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:

Salams

I read all your answers and have pondered over them.  What i note in some of your answers is that the interpretations are based on some unanimous decision by some scholars.  This means that if majority scholars agreed on one thing, the minority did not.  If Quran was so so simple for us to understand, then why the minority arose? As far as i can judge, it is that God claimed that Quran is very simple to understand, but the person should have the optimum utilization of his mind.  It is said that scientists use their minds to around 2.5 -- 3.5% (einstein) whereas the capacity is more.  If we utilize our minds to its capacity, ofcourse then we can understand the Quran very easily.  But if a person is mentally low or something, then how come he would understand Quran although Allah has said that Quran is made simple for mankind to understand.  Aren't mentally retarded persons included in mankind? So i presume it is that to understand Quran in its true sense, we have to utilize our minds to its capacity, and then we would go for the truth and not on the majority decisions since majority decisions can also be wrong.  Majority can go against the truth as well.  That is why no prophets were chosen by any people but sent down by God,  because Allah knows that majority can be wrong. Since Quran is a beauty in its own, its the truth, and we all know the truth is one, so the source of the interpretation should also be one and not based on people who are still confused whether Rasool Allah had short hair or long.  So interpretation of Quran by majority can also be mis-leading.

Furthermore, It is mentioned in the Quran that Quran is a guidance for mankind, and it is also mentioned that Quran is a guidance for the believers.  That has two aspects.  Believers would seek guidance as  to  achieve Jannat, whereas non-believers would want to just seek guidance as to for instance astronomy, astrology, cosmology, etc.  Non-believers are mankind as well and their purpose differs from the believers.  This gives rise to a concept that Quran serves as a guidance to the believers as well as to the  non-believers.  The non-believers would thus gain knowledge by the literal interpretation whereas the believers would seek guidance to reach jannat.  Since the purpose differs, the comprehension of quran would also differ.

You have reiterated in your answer that Quran's mystic words are miraculous and its eloquence and beauty cannot be captured.  Who said anything about duplicating such a beauty?  The question was what are the meanings of such words.  Obviously Quran is for us to seek guidance from and thus these words must have some meanings attached to them.  If scholars are unanimous on deciding that such words only Allah knows, then isnt it true that Rasool Allah had full knowledge of the Quran?  If not, then there is no point in arguing 'cos the beauty of Rasool Allah is then eradicated.  If we agree that Rasool Allah had full knowledge of Quran, rather I had read in school that aisha, daughter of abu bakar, had said that "Quran aap ka ikhlaaq hai" to Rasool Allah.  SO if Rasool Allah knew the meanings, how come he didnt tell anybody?  Probably he didnt think it feasible, right? then if it wasnt feasible for mankind, then why are they in the Quran? forget the argument of beauty of Quran 'cos here we are talking about seeking guidance from the Quran.  Scholars say that only Allah knows the meanings is because they dont know themselves.  Allah has sent Quran for the guidance of mankind and not for the sake of people only appreciating the poetic style of Quran.

Any comments are most wellcome.  Please do reply.

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Answer:

Why cant we 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.

The guidance of the Glorious Quran is clear and anyone who wants to leave aside his bias and prejudice, can obtain guidance from the Book. The Quran is a not a book of hints and riddles, whereby the names of people are hidden deep inside the aayahs of the Quran! People who claim this using the Quran as a tool to further their own cause and create fitnah in the Ummah of Islam.

The Holy Quran speaks about the seen, like the skies, the earth, the animals, the vegetation, etc. The Holy Quran also speaks about the unseen, like the Heavens, the grave, the Hell Fire, the Angels, the Day of Qiyaamah, etc. Thus there are many things which we are not able to comprehend today, and Allah has called such aayahs ‘mutashabehaat’(ambigious) in the Holy Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 7:It is Allah, Who sent down this Quran to you. (There are two kinds of verses in the Book.) In it are verses Basic or Fundamental (of established meanings which can be easily understood), and they are the essence or foundation of the Book. And the other verses are Allegorical or Ambiguous. Those in whose hearts is perversity will always go for the Allegorical or Ambiguous verses, seeking discord and trying to search for their hidden meanings. None, except Allah, knows their real meanings (Ta’aweel)! In contrast to them, those who are firmly grounded in knowledge, say: “We believe in them all, because all of them are from our Lord.

Allah Himself states that the basic or fundamental aayahs of the Quran are the foundation of the Book. These are enough for the guidance of mankind. Then there are the Allegorical or Ambiguous aayahs, whose meanings are known to Allah Alone! Allah has not made it our duty to figure out the meanings of these Ambiguous aayahs. But the ones who have perversity and disease in their hearts, Allah says, will ALWAYS go after the ambiguous verses in search of their hidden meanings! Allah says the true believers are those who obey and follow the clear verses, and believe in the whole Quran because it is indeed from their Lord.

But to claim that the whole Quran is ambiguous is mis-guidance. The people who do that are those who have never taken the time and effort to understand the Quran; they just sit there and point fingers at the ambiguous or allegorical aayahs and give the verdict that since these cannot be understood, the Quran cannot be a Book of guidance! They then go and appoint a human being as their guide, and obey, follow and invoke him instead of invoking and worshipping Allah Alone! hese are the ones who have bartered away guidance for mis-guidance!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankaboot verse 38:Shaitaan made their deeds fair-seeming to them and misled them from the right path, although they were sensible people.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 28 Surah Qasas verse 86-88:You never hoped that the Book would be sent down to you. Only through your Lord’s Mercy (has it been sent down to you), therefore, do not be a helper of those whose who do not believe! And let it never happen that the unbelievers should divert you from Allah’s ‘aayahs’(Revelations) after they have been sent to you. Invite towards your Lord and do not join those who invoke others with Allah, nor invoke any deity other than Allah. There is no deity but He. Everything is perishable except Him! Sovereignty is His, and to Him will all of you be returned.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha Meem As Sajdah verses 4-5:Yet most of these people have turned away from it (The Quran), and they pay no heed. They say, “Our hearts are covered with veils from that to which you are calling us; our ears have become deaf; and between us and you there is a curtain, so do as you please, and we shall do as we will!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 82:But if they turn away, your only responsibility is to convey the plain Message of Truth! They recognize the blessing of Allah, yet they deny it, for the majority of them are not inclined to accept the Truth!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those, all whose endeavors in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed! Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection. Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 26-30:The Real Kingdom on that Day will belong only to the Merciful. And it will be a very hard Day for the disbelievers. The unjust man will bite at his hand and say, “Would that I had stood by the Messenger! Oh, woe to me! Would that I had not chosen so and so for a friend! For it was he, who had deluded me to reject the Admonition which had come to me. Shaitaan has proved indeed very treacherous to man.” And the Messenger will say, “O my Lord, my people had made this Quran the object of their ridicule.”

May Allah give us the wisdom and the knowledge to read and understand the Quran, which He Himself has revealed for our guidance.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44:So, hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you, you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem. The fact is that this book is a great honor for you and your people, and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.

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 and well-wisher in Islam,

Burhan