Although the Qur’an is a pure light that can direct our paths and bring us into an understanding of God and His salvation, man needs to read the Book in the language he understands. The major reason as to why many Muslims do not understand the Qur’an is purely because they read the Qur’an in Arabic a language they do not understand. The very first step for a non-Arab to understand the Qur’an is to read the translation and there are numerous translations of the Qur’an in many languages in the world today. The Qur’an, the holy book of about 2 billion Muslims around the world is now available with a complete book in approximately 114 languages of the world. Having read the translation it is only appropriate that effort should be made to learn the Arabic language at least completing the basic level.
While the Qur’an is in Arabic it is not necessarily the Arab have a total understanding of the Qur’an unless they practice what they believed. On the contrary the Arab is known to be the least people who follow the guidance from the Qur’an and the Qur’an confirmed their position by the following verses:
S9:97 The Arabs are the worst in unbelief and hypocrisy, and most fitted to be in ignorance of the command which Allah hath sent down to His Messenger: But Allah is All-knowing, All-Wise.
S27:30 Then the Apostle will say: “O my Lord! Truly my people took this Qur’an for just foolish nonsense.”
There are many examples in the Qur’an that exhibit the failure of those who read the Book but they failed to understand the message and some of those who comprehend the knowledge from the Qur’an yet failed to put up the principles into practice. In another word they falter to submit to what they understand and what they believe to be the truth because not very many Muslims take their guidance solely from the Qur’an and most of them just take the easy way by following the majority. The Qur’an is guidance and by understanding it is to submit to its principles and this is achieved by obeying God and His Messenger as portrayed in the Qur’an in great detail, just believing is not sufficient until it is manifested into practice as shown by the following example below –
S49:14 The Arabs say, ‘We believe.’ Say: ‘You do not believe; rather say, “We surrender”; for belief has not yet entered your hearts. If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish you anything of your works. God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.’
FOLLOWING THE PRACTICES OF THE FATHER AND FOREFATHERS
Most people in this world inherit the practices of their fathers. Children for generation have been following the footstep of their fathers and the fathers before them. Most of the children were not given the opportunity to understand other religion and they are being indoctrinate only their ways of their own religion is the correct way as such they became blind followers. However, following the practice of our fathers do not guaranty that we have the truth in our hands. God is fair to all mankind and He is the Knower of All Things and each human need to find their own path as God in the Qur’an has given warning that following the ways of the fathers will not be an excuse in the Day of Judgment as He has plainly stated in the Qur’an during our Genesis, it has been made clear to us that this is not an inadequacy to put an excuse as shown by the following verse:
S7:172-173 And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! We bear witness. Lest you should say on the day of resurrection: Surely, we were heedless of this. Or you should say: Only our fathers associated others (with Allah) before, and we were an offspring after them: Wilt Thou then destroys us for what the vain doers did?
S5:104 When it is said to them: “Come to what Allah hath revealed; come to the Messenger”: They say: “Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.” what! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?
S31:21 When they are told to follow the Revelation that Allah has sent down, they say: “Nay, we shall follow the ways that we found our fathers following. “What! even if it is Satan beckoning them to the Penalty of the Blazing Fire?
In conjunction with the above acknowledgment during Genesis we bear witness that Allah is our Lord and as such we have been cautioned to check the practices of our fathers whether it has its origin from divine sources. That which is conceded from sources other than the Book of God is invention and fabrication. The repercussion will be idolatry, ignorance and diabolical. For salvation it is our duty to make the effort to read and find out the truth and the truth comes only from God and it is written in His Book as His Apostle said:
S10:108 “O men! Now Truth hath reached you from your Lord! Those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss: and I am not set over you to arrange your affairs.”
S3:60 The Truth comes from Allah alone; so be not of those who doubt.
By following the practice of our Prophet as portrayed in the Quran naturally it gives us the confidence and reliability that it is sanctioned by God. As an example, when the detail of the Salat is clearly shown in the Qur’an by the example the Prophet implementing it there should not be any more reservation or doubt in our heart as every single action can be justified with the words of God in the Qur’an.
On the contrary how are we to justify to God when the Prophet performed throughout his prayers with a medium-pitch when making his recitation as in –
S17:110 Say: “Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.”
Yet we clearly know that none of the majority is following and obeying the Prophet as depicted in the Qur’an instead they are following and obeying the guidance from other books by reciting in the fajar prayer the two units or rakaat in loud pitch, while the zohor and asar prayers four units or rakaat both the prayers are done in total silent. While for the maghrib prayer two units or rakaat at loud pitch and one in silent. And for the night Ishaa prayer out of four units or rakaat two in loud and two in silent pitch?
One can notice clearly in the above none whatsoever is copied from the example of the Prophet who prays with a middle pitch tone as he obeyed the command of Allah the way to recite the prayers. Surely when the sources were unknown and ambiguous it will naturally effectuate pointing to the excuse it has been the practice of the fathers and their fathers before them.
INCORRECT ATTITUDES TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE QUR’AN
It has been the standpoint of the scholars of Islam that when the Qur’an is being referred, to them it only sets out the framework and structure of Islamic jurisprudent but the detailed is explained by sources outside the Qur’an through the hadith. In another word they claimed that the Qur’an is without details. However, when one takes a closer and deeper look into the message of the Qur’an the actions taken by the scholars is repugnant to the Words of God as stated in the Qur’an that it was inspired to the Prophet Muhammad without leaving any detail as proven by the following evidences:
S6:38 There is not an animal that lives on the earth or a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. Nothing had We omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.
S2:185 Ramadhan is the month in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear Signs for guidance and judgment between right and wrong.
S7:52 For We had certainly sent unto them a Book, based on knowledge, which We explained in detail, a guide and a mercy to all who believe.
This invariably in the hereafter the Prophet Muhammad will be a witness to authenticate that God has completely sent down His message without leaving out any detail in the Qur’an. Indeed, the Prophet has done his part in this world by propagating the detailed message which is self-explanatory stated in the Qur’an whether it is the Prayers (salat) or the alms (zakat) or any other injunction sufficient for the salvation of those who believe and those who follow his examples to be in the category of those who received mercy from God in the hereafter. He will be the witness as to whether we have followed the details as has been laid out by God in the Qur’an or of those who reject the details shown in the His revelation:
S16:89 One day We shall raise from all peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring thee as a witness against these people: and We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims.
S30:58-60 Verily We have propounded for men, in this Qur’an every kind of Parable: But if thou bring to them any Sign, the Unbelievers are sure to say, “Ye do nothing but talk vanities.” Thus does Allah seal up the hearts of those who understand not. So patiently persevere: for verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake thy firmness those who has no certainty of faith.
USAGE AND APPLYING OF OUR INTELLIGENCE ON THE MESSAGES IN THE QURAN
In order to extract and understand the details in the Qur’an there is a need to adopt the use of our intelligence and an open mind. The capacity to solve problems and to put thing together systematically is a clear and definite criterion of intelligence. And God bestow on us freedom to choose is a specific human quality and something valuable in itself in relation to its objects can be used to do good or wrong value. Nevertheless, since we are given the faculties of seeing, hearing, feeling and understanding by God the primary initiative is to be grateful for His wonderful gift to mankind:
S16:78 It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing, sight, intelligence and affections: that ye may give thanks to Allah.
The use of our intelligence is to submit to what has been commanded by God and to follow the examples that were being shown by all the messengers of God depicted in the Quran. The submission is on the Words of God that is the Truth which He has made it plain and easy for us to comply.
The main criteria to identity and confirm a book is from God is it is without contradiction –
S4:82 Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.
It is only an ignorant mind will embrace the distortion. Any command or messages at odds or disagreement with other parts of the Qur’an is the duty for the reader to find out where the faulty lies and to correct the meaning into its proper and rightful situation.
And even the Prophet will not contradict himself as he delivered only the messages of the Qur’an and none of his own notions, impulses or whims and fancies –
S10:15 But when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed unto them, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, say: “Bring us a reading other than this, or change this,” Say: “It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what is revealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the penalty of a Great Day to come.”
However, the use of intelligence if not verify with the virtue described in the Quran will become dishonor and immorality and this has been cautioned by God in the following verse showing the example of former people:
S29:38 Remember also the ‘Ad and the Thamud people: clearly will appear to you from the traces of their buildings (their fate): the Evil One made their deeds alluring to them, and kept them back from the Path, though they were gifted with intelligence and skill.
Thus, the Quran provide the guidance by examples between right and wrong or of good and evil and the path to the right religion. There is no such thing as blind faith but it must come with evidences and proofs provided from the inspired message. The message is in detail and had it not been made plain and clear to mankind the disbelievers of the Quran will not be uttering the following statement in hell in the Day of Judgement –
S67:8-10 Almost bursting with fury: Every time a Group is cast therein, its Keepers will ask, “Did no Warner come to you?” They will say: “Yes indeed; a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him and said, ‘Allah never sent down any Message: ye are nothing but an egregious delusion!'” They will further say: “Had we listened or used our intelligence, we should not now be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire!”
Pondering with Saifuddin's index 