New article: The book and the wisdom (al kitab wa al hikma) argument

[Wakas]

peace all,

https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/kitab-hikma.html

The book and the wisdom (al kitab wa al hikma) argument: Traditionalist/Sunni Islam Vs Quran alone

The argument goes like this: The Quran tells us prophet Muhammad was given the book (al kitab) and the wisdom (al hikma) and they say "al kitab" is The Quran and "al hikma" is separated by "wa" (and) so must be something else, which they take to mean the prophet's sunna. Thus using this as a Quranic justification for following the prophet's sunna, which they claim is documented in traditions (e.g. hadith), thus making those traditions a valid source of law.

There are a number of assumptions in this argument:
1) "al kitab" means the book
2) the kitab/book refers to The Quran
3) the conjunction "wa" (and) means a separate and distinct thing
4) "al hikma" refers to prophet Muhammad's sunna
5) this sunna is preserved/documented accurately
6) this documented sunna is authoritative i.e. must be obeyed

This article will address points 1-4.

https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/kitab-hikma.html

Click on link for full article. Feedback welcome, especially corrections.

[Wakas]

The article has now been updated and discusses the meaning of kitab, hikma, ummi, and touches upon a few interesting observations and how it all fits together.

[fireheart47]

The article has now been updated...

Your articles are always very informative. I found the other one about lunar calendar very insightful.

I agree with your argument in this article about kitab and hikmah, it being one and the same. Your discussion about the deeper meaning of kitab resolved one of my doubts of the Qur'an. I agree it makes sense for us to interpret it as a record or decree.

However, life experience shows me wisdom can be found outside of the scriptures. I'm sure the hadiths have some wisdom. Yet, when it pertains to religion, it makes sense to focus on the original documents and prioritize those.

I like when you mentioned the lack of intra-textual analysis. This is very descriptive of the thinking pattern, which is best to analyze the text to fullest potential.

Dogmatic thinking often causes people to fall into routine, and causes people to confuse faith in the unseen and receptivity with obedience. It can hinder the most important part of our faith, which is to treat other people well.

When I think of an example in the gospels, I think of the one Son of God and Son of Man versus the many more examples of Sons of God, Sons of Devil, and Sons of Gehenna, and many of other examples in the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish literature (ex: Sons of Prophets [bnei nevim]). Most people ignore these metaphors, because they contradict the practice of worshipping Jesus. I don't think he would've wanted that, and would've wanted us to worship God and help others. He is quoted, however, telling his disciples that he set forth an example for them to know the Father, which again is a less-frequently occurring metaphor used in the Hebrew Bible for God, which seems to have been popularized at the time of Jesus in certain Jewish communities. The apparent contradiction between Qur'an and Bible, seems to orient us towards a perspective of the gospels, which supports the historical worldview, where it makes most sense that it is not literal father nor literal son, rather a metaphor or attribute, and for all who behave that way, not just one.


My questions are:

What did you mean when you said this about 27:40? Can you help me understand this verse? To me it doesn't seem to say that, was it a mistake?

natural laws of the universe for example (see the interesting example of 27:40).

Also, can you help me understand Surah at-Tahrim 66:3? What does it mean by

she informed [another] of it and Allah showed it to him, he made known part of it and ignored a part

?

[Wakas]

peace,

I'm not really saying they are one and the same. I am saying they are related, i.e. not a secondary source compiled from hearsay reports.

There is variance when it comes to the understanding of 27:40 however I meant where it says "the one who had knowledge of the kitab..." was able to do XYZ in a seemingly extraordinary way. Asad considers this person to be Solomon, others do not. Some interpolate various interpretations of what happened. http://quranix.org/27#40
I haven't concluded in my understanding of 27:40. If you have a cogent understanding please share.


Re: 66:3, my understanding:
One of the wives told another and the prophet was made aware of this so when he talked about it he discussed one part of it and left a part out. Main point is, relevant to the article, is she was reprimanded for divulging a hadith of his i.e. not meant to spread it.

[fireheart47]

I haven't concluded in my understanding of 27:40. If you have a cogent understanding please share.

The verse reminds me of this article: https://www.islamicity.org/7691/understanding-kufr/

From my perspective, the Qur'an teaches how people cover up the truth (كفر), and they also deny it (كذب).

Especially in relation to the interpretation of scriptures. Just look at how people cover up and deny the sons of God (plural) in the Bible. I believe if it were not covered up or denied by believers, it would've directed our devotion to each other in servitude of God, rather than to statues and images of one person.
Although it might also cause people to feel like special, and better than others, hateful of "the sinners" (because we all are). That's why 1st Letter of John Chapter 3 discusses Cain and Abel, hate is the sin. 

[fireheart47]

Perhaps I should not discuss Bible verses in this forum category. If it has any value, it should be that the moral of the story has to be extracted from the whole chapter, because certain verses alone leave room for the imagination to introduce new ideas out of context. Perhaps the Qur'an requires similar intra-Surah analysis. People's minds had longer attention span back then, it seems. Concepts are spread apart across the Surah, for example the criticisms of self-loathing and automatic denial of wisdom in Judah found in Surah an-Nisa.

[Wakas]

Forgot to ask, what were you referring to when you said:

"Your discussion about the deeper meaning of kitab resolved one of my doubts of the Qur'an."


Related article:
https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/covenant-quran.html

[fireheart47]

Peace,

When I began to study the Qur'an, I was surprised by the meaning of the word Qur'an and its Hebrew cognate. For me this made total sense, because traditionally it is recited. Later, more recently, I thought about the verses, which refer to the Qur'an as a book, and this troubled me, because I asked myself, "Why would someone reciting something verbally refer to their speech as a book?".

Your inquiry and explanation of the multiple meanings of the word kitab in Arabic resolved this mystery, because it explains how the word kitab doesn't only mean book, instead also record and decree. Therefore, there would be no contradiction if understood in the original Arabic of the Qur'an.

Thank you for helping us learn more about the Qur'an and resolving doubts, which may hinder our faith in the important messages within the Qur'an.