IS THE QUR'AN A SELF-STUDY BOOK FULLY UNDERSTANDABLE FOR ALL PEOPLE?

[Bararthani]

The claim:

The Qur'an is a book that everyone can understand, and all people can understand religious content correctly and clearly by referring directly to it.

The alleged evidence:

• The Quran was addressed to the people, and the Prophet recited it to ordinary people, and they understood it and embraced Islam.

• God introduces the Qur'an as "مبین", which is translated to “clear” (تِلْکَ آیاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَ کِتابٍ مُبینٍ = These are the verses of the Qur’ān and a clear Book - 27:1)

·         God says: "We have explained the verses of the Qur'an in detail (كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ = [This is] a book the verses of which have been made firm, and elaborated by the One who is All Wise, All Aware -11:1)

• In the Qur'an, God has ordered people to contemplate the verses of the Qur'an (أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ أَمۡ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقۡفَالُهَآ  = Will they not contemplate the Quran? Do they have locks on their hearts? - 47:24), so it is understandable by contemplation.

• The imams of Ahl al-Bayt have ordered people to present the Ahadith to the Qur'an to distinguish the correct reports from the fake ones so that the traditions that contradict the Qur'an are discarded. If the Qur'an were not understandable to people, it could not be used as a criterion for measuring the validity of hadith.

 

Refutation:

·         In the Qur'an, God introduced the Prophet as the teacher of the Qur'an. (هُوَ ٱلَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي ٱلۡأُمِّيِّـۧنَ رَسُولࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِي ضَلَٰلࣲ مُّبِينࣲ = It is He who has sent among the unlettered [Arabs] a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and ص [i.e., the Qur’ān] and wisdom [i.e., the sunnah] - although they were before in clear error – 62:2) and if everyone could understand the Qur'an, there was no need for sending a teacher.
 

·         God says in the Qur'an that the explanation of the Qur'an is the responsibility of God himself (ثم انّ علینا بیانه = Then, it is undertaken by Us to explain it. 75:19) and He did this job through his messenger as it is mentioned in the following verse: (بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلزُّبُرِۗ وَأَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلذِّكۡرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ = [We sent them] with clear proofs and written ordinances. And We revealed to you the message [i.e., the Qur’ān] that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them and that they might give thought. - 44:16)
 

·         In addition to Muhkam verses which are clear in terms of their meaning, which we are commanded to contemplate them, the Qur'an also has ambiguous verses (Mutashabih) that contain messages for us, and we should not neglect the wisdom of their revelation, and to understand it, we must refer to a clarification from God or from the divine teacher of the Qur'an [i.e. those firmly rooted in knowledge]. (هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِنۡهُ ءَايَٰتࣱ مُّحۡكَمَٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَٰبِهَٰتࣱۖ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ زَيۡغࣱ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَٰبَهَ مِنۡهُ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ وَٱبۡتِغَآءَ تَأۡوِيلِهِۦۖ وَمَا يَعۡلَمُ تَأۡوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَٱلرَّـٰسِخُونَ فِي ٱلۡعِلۡمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلࣱّ مِّنۡ عِندِ رَبِّنَاۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ = It is He Who has revealed the Book to you. Some of its verses are absolutely clear and lucid, and these are the core of the Book. Others are ambiguous. Those in whose hearts there is perversity, always go about the ambiguous part, seeking mischief and seeking to arrive at its meaning arbitrarily, although none knows their true meaning except Allah, and those firmly rooted in knowledge [who] say: 'We believe in it; it is all from our Lord alone.' No one derives true admonition from anything except the men of understanding. - 3:7)

 

·         The meaning of all the verses of the Qur'an (both Muhkam and Mutashabih) is clear in the eyes of those who have been given its knowledge. (بَلۡ هُوَ ءَايَٰتُۢ بَيِّنَٰتࣱ فِي صُدُورِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَۚ وَمَا يَجۡحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ = But this ˹Quran˺ is ˹a set of˺ clear revelations ˹preserved˺ in the hearts of those gifted with knowledge. And none denies Our revelations except the ˹stubborn˺ wrongdoers. - 29:49) Not for all people.

 

·         The Qur'an has abrogator and abrogated verses as the Quran says: (مَا نَنسَخۡ مِنۡ ءَايَةٍ أَوۡ نُنسِهَا نَأۡتِ بِخَيۡرࣲ مِّنۡهَآ أَوۡ مِثۡلِهَآۗ أَلَمۡ تَعۡلَمۡ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءࣲ قَدِيرٌ = If We ever abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten, We replace it with a better or similar one. Do you not know that Allah is Most Capable of everything? - 2:106) and to distinguish between them, it is necessary to refer to the statement of the divine teachers of the Quran.

 

·         Although God introduces the Qur'an as an explanation of everything ( وَنَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ تِبۡيَٰنࣰا لِّكُلِّ شَيۡءࣲ وَهُدࣰى وَرَحۡمَةࣰ وَبُشۡرَىٰ لِلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ = We have revealed to you the Book as an explanation of all things, a guide, a mercy, and good news for those who ˹fully˺ submit. -16:89) but in the outward of the Qur’an, we cannot find the explanation and detail of all the subjects of our religion, let alone the explanation and detail of all the subjects of all sciences. The explanation of the verses of the Qur'an and the matters of religion is also the responsibility of God Himself ( كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ = [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from [one who is] Wise and Aware - 11:1). Therefore, people must refer to the statement of God's proof and the inheritors of His knowledge who are given the knowledge.

 

·         For the Qur'an to be correctly understood, one should take into account the exceptions from general rulings and principles and bindings and restrictions of absolute statements, and observing such exceptions and bindings is not possible for the general public.

 

·         In the hadith of Thaqalain, the beloved Prophet of Islam (PBUH) mentioned that the salvation of the Ummah and their preservation from going astray depends on the people's following the two precious and inseparable things: the Qur'an along with the Prophet's infallible progeny.

 

Clarification:

Based on the points mentioned earlier, the Arabic word “مبین”, which is used in several verses (like 27:1) as an attribute of the Qur’an, cannot be interpreted in the sense that all the verses of the Qur'an are clear and obvious and that the whole Qur'an is fully understandable for everyone, but rather according to exegesis books[1] [2], the possible meanings of the attribution of “مبین” to the Qur'an are as follows:

1- The Quran clarifies the distinction between the right (guidance) and the wrong (deviation)

2- The Qur'an reveals many truths

3- The fact that the Qur'an is a miracle is clear and obvious.

Conclusion:

For a complete and correct understanding of the Qur'an, people need referring to the inheritors of the knowledge of the Qur'an, that are, the Prophet and his infallible Ahl al-Bayt.

That doesn’t mean that people should refrain from reciting the Qur’an or contemplating its verses, rather it is highly recommended for them to do so and take lessons from its radiant verses, but with this in mind that their understanding of the Qur’an may be incorrect or incomplete and for them to take it in as their belief they must check it with a specialist in the field of the Qur’an and Hadith (i.e. a well-versed scholar).

 

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[1] Atyab al-Bayan fi-Tafseer al-Qur’an, vol.8 p. 3

[2] Ruh al-Ma’aani fi-Tafseer al-Qur’an al’Azim, vol.10 p.152