How I understand Quran from the philosophical perspective.

Careful and systematic reflection on the crucial points of Quran shall help committed Muslim thinkers to distinguish verses which have an intrinsic significance from those having an instrumental function. This distinction would tend to promote and legitimize and open and truly dynamic interpretative approach to the Quran itself rather than to the shariat alone. ……………………….

The contingent and instrumental complexion of several Quranic verses implies that if the life situation of the Prophet and his milieu had been other than what they actually were, at the time of the revelation, the verses in question might not have been revealed at all, and other verses, relevant and appropriate to a different situation, might have been revealed. Likewise, if the grammar and syntax of the Arabic language had been different from what it actually is, the Quranic text would also have differed correspondingly. …………………

To go a step still further, if the Prophet had been born in India or China the language of the Quran would not have been Arabic. The point is that a merely literal adherence to the Quranic text without (a) a critical and sound method of semantic interpretation of the Quran. Moreover it is also important of the awareness of the Prophet's milieu (the socio-cultural conditions of Arabia immediately preceding and during his lifetime) is a simplistic and misleading approach harmful to the Muslims and, for that matter, to the entire human family. ……………………..

The contention that adherence to literal meaning without 'contextual exploration' is not enough should not be taken to mean or imply any indifference to the literal meaning of the Quranic text. Indeed, attention to the literal meaning is extremely important, and speculative interpretation of Quranic verses to suit one's own ideas is highly improper. …………………………

Likewise, one should not twist and stretch the plain meanings of words to explain away any doubts or difficulties which may arise for the reader of the Quran because of some reason or other. Some difficulties, however, arise due to a unique Quranic style of non-literal expression; in such cases insistence upon a literal interpretation would be a wrong principle. The application of commonsense and attention to linguistic usage in Arabic or other languages will be found to remove these difficulties and quandaries without twisting or stretching the ordinary meanings of the words of the Quran. If, in spite of this, any perplexity remains it should be frankly acknowledged by the honest Muslim. …………………

Lets Consider the following verses:

“As for the disbelievers, whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not. Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts and on their eyes is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom. (2: 6, 7)”.

“And with those who say "Lol We are Christians", We made a covenant but they forgot a part whereof they were admonished. Therefore, We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.(5: 14)” …………… On the first reading and literal interpretation, these verses make God responsible for the hardened and intractable. But a little reflection makes it clear that this is not the case at all and that this impression is created only because of the style of expression employed by the Quran in such cases.

The Quranic expression, "We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them", or "Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts" is only an elliptical way of saying that "great mutual enmity and hatred have been produced among the Christians as a natural consequence of their deeds in conformity with well-established and social psychological laws which cannot be flouted by man at his sweet will". The same type of explanation applies to the expression concerning, 'God's sealing of the hearts'. …………………….. The fact of the matter is that while, on the whole, the Quranic style is extremely simple and direct, going straight to the point, it becomes elliptical and perplexing in a few cases. And it is precisely in such cases that a literal interpretation sounds absurd. ……………………….

Disagreements or difficulties also result from the allusive, vague, or metaphorical verses. In view of the above complications the intellectually honest Muslim simply must show tolerance and accept the principle of plural interpretations. The claim that only 'my' or the traditional interpretation is true has in the past led to suppression of free enquiry and even persecution.

……………. The following Quranic verse beautifully sums up the position:

“He it is who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) wherein are clear revelations—they are the substance of the Book—and others (which are) allegorical. But those in whose heart is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knoweth its explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say: We believe therein, the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really heed”.

…………… Moreover the feature of the Quran seems to suggest that a distinction must be made between verses which embody (a) basic values and directive principles, (b) categorical or fundamental laws, (c) derived laws or ordinances, and (d) rules or regulations. The implication is that literal adherence to the rules and regulations should be subordinate to the promotion of the basic values and implementation of the supreme directive principles of the Islamic or Quranic value system. This mistake is committed by many people in their misdirected attempt to defend their view that Islam totally rejects miracles.

………………………….. We must know every natural language uses expressions in the literal sense as well as in the non-literal sense found in similes, allegories, metaphors, phrases, idioms, proverbs, anecdotes, parables, and so on. The language of the Quran does likewise. Here are some examples of Quranic verses which, obviously, must be understood in the non-literal sense in order to yield a proper meaning.

………….. “Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom. (2:7)”.

“In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increaseth their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie”.(2: 10).

………… “Allah (Himself) doth mock them, leaving them to wander blindly on in their contumacy. (2: 15)”.

…………… In the above verses if the expression 'Allah increaseth their disease' be understood literally, this would mean that instead of helping or guiding His creatures, God misleads or harms them. By the very nature of the case this meaning is unacceptable. The additional clause 'because they lie' confirms what is really the case and that die preceding expression is merely a phrase of die Quranic language, rather than a literal truth. Likewise 'Allah (Himself) doth mock diem' is a phrase.

………….. “ And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist, then let mere be no hostility except against wrongdoers.”. …………….. “ Who is it that will lend unto Allah a goodly loan, so that He may give it increase manifold? Allah straiteneth and enlargeth. Unto Him ye will return.(2: 245)” In the above verse 'lending a loan' to Allah is plainly a phrase to be understood in the non-literal sense. …………………………

“ That which befell you, on the day when the two armies met, was by permission of Allah; that he might know the true believers; And that He might know the hypocrites unto whom it was said...(3: 166, 167)”.

In the above verses th expression 'that He (God) might know' cannot be understood in the literal sense of ascertaining something not known before, since God is omniscient. The expression is clearly a Quranic phrase just like 'God hath sealed their hearts'. ………………………………. “Then what is the matter with you that you are divided into two parties about the hypocrites? Allah has cast them back (to disbelief) because of what they have earned. Do you want to guide him whom Allah has made to go astray? And he whom Allah has made to go astray, you will never find for him any way (of guidance)..(4:88)” …………….. “Lol the hypocrites seek to beguile Allah, but it is Allah who beguileth diem. When they stand up to worship they perform it languidly and to be seen of men and are mindful of Allah but little; (4: 142).” ************************************* In the above verses the expressions 'Allah cast them back to disbelief; 'whom Allah hath sent astray", and lastly, 'it is Allah who beguiled them' are also Quranic phrases.The issue of non-literal interpretation is crucially important for both theoretically and for practical purposes. ………………………….. The literary excellence and spiritual power of the Quran is conceded even by non-Muslim Arabic scholars who unanimously hold the Quran to be a literary masterpiece with an inimitable style. Palmer, Nicholson, Arberry, all are of this view. …………………… The popular view of acquiring spiritual gains (sawab) through the ritual recitation of the Quran without either understanding the contents or bothering to act upon them is a distorted and misleading view of the 'ontogenetic' function of die Quran in the life of the authentic believer. As mentioned earlier, the Quran helps to purify and build the inner spiritual being or fiber of man even as the brush strokes of the artist go to build the picture he envisions. Unless die inner goodness of being is generated and becomes the spring of good conduct, right actions will remain sporadic and fluctuating impulsive acts. …………………………

On the other hand, without overt good conduct the sheer goodness of being is a spiritual mirage which deceives both the person himself and others. This 'ontogenetic' function is performed, principally, by the mystical verses and illustrates the psychological rule that as a man thinks, so he tends to become. It is also indirectly performed by exhortative and prescriptive verses when they are habitually acted upon. This illustrates the principle stressed by William James that, if one acts afraid/confident/lazy, one really becomes so. …………………

In brief, if infallibility is interpreted as 'value-centric' rather than as 'rule-centric', no problem would arise for the committed Muslim who gives supreme value to authenticity in the existentialist sense. Another way of saying the same thing is to distinguish between 'nuclear' and 'molecular' infallibility of the Quran, holding that infallibility is a characteristic of or belongs to the 'Quranic nucleus' rather than the 'Quranic molecule'. …………………..

'Quranic molecule' I mean a complete intelligible sentence of the Quran, while by 'Quranic nucleus' I mean the intentional thrust/telos or final objective intrinsic value(s), or more familiarly, the spirit of the Quran. This spirit is discernible only through full knowledge of the situational context of the revelation and sustained reflection on the 'directive message' underlying the words rather than the literal meaning of the letter of the Quran. ………………………

The Quran is not a systematic book divided into chapters, sections, paragraphs, sentences, or a long didactic poem composed according to subject matter. Nor is the Quran arranged in the chronological order of revelation; the sequence of the Quranic verses (some of which may be said to be linguistic molecules, while others sub-molecules) was determined by the Prophet himself. A proper understanding of numerous verses admittedly presupposes knowledge of the situational context of their revelation, while a balanced insight into the Quran, as a source of Islamic theology, law and morality, requires the collation and interpretation of widely scattered verses related to the subject matter. ………………. No verse, as an abstract linguistic molecule or, isolated from other relevant verses, could possibly claim infallible truth in the literal sense, or claim to exhaust the spirit of the Quran. ………………………..

The spirit or telos of the Quran is not a fixed literal meaning out there in the Quranic 'linguistic space', but is the nucleus of an ever-growing, yet ever-incomplete, 'directive message' which never yields itself to full disclosure to our finite minds and to full realization in the human situation. This directive message must be understood or interpreted in the light of the continual growth in human knowledge and awareness leading to new dimensions in old values and in the vision of the good life.

This 'dimensional growth' is inspired and shaped no less by the 'ontogenetic' or spiritual power of the Quranic telos than by ever-growing human knowledge and self-understanding.

………………………… However, while the human telos continues to change or mature, the eternal letter of the Quran remains static. This inevitably results in the alienation of the believer's emerging value system from the letter of the Quran. If and when such alienation takes place the letter of the Quran fails to evoke an 'existential echo' in the believer even after he goes through a painstaking enquiry and sustained prayerful reflection on the issues involved in a sincere effort to overcome his spiritual alienation from the letter of the Quran.

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The only way to overcome this alienation without abandoning the ideal and prospects of dimensional growth is to define Islamic piety and faith in terms of 'creative fidelity' to the nuclear telos or spirit rather than in terms of mechanical adherence to the letter of the Quran. To say that the Quran is infallible in the nuclear sense means that its spirit represents the proper direction of ceaseless dimensional growth, whether or not, any particular molecular expression, i.e., the letter of the law, is literally or permanently applicable to the human situation. ………………………

The above suggested interpretative discretion and freedom may conceivably be misused, but its denial to the believer on the ground of this risk would amount to exitinguishing all dimensional progress of man apart from sheer arithmetical approximation or further linear movement towards a static ideal articulated in the past. Indeed, rigid adherence to the letter of any value system (religious or secular) either retards dimensional growth or turns the believer into an unauthentic being or rebel, as the case may be. The concept of 'creative fidelity', on the other hand, enables believers to be true to their own self as well as to the scripture and the faith. Let us now turn to some concrete illustrations in support of this claim. …………………….

Let’s consider the letter and the spirit of the Quran concerning slavery. The Quranic molecule does not censure the institution of slavery as an unmitigated evil like, say, female infanticide, and does not prohibit its practice, but merely prescribes kindness towards the slave. The intentional thrust or spirit of the Quran, however, prescribes universal kindness, justice and social welfare by means of liberal spending in the way of God and encouraging voluntary emancipation of slaves as an act of charity and penance. Now, if justice and social welfare clearly demand equality of status and equality of opportunity, the spirit of the Quran would require us not merely to be kind towards slaves but to abolish slavery as an institution, while the letter of the law would not. ………..

Indeed, a person holding the Quran to be infallible and perfect in the conventional sense could well oppose the abolition of slavery on the ground that had God desired to abolish slavery, root and branches, the Quran (or the Prophet) would have expressly done so. He may further, take the stand that any attempt to improve upon Quranic injunctions amounts to claiming that man is wiser than God. And indeed, this was the actual stand of the Muslim establishment until very recently. ……………………….

Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or behind it. (It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Owner of Praise!(41: 42). ………………… . Actually neither the belief in the Prophet's sincerity, nor the belief in his being unlettered, nor the belief in the hitherto unsurpassed literary excellence of the Quran, severally or jointly constitutes a proof (in the deductive or inductive sense) of the Islamic faith. …………………….

The justification of faith can be found only in the individual's authentic response to the Quran or, rather, those of its verses which may be said to possess a spiritual 'aura' or inner power to grip and illumine a receptive listener or reader of the Quran. At times even a non-receptive mind may come under the spell, as it were, of the Quran, as happened in the case of Umar when he heard for the first time some verses recited by his sister or her husband. ………………….

Religious faith is an existential conviction which may dawn suddenly or gradually, like love, rather than a belief which could be inductively or deductively established or proved. Again, the religious response to the universe is strikingly similar to, though not identical with or totally reducible to, the aesthetic response. Significantly, the Quran repeatedly exhorts man to reflect upon the beauty and wonder of nature and also of man's own inner self. The verses of the Quran and the phenomena of nature both are called 'ayat' or signs which may evoke and reinforce faith in God for one who seeks truth with humility and sincerity. Consider the following Quranic verses: …………………………….

“Lol In the creation of the heavens and the earth and in the difference of night and day are tokens (of His sovereignty) for men of understanding, such as remember Allah, standing, sitting, and reclining and consider the creation of the heavens and the earth and say: Our Lord! thou created not in vain, Glory be to thee: Preserve us from the doom of fire.(3: 190-191)” ………..

' “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of your languages and colours. Lo! Herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge.(30: 22)” “And of His signs is your slumber by night and by day, and your seeking of His bounty. Lol Herein indeed are portents for folk who heed. (30: 23)”. ……………………..'

“He it is who sendeth down water from the sky, and therewith We bring forth buds of every kind; We bring forth the green blade from which We bring forth the thick clustered grain; and from the date-palm, from the pollen thereof, spring pendant bunches.... Look upon the fruit thereof, when they bear fruit and upon its ripening. Lo! Herein verily are portents for a people who believe.(6: 100)”.

“We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is witness over all things” (41 :253). ……………………

It follows that all that could be said to an honest sceptic unmoved by the power and beauty of the Quran is exactly what can be said to one who remains unmoved by the beauty of sunset, or the snow-clad peak, or the slow movement of a symphony or concert. ……………………..

"Please look or hear again with receptive humility; a fresh experience may lead to a new type of response or evoke in you a new chord. But please don't feel tense, guilty, inferior, or deficient in case your response remains different from mine." ……………………

The similarity between appreciation of the beauty of nature and faith in the Quran, however, does not amount to an identity. Indeed, the starry sky or the symphony does not.