By: Ibrahim Hayani

Literally the Quran means the ‘reading’ or that which should be read. Muslims believe that it is the Word of God revealed in the ‘clear Arabic speech’ to Prophet Muhammad through the agency of Archangel Gabriel.

The Prophet received the first Qur’anic revelation at the age of 40 in the year 610. The revelations continued to come for the next 23 years, in fragments and ‘at intervals’, ending 82 days before the death of the Prophet in 632, with the following verse: “Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me (Islam) shall be your religion.” (5:3)

In more ways than one, the Quran cannot be compared to other religious texts, for example the Torah or the Bible or The Mahabharata and the Ramayana, because it is not a book of narrative records of ancient peoples – although it does contain some stories of prophets and earlier nations.  It is not a ‘linear’ text with a chronological order or a ‘logical’ beginning, middle and an end. It is rhythmic prose, epic poem and symphony all rolled into one sublime text. The whole text, containing 114 chapters or surahs, with a total of 6,236 verses, thus has a lattice structure which connects every word with every other word by rhythm, rhyme and meaning.

It is because of its special structure, the interlocking character of each word and verse, the eloquence and beauty of its language and the precision, economy and subtlety of its style, that the Quran is said to be ‘inimitable’.

The Quran is addressed to all humanity without distinction of race, religion or time, and, in the words of the late Muhammad Asad in his splendid translation and explanations of the Quran The Message of The Qur’an, “for people who think.” Its major themes are God, human beings, society, nature, reason, prophet hood and revelation.

The Quran speaks of the transcendence of God, the fact that He is beyond all perception of human beings – and hence beyond confines of gender, describes His attributes and contains the appropriate modes for praising Him. It describes the responsibility of persons as individuals and in society as the trustee of God (Khalifatu-llah) on earth. The Quran makes frequent and repeated statements about nature in which the magnitude, stability and regularity of natural phenomena are stressed. Some 750 verses, almost one-eighth of the Quran, are devoted to extolling the virtues of reason.

For devout Muslims, the Quran and collections (hadith) of the prophetic tradition as exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (Sunnah) are living documents that inform, inspire, and guide their spirituality and morality on a daily basis, from the early morning sunrise to the late hours of the night.

When Muslims wake up in the morning to offer their sunrise prayers (fajr), they begin with the prophetic example by saying, “All praise is due to God Who restored to me my health and returned to me my soul, and has allowed me to remember the divine” and then recite from a passage in the Quran that praises contemplation, belief, and righteousness (3:190-200), including:

“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight, [and] who remember God when they stand, and when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep, and [thus] reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth.” (3:190).

After beginning the day with spiritual devotion, Muslims set out to partake in the many activities of life, all the while remaining conscious of the scriptural and prophetic counsel that is part of a devout Muslim’s consciousness. For example, a Muslim working for the livelihood of his or her family may draw inspiration, by mere remembrance, from the Prophet’s words: “Of the wealth you spend in God’s way…the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spend on your family.” Likewise, the Muslim who sets out to seek knowledge may be inspired by the prophetic advice: “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.”  The Muslim who exercises may seek inspiration from the Hadith: “Your body has a right over you.”  And, the Muslim who sits down to eat and drink may remind himself or herself of the Quranic advice: O Children of Adam…eat and drink, but not excessively, for God loves not those who are excessive.” (7:31). The day goes on like this from one activity to another, and in each there is an element of scriptural and prophetic consciousness on the part of a devout believer, which is constantly strengthened through the five daily prayers.

When the night falls, spending time with your family, being intimate with your spouse, and even going to sleep can all be seen as acts of worship.  Before falling asleep, a Muslim is encouraged to recite from the Verse of the Throne (ayat al-Kursi) (2:255) and lightening of burdens (2:285-286) to gain protection and tranquility while sleeping.  

These illustrations are meant to convey how central the Quran (and Sunnah) are in Muslim life – devotional or otherwise. It is no surprise, then, that the ideals of the Quran and prophetic traditions are highly esteemed in Muslim societies and cultures: The importance of religious practices and values; the hospitality shown toward guests; concern for the well-being of young children; high respect for elders; the strong sense of family ties; the emphasis placed on education; the high regard for people of knowledge; and a general sense of goodwill and kindness toward people – all emanate from the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

This, of course, also means that Muslim societies are constantly looking to the Quran and Sunna for guidance on the major moral and ethical dilemmas that face them as a culture, such as abortion, the death penalty, organ donation, conditions of war, and so on. The answer is rarely ever clearly spelled out in the Quran and Hadith, but conclusions can be drawn based on general wisdom or reasoning (Ijtihad) and analogies (Qiyas).

This process of discerning God’s will through the primary sources rarely ever reaches consensus (Ijmaa) among Islamic scholars, because the richness of the texts leaves room for multiple interpretations (which is not a bad thing because changing conditions require creative and different interpretations). Such differences in opinion can emerge based on: (1) the linguistic study of words within a text and the multiple meaning that can be derived; (2) different understandings of the historical context of the text (asbab al-nuzul); (3) various interpretations on whether a text has a specific (khaas) or general (‘aam) applicability; (4) diverse understandings of the general philosophy of Islamic sciences; and so on. On top of that, every scholar’s thoughts and opinions are shaped – whether consciously or subconsciously – by a host of external influences ranging from cultural upbringing to sociopolitical conditions.

As such, famous Quran and Hadith commentators throughout history have taken in their primary approach to Qur’anic interpretations the form of: (a) grammarians, such as al-Wahidi, d. 1076; (b) literalist, such as Ibn Kathir, d. 1273; (c) philosophers, such as al-Razi, d. 1240; (d) jurists, such as al-Qurtubi, d. 1273; (e) mystics, such as Ibn-Arabi, d. 1240; (f) sociopolitical revolutionists, such as Mawdudi, d. 1979; (g) rationalists, such as Muhammad Asad, d. 1992; and (h) Islamic feminism, such as Laleh Bakhtiar, in her recent (2007) translation entitled The Sublime Quran.

These paradigms of interpretive thought have also produced many different ways of thinking about the Quran and Sunnah in the general Muslim population of the world. Even Muslims located in one geographic location (e.g. the Middle East) tend to have vastly different approaches to their religious understandings. It goes without saying that there are essential  unifying aspects in the teaching of Islam’s primary sources – such as absolute belief in One God, a Day of Requital, daily prayers, almsgiving – that are indispensable and commonly agreed upon. But then there are many matters wherein there is much room for debate and difference of opinion – such as the position of God in the universe, the nature of the afterlife, when war is permitted, how modestly men and women are required to dress, and much more.

Just as there is no single Muslim experience with the Quran, there is no single Western experience of Islam’s sacred book. Islam is one of the fastest-growing, if not the fastest-growing, religions in Europe and North America due to migration, birth, and conversion. For many converts (or reverts), experiencing the Quran was what they found most appealing about Islam. For some non-Muslims, too, there is great admiration for the Quran, both its beautiful language and its teachings.

As a case in point, Karen Armstrong, a prolific writer on Islam and other world religions, has said, “The bedrock message of the Qur’an is not a doctrine but a simple command that it’s right to share your wealth equally, bad to build up a private fortune selfishly, and good to try to create a just and decent society where poor and vulnerable people are treated with dignity and respect. That is the bedrock message of the Qur’an, and this is surely what we mean when we talk about decent society and our aspirations in the West.”

Another admirer of the Quran from the West, renowned translator and commentator Thomas Cleary, has written, “One aspect of Islam that is unexpected and yet appealing to the post-Christian secular mind is the harmonious interplay of faith and reason. Islam does not demand unreasoned belief. Rather, it invites intelligent faith, growing from observation, reflection, and contemplation, beginning with nature and what is all around us. Accordingly, antagonism between religion and science such as that familiar to Westerners is foreign to Islam.”

At the same time, however, many readers of the Quran in the West describe their experience of Islam’s sacred revelation as “artificially pieced together,” “difficult to understand,” “incoherent babbling,” and “uninspiring.” These are often description of genuine disappointments that some Westerners have when they first read the Quran. This experience may be caused by (a) an incomprehension of the original Arabic language of the text; (b) an encounter with a unique narrative style; (c) a lack of understanding for the historical context of revelation; and/or (d) the reading of cultural stereotypes into Islam’s scripture.

Muslims believe that the beautifully flowing Arabic of the Quran can never really be accurately translated into another language for two major reasons:

First, translation causes a break in the rhyme, rhythm, and form of the Quran that is so brilliantly consistent in its original Arabic even when it speaks of dense subjects like divorce laws or exhilarating themes like the beautiful names of God. The aura of the Quran exists as a result of its oral nature as a recited book. As a result, even the most sincere and excellent efforts at translation can never reproduce the awe Muslims experience upon hearing the Quran recited in Arabic. The Western reader of a translated Quran misses out on the whole aura of the recital. To experience some of the awe-inspiring beauty, it is well worth it to listen to Quranic recitation even if you don’t understand a word of Arabic.

Second, the Quran is untranslatable because of the richness of the Arabic language in which each word is pregnant with so many meanings that it would take a paragraph to genuinely and accurately translate many of the key terms found in the scripture. Arabic, like Hebrew, is made up of trilateral root letters that impregnate other letters to form a word. Therefore, to fully understand the etymology of any word, it is necessary to examine its trilateral root. For example, the Arabic word IMAN is usually translated into English simply as “belief.” But when we examine its trilateral root – AMN – we find several layers of meaning: “to trust,” “to be secure,” “to be in safety,” “to confine in,” “to pledge,” “covenant,” “faith,” and “belief”; it denotes faith and trust in God and a pledge and covenant to live accordingly. Similarly, when we look at the word opposite iman, namely, Kufr, we see this word usually translated as “disbelief,” or “unbelief.” But, again, when we examine its trilateral root – KFR – we see a host of meanings emerge: “to cover,” “to deny,” “to hide,” “to renounce,” “to reject,” “to be ungrateful,” “negligent,” “one who covers the sown seed with earth,” “one who conceals the benefits or favor conferred upon him,” and “impious.”  The simple translation of “disbelief” or “unbelief,” is inadequate in light of these deeper meanings. Kufr is denying and rejecting faith with ingratitude toward God and negligence toward the duties conferred by God, such as telling the truth. The problem with translation is that the vastness and depth of the original Arabic language is lost when it is replaced by words that do not carry the same profundity or depth and may even impart meanings that are alien to the Quranic worldview (such as the terms ‘infidel,” “holy war,” and others that are used in English but do not appear anywhere in the Quranic language).

Another challenge facing the Western reader of the Quran is its unique narrative style, structure, and form. The typical Western reader is used to a linear reading text in which there is clear introduction or beginning, body or middle, and conclusion or ending. The Quran is a decisively nonlinear text that has no clear beginning, middle, or end in most of its chapters. The Quran is not a story, nor does it follow a story-book narrative. Rather, the Quran is a book of guidance that seeks to teach us who God is, what we are expected to do on earth, how we are to live in this world, and what awaits us in the afterlife as we transition from this temporary abode to a more permanent one. Therefore, the Quran uses a more direct moral narrative in which the reader is addressed, and challenged, in many different ways.  Sometimes the Quran challenges and confronts the reader with a question: “Where then are you going?” (81:26). Other times, the Quran will criticize its reader in order to warn against the outcome of selfishness: “You are obsessed by greed more and more until you go down to your graves. Nay, in time you will come to understand.” (102:1-3). And yet, in other places the Quran comforts its readers with glad tidings: “Your Guardian-Lord has not left you, is not displeased…Your-lord will surely give to you, and you will be content.” (93:3-5). The Quran uses various tools to address the readers, such as rational arguments, parables, similitude, reminders, and prayers.

Due to its unique structure, it is important to read the Quran as a whole, rather than bits and pieces, so that its teachings are not taken out of their textual contexts. The Quran is a self-clarifying book that addresses themes several times in several different chapters. Therefore, taking one passage about war or women or relations with people of other faiths out of context, without considering other passages on the same theme, can be dangerously misleading and erroneous. This is why one has to be careful to explain the historical, textual, and thematic contexts of all the Quaranic themes.

A third factor that makes it difficult for many Western readers to appreciate the Quran is a lack of historical background about the prevailing conditions during which the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Much of the Quran is a response to events preceding revelation and events occurring during revelation. So, for example, when Quranic passages address hostility and fighting with pagan Arabs, it would be a mistake to think that Islam introduced all this fighting to the region. In reality, the pagan tribes of Arabia were engaged in a constant struggle for power and experienced much bloodshed before the advent of Islam. The newly formed Islamic community was responding to this reality, and certain passages in the Quran reflect this reality, too.

Similarly, when the Quran addresses Jews and Christians in a less than friendly way, it is important to go back and study exactly what the Quran was responding to at the time of revelation. There we’ll find that the Quran addresses Jews and Christians using tough language only after they had aided the Arab pagans in planning an attack on the Prophet’s community in Madina. Otherwise, the Quran addresses “people of the book” in honourable terms, expressing a great deal of respect and goodwill.

Finally, there is also the fact that Western culture possesses many negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims in the culture emanating from historical conflicts to present-day tensions. Western readers often see, study, and think about Islam through this lens. For instance, when reading a passage on the inheritance rights of women, Western readers will often focus their attention on the unequal distribution of inheritance between men and women (4:11-12). What they may fail to recognize is that a woman receiving inheritance at all more than 1,400 years ago was inconceivable in other parts of the world, including the West. Furthermore, the Quran places virtually all financial obligations for the caretaking of a family upon the male members of a household, while no such obligations are placed on women. As such, the inheritance that women receive remains theirs and only theirs, to be used for whatever they wish. In Islamic history, this allowed women to found and endow some major institutions in society, such as schools, hospitals, and universities. So, while gender bias is read into the Quranic rules of inheritance, in reality these rules are based more on gender equality and common sense than any sort of gender discrimination. Equally important is the fact that these rules can be changed when circumstances change.

The best way to overcome all of these barriers to a better understanding and appreciation of the Quran is to read a few general introductory books on Islam, and the Quran in particular, in order to become familiar with the common themes, ideas, concepts, and terms that make up the Quran. Also, it is beneficial to read multiple translations of the Quran at once in order to gain a deeper appreciation for the meaning and vastness of words used in the Quran.

Within this context, I strongly recommend the following books:

1. The Vision of Islam. By: Sachiko Murata and William Chittick

2. The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity. By: Seyyed Hossein Nasr

3. Islam. By: Fazlur Rahman

4. Major Themes of the Qur’an. By: Fazlur Rahman

5. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of Intellectual Tradition. By: Fazlur Rahman

6. Understanding Islam: A Guide for the Judaeo-Christian Reader. By: Jerald Dirks

7. The Qur’an: A Short Introduction. By: Farid Esack

8. Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur’an. By: Toshihiko Izutsu

9. “Believing Women” in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur’an.

     By: Asma Barlas

10. The Spirit of Islam. By: Ameer Ali

 …And translations of the Quran:

1. Muhammad Asad: The Message of the Qur’an

2. The Sublime Quran. Translated by Laleh Bakhtiar

3. The Meaning of The Holy Qur’an. By Abdullah Yusuf Ali