.
v,
2. p. =525.
ii
v.
2, p.
526. Is
not as if ash-Shaajibee
is
tafscers
The
Interpretation ol the
Quraan
Tafieer
335
E.
Tafseer al-lshaaree
is
which
it is
assumed
it,
Quraan has
meaning
to
anil this
meaning cannot be
obtained except by a few chosen people. This type ol tafseer was prevalent amongst
the Soofis. Needless to say. such tafseer
interpretations, the majority ot
that
was well-known
basis
is
for
its
extremely imaginative
It is
which had no
ol"
from any
verse!
many
tafseer
this type
were met:"""
tafseer.
2)
That
verse.
meaning of the
3)
That
is
meaning
That the
ishaaree
meaning does
common
5)
sense.
That
this interpretation
it
it
in the Sharee'ah.
is
6)
That
is
obligatory.
In reality,
would not be
that
acceptable
tions based
(i.e.,
on
would probably be
saler to refrain
term
tafseer al -ishaaree,
due
name
all
those
who
on the
this
type of interpretation.
Some
is
meanings
commented on
most
fa-
mous
after
tafseer
of this type
since,
a verse,
he
to-
Other works
ones. These works were primarily authored by extreme Soofis, and are not very popular
ol
such
work
is
the tajsccr ot
tafseer
Muhcc ad-Dcen
known
for
its
famous Soofi
heretic.
This
phemous
is
Soofi leanings) issued a decree prohibiting the publication and sale of this work!
tafseer al-ishaaree
is like,
Ik. pps.
>IW->l;.Llh-l>l,.ih.ikc.
v.
2.
|>.
-HIS.
336
An
An example of this type oi'iufsecr is concerning the story of Taaloot when he tested
his people.
The Qur'aan
states.
set
oul with
liis
armv, he said,
it.
"Verily,
Allaah will
test
he
will not
if he
all
drank
of
it,
lew of them..."
Some
a parable
is
excessively will
fail,
abandons
he needs
totally
who takes
is
the bare
minimum
is
the one
(d.
who will
this interpretation,
Imaam
al-Qurtubcc
it
,,<,-
how
a
beautiful
this,
were
it
and
meanings of the
verse.
Another example
is
And
it
We
to kill themselves,
One
selves'
o! the
famous scholars
go against all
means
to
its
desires,
and
';i
'to
means
it'
to expel all
love
in quantity, but
ones
who
meaning
is
of
is
As
ol
desires
As
the Qur'aan
is
baa
(in the
basmalah preceding
in
1
the Fa mihah)
and the
last letter is
seen (in.
'mm
'bos',
al-jinnai
wa an-naas
14:6).
From
word
meaning,
needs."'
1''
'sufficient'; as
it
the Qur'aan
interpreta-
stating that
it is
mankind's
Such far-fetched
v.
3, p.
2W.
698 adh-Dhahabee,v.2,p.419,
p. 214.
The
lions have
Tafseer
337
no basis
in the
proper methodology of
tafscer.
Likewise,
all
interpretations
based on the
number ot
Such
tafseer al-ishaaree.
if there
il
was and
upon
it.
In conclusion,
it
is
il
one
is
reading an ishaarce
the proper
methodology of tafseer.
F.
MODERNISTIC TAFSEERS
tafseer?,
What
unique
Qur'aan
is
meant by
this
written in
modern
times, but
its
modern-day
readers.
In other words, the authors ot these tafseers tried to present the interpretation of the
in
an unprecedented
style
-a
would
la/seers that
would ignore much of the material found in older would neither comprehend nor (ind useful, that would incorporate Western thought and philosophy in its interpretation; basically, a tafseer
lacing in their daily
lives, that
modern
readers
that
was meant
admirable, and
its
goals praiseworthy,
many of the
auol
thors of this type ol tafseer did not realise the fact that the proper
tafseer
methodology
It is,
pret the
Qur'aan
in a
manner or methodology
all ol
the salaj "in tafseer. In addition, almost the 'Modernist* school of thought
(known
movement), founded by
(d. 1897 CE) and his student, Muhammad 'Abduh (d. CE) (and by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khaan in the Indian subcontinent). Although this movement has some praiseworthy points (it fights against blind-following, taqlecd; it seeks to re-affirm the importance of ijti/iciad; in many ways il avoids the supersti-
tions
and
.>/?///(
same time
it
most powerful
that
its
primary goal
to
This is because ol the fact combine Western philosophy with Islaamic thought and
them
tried
and
'"
failed to do;
an
act that, in
he more famous
tafseer?. ol this
category are:'"
700 This
is
not
Ik-
amongst
is
better discussion
ami
movement, the reader is referred to Muhammad Haamid Naasir'si//-. hnumiyuiin (Maktahah al-Kawthar, Riyadh, IWd) (Unlortunalelv, no hook is vel available in hnglish on the topic. lowcvcr a good series of audio lectures by Jamaal Xarabozo is available).
critique el this
I
701
ar-Uoomee,
p.
105; adli-Dhahabee,
v.
1. pps.
SKH-WiS.
338 An Introduction
to the
1)
Tafseer al-Manaar, by
Muhammad
as
Rasheed Rida
(d.
extreme in
Muhammad
ol tafseer, lor
any work
he might be 'influenced' by
In reality, the tafseer
is
it,
affect his
own
interpre-
not without
is
Muhammad
author denies
'jinn
and other
aspects
2)
to find in a "modernistic'
Tafseer al-Maraaghee, by
Ahmad Mustafa
al-Maraaghee
(d.
commented upon earlier. An-Najdce summarised this and all when he said. "And al-Maraaghee tried to make this tafseer oi his
would be appropriate and
suit the
present
Muslim
7 '"
situation.
However, he
fell
certain views
ences..."
1)
of the physical
sci-
Mahmood
Qutb
(d.
Shalthooth
(d.
4)
less
cause.
To claim
is
tafseer of to read,
tafseer
very simple
and aims
ol
Islaam over
"'
all
1
other laws,
Allaah on earth.
Iowever. per-
taj'seer
(in
many
matters of
his
to light tyrannical
all
govern-
that
Muslim
societies
and
he was
much
seems
ol
ol Allaah,
705
when
ics.
702 adh-Dhahabee,w2,p.620.
703 an-Najdec, p. 69.
in
ol
Egypt, and he
I
of Pakistan,
until
became
I
discusto
Rabec' Urn
ill ('.tilling
ar-Roomee, luijahaat,
\.
I,
p.
>r,
A/J/aarihi
The
Interpretation
of the Qur'aan
Tafseer
339
In conclusion, this brand of tafseer, although perhaps the most popular amongst
the
and perspectives
tafseer?.
beliefs ol
\hl
as-Sunnah. both
and
in
methodology.
a very
this
manner which the people ol a particular time and place will appreciate. However, does not mean that the tisool at-tafscer ol such interpretations needs to change as
It is
well.
style-
that
modem
still
ol lowing
tafseer,
and ash-Shanqeetee
vii.
Some Famous
Tafseers
is
The purpose
famous tafseers
followed.
7 ""
ol this section
to briefly
mention some
ol the
in existence, anil to
each mufassir
'Jaami' al-Bayaan'
Jaami' al-Bayaan
of at-Tabaree
'an
ol
Muhammad
310 A.H.)
first
is
one of the
earliest
and greatest
tafseers in existence,
and
is
consid-
ered the
reference to turn to
in this tafseer
Tabaree compiled
among all the works of tafseer. This is because atmany narrations from the Prophet (j^g), the Comthem concerning
to this tafseer. a
a scholar in
almost
all fields
of
he wrote,
in
masterpiece ol Islaamic
work on
his
the qira'aat,
in
almost
all fields
ol Islaam.
He
even founded
own
inacUi-
ol'
by narrations). Typically, at-Tabaree quotes a verse ol the Q)ur'aan, and then states,
"The various
proceeds
to
quote up
*//<//.
quotes
meaning
his
all
ol
grammatical analysis
ol a verse,
is
and uses
own reasoning
One
of the
unique features
of this tafseer
that he quotes
directly
from each
tafseer,
relevant portions ol
ad-Adh-
340 An Introduction
Quraan
every statement that he brings, and thus the authenticity of any narration
verified.
may
Ahl
he
He
sects
of
during
as-
his time,
and
upon
the
methodology
Sunnah.
Due
is
to these factors
- and more -
As-Suyootee
said,
'And
his
an-Nawawee
676 A.H.)
said,
"The uminah
has agreed (ijmaa) that nothing has ever rivalled the tafseer of at-Tabaree"; and Shaykh
(d.
is
tafseer*.
them
free
of innovations...""
Some of
made of
it is
this tafseer
is
difficult lor a
beginning student of
which one
are of
no value whatsoever.
of the work.
are trivial
when compared
(d.
available in 30
first
volumes with
completed.
his
commentary on
few volcould
In-
'Tafseer
al-Quraan
al-
Another important
-
tafseer
is
that
774 A.H.), entitled Tafseer al-Our aan al-Adheem. Ibn Kathcer was one of the most
famous scholars of his time, having studied under Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah
(d.
(d.
tafseer
An
advantage
of this tafseer
that
it
is
Kathcer greatly
summarises the
many
comment on
is
the authenticity.
Another advantage
so that the reader
of this tajsccr
may understand
On occasion, he also
men-
Qur'aan.
criticism that
The main
this tafseer
is
that Ibn
Katheer
occasionally quotes Israa'celiyaat which are of absolutely no value. However, his view
ol
is
clear, for
is
seems that
this story
7(17
v.l. p.
218.
The
therefore
Tafseer
341
it is
allowed
to
to believe in
them or
reject
them. They
when
knows
In since
work
tor a
beginning student
ol
knowledge,
discusses and interprets the verses in sufficient detail to benefit from, without
in this regards,
it
going into extreme details that might bore the reader. Therefore,
would be
rises the
of
more
summa-
is
no book
that has
been written
like it!"
7 ""
The tafseer is available in tour average-sized volumes. Work has already been started by Shaykh Aboo Ishaac] al-Huwaynee to critically edit the luideeth in this tafseer, but
as of yet only the
first
The most famous tafseer based upon intellect (tafseer ar-ra'y) is that of Muhammad ibn 'Umar ar-Raazee, better known as Fakh r ad-Decn ar-Raazee. He was born in ^44 A.H., and became well known lor his know ledge ol .Arabic grammar, and philosophy
{'Urn al-kplaam).
,
He
died of poisoning
in
606 A.H.
the
Un locking ol
to
some
difference of opinion as to
who completed
this
over from ar-Raa/.ee's interpretation. Evidence seems to suggest that ar-Raazee was
able to complete this
work
until Soora/i
it
was
fin-
work
is still
considered
one
realm
and
to
do
so.
Whenever
come
and invariable
case.
of view in every
One
in the
may
is
cludes a detailed discussion of the relationship between the various verses and soorahs
is
a topic that
is
Howand
ever,
such relationships
are,
opinion
(ijtihaad),
is
that he
pays special attention to the grammatical analysis and commentary of the Qur'aan.
v.
I,
p. 117.
I.
709 adli-Dhahalxc.v.
p. 257.
I,
710 cf.adh-Dhahabee,\n
p. 301.
342 An Introduction
to the
Sciences of the
Quraan
is
The main
it
is
full
of philoplaces
tin-
sophical discussions
different philosophers,
and
in
many
like
opinions
whenever he
views
scientific
of the
and
far-fetched.
Due
to these discussions,
many scholars have strongly criticised thistafseer. Aboo Hayyaan (d. 745 A.H.) said of it, "Imaam ar-Raazec brought in hhtafeeer many long discussion of topics that have absolutely no value to the science oftafseer. This is why some scholars even said of
it.
you
will find
everything except
ttifsec r!'"
"
'al-Kashaaf of az-Zamal{lisharce
'
and the Essence of the Opinions Concerning the PerInterpretation), by Mahmood ibn 'Umar al-Khawarizmec, better known
az-Zamakhsharee (467-538 A.H.). He was one ol the leading Mit'tazilee scholars to his great knowledge and eloquence, was able to spread the
announcing
faith.
even
saiil
due
to Allaah,
who created
many
the
Quraan."7
of his work,
and praised
it
himself on
occasions. In the introduction to the work, he says, after explaining the reasons
it
of the
caliphate ol
Aboo Bakr
(i.e.,
''
thirty years.'
In a separate
poem, he
Yet
are infinite.
like
my
Kashaaf.
to read
it.
If you truly
For ignorance
In reality,
it
"'
cure."
is
difficult to
that az-
Zamakhsharee heaped on it. Despite his blatant Mit'tazilee bias, and his vehement and fiery attacks against the Ahl as-Sunnah, az-Zamakhsharee was nonetheless a scholar ol the highest calibre in terms of his knowledge of Arabic vocabulary, gram-
711
adh-Dhahabee,v. I,p304.
v.
712 adh-Dhahabee,
created, contrary to the
see the rclercnce cited.
I.
p. 438.
As was mentioned
in
Ch.
2.
is
licliel
why
this phrase
713 al-Kashaaf, v.
I,
p. is.
v.
7M
adh-Dhahabcc,
I,
p. 442.
The Interpretation
of the
Qur'aan
Tafseer 34
ol
eloquence. In his
tafseer, lie
literary i'jaaz.
He
dis-
cusses the
and passages,
ot the
less
az-Zamakhsharee
to unearth a
panorama of meanings
literary miracle ol
and wisdom
the
Hook of Allaah.
All of these merits, however,
must be put
in perspective. At times,
az-Zamakhsharee
know
ledge
of"
"Some
faces that
day
will be radiant,
looking
at
meaning
of the
word
'looking' to
71
"
'expecting mercy', and even quotes a line of classical poetry to prove this meaning!
By doing
this,
he seeks
to
who deny
that the
Mus-
Day
is
of
Judgement and
in the
Heavens, contrary
to clear
However, given
prin-
quoted
authentic,
used
to explain
obscure words
the
Quraan. and
is
is
not used to
The above
explicit in
this
its
meaning, as
(the full
Lord
(as easily) as
you see
moon
moon)."'
and Siinnah.
eternal
damnation of sinners
mans over which Allaah has no control, the actions, and many other Mu'tazilee beliefs.
1.
man
is
is
is
this tafseer,
such as Shaykh
(d.
(d.
many
others.
this issue in
its
We
entirety, for
- as typical
with his
it is lull
ol benefit
is
and wisdom:
What am saying
and then
Mu 'tazilak first
interpret the
Qur'aan
None
the earlier
715 c al-Kashaaf,
v.
2. p. 509.
Alioci
717 The Ahl as-Sunnah believe that Muslim sinners are not eternally damned to the Helllire. and all of mankind who testify and believe in tawliccd will eventually enter Paradise, and that magic is real, and that
Alia. ill has control
fact that
man
is
the creator
is
ol
man
has Iree will. For details and proofs ol these points, the reader
and
others.
344
An
generations - the
Companions
them
in
pretations ol the
Quraan can
easily he
shown
to
unjustified...
style ol writing,
Some have
erroneous
ami charming
and introduce
tail
their
to see
them.
The
making his
and scholars
who
approvingly quote
in their
writings
and speeches
passages from their (the Mtttuzilee) commentaries that contain ideas which
follow on Irom the principles which thev (the lafseer authors) believe and
know
to
ot
them (being
misguided
sects)
Due
up
of the Ash'arees
tried to clear
al-lnsaaf'/;;//; al-Kashaaf'by
Ahmad
ibn
Muhammad
al-Iskandaree
Insjiaj'"as
(d.
683 A.H.).
The most
main
text.
footnotes to the
one who
is
firmly
grounded
in
the
commentaries
(anil of the
he reads
it
VIII.
The Dangers
($|)
of
Improper Tafseer
a
The Prophet
the Qur'aan.
forbade arguing over the Qur'aan. and stated that such argu-
group
of
He commanded
would
other
to
confirm
its
due
When
you
it
one
who
does know!"''
He
then leave
be-
"To argue
equivalent to disbelief
(/(/;)."'
'
The Prophet
(5^) also
warned
I
who interpret the Quraan improperly when he said, "The thing that most for my ummah is the hypocrite with an eloquent tongue who argues
sliglu
changes.
cl. Mis/ifyitil
Reported by
Ahmad and
an-Nasaa'ee;
# 237. #
236.
72
)anwood;
cl.
MishkfiM
The
Tafseer
345
(jj) is
who seek to
oft-quoted
laclcelh
on the prohibition
of
speaking about
the Qur'aan without any knowledge. Although the principles ami prohibitions outlined in these Inideeth are correct, the Inidceth ihemsclvcs are weak.
The
Ijadeeth in
It is
(jfs;)
said.
"Whoever speaks
he
is
then even
if he is correct,
and
in
another hadeeth, he
(^)
is
"Whoever speaks
him seek
ofHell!"
early generations
it
came
to inter-
preting the Qur'aan without the proper know ledge. Aboo Mulaykah said, "Ibn 'Abbaas was asked concerning a verse; if some of you were to be asked concerning it, you would have replied, but he refused to say anything." And a person asked the Companion Jundub ibn Abdillaah (d. 90 A.H.) concerning a verse in the Qur'aan. He
responded.
"I
must request
that, if
you are
sit
with me,"
And
ii
is
would not speak concerning the Qur'aan except with that which was understood by everyone, without going into any details. And Masrooq (d. 63 A.H.) said, "Beware oftafseer, for it is as if you are narrating concerning Allaah!" And Ibraheem an-Nakhaa'ec (d. 96 A.H.) said, "Our companions would be scared of" 1 tafseer, and tear it out of respect."'ibn al-Musayyib (d. 90 A.H.)
It is
no exaggeration
to say that
the history of Islaam has misinterpreted verses ol the Qur'aan in order to support
particular beliefs, lor example, the very
first sect
to split
who
followed them,
to
that
Judgement
is
(12:40).
judgement must be
the Prophet
commands of Allaah
commands of
to.
The Qur'aan
itself
alludes to this
when
it
says,
whose
hearts
is
which
is
unclear in
it (i.e.,
moil"
|3:7|
722
Reported by
Ahmad and
al-Bazzaar;
cl".
p.
493.
Aboo
82-Ki.
)aa\vood.
346
An
who
desire chaos
Qur'aanic verses that might not be entirely clear to suit whatever concepts and ideas
they wish to prove.
It is
even possible
it
itselt is
is
An example
ol this
the interpretation (or rather misinterpretation) ol the Qadianis concerning the finality ol
The Qur'aan
says,
Muhammad
This verse
ever, the
'seal'),
(3jjg)
is
is
the Messenger
How-
Qadianis
prove
that,
and no\l{haalim
('the last
who is
tafseer.
This
is
any
ol the
dozen
classical
72 '
of something.
is
read the phrase in question as%haatam\ the restol the nine qiraaat read the phrase as
khaatim\ This
is a
misguided
sects
with regards
to
was mentioned
it,
earlier,
is
and
all
Qadianis
shown
to be baseless,
is
even
it
the Arabic
meaning odfhaatam
considered.
/2S
Even more ludicrous are some of the interpretations based on forged narrations and presumed inner meanings {tafseer al-ishaaree) to a verse. For example, in certain
Soofi tafseers, the verse,
1^'jj
And
tains'
il
is
He who
moun-
3:.i|
726
cl!
liis
on
this topic.
727 c Z.iheer. Ihsan Elahi, Qadiayaniyat (Mara Tarjuman as-Sunna/i, Lahore. I'W))
discussion Ol this point.
lor a
more
detailed
728 This
is
in the
to the finality
numerous authentic hadeeth on this subject, the understanding ol the Companions, and the consensus ol the Muslim ttmmah on this matter. Due to this grossly heretical belief] the Qadianis have been excluded
Iron) the lold ol Isl.iam
by
all
The
is
Tafsecr 347
is
the one
who
it
in
sen
Ones among
lis
servants. Therefore,
in
is
and
is
to seek
successful
saved!"'
''
The
verse
is
free, certain
this verse
asking them for help and aid instead of Allaah! This belief of these Soofis
He would
not for-
necessity of relying
classical,
upon
tafsecr*,
the proper
methodology of
authentic
standing
or passage.
v.
2, p.
419.
CHAPTER
16
Among
the
many
is
human
languages
is
yet
It
was Allaah Himself who honoured Aadam by teach(2:31). and honoured Adam's progeny and "taught
it
becomes
necessary to translate important texts and books written in one language into other
languages so that
a greater
lor translation
'tarjanmli
'.
This
word
the
first
'tarjamati
we are
I.
and
a trans-
lation
1
by meaning.
Verbatim translation:
What
is
meant by
this
is
is
a text,
first
language
translated into
equivalent in the
other language. In such translations, the word order remains almost the same.
2)
meaning
of a text
is
trans-
realise that
verbatim translation
is
not
This
its
is
specific
ology of speech. In addition, not every word has an equivalent in another language.
The
II.
The Ruling on
The Prophet
(3|g)
Translations
sent for
all
was
of mankind, as Allaah
says,
Say: 'O
Mankind!
Verily.
am
sent to
all of
of
Allaah...'>.|7:158|.
He
(-^g)
was
his people,
con-
Anil
We
of his
peo-
ple
[14:4].
of the Prophet (^) giving than Arabic has also been explained:
In fact, the absurdity
his
message
in a
language other
.And
if
We
Qur'aan
in
in a foreign
language.
hey would
The question
Qur'aan
is
then
arises:
is
It
the Prophet
(-^g)
was sent
for all
in Arabic,
all
may be
As
spread to
of
mankind:
is
for
is
because there
no benefit
to
be gained out
7
it.
The Qur'aan
is
in
type of translation will not be regarded as the Qur'aan - the Speech of Allaah and the
revelation to the Prophet
"
(j^g).
As
the
meaning,
this
is
allowed and
,J
for
ummah, as part ol its duty to spread the message ol Islaam." In lact, there has been no known difference of opinion on this issue.' How else can it be expected that
non-Arabs encounter the message of the Qur'aan?
translatable, for
It is
is
not
no
translation can
do
justice to
its
glimmer of
may
be
seen,
enough, maybe,
to
to the truth.
730
An
exception might
lie
made, however,
lor a
is
meant
to help
people learn
So
far,
first
731
Quraan
it
is
is
752
part of the
ummah
does
none does
then
all
are accountable.
\.2. p.
1
7i> az-Zarqaanec,
33.
p.
XXIII.
^0
of the Qur'aan
Qur'aan
is
only allowed
it
are observed: n
1
The
will
translator
a
must he
Muslim with
its
aqeedah). This
is
because
person
who
translation.
in
in
is
translat-
3)
translator
peculiarities of the
translator
to a
degree with
which he can
5)
translate the
translation
must conform
such that
it
is
a reason-
must be consulted.
such that the original
(i.e.,
the Qur'aan)
is
not
else the
whole purpose
ol the
7)
his
audience
may
is
the
issue, prefis
He
must
clarify to his
is
only
the
Qur'aan into
a different
language.
He must
mention
It is
Qur'aan
'A Translation of
it
the Meanings
is
understood by the
scholars have
in their
hands
is
Some
it is
mandatory
for the
Arabic
it
text to
so
,s
that
it
is
These conditions, especially the first one, make it imperative that the translation be done by a knowledgeable Muslim. A translation done by a person who excels in the knowledge ol Arabic and English, but is not a Muslim, must be rejected lor this
7^5 az-Zarqaance,
7i7 az-Zarqaancc,
v.2.
136.
I
7SH c al-Uthaymcen,
p.
Ith
1418 A.I
I.,
in tinI
ripi
with
a translation
tory or not.
le
replied that
to
do
so,
The
reason,
351
Arthur
It is
J.
no matter how eloquent the English. (An example Arberry's The Koran Interpreted.) and explain the Qur'aan
of such a translation
is
in a different
language,
trans-
and the
Khan and Hilali's translation of the Qur'aan, verse 2:4 has been translated as, "Anil those who believe in (the Qur'aan and the Sunnah) which has been sent down..." The phrase 'the Qur'aan and the Sunnah' is not in the Arabic,
For example, in
but
it is
By including
it
have
an interpretation
of the verse.
This
is
The
As was mentioned
thai the translation
is
it
is
the actual
Quraan. The
cannot be considered as
all
the major scholars ol Islaam.and was never seriously a topic of debate amongst the
scholars.
'scholars'
who
transla-
the Qur'aan
may
during the
height in the early part of the twentieth century, during which time
(d.
Kamaal Ata
'intellec-
Turk
1929
CE)
lation,
tual'
The
Egyptian
Farced Wajdee
1954
(d.
Mustafa al-Maraghcc
The
is
of the
Qur'aan:
The Qur'aan
He
revealed to
in the
Muhammad (^)
wording
anil
meaning,
anil
challenge to
man-
it.
Qur'aan
is
in
Arabic
is
As was mentioned
(16: 103),
is
in
Quraan)
is
in a clear Ara-
tongue"
We
have revealed
an Arabic Qur'aan"
(42:7).
(12:2).
We
7.59
World Bibliography
p.
XXVI. What
is
meant In
recited
iii
'lake-
is
In-
prayer,
ami not
Qur'aan should be
To
and
a refutation ol
pps.413-44L
352
An
Al-Azhar University,
stated that the
in
1936
CE
afanm
in
which
it
Qur'aan
is
Another issue
that
is
one
is
The
II
is
forbidden accord-
Miicilil^ces,
and Hambalees.
Imaam Aboo Hanccfah (d. 150 A. H.) allowed the recitation of the Qur'aan in Persian,"" and based on this, some of the later Hanafces allowed it in Turkish and Urdu. The two students of Aboo Haneefah, Imaam Aboo Ybosuf (d. 182 A.H.) and Muhammad
person prays with such a translation, his prayer will not be valid. However,
ash-Shaybaanee
allowed
recite
ity
it
it
(d.
and
only
when
know
all
Arabic, and
was
forced by necessity to
in a foreign
language."
lowever,
of these opinions
Qaadee Aboo Bakr ibn al-'Arabec (d. 543 A.H.), the famous Maalikee commentator on the Qur'aan, said in reference to the following verse:
Ami
il
We had
sent this
Quraan in a foreign language other than 'Why are not its verses explained in detail
in
Arabic,
(in
our
language)? What!
[41:44]
(book) not
who
is)
Arab?'
Our scholars
he (recited) in
its
(of the Maalikees) have said that this verse refutes the view
thai the
Qur'aan may-
This
is
(d.
person
il
is
capable of
its
lie is
not allowed to
this).
change
is
void
(il
he docs
Ibis
he
is
{i.e..
even
it
if
he cannot
recile the
Qur'aan
in Arabic,
he
is
in a different language).
'
to
mention
that the
to
who
does not
know
necessary soorahs.
741)
ibid. p.
II
XXVIII
I
741
thai
laneelah never
v.2, p.
1
made such
Statement, or
he withdrew from
p. SI8.
on
in his life. c
az-Zarqaance,
63.
742 Qattaan.
l-'ie/h
us-Sunnah,
v. 1,
p.
22.
The
Translation ol the
Quraan
353
Shaykh al-Islaam Ihn Taymiyyah (d. 728 A.H.) said, "As for bringing a word (from another language) to explain the meaning (ol another word), such as a word ol the
Qur'aan. then this in essence
held the view that
it is
is
is
why
removes the
fact that
the Qur'aan
it
a revelation
is
person
is
is
capable
of
doing so or
not. This
according
to the majority
it
Imaam an-Nawawee
(d.
676 A.H.)
said. "It
ol
is
whether a person
capable
'
ol
speaking
7 Arabic or not, anil whether such recitations occur during prayer or not."
Therefore,
it
is
it
is
Such
transto
however,
may
is it
allowed
Qur'aan
in prayer.
Such
a prayer,
performed,
is
not valid
and must be
repeated.'
4"
Ti
It is
il-
Importance of Arabic
in
guage
to a
it
the language ol
Islaam -
who do
must
the
words
When
words
ol a
human
interpreter,
ol the Creator.
The
translation. Instead ol
to
being able
to read the
Words
must
that Allaah
rely
Muhammad
there be a
Can
The
bic
I
scholars ol this
ummah, from
the
Companions
Ubay
Ara-
grammar)
and
like
the Qur'aan!"
to
recite
forget (a portion)
more beloved
mistake!"
who missed
their targets.
He
7-14
from Qattaan.
p.
319-20.
74^ az-Zarqaancc,
\.l. p. 160.
script
(what
is
known
as transliteration), this
much
ol a
Committee
Latin script
is
devoid
number of letters
II
would occur
and
mispronunciations
v.2,p.l34.
in its
meaning..."' az-Zarqaanec,
354
An
that they
He
told
them,
"Verily,
your misin
grammar
are
more
difficult lor
me
to bear
'
Imaam
it
is
Muslim should
upon him, such
the prophets,
Book
ol Allaah.
that are
mandatory
sealed
for
him who
to be the
it is
him!"
74 "
And Shaykh
"...the
al-Islaam Ibn
is
Taymiyyah
(d.
Arabic language
ability to
a part
is
obligatory.
This
is
because the
is
obligatory on every
Muslim, and
obligatory act
It is
yet they
also obligatory."'
reason that
it
is
Muslim
firmly
which are
grounded
in Arabic. It
is
is
not surprising, therefore, that one of the goals of the enemies of Islaam
tion ol the Arabic language, lor they realise that
the destruc-
factors ol the
Muslims
is
The
1948 CE,
Due
to the
power
ol llie
nation in their language, religion, laws ami politics. For the Qur'aan has
combined
all
the Arabs,
and
it
is
inconceivable
lh.it,
were
it
Quraan,
tor the
classical
among them
it
\nd wire
not
anil learnt
how
to read
and write
it,
and Studied
it.
An.
were
it
Muslims
''
their
Sir
Edward Benson
is lost!
l
wrote,
"The
basis of Islaam
is
fit is lost,
Islaam
the
One
7-17
L'badali,
|>|>s.
15-2".
say.
74X
that
is
to say. 'Allaalui
is
the prayer
74''
az-Zarqaancc,
v.2.
p,152.
Iijlidaa, p.
469
Translated from
ibid. p. 59.
Aboo
L'liaadali, p. 15.
752
The- Translation
East."
753
ol Algeria, the
vised by
consulate in Algeria,
Qur'aan from
this
is
their midst,
And
exactly
Turkey
who
abolin
He
Turkish, even during the prayers, and transposed the Arabic alphabet with the F.uro-
pean one, such that even today, the Turkish language, which was once written
Arabic,
is
in
now written
in Latin.
III.
The
The
History of Translation
translation ol any part of the Qur'aan occurred during the lifetime of the
first
Prophet
(Sgg).
recited the
first
The Muslims in Abyssinia, under the leadership ol fa'far ibn Abee Taalib, few verses oiSoorah Maryam to the Negus, which were translated to
to Islaam. This incident occurreil before
is
probably the
first
After the hijrah, the Prophet ($) sent letters to the emperors of Persia.
Rome.
letters
included some
to
the
letters.
(^) included
verse 3:64:
Come
to
terms
common
between us
anil
you: that
we worship none
hut Allaah...
These
letters
to translate
Concerning other
arc-
early translations,'
Syriac translations
I.
made
by non-Muslims,
ol
I
in
century A.I
in the
period
lajjnaj ibn
Yoosul
There
is
p.
416.
Aboo Ubaadah,
ibid.,
p. 44.
I I
ri/-.\lti/(/i/ylo<m>. p.
5.
4H-23.
v,
I,
p. 57.
As-Sarakhsce quotes
this as prool
t<
>r
is
permissi
recite
Quraan
is Its
in
another language, as the report mention* dial these new Muslims would
is
hook, nor
ismuul
known.
In order to derive
first
must he substan-
7SS
356
An
made by Moosaa
ibn Sayyaar
al-Aswaaree before 225 A.H. and a complete Indian translation before 270
A.H. According
to
The
king,
first
was clone
at the
command
ol the
Samaanid
Aboo
Saalih
(d.
nied by a translation
century of the
oflmaam at-Tabaree's (d. 310 A.H.) tafseer, part of which is still The first Turkish translation was completed in the 5th hijrah, but only the mention of this translation is left. The earliest
is still
extant
is
was completed
in
734 A.H.
270 A.H.,
who
late the
Qur'aan
tor
him.
all
Urdu
relatively
translations have
been
fairly recent,
due
Urdu
is itself
first
complete translation
190 A.H.
( 1
776 CE).
(the son of Shah Walce Allaah adwas published in Calcutta. This was followed by another ol Shah Walee Allaah's sons. Shah 'Abd alIt
in
The
in
first
Nuwaan Kootee
Lahore
CE
(this translation
Gujurati
was done by 'Abd al-Qaadir ibn Luqmaan, and published in Bombay, in 1879 CE. Concerning Bengali translations, it is claimed that the first partial translation was done by Ghulam Akbar Ali ol Mirzapoor, in 1868 A.H., whereas the first
translation
Brahman. Garish Chandra Sen. in 1886 CE. The first translation of the Qur'aan into Malay was clone in the middle of the 7th century by 'Abd ar-Ra'ooIal-Fansoorcc, a famous scholar ol Singkel. It was published in Cairo
complete translation was done by
a
1
in
1923
CE. The
first
CE,
in
London.
It
was
done by the missionary Godfrey Dale, and primed under the auspices
lor
ol the "Society
The
first
was done
in
143
CE
by Robcrtus Retcncsis,
into Latin
under the
who was helped by Llermannus Dalmata. It was translated command of Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny. The Abbot's
to try to
motive
for
dcramc Islaam,
in
as
during
this
time the
until
it
manuscript form,
in Basle. Switzer-
to this edition.
759
few paragraphs has been summarised trom World Bibliography, pps. XXVIII-
XXXIV
The
Alphonse
(1252
1284
CE) ordered
first
a certain
Abraham of Toledo
to translate
was
accomplished.
The
It
first partial
It
was published
in
was only
61 pages in length,
and
entitled.
"Here begynneth a
of the
and other
Perhaps the
"modern" translation
in 1547.
one by Andrea
first
Arrivabcnc, published
for the
in
Ger-
man
translation,
and printed
Nuremburg.
for the
Dutch
translation, printed in
Hamburg
in 1641.
some years, was from this edition that Alexander Ross translated it into English in 1649. Thus, the first complete English translation was actually a translation from the French, and as such was highly inaccurate. This was the standard English translation for around a century. In
In 1647,
Andre du
Rycr,
who was
the French
Consul
in
Egypt
for
it
and
religion), hath
been
already translated into.. .Latin, Italian, (anil) French, yei never gained any
prosletyte,
its
forcible,
ol
and ridiculous
it is, 1
present
it
(sic)
it
that
hath infected a very great, but most unsound part of the Universe,
may
'"
itself.
In addition. Rev.
a
Zwemer
'He was
utterly
thorough French
Sale.
7" 2
who was
Confessor
to in
in 1698.
translations.
it
He dedicated
his
work
to the
Holy
enti-
and he introduces
761)
Arbcrry. p. 8.
761
Kidwai,
Khalifa,
p. 19.
p.
762
65.
p. xv.
763 Yusuf'Ali,
358
An
/Viler
lawyer
who
hail learnt
inter-
preter by the
name ol
Since his Arabic was poor. Sale relied heavily on Maracci's Latin version,
to the
free
addition
Arabic
text ol the
Qur'aan printed
in
Hamburg
in
of errors). This translation, though, was undoubtedly the most famous one
It
was translated
into
Dutch
(in 1742),
German
(in 1764),
French
Swedish
(in
Sale
was no
altruist,
He
imagine
it
mean opinion
ol
grounded
who
forgery.., I shall
why
the law of
Muhammad
deceived
who imagine
it
to
other re-
or unfair translations
Muhammad
($yg).
il
is
lull ol
interpolated phrases.
his
on the Sale translation that the famous philosopher Thomas Carlyle based
"It is as
toilsome reading as
ever undertook, a
a sense ol
duty could
European through the Qur'aan," "' he wrote. It was also on this translation Edward Gibbon based his sarcastic remarks on the beauty ol the Qur'aan, "...the
infidel.. .will
Huropcan
table,
ol
an
idea,
the dust,
a
and
is
sometimes
in the
the clouds."
'
The
major impact
Reverend
M. Rodwell,
""
in 1861.
More sympathetic then his predecessor, he claimed worked himself up into a belief that he had received a
advice' to missionaries so that they can carry out
divine
call...'.
their proselytism
In his translation,
style ol the Arabic.
first
p. 12.
766 Arbcrry.
The
a chronological order. For this, he relied primarily
359
meant
that, if
one
wanted and
sec
to
first
have
to
go
with
ignorance of Islaam
general,
is
in
881),
which he did
by
Max
Oxford University Press's Sacred Books of the East series, edited Mueller. He, at least, did not attempt to rearrange the Qur'aan in any bizarre
tor the in
order.
However,
common
with
all
there exist
many
in
1937.
He
went
to
measures even
as such
tive
more extreme than any of his predecessors in 'critically re-arranging the soorahs', and is perhaps the most difficult translation to read. He gives his unique perspecon the actual arrangement
ol
Qur'aan.
Obviously, the altered arrangement nnd soorah substitutions arc based upon
little
more
than his
own deranged
imagination.
One of the better, and perhaps more sympathetic, translations is the one by Arthur J. Arberry, who completed his translation in 1955. He writes in his Introduction:
In
choosing
Interpreted
have confor
and
bound
in the
nature of things to be
His translation docs not contain any explanatory notes or background inlormation
on the soorahs. As
is
typical
it is
N.
J.
Daawood's
translation
came out
in 1956, in
which he and
He was an
Iraqi Jew,
his bias
blatantly
shown
throughout his translation. For example, he translates the phrase 'banee Aadatn as
'Children of Allaah' (instead of 'Children of Aadam').
Among
'Abdul
first
was Dr.
Muhammad
Pre-
Hakeem
Khan's, published
footnotes. This
translation.
The Koran:
767 Kidwai.
76H Arberry.
p. 19. p. 26.
360
An
same
year,
Mirza Abul Fadl's translation, The Qur'aan Translated into English from the
Begum,
Mohammed
in 1916.
'Ali,
the Qadiani,""
came
Qadiani, was
to
have
profound impact
on many
Sarwar's, Daryabadi's
and Shakir's).
his
in 1929.
It
was pub-
The
translator also
Prophet (^g).
After this appeared two translations that both gained considerable favour
Muslims. The
had
first
was by
Muhammad
Marmailuke
ol
I
Pickthall, an
was the
first
translation by an
is
meaning
ol the
words
ol
the Koran
in not
concisely, with a
English
be transol the
This
is
can never
Arabic, nor
is
ii
meant
do
so.
in 1938,
when 'Abdullaah
Translation
Vtistif "Ali
his
by a host of others, such as Abdul Majecd Daryabadi's The Holy Qur'aan with English
and Commentary,
in
94
'Ali
Ahmad Khan
Iashim Amir
Ali's
The Mesal-Din
Quraan
and
Madecnah,
verted to
Meaning of the Holy Qur'aan. Muhammad Asad, a Jew who conIslaam, wrote his famous translation. The Message of the Quraan. in 1980.
of the
Thomas
Version
B. Irving, an
1985.
771
his
First
American
769
The Qadiani: were declared non-Muslims in a conference ol world-wide scholars hosted in The reason thai Mohammed 'Ali is mentioned in this group is thai he belongs to
Pickthall, p.
\.
Pakistan
.i
pscudo-
771
The
available.
There
many
this
author
aware
ol")
mean) to he exhaustive list ol all the translations work of this nature. There have been over by Muslims into English, anil another seven by Qadianis,
details, see
by other
The Message,
pps. 17-20. The historical material lor this section (where not explicitly quoted)
pps. 7-2'); Khalifa, pps. 64-68,
in.
The Translation
<>t
the
Quraan
361
iv.
Translations
a translation ot the
Quraan
is,
it
transforms the
Quraan as
human
in
another language. In
the Qur'aan
is
almost completely
as the very
Words
ol
human
all
substitutions.
of
The
powerful rhythm
are destroyed.
manners
ot
English translation
Even the famous Orientalist. Professor H. R. Gibb, remarked, "An of the Qur'aan must employ precise ami often arbitrary terms lor
and the more
is
literal
it is,
the
rich
all
greyer and
more
colourless
it
must
is
be."'
The
Arabic language
to
an extremely
it
convey
in
another language
meanings
that are
conveyed
better.
ot\/\lti\^VZ&i
Verily,
We
(i.e.,
mankind)
lie
or ungrateful
up
to
him)!"
adjectives: grateful (shaa\ir)
two opposite
and ungrateful
Arabic nouns are based upon certain roots and structures (known
Typically,
as
awzaan).
aesthetic parallel
ol
the
nouns used
'faa'il'
in this
one
is
whereas the
second on
'fa'oo/'.
is
trying to be
made
it
is
that the
whereas
(i.e.,
would appear
make
more-
same
root structure
with
'l{afoo>\
The
depth
to the
meaning
is
that
used
to
would otherwise not be present in the verse. The root structure 'fa'ooV indicate a more forcible and efficacious state than the root faa'il There'.
fore,
'/(afoor
is
(which
the
is
in
ungrateful,
and
'shaal^ir
(which
in
'faa'il'
Qur'aan
conveys the
fact that
man
is
when he
many and
will
Him, because the blessings of Allaah are meaning that is conveyed is that most ol
says in another verse.
mankind
be
in
As Allaah
in
Ulaam,
p. 4.
362
An
Quraan
My
mankind can
whereas there
will
he
in contrast to
who
/(iifoor.
By using two
meaning,
a
which conveys
a slightly iliffcrent
mean-
letters also
c^^jc^)$^tfiCZ'MJ&Zi
-All. i. ill .lots not
ity. It
(
h.iruc- a
th.it \\
hich
it
is
within)
its
capacit
will
what (good)
il
will
(evil)
has been used to express the gain that a person earns in good,
to express the
l^asab,
earnings ol
evil, "to
ifyasab.
The second
verb
is
first ('/^asaba',
meaning,
added
This
letter
signiis
some
effort
first
must be employed
in
order to earn
evil.
not
present in the
verb.
in
The
ellorl
resulting
change
meaning
shows
in
is
from Allaah
is
It
also
man,
to
any actions
any
On
good intentions
to
will be rewarded,
even
so,
not followed
up by
actions.
Thus,
for
if
person intended
do
evil,
such intentions.
On
some reason
is
be rewarded
added
is
that
man
in
is
the consequence
it;
'exert'
himself
order to obtain
yet,
he-
good deeds do not emanate Irom him, but Irom Allaah, since
in
evil in
is
his
own
doing,
another verse.
sii^^ii^^^OU^I^^ill-^siljl^lU
The
sen
is
evil details
von
is
in translation. In fact,
cannot
in
even be expected
translation!
Quraan
meanings
Another example
change
in
in meaning is the difference between the two verbs 'nazzala' and 'anzala'. These two verbs were translated by all translators by the same word; no distinction was made between them. However, the two words have slightly different meanings.
'Nazzala signifies the piece-meal revelation (or descent) ol something, whereas 'anzala'
signifies the revelation (or descent)
of something
all at
once.
The
revelation of the
Quraan
entire
in different verses
by both
ol
mentioned
of
descent of the
Qur'aan
on the Night
tion of the
46:20.
Qur'aan
One
verse
The
translation given by
Those
who
it.
believe say,
'Why
is
is
Hnl
when
a decisive snara/i
revealed (anzala),
and fighting
is
(jilunul)
(i.e..
is
men-
tioned in
crites)
in
a disease
the hypool
who
death...*
The
fact that
is
significant. In the
first
half of the
showing
but
Qur'aan.
believ-
when Allaah
lighting, the
become
many
Once
when
cannot even
even a
little!
commands! So they boast tor a lot, but cannot meaning is absolutely ignored by all trans-
lators,
77
Sec al-Israhaance,
p. son, lor
derivatives.
364
An
An example of where
( 1
is
':4.
In
ii,
li
said,
O My Lord!
my
last
Indeed
my
feeble,
has spread on
head...
is:
'ishtha'alci ar-ra'su
shuyba
'.
This phrase,
and az-Zamakhsharee
lish!)."
4
able to extract
no
than
five
ol
various types of Arabic eloquence (some of which cannot even be explained in Eng-
'ishtlui'ala
which
is
used
in
is
the verse
emitted by
a fire.
Therefore, Zakariyyah
a fire,
emit from
an example
ol
head
sparks..',
thus attribol
and origin
that hair (the head), thus accentuating the severity ol his old age.
This phrase
also
many
only arc his hairs white, but these white streaks are
be found
ol
all
over his
head. In essence, this phrase of only three words conveys the image
old age in such graphic detail that the English equivalent
Zakariyyah's
a
would require
lew para-
graphs of text!
In all ol the
Of course, all
such cloipicncc
is
completely
lost in translation.
above examples, the only factor that was involved was the actual Ara-
no knowledge
ol
external information
was needed. A person well-grounded in the Arabic language would have been able to obtain these benefits and interpretations solely from the wording of the verse. However, in the process of translation, all of these examples.
and countless more,
speech
- is
Speech of Allaah
a
re-interpreted
and re-phrased by
human,
to be
language!
As
it is
of the Qur'aan
be imperfect due
to
Despite the
fact that
it
is
posa
would accurately
This, then,
its fair
is
and clear
style.
the goal of a
illus-
almost
774
all ol
is still
to note that
Sec ul-Kiishaaf.
3, p. 6.
The
tions that arc in existence today sutler from very serious flaws
is
because most
first
disqualification
translators
were
actually knowledgeable of
The
tors
for Translation.") in
The second
2
that
most transla-
Qur'aan (conditions
and
5,
above).
To
further
compound
the religious sciences to the level necessary for a translator (condition 4 above). the contrary,
On
many
of
in
And
gone rigorous religious training had problems with the language English was not their mother tongue! One of the prerequisites for
he must be fluent
tion 2 above).
in
that
Examples
be given shortly
avail
order
so,
it
in their translations.
Some
researchers have classified the reasons that errors have occurred in these
translations as follows:""
1
Nescience
of
the Arabic word's exact meaning. For example, verse 18:26 utilises a
certain tense
which
signifies
who
"Do
to
thou make
Him
to see
and
to
derstood this as a
him
it
alone!",
whereas
as a rather dreary,
is
"He can
see
and
"How clear of
2)
sight
He
verse
Pickthall's,
Awareness
as, "Verily
of only
thy Lord
thy Lord
in reality
is
round about mankind." The woril that they translated as 'round about"
full
creatures
i)
means 'encompassed', meaning that Allaah has and none of them can evade His Judgement.
Aboo Bakr
word
(the
name of
is
the
famous Companion)
is
as,
is
a proper
name, and
not meant to be
775
The
only exception to this (from the works that this author has conic across)
lie
is
Khan
anil
lilali's
translation, as shall
discussed soon.
are also from [his source.
776
Khalit'a, p. 67.
366
An
of the Qur'aan
4)
Limited knowledge of Arabic eked out with figments of imagination. for example. Bell
'Kiliiub'.
to
As was mentioned
for
the Qur'aan
'nijz'
5)
Mistaking Arabic
in 74:4
Hebrew
meaning of
which means,
"wrath",
whereas the
real
meaning
6)
'pollution'
(which
is
used
Some contusion
These
with
Hebrew
with the
traditions.
Hebrew
'shekinah'.
to non-Muslim translators. Muslim translators are:
Per-
common
An
incorrect understanding of a
word.
2)
3)
An example
it,
ol
where
a particular
word was
translated incorrectly
is
verse 2 1 :87. In
had
of
The
number
meanings, including:
tors,
hold responsible
for".
Most
transla-
took the
lirst
transin
anger.
He presumed
We
him..."
type ol unbeliel
(l{iifr)
to a prophet, for
"...and
he presumed that
We
him
to task..."; in
sinful act
and not
that Allaah
had
word
used
to
denote
the added
and
this
is
the
meaning by which later dictionaries define it. The Zodiacal Greek mythology, and play absolutely no role in Islaam.
'Ali
ol
Yusul
gives a very
is.
The
"(I
stellations."
An example where
is
Muhammad
come,
il
Ali's translation
say,
when
On
who (now)
is
disbelieve will not profit them..." In the footnote, he explains the day of victory as the
conquest
of
What
is
meant by the
is
verse,
however,
die
Day
of
lor that
disbeliever will not be accepted. Ibn Kathcer (d. 774 A.H.) stales.
The Translation
of the
Qur'aan 367
"Whoever presumes
th.it
is
the
Conquest
ol
Makkah
lievers,
has strayed
ol
far,
and
on the daj
of the
Conquest
Makkah,
if
and
verse 37:28. In
diil
Another mistranslation due to an incorrect understanding of a phrase occurs in it, Allaah mentions that the disbelievers will regret the fact that they
not heed the call of the believers in this
OL
st*
lite.
They
Day
of
Judgement),
.
'It
was you
(i.e.,
the believers)
who
used to
come
Now,
and
ever, this
the phrase "an al-yameen literally translates as "from the right-hand side".
is
how
is
number
is
ol translators,
such
as Ali
it.
How-
what
ash-Shawkaanee
of truth
come
to the disbelievers
The
'right-hand side'
and
justice,
believers used to
reject
it.
approach the disbelievers with the truth, but the disbelievers would
understand the meaning of
verbatim, without giving any
Some
and translated
ing!
comment or explanation
as to
mean-
An example
lation
of"
knowledge
is
of
Arabic
grammar
is
the trans-
of verse 56:82.
The verb
'taj'aloona' that
them in order to form a complete sentence."'' The first "object" that is mentioned, however {rizcjtiJfitm), docs not form a comprehensible sentence with the verb unless one adds a noun to it. This lact woidd be apparent to any linguist at the first reading ol the verse. The noun that is missing
verbs that need two 'objects' (maf'ool) to
can either be deduced from the context, or from authentic narrations from Ibn 'Abbaas (found
in
The noun
is
'shu /(/').
However, due
to
the fact that most translators were, apparently, not aware of the rules pertaining to
this class of verbs, they
ignored the
fact that
verbatim.
The
verse, therefore,
was translated
it
it
your means
false!"
by almost
Muhammad
provisions
that
"Ali, 1'ickthall.
Shakir,
and
others).
is.
The
however, as done by
Khan and
on the
Hilali,
He
gives you.
contrary,
disbelief)!"
meaning between
the
\.
i.
p.
^12.
516,
al-Qadeer,
v.
4. p.
An
alternate interpretation
is
hand
side' indicates
power, or
it
In this verse.
'
368
An
is
Quraan
seems that the two translations are
lions
first
glance
it
absolutely unrelated to one another, despite the fact that they are actually the
verse!
same
Yet another
is
These
verses
'ra'aa'.
This word
If
has a
it
number ol
to: 'to
meanings
it, it
to
it,
depending on
'to see',
its
means:
'to
whereas
it
'objects',
its
meaning
twice,
changes
presume', or
it
word occurs
not
all),
"They
(the
of Judgement) as
is at
far
away.
But we see
it
as near!"
actually incorrect,
same time not very accurate. A more accurate translation "They presume it as far away. But we know for certain that it is
the
if
near!" In other words, the disbelievers are not sure about the occurrence of the
it
is
long time
left for
it.
Day ot The
trans-
will occur,
and with
this certain
knowledge, they
lations,
know
that
it is
The
two
ot the second,
come
bic
grammar!
As
a last,
more complicated, example, let us examine verse 34:28. All - without any exception - translated the verse, with minor diftranslations reviewed
and
slightly
ferences, as,
((.)
Muhammad)
except as
hearer ol glad
tid-
and
warner. to
all
The
cording
jective,
phrase,
'...to all
Arabic as
'all of",
'..Jfaafath
is
li
nuns'.
Ac-
word
'/(aafat/i'
means
and
a conditional adit
known
(or, 'naas').
In this verse,
is
can be seen
subject,
which
'naas'
(mankind).
all),
it is
Now, according
to the majority
precede
its
subject in a
number
(to
of
where
its
subject
more
precise,
it
be
as the
is
Iniroofal-jar,
one
which
is
letter
laam
(i.e.,
preceded by the
letter
transliterated above as
it
'li').
Arabic grammarians,
it
both az-Zajjaaj
538 A.H.), two of the most famous scholars of Arabic grammar, called
The
*a
word
'l^aafath'
must he understood
(from the root
"Anil
as
meaning one
(fecial)
ol its
it
is
not taken to be
a conditional adjective
/(tiffa,
meaning
(C)
and
the verse
we have
Muhammad)
mankind
and
a
(i.e.,
to prevent
warner."
(due to the
fact thai
there
is
a difference
of opinion amongst
Arabic
grammarians over
lated this verse
this particular
it
grammatical
them allowing
such an interpretation),
who
trans-
Arabic
The point that is trying to be made is that is essential thai such detailed rules ol grammar be known and thoroughly understood by anyone who wishes to transii
late the
Qur'aan. Arabic
is
a highly
it
is
do
justice to
any translation!
to
verse, as
ash-Shawkaanee
(d.
hh tafseer,
sible translations.''"
A Review of Some
Translations
to
and some
The purpose
ol this section is
on the
translation.
The comments
all
that
were made
in
the previous section must be kept in mind; almost are demonstrative ol the three categories ol errors
mentioned above.
Only
the
non-Mus-
how
translations invariably inject their doctrines into the Qur'aan. (However, an exception
was made
for
Muhammad
it
Pickthall
and Yusuf'Ali).
more popular
translations.
It
was released
in 1930.
editions.
7H0 al-Kaskaaf,
7X1
I'dlh
v.
5.
p.
V)2
it-,
v.
J,
p.
V)2:
4. p.
-\M: Divaa
<<..-,W/;/(.
\.
2. p.
2M5.
1'ickthall
in the
words
man or distinct literary gifts'. "' He had travelled in and had worked for the Nizam of Hyderabad. For his translation, he relied
quite heavily on
Muhammad
is
All's translation
(mentioned below).
is
The
translation
quite
literal,
and therefore
confusing
of Biblical
English
makes
for those
who
the Qur'aan, but at least helps in minimising All's influence the translation
It
is
would be no exaggeration
today
is
in existence
Com-
mentary.
ones.
'Ali
It
release in
had studied
in
England
family.
He
had
learnt Arabic
from
his lather.
Although well-versed
English gram-
mar and
on
literature,
Mohammad
The
comments.
- and
therefore easier to
There
arc
ample
acceptable.
The problem
tive
with
this translation,
however,
of
is
Ali's lootnotes.
The
Ali's
'revised' editions of
Yusuf
translation published, but even these arc not free from error.
Some of the problems of this translation is his idea of 'analogy in the Qur'aan. Due to a misinterpretation of verse 3:7, he believes that many of the statements of the
Qur'aan are
allegorical.
According
to his footnotes.
mind and do
not really exist (notes 44. 50, 168, 452, 499, 579);y//;s arc not a separate
man
Heaven
has an
al-
and not
fit///,
lor
'Ali
extremely
liberal
approach
to
for
discouraged
in
some examples. Many of these problems have been solved in the 'revised' addition. but some work still needs to be done. 7M Also, most of these concepts arc found in
it is
obvious. In
fact,
he
782 Arbcrry,
\\ 20. p.
1
78? Kalvvai.
7S4
7.
For lurthcr
-\
5,
On
'Abdullaah Yiisuf'AUc
iinil
Muhammad Asad'i
commentaries.
785 YusufAli.
p. xvi.
The
Translation
"I
the Qur'aan
371
Muhammad
Ali's translation
in the notes
'Ali
is 'a
and the
Yet an-
Yusuf
Yusuf 'Ali was clearly influenced by the 'modernist' school of thought, which
sought
to explain
away everything
that they
felt
'modem'
rationalise.
wa alliter-
Mi'raaj), he writes,
ally...
"The
majority ot
Commentators
is
The
implied meaning
ob-
ported
and contradicts the belief ol Ahl as-Sitnnah that the Prophet (^) was transin body and soul during al-Israa tea al-Mi'raaj. While mentioning the story ol Yusuf 'Ali has
is
difficulty
earlier,
is
Taqiuddin
ings oj the
since.
It
Hilali's
and
Muhammad Muhsin
first
released in 1977,
was
mutli-volume work,
one
summarised volume.
Both
ol the translators are
all
ol
Madeenah, and
per-
The translation
relies
on
al-
Qurtubee's
finest in
anil at-Tabarec's
undoubtedly the
in brackets
many
interpolated
meanings
text anil
explanatory notes.
It
also has
is
English
is
many
phrases
is
and then gives an explanation of the phraseoccasionally useful, at times it makes lor tedious reading.
in
Arabic,
Asad's The Message of the Onr'aan was first released in 1980. The was a very well known figure, and had written two famous works. The Road translator
to
Muhammad
(a
Makfcah
He
had
which
is
a very
good
translation.
786
ibid. p. 691.
Emphasis mine.
"
^72
An
ideas.
It
a Mtt'tazilee perspective.
He
the story of
a very
Ibraahccm, 2:260), believes that jinn are not separate creatures, and also has
liberal
cf.
approach
loJu//i
ol
//i/iib
and
place,
Soorah Noor).
this
numerous
in
number -
the
is
one
is
not to be
recommended because
'Ali,
misinterpretations.
Miih.imni.nl
his
The Holy
Qu/am
and
it
The author is a
of heretical ideas.
the
He does
Prophet
(SjjD,
and
twists
meaning
ol
He
also believes
on the
cross,
raised
up
to the
duction, p. xx onwards). In
fact,
he even goes so
Hell
is
and
its
but lor
Due
by
'Muslim,"
it
hail a great
was one of the first translations in Enginfluence on future translations, particularly Yusul
PickthalTs. In fact,
Rev.
Ali's anil
Muhammad Marmadukc
A
cartful
Muhammad
'Ali
quotes with
pride the
Zvvemer,
who wrote:
with that of the
I'ickthall's translation
Ahmailiyya
Pickthall's
translator.
work
vii).
is
not very
much more
version (p.
This translation
was
Sarwarand
Shakir.
is
M. M. Shakir came out with 'his' translation, The Hoi) Quran, in 1982. Actually, it based almost completely on Muhammad Ali's translation, except for minor changes.
simple comparison between the two translations shows that Shakir merely revised
Ali's translation.
Kidwai
calls
it,
'an
,ss
Also, Shakir
is
he
lists 'verses'
that refer to
of
of 'Alee,
and so on.
dial
he
is
Ihulain
lastly,
riles in his
Introduction, p.
Ahmed
me
with
all
work.
have
drunk deep
at
the fountain of knowledge which this great Reformer - Mujaddid of the present century and
-
has
made
to flow...'
The
373
T. B. Irving's translation. The Quran: The First American Version, was released in
1985.
It is
meant
to
be
in
Biblical connotations of
the
title
no
and
is
feel that
have been a
thai
bit harsh.
lowever.
it
should be kepi
Book
ol
Allaah
ue
problems should be considered major ones, especially when such problems concern inauthenlic interpretations ol
I
hi
Qur'aan. In
reality,
despite the
still
docs
good
is.
translation thai
lilalee's
as
still
exists
knows
best!
at
iis
These lines were written based upon the translations that the author hail access to
1
lowever. slightly be lore the final editing ol this work. Salieeh International released
Although
all
is
an
others
th.it
is
surprisingly
reflects the
Arabic meanings. The footnotes are short and to the point, and greatly
its
aid In the understanding of the verse. This translation clearly shines above the rest with
simplicity.
accuracy and
made
against
it
is
the
lact lhat
mains shrouded
anonymity!
known,
so lhat due
can be given.
udonyms and hide behind unknown names! Despite this obvious criticism, however, the work is indeed commendable effort in the field ol English translations, and will probably remain unique in its class lor some time to come.
C H A
K R
17
Orientalists
i.
The Authorship
Orientalists arc
of the Qur'aan
scholars
non-Muslim
at
who have
authorities
As such,
Arabic
when
a researcher studies
yet
still
remains
their
non-Mustestimony.
own
thai
might have
existed lor not accepting Islaam. For reasons that can only be guessed, they heard
and
and submit
to
Iim!
Quran' studied
,
in
number
ol years.
During these
years,
he went overall the c/ira'aat. including thtshaadh ones, with the scholars of al-A/.har,
ol the
its
vast majority ol
much
Can
il
many
facets?
in
Another
bic
Orientalist.
of the Qur'aan are so characteristic, so powerful, so highly emotive, that any veris
of things to
be but
poor copy
splendour of the original." '"" Elsewhere, he even admitted that the Qur'aan was
solace
and comfort
I
him:
'"'
<>l
labouring
at this
interpretation, eclectic
ilcrstainling ol a
differ in their
is
unnot
I
word or
through
this
welcome
I
task
sit
would
on
bearded
my (iczira house and listen entranced Sheykh who chanted the Koran for the pious
ol"
delectation of
my
790 Arberry, p. U.
791 Arberry,
p.
2&
Orientalists 375
neighbour....
It
was then
that
I.
and
react to
when
I
listened to
such
time and
in
such
place. In
humble thanklulness
dedicate this
non-Muslim.
its
Why
then,
when
call:
The
Muhammad (^)
lifer
magnanimous
And
would imply
were not
and
Muhammad
as to
this they
willing to believe. Therefore, they were in a dilemma, and were forced to concoct
some explanation
had claimed
who the
($gp
to be a prophet.
coming forward
as a
messen-
God. For
il
il
literate
him
to
will
Koran
it
as they assert
it
was
much
ex-
would seem
that the
ol
author
is
histori-
of Mohammed, the
less
reason do
we
As Rodwell
states,
il
Muhammad
one
would
then imply that he was an impostor. But the more one studies the biography (seerah)
of the Prophet (j^g), the less
sire for
finds reason to
presume
this.
power and
glory; the desire to unify the Arabs; the desire for moral reforma-
one
of the
All
Example of the
Perhaps one
Prophet's
(%,)
Sincerity
of the
Prophet (j@)
is
when he was
tears
The Prophet
the
(-yg)
was
and
streamed down
Even
Companions were
distressed
and satldencd
few-
hours after Ibraahccm's death, a solar eclipse occured, blocking out the bright light of
the sun. Immediately,
word spread amongst the Muslims: Even the sun and moon
(5gg) loss!
are-
7"2 Arbcrry.
p.
15-16.
376 An Introduction
Qur'aan
What more can possibly be asked by an immoment - this golden opportunity that
skies grieve with the Prophet!
would be heard
Even the
Muhammad
(5) could have called the people of Madcenah, and told them. "Yes! liven the heav-
my
loss!" In fact,
call
remain
silent,
and
let
the
Yet,
Muhammad
fjjj|)
lie
to his
until
people.
He
issued a general
summons
to the people of
they
anil
all
moon
many miracles ol Allaah. They do any human being." '" So simple the phrase,
of the
yet so
powerful
in
its
implications.
Can
Authorship Theories
In general, there arc four
primary 'explanations'
of the
that Orientalists
adopt or have
by-
adopted
to explain the
phenomenon
Quraan. Some amongst them even that the Prophet (3gg) was the author ol
the
how an
illiterate
such
a masterpiece, or
Muhammad
pute; though
others."
7"4
was
it
really the
the
Quraan
is
bevond
dis-
is
no small
What
Quraan
is
is
how
is
re-
markably similar they arc to the claims of the disbelievers of old - claims that the
itsell
mentions ami
refutes.
The
a stark
Poet?
The
first
"explanation' that
is
given
is
Muhammad
(-^)
was
poet- an extremely eloquent anil skilled poet - but a poet nonetheless. This was forth by Stobart around a century ago. and echoed by Hell and even Rodinson as
as the l70\s. Bell described the Prophet
type'F
fjtg)
put
late
793
794 Sale.
7'IS
Khalila.
II.
II.
796 Khalifa, pi
Orientalists 377
How
reminiscent this
is
ol old!
Or
do they
say,
'Me
is
a poet!'..
52:30].
"They
vented
say,
it;
in-
Nay! he
a poet!"
Then
let
like (the
And
of a
mad
Rather,
And
it
is
"
'l
c *\
.'\"'" 'f
"if"*
f \'\S'
And
this
is
We
is il
clear
Qur'aan [36:69]
A Madman?
Yet another 'explanation'
devils,
is
that he (5^)
was an
epileptic
to
to reject these
claims as
ol
false.
those
one looks
Prophet (HI), one cannot find any grounds lor at all in any of the classical works of
life life
throughout
his sixty-
his
whole seem/?
is
a refutation of
797
Nj.i/.i, p. 19.
798 Khalifa,
p. 15.
578
An
Once
old.
again,
modem
ol
Do they not reilccl and ponder. There is no madness (Muhammad). 1< is bui a plain vvarnci* 7: K-t
1 1 1
J
in their
companion
-Ami
poet'
t going
i"
.i
razj
Nay! Rather
(Muhammad)
1
come with
the Truth,
and confirmed
57:36-37]
c
)i
do they
say:
There
is
madness
in
him?" Nay'
le
has brought
ihem
[2 5:70]
the Prophet
Muhammad
().
^11 arc
not,
by the
Jracc
of your
.on
I.
mailman-
[68:2]
Taught by Others?
The
is
thai the
They
differ,
though, as
to
who
Some
claim that
1
it
monk
that the
Prophet
ol Sir
allegedly
Mtiir.
met
in Syria
when he was
""'
teenager.
7 '"
This
William
a
Even giving
that this
(5*?.)
true,
would
meeting
of less
was
teenager - give
him the
capability to
compose
the Qur'aan:
(i^g)
was taught
the
Zoroastrian-turned-Christian
would make
tin-
[udaeo-Christian prophets.
get
all ol this
response to
this,
(jg?,)
came onto
well
known, came
to the
alter
the hijnih, whereas most ol the Qur'aan was revealed before the
almost
799 Actually,
this incident
In its
<
hain
p
is
'AM
1
al-K.ilima.in ihn
Ch.i/uan.
who ismun^ar
(rejected), Also, n
Numani,
1.58.
such as al-Albaanec
wh
i>et
why
p. 66)
800
801
KJi.ilil.i. p.
14. IS.
KhaHla.p.
"
Orientalists 379
Other claims arc even more preposterous. Both Bodly and Gibb claimed
Prophet
(s^,)
that the
was taught Christianity by Qiss ibn Sa'eedah, an Arab bishop who used
annual
Ukadh
fairs.
veniently forget to mention that this individual died over a century before the Prophet's (#5)'birth!*"
:
life ol
the Prophet
source'
(^) who could have influenced him to such a great extent, they claim an 'unnamed who helped Muhammad (^) concoct the Qur'aan. Rodinson wrote, "The
in so
much
s
with the Talmud that of their essentially Jewish origin there can be doubt.
is
What
is
upon
the stories found in the Qur'aan that are also found in the Bible. This fact, according
to these Orientalists, proves that the Q)ur'aan
is
oral or written.
in the
in a
number of ways.
slightly different
of the two books knows. This shows that the Prophet (^g) did not blindly imitate
Judaeo-Christian sources. Secondly, there are numerous stories mentioned in the
in the Bible,
mentioned
in the Bible,
such as
Hood
same
general similarities between certain stories in the Qur'aan and Bible can also be ex-
and
this
perhaps
is
unknown
The Qur'aan
states,
concerning
these stories,
This
is
which
this...|
We
1
you nor
1:49|
(-j|g)
know
these
which implies
tion. If
were known
to
some
said, "Nay,
one claimed
this,
despite
is
the fact that the disbelievers tried everything to disparage the Prophet
clear sign that the people
(i^g).
This
to these stories,
and were
S02
ibid.
reports,
however, which
young
anything of what he
SO?
ibid.
380
An
Once
call that
mimicked
that
same
Anil
indeed
teaches him."
a clear
We know that they (the pagans) say. The tongue ol the man they refer to is
It
is
only a
human who
is
in
& %&.
one
else), a
]} liji^ijl^
Then they turned away from him. and said. 'A (person) taught (by some-
madman!"
|44:I4|
/>',':?.
><f*<
.-.-
>'Cy
> "'.ft
-Those who
invented,
is
nothing but
a lie that
he has
it.'
So they
they
(the disbelievers)
say.
came
wicked
he!
And
'Stones of the
and they
are dictated to
him
(by others)
morning
(to
He who knows
that
is
let
them answer
the challenge:
Or
do they
call
say,
'I
le
has forged
it!"
Say:
Then bring
il
soomh similar
1
to
it,
and
Iii
1038].
addition, the
all ol
put forth as
non-Arab?!
Imagination?
The
last
'explanation' given
is
that the
in this
Prophet
Muhammad
"...had
(3gg)
imagined that
he
worked himself up
into a
call...'.*'"
In the 1%0's,
man
other
to
'result of wishful thinking", and Watt concluded, "What seems to a come from outside himself may actually come from his unconscious."805 Anmodern Orientalist, Kenneth Cragg, wrote, "Such was the ground and mean-
ing ol
Muhammad's
call, in a
facts of
con-
became
warning
in
the
city."
806
R. A.
we
as
'a
pathological case' or a
grand example
ol
Last Judgement was near ami that he must countrymen of the doom impending.. .To say that... the Qur'aan is, on the whole, uninspired, docs not mean that its author was conscious of fraud when he gave out all sorts of regulations and instructions in the Qur'aan's name." Rodinson. recasting these ideas in modern vernacular, insisted that the Qur'aan was
can be discerned
at all costs
warn
his
51
claim can be considered another example ofthe claim that the Prophet
that the
(^g)
was
madman. To claim
is
prophet while
he was not
Prophet's
to claim that he
was
knew
that the
(syg)
any claims
of insanity, they
was
he
a prophet! a
Can
it
was sane in all his affairs, except the fact that he be imagined that one who 'works himself up' into the beliel that
in all his affairs; as a father anil
is
husband; as
walks
a political
commander;
in fact, in all
of lite:
In addition, the presumption by these Orientalists that the Qur'aan was the product ofthe Prophet's
(jgg)
subconscious mind
it
is,
in reality,
an indication
all its
of their igno-
rance of the
Quraan. Can
laws,
commands
miraculous
and prohibitions,
beliefs, stories
and morals,
is
Can
it
be believed
forth
Irom
ol
his fantasy?
same explanation
as their
modern coun-
SIM Arbcrry.
p. IS. p. 12.
Njozi,p.5.
Njc.zi. p.
2ii.
807 SOS
Kli.ililj. p. 12.
382
An
Nay. they
vented
it!
say.
These
is
(revelations) arc
in-
Nay, he
a poet!
Then
let
like (the
Bryan
S.
European biographers
o|
position that
his
Muhammad
Muhammad was
views,
The Quraan
yy
E
(to
them,
O Muhammad),
a
lor,
by the grace
ol
madman. Or do they say. "He is a poet! We await some calamity to befall him by time!' Respond (to them), "Wait, ior too will wait with vou!' Do their intellects command them with this
your Lord, you are not a sorcerer, nor
I
(i.e.,
it
people
tt
<ho
disbelief)':
let
Or do
they say.
'I
has forged
it!'
Rather, they
not strange
how
Orientalists try to
come up
who
Au-
And
is it
not even more remarkable that they echo and imitate the same concoclife
of the Prophet
(i^g)
did?
Verily, in this
there
is
a sign: yet.
most
ol
them
809
Njo/.i. p. 21.
Orientalists
sX
Some Books
The
topic ot the
by Orientalists
Qur'aan amongst the Orientalists has not attracted as
much
("or
inter-
is
because
it is
relatively easier
them
to
doubts on the authenticity of hadeeth anil the flaws offiqh. For example. Joseph
all
Schacht, one ol the most famous Orientalists of this century, claimed that
are forgeries of later generations, attributed to the Prophet
(sgg)
hadeeth
motives.
He even claimed
1
that the
more
more
occurred!"
"
With regards
to the
Qur'aan,
it
is
much more
them
difficult for
them
and
interpret
have done
with other topics. Recently, however, Orientalists have turned their attention to attacking the Qur'aan, and have started trying to cast doubts about
its
authenticity.
in
the
field,
Each of
The
entitled
first
it
work
is
by Theodore Noeldcke,
a very
famous German
Oitr'aan'.
Orientalist. He-
of the
written
other
German
Bergstraesser.
first
a period
of three decades,
last in
volumes.
The
all
volume
was published
in 1909,
and the
1938.
It
won
Academy of
s"
Inscriptions,
quoted
in its
pans with
Quranic
Text'.
naturally re-
thors.
lie
Noeldcke
can
later
'
The main
volume
is its
gins ol the Various Parts ol the Qur'an". Here, on the basis ol Noeldeke's
earlier works, the won//;/
Makkan
is,
presented
apart
Muslim
SKI For a superb refutation ol the Orientalist views on hadcclh. see M. M. A/ami.
On
Schachl'l Origins
of
Muhammadan
81
& Sons,
1985.
in
German,
ihis
The author
is
grateful to
for
58-60
I
812
later
He believed,
changed
for example, that themut/atta'aat represent the initials for the scribes ofthe Qur'aan.
this point.
le
mind on
384
An
Quraan
well-known Qur'an
trans-
writings
on the
on
remarks on chronology
in his transla-
tion.
There
is a
final discussion
in the
Quraan'
is
almost completely
a
calm
dis-
cussion of the "ruling tradition' vis-a-vis other reports about the collection ol
the Qur'an. Schwally, after presenting the material
and
his reflection
on
it,
comes
to
Muslim
only a copy
ol
work of which had been completed under Aboo work however probably
far
we may be
it
confident that
in the
was found
Proph-
Volume
three
is
text ol the
Quran
mainly
once more
a sober presentation ol
informa-
dealt
with the written form of the 'L'tlimanic Qur'an, the variant readings, as
contained
historical
Pret/.l
in
ami
'bay.
le
development
Muslim
literature
briefly
scripts.
manu-
As
in
are classical
Muslim authors,
writers on qiraat.
it
and various
is
not the
sole-
Quran
not so
at least in a
de-
manner. For
this
is
much Noeldeke
to present
- had
it.
While some
the authors'
not be
welcomed by Muslims,
tation based
on the
classical
Muslim
on the topic
that has to be
acknowledged. Especially
that
surprisingly
little
Muslims might
is
and indeed
Muslim
literature
on the sub-
of the
Text
The
als for
its
is
ol great
importance
that of
Arthur
Jeflery, entitled
Materiin
the History
of the Text of the Our an: The Old Codices. This hook also includes
Ahee Daawood
(tl.
S16
'
Orientalists 385
It
was
first
published
in
1937, in Leiden,
and reprinted
number
ol
limes
since, Jeffery bases his edition ofKitaab al-Masctahifo'R the only available manuscript
copy
in the
ol
actually
of the
Text
Ibn Abee
Jeffery.
Jeflery's
own work is
of the differto
have writ-
He compiled
Companlists all
meant
mas-haf.
He
the readings in these mus-hafs that do not conform to the present day mus^haf (al-
though
in reality
arc-
order,
est of
all
the verses
are
them
work based on each codex, and under each codex, he lists, in a dilferent recitation occurs. The most important and longthe codexes of Ibn Mas'ood and Ubay ibn Ka'ab.
where
this
Jeffery
compiled
texts,
some
authentic and
some
not.
The
works
oi'tafseer. to
list
he did not
work
that
it
To give an example
Soorah Faatiluth.
1
what
Jcflerv
He
'malil( as 'maalil{
'ihdina as-siraat al-mustaqeem' as 'aishidna as-siraat al-mastaijccm'
'riraal
2)
3)
man an'amta
'alayhim'
4)
is
trying to prove
is
He
writes,
is
'Uthmaan canonised was only one out of many rival texts...'; therefore the purpose ol sii His suppoJeflery's book is to, '..investigate what went before the canonical texts.
sition
is
chosen.
There
I)
made concerning
is
this.
On
absolutely correct
of
the Qur'aan as 'Uthmaan preserved it was chosen by him from amongst many variant texts what are the implications of this from Jcffery's work? Even if we allow for all these readings that [effery compiled to be authentic, and representing legitimate vari-
si? [effcry,p.X.
386
An
Quraan
ants from the text of 'Uihmaan. not a single reading actually contradicts another one
in
meaning.
No
verse
is
literally
oJ
which merely
c|uestion
it
must be asked,
Jclfery claims
is
is
what
is
Agreed,
that
what
true, this
a
would imply
Quraan
s
is
present
only one of
number
this
of authentic texts,
on
claim? Ol course,
not agree.
-
this is
basic premise
is
true,
and
to
this
we do
2)
More importantly
and
hook-
the authenticity of
how can
In
some
cases
it
is
of readings
later
invented by
the grammarians and theologians being fathered on these early authorities in order to
gain prestige
ol their
is
perhaps strongest
in
From
Muslim
standpoint,
we have
little,
il
hold very
any, value.
Due
in
to this
is
compiled
its
his
them mentions
this reading,
isnaad, lor
isnaad.
some of these
However, from
Jcffery's
It
own
and
reliability
of isnaad, he
contradicts himself.
all
is
Jcffery
were
to
apply his standards anil implement his belief of the isnaad system,
confident that
1
the majority of readings quoted from any reader really go hack to early authority'. " 6
This clear double standard on Jeffery's part
finds
not surprising;
to discredit
whenever an
Orientalist
some information
then he
will use
it.
that
he
feels
can he used
on
it,
no matter what the context, authenticity or actual implicaAs Jcffery so clearly and unabashedly
stales,
may
he.
"Much of the
most of tin-
Muslim. The
occurs as an
addition to 26:21s. and mentions thai the true believers are only from the family of the Prophei (ssl. This
is
cf.
p. 18')
of the hook
815
XI (i
Jcffery, p. 15,
Jeflery,
|>.
1^
The Qur'aan
material given by Ibn
anil Orientalists
387
text
ofthe Qur'aan,
hail
one
it,
reached
confident in
making use
of
however weak
di-
How,
The
is
upon
the unIt is
derstanding
noticed that
ol
the Qur'aan, as
was explained
previously.
many of these
saheeh., da'eej
of the
who
all
learnt
from the
is
ence need
ol the
Companions
to be proven,
but
in
doing
so, Jeffery
Companions
(his
is
(anil
later
.
au-
An example ol
As was
quoted
proving their origin. As for those variants which are considered da'cef qira'aat. they
is
no use
in
of these da'cefqira'aat
rcciteil
Compan-
ions before their recitation had been abrogated. These cannot be considered as part ol the Qur'aan anymore, as
was mentioned
is
earlier,
and thus
left
to
been
left
out
($>).
ol the
Qur'aan
were
out
at the
command
ol the
Prophet
shown
only
examples ofthe ahruf of the Qur'aan that were not preserved by the
Prophet
command
of the
(m.
s
collection
is
lists
many ofthe
variant readings
each and every variant reading must be estabvalue. Also, the variant readings quoted in
all
book
which
(at least
still
part ol the
some
lor
of
qira'aat.
he were
SI 7
lil'firv. p.
VII
?K8
An
ol
the Qura;in
work
is
an example
<>l
an Orientalist taking
of
ihcahruj and
qiraaat), distorting
it,
it
in a sinister light in
upon Islaam. Had he only understood the interpretation that is claimed by him to be
tion
- an
'largely fictitious'*
why
it
his
famous
Aboo )aawood
is
275 A.M.).
Howit
same
each narration
it
may
be ascertained.
It
deals, as
its title
discusses the
Companions and
compilations
ol
The last work that shall be discussed is a relative!) recent one: The Collection ofthe Quran by |ohn Burton. It was first published in 1977 by Cambridge University Press.
What Burton
hftdeeth
ol
ol
tioned
that
ol
all
earlier,
Schacht (and before him Goldzihcr) claimed and popularised the theory
the hijrah. Burton writes in his introduction thai his work, '..seeks to re-open the
question of the collection of the Qur'aan as seen by Muslims. Their accounts will be
re-examined
by Goldzihcr anil
Schacht...'.*'"
Jeffcry.
He
all
presume
that,
guided
by mere
literary intuition,
we can
some very
interesting
ami unique
theories.
all
He
dismisses
all
he has rejected
all
these narrations, he
is
and
SIS
Hl'>
lellcry. p.
1
5.
Burton.
It is
|>.
S2n
gives an either-or
everything or
He docs
argument hen- concerning hathctlr. cither naively accept not even bother to mention the tact lh.it there are strict
what
is
is
weak.
821
Burton,
p.
Orientalists
$89
Burton,
his
it
was
Muhammad
(3|g)
himself
who compiled
the Qur'aan.
However, "Amid
self
manifold
state responsibilities
Muhammad
remember
is
This
all
how
different
Companions
direct
Muhammad
lorgot
outright, others he
verses.
is
summarily
With
his
own hand
ol
In trying to explain
Companions
comes out Mus-
with another bizarre theory. After the Prophet's ($g) death, argues Burton, later
lim jurists forged the concept of nasty, so that they could justify certain fiq/i positions
that they held (such as the stoning ol the adulterer).
These
jurists
wished
to
somehow
ol fiqh,
was well known what the Qur'aan imts_-laf, so, somehow, a means
of the nuts_-luifb\\\.
pan
\
now no
longer
ol nastyi.
jurists
occur
at
his
lite.
nasty,
and invent
had been
left
to prove.
it
and
Burton
stales,
"This motive
(i.e.,
Muslims
text. It
to
exclude their Prophet from the history of the collection of their Qur'aan
a
was
compelling motive.
according
to
It
was
Initially,
'Uthmaan declined amongst the masses, the people had to transfer the honour of the initial compilation to Aboo Bakr and 'Umar, and to give 'Uthmaan a lesser role. With all of these jumbled reports appearing on the scene,
This
led to the attempts to
attribution:
Abu
Bakr had
'Umar acquiring
the merit of
having completed
Umar
is
'Uthman
his pious
is
ol
822 Hurton,p.234
82
5
Burton,
p. p.
232
824 Burton,
230
390
An
This, then,
It
is
the
is
an amusing
story,
summary of Burton's version of the compilation of the Qur'aan. nothing else. The scholars ol Islaam were in a dilemma to
il
ficjh issues.
it
up by forging
were supposed
to
have
been
man sooty.
scholars had so
little
If these
why
it
why go through
prove
it
by backing
up with
false narrations,
when
concocted
a hadeeth to
all,
jurists
In reality.
his claims
prove
Throughout
that
is
reiterated
a large
is
should exist
the
whole concept
ol
misty
jurist
/u//i
positions that a
this
to 'verses' that
well
known, there
examples throughout
his
Qur'aanic verses that explicitly mention the concept of misty, and of the occurrences
is
was
illiter-
The
is
any ismuitl.
number of times.
How
it,
is
it
possible, then, that the Prophet ($g) secretly authored the Qur'aan, edited
it
and
Quraan
With
this
presumption
in trying to
in
to excessive
(and in
It
fact ludi-
crous) extremes
to
forgeries.
never occurs
Burton
pulous that they would forge narrations and attribute them to the Prophet
whim.
well
If Burton's
theory (based on Schacht and Goldziher) are true, this implies that
all
the salaf were busy propagating lies and forgeries throughout their lives;
the time
aware
all
were doing
the forging!), but naively studying them; travelling great distances to obtain them;
honouring those that had memorised them; and codifying them with great care! The
Orientalists
Wl
the silent approval of all the scholars of that rime concerning them, seems so naive
and absurd
that only
one who
is
blinded
rests,
ill
his animosity or
it.
Actually, Burton's
'
whole theory
as
was
stated earlier,
refilled
on Schacht's concep-
by
M. M. Azami
."'"
in his
superb work 'On Schacht's Origins of Muliammadun Jurisprudence In this work, Azami demonstrates the inconsistencies in Schacht's theories and source material;
his
his
ignorance of the
ol
and
his
the quo-
tations of early scholars."'' Therefore, with the refutation of Schacht, Burton's theories
He
claims
we have
(>gg)
in
is
the
meaning
death.
that
Muhammad
In conclusion. Burton's
work represents
account
other narrations anil factors related to the topic. In this author's opinion, in
forth with
order to
come
something
totally
H2f>
Published by
cl.
Wk.
1985.
il
S27
pps.
15-154.
lie
wishes to
rc-
s|'oiul to the
claims of <
Epilogue
i.
The
The
in
which he
alter
said, "I
ol the
Prophet
is
(5sg),
and those
from
that
came
them
them
said, 'Allaah
is
Him Him
created,
the
Balaam
ol Allaah.
Him
it
came,
anil to
ol
Allaah,
ol this
What
is
the
meaning
Successors?
Among
Day
Judgement
is
disappearance
said.
"Before the
Day
ol
Judgement,
which Ignorance
will be sent
himself to
mean
The Prophet
snatch
of His
servants, but
ol scholars, until,
when
there are no
as scholars).
And
and they
will
and misguide
others."*'"
And
as the
closer,
will appear,
and knowledge
Kcsaa,
eration
are
still
very
time, the
Quraan
taken away, and raised up from amongst mankind. This will occur after the time
of
when
upon
alive.
all
whom
the
Trumpet
of the
Day
ol
Judgement
will
The Prophet
charity are.
($;) said.
colours of a dress
fade-
And
the
know what fasting, prayer, the rites (of Hajj) and Book of Allaah will be lifted Up one night, so that not even one
old people will remain,
And a group of
in his
who will
say.
Simon.
Reported by al-Bukhaaree.
Epilogue 393
forefathers
said,
on
this lytlimah:
Laa
ilaaha
ila
Allaah, so
wc
too say
it.'""'
Ihn Mas'ood
it
"Indeed, the Qur'aan will be taken away from your midst; one night
will be
it
raised up,
and
it
will leave
of
will
remain ol
on
Day of Judgement
It
will not
come
until
whence
it
was
revealed.
I
have
sound
you
I
like the
buzzI
it
will say,
came and
to
am
returning.
am
recited,
am
upon.""
728 A.H.)
from the
nor
will
mus-haf and
edge
the
the chests of
men, so not
word
will
remain
in the hearts,
IM
It
end
In
Qur'aan
will be raised
up from the
will return".
earth,
and
this
is
the
meaning
of the
phrase
ol
Him
it
The
time
when
Qur'aan has been abandoned by the people; when they leave the Qur'aan.
befitting that the
only
Qur'aan
is
II.
An Appeal
The
present
glimpse
of the
is
the
(^) -
a miracle that
can be appreciated by
all of
the
power and
many Muslims
are heed-
It is
Muslims of today have turned away from this great them the very Speech of Allaah. They have made
all
the Qur'aan a sacred family heirloom; to be treasured in exotic and expensive covers,
yet to
covers their
hearts; to be recited
its
and
listened
to in the best
meanings;
to be placed
high above
lives; to
all
other objects in any room, yet to occupy the lowest station in their daily
be read
when
of papers, yet to
be heed-
of its
commandments and
prohibitions.
What
is
away from
the Re-
membrance?"
74
:4*J
|
832
Reported by at-Tabaraanee.
p. 189. 3. p. 198.
p.
135.
s'H
An
&e$2jffig2t
0 Mankind! What
Gencrous?
()
|S2:6|
\$k
Most
has
made you
Muslims!
O Believers of the Qur'aan] Beware that you do not hill into those whom
Day
ol "Judgement:
-And
the
Messenger
(will) say:
"O
My
Lord, indeed
my
The
(d.
There
1
To abandon
To abandon
(httlaal
and believing
in
it.
2)
acting
upon
it,
and ignoring
its
nances
5)
and
htiniuni).
even
if one believes in
and
recites
it.
To abandon judging by
it.
and resorting to
it
as a judge
when
there arc
it,
and understanding
it,
and seeking
the
explanation of it.
5)
To abandon using
it
as a cure in
all
and
And
all ol
"O My
Lord, indeed
my
O Muslims!
Qur'aan?
read the
outcome
ol the
the
-'.'- It
'">>
*'' / <
'1
'**T*rf
>
8.?t
Ibn al-Qayyim,
p.
13.
The
live
Ppiloguc
w^
My Remembrance
him
is
life
of hardship, and
hlind.
He will
say.
'( )
We shall raise him up. on die Day ol Judgement, My Lord! Why have you resurrected me blind, when
I
-
(in this
man-
Our
verses
came
to you. hut
likewise, today
you
shall
be ignored'* [20:124-126].
with sight, but turned away from the light and guidance
to
for
of what use
ol
was blind
Judge-
ment,
j%
And
whoever
ol
'
**
"{' **<
'
',*
'><
' *
'
^*<y
'
is
on the Day
17:72|
(i.e.,
s
The Prophet
(-gg) said,
in this
world and
He
will
debase others by
it."
when
it
comes
to the
also said.
"Whoever
throws
it
it
will lead
him
and whoever
behind him,
<>l
will
Which
do you wish
to be in?
Sv
Krportcil
l>\
,11
-Tah.ir.i.ini.
Appendix
Picture Plates
Appendix
I'l.MI ()\l
Soorak Noor,
last
is
kijrah (around
50 A.H.), probably in
Makkah
or
Madeenah.
critical
It is
marks
(lcisl{hecl)
ami dots
is
(niu/iil).
and rare script known as maail. It is devoid ol diaThere are circular marks to indicate the endings ol the
this
verses.
characteristic that
typical of
one
is
the fact
that, at the
end
on
the
tirst line,
and
of
the rest
The word
split
first
on the
and the
resi
it,
'boo',
on the second up
at the
line.) Later, as
word was
written together,
(British Library,
and not
end
ol
line.
London)
400 An Introduction
to the
Plats
Two
last
Soorah as-Shu'araa,
1"
word
"I verse
is
that ol
Aboo
al-Aswad's. Not
letters
all letters
have a diacritical mark on them (unlike later mus-hcifs). Instead, only those
typically be problematic to a
istic ol the;;;y-4i'/-'ol
which would
is
new
phenomenon
character-
the
first
red.
and the
pen
in black,
marked by
and the
verses.
lie
is
All
between
lines.
vellum, in Iraq.
Lnihlonl
Appendix
Plate Three
Soorah al-Israa, verse 67 to verse 70. Another example of Early Kulic, from (he 4
that
'
century. Notice
letters are not
more
letters
have the tOsh^eel on them (compared with plate two). However, the
is
dotted
(mii/iil).
More "advanced'
reciters of
is
common, lor each writer would take into lor which he Quraan was written, and cater to the Qur'aan would not need as much tashkfd
I
402
An
Quraan
Plate Four
Soorah al-Anfaal, verse 41. This manuscript
is
written by
'Uthmaan
(all
ihn
Husayn al-Warraaq
(d.
466 A.M.),
It
in Iraq.
It is
on paper
on paper).
is
noticed that
all
hi.</i/(cel
on them,
clearly dilterenriahle
The
'The Tenth
Ir.itil
Appendix
404
An
r-
rf^
-r. _i.
.!-lI-
1=,.
-if
"1***1 r
Plat* Six
SooraA Ibraaheem. verse 27 to the middle of verse 37 Another example of Eastern Kulk, written by "Alee ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (d. 620 A.H.). in Persia. Not only are all the tasked and nuqat present, along with hamzahs, simoons, sm&shaddafc, but occasional symbols
indicating stop-
ping places {wuqooj) can be seen. The tosh/pel system used is the "modern" One. The verse endings are indicated by four dots in a square structure; after every live verses, a circle with a triangle is drawn, and, after every ten verses, an ornate circle. Almost all extra markings are in the same colour as the text.
(M.i-hli.i.l
Shrine Library)
Appendix
Plate Seven
Soorah an-Naml, verse
4.3 to
66.
A classic example
ol the
is
as Ibn
it
al-Bawwaab
413 A.H.). This manuscript was written in 391 A.H.. in Baghdad. Although
327 A.H.) who introduced the Naslfhee script with which this Qur'aan is written, it was Ibn alBawwaab who aided in popularising it. Unfortunately, none of Ibn Muqlah's writings have been
preserved, and this plate
is
one
ol the earliest
otlns/(/ieel,
the
same colour as
lines
the text.
The bottom
text. It
of the
left
column column
The two
of text
in the
is
right
in the
main
seems
as if
and moved on
it
by the time he
was too
late to
do anything about
column
only
Even the
human!
Beany
Library. Dublin)
(('hosier
406 An Introduction
to the
Sciences of the
Quraan
W**T$
^^j.Uut^^
m
'-iS.
iC~i'
y*
u.
l'l
VII
F.KillT
The
I
last
first
Sve
ol
is
one
<>l
the works
<>!
Yaqool al-Musta'simee
Ie
ol Islaamic history.
script,
was nicknamed
is
known
as Rayhuanee,
(Iran
Appendix
*5k
I'l
Ml Nl\l
last
in Iraq.
numerous and
The
column
indicates the completion often verses; after every five verses appears the the column. Alter yet another live, the
symbol
the middle ol
is
the
same circular symbol appears, but written inside is the verse number ol verses since the beginning ol the soorah. A common
is
the
fact that
would be written
while
margin. In this
common
Other qira'aat,
commonly
is
written in Hifi.
and the
408
An
Quraan
\
r> v . -j>
^TOCT?
S"
^IS - ^"^
*
3#
\t\
']
rj
& n|
'4'
.v3
JA
*.r\.
v"?
?^.
Plvii Ti \
is
written by
II,
Hamd
in
897 A.H.,
Turkey.
The
markings indicating
aWhcluzb.
(Istanbul, Topkapi Saray Library)
Appendix
!^&^s^il;-
Pi_\
Pi
Somali
ihn
script
Muhammad
.tin!
in 601) A.I
I.,
Of particular interest
is
the
lact that
Museum,
Im.iiiIhiI)
410
An
1
I
?o:A da>
i.fe-^^ajirfeolli
3
.-*-
JL^U^U
6.3.
Plate Twelve
Soorah ask-Sku'araa, verses 59 to
the 6
This
is
a classic
script.
Written
in
century in Spain,
it
is
ol ninjiii: in
first letter is
it,
same
circle.
The system
Museum.
Istanbul)
Appendix
Picture Plates 41
',iU'*?
.-* ** j.f^j^-A
v
<&'"* kSX..*JiO
~Axj
jtf'
f^.v-
IMJ<aw
W50,
.^'
A
,
^
u.
'-.
'i
'0- <\_a^.
_rO
uu_i. _
,V
>V>-
ju-^:.
I'l
All TlllKII
last
\
first
The
example
/.ayilaan. in ItlDS A. 1
CE (1020 A.H.).
412
An
Plate Fourti
n
ijaaza, or sanad,
An example ol an
which
is
is
awarded
by
Shaykh.
The
Shaykh
through
satislied
that the student has perfected the recitation ol the qiraa'a that the ijaaza
was awarded
in
it.
(Ijaaza/is
are
awarded
all ol
141 A.M.. in
Madeenah.
list
It is
ol
name
It is
Quraan.
to the
Prophet
and
tact that
is
whose name
all
Shaykh
Prophet
(5S>);
(the
name
before him),
the
way back
who
studied
from the and the Prophet Can any other religious book
Bibliography
Bibliography 417
Qur'aans
Al-Qur'aan al-Kareem:
Hafs:
1
Beirut. 1984
2)
Waislr.
1
Ahmad
ibn
Hamyi.
Official mus-hjifol
Morrocco.
2)
KingFahd Complex
1991
Qaloon:
Calligraphy by
Aboo Bakr
Muhammad
us-Slmree'ah. ed. by
Waleed ibn
Muhammad.
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