Quranic Sciences

After the death of the Prophet a group of his companions, including Ubayy ibn Ka'b, 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'üd, Jabir ibn 'Abd Allah a1-An~?ri, Abü Sa'id al-Khudri, 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar, Anas, Abü Hurayrah, Abü MUs?, and, above a...

After the death of the Prophet a group of his comp...

Among the verses in the Qur'an containing orders or laws, there are verses that abrogate verses previously revealed and acted upon. These abrogating verses are called nasikh and those whose validity they terminate are called mansükh. For example, at ...

Among the verses in the Qur'an containing orders o...

Bearing in mind that the Qur'an is valid for all times, the verses revealed in special circumstances informing Muslims c their specific duties are also valid for those who, in future experience the same circumstances. Similarly, those verse which pra...

Bearing in mind that the Qur'an is valid for all t...

This we may attribute, firstly, to the fact that there is no verse whose meaning is totally obscure since the Qur'an describes itself as a light, as a guidance and as an explanation. Thus it is not befitting that there be verses, which fail to reveal...

This we may attribute, firstly, to the fact that t...

Thus the real meaning of the implicit verses can be found in relation to the explicit verses. What is apparent from the verses in which the word ta'wil occurs is that ta'wil does not indicate a literal meaning? It is clear that the actual words of th...

Thus the real meaning of the implicit verses can b...

We shall discuss the word, exegesis, and ta'wil, in relation to three Qur'anic verses. Firstly, in the verses concerning the implicit Mutash?bih and the explicit verses: But those in whose hearts is doubt pursue, in truth, that which is allegorical t...

We shall discuss the word, exegesis, and ta'wil, i...

In chapter IV: 36 God says, "And serve God and ascribe nothing as a partner to Him "The verse prohibits pre-Islamic Arabs from their worship of idols, just as chapter XXII: 30 urge them to "shun the filth of idols, and shun lying speech. " On reflect...

In chapter IV: 36 God says, "And serve God and asc...

The perfection and completeness of the Qur'an prove that its validity is not restricted to a particular time or place, since anything perfect is in need of nothing to complete it. In chapter LXXXVI: l3-l4 God confirms that the Qur'an is "a conclusive...

The perfection and completeness of the Qur'an prov...

Man's primary life, namely, the temporal life of this world, is as a bubble on the immense sea of the material; and since a] his transactions concern the material, he is throughout his lift at the mercy of the moving waves. All his senses are occupie...

Man's primary life, namely, the temporal life of t...

The Qur'an, being composed of words and meanings like any other book, explains itself. It does not remain silent when the situation of the text demands proof. Moreover, there is no reason to believe that Qur'anic terms mean anything other than the ac...

The Qur'an, being composed of words and meanings l...

The Qur'an is not directed towards any one particular nation, such as the Arabs, or to a particular sect of Muslims, but to non-Islamic societies as well as the Muslim nation as a whole. There are numerous references to non-believers and idol-worship...

The Qur'an is not directed towards any one particu...

The Qur'an shows man the way to a realization of his goal on earth; it describes this path in the most complete terms It is a way of correctly viewing the reality of things; a vision -personal, social and cosmic - based on a correct manner of behavio...

The Qur'an shows man the way to a realization of h...

The Qur'an refers on several occasions to the fact that it is the word of God that it issues from a divine source in the very words in which the Prophet received them and which he later transmitted. The divine nature of the Qur'an is affirmed in seve...

The Qur'an refers on several occasions to the fact...

The Qur'an Contains a Pattern of a Complete Way of Life for Man The religion of Islam is superior to any other in that it guarantees happiness in man's life. For Muslims, Islam is a belief system with moral and practical laws that have their source i...

The Qur'an Contains a Pattern of a Complete Way of...

Seeing as back fourteen centuries ago people probably did not understand much about time zones, the Qur'an's statements about this subject are considerably surprising. The concept that one family is having breakfast as the sun comes up while another ...

Seeing as back fourteen centuries ago people proba...

In addition to the subject of bees, the Qur'an also discusses the sun and the manner in which it travels through space. Again, a person can guess on that subject. When the sun moves through space, there are two options: it can travel just as a stone ...

In addition to the subject of bees, the Qur'an als...

In the 16th chapter (Surah an-Nahl 16:68-69) the Qur'an mentions that the female bee leaves its home to gather food. Now, a person might guess on that, saying, "The bee that you see flying around - it could be male, or it could be female. I think I w...

In the 16th chapter (Surah an-Nahl 16:68-69) the Q...

All of the examples so far given concerning the various angles from which one can approach the Qur'an have undoubtedly been subjective in nature; however, there does exist another angle, among others, which is objective and whose basis is mathematica...

All of the examples so far given concerning the va...

An interesting example of the latter type of falsification tests contained in the Qur'an is the verse which mentions the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews. The verse is careful not to narrow its scope to the relationship between individua...

An interesting example of the latter type of falsi...

An interesting characteristic of the Qur'an is how it deals with surprising phenomena which relate not only to the past but to modern times as well. In essence, the Qur'an is not and old problem. It is still a problem even today - a problem to the no...

An interesting characteristic of the Qur'an is how...

If the book is not a revelation, then it is a deception; and if it is a deception, one must ask, "What is its origin? And where does it deceive us?" Indeed, the true answers to these questions shed light on the Qur'an's authenticity and silence the b...

If the book is not a revelation, then it is a dece...