Written by: Ibrahim Ait Abourek

Posted on: 2012-12-04

Was Muhammad a transmitter or an interpreter of the Qur’an..?

The Noble Qur’an was revealed as a clarification of everything that a person needs

[And We have revealed to you the Book as clarification of everything] 16:89

Among these things, it contains the Qur’anic dictionary, by which the words of the Lord of the worlds are understood in the clear Arabic tongue.

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1: Was the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) interpreting the Qur’an for people?

Before we answer this central question, we must first know whether the Noble Qur’an really needs interpretation?

As it is known, the thing that needs explanation is the mysterious and ambiguous thing..

Is the Noble Qur’an mysterious and ambiguous?

God Almighty says: [O people, proof has come to you from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light]: 174:3:

When these two verses are dropped on each other, it becomes clear that the book is the light, so does the manifest divine light need human light to be seen?

Is God’s greatest light not enough to see the darkness of ignorance and the swamps of human mud?

I leave the answer to those who gave ear as a martyr.

The Almighty says: [We have revealed to you signs that are clear and like those who have left before you and a preaching for the righteous]

So do the clear verses from God Almighty need human clarification in order to understand what is meant??

The Almighty says: The answer is left to those in this world who are more discerning.

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2: So what is the mission of the messenger?

The role of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is limited to conveying the message (the Qur’an) [Oh Messenger, convey what was revealed to you from your Lord. In the noble verse [And upon the Messenger is nothing but a clear message] 54:24

The Qur’an is clear and the communication is clear as well. The thing that indicates that the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, communicates this message to people as it is, because there is no clarification above the clarification of God Almighty.

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3: But what about the verse that says (And We have sent down the Reminder to you that you may make clear to people what was sent down to them)?

In order to understand what is meant, the entire verse must be cited

(( We did not send ˹messengers˺ before you ˹O Prophet˺ except mere men inspired by Us. If you ˹polytheists˺ do not know ˹this already˺, then ask those who have knowledge ˹of the Scriptures˺.)) (al-nahl 44)

– In the special context of the verse: God Almighty says about the former prophets, “And when we sent before you, only men, I will send them to them. for a people who believe] 16:64

– In the special context of the verse: God Almighty says about the former prophets, That is, God Almighty sent the previous prophets to the People of the Book and sent down proofs and scriptures with them. For the Prophet, he says, that is, the Qur’an, that is, to explain to the people of the book what was previously lowered to them from evidence and zabour (scriptures of abraham), perhaps they think, and this is exactly what this generous verse confirms [and we have not revealed the book to you except to show them the one who has disagreed with them and the one who has disagree

– In the general context: Since the speech here is directed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) [And We have sent down the Reminder to you that you may make clear to people] the word “people” here means all people, given that the Qur’an is a remembrance of the worlds. [And We have not sent you but to all of mankind] 28:34 The thing that dictates that the word “people” means all people without exception..

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4: Does this mean that the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) is required to explain to the people what was revealed to them?

Yes, but the difference is in the concept of clarification!

What is the meaning of clarification in the Arabic language shown?

The Almighty says [And when God took a covenant from those who were given the Book, that you should make it clear to people and not conceal it] 187:3

From the noble verse it is clear that the declaration is the opposite of concealment, and from it we will understand the words of God Almighty in its general context and considering that the word “people” includes all people (And We have sent down the Reminder to you that you may make clear to the people) what Muhammad has to declare and not conceal. It is the essence of the clear communication. If you did not do that, then he did not reach his message [O Messenger, convey what was revealed to you from your Lord, and if you did not do that, then you did not reach it]: 67:5

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5: Do I understand from your words that the Messenger (may God bless him and grant him peace) all he does is recite Qur’anic verses to people’s ears only?

We previously said that Muhammad (PBUH) is a prophet and messenger [Muhammad was not the father of any of your men, but he was the Messenger of God and the seal of the prophets] Al-Ahzab-40.

However, there is a difference between the descriptions of the Messenger and the Prophet [O Messenger! Convey everything revealed to you from your Lord. If you do not, then you have not delivered His message. Allah will ˹certainly˺ protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the people who disbelieve.] Al-Ma’idah-67-

The description of the Messenger is the aspect responsible for conveying the message [Convey what has been revealed to you] (the Qur’an), and it is the one that God Almighty has protected from error, and forgetfulness [And God will protect you from people]

While in the description of prophecy came reprimand more than once in the Noble Qur’an [O Prophet, why did you not forbid what God made lawful for you, you seek to please your spouses, and God Almighty-1]

The thing that indicates that this trait represents the human aspect of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his implementation of the commands of the message (why do you forbid what God has made permissible for you?)

So the Prophet of God Muhammad as a human being who eats food and walks in the markets, there is no doubt that he was a sincere and admonishing people, and he was also a forensic and diligent, but all of this is not considered revelation as much as it is considered a biography or history, it is a human understanding that is not binding on anyone,

if the Messenger wanted to interpret the Qur’an, The Prophet would have his way of ordering people to write down his understanding of the Noble Qur’an and transcribe it as they wrote the Qur’an and it reaches us as we have reached the Noble Qur’an, except that due to his brilliance, and his great acumen, he left that matter to the people, each according to his time, the difference between the sacred text and other texts is that the sacred is valid and comprehensive.

For every time and place, every person, according to his time, is required to understand the verses of the Noble Qur’an, according to the degree of his intellectual and civilized maturity and his knowledge and scientific load.

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6: So what is required of people?

What is required of people, as the Noble Qur’an has informed of, is to reflect on its verses. Just look at the words of God Almighty [A book that We have sent down to you, blessed, so that they may reflect on its verses and that the first peoples may be remembered]: 29

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7: Is contemplation the interpretation?

No, it is not. Contemplation is the work of the mind and deep thinking about the verses, whether the Qur’anic verses or the verses of God on the horizons (This is˺ a blessed Book which We have revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ so that they may contemplate its verses, and people of reason may be mindful.) (sad

29) And this is a privilege that God Almighty bestowed upon those of understanding and those with luminous insights [And let people of understanding remember]

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8: So we will find a lot of differences between the learners, right?

We said previously that the Noble Qur’an was revealed to clarify everything that a person needs, and among these things it also contains the best method for contemplation and understanding.

The answer to this question lies within the Noble Qur’an itself.

First: Purity, [It is a noble Qur’an (77) in a hidden book (78) that none but the purified will touch] 79:56

This does not mean pure materialism (because touch (mas) is not touching (lams) ), but rather the purity of the heart and soul, and that is by expelling the negative passions and obsessions in the soul and entering the Noble Qur’an through the eyes of the impartial researcher, and being fully prepared to accept the results, no matter how contrary to the prevailing or the majority or the epic and the saying of so-and-so and the consensus here. It is not the separation.. History has proven more than once that people have previously unanimously agreed on falsehood..

Second: Understand the Qur’an with the Qur’an, so you will not understand the words of God except with the words of God. Who is more truthful in speech than God?

[And who is truer in speech than God?] 87:4 And

[God has revealed the best of speech in a book similar to two pairs] 23:39

Third: Not to make the Qur’an a member (divided), that is, selecting what supports your proposal and leaves what contradicts your passion and be among the two divisions in whom the Almighty said [˹a warning˺ similar to what We sent to those who divided ˹the Scriptures˺,who ˹now˺ accept parts of the Quran, rejecting others. So by your Lord! We will certainly question them all.about what they used to do) al-nahl 90-93)

Fourth: Presenting the similar verses to the clear verses and not the other way around. The selection of the similar ones alone leads to a crooked understanding that contradicts the clear clear clear verses, and contradicts the spirit of the Holy Qur’an and the repentance of science and logic.

(He is the One Who has revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ the Book, of which some verses are precise—they are the foundation of the Book—while others are elusive.1 Those with deviant hearts follow the elusive verses seeking ˹to spread˺ doubt through their ˹false˺ interpretations—but none grasps their ˹full˺ meaning except Allah. As for those well-grounded in knowledge, they say, (“We believe in this ˹Quran˺—it is all from our Lord.” But none will be mindful ˹of this˺ except people of reason.) (al-imran 7)

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9: Are all people obliged to adhere to these criteria in deliberation in order to reach one conclusion?

This is what it should be, except that due to the different types of people and what motivates them usually of nervousness and understanding, and the prevalence of mentalities prevailing in society, not all people will be equal in understanding and contemplation, and this in itself is not a problem when We disagree.

even experimental sciences and modern scientific theories have great differences between supporters and opponents, and this is God’s law in the universe (and of everything We created pairs that you may remember), and as long as a Muslim believes in God and His angels and His angels and His books, and practice their rituals and do not differ between among His messengers and His servants, then no one has the right to purge them out of the circle of faith or Islam or to confiscate his freedom of thought and contemplation, no matter how different it is with him, for God knows best the secrets of people and what the breasts conceal, and God is behind the intention.