1/ Allah is omnipresent, unbounded by time
and place. All humanity, in all time, is
subject to the Spiritual Law of cause and effect, as much as to the physical
law of action and reaction. The message
of the Quran was revealed through Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, in the 7th
c. A.D., providing a window for humankind to Divine Reality. The message window was fixed in a specific
time and place, and we understand it in that context.
2/ We attempt to understand the message in
a way that resonates for us in our own culture, time and place. This is an exercise of discernment. We are inspired by a passage from Quran in
which Quran itself tells us that God’s words are unlimited, which means that
the divine wisdom as revealed through God’s words is unlimited.
SAY: If all the sea were ink for my Sustainer’s
words, the sea would indeed be exhausted ere my Sustainer’s words are
exhausted! And [thus it would be] if We
were to add to it sea upon sea.” [18:109, See also Surah 31:27]][1]
3/ The messages in Quran, especially the
culturally specific messages, cannot be understood without an understanding of
the circumstances and events that were unfolding in the life of the Prophet
when the messages were revealed. We use Seerah
(biography of the Prophet), and Sunnah literature (his words and actions) as
references to arrive at that understanding.
5/ We use the classical tafasir
(interpretations) of the Quran as reference material. However, we strive to understand them in the
context of the time and culture of their authors. The most widely referenced tafasir were
written between the 3rd and 8th centuries A.H. (after
hijrah) / 9th and 14th centuries, A.D. Although they are the reflection of
centuries of study and contemplation on the Quranic messages, they are subject
to human limitation. We understand them
as reflections from and for their own historical time and culture. We do not take them as necessary guides for
action in every subsequent human community.
[1]
Most passages of Quran are taken from The Message of the Quran by
Muhammad Asad, except where otherwise noted.
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