Quran Per Islam

4-the Relationship of the Qur'an To the Sciences

Praise of Knowledge and the Stimulation of the Desire to Study

No other revealed book praises and encourages science and knowledge as does the Qur'an and it is for this reason that the Qur'an names the age of the desert Arabs, together with their pagan cultures, before Islam as the "age of ignorance. " In over a hundred verses reference is made to science and knowledge in a variety of ways; and many of these verses praise the value of scientific knowledge. In XCVI: 5 God indicates the favour he has done man by bringing him out of his state of ignorance "He teethes man what he did not know.

" Likewise, we read in LVIII: 11, "God will exalt those who believe among you and those who have knowledge to high ranks," and in XXXIX: 9 God says, "Are those who know equal to those who do not?" Besides the many verses in the Qur'an concerning knowledge, there are also countless traditions of the Prophex and the Imanu on this subject which rank second only in importance to the Qur'an.

The Sciences, which the Qur'an Invites Men to Study

in verses too numerous to mention, the Qur'an invites one to reflect upon the signs of creation: the heavens, the shining stars and their astonishing celestial movements, and the cosmic order ~'hich rules over them all. Similarly, the Qur'an urges one to reflect upon the creation of the earth, the seas, the mountains, the desert, and the wonders contained below the surface of the earth, the difference between night and day and the changing cycle of seasons. It urges mankind to meditate on the extraordinary creation of the plants and the order and symmetry governing their growth, as well as the multiplicity of the animal kingdom.

The Qur'an invites one to witness the interdependence of beings and how all live in harmony with nature. It calls upon. Man also, to ponder on his own make-up, on the secrets of creation, which are hidden within him, on his soul, on the depth of his perception, and on his relationship with the world of the spirit. The Qur'an commands man to travel in the world in order to witness other cultures and to investigate the social orders, history and philosophies of past people. Thus it calls man to a study of the natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy, the arts and all sciences available to man, and to study them for the benefit of man and the well-being of society.

The Qur'an recommends the study of these sciences on the condition that it leads to truth and reality, that it produces a correct view of the world based on an understanding of God. Knowledge, which merely keeps a man occupied and prevents him from knowing the reality of his own existence, is equated with ignorance.

God says in XXX: 7, "They know only some appearance of the life of one world and are heedless of the Hereafter," and in chapter XLV: 23, "Have you seen him who makes his desire his goal, and God sends him astray purposely and seals u~ his heart and sets a covering on his heart. Then who will lead him after God (has condemned him). "

The Qur'an not only stimulates the desire for study but also is itself a complete system of education of divine knowledge; it provides, too, a model for human behaviour and thought. This complete way of life is called Islam, the way of submission.

The Sciences Particular to the Study of the Qur'an

There are many sciences devoted to the study of the Qur'an itself. The development of such sciences dates from the first day of Qur'anic revelation; over a period of time they were unified and perfected. Today countless books are available on these sciences, fruit of the labour of different researchers over the centuries.

Some of these sciences investigate the language and vocabulary of the Qur'an, and some the meanings. Those concerned with language are the sciences of correct Qur'anic pronunciation and reading (tajwid and Qur'an). They explain the simple changes, which certain letters undergo when occurring in conjunction with others, the substitution of Letters and the places prescribed for breath~paUsit1g, and other similar matters. They also study the different ways the Qur'an has been written down and the several generally accepted ways of recitation, together with the three lesser-known ways and the rarer modes of recitation.

Other works enumerate the number of chapters and their verses, while others relate these numbers to the whole Qur'an. They discuss the tradition of Qur'anic calligraphy and how it differs from the normal Arabic script.

They research, too, into the meanings of the Qur'an and the general division of subject matter, such as the place and circumstance of revelation, the interpretation of certain verses, the outward and inner meanings, the mul. zkam (clear) or the mutashtibih (ambiguous), and the abrogating and the abrogated verses. Others study the verses containing the laws (which, in fact, are part of what is known as Islamic feqh or jurisprudence). Others specialize in the commentary of the meanings (already seen in a previous section of the book). Specialists in each of the different have published numerous works on each subject.

The Sciences, which Developed because of the Qur'an notes

The sciences of the din of Islam came into being at the beginning of the Prophet's mission and the revelation of the Qur'an, including laws governing the behaviour and transactions of Muslims. Study of these sciences developed in the first century after the Hajar although initially, not in any formal way. Since the Caliphs had prohibited the writing down of the tradition, they were handed down by word of mouth by the companions and their followers. A small number of Scholars wrote on jurisprudence and on the science of the traditions at the beginning of the second century when the prohibition was lifted1, allowing Scholars to record the traditions.

It was at this point that a number of disciplines came into being including the Science of Traditions and the Science of establishing the authority and sincerity of those men who transmitted it; the Science of analysis of the text of the traditions; the Science of the foundations ofjurisprUde1~~ and jurisprudence itself; the Science of belief in the judgement After death and the after-life. Even philosophy, which entered the Islamic arena via the Greek, and remained there for some time in its original Greek, took on the colour and beliefs of the people after a time.

Changes in the subject matter and the structure of disciplines took place such that today, amongst Muslims, all subject matter concerning divine gnosis is supported by proofs and reasons taken from the Qur'an and the traditions. All these subjects were also studied as an integral part of the Arabic language: mastery of the science of verb declension, grammar, meanings of words, commentary and explanation, the art of metaphors and good style, and the philosophy and science of derived meanings allowed greater precision and clarity in the study of the Islamic Sciences as a whole. Indeed what stimulated scholars to record and arrange coherently the laws of the Arabic language was the sense that they were serving God; love of Him drew them to a clarity and sweetness of style which in turn generated the Science of correct speech and composition.

It is thus related that Ibn 'Abb?s, who was one of the commentators amongst the companions, explained the meanings of verses by taking examples of the vocabulary in question from Arabic poetry. He advised people to collect and learn Arabic poetry saying, Poetry is the court of the Arabs (meaning the place where the finest language may be heard).

The famous Shi'ites scholar KhaIil ibn Ahmad al-Far?hidi wrote the book al-'any on the subject of language and also iescribed the science of poetic rhyme. Many others also wrote on the same subjects. The subject of ~history was initially derived in Islam from stories of the lives ) prophets, in particular that of the Prophet Muhammad, tnd the description of the course of past nations. To this basic naterial was added an account of the events during the period rnmediately following the appearance of Islam. All this was enveloped into a history of the world in the writings of such rein as al-Tabari, aJ-Mas'üdi, al-Ya'qubi and al-Waqidi.

The original reason the Muslims translated and transmit, d the natural Sciences and mathematics from other cultures nd languages into Arabic was the cultural stimulation given to them by the Qur'an. Many different Sciences were translated from Greek, Syrian and Sanskrit into Arabic. Access to these sciences was at first available only to the Caliph (who was at that time leader of only Arab Muslims). Gradually they were made available to all Muslims and improved upon as research methods, s~ructUriflg, classific3~ tion and ordering of the subjects developed.

One of the main reasons the civilization of Islam, which formed after the death of the Prophet, came to include a large part of the inhabited world (and which today numbers over six hundred million inhabitants), was the Qur'afl. We as Sbi'ahs, however, deny that the caliphs and the kings who followed them bad legitimate claim to the guardianshiP and execution of the law even though they expanded Islamic civilization, and do not fully agree with the way they explained the realities of Islam.

Indeed the light of wisdom, which illuminated the world, was from the light of the miracle of the Qur'an. The apppearaflce and diffusion of the revelation caused a change in the direction of history and generated a chain of important events resulting in the progress and development of the culture of man.

5-The Order of the Qur'an Revelation and the Growth of the Qur'anic Sciences

The Order in which the Verses of the Qur'an were revealed

That the chapters and verses were not revealed in one place but rather in stages over a period of twenty-three years during the Prophet's mission is authenticated not only by historical evidence but also from evidence from the various verses, in XVII: 106 we read: "And it is a Qur'an I/tat we have divided that you may recite it to mankind at intervals and we have revealed it by (successive) revelations. " As further proof there are abrogating and abrogated verses, which are directly, related to events from different periods and circumstances and which obviously were not revealed at one time. At this point we should note that the chapters and verses were not revealed in the order in which they are set out; that is the first chapter "al-F?tikiah" (The Opening) was revealed after "The Cow", "The Family of 'Imr?n," "Women," and "The Table Spread. " This is true also for the order of the verses, which do not necessarily follow chronologically.

The content of a Qur'anic text may for example show that the content of some chapters and verses concord with the first period of the Prophet's mission - like the chapters "The Clot," and "Nun," but are recorded at the end of the Qur'an. Many chapters and verses which correspond to the time after the migration like "The Cow," "The Family of 'Imam," "Women," "The Spoils" and "Repentance" have been placed at the beginning of the Qur'an. The contents of the chapters and verses are thus directly related to the events, circumstances and different needs of the period of the Prophet's mission: the chapter and verses which only deal with the calling of the polytheists to belief in God's oneness and the struggle against the idol-worshippers correspond to a time before the migration when the Prophet was inviting the people to Islam in Mecca.

The verses dealing with battles and those dealing with social laws were revealed after the events and circumstances associated with the, establishment and progress of the Islamic society in Medina.

Conclusions to be Drawn

We may divide the chapters and Qur'anic verses according to the place, time and circumstance of their revelation: Some of the chapters and verses are Meccan and some Medinan; usually those revealed before the Prophet's migration arc counted as Meccan. The majority of the chapters, and especially the shorter ones, are of this type. Those revealed after the migration are counted as Medinan even though they may have been revealed outside Medina or even in Mecca.

Some chapters and verses were revealed while the Prophet was traveling and some while he was resident in a place. The verses are also divided according to whether they were revealed by day or by night, in peace or in war, or when the Prophet was on earth or in the heavens, or whether he was alone or with others. In the light of these different classifications we may study the reasons for the revelations.

Some chapters were revealed more than once such as the chapter "al-F?tibah," which was revealed once in Mecca and once in Medina. Some verses were revealed several times like, "Which is ii of the favour of your Lord do, you deny," in the chapter "The Beneficent" which is repeated thirty times, and the verse, "And indeed your Lord He is truly the Mighty, the Merciful," which is repeated eight times.

Sometimes one verse occurs in more than one chapter such as "they say: when is the fulfillment of promise, if, you are truthful. " We find, too, that a sentence appears as a complete verse in one chapter and as part of another verse elsewhere; for example, the sentence, "Allah! There is no God save Him, The Alive, The Eternal," is a complete verse in the beginning of "The Family of 'Imam," Yet, in "The Cow" it is part of the "al-Kursi" verse. Most chapters and verses, however, were revealed in one place at one time and do not recur in the Book.

Similar verses appear in different places in the Qur'an because of certain subjects, which demand repetition. One of the significant features of the Qur'an is the difference in the length of the chapters. We may compare "Abundance" (the shortest chapter) and "The Cow" (the longest). Likewise we may compare the length of verses, with the shortest being the single Arabic word "mudhdmmatn" (dark green with foliage) and the longest, composed of thirty sentences being the two hundred and eighty-second verse of "The Cow" (whose subject concerns debt).

All these differences are in accordance with the demands of the revelation. Sometimes it happens that two verses are closely connected in meaning but differ greatly in length; for example, the thirtieth and thirty-first verses of "The Cloaked One", the first being a single sentence and the second more than eleven sentences.

We should not forget that most of the shorter verses like "The Dawn" and "The Night" are Meccan, and those whose subject matter is treated in greater length and detail are Medinan. The first verse to be revealed to the Prophet was during the revelation of the first five verses of "The Clot" and the last to be revealed was verse 281 of "The Cow": "And guard yourselves against a day in which you will be brought back to Allah.

Then every soul will be paid in full that which it has earned and they will not be wronged " The Reasons for the Revelations many of the verses are connected with events and circumstances which took place as the Prophet called the people to Islam, for example "The Cow" (38) Other chapters, like "The Tribe", refer to the exile of the Banu al-Nadir and the chapter "The Coursers" was revealed for the Bedouin Arabs of the Dry Valley and other tribes.

Some chapters or verses were revealed because of the need to explain the laws and directions of Islam; for example, the chapter "Women" which defined marriage and the inheritance of women, "The Spirits" which explains how to deal with the prisoners-of-war captured as booty and, the chapter "Divorce" which was revealed, as its name suggests, to explain divorce. (39) The circumstances leading to the revelation of these chapters are called "reasons for revelation" and there are countless traditions on this subject.

Amongst the Sunni's there are many traditions, which deal with the reasons for revelation; several thousand narrations may be enumerated (although in the Shi'ah School only a few hundred may be counted). Many of these are without a chain of narration and are not accepted as fully trustworthy; moreover, a considerable number are classified as weak.

The dubious nature of the majority of these may be ascribed to the following reasons. Firstly, it is obvious from the form of many of these sayings that the narrator had not learned them through oral transmission but rather based on his own judgment, that the revelation of a certain verse was connected with certain events. Thus the narrator links a certain event to a verse of suitable meaning mentioned in the tradition.

This is a subjective view, carried out through ijtih?d or personal reflection upon the matter, and not the actual reason for revelation learned orally through transmission from the Prophet. As proof of this argument, we may cite many inconsistencies amongst these traditions. There are verses, for example, recorded as having several conflicting "reasons for revelation" which are totally unconnected with each other. Ibn 'Abb?s, for example, who is not alone in this practice, relates several "reasons for the revelation" of one single verse. The existence of such conflicting reasons is because many have been arrived at through subjective deliberation rather than transmitted directly from the Prophet. This results in one narrator attributing a certain verse to a particular event while another narrator attributes it to another event.

On other occasions a narrator relates two different reasons for the revelation of one verse and thus implicates himself in two conflicting views; then he rejects the first view in favour of the second. We are led to conclude, moreover, that most of these narrations are fabrications or deceitfully transmitted under the pretence of trustworthy narrators. Such doubt concerning the validity of many of these traditions greatly endangers their credibility.

Secondly, it has been related with certainty that the early Caliphs strictly prohibited the recording and writing down of the narrations and, whenever a sheet of paper or tablet was found on which a saying had been written, it was burned. This Proh,bit10~ lasted until nearly the end of he first century after Hyrak, that is, for a period of about ninety years.

The effect of this prohibition was that the narrators and scholars of sayings were free to make small additions or changes during oral transmission of the saying. These additions gradually accumulated until the original meaning of the saying was lost. This becomes very clear on investigation of an event or subject, which has been related by two different narrators; one may come across a saying, which describes an event, and see the same event described in a different way by another narrator. False sayings were not only' introduced by attributing them to respected narrators but also by the hypocrites. Their sayings soon became part of the main body of sayings and this further undermined the credibility of this particular section of the Science of tradition.