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Offline Shahmatt

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Suggested amendment to "Book Worship"
« on: February 07, 2022, 12:20:58 AM »
Assalamu alaikum,

I refer to the article "Book Worship" which I read with great interest.

I noted that in the conclusion of the article the Quran is described as a "living, breathing document."

I understand that this phrase is used to describe the U.S Constitution in the present day. I quote the following from Wikipedia on an article on Originalism, which opposes the Living Constitution (living, breathing document) idea:

"In the context of United States law, originalism is a concept regarding the interpretation of the Constitution that asserts that all statements in the constitution must be interpreted based on the original understanding "at the time it was adopted". This concept views the Constitution as stable from the time of enactment and that the meaning of its contents can be changed only by the steps set out in Article Five.[1] This notion stands in contrast to the concept of the Living Constitution, which asserts that the Constitution should be interpreted based on the context of current times and political identities, even if such interpretation is different from the original interpretations of the document.[2][3]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Originalism

It has always seemed to me that the understanding of the Quran should be based on original intent (or Originalism). If such is the case I suggest the omission of "living, breathing document" in the conclusion of the "Book Worship" to avoid confusion. Thank you.

Offline Hamzeh

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Re: Suggested amendment to "Book Worship"
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2022, 01:29:38 PM »
Wa 3alykum assalam

Quote
It has always seemed to me that the understanding of the Quran should be based on original intent (or Originalism).

Yes brother Shahmatt. Any interpretation or definitions of words should be understood from the eyes of those who were receiving the Scripture. So if definitions or meanings of words have changed in the span of time then one would need to consider what the word meant at the time the Quran was revealed or at least as close as possible to it. This is the most reasonable and most logic.

Thanks for sharing

Peace