Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Thank you so much for responding in such detail and patience about my query. Just another question, a friend of mine was telling me that in the Bohra Sect, one is not allowed to read and understand Quran other than from their appointed Imam/scholar of the community..is this true?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Bohra sect not allowed to understand the Quran

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is YES, its true. The Bohra leadership exhort their followers day and night to recite the Quran in Arabic, and Allah Knows best, the Bohras, Maa Shaa Allah, recite probably more Quran than any other muslims.

But they are not allowed to read ANY SORT of translation of the Quran. Thus they just do not understand the meanings of even one aayah of the Glorious Quran. The Bohra leadership does not have, and does not allow, even a translation of their leaderships’ understanding of the Holy Quran in print! They don’t have an approved translation of their own, nor do they allow their followers to read anybody else’s translation.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraf verse 52-54:We have brought to these people a Book (Al Quran) which gives details based on knowledge and which is a guidance and blessing for them who believe. Now, are these people waiting for anything, other than the consequences, of which they have been warned in this Book?

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 11 Surah Hud verse 1: This (Al Quran) is a Book, whose verses are basic or fundamental (of established meaning) and further issued in detail by the All Wise and All Acquainted (with all things).

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2:These are the verses of the Book (Al Quran) that makes its object perfectly clear. We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic so that you may understand it well.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 14 Surah Ibrahim verse 1-3:This is a Book (Al Quran) which We have sent down to you so that you may bring mankind, by the help of your Lord, out of the dark ways (of ignorance) into the Light (of knowledge), to the Way of that Allah, Who is All Powerful and All Praise-worthy.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 44:We sent the former Messengers with clear signs and Books, and now We have sent the Admonition (Al Quran) to you (O Mohamed (saws)), so that you should make plain and explain to the people the teachings of the Book which has been sent for them, and also that they (themselves) should ponder over it.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:We have sent down to you this Book (Al Quran) which makes plain everything and is guidance, blessing and good news to the believers.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 17 Surah Bani Israel verse 9:Indeed, the Quran shows that way which is perfect clear.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 97:So have We made this Quran easy and sent it down in your own tongue so that you should give good news to the God Fearing believers and warn the obdurate people.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 1-3:All praise is for Allah, Who has sent down this Book (Al Quran) to His Servant (Mohamed (saws)), and made nothing crooked in it. This Books says everything directly so that he may warn the people of the severe punishment of Allah, and give good news to the ones who believe.

Allah says in the Glorious Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:Prophet (saws), We have made this Book (Al Quran) easy in your own tongue, so that they may take good counsel.

And I could go on and on and on, giving evidence after evidence from the Quran itself that this Book is easy to understand, that there is no crookedness in it, that there are no double meanings to it, that it is direct, that it is perfectly clear, AND THAT IT IS A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD OF THE WORLDS!!!!

The Glorious Quran is used by the Bohras as a Book of ‘Baraka’ and ‘Shifa’, but not as a Book which guides mankind to Islam. Tens of millions of people worldwide have embraced Islam, just after reading this Glorious Quran, but the Bohras are not allowed by their leadership to understand it!! There are many eminent ‘scholars’ in the community who have memorized the whole Quran, but do not understand even one aayah!! They keep multiple copies in each house, and recite and recite, but are not allowed to understand the clear meanings of the Glorious Quran!! They have an university of Islamic studies only for the Bohras, but the Quran and its interpretation is not even taught. Thus the scholars who come out of there are ignorant of the guidance of the Glorious Quran, but are experts at Tajweed, Recitation, Memorization, Fiqh, Da’aim ul Islam, etc. But they have never ever understood the whole Quran in its context, even once!!

I know several non-muslims who read and understood the Glorious Quran, once, and convert to Islam. I have heard and read of several others who have read and understood the Holy Quran and converted to Islam!! But for some reason, which the leadership knows best, Bohras are not allowed to understand the Quran.

They say an aayah has 10 meanings each, and if you read it, you will misunderstand! They say the Quran is only supposed to be understood by their leadership, and not the common fools like us! They say that if you read and understand the Holy Quran, you might leave the fold of Islam! They say that the Quran must be understood only in Arabic and not in any other language! They say learn the Quran from the leadership, but they never teach the Quran themselves in any of their classes! They don’t even have a translation of their own, nor do they approve of an existing translation! And the most interesting part is, one of the most respected and authentic translations of the Glorious Quran, ever written in the English language, and accepted in all countries worldwide, was written by a Bohra himself … His name is Abdulla Yusuf Ali. He was excommunicated from the Bohra community because he was not given permission by the leadership to translate the Holy Quran, and he went ahead and did it anyway. He had the permission of the One who Created the heavens and the earth and everything in between! Today, literally tens of millions of Muslims read and study the Abdulla Yusuf Ali English translation of the Holy Quran all over the world!! Alhamdolillah.

Allah is undoubtedly the Al-Muizz, the One Who Bestows Honor!!

May Allah guide all mankind to read and understand the Glorious Quran. May Allah hold the people accountable on the Day of Judgement who debarred other people from understanding the Message, that the All-Wise, All-Knowing has sent for the guidance of all mankind! But, alas, that Day will only be of regrets for the one who never even tried to understand the Glorious Quran. Imagine their pleading with Allah that they obeyed so and so, who told them not to understand the Quran, after Allah has revealed tens of times in the Quran itself, that the Quran is easy to understand!! Imagine their plight when they will plead that they obeyed the word of man, and held it superior to the word of Allah! Imagine their plight when they will plead in the court of Allah, that they did not even give the Glorious Quran one chance for understanding! They rejected the guidance of the message without even opening one page to understand the Glorious Quran! Imagine their plight when they will plead that they became Abde-Human (Slaves of Human Beings) rather than becoming Abd-Allah (Slaves of Allah)!

May Allah guide our brethren of the community to read and understand the Divine Message, even only once! Just give the Glorious Quran once chance and then decide whether what the Quran is guiding towards is right or wrong. One does not need the permission of man to understand the Message of Allah!!

May Allah have Mercy on all of us … Ameen.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan