Re:
Quran
Question:-
What evidence do you have that your belief in
the Koran is valid?
Comment:-
It is Faith, Understanding, comprehension or
apprehension or prehension.
According to some people 'faith' is defined
as "belief in something without evidence". This is not the Islamic
position.
Faith is based on perception, and having
sufficient confidence in it to base ones behaviour and life on it. It manifests
in action.
The Quran is, therefore, believed because:-
"Nay, but it (the Quran) is a clear revelation
in the hearts of those who are endowed with knowledge, and none deny Our
revelations save the wrongdoers (or unjust)." 29:24
"He brings wisdom unto whom He will,
and he who is brought wisdom is brought much good; but none will remember save
those endowed with understanding." 2:269
"And those who are well grounded in
knowledge say, "We believe in it; it is all from our Lord"; but none
will grasp the message save those who possess understanding." 3:7
"Verily, in the creation of the
heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, are signs for
those who possess understanding; Such as remember Allah standing and sitting or
reclining, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say)
"O Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain. Glory be to Thee; preserve us
from the torment of the fire!" 3:190-191
"Is he who knows that what is
revealed unto you from your Lord is the Truth like him who is blind? But only
men of understanding heed." 13:19
"This is a clear message to be
delivered to mankind that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know
that only He is Allah, the One, and that men of understanding may take
heed." 14:52
In general there are three kinds of evidence
or proof:-
(1) Empirical - that is, through the senses
or more correctly through experiences.
(2) Rational - the data of experience are
processed by relating, analysis, association, synthesis etc.
(3) Insight - the ideas form a
self-consistent system with outer and inner experiences such that each item has
multiple connections with other items. The system must be consistent with the
inherent nature of a person, thereby giving the feeling of certainty and
harmony.
However, we know that we can have illusions
and hallucinations with respect to the senses and delusions with respect to the
rational faculty and we can have a disintegrated mind so that several
"complexes" or "fixations" exist that are mutually
exclusive and contradictory or overlap but are each internally self-consistent.
These can be described as "Idols" when they are addictions, or
"Devils" that "possess" a person when they exert compulsive
influences.
So, to avoid error, it becomes necessary to
test each of the above by mean of the other, and ultimately to give up and
dissolve these restricting small complexes in order to achieve the greater
self-integration and unity. This is like breaking out of the prison of
confining small sub-circles into the larger circle that contains them. The
ultimate aim is the surrender to Allah, who contains all. But this requires
following the appropriate discipline which already requires some faith.
Question:-
What about Quran 3.7? "He it is Who hath
revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear revelations -
they are the substance of the Book - and others (which are) allegorical. But
those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, forsooth, that which is allegorical
seeking (to cause) dissension by seeking to explain it. None knows its
explanation save Allah. And those who are of sound instruction say: We believe
therein; the whole is from our Lord; but only men of understanding really
heed."
The problem here (at least for me!) is that
no-where in the Quran is there established a clear criterion whereby "ayat
e muhkamaat" can be distinguished from those that are
"mutashabihaat".
Comment:-
The Quran contains "clear
revelation". This does not mean that all people have the capacity to see
and understand. Allah does not guide miscreants, unbelievers and the insincere.
Study the following verses:-
"Nay, but it (the Quran) is a clear
revelation in the hearts of those who are endowed with knowledge, and none deny
Our revelations save the unjust)." 29:24
"They to whom We have brought the
Book and who read it as it should be studied, they are the ones that believe
therein; and whoever rejects faith therein, it is they who are the
losers." 2:121
"Those unto whom We have given the
Scripture, who read it with a right reading, those believe in it. And whoso
disbelieves in it, those are the losers." 2:121
"Those who listen to the Word then
follow the best (meaning) of it; those are they whom Allah has guided, and
those it is who are the men of understanding." 39:18
"Allah has revealed the best of
announcements (messages), a Scripture self-consistent in its various parts,
repeating, whereat do shudder (or thrill) the skins of those who fear their
Lord, so that their skins and their heart soften (or become pliant) to the
remembrance of Allah. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guides whom He
wills; and as for him whom Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide."
39:23
"And We reveal in the Quran that
which is a healing and a mercy for believers though it increases the evil doers
in naught but ruin." 17:82
"Most surely it is an honoured Quran,
in a book that is protected. None shall touch it save the purified ones. A
revelation by the Lord of the worlds." 56:77-80
"And when you recite the Quran, seek
refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast." 16:98
"And when the Quran is recited, give
ear to it and pay attention, that you might obtain mercy." 7:204
Question:-
What about the miraculous stories in the
Quran such as Moses turning his staff into snakes and so on. Are these
allegorical or literal? Are there only natural causes or is Allah able to do
miracles or not?
Comment:-
From the Quranic point of view, all things
are ultimately caused by Allah, directly or indirectly. Therefore, all things
can be regarded as natural or miraculous. The miraculous simply means that an
event occurs rarely, is unfamiliar and we do not know its causes. But there are
several levels of causation, e.g. the 7 heavens, and a miracle could be defined
as something that happens at a lower level owing to causes at a higher level.
For primitive people Television is certainly miraculous. It is knowledge that
bestows miraculous powers for the ignorant.
However, the miracles mentioned in the Quran
may or may not be factually true. They exist in the Quran because they are
teaching stories. They are not given to us as impersonal facts, but they are
interpretations and given because they have significance for us. This is what
is important.
For instance Moses and Pharaoh are entities
within our own minds and also within societies, representing the spiritual and
the worldly aspects. The struggle between them and the miracles are happening
within us and our communities. Note that Pharaoh's magicians could also turn
their sticks into snakes. This could refer to hypnotic experiences, an
illusion. But the snake created through Moses swallowed these snakes and made
the illusion vanish.
"And say: Truth has come, and
falsehood has vanished! Verily, falsehood is ever bound to vanish. And We will
send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers,
though it only increases the wrong-doers in ruin." 17:81-82
Critic:-
I suggested that Islam depended on writing
which is a human invention. You tried to refute this by the idea of a causal chain.
I think your causal chain can be summarized as follows. (1) Is God the direct
creator of writing? (2) Is the human brain even if it is a creation of God the
direct cause of writing? Writing is NOT a universal phenomenon found in all
societies. Other activities are - such as music, dance and representational
art. These are facets of the human condition and of human behaviour that ARE
universal and with which, interestingly, Islam has traditionally had a
'problem'.
Comment:-
Sorry, you have misunderstood the whole
argument. You appear to have naively confused several different things. I doubt
if further explanation will stop your misunderstanding. But I will try.
Firstly, writing refers to recording
something for the purpose of transmission. That "something" is a
thought or experience or event.
The medium in which it is recorded can be
anything and should be appropriate for the job in the context where it exists.
It is not the writing that is to be worshipped, but that which is recorded is
to be understood.
When it is said that Allah has written that
refers to the "record in heaven". This is not anthropomorphic but
symbolism (i.e. it is not like human writing). It refers to the "blue
print" according to which the Universe unfolds. The genetic code by which
organisms develop are also records. In fact, this is so well recognised that
Biologists speak of the "letters" and "words" which spell
out this development. But no one thinks that these letters are the same thing
as the English or other alphabet.
As for the causal chain, let me elaborate:-
There is no uni-dimensional line, but a
network. There is a map. The causal chain is only a path we might choose within
a map. Things are not isolated but interact with an environment of many thing.
They have a context. In the chain A > B > C > D…, in fact, at each
stage there is an interaction with several factors so that each of these stages
is complex and B, for example, is not determined wholly or exclusively by A,
and does not only produce one effect C. B could well be caused by factors other
than A. An effect B1 could be the result of the interaction of several factors
A1, A2, A3 etc. and produce several affects C1, C2, C3 etc, by interaction with
B2, B3, B4 etc. In fact each stage must be thought of in terms of the whole
context in which it occurs. This system again belongs to a higher system and so
on to the ultimate Whole.
So when you ask about direct causes - this
has little meaning. You can take your choice. What for instance is the direct
cause of you lifting your hand to write? Is it your intention? Is it an idea?
Is it the stimulus that activates you? Is it your muscles? Is it the chemical
actions taking place within your arms and body? Is it the electrical activities
in your nervous system? Is it the weather? Is it the education and upbringing
you have had? Is it the social and cultural environment that formed you? Is it
your position in the historical process? Is it Nature or the Laws of the
Universe that have enabled your act?
We say Allah is fundamentally responsible for
all things, though He acts through various agencies. We know very well how
human beings are born, but nevertheless we say that Allah created us.
Critic:-
Are you sure that ANY form of medium or
written script could be used for recording the words of Allah? What about
hieroglyphs or pictograms that contain figurative representations of human
beings and animals? How could Allah record His words in such a script and at
the same time forbid figurative representations? There would be a necessary
contradiction between the medium and the message. In other words, why did Allah
choose to make His will known in only ONE form of graphic sign system, namely
the highly abstract phonetic alphabet?
Comment:-
You are still having problems understanding.
It is NOT the medium of transmission that is important but that which is
recorded and transmitted.
If this is done through hieroglyphs or
pictograms understood as such mediums then they are doing the job. If this is
done through human memory and narration or recitation passed on from generation
to generation then that is also doing the job. If it is transmitted by the
human influences through speech, gesture or example or other forms of behaviour
or through objects, places or shrines that have been "charged" with
significance by the kind of rituals, thoughts or feelings that the community
associates with them, then again the job of recording is done. If the medium,
even if it is the written book, is worshipped rather than taking what it
conveys, then that is idolatry.
Critic:-
Someone pointed out that according to the
Quran, God has sent to each community a messenger- without specifying a written
message - except in the case of the People of the Book. So the Quran says. But
how come we have no record of who these prophets were even among literate
peoples? Who were the prophets that Allah sent to the Greeks, Romans, Chinese
and Japanese?
Comment:-
The Quran records that such messengers were
sent.
As these other messengers came for different
times and therefore, with different set of formulations and practices suitable
for those times, they are not relevant to the times when the Quran exists which
provides us with what is needed for these times. But it confirms whatever is
relevant in those scriptures and teachings.
However, people who know about the culture,
ideas and practices of people throughout the world have noticed that religion
is a Universal phenomenon and that all have traditions of spiritual ideas and
practices. This is sufficient confirmation of the Quranic statement.
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