Understanding and Interpreting Qur’an


Islamic literature is replete with commentaries on Qur’an written by distinguished scholars ever since the Book was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) in the seventh century. Many Islamic institutes are also currently engaged in producing new exegeses on Qur’an. The object of writing commentary on Qur’an is to interpret the real import of its verses in the light of the sayings of the Prophet and the historical background in which these were revealed. Some of these works are over one thousand years old but are still used for reference.

The messages revealed to the Prophet Muhammad(S) are placed in three categories. The Qur’an contains only those revelations in which Allah has spoken in the first person and which the Prophet had declared as part of Qur’anic text. In the second category are those revelations in which although Allah has spoken in the first person but these are not included in the main Qur’anic text as per the instruction of the Prophet. These have been incorporated in the Hadith collection and termed as “Sacred Hadith” These Ahadith enjoy the same status as the verses of Qur’an and have on occasions even amended the earlier received text of the Qur’anic verses. An important example in this regard relates to the punishment for adultery. Qur’an prescribes a punishment of 100 lashes to all types of adulterers, but this punishment was enhanced to death penalty by stoning for married adulterers on the basis of a “Sacred Hadith”

The third category of the messages received by the Prophet is also of three kinds. First refers to those messages which the Prophet did not reveal to the faithful immediately on receipt. The second are those which were revealed to the companions on their specific request. In the third category are those revelations (also termed as inspirations) which the Prophet used for his personal guidance only. None of these are part of the Qur’anic text. In our write up we are only concerned with the main text of Qur’an as complied on the clear instruction of the Prophet himself.

The Qur’an is a Divine revelation and also divinely preserved. Allah claims and Muslims believe that Qur’an is a Book of Wisdom and Guidance for the entire human beings for all times. The revelations received by the Prophet over a period of twenty-three years were collected and compiled in one volume some eighteen years after the death of the Prophet. The Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters (surahs), 6236 verses (ayahs), 77937 words and 323621 letters.

The most important verses of Qur’an are those which lay down the fundamental pillars of Islam: The belief in one and only God and his last apostle Muhammad (s), five times daily prayers, fasting in the month of Ramzan, Zakat (the tax for the poor) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca once in life time). The manner of performing these rituals have been partly provided by Qur’an and partly elaborated by the Prophet under divine inspiration. Then Qur’an establishes the majesty of the Almighty God and his sovereignty over heaven and earth. In doing so, it narrates cases where Allah has rewarded and punished communities for their good and bad deeds. Special reference has been given to those stories where God had punished severely those communities who had rejected the message of Allah and had continued with their evil ways. The story of the Prophet Moses/Pharaoh has been quoted for as many as sixty times in different forms. Then there are about 200 verses which lay down the code of social life pertaining to marriage, divorce, punishments for major crimes, inheritance etc. These are followed by guidance in morality and ethics, necessary for leading a righteous life.

The Qur’an is in Arabic language and presently only 15% of the Islamic world uses Arabic as its mother tongue. The rest of the Muslim population reads Qur’an translated in their own languages. The understanding and interpreting the Qur’an is not been easy even for the Arabic speaking people, while it is a lot more difficult for those who read it’s translated or transliterated versions. Allah is aware of this difficulty and has clearly stated the position in the following verse:

“He it is Who has sent down the Book: In it are verses Basic or Fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meaning except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: ‘We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord.’ And none will grasp the message except men of understanding.” (3:7)

According to Imam Jafar al Sadiq, Qur’an contains four things. The literary expression for the common people (awam); the allusion is for the elite (Khawas); the hidden meaning for the friends of God (or saints); and the spiritual truth are for the prophets (anbiya). However as this book is addressed to the so-called common people, we shall confine our discussion at that scholastic level, keeping in view the prophet’s advice that one should teach Qur’an only that much which he understands and leave the rest to others.

Traditionally, both in the Arabic and non-Arabic speaking Muslim world, the Muslim scholars studying Qur’an critically have been limited and their works to explain away the difficult verses of the Qur’an have also been mostly read by the elite religious class. In the present day world, the position has changed dramatically. Very many Muslims are now reading Qur’an in their own languages and facing problems in understanding the real import of the verses without guidance from the Qur’an specialists. In fact, nowadays a greater number of non-Muslims are also reading Qur’an and misconstruing the sense of the verses to criticize Islam. One general observation both by non-Muslims and some Muslims is as to how the Qur’anic injunctions revealed in the seventh century could still be valid in the much altered modern political, economic and social life. To them the discontinuation of the periodical appearance of the apostles further complicates the problem.

It is admitted that while no more prophets will be coming and no new message from Allah is expected but that does not mean that there is no more guidance available to mankind from God. God’s guidance is continuously available through ever-fresh interpretation of the Qur’anic messages. Several scholars have written in support of this view. Two such views are quoted below.

Mr. Ziaul Haq in his book, “Revelation and Revolution in Islam”, says: “God still reveals truth-but through science and not through religion. Prophets will not come. Scientists, scholars and revolutionaries follow in their footsteps. In this sense, Modern scholars scientists, and revolutionaries who stands for truth, social equality, justice, honesty and courage, knowledge and wisdom, love and compassion for the suffering humanity, are the heirs of the prophets of yore.”

It is difficult to agree with this line of thinking. Qur’an is the Book of Guidance and not science. It is the fountainhead of science but not the science itself. God inspires humanity through its Qur’anic messages to make discoveries but does not make discoveries for them. Hence Scientists cannot be regarded as the heirs of the prophets. Another Islamic scholar has however dealt with this issue more satisfactorily.

He says, “While no more prophets will be coming and no new message from Allah is expected but this does not mean that there is no more guidance available to mankind from God. God’s guidance is continuously available through ever-fresh interpretation of the Qur’anic messages.”

Allama Iqbal had expressed similar views in early 20th century when he said that the verses of Qur’an could be interpreted according to the needs, requirements and altered conditions of life of each and every generation.

The Muslim scholars have therefore been writing commentaries on Qur’an on regular basis and thus seeking ever fresh guidance. However, since in the first twelve hundred years of Islam, the life style of the people had not changed materially, the new interpretations were only nominally different from the earlier once. But in the present day radically transformed world, fresh understanding and interpretation of Qur’an would require greater confidence and courage on the part of scholars. Starting from the firm belief that the Qur’an is the word of God and contains guidance for all times, the learned religious scholars of Islam have the responsibility to discover from the Qur’an the guidance for the people from generation to generation. In doing so, they should not be afraid of resorting to creative interpretations for explaining the ambiguous and apparently conflicting and puzzling verses such as those relating to abrogation etc.[1]

I will now take up for discussion some verses of the Qur’an in an attempt to evolve some rules for better understanding of Qur’an at the scholastic level of the Awam (the common people).

First set of verses: Ambiguous/puzzling verses:

There are some verses of Qur’an whose meanings are difficult to understand without explanations. These are:

1) God sitting on a throne:

a) ‘Your guardian Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the Throne.’ (7:54)

b) ‘And thou shall see the angles surrounding the Throne on all sides, singing glory and praise to their Lord’ (39:75)

c) And the angels will be on all sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the thrown of thy Lord above then. (69:17)

d) ‘He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and his throne was over the waters.’ (11:7)

2) Sun sinking in pool of mud: ‘Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in spring of murky water.’ (18:86)

3) Rain from the Heavens (2:22), rain from the sky (2:164) and hail from a mountain in the sky (24:43)

The religious scholars and philosophers have adopted two courses to deal with such verses that on their face value appear to at variance with our belief system or scientific knowledge. While one group relies on the doctrine of Bila Kayf i.e. ‘acceptance of a thought without trying to understand fully what it means’, the other group, from the very early days of Islam, has explained them allegorically and metaphorically. The throne has been termed as the throne of authority (Yosuf Ali), throne of His Almightiness (Asad). The symbolic reference “to the throne of His almightiness resting upon water” would seem to point to God-willed evolution of life out of water, a fact clearly brought out by the Qur’an and in the modern times confirmed by biological research. (Asad)

The sinking of the sun in murky water has been so explained: “It appeared to him that it was setting in dark, turbid Sea.”(Asad) Earlier Razi and Ibn-Khatir had explained it as metaphor based on common optical illusion of the sun’s “disappearing into the sea.”

Rain from heaven and sky is explained as coming from a place higher than earth. (Maududi) As regards hail from a mountain in the sky, various explanations have been offered. Yosuf translates the verse as, “And He sends down from the sky mountain masses (of clouds) wherein is hail.” Asad has translated it as: “And He it is Who sends down from the skies, by degrees, mountainous masses (of clouds) charged with hail.” Finally, Pervez who prefers transliteration instead of simple translation of Qur’an explains the phenomenon as this: “And these clouds when they reach the peaks of mountains, they turn into ice and fall down as hail.” The fact is that the clouds turn into ice when they are sucked into great heights. Perhaps Perez’s explanation is nearest to the scientific truth.

It would thus appear that with heightened scholarship and fresh scientific discoveries, it is possible to explain quite satisfactorily the so-called ambiguous or allegorical verses and therefore there is no need to rely on the doctrine of ‘Bila Kayf’. As the time moves the true meaning and import of all verses of Qur’an would become clearer and easily comprehendible. After all Qur’an is the word of God and there is nothing there but pure truth. This leads us to out first rule:


Rule 1: Do not try to understand and interpret all Qur’anic verses literally. Several of them can be explained only metaphorically.

Second set of verses: Abrogating Verses:

That certain verses of Qur’an have been abrogated and replaced by others is confirmed by the following verses:

“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah hath power over all things.” (2:106)

“When We substitute one revelation for another,--and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages)-they say, “Though art a forger.” But most of them understand not. (16:101)

These two verses leave no doubt in our mind that Allah did abrogate certain verses and replaced them with others during the ministry of the Prophet. Prime facie, it is a cause for concern. One would wonder how Allah, Who is All Knowing, could not anticipate future developments of the Muslim community and was obliged to change His verses in order to suit new situations. However if we look at the abrogated and replaced verses critically, we would easily understand the real import of this phenomenon, clearing all our apprehensions in this regard.

The early Muslims had listed such verses at a very high number, around two-hundred-twenty-five. They had made their assessment on rather superficial considerations. For example, they had included in the family of abrogated and abrogating verses even those verses that simply related to the progressive ordination on the number of prayers, fasting days or the stage wise ban on alcoholic drinks etc. However, truly speaking, these varying verses belong to the process of building progressively a righteous society over an extended period of time. Accordingly, the latter scholars excluded these verses from the list of abrogated verses and reduced their number to 19 only by better understanding of the Qur’an. However the great Scholar of Islam, Shah Wali-ullah further reduced the number of such pair of verses to five. We shall discuss only these verses.


1) This relates to the law of inheritance

The first group of verse in this regard is as under:

“It is prescribed, when death approaches any of you, if he leave any goods, that he make bequest to parents and the next of kin, according to reasonable usage; This the due from the God-fearing (2:180)”. This verse has been further elaborated in verse 5:109.

But the above quoted verses were totally replaced by comprehensive laws incorporated in verses 4:7,9,11,12,19,176, providing specific ratio and the pattern in which the property of the deceased is to be distributed.

The main point that one notes from these contradictory verses is that the sprit of the instructions is the same although the format has changed. The basic intention of Allah is that the property of the deceased persons should go their rightful heirs and in a just proportions. Therefore, in real terms, there is no abrogation of the verse 2:108.

2) The second group of abrogating verses relates to verse 8:65 and 8:66.

The verse number 8:65 says:

“O Apostle! Rouse the Believers to the fight. If there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering, they will vanquish two hundred: if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers: for these are the people without understanding.”

Then the verse number 8:66, generally regarded as the replacement verse of the verse 8:65, says that Allah has lightened the task of the Believers by reducing the number of unbelievers that could be encountered by the Muslims from ten times of their number to two times only.

In this case also we see that the spirit of the message is the same. Allah is simply emphasizing that the Muslims, fired by the spirit of their new faith, can take on in a war much larger number of disbelievers; as the latter are without any divine guidance. The numbers per se are of little significance. In fact, in several cases, Muslim have actually triumphed against enemies seven to ten times their number. The victory of Tariq with 7-12000 men over the King of Spain, Roderick with 80,-100,000 soldiers is one such instance.

The third group of conflicting verses relate to private consultation with the Prophet. The first verse on the subject is as under:

“O ye who believe! When you consult the Apostle in private or by whispering, spend something in charity before your private consultation.” (58:12)

This verse is supposed to have been abrogated by verse 58:13 in which the requirement of spending some sum in charity before consulting the apostle in private has been withdrawn. The first verse was meant to discourage people from occupying too much time of the Prophet into listening to their private matters, as the Prophet’s primary task was to illuminate people on the general issues of faith and practices applicable to the Umma at large. By withdrawing the charity clause the central theme of the first verse is not disturbed. As in the first two cases, the spirit prevails over format.

The fourth group of abrogating and abrogated verses is in respect of nightly prayers. The first one says:

“O though folded in garments! Stand (to pray) by night, but not all night,-Half of it, -or a little less. Or a little more; and recite the Qur’an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.” (73:1, 2, 3 and4)

These verses are regarded to have been abrogated by the verse number, 73:20 that ordains the Prophet to read Qur’an (at night) as much as it is easy for him and the group of people that follow his practice. There is no serious element abrogation of involved in the verse number 73:1-4. This is part of the progressive and pragmatic development of the righteous society based on the teaching of Qur’an.

The fifth group of the so-called abrogating and abrogated verses relate to the permission granted to the Prophet regarding his marriage. Here it appears that Shah Wali-ullah has erred in not placing the conflicting verses chronologically.

The two verses in question are as under:

“It is not lawful for thee (to marry more) after this, nor to change them for (other) wives, even though their beauty attracts thee, except any thy right hand should posses (as hand-maidens). And Allah doth watch over all things.” (33:52)

According to Shah Wali-ullah the above verse has been replaced by the Following verse:

“O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand posses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee.” (33:50)

However if treat the verse 33:50 to be the earlier one than 33:52 chronologically, there is no abrogation issue. In fact, I have read somewhere that the restriction imposed on the Prophet via verse 33:52 created some problem in his formally marrying Maria Qibtia, a lady presented to the Prophet from Egypt.

The above discussion leads us to Rule 2 stated below:


Rule 2: The spirit of the messages in the Qur’anic verses has primacy over the format in which these verses have been sent. We should therefore look for the spirit of the verses, which is immutable and will remain relevant till the end of times.

Third set of verses: Translation, transliteration and interpretation of Qur’an:

The core religious heritage of Islam comprises Qur’an, Ahadith, the Books of Law and the early Islamic Histories. Excepting Qur’an, the veracity and the authenticity of all other sources are (at least in some parts) subject to dispute and controversy. We have already noted that the Wahabi sect does not recognize the verdicts of the Books of law; The Muslamin group disregards all historical records, especially those that clash with Ahadith. Then there are some people who tend to deny the importance of Ahadith because of their some illogical accounts. So this leaves us with Qur’an as the only truly reliable source whose entire text is accepted by all believing Muslims without any reservations. In the Muslim World Qur’anic text is regarded as the true, exact word of Allah, which has not undergone even the minutest variation during its long life of 1400 years. For Muslims this the most satisfying and gratifying fact that as at least on one point the entire Muslim Umma of over one billion people is united with a common belief.

However, while the Qur’anic text remains undisputed, it’s rendering into Arabic and non-Arabic languages and commentaries written upon it that vary over a wide range. Ibn Rushd says, ‘interpreting Qur’an, from age to age, is obligatory on Muslims as only through this process alone they can continue to get divine guidance in respect of their ever-changing social economic and political life’. But the downside of this exercise is that some translations/transliteration and commentaries are extremely partisan to certain sects and this renders them un-acceptable to the members of the other sects. I will now give two examples where the Umma cannot universally accept translations.

1) Veil, especially concerning to the covering of women’s face has for ages remained a controversial point in Muslim Umma. While there are several Ahdith indicating that face covering by Muslim women is not required in Islam, there is also one, which says that it is. All the different Ahadith on the subject have been recorded in the earlier chapter. What I wish to point out here is that how the orthodox scholars, favoring face covering have translated the Qur’anic verse: to support their stand by adding explanatory notes. See!

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at the forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc) and not to show their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms of hand, or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, outer dress like veil, gloves, head cover, apron etc.) And to draw the veil all over (Juyubihinna i.e. the bodies, faces, necks and bosom etc.) and not to reveal the adornments except to their husbands and fathers.” (24:31)[2]

2) Mutah: The permissibility or otherwise of temporary marriage is also one of the controversial issues in Islam. The Sunni sect is of the view that Allah never sanctioned this and that it was pagan practice, which was stopped by the Prophet, and that Hazrat Umer enforced this ban. However the Shia community believes that Allah has allowed it and in this regard they quote the following verse:

“And unto those whom you desire to enjoy marriage, you shall give the dowers due to them; but you will incur no sin if, (having agreed upon) this lawful due, you freely agree with one another upon anything (else): behold God is indeed all Knowing, Wise.” (4:25)

3) Both Asharites and Mu’tazilites schools of thought draw inspiration from Qur’an. The Asharites Group believes that God makes people commit good or bad, while the Mu’tazilites are of the view that man is empowered to do evil or good deeds as he wished. Both quote relevant verses in support of their stand. Asharites quote verse 4:78 in support of their stand which says: “Say all things are from Allah.” To them it means that all good or bad a man does is from Allah. While the Mu’tazilites quote two verses in support of their stand that man is in full control over his actions. The verses are: “But whatever evil happens to thee is from thy (own) soul.”(4:79) and “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (13:11).”

From the above three cases quoted above, it is apparent that while the Qur’anic text is undisputed, its translation and commentaries can vary widely. This leads us to our third rule:


Rule 3: As we are obliged to examine and critically assess the veracity of Ahadith, Historical Accounts and the verdicts in the Books of Law, we are also required to apply our tools of tests and analysis in respect of the translation or the commentaries of Qur’an, rendered by our earlier or even current scholars. It is only through such serious studies that we can keep the Umma vibrant, creative with full confidence in their pure faith.

Fourth set of verses: Application of Qur’anic verses in different circumstances:

A group of verses clash, with another group of verses. These are generally (at least in the sight of Shah Wali-ullah) not regarded as one of the abrogating and abrogated verses. Both set of verses are part of the Qur’an and are recorded side by side. So first let us them in some details:


Status of Pagans and the people of the Book in the eyes of Islam

Group one:

1) “Say O ye that reject faith! I worship not that ye worship. Nor will ye worship that which I worship. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship, nor will ye worship that which I worship. To you your Way and to me mine (109:1-6).” (Addressed to the pagans of Mecca).

2)“Those who believe (in the Qur’an), those who follow the Jewish (scripture), and the Sabians and the Christians, -Any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness- On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve they grieve.”(2:620 & (5:72)The importance of this verse can be judged by the fact that its content has been repeated word by word in two separate verses.
3)”Of the people of the Book are a portion that stand (for the right); they rehearse the Signs of Allah all night long, and then prostrate themselves in adoration. They believe in Allah and the last Day; They enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they (hasten in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the rank of the righteous (3:113 & 3:114)”Verses 2:4, 2:121, 3:199 and 5:51 carry similar message.

4) “If only the People of Book had faith, it is best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors (3:110).”

5) “Of the good that they do, nothing will be rejected of them: for Allah Knoweth well those that do right (3:115).” (Addressed to the people of the Book.)

6) “And the nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, ‘we are Christians because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not ignorant (5:85).”


Role of the Prophet:

1) “Thy duty is to make (The message) reach them: it is our part to call them to account (13:40).”

2) “But if they turn back, thy duty is to convey the Message, and in Allah’s sight are (all) His servant (3:20).”

3) “We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds), 4:80.”


Then we quote below the other group of verses that are totally at variance with the first group:


Group Two:

The Status of the Non-believers

1) “Those who reject Our Signs and treat them with arrogance- they are companions of fire, to dwell therein (forever): (7:36).” Other verses with similar messages are 2:39, 5:11, 4:56, 4:168,7:36,98:6 and 4:169

2) “O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors; they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you turn to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust (4:54).”


Revised role of the Prophet

“For those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the Religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, fight until they pay Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (9:29)

“But when the forbidden months are past, then slay the Pagans wherever you find them and seize them, beleaguer them and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (9:5)

In sum, there are about forty verses wherein fighting is encouraged or allowed either in self-defense (2:190-91 and 8:63), preemptive measure, to provide relief to persecuted people or bring order and peace in the state (2:189 and7:40). But there is also at least one, 2:244 that gives the impression that the struggle to subdue the un-believers is perpetual command.

It cannot be said with certainty that all the verses with conciliatory stance belonged to the period of the Prophet’s stay in Mecca and that all those with tough postures to the non-believes pertained to his missionary period in Medina. But, by and large this is true. Since both set of verses are placed side by side and have not been included in the category of abrogation, it will be logical to assume that both kinds of messages are valid and available to Umma for guidance in varying circumstances.

The initial conciliatory verses, addressed to Pagan and the People of the Book, recognized the right of every community to hold its own belief and also confirmed that some of them (non-Muslims) who do good deeds would get salvation. At the same time it was emphasized that the majority of the non-believers were not the righteous men. And later on when sufficient warning and opportunity had been given to these people to adopt the new perfect religion, it was clearly told to them that as the truth had been revealed to them its denial amounted to disbelief with attendant consequences.

As regards fighting, it will be noted, that all battles were basically defensive in nature. Wars fought in Medina were absolutely in defense of the nascent Muslim state and those fought outside were also pre-emptive defensive maneuvers. Both defensive and pre-emptive wars were resorted to in the Medina period.

The life of Muslims in Mecca was in miserable state where they were reviled, persecuted and economically squeezed. Yet Muslims did not take up arms against the blasphemers and the persecutors. Why? Not difficult to answer. Muslims were very few and weak and any armed conflict was likely to result in their total elimination. It was only when they had established a state of their own in Medina that Allah allowed them to fight in the cause of Allah and to defend the community from the evil design of their adversaries. Does this not mean that God has guided the Muslims to vary their strategy vis-à-vis their relations to no-Muslims according to the prevailing circumstances.

As regards the command to fight till they are subdued, it could only be given when Muslims had attained enough state power. Here again the idea of subduing is for the purpose of spreading the Message of God far and wide. Peaceful missions sent by the Prophet had been treated with contempt, thus closing the door for the entry of the new message of God in those countries.

In the light of above presentation, I dare suggest that both the stances of Qur’an are valid and have been applied in different circumstances. At present some scholars (including Javed Ghamidi) believe that war with Pagan and the People of the book with a view to either converting them to Islam (in the case of Pagans) or compelling them to pay Jizyah tax (in respect of Jews and Christians), as required under verses 9:5 and 9:29, was valid only during the lifetime of the Prophet and that too limited to the Arabian Peninsula.

It is suggested that even if we are not in full agreement with the assessment of some of the modern scholars on the scope of the verses 9:5 and 9:29, it is better to support their stand on the following grounds: The obligation to fight for the cause of Islam has two objectives, a) to spread the message of Islam all over the world and b) to establish a global Islamic state where people would be able to lead a righteous life under the guidance of Qur’an. As far as the first objective is concerned, it is now being achieved satisfactorily without any armed struggle. Muslim missionaries are working actively in all non-Muslim countries and are successfully converting people to the faith of Islam. As regards the second objective, since all Muslim countries, as members of the UNO, and are now fully committed to honor and respect the present geographical boundaries of all nation, the question of conquering any non-Muslim country for establishing an Islamic state is simply out of question.

It is thus apparent that the injunctions contained in verses 9:5 and 9:25 (although valid) are no more desirable/ operable in our present day world, notwithstanding the claim of the orthodox and extremist group to the contrary. This means that we are now are now left only with the first set of Qur’anic message. How helpful would it be to the world peace if we could announce them from some platform of religious authority and proclaim in the following words our current doctrine?

1) All non- believers (non-Muslims) are at liberty to practice whatever belief they wish to hold. We have informed them of the Allah’s latest message to mankind but there is no compulsion for them to adopt it. (Based on Verses 109:1-6)

2) Islam is the most perfect religion for the entire mankind, guarantying success both in this world and the Hereafter, but all non-Muslims who do good deeds would also be rewarded. Muslims have not been appointed to monitor the deeds of Non-believers. (Based on verses 5:72, 3:110, 3:115 &13:40, 3:20 and 4:80)

3) Muslims are no more obligated to fight the no-believers except in case of self- defense.

Muslim community is spread all over the world both as majority and minority community of different states. The proposed declaration by Muslims would strengthen the foundation of a suspicion-free pluralistic society in the world, the concrete example of which was set by the Prophet himself when he had promulgated the Constitution of the first Muslim State in Medina. Thus we arrive at the Rule 4.


Rule 4: All Qur’anic laws are not timeless. Some of them were meant only to deal with the social and political situation obtaining during the lifetime of the Prophet.

Now I would like to point out a few cases where the Qur’anic stipulations have not been followed ‘on the ground of a change in the effective cause for the law’.

1) The verse 9:60 defines the categories of persons and purpose for which Zakat fund is to be spent.

Under this verse some of the beneficiaries were ‘the people whose heart is inclined towards Islam’. The first Caliph of Islam, stopped payment to non-Muslims from Zakat funds because in his opinion there was then no need for such incentives. People of Arabia were converting to Islam in large number on voluntary basis.

2) Hazrat Umer is reported to have taken two steps, which were clearly in contrast with the edicts of the Qur’an.

a) He suspended the amputation of hands and feet of thieves, stealing food items, during a period severe famine. This action was in violation of Hudud Laws. However he justified his action on the plea that as the state had failed in its obligation to provide food for its entire people, it was not desirable to inflict harsh punishment for a crime committed solely to safe life.

b) He prohibited the Governors of the newly acquired Islamic states from marrying Jew and Christian women without converting them to the Islamic faith; again in violation of Qur’anic instructions. His action was politically very wise and foreseeing as the non-converted women of the Book have always created severe problems to the Muslim community. Starting from the wives of Noah and Lut down to the mother of Flora sisters of Spain or the Hindu wives of Akbar, we see that marriages with non-converted women have always caused grievous harm to the Muslim community.

While there was much logic and wisdom in Hazrat Umer’s administrative actions, but it cannot be denied that his decisions were clearly a digression from the laws of the Qur’an. Surprisingly these were enforced easily, some feeble protests notwithstanding.

3) Relations with Jews and Christians: A very candid verse in this regard is quoted below:
“Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikun, and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslim) those who say: “We are Christians.” That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud.”(5:85/5:82)
It is true that the Jews and Muslims were on extremely bad terms during Prophet’s time and so also are now for the last sixty years, since the creation of a Jewish state. But the entire intervening period has been of utmost friendship and useful co-existence between the two communities.
The Muslims were welcomed in Jerusalem when Hazrat Umer went there to take over the control of the city. Jews helped Muslims in conquering and administrating Spain for 500-700 years. And when Jews were ousted from Spain along with Muslims, they found refuge mostly in Muslim countries. A very large number of Jews lived and flourished in other Muslim states and did roaring business.On the other hand, the Christians who were termed as friends in the time of the Prophet have remained in conflict with the Muslims ever since the Muslims conquered Jerusalem for the first time, some fourteen hundred years ago.

Prima facie, the close relationship with Jews or enmity with the Christians does not enjoy the sanction of the Qur’an but in a totally altered political scenarios this classic stand could not be adhered to.

4) Allah ordained the levy of Jizyah tax on the people of Book. Its exact amount was prescribed by the prophet at the rate of one dinar per year for every healthy person. Later, the Muslim states graded the levy in scales ranging from one to four dinars according to the financial status of the payee. Then there are two well-reported cases where alternative tax was imposed instead of Jizyah. Some tribes found the levy of Jizyah humiliating to them and as such were allowed, on their request, to pay twice the amount of Zakat instead of Jizyah. In the first case this digression was allowed by Abu Waqas and in second case by Hazrat Umer on the advice of Hazrat Ali.[3]

5) Qur’an instructs Muslims not to dress like the people of the Book lest they may look like them. The Prophet also says, “Those who try to resemble them become one of them.” Presently’ the Muslim men in all urban centers of the world wear European dress. Even the orthodox Arabs, excepting the Royalty, wear Western dress when they go abroad. The Iranian also wear the western dress but without a tie which signifies the fructification of Jesus Christ.

Muslims community has therefore acted according to the compulsions of the prevailing circumstances following the true spirit of the teaching of Qur’an and not its exact literal text. Islamic Scholars should in every generation come up with fresh interpretation of Qur’an, Ahadith and other religious material so as to keep the Muslim community abreast with the Modern times.


Rule 5: Qur’an is not a silent or frozen Book. It speaks to those who wish to listen. It is a living source of guidance. It is our duty to continuously interpret it and draw ever fresh guidance from it for living a righteous life in the ever changing world of ours.


In concluding this chapter, I would like to refer to the plea made to the Muslims by the great philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, to this date it has not been well responded.

(O Muslims! Make a deep study of Qur’an. Allah may bestow on you the spirit of creativity. The Truth that is hidden in the word “Qul-Aoozo” may thus become evident in this age.)



[1] According to Ibn Rushd, interpretation of Qur’an is necessary in the following cases.1) Where no consensus is possible on the doctrinal significance of certain scriptural passage, 2) where the pronouncement of scripture appears to conflict with each other and 3) where pronouncements appear to conflict the principles of philosophy or natural reason. (Quoted in , ‘A history of Islamic Philosophy, author Majid Fakhri.
[2] (Conference of the Books by Khalid M. Abou El Fadal 2001)

[3] Tabari volume 3 pp.74