A Contemporary, Rational Examination of the Sciences of the Holy Qur’An: An Admonition, Insight, and Reminder for the 99 Per Cent Turning in Repentance

A 

 Contemporary, 

 Rational 

 Examination of 

 the Sciences of 

 the Holy Qur’ān

An Admonition, Insight, and Reminder for the 99 Per Cent Turning in Repentance

Allama Dr. Sani Salih Mustapha

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© 2012 Allama Dr. Sani Salih Mustapha. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 5/15/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4678-8393-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-8394-8 (e)

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Contents

About the Book.

The Triangle of Revelation.

Preface.

Introduction.

Chapter 1. 

 The Holy Qur’ān

Chapter 2.

Contemporary understanding of the Holy Qur’ān

Chapter 3. 

 The Sunna of Muhammad Rasūlullāh

Chapter 4. 

 The Prescription of the Socioeconomic Status of the 99 Per Cent in the Holy Qur’ān

Chapter 5. 

 Conclusion

Suggested Reading.

About the Author.

O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allāh. But Allāh is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of All Praise.

—The Holy Qur’ān 35:15

Also from ‘Allama Dr. Sani Salih Mustapha:

Muhammad Rasūlullāh and the People of the Book

As-Salāt of the Holy Apostle – The Gateway to Paradise

The Sciences of Hadīth Literature

‘Ilm-al-Usul-al-Fiqh

The Calamitous, Lamentable Arab Springs. An Analysis of the Illiteracy and Hypocrisy of an Arab Muslim.

About the Book.

The Qur’ān is that single heavenly message that underwent so many passages through the evolution of mankind and under the guidance of Allāh, the Lord of the universe, to appear as the chosen, simplified, and perfected code of conduct in the hands of Muhammad Rasūlullāh. Examining the sciences convinces one of their miraculous nature, their conformity, and the confirmation of the Torah. It explains avidly that man has the faculty of discrimination as a result of his ability to develop, grow, progress, and direct independently his own way of living. The base of this is in the knowledge the Lord of the universe taught him. Harmony and peace are comprehensive terms enveloping all that man needs for his survival in this world. The objective of examining the sciences of the Holy Qur’ān is to find a safe passage and a way of living in perfect harmony and peace between mankind, his environment, and his Creator. It also enables one to understand and realize what will happen if one dies. Those reading the Scriptures have come across the promise of Allāh for reward and punishment in this earthly world and in the hereafter; the Holy Qur’ān, the last of such Scriptures, teaches the same. Allāh summed up this in 53:38–41: That no burdened person (with sins) shall bear the burden (sins) of another. And that man can have nothing but what he does (good or bad). And that his deeds will be seen. Then he will be recompensed with a full and the best recompense.

The Triangle of Revelation.

Key

A. Stands for Allāh as the Primary Source of revelation

B. Stands for Muhammad Rasūlullāh as the receptor and broadcaster of the revelation to C

C. Stands for human beings and all that Allāh created as the stimulators (objects) of revelation

D Stands for angel Gabriel

BA. Afferent pathway from Muhammad to Allāh

ADB. Efferent pathway (Allāh, Gabriel, Muhammad)

CA. Afferent pathway direct to Allāh.

BC. Efferent pathway (command) from Muhammad to human beings etc

Preface.

The Holy Qur’ān is the last of the heavenly messages from Allāh to mankind for their comprehensive guidance. Its revelation in the Arabic language, one of the early Semitic languages, was never meant to limit its message to only the Arab-speaking races. The language in which Adam received his message was restricted to his area of rendezvous. According to the book of Genesis, at the beginning everyone spoke the same language; it was later that they spoke different languages, after being scattered all over the earth.[1] According to Reverend Matthew Henry, that was a great miracle and a proof of the power that God has upon the minds and tongues of men, which he turns as the rivers of water.[2] Prophet Abraham took his message from Ur of Chaldea to Babylon, Harran, Aleppo, Jerusalem, Hebron, Al-Gizah, back to Hebron, Makka, and then back to Hebron.[3]

No historian has ever told us, with an incontestable authority, the language(s) spoken in the places visited by Prophet Abraham. Dr. Mustapha Azami contended that Prophet Ishmael, the first-born child of Prophet Abraham to his wife, Hajar, could have spoken the language of the Jurham tribe, the inhabitants of Makka (Bakka).[4] Did Prophet Ibrahim stay long enough to learn the language as well? If the Canaanites spoke only their language, Prophet Abraham was then the only one speaking more than one language. There was free trade between Canaan and Egypt, for when Joseph was imprisoned he needed no interpreter to translate the dream of his prison inmates for him. How could one who rose into the realms of affairs in Egypt not know the language of that community?

What was the language spoken by the Egyptians? The children of Israel lived in Egypt for approximately four hundred and fifty years; they could have forgotten the language spoken in Palestine. When they eventually returned to Palestine, they must have introduced to the Palestinians the language they spoke in Egypt. Without any prejudice, the language spoken then by the children of Israel must be the universal language of their time.[5] Was Jethro speaking Hebrew?[6] Was Allāh inspiring the Prophets to learn the language of the people they were sent to preach? An allusion to this is given in the Holy Qur’ān at 27:18, where Prophet Solomon heard the commander of the ants directing them to get into their habitation, lest he crush them. In 18:93, Zul-qarnāin could not understand the language spoken by the people living between the two mountains.[7] When did the Hebrew language become the dominant language of the world?

Summing up these uncertainties, Allāh says in the 14:4, And We sent not a Messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them. Then, Allāh misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. Therefore the content of every message is guidance; misguidance only comes after the message is rejected. This is confirmed in the Holy Qur’ān at 20:124–127: But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’ān nor acts on its teaching) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection. This is as a result of one’s ignorance of the Sharī’a, in one’s voluntary submission to be led in prayers by ignorant Imāms who do not understand the meaning of what they recite or their shallow understanding of the Sunna of the holy apostle.

These verses hint at what one should look for while examining the contents of the Holy Qur’ān, or any of the revealed books: How can I be guided and to prosper? The question of getting guidance will never arise because guidance comes only from Allāh. Unlike other messages, the Holy Qur’ān has been safeguarded and protected by Allāh. The guidance has been preserved and is always available to a keen onlooker. Those in need of guidance must get it from the one entrusted with it; it cannot be obtained except from a messenger (Rasūl) or a prophet (Anbiyā’), or in their absence, their representatives in that community. The holy apostle asserted in the following Ahādith.

I have left behind for the jinn and mankind two things if they hold they will never go astray: The Holy Qur’ān and my Sunna. Hold to them in as much as you can.[8]

I fear not for my people poverty or any form of depravation. What I fear for them is demise of those who can give them the correct interpretation of how I performed my Ibādat (acts of worship).

Allāh will open the breast (the life) of the one He intends to make smooth, comfortable and easy understanding His ad-Dīn.

There was principally only one book of guidance, the Taurāt, which should be limited only to that given to Moses by the God of Abraham, Ishmael, Isāac, and Jacob in two tablets at the foot of Mount Sinai after his sojourn of forty days and nights. According to Jewish literature, G-d (God/Allāh) revealed to Moses the entire Torah, with all its laws and the interpretations thereof. Finally, G-d gave Moses the two stone Tablets of Testimony, containing the Ten Commandments written by G-d Himself.[9]

However, conventionally the Taurāt (Talmud) includes that all that its compilers wrote about what Allāh revealed to the prophets of the children of Israel. The guidance of this book lasted for an approximate period of 1,450 years and is described as Mustabīn, or that which helps to make things clear. The Injeel revealed to Prophet Jesus, son of Mary, that according to him it contains no change of a sentence or a comma. He warned his community, stressing the importance of pursuing the correct knowledge in Matthew 5:20: You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Qur’ān is described as Mubīn, or that which is evident, clear. For brevity, I do not intend to explain the difference between Mustabīn and Mubīn, but I only wish to stress the need of personal effort in learning about Islām.[10]

What is the root word of Taurāt (Talmud/Torah)?

Taurāt is an Arabicized word referring to what Allāh revealed to Prophet Moses (AH) according to Muhammad Rasūlullāh. This name appeared eighteen times in the Holy Qur’ān in a span of eleven years. Taurāt was first mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān 7:157, a year before the Hijrah (twelve years from the start of revelation), as a herald to the Levi clans of the children of Israel of the impending migration of Muhammad Rasūlullāh. It could have been revealed immediately after the Hijrah but was inserted in the Makkan period to fit into the theme of the chapter. In a period of about four years after the Hijrah, the name was mentioned seventeen times. It appeared six times in the Holy Qur’ān 3 (all immediately after the battle of Badr approximately two and a half years after the Hijrah), and seven times in the Holy Qur’ān 5 (revealed towards the end of 6 AH, after the treaty of Hudaybiya).

The Levi clans of the children of Israel were the best community to explain its original meaning, if it is not a derivate of the Arabic Semitic language. If, however, the word is a derivative of the Aramaic language, then the Muslim followers of Islām brought by Jesus were the best community to explain its root meaning. Is it a derivative of the Arabic root taratan, tauran (sometimes), or rawīya (deliberation)? The earlier Muslim commentators of the Holy Qur’ān might have given its etymology, but that information has been lost. Tawriyya means to hide or hint, and this was what Prophet Joseph did when he told his brothers, Rather the one whom we found our property. He did not use the word thief as used by his brothers.

Why is the word Taurāt not mentioned in the early Makkan period?

This is a challenge to those Orientalists who are more than ready to criticize the last message, and a ringing bell to the Muslim Umma to remember the fatwa of Ali bin Abi Talib that it is not understanding, to explain the Holy Qur’ān in the manner it was explained during their time. The reason is obvious, for the final message intends to beam and illuminate the immediate environment, and to call for practical witnesses as a proof that Muhammad Rasūlullāh is indeed a messenger to mankind. The Quraysh were not in a position to understand the meaning of Taurāt because no messenger was sent to teach them the Taurāt, and thus they were ignorant about it. Allāh will never take a people to task on what they do not know.

The case was different in Madina and in the neighbouring Najran, which were the masters of the Taurāt and the Injeel, respectively. It is significant to observe that Taurāt is mentioned fifteen times with Injeel (gospel). Injeel was mentioned twice with reference to Jesus, son of Mary, and once with reference to the followers of Muhammad Rasūlullāh. Therefore the Taurāt and Injeel have both a specific and general meaning.

The oldest part of the Taurāt was first written down around 220 CE, but the information contained in the Talmud is believed to be much older.[11] The original Hebrew Bible was consonantal; this oldest form is known as Masorah.[12] The question is, when was the first Old Testament written? According to Maurice Bucaille, the Old Testament included several books that did not exist in the Hebraic Bible. In addition it has not accepted all the published writings destined to inform men about the mission of Jesus.[13] The holy prophet discouraged unnecessary inquiry on what was revealed to civilizations and communities before him. His sincere and devout followers are to believe, within reason, what they heard narrated from the believers of previous prophets. They are to stand by what is clear in the Holy Qur’ān and leave all that is doubtful. The children of Israel were commanded to fight false prophets; this began after their escape from Egypt with the incident of Samiri and indicated that a community must maintain its message in its original form and never to treat the message with contempt or allow one to encroach on its sacrosanctity.

The Injeel is the message Allāh revealed to Jesus. Unlike the Taurāt and the Holy Qur’ān, the method of revelation is not mentioned. According to the Holy Qur’ān, it was by inspiration. According to Matthew 5 and other passages, it contains all the Ten Commandments in particular and in principle. Its most important teaching is exposing the uniqueness and oneness of Allāh. The details of the rituals revealed to their prophets were not available; Prophet Solomon built the temple and prayed facing Jerusalem in the manner the holy apostle led the Sahābas during prayers. This is where the congregation stands behind the Imām, with all facing the Qibla. But why is it that those who claim to be followers of Jesus do not pray in the manner of Solomon? Was this method of praying abrogated later?

The Holy Qur’ān

The Holy Qur’ān was revealed to Muhammad Rasūlullāh during a period of twenty-three years. The first thirteen years of the revelation were within the precincts of Makka, except for his unscheduled visit to Ṫa’īf after the death of his beloved wife and his uncle, Abu Talib, and twice to ‘Aqaba, where he received the pledge of the Aws and Khazraj tribes of Madina. Throughout his stay in Makka, the message was centred on what Allāh revealed to communities before him – the community of the people of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. None of the clans of the tribes of the children of Israel lived in Makka; it was doubtful if they have ever visited Muhammad in Makka, for they abhorred idol worshipping. They knew of his impending arrival, and on many occasions they told the Quraysh of the coming of that prophet. It was during this period that they requested him to tell them about their ancestor Joseph. This culminated in the revelation of Holy Qur’ān 12. They also demanded to be briefed on Zal-qarnain, whose story was briefly mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān 18. The Makkan period is reminiscent of the forty years of Moses’s preaching in Egypt, except that the holy apostle was not sent to a particular authority; the Quraysh were living under loose confederations.

The holy apostle migrated to Madina following his forceful ejection from Makka and lived there for ten years. This was as a result of the story the Levi clans used to tell the Aws and Khazraj tribes, and they boasted that when that prophet came, they will quickly go to him, for no civilization ever defeated a prophet, and they will reduce them in the manner that the Aram were reduced. Ideally, one can argue that Muhammad migrated to Madina for the express purpose of showing that community how to live cordially in peace and harmony with one another, and not necessary to teach them how to perform the rituals forgotten by the Levi clans and the inexperienced Aws and Khazraj tribes. His very first assignment, establishing the bond of brotherhood between the haves and have-nots, signalled the very base of his message – the uplifting of humanity. The holy apostle had yet to receive the revelation entailing that, however because his mission was similar to that of Prophet Moses, and because in the absence of a specific Sharī’a he could apply any of that of the previous prophets, he quickly applied Exodus 23:9: Don’t maltreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like. How can one be in a position to understand Allāh and spread the message of humanity if he is impoverished? How