The Structure of the Book
This book (volume 2), as well as volume 1 (published in 2015), is presented as a series of discussions in a conversational style that takes one or several verses from each chapter in sequence and attempts to provide meaning, context, and deeper insight as I see it. It is also intended to ignite intense discourse among readers in the spirit of understanding the last revelation of God and to engage such understanding to better our lives in all their various dimensions. Too often, one takes a verse in isolation or without context, sometimes by well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) Muslims and other religious or political adversaries, often distorting the true essence of the verses in question both intentionally and unintentionally.
The notion of jihad and the concept of war as described in the Qur’an are currently two hot topics where such distortion and selective interpretation are made by media and so-called experts. Some of these verses are also used by terrorists and Muslim fanatics to justify terror tactics and killing of innocent human beings, which are forbidden, beyond any doubts, in the Qur’an, by the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad, and by all other prophets of God: “Say—come and let’s discuss what your Lord has prohibited—it is taking partners with Him. Be good to your parents and do not kill your children for fear of poverty—God provides for you and for them. Do not get close to any form of indecency—openly or in secret, and do not kill a soul that God had made inviolable except to preserve truth and justice. These are things that God instructs you so that you can achieve cognitive understanding” (6:151).
I have tried to augment the text through direct comments and contextual meanings for these verses as follows:
· Selective footnotes are included that provide greater depth into certain topics or themes contained in the verses under discussion.
· Since the Qur’an is a book that requires serious understanding and follow-up actions upon these understandings (i.e., faith and good works go hand in hand), I have included a section on each set of verses to reflect and perhaps contemplate on possible actions that one should take or a behavior one should modify in direct response to these verses under discussion.
· Certain Arabic words that require further and deliberate expositions are listed under key Arabic terms, and a glossary of such terms is provided in a separate section at the end of the book.
· Some of the chapters in the Qur’an (a surah is a chapter) are long and cover a wide variety of topics that relate to spiritual, moral, social, personal, political, and legal matters; it is this diversity and wide expanse of ideas and knowledge that are unique characteristics of the Qur’an and testify to the fact that Islam is considered a way of life as opposed to a religion, a clear distinction that is easily missed in our daily dialogues and that deserves intense discourse. I have included a section dedicated to identifying and providing some comments and explanations on such topics. The identification and selection of the topics are mine, and, as such, others may have a different take on them, and that is perfectly all right. Debate, discourse, and having alternative points of view on Islam and Muslims, the world we live in, and the society we want to build and enhance are based on a shared dialogue and mutual discourse, much of which have become rather extinct among Muslims and in the larger community when it comes to Islam and Muslims.
Understanding Several Common Terms
Whether you are non-Muslim or Muslim, you will encounter terms throughout this book that you may or may not be familiar with, or you may subscribe to a meaning that has become distorted over time. To aid your understanding of the text, the following are several simple terminologies and comments that you may find useful. Sometimes a term is well known, but its true essence gets distorted because of prevailing discourse or misalignment with its true intent.
The word Qur’an refers to a book of recital, or reading to be more precise, as the first command to Prophet Mohammad was to read: “Read in the name of the Sustainer God who created…Read in the name of the Sustainer God who is Generous—Who taught by the use of pen; taught humanity what he or she did not know” (96:1–5). The Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Mohammad through various means, such as through Archangel Gabriel, who brought the initial revelation in the cave overlooking the city of Mecca. The Prophet used to recite the contents of the Qur’an to his followers and have them write it down. The Prophet himself was not literate and, as such, could not write, but many of his followers were literate and included poets and orators. The Prophet and his followers were very diligent in ensuring that, as the Qur’an was revealed over twenty-three years, it would be put into writing in its entirety during his lifetime and would be committed to memory by the Prophet himself and by many of his followers. This phenomenal tradition of the memorization of the Qur’an still continues to this day, as hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Muslims continue to be inspired to memorize the Qur’an, unlike any other book in human history. This tradition is also kept alive by the common practice of reciting the entire Qur’an during the special nightly prayer (Taraweeh) that is observed during the entire month of Ramadan (month of fasting), which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
The Qur’an was revealed at a time when the oral propagation of ideas was more prominent than the written and media propagation that are dominant now in our contemporary world. The Qur’an came not only to teach people about the essence of faith and belief but also to guide people on social, political, familial, personal, and international issues of everyday concern so that we can achieve our human potential in its entirety.
Certain verses were revealed in response to very specific situations, again in regard to personal, familial, social, and political contexts, and provide very specific recommendations, which are also applicable to a wider spectrum of issues when the principles and core values behind those recommendations and instructions are extracted. The Qur’an supports the existence of previously revealed books, such as the Bible and the Torah, and there may even have existed other books of religion that we are not fully aware of. It is quite plausible that the books of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, for example, were also revealed books that have since been corrupted significantly so as to lose the monotheistic aspects of faith in One God while preserving some of the spiritual and earthly teachings of the one unified religion as represented by Islam and all the prophets of God.
The Qur’an is broken up into thirty parts of somewhat equal length, following the tradition of the Prophet, who used to recite the entire Qur’an during the month of Ramadan over twenty-nine to thirty days, depending on the length of the month of Ramadan in a particular year, given the variations in the lunar months from year to year. The entire Qur’an is also further divided up into 114 chapters (surahs) of varying length, the shortest one being Surah Al-Kawser (chapter 108: The Abundance of Good) with only three short verses and the longest being Surah Al-Baqarah (chapter 2: The Cow) with 285 verses, comprising as much as 5 percent of the Qur’an in one chapter.
Islam refers to the name of the religion. The root word of Islam is salam, which means “peace” and is the universal greeting of peace practiced by Muslims. It is interesting and very insightful that in the Qur’an God refers to Islam as a way of life (as opposed to a religion) and gives it a name that is reflective of the true purpose of life, which is to achieve peace within oneself and to establish peace in the world we live in. Unlike Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism, the name Islam does not pertain to any person, society, ethnicity, location, or any particular form of belief but to a universal attitude about life in pursuit of peace and happiness through faith and good actions. Some people, especially Western scholars, politicians, and clerics during colonial times, have attempted to give Islam a different name, such as Mohammedanism, as if Islam can be ascribed to Prophet Mohammad as Christianity perhaps has been to Jesus. For obvious reasons, Muslims and other people of good reasoning refused to accept such a characterization of Islam.
Islam is the youngest of all the major religions of the world today, having been revealed approximately 610 years after the birth of Jesus Christ and several millennia after Prophet Moses reconfirmed the concept of monotheism to the Egyptians and Israelites. On another level, Islam is the oldest and the only religion, since conceptually we believe in One God and, as such, one way of life for humanity. Starting with Adam and Eve through Prophet Noah (Nuh in Arabic), Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), Prophet Moses (Musa), Prophet Jesus (Isa)—just to name a few biblical prophets—and finally Prophet Mohammad, the same notions of the oneness of God, personal responsibility, and service to others have been the cornerstones of religious and social beliefs. It is important to note that Islam contains these same essential truths and adamantly adheres to the notion that the Bible (both New Testament and Old Testament) specifically, and other revealed books by implication, are part of a continuous process of evolution of human thoughts and understanding and an incremental guidance from God to secure and enhance our journey toward becoming His true representatives on this planet. As such, Islam has a broader appeal and a natural affinity to people and has expanded much more rapidly and further and wider than any other religion in human history.
It is also important to note that neither Jesus nor Moses came to preach any new religion but to reconfirm and reinvigorate universal elements of faith in the oneness of God and social and personal norms and values that Abraham initiated before them. Jesus was questioning the power of the rabbis and their misinterpretation of the laws of Moses, as Jewish faith was misused to serve their own purpose; they were aligned with the power of the Romans, who denied the oneness of God and social justice for their citizens, who included Jews at the time. Moses came to challenge the pharaohs, who claimed godhead for themselves and were tyrannical toward their citizens, who forgot the ways of life of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. These prophets—Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad—all came to preach the same elements of faith and social and personal responsibilities, yet their followers came up with different names for their religions and conflicting theologies and ideologies, creating divisions among the human race. As the Qur’an says, “And if God had willed, He would have made all people a single nation, but they were persistent on being different and differed among themselves” (11:118).
The word Muslim, which refers to those who accept Islam as a way of life, is equally as interesting and insightful as Islam. A Muslim, in a generic sense, means anyone who is willing to achieve peace and happiness through the acceptance of God’s guidance. Although some Muslims will say that in a formal and legalistic sense, a person who believes in God and accepts Mohammad as the Prophet is a Muslim, the Qur’an itself expresses a much broader view when God refutes the claims of Jews and Christians that Prophet Abraham was a Jew or a Christian. Instead, the Qur’an says Prophet Abraham was a Muslim by attributes and not by affiliation, meaning that he was someone who accepted God as the Sovereign of the Universe, followed God’s guidance in humility and with sincere appreciation, took personal responsibility for himself, and made serving people the major focus of his actions. In this context, it is important to reflect on the following verses in the Qur’an: “Surely, those who believe [Muslims], and those who are Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians [any other faith group], whoever believes in God and the Last Day [the Day of Judgment] and does good work, they have their reward from their Lord; there is no fear for them, and they will have no regret” (2:62). This should be an eye-opening statement for Muslims as well as followers of other religions that God is not interested in what religious label we give ourselves; rather, He is more interested in what we believe in and how we conduct ourselves on this planet among our fellow beings.
Suggestions for the Reading of This Book
The following are a few suggestions on how to study this commentary on the Qur’an. First and foremost, I ask that you treat the Qur’an as a textbook of Islam. I use the word textbook deliberately to emphasize the point that we need to study this with the same, if not greater, level of commitment and intensity as we would any other textbook when we want to master a subject. Also, as with any textbook, we need supplementary guidebooks, books of explanation, teacher’s guides, and empirical or lab works. For a better understanding of the Qur’an (not a scholarly understanding, but rather a personal level of understanding, since this book is written primarily for the common man of all faiths and professional Muslims and not for someone studying to be a scholar in Islamic doctrines, values, laws, finances, etc.), it is important to study the life of Prophet Mohammad and his traditions as these are documented in various compilations of the hadith (the Prophet’s sayings and actions) as well as numerous books written on his life and achievements by Muslim and non-Muslim authors, scholars, and writers.
These traditions, teachings, and insights, known as hadith, offer rare, very insightful, and practical demonstrations of how to apply the guidance of the Qur’an to the life of the human being as they pertain to us first individually and then collectively in a family, community, regional, and global setting. Here again, contemporary Muslims have not adequately worked to translate and put the hadith in a workable format beyond basic Islamic rituals, whereby such teachings and insights become ingrained in our day-to-day activities and provide inspiration to build a society based on truth, justice, and service to humanity. More can be said in a separate context and on a separate occasion.
One cautionary note is pertinent here, however. It is important to pay close attention to perceived authenticity of the hadith being used and to ensure that proper context and background are understood and their implications debated and discussed. In many situations, a literal understanding and application is nonsensical and can lead to social injustice and bad practices. For example, some hadiths are being used in many mosques and Islamic centers to deny women the freedom to pray where they want to (with the same rights as men) and put undue restriction on their dress code and movement, some of which are more of a cultural baggage and regional practices and not based on sound Islamic principles, Qur’anic teachings, or prophetic traditions. I would also be negligent if I did not mention that some hadiths were corrupted or manufactured to serve the special interests of the ruling class or Muslim clerics or to validate competing ideas from various scholars, legal experts, and political leaders as well as traditions rooted in the past, even predating the emergence of Islam. Whenever such unreliable hadiths come to shape any of our thoughts, actions, community norms, or legal or financial framework, we need to challenge and ensure that such questionable hadiths do not override the universal values of faith in One God, justice for all, human dignity, human and gender equality, knowledge and wisdom—attributes of the human soul that are aligned with the attributes of God, and our collective understanding of what is good and what is evil as derived from the Qur’an and grounded understanding of the overarching teachings of the Prophet.
The Qur’an should be studied on a regular basis, with reasonable time included for reflecting and making correlations. Life is the real expression of the Qur’an, and one cannot benefit from the Qur’an unless one becomes attentive to the details of life and the universe we live in. The Qur’an will offer different levels of understanding and insights to different people based on our intellectual and commonsense capabilities and willingness to discuss and practice the various aspects of our personal, social, business, and political lives. If we are unwilling or unable to refer to the Qur’an on a day-to-day basis, it will become an intellectual luxury or a ritualistic recipe rather than enhancing the value of life for ourselves or others around us.
A simplistic analogy would be someone who studies all the mechanisms and theories of how to build a bridge but never attempts to build it. Thus, that person never develops confidence in his or her learning, that person’s knowledge does not mature as he or she grows, and, more importantly, that person’s knowledge benefits no one, including himself or herself. The Qur’an should not be a book of reference that we look into when we need to; rather, it should become part of our whole being, of both the inner and outer conscience, and we should become a living, talking, and walking example of the Qur’anic view of a true human being. Another simple analogy would be a good doctor who, when confronted with a patient’s ailment, does not run to open a copy of Gray’s Anatomy or the book of medicine by Ibn Sina (also known by his Latin name, Avicenna) but is able to analyze and comprehend underlying problems and causes and can prescribe with confidence the proper courses of action because of rigorous study, clinical practice, practical wisdom, and God-given intelligence. There are very few Muslims today who can function in a similar fashion with respect to their faith, though many, especially among imams and sheikhs, claim to have such talent and understanding.
Several points are outlined next on how to read this commentary on the Qur’an. First, realize that this book is more of a commentary and less of a translation and that it will not be able to convey the power of the language and the style of the Qur’an, which was well suited to serve the time and the place in which it was revealed. Since you are reading this commentary, it may imply that your native language may not be Arabic or that you are seeking additional perspective on the Qur’an beyond what you may get by reading directly in the Arabic language, if that is your mother tongue or you are unsatisfied with many of the existing translations of the Qur’an. I have used simple, colloquial American English so that readers who are either English speaking or have a decent command of the English language can benefit from this book. I have also cited limited but pertinent contemporary world events and views to bring some of the insights of the Qur’an to reality, as we learn better when we can see the reflection of a principle in action. I hope others who share my views in this commentary will cooperate with me in the future to translate this commentary of the Qur’an into their native languages.
As stated earlier, in this commentary, instead of keeping each sentence in the Qur’an separate, I have made it part of a paragraph, as the sentences become part of a continuous thought and topic. I felt that this way, the information would become more meaningful and coherent. Arabic terms in each section that require explanation to provide deeper and more accurate meaning of the Qur’an’s content can be found at the end of the section under key Arabic terms. These terms and their explanations are also included in a glossary toward the end of the book and can be referred to as necessary. Certain words or phrases are also included in brackets throughout this commentary in order to make explicit hidden intents or meanings and to complete sentences that otherwise may be confusing or misleading. Though this volume only covers chapters 3 and 4, from time to time I make references to other chapters that can easily be found in any Qur’an translation. My hope is to provide such a commentary and conversation for the remainder of the Qur’an in the near future as this personal journey into the Qur’an continues.
I have also used footnotes where I felt issues, ideas, or directives needed to be discussed. These are my personal understandings based on my readings of the Qur’an, the Prophet’s traditions (hadith), and books by scholars—both Muslim and non-Muslim; on my education in the East and West in science, technology, business, and the human origin and condition; and on reflections of our lives. I encourage readers to read, reflect on, and adopt or challenge as necessary the views expressed here, but do try to come to a conclusion in your mind so that you are comfortable with your understanding of Islam and how to be a person of faith and a dignified human being.
It is really important that one should develop the courage and humility to agree to disagree with me or others in our mutual discourse (this book being part of this continuous discourse), as long as it does not make us divisive or disunited. Also, one has to recognize that even though we may disagree on certain positions at an individual level, we may have to take a unified stand as a community based on consensus and majority opinion, and we need to respect that, even if we personally disagree. By the same token, where individual differences are expected, the community should not insist on conformity just for the sake of conformity. For example, the topic of wearing a veil or hijab creates strong emotions in the Muslim community as well as in the West. Muslims should be tolerant of people who wear the hijab or veil as well as of those who choose not to wear either one, since a hijab is not fundamental to our faith or our ability to be good people. It is not required under Islam, though some Muslim clerics would insist on this based on misreading certain verses of the Qur’an and hadith quotations to impose their dogmatic views and practices on people. The majority of the Islamic centers that I am familiar with and have visited are also very restrictive when it comes to women who do not wear a hijab. The majority of the Muslim women around the world, with the exception of the Middle East, do not consider the hijab a religious requirement, and such cultural norm puts undue social pressure on Muslim communities around the world, even in the West. I would just remind us to be extremely cautious when it comes to restricting human freedom and choices and to be extra vigilant when it comes to women’s rights, which have been violated on a large scale throughout human history, including Muslim history. As God said in the Qur’an, “Do not let your tongue deliver a lie when you say, ‘This is halal [lawful], and this is haram [forbidden],’ thereby inventing a lie in the name of God. Those who impose such lies in the name of God will not prosper” (16:116).
I suggest that, at a minimum, one continuous topic be read in one sitting and that you, the reader, spend some time reflecting on what you have read and try to make a personal commitment to follow through with its implications, whether it means needing to adjust your paradigm of thinking, your position on certain issues, or how you act and do certain things with regard to yourself, your livelihood, your fellow humans, the natural world, and God. As you read through the commentary, try to draw meaning and relevance from lessons in your own life and from lessons that come from observing nature or people, including your parents, your spouse, your children, and people of other faiths and cultures.
The Qur’an should be a source of lifelong learning and guidance for devotion to God and service to humanity. As God said in the Qur’an, “Say [to people], ‘Truth has indeed been revealed to you from your Lord; so whoever makes the right choices does that for his own benefit, and whoever makes the wrong choices does it to the detriment of his own soul, and I [Prophet Mohammad] am not a custodian on your behalf’” (10:108). This statement is God’s gentle way of reminding us that we have an obligation to Him and to our fellow humans but that we have been given the freedom and conscience to choose the response we deem appropriate and that we will be accountable for the choices we make or do not make, for each one of us is responsible for not only what we do but also what we choose not to do. This is why the Qur’an is very emphatic that it is not good enough for us to only believe but that we also have to remove evil from our lives and societies and establish justice and peace: “You are the best community, evolved for the benefit of mankind because you encourage what is good, you discourage what is evil, and you believe in God” (3:110). Our responsibility cannot be made clearer than this!
It is critically important that we read, understand, and interpret the Qur’an in the light of our current condition and global matters and not dwell too much on the conditions that prevailed at the time of its revelation. The Qur’an is not time bound and was revealed for all generations of humanity. There are great similarities between the conditions of Muslims today and those of the Muslim community that first emerged in Medina with the Prophet’s migration. A large majority of Muslims feels that their communities are under a competitive threat economically, socially, politically, and perhaps militarily, just as the small community of Muslims was at the time of its creation and the creation of its religious, political, and economic infrastructure.
Today’s Muslims are many, scattered around in a large number of sovereign countries with a Muslim-majority population as well as being ever present in many other countries as the second-largest religious community. We should strive to organize for the betterment of all people, including ourselves, through education, God consciousness, and constant contribution to human enlightenment. Each Muslim, irrespective of where they are from and where they live, should strive to contribute to the Muslim community and the larger society in a positive and substantive way.
Notes Specific to Volume 2
As stated earlier, this volume continues the journey into the Qur’an with chapters 3 and 4. The format is the same as volume 1, but with several changes implemented that I describe here.
The key concepts in each surah are listed at the beginning of each surah to provide a glimpse of the topics covered, and then they are explained at the end of the surah, whereas in volume 1 such topics were listed and explained at the end of the surah.
I have at times used the word muslim as opposed to the word Muslim with a capital M to make a distinction between Muslim as a label, which may indicate a self-professed claim to a specific faith (e.g., Islam) without substantive adherence to the teachings of Islam, versus a muslim who has a genuine alignment with faith in God and in human goodness as practiced by all prophets and their followers. This is why the Qur’an refers to Abraham as a muslim (see verse 3:65–67) and the disciples of Jesus declared themselves as muslims also (see verse 3:52). It is this essential characteristic of muslimhood that is fundamentally more important than our respective labels, which tend to dominate our conversations and bring to the surface our adversarial discourse within a faith and across all faiths, notably between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in our contemporary world.
I have added a section on Islamic prayer (Salat) in English. As we meet regularly with a group of young faithful people from all Abrahamic faiths in the DC area to discuss our faith, our rituals, and our human priorities, Muslim youth face this issue of performing their prayers in Arabic, which is the traditional way, a language they may not be good at or know at all. As such, their prayer experience is not as intimate and as fulfilling as it would be if they could do so in the language they speak.
There are arguments made to keep everything in Arabic in our daily prayer, yet there is nothing in the Qur’an or in the tradition of the Prophet to say that the prayer cannot be performed in the language of the person or the congregation performing the prayer. The recitation of the Qur’an, which is a key part of Islamic prayer, can be done in both ways—in Arabic first and then in the language of the congregation, because the real intent is for us to speak of, understand, and feel the presence of God, understand His guidance, and continuously revive our resolve to be a better human being rather than just give a ritual recital of the Qur’an. It would, indeed, feel strange and would be unproductive if we were to go to a lecture in a university and the professor gave the lecture in a language nobody understood and no translation was even made for the audience. Yet many imams and Islamic scholars insist on such rituals in Arabic, and some of the Muslims also buy into this line of thinking, with the consequence that the vast majority of Muslims feel disconnected from a requirement that they are asked to perform daily, the daily prayers, which are very unique to Islam and require consistent dedication and motivation to make them relevant, purposeful, and transformational, as they were intended.
I have added another section to refresh and to renew our commitment to basic tenets of faith and goodness as were summarized by the Prophet of Islam in his last and major speech during the last hajj (pilgrimage) of his life. This speech is the continuation of the affirmation of the permanency of basic human rights, gender equality, human dignity, sacredness of life, and pursuit of free will as reflected in the Ten Commandments of Moses and the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus. Unfortunately, such foundational principles and values are constantly being violated and tampered with all over the world.
Two additional sections have been incorporated from the Bible to provide a summary of the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus and the Ten Commandments attributed to Moses, respectively to show that how these three prophets of God (Moses, Jesus and Mohammad) who appeared at different times in human history separated by thousands of years had conveyed faith, values and human ideals that are almost identical, confirming once again that they worshipped the same God, conveyed the same universal faith in God and strived hard to give a unified voice to our common humanity.