Dear Mubashir,
As-salam alaykum
Please see my responses to the questions asked in
blue italics. However, before I share my humble response, I would like to share
2 fundamental principles which are established from the Quran, the primary source of Islamic guidance.
These will form the premise of the response to the questions asked which as will be shown, have absolutely no basis from a Quran's perspective.
PRINCIPLE 1: DO NOT SEEK TO SOLICIT FINER DETAILS WHICH THE QURAN HAS NOT DEEMED NECESSARY TO IMPARTThe Quran is neither incomplete guidance nor does God run out of words to say.
031:027
"And if every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea (to supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words of God would not come to an end; surely God is Mighty, Wise" If details not found in the Quran were crucial for mankind's guidance, they would have arguably been mentioned in the Quran which calls itself
'mufassalan' (explained in detail) 6:114,
tafsila (detailed explanation) 12:111 and
'tibiana lekulli shaye' (clarification / explanation of all things) 16:89.
Therefore, the Quran's focus arguably remains confined to drive the reader to ponder over its narrative and argumentations with a view to extract the wisdom that it intends to impart. The essence or purport of the message remains key, and it often exercises silence and subtlety when it deems appropriate. This point is often not appreciated by many who misconstrue this fine balance as an excuse to enter into the tomes of literature that attempts to furnish all manner of details. The Quran has absolutely no intention to furnish the reader with superfluous details and it deems unnecessary to impart.
[1] For example:
The story of the sleepers in the cave is a Quranic narrative captured between verses 18:9-26 that many Muslims are readily able to identify with. The story focuses on a group of righteous believers who took refuge in a cave after fleeing and slept a great number of years unbeknown to them. When they awoke, it was if they had lost all concept of time and had slept a mere part of the day where in fact, they had tarried for many centuries.
WHAT IS NOT IMPORTANT - 018:010 How long they slept. Only God knows.
- 018:021 What disputes arose amongst the people as to their affair.
- 018:022 Some say there were 3 sleepers, 4th being the dog, some 5, 6th being the dog, some say 7, 8th being the dog. Only God knows the numbers. The reader is then clearly informed "Enter not, therefore, into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear, nor consult any of them about (the affair of) the Sleepers"
- 018:025 How long did they sleep? Some say 300, some 309. God does not reveal the number. It is not deemed important. Only God knows best how long they slept.
To note another example, some asked the prophet about the Spirit to furnish themselves with further 'details' (17:85). God's respond was that they were only granted limited information. (17:85). They asked the prophet about the hour (7:187). Again, the response was limited.
The insatiable desire for many to seek finer details to general guidance is an old wayward illness. It has undoubtedly given rise to much spurious tomes of narratives by fallible human beings centuries after the death of the prophet which have absolutely no warrant from the Quran.
This is an illness that is clearly demonstrated in Surah Baqarah where a simple command was given to sacrifice a cow. Nothing is more striking than the desire of the people in question to elicit finer and finer details of a general religious commandment to the point that it became nearly impossible for them to perform. What kind of cow, what colour, what type etc.
[2]Furthermore, the Quran makes it absolutely clear not to ask superfluous questions (5:101) and not to repeat the wayward desire of those that came before them (5:102).
Alas however, people seldom learn.
018:022 (Part)
"Enter not, therefore, into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear (Arabic: Illa miraan zahiran)..."[1] UNKNOWN TOWNS AND NAMES - WHY FILL IN THE GAPS?http://quransmessage.com/articles/unknown%20towns%20and%20names%20FM3.htm[2] DO NOT COMPLICATE RELIGION - WISDOM FROM SURAH BAQARAHhttp://quransmessage.com/articles/wisdom%20-%20baqarah%20FM3.htm[3] ELICITING FINER DETAILShttps://www.facebook.com/joseph.a.islam/posts/297080927095708PRINCIPLE 2: THE QURAN IS NOT A DICTIONARY OR LEXICON. IT IMPLIES AN EXTANT UNDERSTANDING OF LANGUAGE SUFFICIENT TO DECIPHER ITS GENERAL MESSAGEThe Quran was revealed within a cradle of an existing language spoken by the primary audience. It did not intend to reveal or invent a new language but simply parted the message in the vernacular of the audience with a view to make the message clear to them. This is no different from the Divine revelations before, which were parted in the language of the messengers of yore and their people.
[4]014.004
“And We did not send any messenger but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly; then God lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills and He is the Mighty, the Wise”041.044
“Had We sent this as a Quran (in a language) other than Arabic, they would have said: "Why are not its verses explained in detail? What! (a Book) not in Arabic and (a Messenger) an Arab?" Say: "It is a Guide and a Healing to those who believe; and for those who believe not, there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness in their (eyes): They are (as it were) being called from a place far distant!"”On my website, under the section entitled Islamic Secondary Sources [5], I respectfully share:
- PRESERVATION OF THE LANGUAGE
The protection of the 'dhikr' (reminder) is assured by the Quran (15:9). This implies both the 'words' of the Quran and an appropriate ability to discern its 'meanings'. Otherwise, the 'dhikr' would be meaningless.
Therefore any source, including classical lexicons, works of grammarians, dictionaries or indeed, any Islamic secondary source as defined above which is used to understand the classical Arabic language is implicitly ratified by the Quran (15:9).
The Prophet was tasked with a responsibility to convey the message of the Quran in Arabic to his people. His people had a responsibility en masse to pass the message to mankind (22:78) both in Arabic and to convey its meaning to those who did not understand the language.
[4] WHY WAS THE QURAN REVEALED IN ARABIC?http://quransmessage.com/articles/why%20in%20Arabic%20FM3.htm[5] ISLAMIC SECONDARY SOURCEShttp://quransmessage.com/articles/hadith%20FM2.htm9:36 BEHOLD, the number of months, in the sight of God, is twelve months, [laid down] in God's decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; [and] out of these, four are sacred: this is the ever-true law [of God]. Do not, then, sin against yourselves with regard to these [months]. And fight against those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God, all together-just as they fight against you, [O believers,] all together -and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.
In the next verse, it is stated that intercalation is refusal to acknowledge the truth:
2. 9:37 The intercalation [of months] is but one more instance of [their] refusal to acknowledge the truth- [a means] by which those who are bent on denying the truth are led astray. They declare this [intercalation] to be permissible in one year and forbidden in [another] year, in order to conform [outwardly] to the number of months which God has hallowed: and thus they make allowable what God has forbidden. Goodly seems unto them the evil of their own doings, since God does not grace with His guidance people who refuse to acknowledge the truth.
Questions to those who reject Hadith:I do not accept the charge of
‘rejection’ of the Ahadith corpus in toto. My position is
Quran-centric which holds the Quran as a
'criterion' to judge and maintains that there is no absolute authority in religion for believers other than the Quran. My position is elucidated in the following threads:
[6] The Quran-centric Positionhttps://www.facebook.com/joseph.a.islam/posts/330796700390797[7] IS HEARSAY UNQURANIChttps://www.facebook.com/joseph.a.islam/posts/363674833769650[8] FOLLOWING TRADITIONShttps://www.facebook.com/joseph.a.islam/posts/309845362485931- Where does the Quran gives the names of all the months in the proper order?Please see established
PRINCIPLE 2 from the Quran above which is flouted by this question.
- What are the names of these months in the Quran?Please see article below:
[9] THE 'LOST' MONTHS OF HAJJhttp://quransmessage.com/articles/the%20lost%20months%20of%20hajj%20FM3.htm- Which four are sacred months, so that their sanctity should be observed?Please see article
[9] shared above.
- How can we tell that till today, nobody has changed the order of these months and it is the correct one?The criterion will remain the Quran. Please see arguments shared based on the Quran’s verses in the article
[9] shared above.
3. 59:05 Whatever [of their] palm trees you may have cut down, [O believers,] or left standing on their roots, was [done] by God’s leave, and in order that He might confound the iniquitous.
- What is this incident? Which Palm trees are being discussed and why, give us the detailsIt is the evident insatiable desire to seek superfluous details which the Quran has provided no warrant which remains the Achilles Heel in the very premise of the question. Please see established
PRINCIPLE 1 from the Quran above which is flouted by this question.
- Some were cut down some not? Where can we find more details about them?Please see established
PRINCIPLE 1 from the Quran above which is flouted by this question.
4. 5:03 Today have I perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall be your religion. As for him, however, who is driven [to what is forbidden] by dire necessity and not by an inclination to sinning -behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
- What day was this? Was it the birthday of the Messenger of Allah? Was this when he died? Or was it some other day?Please see established
PRINCIPLE 1 from the Quran above which is flouted by this question.
- Those who died before this Day, were they following complete Islam or an incomplete Islam?Please see established
PRINCIPLE 1 from the Quran above which is flouted by this question.
- What other Deens was Islam preferred over? Because it is stated that it has been preferred/approve/chosen but it has not been declared that Islam is the only Deen. Give details from the Quran.Please see response below from article
[10] shared below:
- "UNDERSTANDING THE TERM ‘PERFECTION OF DEEN’
The discussions above should aid us to better understand the passage where God mentions that he has ‘perfected Deen’ (Arabic: Akmaltu lakum dinakum)
005:003
"...This day have I perfected your religion / system (Arabic: deen) for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion / system (Arabic: deen)..."
Islam was a religion preached by all Prophets. The Arabs during Muhammad’s (pbuh) ministry no doubt also had a system that they already observed and practiced. It is to be expected that certain parts of any system may have overlaps with Islam. In this way, the system of the ancient Arabs would have also been no different.
However, by ‘perfecting’ the system of the Arabs and removing alien doctrines, blasphemous practices and those ways incongruent with Islam, their Lord purified their system and perfected it by bringing it back to the ‘system’ he had enjoined on all believers before them (i.e. Islam).
In this way, Islam was not perfected per se (as Islam need not be perfected), but the existing practices of the Arabs were perfected and brought back into the folds of Islam."
[10] WHAT IS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF 'DEEN' FROM A QURAN'S PERSPECTIVE?http://quransmessage.com/articles/what%20is%20the%20true%20defintion%20of%20deen%20FM3.htm[11] Islam Will Conquer Over All Religionshttp://quransmessage.com/forum/index.php?topic=1192.05. 48:15 As soon as you [O believers] are about to set forth on a war that promises booty, those who stayed behind [aforetime] will surely say, “Allow us to go with you” - [thus showing that] they would like to alter the Word of God. Say: “By no means shall you go with us: God has declared aforetime [to whom all spoils shall belong].” Thereupon they will [surely] answer, “Nay, but you begrudge us [our share of booty]!” Nay, they can grasp but so little of the truth!
- Which Word of Allah gets altered by those seeking permission to go with the believers?God has clearly stated that all spoils of war belong to God and his messenger (8:1) and by implication are not for individuals to seek out such accessory rewards from warfare. A decree was set, some clearly may have had ulterior motives.
- What is the reason this verse was revealed? As to why the verse was revealed, it clearly intended to provide guidance first to the immediate audience and secondarily wider guidance to the faithful that ponder (tadabbur) over the Quran’s message. The Quran provides narratives for the guidance of believers.
What kind of lesson in Deen is in it for us?This is respectfully a surprising question in that it implies that the reader cannot find a lesson from such a narrative directly from the Quran warranting a need to ask.
Out of the many points of wisdom that can be extracted by one keen to ponder over the Quran’s revelations, one is that at the time of the prophetic ministry and during warfare, it was not for any individual warrior to lay claim to the spoils. Another point of wisdom is that the prophet also acted akin to a treasurer responsible for distributing wealth which provides evidence of the many facets of this messengership. Please see post
[12] below:
[12] Was the Prophet of God Akin to a Postman Who Simply Delivers a Message?https://www.facebook.com/joseph.a.islam/posts/247680292035772Furthermore if verses 8:1 and 8:41 are kept in mind where a ‘fifth share’ is mentioned, there seems to be an implication of the level of zakat that may have been prevalent at the time of the prophet’s ministry.
Please see article
[13] below on Zakat
[13] WHAT IS THE CONCEPT OF ZAKAT FROM THE QURAN?http://quransmessage.com/articles/zakah%20FM3.htmWith a view to retain some brevity, my response will be limited to the above whilst remaining fully appreciative of the fact that there is much more that can be deduced from the verse.
The questioner puts all those who follow Quran alone by saying:
"...If you cannot give us the details, then admit you need to refer to hadith to find them. If you cannot reply to them then Let these question be an “Itmam e Hujjat” for you on the Day of JudgementI trust that out of sheer honesty and sincerity, that the questioner will be gracious enough to concede that premises were established and argued directly from the Quran, that responses were given within the context of these established principles and responses were shared with a view to provide unequivocal direct responses.
In the same spirit as of the questioner, if the responses are found to be persuasive,
then let this be ‘Itmam e Hujjat’ for the questioner on the Day of Judgement, God willing.
[14][14] ITMAM AL-HUJJAH - COMPLETION OF PROOFhttp://quransmessage.com/articles/itmam%20FM3.htm Regards,
Joseph