The Qur'an and Me

Mattson asserts that, “All those who embark upon the reading the Qur’an – Muslims and non-Muslims, religious and secular people – can learn something about the world and about themselves through engagement with it.” In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad says, “God says, ‘I am as My servant thinks I am.’” Which I believe is the same for the Qur’an, people who approach it looking for violence and hatred will find it, while those who look for love and tolerance will also find it. A person who feels God is wrathful and cruel will find his god, whereas a person approaching the Qur’an with an open and humble heart will find God’s mercy and beauty.

 

The main connection between God and Muslims has always been the Qur’an, the literal word of God, and the Prophet Muhammad, the divinely inspired messenger of God, through the hadith. Thus, the Muslim approaches these sources of guidance through reverence and reflection, on how the names and attributes of the Divine are connected to their lives in their journey to God. The approaches of every Muslim to do this will differ, but it normally falls into these four categories: recitation, memorisation, understanding and contemplation. Muslims do a combination of all four but may emphasise on one or two of these.

 

As a believer, I have always found anecdotes from new Muslims, who have never heard the recitation of the Qur’an, but nevertheless, were moved to embrace Islam just by connecting with a humble translation in their native language, to be profound. It is a book that any one with an open heart can find a connection with. While Esack’s ‘User’s Guide’ informs us of political influences and sectarian conflicts of the past, and how they have shaped our current understandings of certain concepts and beliefs, this is not the whole picture, as many Muslims today find the Qur’an very relevant and omnipresent in their lives.

 

Diversity is not only between the main sectarian groups of Islam, such as Sunni and Shi’a, but also within these sectarian traditions there is also diversity, which is observed with the differences of opinion within a school of thought and the discussions and conflict that can arise from such diversity. It must be remembered that diversity is not a clean and calm exercise. It is passionate, rigorous, and prone to conflict. This process can only deliver positive outcomes, if the atmosphere of respect and sincerity is maintained. Otherwise, egos and division will rule the day.

 

Speaking about the myriad of ethical and moral principles found in the Qur’an, Hamza Yusuf Hanson, an American Islamic scholar, said, “It is important to recognise that this religion is multi-layered, and at the highest level you are dealing with the most sophisticated thought in human history. Our theology is very deep, it’s very complex, it has profound metaphysical foundations, and then at the same time it can be understood by very simple people.”