Insight Into The

Qur’aan

Presented by
HAJI MOHAMAD HANIM MOHAMAD ISA
 The internal and external means of
understanding the Qur’aan are mostly of an
academic and technical nature. I believe no
one can gain true benefit from the Qur’aan
without bearing them in mind. However, these
are only means and tools in this venture. In war
the most important condition for victory is the
morale and courage of the soldier. A
demoralised soldier lacking courage cannot
fight even if equipped with the best of weapons
and provided with the most advanced
technology.
 Similarly, though it is important to bear
academic tools in mind in order to gain insight
into the Qur’aan, even more important is the
condition of a person’s heart. Without a
wholesome heart, a person’s entire effort will
prove a fruitless exercise.
I would like therefore to say a few words about
how to watch the condition of one’s heart and
keep it pure and straight.
 1. Sincerity Of Intention

The first and foremost requisite for this

is the intention of a person approaching the
Qur‟aan. By this I mean that a person should
approach the Qur‟aan only to seek guidance
and for no other purpose. He must not have any
ulterior motive. Otherwise he will not only be
barred from its blessings but would instead, I
fear, be driven even still farther away from it. If a
person writes on the Qur‟aan courting fame as
an exegete and a scholar of the Qur‟aan or to
gain money, he may attain these but he will
surely thereby deprive himself of the true
knowledge of the Qur‟aan.
 Similarly, if someone has some peculiar
views and he approaches the Qur‟aan
solely to search for some arguments to support
his standpoint, he may succeed in finding some
specious arguments for his purpose. This,
however, he will achieve at the risk of closing the
door to a true understanding of the Qur‟aan.
Allah has revealed the Qur‟aan as a book of
guidance and has placed an inherent desire in
every human heart to seek guidance. So when a
person approaches the Qur‟aan seeking
guidance, he will find such guidance and
benefit from it depending on his effort and the
grace of Allah.
 But if he approaches it with any other
base motive and wants to use the
Qur‟aan to that end, then in accordance with
the principle „for everyone according to his
intention‟, he will gain from it whatever he was
looking for. It is because of this characteristic of
the Qur‟aan that Allah has said, ‫ُض ُّل ِب ِه َك ِثيرً ا َو َي ْه ِدي ِب ِه‬ ِ ‫ي‬
‫“ َك ِثيرً ا‬He leaves astray thereby many and guides thereby many”,
but then adds, ‫ين‬ ِ ‫ُض ُّل ِب ِه إِ اَّل ْال َف‬
َ ‫اس ِق‬ ِ ‫ “ َو َما ي‬and He leaves astray
none but the depraved” (al-Baqarah, 2:26). This refers to
those who wilfully deviate from the straight
natural path and seek to pervert guidance into
error and light into darkness.
 This explains the underlying principle
by which a person is blessed or
deprived of the Qur‟aan‟s blessings. Allah gives
to people what they earnestly seek. One who
insists on worshipping idols even when in the
Ka,bah, the House of Allah, is indeed not fit to
enjoy the celestial joy of monotheism,
worshipping the One True God. Such a person is
like one who only gathers thorns from a rose
bush, the beauty and fragrance of its flowers
are lost upon him. Similarly, a person who, in his
perversity, turns a wholesome remedy into a
lethal portion can never be cured. He can only
hope for an increase in his sickness.
 The Qur‟aan refers to this condition in
these words: َ ‫أُولَ ٰـ ِئ َك الا ِذ‬
‫ين ا ْش َت َروُ ا‬
‫ار ُت ُه ْم َو َما‬
َ ‫ت ِت َج‬ْ ‫الض َاَللَ َة ِب ْال ُهد َٰى َف َما َر ِب َح‬
َ ‫“ َكا ُنوا ُم ْه َت ِد‬These are the people
‫ين‬
who have bought error at the price
of guidance; so their trade has
brought no gain, nor have they
reached the right Path.”
 2. Accepting The Qur’aan As A
Sublime Book

The second requisite is that one should

approach the Qur‟aan as a most sublime and
glorious book. Without an appreciation of the
importance and nobility of the Qur‟aan, a
person cannot be motivated to put in the effort
necessary for its in-depth understanding and the
appreciation of its subtleties and wisdom.
It may sound strange to some people to be
asked to presume that a book is glorious and
sublime even before they read and understood
it.
 But a little reflection is enough to show
that having an a priori positive opinion
about the Qur‟aan is not such a strange
demand. The Qur‟aan has a most glorious
history behind it. Whether one believes in it or
not, it is a fact that this book brought about in
human life the greatest single revolution ever
witnessed in history. No other book has
transformed life as completely as this book has
done. The Qur‟aan has left a deep impact on
every area of human activity throughout the
world. It transformed thinking and ideas, cultures
and civilisations, laws and constitutions, and
religious disciplines and beliefs.
 It is also a fact that a large segment of
the world‟s population believes in this
book as the word of God revealed verbatim
from the Preserved Tablet in the heavens. To
them it is a miracle the like of which cannot be
put together by men or jinn.
A book with such clear evidence of its historical
impact, past and present, and with such a
glorious background must surely be an
important document. Thus it is necessary for a
person to grasp its message and comprehend it
properly to appreciate its sublime nature and
position.
 Some people have many misconceptions
about the Qur‟aan which make it almost
impossible for them to focus on its study as it
really deserves and gain any real benefit from it.
These misconceptions are common both among
believers and non-believers in the Qur‟aan.
Those who deny its Divine origin do admit that at
a certain period in history this book was indeed
helpful in affecting certain reforms. However,
they assert that time has moved on and we are
now living in a different phase of human history
and that while this book was useful for the desert
Arabs, it no longer relevant in resolving intricate
problems of modern times.
 As for those who believe in it, a great
majority regard it as just a legal code of do‟s
and don‟ts, prohibitions and permissions. And as
these legal commandments have already
been codified separately in the form of Islamic
fiqh or jurisprudence, this book is now nothing
more than a revered relic. Others among them
regard it as a collection of certain sacred words
and supplications to be recited and repeated
but which requires no serious thought,
consideration or contemplation.
 A great many among them use it only to
relieve the dying from the pangs of death or
as a means of blessing their dead. Many
others among them believe it to be a kind of
talisman for avoiding misery and distress, and
there, their interest ends. It is impossible for
Muslims with such erroneous ideas to gain
any real benefit from the Qur‟aan.
 3. Readiness To Change And
Embrace The Qur’aanic Guidance

The third requisite for truly benefitting from the

Qur‟aan is that the person undertaking its study
must have a firm resolve to change himself – in
fact, to be ready for a moral and spiritual
transformation, in the light of its teaching.
On studying the Qur‟aan closely, one often finds
that its demands go directly against one‟s
personal likes, dislikes and desires. When one
finds one‟s life-pattern, one‟s inner and outward
life, incompatible with what is set out in the
Qur‟aan, a sincere and resolute person would
 try to conform with the teachings of
the Qur‟aan to the best of his powers
and ability. Such a person is ready and willing to
bear all hardships, offer any sacrifices and face
any difficulties on his way to re-organising his life.
Depending on the sincerity and determination of
such a person, he will be blessed with help and
support from God in achieving his lofty goals.
On the other hand, a person of weaker will, on
finding this conflict between his life and the
Qur‟aan, is unable to remove the disparity and
bridge the gulf that separates him from the
Qur‟aan. He feels that if he were to try to
conform to the Qur‟aanic ideals, he would have
 to be reborn mentally and intellectually
and suffer a total transformation and also
that he will be completely alienated from his
social milieu.
He is afraid that if he were to work for the
causes that the Qur‟aan requires of him, he will
not only forfeit his privileged position and status
in society, but may as well bring upon himself its
collective wrath, risking imprisonment and
sometimes even death. That he might be
deprived of all his possessions if he were to
follow strictly Qur‟aanic laws on what is lawful
and what is not, in earning his livelihood.
 Only persons of fortitude can resolutely
face and overcome all these diverse
obstructions on the path to the Qur‟aan. The
weakling at this point turn aside and decide to
pursue other goals.
Some who are not particularly bothered to
conceal their weakness say that though correct
and upright, the path of the Qur‟aan is very
difficult for them and they would rather
continue in the footsteps of their forefathers as
they had always been doing. They go wherever
their desires take them. There are others who in
their eagerness to masquerade their moral
weakness as strength and their hypocrisy as
 faith, use diverse techniques to deceive
and hide their real motives and weakness.
Some use the excuse of being in an emergency
or of being in a helpless state to justify for
themselves what is unlawful and forbidden.
Others offer false and spurious interpretations as
truth while yet others seek refuge under cover of
the demand of exigency and practical
expediency. Some of them distort and change
the scripture as previously done by some priests
and rabbis.
Some others try to find a way by compromising
the demands of Islam with those of unbelief or
kufr. They accept whatever of the Qur‟aanic
 teachings suit them and ignore the ones
that do not agree with their whims and
desires.
All this is mischief, and its followers court disaster.
The only way to success and peace for the
human being is to mould his life in accordance
with the teachings of the Qur‟aan, and to have
the moral courage to pursue this course with
fortitude and steadfastness and to be ready for
any sacrifice in its course.
For a time Allah does indeed test the resolve of
a person, but if he steadfast and honest, the
door to success gradually opens up before him.
 If one door is shut on him, others open up.
If he is expelled from one social
environment, another one is ready to welcome
and received him. If one country refuses to give
him refuge, some others open their doors to him.
The Qur‟aan describes the phenomenon in
these words: َ ‫َوالا ِذ‬
ۚ ‫ين َجا َه ُدوا ِفي َنا لَ َن ْه ِد َي ان ُه ْم ُس ُبلَ َنا‬
‫ َوإِنا َا‬Wallazeena jaahadou feenaa
َ ‫َّللا لَ َم َع ْالمُحْ ِس ِن‬
‫ين‬
lanah-diyannahum Subulanaa; wa’innaLLaaha lama-al-
Muhsineen. As for those who strive in Our way, We
will certainly take them onto Our paths, and
indeed Allah is with those who are good in deeds.
(al-Ankabout, 29:69)
 4. Pondering over the Qur’aan – studying
it with open mind & receptive heart.
Seriously pondering upon the Qur‟aan and
its substance is yet another – the fourth –
requisite to understand and gain insight into
its wisdom. The Qur‟aan emphasises this at
several places. Thus, for instance, it asks: ‫أَ َف ََل‬
‫ب أَ ْق َفالُ َها‬
ٍ ‫آن أَ ْم َعلَ ٰى قُلُو‬
َ ْ‫ارُون ْالقُر‬
َ ‫َي َتدَ ب‬ Afalaa yatadabba-
rounal-Qur’aana am alaa quloubin aqfaaluhaa? Then, do
they not give serious thought to the Qur„an, or do
they have locks on their hearts? (Muhammad, 47:24).
The Companions of the Prophet – the first
audience of the Qur‟aan – studied and
pondered over it continually.
 Those who are prominent among
them for their study and contemplation
of the Qur‟aan were also highly regarded for
their understanding and insight into the Qur‟aan.
Some Companions have reported that they
spent years in studying certain portions of the
Qur‟aan – in one case, a full eight (8) years on
understanding surah al-Baqarah alone. There
also formed circles to study the Qur‟aan and
would gather to discuss and to benefit from each
other‟s knowledge and insight. The Prophet, (pbuh)
showed a special interest and according to
some reports, he preferred these study circles to
those of dhikr, where people gathered to
celebrate the remembrance of Allah.
 Reciting the Qur‟aan merely as a pious
act without understanding its meaning or
message is not the way of the Companions of
the Prophet, (pbuh).
This was a latter-day innovation when some
Muslims began using the Qur‟aan as a means of
attaining blessings rather than a book of
guidance for their practical life. Instead of
seeking its guidance in various situations in life,
they employed it to bless their vain and false
pursuits, however evil or hideous, as a kind of
talisman, even when engaged in something
directly in contravention of its core message
and teachings.
 It is ironic indeed that the Qur‟aan that
places so much emphasis on pondering and
serious study of its contents in order to gain any
real benefit, is also perhaps the only book that is
read without any serious thought or attention to
its message or substance.
Ordinarily, when studying a book, most people
would first prepare themselves mentally. In the
case of the Qur‟aan they usually close their
minds the moment they open it up to read.
 5.Supplication to allah for guidance
and help

The fifth requisite to benefit from the Qur‟aan is

that when confronted with any difficulties in the
course of its study, one should not be
discourage, lose heart or think negatively and
raise objections. Instead, one should refer all
such difficulties and problems to Allah seeking
His help and guidance. One is sometimes
overwhelmed while pondering over the
Qur‟aan by a sense of an awesome „weighty
message‟ that is difficult to bear. Or, sometimes
one is confronted with a knotty problem that is
difficult to resolve satisfactorily.
 When faced with such practical and
intellectual problems, the best method –
a tried and trusted method – is to continually
supplicate to Allah for help and guidance while
continually studying and trying to understand.
Reciting the Qur‟aan calmly, distinctly and
slowly, especially in the last hours of the night, is
particularly useful. A frequent recitation of the
following supplication, reported in hadith, is also
useful:
„O Allah, I am Your servant, the son of Your servant and of Your
maid-servant! My forelock is in Your hands; Your judgment about
me prevails; and true indeed is Your judgment of me. I beseech You
– by all Your names, by which You named Yourself, or which You
revealed in Your Book, or which You have taught anyone of
Your creatures, or which You have preferred in the knowledge
of the Unseen that is with You – to make the Qur‟aan the
sweet spring of freshness and the joy in my heart, the light of
my breast, a healing for my grief and a remover of my anguish
and distress.‟
As far as the Qur‟aanic wisdom is concerned,
it is almost impossible to access without
keeping vigil in the final watches of the night.
Thank you