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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur

An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the QurAn Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’’’’ānānānān

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ANSĀRĪ  MEMORIAL  SER IES

AN INTRODUCTION
TO METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY

OF THE QUR’ĀN

IMRAN N. HOSEIN

[

IMRAN N. HOSEIN PUBLICATIONS

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© Copyright reserved by the publisher

1437 (Hijri); 2016 (Gregory XIII)

ISBN 978-976-95837-1-9

Published by

IMRAN N. HOSEIN PUBLICATIONS

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Website: www.imranhosein.org

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[            [

Dedication
If you have not been reciting the Qur’ān
(in Arabic) regularly from cover-to-cover,

and if, after having read this book,
you now make a sincere effort to do so,

then this book is dedicated to you.

[            [

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A journey that is constantly repeated

“A man enquired: “O Allah’s Messenger! which action
is most liked by Allah? He replied: ‘(the action of) him
who finishes a journey and then embarks on a
journey”.
Darimi has added to this Hadith in his Sunan, the
following: “It was asked as to what was the meaning of
finishing a journey and undertaking another? (To
this) he replied: ‘A possessor of the Qur’an recites it
from its beginning to its end, and when he finishes, he
returns to the beginning (to finish it again), …’”

(Sunan, Tirmidhi)

[            [

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ix

Contents

[

Preface ......................................................................................... xiii

Ansārī Memorial Series ............................................................. xvii

Introduction ................................................................................... 1

Chapter One

The Credentials of the Qur’ān as the Word of the One God ..... 15

Absolute authenticity of the Qur’ān ......................................... 17

One uniform unchanging text of the Qur’ān ........................... 21

Eternal literary excellence of text of Qur’ān with no
revision ever necessary .............................................................. 22

Undiminished literary attraction of the Qur’ān ........................ 24

The challenge to those who doubt the status of the Qur’ān
as the Word of the One God which was revealed to an Arab
who could neither read nor write ............................................. 25

Those who reject the Qur’ān ................................................... 33

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

x

The believing Christian, the believing Jew, and the Qur’ān ..... 35

Chapter Two

Preparation for study through continuous daily recitation

of the Qur’ān ................................................................................ 55

When should the Qur’ān be recited? ........................................ 64

Chapter Three

Preparation for study  through promptly acting in accordance

with what is understood in the Qur’ān ....................................... 67

Chapter Four

Do not ignore – by-pass – or disrespect the Qur’ān in the

pursuit of knowledge ................................................................... 73

Do not disrespect the Qur’ān! .................................................. 74

Do not by-pass the Qur’ān! ..................................................... 75

Chapter Five

Do not study any verse of the Qur’ān (or any Hadīth)

in isolation ................................................................................... 87

Wrong methodology lead to error concerning money .............. 91

Wrong methodology lead to error concerning the age at
which marriage is permissible ................................................... 93

Chapter Six

The verses of the Qur’ān are like the stars in the sky ................. 99

Locating the system of meaning of a subject being studied
in the Qur’ān ......................................................................... 104

Harmony in the stars and in the Qur’ān ................................ 105

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Contents

xi

Chapter Seven

System of meaning in the Qur’ān on the subject of

consumption of intoxicants and curing addiction to alcohol . 109

Chapter Eight

System of meaning in the Qur’ān in the matter of Muslim

relations with the Christian, the Jew, the Torah, Psalms

and Gospel .................................................................................. 131

What is the status of Christians and Jews when judged
by the Qur’ān? ....................................................................... 143

The Qur’ān responds to the claim of Jews and Christians to
possess a monopoly on Truth and Faith ................................. 156

Chapter Nine

Ayāt Mutashābihāt (Verses To Be Interpreted) ....................... 161

Āyāt Mutashābihāt: The Muqatta’āt ...................................... 168

Āyah Mutashābiha: Pharaoh’s body ....................................... 172

Āyah Mutashābiha: The Dream of Nabī Ibrāhīm,

i.e., Abraham (����� �
�) ......................................................... 179

Āyah Mutashābiha: Pax Qarnain (i.e., the world-order
of Dhūl Qarnain) .................................................................. 187

Pax Qarnain – the journey to the West .................................. 197

Pax Qarnain – the journey to the East ................................... 199

Pax Qarnain – the enigmatic third journey ............................ 201

Qarnain: The second of the two Qarns .................................. 207

Rūm of the East and Rūm of the West .................................. 215

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

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Appendix 1

An Introduction to the Religious Thought of

Maulānā Dr. Muhammad Fazlur Rahmān Ansārī ( )
� ���  ....... 217

The Qur’ān and Rahmah (i.e., kindness, mercy, compassion) 218

The Qur’ān and the Rational Faculty .................................... 220

The Qur’ān - the fountain of all Knowledge .......................... 222

Methodology ......................................................................... 225

The Qur’ān validates the Hadīth ........................................... 226

Naskh – cancellation or abrogation of divine revelation ......... 233

What Allah causes to be forgotten! ......................................... 238

Gog and Magog ..................................................................... 240

The Imperative of Islamic Spirituality .................................... 247

A Spiritual Bond with Nabī Muhammad (�
�� �
�
� �
�) ...... 257

Rejection of Sectarianism ....................................................... 261

A rare moment in time is gone – a golden opportunity
is perhaps lost! ....................................................................... 264

Index ........................................................................................... 267

Ansari Memorial Series ............................................................. 289

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xiii

Preface

[

ethodology for the Study of Dajjāl the False Messiah was

meant to be included as a chapter of my book on Dajjāl.

However I realized that it was too long to function as a chapter, and

hence I had to remove the material that was specific to Dajjāl, and

then publish it as a separate book altogether: An Introduction to

Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān. I have no regrets in doing so

since it was my desire that this be my last effort at teaching basic

methodology for the study of the Qur’ān. I have done no more than

offer an introduction to that methodology. Those who wish to do

so, can search for books which teach the subject comprehensively.

The ‘Introduction’ to the religious thought of the

distinguished Islamic scholar, Maulānā Dr. Muhammad Fazlur

Rahmān Ansārī (1914-1974) contains important information and

analysis on methodology which complement the text of this book.

Readers are advised to carefully read that ‘Introduction’ to his

religious thought in order to enhance their understanding of the

M

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

xiv

subject of this book. It is located in Appendix 1 of the book. Indeed

most of what is explained in the text itself on methodology has

come from him, and it is he who should have written this book. I

wish I had an introductory book such as this to study when I was

his student and I was just beginning my study of Tafsīr al-Qur’ān.

Had he written it, I have no doubt that it would have spurred me

on to a faster and more productive effort of study of the Holy

Qur’ān.

Allah Most High declared that He sent down the Qur’ān in the

Arabic language in order that it might provoke a people to think

(Qur’ān, Yūsuf, 12:2), and hence to study the Book with the

rational faculty. Most translators of the Qur’ān admit that it cannot

be translated to another language. (See Muhammad Asad’s essay

entitled: Can the Qur’ān be translated? Published by the Centre

Islamique, Geneva. 1964). Rather, the most that can be achieved in

a translation is an approximate rendering of the meaning of the

miraculous Arabic text. For this reason we always quote in this

book, the actual Arabic text of the Qur’ān which has been preserved

unaltered for close to fifteen hundred years, and having done so, we

then offer an explanatory translation with our explanatory

comments (always carefully enclosed in brackets). We have done so

in order to facilitate the proper study of the Qur’ān. References for

quotations from the Qur’ān are always provided below the

translation of the Arabic text as follows: first the name of the Sūrah,

then the number of the Sūrah, followed by the verse number; e.g.,

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:21; Qur’ān, Yūsuf, 12:2; etc.). We

sometimes quote only a relevant part of the text of a long verse of

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Preface

xv

the Qur’ān since, to do otherwise would unduly increase the size of

the book.  Readers can access the entire text of such verses if they

log on to the website: www.islamicity.org/quransearch

Finally, I wrote most of this book in the month of Rabī al-

Thānī 1437, while on a brief visit to the city of Geneva in

Switzerland, in order to participate in a seminar on ‘Preparing for

Nuclear War’. I gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance provided

by Mushtaq's Food Machinery of UK which made my travel to

Geneva, as well as my stay in Geneva, possible. I also gratefully

acknowledge Kamal Ahmad Musa's beautiful work in the cover

design of this book. He is from the Holy Land (Palestine). Finally I

also acknowledge the kind assistance of my dear student from

Singapore, Hasbullah Bin Hithayathulah Shafi'iy, who assisted me

in many different ways, including locating several Ahadith. May

Allah bless them all for their kind assistance. Āmīn!

Imran N. Hosein
Geneva
Rabī al-Thānī 1437; February 2016

[

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xvii

Ansārī Memorial Series

[

he Ansārī Memorial Series of books is published in

loving memory of Maulānā Dr. Muhammad Fazlur

Rahmān Ansārī (1914-1974) who was a Sufi Shaikh of the

Qāderiyyah Sufi Order, a philosopher, an outstanding

Islamic scholar of the modern age, a roving missionary of

Islam, and my teacher and spiritual mentor of blessed

memory. My love for him, and my continuously

increasing admiration for both his Islamic scholarship as

well as his philosophical thought, more than 40 years

after his death, is such that I cherish the very dust on

which he walked.

I began writing the books of the Ansārī Memorial

Series in 1994 while I was still resident in New York, and

functioning as Director of Islamic Studies for the Joint

T

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xviii

Committee of Muslim Organizations of Greater New

York. I started the Series of books in Maulānā’s honour

because I wanted to offer a gift to my teacher on the 25th

anniversary of his death. The first six books of the Series

were launched in the Masjid of the Muslim Centre of

New York in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York, in

1997, and in the years which have since passed, many

more books were added to the Series. A complete list of

books in the Series can be found at the end of this book.

The latest book in the Series, entitled From Jesus the

True Messiah to Dajjāl the False Messiah – A Journey in

Islamic Eschatology, promises to be the most difficult and

challenging of all. The subject is both difficult and

challenging because, among other things, it takes a

scholar directly inside the Zionists’ hornet’s nest, and as a

consequence there are few scholars who are prepared to

risk writing or speaking on this subject. But let us recall

that the blessed Prophet (�
�� �
�
� �
�) said:

ٌ
 َ��ِحد

ٌ
ِقيه

َ
ِف َ�بِدٍ ف

ْ
ل
َ
يَْطاِ� ِمْن �  �لش�

َ
�َ �َشد

َ
�

“One learned (scholar) is harder on Satan than a thousand

worshippers”.

(Sunan Ibn Mājah)

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Ansārī Memorial Series

xix

Hence scholarly books and lectures on Dajjāl,

whose Fitnah (evil) is described by Prophet Muhammad

(�
�� �
�
� �
�) as greater than that of Satan, will surely be a

means through which our readers would be able to

identify true scholars of Islam. I pray that my humble

pioneering book on Dajjāl might pass the test of

scholarship, and if it does do so, Insha’ Allah, that it

might encourage the learned scholars of Islam of the

modern age to also address this important subject.

I recognize the subject of Dajjāl to be the ultimate

test of Islamic scholarship, and that implies that it

constitutes the ultimate test of methodology for study of

the Qur’ān and for assessment of Hadīth. I am convinced

that only an authentic Sufi scholar can write credibly on

the subject of Dajjāl, because only he has the proper

methodology for the study of the Qur’ān and the

assessment of Āhadīth, the Sufi epistemology of spiritual

insight with which to interpret religious symbolism, as

well as the tangible vibrating spiritual bond with Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), which are all indispensable for

penetrating the subject; and this is why I have to devote

attention to the religious thought of Maulānā Ansārī, the

authentic Sufi Shaikh. I could never have written my

book on Dajjāl without the benefit of his religious

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

xx

thought. The methodology of the scholars of ‘Islamic

Modernism’, of the Salafi, Shia, Deobandi, Brelvi or of a

Tablīgh Jamaat, for example, will not allow a scholar

whose primary identification is with those sects, to

successfully penetrate the subject of Dajjāl. I invite them,

gently so, to prove me wrong.

I met Maulānā Ansārī for the first time in 1960 in

my native Caribbean island of Trinidad when I was just

18 years of age. I had done some studies in science, and I

was quite surprised to learn that a Maulānā (an Islamic

religious scholar of a very high rank) would be visiting

Trinidad from Pakistan, and that he would lecture at my

Montrose Village Masjid on the subject of ‘Islam and

Science’. (The Masjid was subsequently named after him

as Masjid al-Ansārī.) My response to the news was quite

skeptical, since at that young age I knew of no possible

link between Islam and science.

On the night of the lecture he astonished me with his

scientific scholarship, as well as with knowledge of Islam

of which I was hitherto quite ignorant. I was surprised to

learn that the Qur’ān had, time and again, appealed to

‘observation’ and to ‘inductive reasoning’, and hence to

what is today called ‘scientific enquiry’, as the method

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Ansārī Memorial Series

xxi

through which one should seek to penetrate and

understand the reality of the material universe. I was also

surprised to learn that knowledge which had come to the

world these last few hundred years from some of the

discoveries of modern science, such as in embryology, had

already been present in the Qur’ān.

I was even more surprised when Maulānā lectured at

Woodford Square in the capital city of Port of Spain, on

‘Islam and Western Civilization’ before an audience

which filled the large Square to capacity, and with the

Oxford University–trained Prime Minister of Trinidad

and Tobago, Dr. Eric E. Williams, sitting on the

platform beside him. Dr. Williams had himself already

dealt a severe blow to Western Civilization in his PhD

thesis at Oxford entitled ‘Capitalism and Slavery’. The

learned Prime Minister was clearly impressed by

Maulānā’s scholarship as he dissected the godless pagan

foundations of a barbaric and oppressive civilization that

had arrogantly and deceptively presented itself as the best

that the world had ever experienced, and would ever

experience.

Maulānā’s dynamic Islamic scholarship, and the

spiritual impact of his magnetic Sufi personality, changed

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

xxii

my life. He inspired me to such an extent that I, also,

wanted to become a scholar of Islam. By November 1963,

and at the age of twenty-one, I became a student of Al

Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, which was the most

famous institution of higher Islamic learning in the

world. But I could not find in Al Azhar University the

dazzling Islamic scholarship to which I was exposed three

years earlier in Maulānā Ansārī. The scholars of Al Azhar

appeared to me to have been stuck in time, and could not

compare with Maulānā in their scholarly understanding

of the reality of the strange and challenging modern age,

nor in their capacity to offer an Islamic response for

example, to challenges posed by the modern scientific and

technological revolution, the feminist revolution, etc.

I left Egypt and travelled to Pakistan in August 1964

to become Maulānā’s student at the Aleemiyah Institute

of Islamic Studies in Karachi, and that was the best

decision that I have ever taken in life. (The Institute still

exists to this day at the Islamic Center in Block B of the Karachi

suburb of North Nazimabad.)

I remained his student until I graduated from the

Institute seven years later in 1971 at the age of twenty-

nine with the degree of Al-Ijāzah al-’Āliyah, and returned

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Ansārī Memorial Series

xxiii

to Trinidad. I never met him again in life, since he died

three years later in 1974 in Pakistan at the age of 60.

There are many things about Maulānā that I would

love to write and to record for history, but by far the

most important of all aspects of his rich and multi-

faceted life was his religious thought, and that is what I

have attempted to explain in my brief essay on the

subject. It was crucially important for me to do so, not

only because his exceptional scholarship offers some

assistance for modern Islamic scholarship to extricate

itself from its present sorry and miserable plight (one

cannot find a single prominent Islamic scholar today who

dares to declare the present paper-money monetary

system to be bogus, fraudulent and Harām), but also

because his scholarship has played such an important role

in guiding and assisting me in writing my pioneering

book on Dajjāl the false Messiah, which is the latest book

in the Ansārī Memorial Series.

Let me also explain that my essay does not provide a

comprehensive description of Maulānā’s religious

thought. However it does provide a sufficiently adequate

description of his thought for the purpose of introducing

him to the gentle readers who are advised to also study

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

xxiv

his master-piece on the Qur’ān entitled The Qur’anic

Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society (in 2 vols.).

Our essay on his religious thought can be found

at Appendix 1 of this book.

[

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1

Introduction

[

“And when the Qur’ān is recited unto them, why do they do

not fall down in prostration?”

(Qur’ān, al-Inshiqāq, 84:21)

he Qur’ān declares that it is the revealed Word of

the One True God, and Prophet Muhammad

 identified the Qur’ān as the miracle which (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

had come to the world through him. Is that claim of the

Qur’ān true, or is it false?

Anyone can read the Qur’ān, but someone who has

not as yet responded to the above question must first do

so before he or she can embark on a study of the Qur’ān.

Those who have not as yet taken a decision to either

accept, or to reject the claim of the Qur’ān that it is the

T

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

2

revealed Word of the God of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham ) عليه

)�لسال' , may read with benefit the chapter on Credentials of

the Qur’ān, located in Chapter One of this book.

The fate which awaits those who reject this claim of

the Qur’ān, is the same as that which awaits all those who

rejected the Taurāt (i.e., Torah) that was revealed to Nabī

Mūsa (Moses 'عليه �لسال), the Zabūr (i.e., Psalms) that were

revealed to Nabī Dāūd (David 'عليه �لسال), or the Injīl (i.e.,

Gospel) that was revealed to Nabī ‘Īsa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال) for

these Books also, were the revealed Word of the One

True God.

This book is written to guide those who have

accepted the Qur’ān as the revealed Word of the One

True God, and who now want to respond to His repeated

plea, in Sūrah al-Qamar for example, to study the Qur’ān.

This plea is repeated no less than four times in that Sūrah:

ِكرٍ ﴿ د� � ِمن م
ْ
َهل

َ
ِر ف

ْ
ك
1
ْر3َ� لِث

ُ
ق
ْ
نَا �ل ْ ْد ي�6َ

َ
ق
َ
  ﴾َ�ل

“We have indeed made this Qur’ān easy to study and to

understand: who, then, is willing to study it, learn from it

and be admonished by it?”

(Qur’ān, al-Qamar, 54:17, 22, 32, 40)

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

3

It should be clearly understood that those who

believe that the Qur’ān is the Word of the One God, and

yet fail to recite and to study the Qur’ān, will certainly

pay a price one day for that neglect of Allah’s Holy Book.

They can begin paying that price as soon as they die and

are buried in their graves, and the angels then appear to

question them in the grave. Before the questioning can

begin in the grave, they will have to answer some

preliminary questions through which they will be

identified. Such would be the questions: Who is your

God? Which Nabī (i.e., Prophet) did you follow? etc. If a

Muslim were to answer that he followed Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), then it would imply that his

Book is the Qur’ān, and it is by that Book that he would

be judged. What will that hapless Muslim do in the

grave, who lived his life without ever learning to recite

the Qur’ān in Arabic, if the angel hands him a copy of the

Qur’ān and asks him to recite the Book? What will be his

fate if he asks for an English or a French Qur’ān? What

will be his fate if he recites the Qur’ān, but his recitation

is so poor, making so many mistakes in recitation, that it

becomes an embarrassment for him? The Qur’ān has

warned of the fate that awaits those who are ungrateful to

the Lord-God in so rejecting (through neglect) the Truth

which has come from Him:

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﴿
ُ
َمآلئَِكة

ْ
 �ل
ْ
ُر��

َ
يَن َكف ِ

�
A�

�
Bتََو

َ
 ف
ْ
FGِ Hْو تََر

َ
َ�ل

َ
وه
ُ
ج
ُ
�

َ
و�

ُ
ب ِ
ْ

M
َ
 َعَذ�Nَ ي

ْ
ْدبَاQَُهْم ��Fَُقُو�

َ
ُهْم َ��

َِريِق
ْ
U�  ﴾

“And if you could but see [how it will be] when He causes

those who are bent on denying the truth (and this includes

ingratitude) to die: the angels will strike their faces: and their

backs, and [will say]: "Taste suffering through fire”.

(Qur’ān, al-Anfāl, 8:50)

The very first lesson that a student must learn when

studying the Qur’ān, regardless of whether he is Muslim,

Christian, Jew, or other, is that nothing happens in this

book by accident or by chance. Rather, every single word,

every sentence, including the literary form in which a

sentence is constructed, is specifically placed in the Book

by divine design and for a purpose. Even an omission in

the text, such as the absence of the phrase “with the name

of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” at the beginning of

Sūrah al-Taubah, is vitally important to be studied, and

so too a statement which is understood, while not actually

stated in the text, such as (see brackets):

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

5

﴿… ٍVَطَعاُ' ِمْسِك
ٌ
يَن يُِطيُقونَُه فِْديَة ِ

�
A�

َ
�ََ�…﴾

“… and for those who can fast (only with difficulty) there is

a ransom that they can feed the poor in place of fasting”.

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:184)

It is therefore not possible to make a credible study

of the Qur’ān unless the student can access the Arabic

text of the Book. One can read a translation (in another

language) of the Qur’ān, but one can never study the

Qur’ān through a translation.

The so-called civilized oppressors who control power

in the modern world, and who used that power to

shamelessly conquer and colonize most of the world of

Islam at the point of a naked blood-stained sword,

brought about such changes in the educational system of

their colonized subjects as eventually robbed nearly all

non-Arab Muslims of the Arabic language.  Even when

many Arabs migrated to Europe from North Africa, the

same thing happened. There are legions of contemporary

Arabs who were born in France, Belgium, Germany or

elsewhere in Western Europe, or who arrived in Europe

as children, and who in consequence of the educational

system, today cannot read or recite the Qur’ān in Arabic,

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

6

even though they are Arabs.

This book on methodology for the study of the

Qur’ān is written to assist such Muslims in particular. It

is written in a manner designed to ensure that they will

give priority attention to learning sufficient Arabic as to

be able to read and understand the Qur’ān in its Arabic

text. When they recover the Arabic language of which

they were robbed, and they then study the Qur’ān, this

miraculous Book can become the means through which

they can eventually deliver an eloquent response to the

oppressor who is waging ever-increasing war on Islam on

behalf of Dajjāl’s Imposter State of Israel.

Secondly, Allah Most High has declared that He sent

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) as the teacher who would

not only transmit, but also teach the Qur’ān:

نَا ِفي﴿
ْ
Qَْسل

َ
َما �

َ
و ك

ُ
تْل

َ
نُكْم ف  م1

ً
ُكْم Qَُسوال

 Nَِكتَا
ْ
ُمُكُم �ل

1
يُكْم َ�ُيَعل

1
يُْكْم 3يَاتِنَا َ�ُيَز^

َ
َعل

ُمو�َ
َ
 َيْعل

ْ
ْم تَُكونُو�

َ
ا ل ُمُكم م�

1
 َ�ُيَعل

َ
َمة

ْ
ِك

ْ
U��َ﴾

“Even as We have sent unto you a Messenger from among

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

7

you, who recites to you Our revelations and purifies you, and

(only then he) teaches you the Scripture (i.e., the Qur’ān)

and wisdom, and teaches you that which you knew not.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:151)

The student who would study the Qur’ān must,

therefore, study what the Prophet taught concerning the

Qur’ān. He described Sūrah Yāsīn, for example, as the

heart of the Qur’ān, and he desired that every Muslim

should memorize that Sūrah:

Anas bin Malik narrates that the Prophet said: Everything

has a heart, and the heart of the Qur’ān is Yāsīn.

(Sunan Tirmīdhī)

It is important to note that the verse informs us that

the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) had to first purify (i.e.,

Tazkiyah) the believers before he could teach them the

Qur’ān. Unless a heart is turned to Allah Most High with

sincerity, it is not possible for such a person to truly study

the Qur’ān. That is because the Qur’ān is more than just

a book. When the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) was asked: What

is your miracle – while being reminded that other

Prophets brought miracles with them, he replied that his

miracle was the Qur’ān. It is faith in the One God which

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8

purifies the heart most of all, and so those whose hearts

are turned to other than the One God, and who give their

supreme loyalty to other than the One God, can never

succeed in studying His miraculous Qur’ān. There are

many today who rule over Muslims, like those who

control power in Pakistan, who worship at the altar of a

US visa or a Saudi Riyal, rather than worship the One

God. What is true of the Muslim world is also becoming

increasingly true of the Orthodox Christian world (other

than Russia).

None have done greater work amongst Muslims in

respect of Tazkiyah i.e., purification of hearts, than the

authentic Sufi Masters of old.

How can an enemy of Islam ever study the Qur’ān

when his heart is filled with darkness? How can he ever

extricate himself from darkness when the function of the

Qur’ān is to take mankind out of darkness into light?

﴿ aٍبَي1نَا aٍ3يَا ِcَقبِْد
َ
�َ

ُ
f 1gَ

ُ
h ف ِ

�
A� ُهَو

�وi�َ Qِِ�� �هللا�َ j�
َ
kِG aَِما

ُ
ل �َن �لظ nُِْخرَِجُكم م1

 �Qِحيمٌ
ٌ

o�pَُر
َ
  ﴾بُِكْم ل

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

9

“It is He who bestows from on high clear messages unto

[this] His servant, to lead you out of the deep darkness into

the light: for, behold, Allah is most compassionate towards

you, a dispenser of grace.”

(Qur’ān, al-Hadīd, 57:9)

So long as the divinely-appointed teacher of the

Qur’ān was alive, it was obligatory on mankind to accept

whatever he taught concerning the Qur’ān. When he is

no longer with us in this world, how do we access that

knowledge which he taught? What is the nature of the

relationship between the Qur’ān and the Hadīth

literature? This book attempts to offer an answer to this

important question.

The Qur’ān itself has demanded, time and again, that

the book be studied by all people. The book declares that

it was sent down to people who think, – and thinking is

the very essence of study:

﴿
َ
 �آليَاaِ ِلق

ُ
ل ص1

َ
 ُغف

َ
لِك

َ
ذ
َ
ُر��َ ك

�
  ﴾ْوٍ' َفتََفك

“Thus clearly do We spell out these verses (of this Qur’ān)

unto people who think!”

(Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:24)

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10

Those who adamantly refuse to study the Qur’ān

provoke Allah’s anger to such an extent that he asks

whether they have locks on their hearts:

﴿ Nٍو
ُ
 قُل

َ
�َ 'ْ

َ
ُقْر3َ� �

ْ
 َفتََدب�ُر�َ� �ل

َ
فَال

َ
�

َها
ُ
ال
َ
ف
ْ
ق
َ
�  ﴾

“Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur’ān? – or are there

locks upon their hearts?”

(Qur’ān, Muhammad, 47:24)

Those who do think, would eventually realize that the

material world is now in a state of decay, and this is as a

direct result of the damage being continuously inflicted

on it by the modern so-called civilized west. What is true

of the material world is also true of the human world in

which untold millions now live as refugees because of

unjust wars waged directly by the west, or waged

indirectly through their Turkish, Saudi or Pakistani

proxies, or are refugees from western economic and

monetary oppression.

The Qur’ān has reserved the greatest punishment of

all for those who commit Fasād on earth. Fasād is that

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

11

which not only corrupts, but also threatens to destroy. It

does not require much thinking for readers to realize that

the world is now afflicted with universal Fasād. There is

Fasād in endless unjust wars, the secular political system,

the secular economy, the monetary system, the feminist

revolution and the male-female relationship, in

agriculture, transport, communication, water

consumption, etc. Since the Qur’ān has declared that it

explains all things, proper methodology requires that we

learn the method through which we can search in the

Qur’ān for that which explains the universal Fasād. If we

do not do so, we would betray the Qur’ān, and we would

one day have to pay the price for that betrayal.

The greatest fear that the oppressors have is the fear

that the oppressed will one day recover their freedom to

think, and when they do so, to recognize who are the

oppressors and who are the oppressed in today’s world.

Those who would think however, will find that the

oppressors use television as the greatest weapon with

which to corrupt and disable the mind’s capacity to think,

and to thus render people deaf, dumb and blind. This

book advises those who would study the Qur’ān to turn

away from watching television, from reading the

mainstream newspapers and listening to mainstream

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

12

radio, which are all used to brainwash the mind and

destroy the capacity for critical thinking.

Those who liberate their minds, and recover the art

of critical thinking, are enjoined by Allah Most High to

use the Qur’ān as the vital instrument with which to wage

a mighty Jihād against those who, for example, wage war

on Islam, but who falsely and hypocritically designate it

as war on terror:

فِ
َ
v
ْ
 تُِطِع �ل

َ
ِب�xً﴿فَال

َ
 ﴾ ِريَن �ََجاِهْدُهم بِِه ِجَهاًد� ك

“Hence do not defer to (the likes and dislikes of) those who

reject (this book as truth), but rather wage a mighty struggle

against them, by means of this (book).”

(Qur’ān, al-Furqān, 25:52)

The Qur’ān recognizes that while the general reader

would think over its verses and study them, that there are

those who, having studied the Qur’ān while pondering

and reflecting over it, would be admonished in the sense

of taking the book to heart:

ب�ُر�� 3يَاتِِه ﴿ َد�
1
n yٌَQُمبَا

َ
ْك

َ
nِG cَُا

ْ
jنَز

َ
� Nٌِكتَا

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An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the Qur’ān

13

 Nَِا
ْ
z
َ ْ
و� �أل

ُ
ْ�ل
ُ
َر �

�
ك
َ
  ﴾nِ�ََتَذ

“[All this have We expounded in this] blessed divine writ

which We have revealed unto you, [O Muhammad,] so that

men may think/ponder/reflect over its messages, and that

those who are endowed with understanding/insight may take

them to heart.”

(Qur’ān, Sad, 38:29)

It is therefore clear that those who establish a casual

relationship with the Qur’ān, while picking-up the book

now and then (usually after dinner) to take a look at a

passage here or there, would be in manifest disobedience

of Allah Most High, and such a people can never either

truly understand the Qur’ān, or take it to heart.

If the Qur’ān is to be studied by those who think,

rather than to be casually read here and there, and now

and then, how should the book be studied? Is there a

method for the study of the Qur’ān? Is there a

methodology, or the systematic, theoretical analysis of the

methods that can be applied to this field of study?

[

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15

CHAPTER ONE

The Credentials of the Qur’ān as
the Word of the One God

[

نُفِسِهْم َح|� ﴿
َ
فَاِ~ َ�ِ{ �

ْ
يِهْم 3يَاتِنَا ِ� �آل َسُ�ِ

َ
�ن�ُه َ

َ
ْم يَْكِف بَِرب1َك ك

َ
َ�ل
َ
� �َق

ْ
U� ن�ُه

َ
ُهْم ك

َ
َ ل �Vَيَتَب

ِهيدٌ
َ
ٍ� ش ْ

َ
�

1 ُ
�﴾

“In time We shall make them fully understand Our Signs

(which will unfold) in the utmost horizons [of the universe]

as well within themselves, so that it will become clear unto

them that this [Qur’ān] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not

enough [for them to know] that your Lord-God is witness

unto everything?”

(Qur’ān, Fussilāt, 41:53)

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

16

very Christian and Jew ought to carefully examine

the claim of the Qur’ān when it declares that the

same God Who revealed the Torah to Nabī Mūsa (Moses),

and the Gospel to Nabī ‘Īsa (Jesus), also revealed the

Qur’ān to Nabī Muhammad (peace and blessings be on them

all).

The Qur’ān goes on to make a declaration of supreme

importance to both Christians and to Jews on matters

wherein they differ with each other. It declares that it

provides an explanation which resolves those differences,

and this certainly includes their differences pertaining to

the subject of al-Masīh (or the Messiah):

 َ�َ
ْ
ك
َ
�ِثيَل � َ�ْGِ �َِب َ�َ �ُقْر3َ� َفُقص

ْ
﴿��Gِ َهَذ� �ل

ْتَِلُفوَ�﴾
َ
h ُهْم ِفيِه � ِ

�
A�

“Behold, this Qur’ān explains to the Israelite people most [of

that] wherein they hold divergent views.”

(Qur’ān, al-Naml, 27:76)

Hence it would be beneficial for Christians and Jews

to carefully examine the credentials of the Qur’ān as the

Word of the God of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال), and

E

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Chapter One

17

also to study the explanations which it offers on matters

wherein they differ.

Fourteen hundred years is a very long period of time

– and that is how long it has been since the complete

Qur’ān came into the world. For more than fourteen

hundred years the Qur’ān has proclaimed that it is the

divinely-revealed word of the ‘One True God’; all other

gods and goddesses are false. Islam declares of the ‘One

True God’, that He created both the male and the female,

but is neither male nor female.

Absolute authenticityAbsolute authenticityAbsolute authenticityAbsolute authenticity    of the Qurof the Qurof the Qurof the Qur’’’’ānānānān

The Qur’ān has also emphatically declared that it is a

‘mighty’ Book that is ‘full of power’. It is not only

uncorrupted, but also incorruptible, since no evil or

falsehood can ever approach it from any direction in

order to corrupt it:

ا َجا�ُهْم iِ�َن�ُه  م�
َ
ِر ل

ْ
ك 1Aيَن َكَفُر�� بِا ِ

�
A� ��Gِ﴿

ِكتَاNٌ َعِزيٌز﴾
َ
    ل

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

18

“Verily, they who are bent on promptly rejecting (i.e.,

denying the truth of) this (Divine) message as soon as it

reached them – Let them know that that this is Mighty Book:

41:41

ِفِه
ْ
 ِمْن َخل

َ
 ِمن َنVِْ يََديِْه َ�ال

ُ
َاِطل

ْ
z� ِييِه

ْ
 يَأ

َ
﴿ال

يدٍ  ْن َحِكيٍم َ�ِ  م1
ٌ
  ﴾ تgَِيل

“No evil or falsehood can ever penetrate it (to corrupt its

text) either openly, or even by stealth, [since it is] bestowed

from on High by One Who is truly Wise, ever to be Praised.”

(Qur’ān, Fussilāt, 41:41-42)

Hence, whenever a reader finds a conflict between

the Qur’ān and what is located in previous revealed

scriptures, such a reader would be well advised to

compare the authenticity and integrity of the competing

revealed texts that are in contradiction with each other,

in order to locate the Truth. Failure to adopt such a

methodology for resolving the problem of such

contradiction can result in consequences fatally injurious

for the quest for Truth.

The Qur’ān has repeatedly declared that it is

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Chapter One

19

uncorrupted and incorruptible:

ْم
َ
ِكتَاNَ َ�ل

ْ
 َقبِْدcِ �ل

َ
�َ

َ
fنَز

َ
� h ِ

�
A� ِ� َْمُد ِهللا

ْ
U�﴿

ُ ِعوََجا﴾
�
َعل �

ْ َ
�

“Praise is due to Allah Who has bestowed this divine Book

from on High upon His servant (i.e., Prophet Muhammad)

and has not allowed (and will not allow) any corruption (of

the text).”

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:1)

This declaration conveys a warning concerning the

authenticity and integrity of the texts of revelations

which preceded the revelation of the Qur’ān.

And again:

َافُِظوَ�﴾
َ
U ُ

َ
َر iِ�َن�ا �

ْ
ك
1
A� َا

ْ
j ُْن نَز�

َ
  ﴿Gِن�ا �

“Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed from on

High, step by step, this (Divine) message (to remind

mankind of Truth) and, behold, it is We who shall truly

guard it [from all corruption of the text].”

(Qur’ān, al-Hijr, 15:9)

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20

We remind our readers that this defiant declaration

of divine protection of the text of the Qur’ān was made

more than fourteen hundred years ago, and all that was

needed to destroy the claim of the Qur’ān to be Truth,

was for someone to introduce changes or variations

(however small) to the text of the Qur’ān, either during

the twenty-three years of the periodic dictations of

passages of the text by Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) as

the revelations came down to him, or over the long

period of time which has elapsed since the dictations were

completed. Any change or variation in the text of the

Qur’ān, regardless of how small it might be, would have

immediately invalidated its claim of divine protection.

Those who would attempt to change the text of the

Qur’ān would, however, find themselves faced with an

insurmountable difficulty. The Qur’ān is the only book

we know of whose text has been preserved, not only in a

written form, but has also been preserved in the memory

of millions who have memorized it word-for-word and

letter-for-letter. Even if every single copy of the Qur’ān

were to be destroyed, or even if a printing press were to

print copies of the book with typographical errors (as

now happens), it can easily be rewritten when recited

from memory in a syntactically and grammatically correct

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Chapter One

21

form by such people. This can be done even by those

millions of non-Arabs who have memorized the Arabic

text of the Qur’ān, although many of them do not

know the Arabic language.

One uniform unchanging One uniform unchanging One uniform unchanging One uniform unchanging ttttextextextext    of the Qurof the Qurof the Qurof the Qur’’’’ānānānān

The Qur’ān has many credentials with which to

demonstrate the validity of its claim to be the revealed

word of the ‘One True God’, and these credentials are

readily discernible to uncorrupted minds and hearts.

Among them is its unique status, not shared by any other

book in all of human history, to have survived for so long

a period of time with only one uniform text in existence.

Every single copy of the Qur’ān present in the world

today has a text that is miraculously identical to that of

every other copy. The only difference that can be found

in the texts of the Qur’ān are differences in punctuation,

and that is because human beings punctuated the text. It

is precisely because the Qur’ān itself was not produced by

a human being, but rather, it is revelation that is

divinely-protected, that its text has remained

miraculously uncorrupted for so long a period of time,

and will forever remain uncorrupted. The blessed Prophet

 never claimed that what was dictated were (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

22

his words which he composed. Rather he disclosed that

the Qur’ān was revealed to his heart through the medium

of Angel Gabriel, and he then dictated to the scribes,

what was communicated to his heart.

Eternal literary excellence of Eternal literary excellence of Eternal literary excellence of Eternal literary excellence of ttttextextextext    of Qurof Qurof Qurof Qur’’’’ān with no ān with no ān with no ān with no

revision ever necessaryrevision ever necessaryrevision ever necessaryrevision ever necessary

Another miraculous feature or characteristic of the

Qur’ān is that books which were written a few hundred

years ago can hardly be understood today unless literary

form, grammar, vocabulary, etc., are revised and

modernized. This is so regardless of the language in

which they were written, since languages are constantly

evolving with new vocabulary being introduced and

words becoming obsolete. Even the rules of grammar are

always changing. Also, no one can deny that even

languages have become obsolete. As a consequence, a

standard work which presents the best literary form of a

language is seldom, if ever, to be found in a text that is a

few hundred years old. English is an excellent example of

such a language. Readers may wish to visit the internet

website http://www.bl.uk/ englishtimeline to see what the

English language looked like just four or five hundred

years ago.

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Chapter One

23

Literary taste has also been constantly changing –

more so in this modern age than ever before in history –

and readers become more interested in that which is

modern when compared with that which belonged to an

age and a social clime far removed from modernity. But

the Qur’ān, which came into the world more than

fourteen hundred years ago, while addressing an

immediate audience of largely illiterate desert Arabs in

far-away Arabia, is not only readily and universally

understood today, but has also miraculously retained its

status over this long period of time as the supreme

literary work in the Arabic language. Countless millions

of Muslims, hailing from all over the world – ranging

from the most educated, cultured and sophisticated to the

barely literate and unrefined – have been reciting the

whole Qur’ān in Arabic from cover to cover at least once

every month. No other book in the world has ever

enjoyed such a miraculous status to be so easily readable

in its original text, and to be read and enjoyed so often,

again in its original text, that is more than fourteen

hundred years old.

No one has ever attempted to modernize the

language of the Qur’ān, or to edit it to make it easier to

understand in this age. The Qur’ān is read, understood

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

24

and enjoyed today with exactly the same text with which

it was read, understood and enjoyed these last fourteen

hundred years – without the change of even a single word

or letter. This is indeed a miracle which confirms its status

as divine revelation. While it remains sadly true that most

Arabs no longer speak proper Arabic – having replaced it

with local dialects which sometimes cannot be

understood by other Arabs, the Arabic of the Qur’ān has

continued to be used in the sermons delivered all through

history, and to this day, in the Arabic-speaking world in

the important weekly congregational prayer known as

Salāt al-Jumu’ah.

Undiminished literary attraction of the QurUndiminished literary attraction of the QurUndiminished literary attraction of the QurUndiminished literary attraction of the Qur’’’’ānānānān

But what is also miraculous is that millions of mankind

living in the modern age have a passionate interest in

studying and understanding as ancient a book as the

Qur’ān. Indeed, as the count-down to the end of history

accelerates, interest in the study of the Qur’ān is

constantly increasing – hence the importance of books

like this which teach methodology for study of the

Qur’ān.

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Chapter One

25

TTTThe he he he cccchallenge to those who doubt the status of the Qurhallenge to those who doubt the status of the Qurhallenge to those who doubt the status of the Qurhallenge to those who doubt the status of the Qur’’’’āāāān n n n

aaaassss    the Word of the One Godthe Word of the One Godthe Word of the One Godthe Word of the One God    which was revealed to an Arabwhich was revealed to an Arabwhich was revealed to an Arabwhich was revealed to an Arab

who could neither read nor writewho could neither read nor writewho could neither read nor writewho could neither read nor write

The Qur’ān has challenged those who doubt its divinely-

revealed status, to produce anything (even as small a

literary composition that is just three sentences in length)

comparable to it. That challenge remains unanswered to

this day:

ْ
تُو�
ْ
َا َ�َ َقبِْدنَا فَأ

ْ
j ا نَز� م� نتُْم ِ� Qَيٍْب م1

ُ
﴿�iِ�َ ك

ُ
س
ِ
ن �Rُِ� ب  ُشَهَد��ُكم م1

ْ
ِلِه Rْ��َُعو�

ْ
ث ن م1 وQٍَ� م1

 َVِقRِنْتُْم َصا
ُ
ن  �هللاGِ 1ْ� ك

َ
 َ�ل

ْ
و�
ُ
َعل

ْ
ْم َيف

�
إِ� ل

َ
ف

وRَُها ��jاُ�
ُ
ِ� َ�ق

�
 ��jاQَ �ل

ْ
اي�ُقو�

َ
 ف

ْ
و�
ُ
َعل

ْ
َيف

فِِريَن﴾
َ
v
ْ
aْ لِل ِعد�

ُ
� �ُQََِجا

ْ
U��َ

“And if you doubt (the claim of divine origin) of any part of

(this book) which We have revealed from on high to Our

servant [Muhammad], then produce a Sūrah (i.e., a chapter)

of similar merit, and call upon whoever you wish other than

Allah to (assist you and) to bear witness for you – if there be

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

26

any substance in your doubts! And if you cannot do it, and

(be warned that) most certainly you cannot do it, then fear

the fire which awaits all those who (persist in) rejecting (the

status of this Qur’ān as the Word of the One True God). The

fuel of that fire consists of men and stones.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:23-24)

The historical record is clear that the Qur’ān was

dictated to scribes who recorded the dictations. The

dictations came miraculously from the lips of an Arab

who lived all his life in Arabia, and who could neither

read nor write. Nabī Muhammad ( مص$ �هللا عليه �سل ) never

went to school, and could not recognize even his own

name if it was shown to him in writing. That is most

certainly another miracle!

When the Qur’ān declared of the Prophet

 that he could neither read nor write, a (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

golden opportunity was presented for someone to come

forward with evidence that (the Prophet) had once read

or written even a single word, and that would have been

enough to destroy the claim of the Qur’ān that it was the

infallible Word of the One True God. In the fourteen

hundred years that have passed since the Qur’ān was

revealed, no such evidence has ever been presented.

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Chapter One

27

He dictated the Qur’ān over a period of twenty-three

tumultuous years during which he had to migrate from

his home-town to another city hundreds of miles away.

He also had to lead his people in several wars in order to

defend his small community from those who were

obsessed with destroying it. He had to eventually

function as a Head of State, etc. Yet there is no evidence

that he ever had to edit or revise any passage or sentence

or even word that was ever dictated to the scribes during

those twenty-three years. No human author can produce

a book in such a way, in bits and pieces dictated over

such a long period of time – with no editing – and yet

with no discrepancies and no contradictions in the text.

But this unedited Qur’ān compiled from dictations

delivered in bits and pieces over twenty-three tumultuous

years, is free from contradictions – internal or external.

That is yet another miracle!

Not only is the Qur’ān free from contradictions, but

it boldly proclaims that had it come from any source

other than Allah, it would have been filled with

contradictions:

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28

 ِxْ
َ
ْو َ�َ� ِمْن ِعنِد ل

َ
ُقْر3َ� َ�ل

ْ
 َفتََدب�ُر�َ� �ل

َ
ال
َ
ف
َ
�﴿

﴾�xًِث
َ
ا ك

ً
ف
َ
 ِفيِه �ْخِتال

ْ
وََجُد��

َ
 �هللا1 ل

“Will they not, then, ponder and reflect over this Qur’ān

(while seeking to understand whether it has indeed come

from the One God)? Had it come from any but Allah, they

would surely have found in it many an inner contradiction!”

(Qur’ān, al-Nisā, 4:82)

Perhaps most amazing of all is the fact that the

dictations which were made over a period of twenty-three

years, and were recorded by scribes as they were dictated,

are not located in the text in the chronological order or

sequence in which they were dictated. Rather, the scribes

were instructed to insert the written record of each

dictation, upon the completion of the dictation, in

different places in the text. For example, it is universally

recognized that the first verses of the Qur’ān dictated to

the scribes were the first five verses of Sūrah al-’Alaq (or

the chapter of the ‘Clot of Blood’). This passage is not

located at the beginning of the Qur’ān, but is rather to be

found in a Sūrah which is located close to the end of the

Qur’ān. Similarly it universally recognized that the last

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29

verses of the Qur’ān dictated to the scribes were verses

which dealt with the subject of Ribā (or usury). Yet these

verses are not to be found at the end of the Qur’ān, or

even close to the end. Rather they are located in Sūrah al-

Baqarah which is the second Sūrah in the Qur’ān. All of

the Qur’ān is like that! The text, as presently arranged,

differs from the text as chronologically revealed to Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) and subsequently dictated to

the scribes who recorded them.

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) did not have any

written text before him which he could examine in order

to determine where the text of a new dictation should be

placed; and even if he had such a text before him, he

could not read it since he was unlettered (i.e., he could

neither read nor write). Such a rearranged compilation of

a text, as long and diverse as that of the Qur’ān, in an

order or sequence other than that in which it was

dictated, should have resulted in some mistakes,

inconsistencies, or contradictions. But the Qur’ān is free

of even a single mistake, inconsistency or contradiction.

This is yet another miracle!

The rivals of Truth have tried for more than fourteen

hundred years to corrupt the text of the Qur’ān, but they

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30

have failed miserably and embarrassingly in that effort.

They can continue with their evil effort for as long as

they wish, but they will never succeed, because the ‘One

True God’ is protecting this Book. The uncorrupted text

of the Qur’ān remains in the world as irrefutable proof

that it is the absolutely authentic word of the ‘One True

God’.

The Christian and Jewish reader, who believes in the

God of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال), would be

astonished to learn of some of the extraordinary things

He has spoken about the status of the Qur’ān. He has

said, for example, that if this Qur’ān had been sent down

on a mountain, rather than on the heart of the blessed

Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), the mountain would have shaken

and shivered in humility and out of fear of Allah:

� �
َ
َا َهذ

ْ
jنَز

َ
ْو �

َ
تَُه َخاِشًعا ﴿ل

ْ
ف
َ
َر�
�
 َجبٍَل ل

َ
�ُقْر3َ� َ

ْ
ل

ُ
fْمثَا

َ ْ
َك �أل

ْ
يَِة �هللا�ِ َ�تِل

ْ
ْن َخش ً� م1 تََصد1 �م

ُر�َ�﴾
�
ُهْم َفتََفك

�
َعل

َ
ُبَها لِلن�اِ� ل ِMَْن

“Had We sent down this Qur’ān from on high upon a

mountain, you would indeed have seen it humbling itself,

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31

breaking asunder for awe of Allah. And [all] such parables

We propound unto men, so that they might [learn to]

think.”

(Qur’ān, al-Hashr, 59:21)

Finally the unique status of the Qur’ān is such that

when it is recited by a believer, Allah Most High places a

barrier which separates such a believer from those who

reject belief in a life here-after:

ْ
aَ �ل

ْ
َر�
َ
� ق

َ
Fiِ�َ﴿ يَن ِ

�
A� َVَْ�َب

َ
نَا بَيْنَك

ْ
ر3َ� َجَعل

ُ
ق

�Qًْستُو ِمنُوَ� بِاآلِخَرِ� ِحَجابًا م�
ْ
 يُؤ

َ
 ﴾ ال

“But [thus it is:] whenever you recite the Qur’ān, We place

an invisible barrier between you and those who will not

believe in the life to come.”

(Qur’ān, al-Isrā, 17:45)

Those who accept the Qur’ān as the revealed Word of

the One True God have no obligation whatsoever to

convince anyone that it is Divine revelation. Rather they

have a duty to wage such a struggle with the Qur’ān as

would convincingly demonstrate that it is Truth; and that

is the purpose of this book.

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32

The Qur’ān has commanded those who believe in it

as the Word of the One God, to wage a mighty struggle

with it against all those who reject it:

 �Rًفِِريَن �ََجاِهْدُهم بِِه ِجَها
َ
v
ْ
 تُِطِع �ل

َ
﴿فَال

�xًِب
َ
 ﴾ ك

“Hence do not defer to (the likes and dislikes of) those who

reject (this book as truth), but rather wage a mighty struggle

against them, by means of this (book).”

(Qur’ān, al-Furqān, 25:52)

There is no other subject which can compare with

the subject of Dajjāl the false Messiah, which is the

subject of another of my books, in its capacity to offer

convincing evidence of Truth in the Qur’ān.

There are only two ways that readers can respond to

the claim of this Qur’ān that it is the Word of the ‘One

True God’. They can either accept it, or reject it. They

cannot remain forever in a state of suspended judgment.

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33

Those who reject the QurThose who reject the QurThose who reject the QurThose who reject the Qur’’’’ānānānān

The Qur’ān describes vividly the predicament of those

who stubbornly reject its claim to Truth. Their

intellectual dilemma is pathetic to behold, and the fate

which awaits them is terrible indeed. The response of the

Qur’ān sends a chill through their spines:

َ� ِآليَاتِنَا َعِنيًد�
َ
 Gِن�ُه �

� َ
 ﴿  �Rًِْهُقُه َصُعوQ

ُ
 َسأ

  َر
�
ك
َ
ُه ف

�
 Gِن

َ
Q
�
د
َ
  َQ َ�ق د�

َ
 ق

َ
يْف

َ
 ك

َ
ِتل

ُ
ق
َ
   ف

َ
ِتل

ُ
م� ق

ُ
ع

 َQ
�
د
َ
 ق

َ
يْف

َ
   ك

َ
ر
َ
ظ
َ
 غ
�
م
ُ
   ع

َ َ
6
َ
ب
َ
�

َ
س
َ
ب
َ
 ع
�
م
ُ
   ع

�
م
ُ
ع

 َ¤َ
ْ
Rْبََر َ��ْستَك

َ
�   ُر

َ
ث
ْ
ٌر يُؤ

ْ
 ِسح

�
� Gِال

َ
ذ
َ
 ه

ْ
�Gِ

َ
fا

َ
ق
َ
 ف

 ِ
َ

§
َ
ب
ْ
 �ل

ُ
fْو

َ
 ق

�
� Gِال

َ
ذ
َ
 ه
ْ
�Gِ   َْصِليِه َسَقر

ُ
ا   َسأ

َ
َ�م

yَ�QَRْ مَ
َ
رُ �

َ
ق
َ
  ُQ ا س

َ
 تَذ

َ
ِ̈ َ�ال

 ُيبْ
َ
   ال

ٌ
ة
َ
�ح و�

َ
ل

 ِ
َ

§
َ
ب
ْ
ل
1
 ﴾ ل

“Nay, verily, it is against Our messages that he knowingly,

stubbornly sets himself [and so] I shall constrain him to

endure a painful uphill climb!

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34

“Behold, [when the verses of this Qur’ān are conveyed to one

who is bent on denying the truth,] he reflects and meditates

[as to how to disprove them]

“And thus he destroys himself, the way he meditates:

“Yea, he destroys himself, the way he meditates!

“And then he looks [around for new arguments],

“And then he frowns and glares,

“And in the end he turns his back [on this Qur’ān], and

glories in his arrogance,

“And says, "All this is mere spellbinding eloquence handed

down [from olden times]!

“This is nothing but the word of mortal man!

“[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to

come]!

“And what could make you conceive what hell-fire is?

“Neither does it let (him) live, nor does it let (him) die,

“Thus does it make [the truth concerning the status of this

Qur’ān] visible to mortal man.”

(Qur’ān, al-Mudaththar, 74:16-29)

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35

The The The The bbbbelieving Christianelieving Christianelieving Christianelieving Christian, the believing Jew, the believing Jew, the believing Jew, the believing Jew, and the Qur, and the Qur, and the Qur, and the Qur’’’’ānānānān

There are others, on the other hand, who examine the

Qur’ān and are so impressed by it that they are not only

convinced that it is indeed the Word of the One True

God, but respond to it with tears in their eyes:

ْقيُنَُهْم
َ
� Hتََر fِلر�ُسو�

َ
kِG

َ
fنِز

ُ
 َما �

ْ
﴿�Fَiِ�َ َسِمُعو�

ْمِع   تَِفيُض ِمَن �©�
َ
و�

ُ
ول
ُ
ق
َ
َق1 ف

ْ
U� ِمَن

ْ
و�
ُ
ا َعَرف ِمم�

اِهِدينَ  تُبْنَا َمَع �لش�
ْ
 ﴾ Qَب�نَا 3َمن�ا فَاك

“For, when they come to understand what has been bestowed

from on high upon this Apostle (i.e., when they realize the

status of this Qur’ān), you can see their eyes overflow with

tears, because they recognize something of its truth; [and]

they say: "O our Lord-God! We do believe; make us one,

then, with all who bear witness to the truth.

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:83)

The Qur’ān confirms that such people would belong

to Ahl al-Kitāb or the community of Christians and Jews:

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

36

َمن يُْؤِمُن
َ
ِكتَاNِ ل

ْ
ْهِل �ل

َ
بِاهللا1 َ�َما ﴿��iِ�َ ِمْن �

َ
1 ال ِْهْم َخاِشِعVَ ِهللا

َ
nGِ

َ
fنِز

ُ
ُْكْم َ�َمآ �

َ
nGِ

َ
fنِز

ُ
�

ُهْم
َ
ئَِك ل

َ
ْ�ل
ُ
�
ً
يَْشَ®ُ�َ� بِآيَاaِ �هللا1 َعَمنًا قَِليال

 Nَِِسا
ْ
U� يُع ْجُرُهْم ِعنَد Qَب1ِهْم Gِ�� �هللا� َ�ِ

َ
� ﴾

“And, behold, among the followers of earlier revelation (i.e.,

the Torah, Psalms, Gospel) there are indeed such as [truly]

believe in Allah (i.e., the ‘One True God’) and in that which

has been bestowed from on high upon you (i.e., this Qur’ān)

as well as in that which has been bestowed upon them (i.e.,

the Torah and the Gospel). Standing in awe of Allah, they do

not barter away Allah’s messages for a trifling gain (hence

they do not weigh what will be the consequence for them in

accepting that which they recognize as Truth). They shall

have their reward with their Lord-God – for, behold, Allah is

swift in reckoning!”

(Qur’ān, Āle ‘Imrān, 3:199)

What is here truly remarkable is that Allah Most

Wise has chosen to describe as Ahl al-Kitāb a people who

accept the Qur’ān as the word of the ‘One True God’.

The implication is that Allah Most Wise has here

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Chapter One

37

informed us of a people who accept of the Qur’ān as His

revealed Word even while they still identify themselves as

Christians and Jews. I pray with all my heart that this

humble book might assist such Christians and Jews to

now affirm their belief in the Qur’ān as the Word of the

God of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال), and hence that

Nabī Muhammad  (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) is His Prophet and

Messenger (even while they may still choose to maintain

their identity as Christians and Jews and follow the laws

and rituals prescribed in their scriptures).

One of the reasons why such Christians and Jews

respond in this way is because of their sincere attachment

to their own scripture. The Qur’ān vividly describes that

attachment:

﴿
ٌ
آئَِمة

َ
 ق

ٌ
ة م�
ُ
� Nِِكتَا

ْ
ْهِل �ل

َ
ْن �  َسَو�� م1

ْ
يُْسو�

َ
ل

يِْل َ�ُهْم يَْسُجُد��َ
�
وَ� 3يَاaِ �هللا1 3نَا� �لل

ُ
 ﴾َفتْل

“[But] they are not all alike: among the followers of earlier

revelation there are upright people, who recite Allah’s

revealed verses throughout the night, and prostrate

themselves [before Him].”

(Qur’ān, Āle ‘Imrān, 3:113)

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38

The Qur’ān is even more explicit that there will be

Jews and Christians who will continue to identify

themselves as Jews and Christians even while some of them

recognize and accept the Qur’ān to be the Word of the One

God, and recognize and accept Nabī Muhammad

 to be His true Prophet. The most explicit (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

such recognition occurs in verses 144 to 148 of Sūrah al-

Baqarah where the Qur’ān describes the event of the

change, by Divine decree, of the Qiblah or direction to

which one must turn in prayer, from Jerusalem to the

Ka’aba in Makkah, for the community of believers who

followed Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم).

Jews and Christians were required to turn in the

direction of Jerusalem in prayer. Jerusalem was the

spiritual capital of the world since it was in that town

that Nabī Dāūd (David 'عليه �لسال) established the Holy State

of Israel, and it was there that Nabī Sulaimān (Solomon

 constructed the Temple (referred to in the (عليه �لسال'

Qur’ān as Masjid al-Aqsā).  The land was special in

Allah’s sight. It was designated in the Qur’ān as the Holy

Land and the Qur’ān further confirmed that it was given

to the Israelite people:

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39

تََب
َ
ِ� ك

�
َسَة �ل َ̄ �لُمَقد� Qْ

َ
و� �أل

ُ
﴿يَا قَْوِ' �Rُْخل

ْم َفتَنَقِلبُو�
ُ
^QِبَاRْ

َ
�

َ
�َ �� � تَْرتَد

َ
ُكْم َ�ال

َ
�هللا� ل

يَن﴾ اِ�ِ
َ
 خ

“O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah gave to you;

and do not turn back [from obeying this order], for then you

will be lost!”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:21)

But then a time came after the blessed Prophet, Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) had migrated from Makkah to

the northern city of Yathrib (subsequently renamed as

Madīna al-Rasūl or simply Madīna), and after he and the

Muslim community had spent seventeen months in that

city praying in the direction of Jerusalem, when Allah

Most High decided to change the Qiblah or direction of

prayer. He ordered the Prophet and his followers to turn

in the direction of the Ka’aba, i.e., old House of Allah in

Makkah which had been constructed by Nabī Ibrāhīm

(Abraham

 with assistance from his son Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael ,(عليه �لسال'

 :(عليه �لسال'

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َ
َن�ك

1
nنَُو

َ
ل
َ
َما� ف  ِ� �لس�

َ
َب �َْجِهك

�
ل
َ
ق
َ
 نََرH ي

ْ
د
َ
﴿ق

1
fَو

َ
ا ف

َ
اه

َ
رْض

َ
 ت

ً
ة
َ
ل
ْ
ِجِد قِب

ْ
َمس

ْ
َر �ل

ْ
ط
َ
 ش

َ
ك
َ
ه
ْ
�َج

 cُُُجوَِهُكْم َشْطَر�
ْ
و�
�
نتُْم فََول

ُ
ََر�ِ' �ََحيُْث َما ك

ْ
U�

 �َق
ْ
U� ن�ُه

َ
ُموَ� ك

َ
َْعل

َ
n Nَِكتَا

ْ
 �ل

ْ
ْ�تُو�

ُ
يَن � ِ

�
A� ��iِ�َ

وَ�﴾
ُ
ا َفْعَمل ب1ِهْم َ�َما �هللا� بَِغافٍِل َقم� �Q ِمن

“We have seen you [O Prophet] often turn your face towards

heaven [for guidance]: and now We shall indeed make you

turn in prayer in a direction which will fulfil your desire.

Turn, then, your face towards the Inviolable House of

Worship; and wherever you all may be, turn your faces

towards it [in prayer]. And, surely, those who have been

received revelation prior to this, know well that this

[commandment] comes in truth from their Lord-God; and

Allah is not unaware of what they do.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:144)

It is critically important for our discerning readers to

carefully note that even after the change in Qiblah (or

direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to Makkah had been

proclaimed in the Qur’ān, Allah Most High continued to

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Chapter One

41

extend recognition to Jerusalem as the Qiblah of the Ahl

al-Kitāb (i.e., Christians and Jews) and to insist that each

community must turn to its own Qiblah. In other words,

while the Qiblah in Jerusalem was cancelled (Mansūkh)

for the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) and his followers, it was not

similarly cancelled for Christians and Jews:

 3يٍَة
1
ِكتَاNَ بُِكل

ْ
 �ل
ْ
ْ�تُو�

ُ
يَن � ِ

�
A� َييَْت

َ
� ْ ِ́

َ
﴿َ�ل

تَُهْم َ�َما
َ
نَت بِتَابٍِع قِبْل

َ
تََك َ�َما �

َ
 قِبْل

ْ
ا تَِبُعو� م�

ِ �ي�بَْعَت َنْعُضُهم بِتَا ِ́
َ
 َنْعٍض َ�ل

َ
ة
َ
بٍِع قِبْل

ً
�FَGِ ن�َكGِ ِم

ْ
ِعل

ْ
ن َنْعِد َما َجا�yَ ِمَن �ل ْهَو��ُهم م1

َ
�

﴾Vَالِِم
�
ِمَن �لظ

�
  ل

“And yet, even if you were to place all evidence before those

who have been received earlier revelation (prior to this

Qur’ān), they would not follow your direction of prayer; and

neither may you follow their direction of prayer, nor even do

they follow one another’s direction. And if you were to

follow their errant views after all the knowledge that has

come unto you, you would surely be among the evildoers.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:145)

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While, as communities, Christians and Jews continue

to withhold recognition of the Qur’ān as the Word of the

One God, and Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) as His Prophet,

and would hence refuse to turn away from Jerusalem to

Makkah, the Qur’ān points out that they are not all the

same:

َما َفْعِرفُوَ�
َ
ِكتَاNَ َفْعِرفُونَُه ك

ْ
يَن 3تَيْنَاُهُم �ل ِ

�
A�﴿

َق� َ�ُهْم
ْ
U� �َتُُمو

ْ
َك َn نُْهْم  م1

ً
ْننَا�ُهْم i�َِ�� فَِريقا

َ
�

﴾
َ
ُمو�

َ
ْعل

َ
  ف

“They unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime

know it as they know their own children: but, behold, some

of them knowingly suppress the truth.”

 (Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:146)

In His Wisdom, the Lord-God chose not to write-off

or dismiss those previous communities known as Ahl al-

Kitāb (i.e., Christians and Jews) in consequence of their

withholding recognition of Muhammad ( عليه �سلمص$ �هللا  ) as

His Prophet and the Qur’ān as His Word. Rather, He

wisely gave them time, while urging patience, and while

implicitly recognizing that they worshipped Him. He did

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43

so even while Christians worshipped Nabī ‘Īsa, i.e., Jesus

 as the son of God and the third person in a ,(عليه �لسال')

triune God. (See the verses below):

 aِ� َxَْ
ْ
¶�

ْ
و�
ُ
ِبق
َ
اْست

َ
َها ف

1
nُهَو ُمَو

ٌ
َهة
ْ
 �ِج

· ُ
﴿َ�ِل¸

 �aِ بُِكُم �هللا
ْ
 يَأ
ْ
ْفَن َما تَُكونُو�

َ
 �هللا� �

�
�Gِ يًعا ِ

َ
¹

ِديٌر﴾
َ
ٍ� ق ْ

َ
�

1 ُ
�

َ
�َ

“For every community faces a direction of its own, of which

He is the focal point. Vie, therefore, with one another in

doing good works. Wherever you may be, Allah will gather

you all unto Himself: for, verily, Allah has the power to will

anything.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:148)

The Qur’ān is even more explicit on the subject of

Allah, Most Wise, continuing to extend a measure of

Divine recognition of the communities of Jews and

Christians even while though they withhold recognition

of Prophet Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) and the Qur’ān:

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

44

﴿

َ

�
َ
� َ

ْ
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يًعا َفيُنَب1ئُُكم   �هللا َمرِْجُعُكْم ¹َِ
َ
kِG aِ� َxَْ¶�

ْتَِلُفو�َ
َ
نتُْم ِفيِه ½

ُ
 ﴾بَِما ك

“And unto you [O Prophet] have We vouchsafed this divine

writ, setting forth the truth, confirming the truth of

whatever there still remains of earlier revelations and

determining what is true therein. Judge, then, between the

followers of earlier revelation in accordance with what Allah

has bestowed from on high, and do not follow their errant

views, forsaking the truth that has come unto you. Unto each

of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life.

And if Allah had so willed, He could surely have made you

imranhosein.org

Chapter One

45

all one single community: but [He willed it otherwise] in

order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto,

you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works! Unto

Allah you all must return; and then He will make you truly

understand all that on which you were wont to differ.”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:48)

It is in respect of their relations with such Christians

and such Jews that the Qur’ān has counseled Muslims to be

patient and to build strong bonds (of friendship and

alliance) with them in order that success can be achieved:

ْ
 �Qَ�َبُِطو�

ْ
 �ََصابُِر��

ْ
 �ْصِ¤ُ��

ْ
يَن 3َمنُو� ِ

�
A� َها

�
ف
َ
﴿يَا ك

ُكْم ُيْفِلُحوَ�﴾
�
َعل

َ
 �هللا� ل

ْ
   َ��ي�ُقو�

“O you who have attained to faith! Be patient (with such

Christians and Jews), and vie with one another in showing

patience (with them), and build bonds of friendship and

alliance (with them) and fear Allah (in this matter) that

success can be achieved!”

(Qur’ān, Āle Imrān, 3:200)

There are Muslims who would respond that

Christians commit Shirk (i.e., blasphemy) when, for

imranhosein.org

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

46

example, they worship Nabī ‘Īsa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال), instead

of the God who he himself worshipped. Since they are a

people who commit Shirk, the implication, according to

these Muslims is that they are destined for the Hell-fire,

and hence there can be no friendship and alliance

between Muslims and a people who are destined for the

Hell-fire.

My response is that the Qur’ān and the Prophet

 must inform us of the identity of the (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

Christians who have faith and who will be closest in love

and affection to Muslims in Ākhir al-Zamān, and they

must also inform us who are the Christians with whom

we are prohibited to have such relations as friendship and

alliance. They must inform us who are the Christians

who we Muslims can marry and whose food we can eat?

It is only when there is no answer in the Qur’ān and

no answer in the Hadīth, that we can offer an opinion on

the subject.

Such Muslim should pause for one blessed moment

to consider the following exchange between Nabī ‘Īsa

(Jesus 'عليه �لسال), and Allah Most High, which is recorded

in the Qur’ān:

imranhosein.org

Chapter One

47

نَت قُلَت ﴿
َ
�
َ
 �هللا� يَا ِعيَ¾ �ْنَن َمْرَيَم �

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نُت
ُ
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َ
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ْ
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َِكيمُ
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ُ
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َ
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بًَد� Çِ�Qَ �هللا� َقنُْهْم
َ
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َ
�أل

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

48

َعِظيمُ
ْ
ْوÈُ �ل

َ
ف
ْ
 �ل

َ
لِك

َ
F َقنُْه

ْ
 ﴾Q�ََُضو�

“AND LO! Allah said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say

unto men, ‘Worship me and my mother as deities beside

God’?" [Jesus] answered: “You are limitless in Your glory! It

would not have been possible for me to say what I had no

right to [say]! Had I said this, You would indeed have known

it! You know all that is within myself, whereas I know not

what is in Your Self. Verily, it is You alone who fully knows

all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s

perception. 5:116.

“Nothing did I tell them beyond what You did bid me [to

say]: ‘Worship Allah, [who is] my Lord-God as well as yours.’

And I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelt in

their midst; but when You took (my soul), You alone has

been their keeper: for You art witness unto everything.

5:117.

If you punish them – verily, they are your servants; and if

you forgive them – verily, you alone are Almighty, truly

Wise. 5:118.

[AND on Judgment Day] Allah will say (concerning such

people): “Today, their truthfulness shall benefit all who have

been true to their word: theirs shall be gardens through

which running waters flow, therein to abide beyond the

imranhosein.org

Chapter One

49

count of time; well-pleased is Allah with them, and well-

pleased are they with Him: this is the triumph supreme.”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:116-119)

Such Muslims should carefully study the response

that Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال) made when Allah asked him

the question concerning the Shirk being committed by

Christians. Did he not know that they commit Shirk, and

did he not know that Allah does not forgive Shirk?

They should also carefully study the following

question: Since Christians commit Shirk (blasphemy)

when they worship Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال), and are hence

Mushrikūn, and since Allah Most High has prohibited

marriage between a Muslim and someone who is Mushrik,

then why has He permitted Muslim men to marry

Christian women? Is the Qur’ān inconsistent?

The critics should understand that there are various

kinds of Shirk, and not all of them qualify for no

forgiveness. The implication of the reply of Nabī ‘Isa

(Jesus 'عليه �لسال): “and if You forgive them, then verily you are the

Oft Forgiving Most Merciful” is that Allah Most High can

forgive the Shirk of a Christian if He chooses to do so.

In the following verse of the Qur’ān, Allah Most

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

50

High has summed up the subject concerning the

implications of Christian Shirk. Despite their worship of

Jesus as a third person in a trinity and their belief in him

as the son of God, etc., Allah Most High ordered Muslims

not to argue with them except in the kindest way

possible, and then further ordered that Muslims should

say to them: Our God and your God is One:

﴿ َÉِ �ِ
�
 بِال

�
ِكتَاG Nِِال

ْ
ْهَل �ل

َ
و� �

ُ
َاRِل

ُ
Æ

َ
َ�ال

و� 3َمن�ا
ُ
ُمو� ِمنُْهْم َ�قُول

َ
يَن َظل ِ

�
A�

�
ْحَسُن Gِال

َ
�

ُهنَا
َ
ُْكْم i�َِل

َ
nِG

َ
fنِز

ُ
ْنَا َ��

َ
nGِ

َ
fنِز

ُ
� h ِ

�
Aبِا

ُ ُمْسِلُمو�َ
َ
ُْن �

َ
ُهُكْم َ��ِحٌد َ��

َ
 ﴾i�َِل

And do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation

otherwise than in a most kindly manner – unless it be such of

them whose conduct is evil, and say: “We believe in that

which has been bestowed from on high upon us, as well as

that which has been bestowed upon you: (hence) our God

and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that

We [all] surrender ourselves.”

(Qur’ān, al-Ankabūt, 29:46)

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Chapter One

51

This writer is confident that most of the believing

Christians who can qualify for such forgiveness, and

whose conduct would not be evil, would be those who

will one day be closest in love and affection for Muslims.

He is also confident that most of them will be found

among the Orthodox Christians against whom Dajjāl’s

Ottoman Empire waged relentless and bogus Jihād for

some 600 blood-stained years. When Orthodox Christians

demonstrate such a response to the Qur’ān in which they

accept its divine origin with tears in their eyes, it would no

longer be possible for Turkish Muslims and Muslims in the

Balkans to persist in their hatred for them.

The Qur’ān has disclosed that while it provokes some

to respond to it with a sense of awe, and to marvel at it,

it provokes others differently. They scoff at it and

ridicule it:

َ
ُر��

َ
 َعِجبَْت َ�يَْسخ

ْ
   ﴿بَل

َ
ُر�� ال

1
ك
ُ
F �

َ
Fiِ�َ

َ
ُر��

ُ
ك
ْ
 يَْستَْسِخُر��َ   يَذ

ً
ْ�� 3يَة

َ
�Qَ �

َ
Fiِ�َ   و�

ُ
ال
َ
َ�ق

﴾Vٌِب � ِسْحٌر م
�
� Gِال

َ
 َهذ

ْ
�Gِ

“Nay, but whereas you marvel (at this Qur’ān), they scoff (at

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

52

it);

“And when they are reminded [of the truth], they refuse to

take it to heart;

“And when they become aware of a [divine] message, they

turn it to ridicule;

And say: “This is clearly nothing but [a mortal’s]

spellbinding eloquence!”

(Qur’ān, al-Saffāt, 37:12-15)

The Judeo-Christian Zionist enemies who have

NATO as their own formidable military force, and who

seek to establish their rule or political dominion from

Jerusalem over all of mankind, pursue that goal with a

pig-headed obsession supported by relentless oppression

and a mountain of increasingly blatant lies and false-flag

acts of terrorism (such as the 9/11 attack on America).

They wage relentless undisguised war on Islam and

Muslims, as well as on Orthodox Christians and non-

Zionist Jews. They are experts in false-flag terrorism, in

character assassination, and in demonizing innocent

Muslims as terrorists while they are themselves busy in

surreptitiously supporting and sustaining a bogus and

barbaric Islamic State/ISIS to do their dirty work for

them.

imranhosein.org

Chapter One

53

This book sends a message to the Oppressor State of

Israel and to its Zionist Christian, Zionist Jew and Hindu

acolytes and especially to its neo-Ottoman Turkish

supporters. We recognize that innocent people (mostly

Muslims, Orthodox Christians and non-Zionist Jews) will

continue to suffer and weep in consequence of their lies,

injustice and oppression. But we take comfort in the fact

that this world is a moral order in which a time will

surely come when their false-flag Zionist chickens will

come home to roost for them. If, as is possible, someone

who is independent-minded becomes the next President

of USA, and they then attempt to control him the way

they have successfully controlled every US President

except John F Kennedy, it is quite likely that their fragile

9/11 false-flag balloon will blow up in their stricken

faces!

At that time, Zionist lies will come back to haunt

them. Lies will be placed at their door, and no matter

how much they proclaim their innocence, no one will

believe them.

At that time, when light from Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus  عليه)

 the true Messiah, drives away the darkness of Dajjāl ,�لسال'

the false Messiah, those of the faithful who now weep –

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

54

Muslims, Orthodox Christians, non-Zionist Jews and

others – in Libya and elsewhere, will laugh in happiness,

and whoever laughs last, will laugh best!

Nabī Muhammad ( عليه �سلم ص$ �هللا ) has warned, as only a

true Prophet could warn, that at that time when their

false-flag chickens will come home to roost, even the trees

and stones will speak and demand that they be punished!

At that time, the worst place in the world for a Jew to be

would be the Holy Land while supporting the Oppressor

State of Israel, and the safest place for him (if wishes to

be saved from dying the way Pharaoh died) is far away

from that Imposter State of Israel.

[

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55

CHAPTER TWO

Preparation for study through continuous
daily recitation of the Qur’ān

[

ْر�3ِ  . . .﴿
ُ
ق
ْ
َ ِمَن �ل �� َما تَي�6َ

ُ
pَر

ْ
اق
َ
 ﴾ . . . ف

 “… Recite then, as much of the Qur’ān as you may do with

ease …”

(Qur’ān, al-Muzammil, 73:20)

ne of the beautiful names of the Lord-God is al-

Alīm, i.e., the one who truly possesses knowledge.

Hence true knowledge comes from Him. Since the

Qur’ān is His Word, it is He Who will confer knowledge

on the student who wishes to study the Qur’ān. It is to

Him that the student must turn for guidance and help

when studying the Qur’ān.

O

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

56

The very first word of the Qur’ān that He revealed to

the heart of the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) was the command:

Iqra! (i.e., read or recite)! It was from this command of

Iqra that the Book got its name of al-Qur’ān, i.e., that

which is read or recited! The implication is that He Who

sent down the Qur’ān, wants that the Book be

continuously recited from cover-to-cover all through life.

The Qur’ān has indeed recorded the command to the

blessed Prophet that He must recite the Book:

 h ِ
�
A� �ِ َ

ْ
َت ْz� cَِهِذ �NَQ ْقبَُد

َ
� �ْ

َ
� aُِمْر

ُ
َما � ﴿Gِغ�

و�َ
ُ
ك
َ
� �ْ

َ
� aُِمْر

ُ
��َ �ٍ ْ

َ
�

� ُ
� ُ

َ
َمَها َ��   َحر�

َ
ِمن

َ
Vِلِم

ْ
س

ُ
م
ْ
َمِن �ْهتََد   H  �ل

َ
ُقْر3َ� ف

ْ
َو �ل

ُ
تْل
َ
� �ْ

َ
��َ

نَا
َ
 Gِغ�َما �

ْ
ُقل

َ
 ف

�
ِسِه َ�َمن َضل

ْ
َما َفْهتَِدjِ hَف ِإغ�

َ
ف

ُمنِذQِيَن﴾
ْ
 ِمَن �ل

“(Say): I (Muhammad) am commanded only to serve the

Lord-God of this land which He has made sacred, and unto

Whom all things belong. And I am commanded to be of

those who surrender (unto Him), – 27:91

“And (I am commanded) to recite the Qur’ān. And whoever

imranhosein.org

Chapter Two

57

is rightly-guided (while reciting this Qur’ān, studying it and

following it) is rightly-guided for (the good of) his own soul;

and as for him who goes astray (through neglect of this

Qur’ān) say (unto him): Lo! I am only a warner.” – 27:92

(Qur’ān, al-Naml, 27:91-2)

Since Allah Most High declared, compassionately so,

that Muslims should recite the Qur’ān as much as is easy

for them, the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) recommended that

the Qur’ān should be recited from cover to cover once a

month. This should be done all through life! Those who

wish to do more, were permitted to recite once a week –

but not faster than that:

 َ
ْ
z� Rٍ

�
بُو بَْكِر ْنُن َخال

َ
نَا �

َ
ع نَا َحد�

َ
ع Ì َحد� �Íِاِه

 Îِ
َ
ÐَْÑَ ْنُن َسِعيٍدÌ َعِن �بِْن ُجَريٍْجÌ َعِن �بِْن �

Ì َقْن ÐَْÑَ بِْن َحِكيِم بِْن َصْفَو�Ì�َ َقْن
َ
ة
َ
يْك

َ
ُمل

تُُه
ْ
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َ
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ْ
 ¹ََْعُت �ل

َ
fا
َ
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 �هللا�ِ  ص
ُ
fَُسوQ

َ
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َ
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َ
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َماُ�   ” �سلم   يَْك �لز�
َ
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َ
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1
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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

58

cُ ِ� َشْهٍر
ْ
َر�
ْ
 فَاق

�
ْ� َيَمل

َ
ُت Rَْعِ�   .   “َ��

ْ
ل
ُ
ق
َ
ف

 Îََِشبَا� Øِ ْستَْمِتْع ِمْن قُو�
َ
� .

َ
fا

َ
cُ ِ�   ” ق

ْ
َر�
ْ
فَاق

 �ٍ
َ ْ
§

َ
ْستَْمِتْع ِمْن قُو�   .  “ ع

َ
ُت Rَْعِ� �

ْ
بَاÎِ قُل

َ
Øِ �َش

 .
َ
fا

َ
cُ ِ� َسبٍْع   ” ق

ْ
ْستَْمِتْع   .   فَاقَْر�

َ
ُت Rَْعِ� �

ْ
قُل

 Îِبَا
َ
Øِ �َش و�

ُ
َب   . ِمْن ق

َ
أ
َ
 “ف

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr said:

I memorized the Qur’ān and recited it all in one night. The

Messenger of Allah said: ‘I am afraid that you may live a long

life and that you may get bored. Recite it over the period of a

month.’ I said: ‘Let me benefit from my strength in my

youth.’ He said: ‘Recite it in ten days.’ I said: ‘Let me benefit

from my strength and my youth.’ He said: ‘Recite it in seven

days.’ I said: ‘Let me benefit from my strength and my

youth,’ but he refused (to alter it any further).

Sunan Ibn Mājah

Here is another Hadīth on the subject:

 Ìَمِد
�
 �لص

ُ
د
ْ
ب
َ
ا ق

َ
ن
َ
ع
�
د
َ
Ì ح �Ú

َ
ُمث
ْ
ُن �ل

ْ
ا �ن

َ
ن
َ
ع
�
د
َ
ح

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Chapter Two

59

نَا َقتَاÌ�ُRَ َقْن يَِزيَد بِْن َقبِْد  ْخَ¤َ
َ
� Ì'ٌا نَا َهم� ْخَ¤َ

َ
�

ن�هُ
َ
  �هللا�Ìِ َقْن َقبِْد �هللا�ِ بِْن َقْمٍر�Ì ك

َ
fَُسوQ يَا

َ
fا

َ
ق

َ
fُقْر3َ� قَا

ْ
 �ل
ُ
قَْر�

َ
   ” �هللا�ِ ِ� َكْم �

ٍ
ر
ْ
ه
َ
   .   “ ِ� ش

َ
fا

َ
ق

لَِك
َ
F ِمْن Hَو

ْ
ق
َ
�
1
ÕِG-  Üَبُو ُمو

َ
� 'ََÝَ

ْ
Rُ �ل 1Rيَُر-

َ
fا
َ
|� ق

َ
 ح

ُ
َصه

َ
اق
َ
ن
َ
cُ ِ� َسبٍْع   ” َ�ي

ْ
َر�
ْ
   .   “ �ق

1
ÕِG

َ
fا

َ
ق

لَِك
َ
F ِمْن Hَو

ْ
ق
َ
�

َ
fا

َ
   ” ق

�
قَل

َ
� �ِ cُ

َ
َقُه َمْن قََر�

ْ
 َفف

َ
ال

 Þٍ
َ
ال
َ
  “ِمْن ث

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’Ās:

Yazīd ibn Abdullah said that Abdullah ibn Amr asked the

Prophet: In how many days should I complete the recitation

of the whole Qur’ān, Messenger of Allah?

He replied: In one month.

He said: I am more energetic to complete it in a period less

than this. He kept on repeating these words and lessening the

period until he said: Complete its recitation in seven days.

He again said: I am more energetic to complete it in a period

less than this.

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60

The Prophet  (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)  said: He who finishes the

recitation of the Qur’ān in less than three days does not

understand it.

(Sunan Abī Dāūd)

Since Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) was himself

required by Angel Gabriel to recite the whole Qur’ān

during a period of one month, i.e., during every month of

Ramadān, it is quite clear that the Qur’ān should be

recited from cover-to-cover once a month. For this reason

we find the Qur’ān divided into thirty parts. If one part

were to be recited daily, the recitation of the Qur’ān can

be completed cover-to-cover once a (lunar) month. This

method of recitation of the Qur’ān also allows us to keep

track of lunar time as the lunar month progresses from a

fragile new moon, to a gloriously beautiful full moon, to

a moon in a state of such decline that it looks like an old

withered branch of a date palm, until the moon finally

disappears into the darkness of the sky to make way for a

new moon and another month.

Those, on the other hand, who wished to recite the

whole Qur’ān once a week were advised by the Prophet

 with respect to the portion of daily (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

recitation, as follows:

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61

ثالà� Þس �سبع �تسع �iحدH ع§�

c��Q cفصل �حدá� Nع§� �حز Þبو  �ثال�

R��R. . .

On the first day they should recite the first 3 Sūrahs;

on the second day the next 5; the third day the next 7;

the fourth day the next 9; the fifth day the next 11; the

sixth day the next 13; and on the seventh day they should

recite all the rest of the Qur’ān until the end.

This continuous recitation, cover-to-cover,

constitutes an essential prerequisite for the study of the

Qur’ān. Whoever accepts the Qur’ān as the revealed

Word of the One God and does not continuously recite

the Book, would be in disobedience of the very first word

revealed in the Book, which was also a divine command,

i.e., Read or Recite! Such conduct would qualify as

forsaking or abandoning the Qur’ān, and Nabī

Muhammad

-himself was made to complain to his Lord (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

God against such of his followers in a verse of the Qur’ān:

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

62

﴿ �
َ
�� َهذ

ُ
ذ
َ �
ْوِ¿ �½

َ
 ق

�
�ِG 1NَQ يَا

ُ
fلر�ُسو�

َ
fا
َ
َ�ق

�Qًْر3َ� َمْهُجو
ُ
ق
ْ
  ﴾ �ل

AND the Messenger (of Allah) will say: “O my Lord-God!

Surely my people have forsaken this Qur’ān” (since, among

other things, they no longer recite it continuously)!”

(Qur’ān, al-Furqān, 25:30)

Our gentle readers would be absolutely amazed to

know that there are multitudes of Muslims today who

spend long hours of the night singing great songs in

praise of Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), but who do not

recite the Qur’ān as it ought to be recited, i.e., from

cover-to-cover at least once a month.

Prophet Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) has declared that

the soul will be questioned by Angels in the grave.

Among the questions will be: Who is the Prophet you

followed? If the answer that is given is Muhammad ( ص$ �هللا

 then that will imply that the Book which was ,(عليه �سلم

accepted as the Word of the Lord-God, and which

supposed to be recited, studied, and followed, would be

the Qur’ān.

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63

It is entirely possible that the soul can then be

handed a copy of the Qur’ān in the grave, and can be

commanded to recite the Qur’ān. The purpose of this

very first test in the grave would be to determine whether

this Muslim was guilty of forsaking the Qur’ān, or

whether he or she used to recite the Qur’ān regularly. If

the soul is discovered through this test to be one of those

guilty of forsaking the Qur’ān, then punishment in the

grave can possibly commence with this failure.

There are those who would not be able to recite the

Qur’ān in Arabic, and who may request a translation in

French, English, Urdu, German, etc. They would then

learn to their dismay that there is only one Qur’ān, and it

is in Arabic, and that they never devoted any effort to

learn enough Arabic to recite the Qur’ān in Arabic. The

fate of the Arab who speaks Arabic, and yet cannot recite

the Qur’ān in Arabic, or who recites the Qur’ān haltingly

at a speed embarrassingly slower than a cow, would not

be pleasant to behold.

Someone who has just become a Muslim, and does

not as yet know how to recite the Qur’ān in Arabic, will

not, of course, suffer the same fate, if he dies in that

condition, as one who has spent his life as a Muslim

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

64

without reciting the Qur’ān regularly.

When should the QurWhen should the QurWhen should the QurWhen should the Qur’’’’āāāān be recitedn be recitedn be recitedn be recited????

He Who sent down the Qur’ān has Himself advised that

the best time for it to be recited is in the early morning.

This is particularly so when the Qur’ān is recited in

prayer that is performed at dawn:

يِْل ﴿
�
 َغَسِق �لل

َ
kِG ْمِس وyِ �لش�

ُ
ل ُ©ِ �َ

َ
ال قِِم �لص�

َ
�

َ
ْجِر �

َ
ف
ْ
ْر3َ� �ل

ُ
 ق
�
�ِG ْجِر

َ
ف
ْ
ْر3َ� �ل

ُ
�َ�ق

ً
Rو
ُ
ه
ْ
ش
َ
 م
َ
� ﴾

“Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the

dark of night, and (the recital of) the Qur’ān at dawn. Lo!

(the recital of) the Qur’ān at dawn is ever witnessed.”

(Qur’ān, al-Isrā, 17:78)

In order for the Qur’ān to be recited in early-

morning prayer, it must be recited from memory, hence

memorization of passages of the Qur’ān also becomes

necessary.

Finally Allah Most High has ordered that the Qur’ān

be recited in a melodious way. Here is the command:

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Chapter Two

65

﴿…
ً

ْر3َ� تَْرِييال
ُ
ق
ْ
 ﴾  Qَ�َت1ِل �ل

“… and recite the Qur’ān calmly and distinctly, with your

mind attuned to its meaning.”

(Qur’ān, al-Muzammil, 73:4)

[

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67

CHAPTER THREE

Preparation for study through promptly
acting in accordance with what is

understood in the Qur’ān

[

وَها ﴿
ُ
ْم Ñَِْمل

َ
م� ل

ُ
و� ��ãْو�Qََ� ع

ُ
يَن 1�ُل ِ

�
A�

ُ
َمثَل

َقْوِ'
ْ
ْسَفا�Qً بِئَْس َمثَُل �ل

َ
َِماÑَ Qِِْمُل �

ْ
U� َمثَِل

َ
ك

بُو� بِ
�
ذ
َ
يَن ك ِ

�
A� ُهللا�ِ َ��هللا�� aِآيَا

َ
ْوَ'  ال

َ
ق
ْ
ْهِدh �ل

َ
ف

َ
Vالِِم

�
 ﴾�لظ

“The likeness of those who are entrusted with the (Law of)

the Torah, yet applied it not, is as the likeness of the ass

carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of folk who (thus)

betray the revelations of Allah. And Allah guides not

wrongdoing folk.” (Qur’ān, al-Jumu’ah, 62:5)

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

68

e Who sent down the Qur’ān to Nabī

Muhammad ('عليه �لسال) also sent down the Torah

to Nabī Mūsa (Moses 'عليه �لسال).Those of the followers of

Nabī Mūsa who received the Torah, and studied it, and

did not act in accordance with its guidance, incurred the

divine wrath to such an extent that He likened them in

the above verse to donkeys with a load of books on their

backs.

The student who embarks on a study of the Qur’ān is

thus advised to always try to act promptly in accordance

with its guidance in order to qualify to receive knowledge

from He Who is the source of all true knowledge.

A particularly obnoxious example of this Israelite

failure to act in accordance with the divine guidance sent

down in the Torah is the prohibition of Ribā (i.e. lending

and borrowing money on interest). The Qur’ān has

referred to their abandonment of divine guidance

prohibiting Ribā:

﴿
َ
fْمَو�

َ
ِلِهْم �

ْ
ك
َ
 َقنُْه َ��

ْ
َبا َ�قَْد ُغُهو� ْخِذِهُم �لر1

َ
��َ

َ
َاِطِل َ��

ْ
zاِ� بِا�j� فِِريَن ِمنُْهْم

َ
v
ْ
ْقتَْدنَا لِل

H

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Chapter Three

69

nًِما
َ
�بًا �

َ
 ﴾ َعذ

“They took usury although it had been forbidden to them,

and they (thus) wrongfully devoured of other people’s

possessions. And for those from among them who [continue

to] deny the truth We have readied grievous suffering.”

(Qur’ān al-Nisā, 4:161)

If those who betrayed the Torah by failing to act in

accordance with its guidance, are likened to a donkey

with a load of books on its back, is it possible that those

who fail to act in accordance with the guidance in the

Qur’ān would be considered to be any different? Can

such a people qualify to be guided by Allah Most High as

they attempt to study the Qur’ān?

The very last revelation in the Qur’ān to come down

with Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

was the revelation commanding the total and complete

eradication of Ribā. The most well-known form of Ribā is

usury, i.e., ‘borrowing and lending money on interest’.

But there is also Ribā in the bogus and fraudulent

Zionist-sponsored monetary system of paper, plastic and

electronic money. The revelation warned of a declaration

of war from Allah and His Messenger against those who

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

70

refused to give up Ribā:

َن �هللا1  … ﴿  ÂَِْرNٍ م1
ْ
Fَنُو�

ْ
 فَأ

ْ
و�
ُ
ْم َيْفَعل

�
فَِإ� ل

 ﴾…  Q�ََُسوِ�ِ

“… And if ye do not, then be warned of war (against you)

from Allah and His Messenger …”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:279)

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) went on to curse all

four, and to declare that they were all equally guilty – the

one who takes Ribā, the one who gives Ribā, the one who

records the transaction, and the two witnesses. (For

references for all of the above, see my book entitled The

Prohibition of Ribā in the Qur’ān and Sunnah.)

No Muslim can possibly succeed in studying the

Qur’ān while still borrowing or lending money on

interest. Some Muslims remain blissfully ignorant of the

fact that they have borrowed money on interest from so-

called Islamic Banks who lend money on interest by

deception. The Bank sells on credit at a price higher than

the cash price while declaring, falsely so, that it is

engaged in Murābaha. When credit price is higher than

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Chapter Three

71

cash price, the difference between the two would be Ribā.

The Bank refers to that difference in price, again falsely

so, as mark-up. I describe it as Ribā through the back

door!

[

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73

CHAPTER FOUR

Do not ignore – by-pass – or disrespect
the Qur’ān in the pursuit of knowledge

[

﴿ �ٍ ْ َ
�

1 ُ
¸

1
ِكتَاNَ تِبْيَانًا ل

ْ
 �ل

َ
يْك

َ
َا َعل

ْ
j َ�نَز�

 َVِلِم
ْ
ُمس

ْ
Hَ لِل ْ§

ُ
 َ�ب

ً
َة

ْ
�َQ�َ H

ً
د
ُ
 ﴾ . . .َ�ه

“And We have sent down to you the Book (i.e., the Qur’ān)

as an explanation of all things (and hence as the primary

source of knowledge), a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to

Muslims.”

(Qur’ān, al-Nahl, 16:89)

﴿
َ
F
ِ
i
َ
�

ْ
نِصتُو�

َ
��َ ُ

َ
�

ْ
اْستَِمُعو�

َ
ُقْر3ُ� ف

ْ
ِرHَ� �ل

ُ
� ق

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

74

ُكْم تُرَْ�ُو�َ
�
َعل

َ
 ﴾ل

“Hence, when the Qur’ān is recited, hearken unto it, and

listen in silence, so that you might be graced with [Allah’s]

mercy.”

(Qur’ān, al-’Arāf 7:204)

Do not disrespectDo not disrespectDo not disrespectDo not disrespect    the Qurthe Qurthe Qurthe Qur’’’’ān!ān!ān!ān!

very Muslim family knows that children must be

taught to kiss the Qur’ān every time it is held in the

hand, that the Qur’ān must never be placed on the floor,

that they should not turn their backs to the Qur’ān, etc.

But in the verse above, Allah Most High has also

commanded silence when the Qur’ān is being recited. It

is for this reason that when thousands enter the Masjid

for the Salāt al-Jumu’ah, and some are engaged in reciting

the Qur’ān, there is such a silence in the Masjid that one

can hear the drop of a pin! Those who so disrespect the

Qur’ān by talking and chatting while the Qur’ān is being

recited (particularly so in the Masjid), cannot hope to

ever be successful in studying the Qur’ān.

It is also an act of disrespect, and a sin, to recite the

E

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Chapter Four

75

Qur’ān at break-neck speed since Allah has specifically

prohibited such:

 بِهِ ﴿
َ
َجل

ْ
 ãَِع

َ
ك
َ
 بِِه لَِسان

ْ
y1َر

ُ
Å

َ
 ﴾ال

“Move not your tongue in haste, [reciting the words of the

revelation:]”

(Qur’ān, al-Qiyāmah, 75:16)

Those who recite at great speed, particularly so in

Salāt al-Tarawīh (which is a special prayer in the month

of Ramadān), as well as those who join in such prohibited

recitation of the Qur’ān by listening to it, will have to

answer for such disrespect to Allah’s Word. It is also an

act of disrespect to the Qur’ān to listen to it being recited

in Salāt, or oneself reciting it in Salāt, and yet not

understanding what is recited, and not making an effort

to learn enough of the Arabic language to be able to

understand what is being recited.

Do not byDo not byDo not byDo not by----pass the pass the pass the pass the QurQurQurQur’’’’ān!ān!ān!ān!

In order for anyone to be a true student of the Qur’ān,

the firm policy of study must be adopted of never

ignoring or by-passing the Qur’ān in the pursuit of

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

76

knowledge – regardless of the branch of knowledge being

studied. Rather the Qur’ān must be recognized as the

infallible Word of the One God Who speaks with

absolute authority and without error. Fourteen hundred

years is a very long period of time, and that is how long

the Qur’ān has been in this world. Had there been any

errors in the Qur’ān, they should have already been

discovered; but no one has ever discovered any error in

the Qur’ān during this very long period of time.

It is only after the student of the Qur’ān has studied

what the Qur’ān has plainly said concerning a subject of

study, should he then turn to other sources of knowledge

such as the Hadīth of Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), or

to previous scriptures, i.e., revealed prior to the Qur’ān,

or to knowledge which has come to the world for

example, from modern western civilization. Since

knowledge which has come from the Qur’ān is absolute

‘truth’ and is infallible, that knowledge from the Qur’ān

must be used as al-Furqān, i.e., that which sits in

judgment over all other knowledge – regardless of source.

Let us now give an example of proper methodology.

Suppose we wish to study the subject of Gog and

Magog, who are a major sign of the End-time, to

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Chapter Four

77

determine when they will be released into the world. If

we use the wrong methodology of commencing our study

with the Hadīth, rather than the Qur’ān, we can be

misled to misinterpret the Hadīth. Many have

unfortunately made this mistake of using a wrong

methodology, and have concluded from the study of one

solitary Hadīth that Gog and Magog will be released into

the world only after the return of Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال),

the son of the Virgin Mary ('عليهما �لسال), and after he has

killed Dajjāl the false Messiah.

The Qur’ān did not at all link the release of Gog and

Magog into the world to the return of Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus

 .and to his killing of Dajjāl (عليه �لسال'

 If such people had commenced their study of the

subject with the Qur’ān they would have found that the

release of Gog and Magog into the world has been linked

by Allah Most High to the return of a people to a ‘town’

from which they had been expelled by divine decree.

Having expelled them from their ‘town’, Allah Most

High then banned their return until:

i. Gog and Magog were released,

ii. Gog and Magog had spread out in all directions:

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

78

﴿
َ

غ�ُهْم ال
َ
نَاَها ك

ْ
ك
َ
ْهل

َ
 قَْرَيٍة �

َ
��ََحَر�ٌ' َ

َ
و�

ُ
ِجع

ْ
ر
َ
ُجو  åُ  ي

ْ
ُجوåُ َ�َمأ

ْ
َح|� �FَGِ فُِتَحْت يَأ

و�َ
ُ
 َحَدNٍ يَنِسل

1 ُ
�ن   ﴾ َ�ُهم م1

“We have prohibited the return of a people to a town which

we have destroyed, (21:95)

“Until Gog and Magog are released, and they spread out in

all directions (or descend from every height).”

(Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh, 21:95-6)

In order for the student to discover the absolute and

irrefutable ‘truth’ of the release of Gog and Magog into

the world, he has to discover the identity of the ‘town’

referred to in the verse above. We have done so while

using proper methodology, and we have identified the

town as Jerusalem.

Our first step in identifying the ‘town’ was to

recognize it to be linked by the irrefutable Qur’ān to Gog

and Magog. Secondly, Gog and Magog belong to the

Signs of the End-time, and the Qur’ān has declared Nabī

‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال) to be the Sign par excellence of the

End-time:

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Chapter Four

79

�� بَِها َ��ت�ِبُعوِ� ﴿  َيْمَ®ُ
َ

ال
َ
اَعِة ف لس�

1
ٌم ل

َ
َعل

َ
iِ�َن�ُه ل

ْستَِقيمٌ  ��æٌ م َçِ �
َ
 ﴾ َهذ

“And, behold, surely he (Jesus) (i.e., his return) is indeed a

Sign of the Last Hour; hence, have no doubt whatever about

it, but follow Me: this [alone] is a straight way.”

(Qur’ān, al-Zukhruf, 43:57-61)

Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال) (i.e., his return) is the

master-Sign of the Last Day or the End-time. The ‘town’

therefore has to be one that is linked to Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus

 as no other ‘town’ is linked to him. Hence it has (عليه �لسال'

to be Jerusalem.

This identification of the ‘town’ with Jerusalem is

confirmed by the Hadīth quoted here-under that Gog and

Magog will pass by the Sea of Galilee on their way to a

mountain in Jerusalem:

ي�ِة فَيَْ§Nَُ َما …  ِ¤َ
ِ� �لط� َxُْهْم بِبَُح

ُ
ل ��
َ
� � َفيَُمر

َ
fقَا

 cَِقْد َ�َ� بَِهِذ
َ
 ل

ُ
fبَِها 3ِخُرُهْم َفيَُقو �ِفيَها ُعم� َفُمر

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

80

ا�ٌ
َ
 م
ً
� ر�

َ
 َجبَِل َنيِْت  م

َ
kِG َح|� يَنْتَُهو� �َ�xُم� يَِس

ُ
ع

ِدِ�
ْ
َمق
ْ
  �ل

ْ
د
َ
ق
َ
 ل

َ
و�

ُ
ول
ُ
يَق

َ
ِ̄ ف Qْ

َ
نَا َمْن ِ� �أل

ْ
َقتَل

َما�ِ   َمْن ِ� �لس�
ْ
تُل

ْ
نَق
ْ
ل
َ
م� ف

ُ
 …َهل

(The Prophet said that the first of (Gog and Magog) will pass

by the Sea of Galilee and start to drink from it – until when

the last of them pass by they will say: “There once used to be

water here.” They will then travel on until they reach a

mountain in Jerusalem and they will then say: “We have

killed those who are in earth – now let us kill those who are

(above) in the sky.”

 (Jāmi’ al-Tirmīdhī)

As a consequence, we have concluded that the Qur’ān

referred to the expulsion of the Jews by divine decree

from Jerusalem, and to the ban imposed again by divine

decree prohibiting their return to reclaim Jerusalem.

When, however, they do return and succeed in reclaiming

Jerusalem as their own, such will not only reveal to the

world that Gog and Magog were already released and had

already spread out in all directions, but also reveal the

identity of Gog and Magog in the Judeo-Christian

Zionist alliance who control power in modern western

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Chapter Four

81

civilization, and who brought the Israelite Jews back to

Jerusalem to reclaim it as their own.

Since the Qur’ān also referred to Gog and Magog as

agents of Fasād (al-Kahf, 18:94) the implication of them

spreading out in all directions is that the world would

experience universal Fasād. The explanation in the

Qur’ān for the universal Fasād which now afflicts

mankind is quite plain and clear. Gog and Magog are the

cause of that Fasād! There is no other explanation.

Not only did wrong methodology of ignoring the

Qur’ān lead to an error concerning the time of the release

of Gog and Magog into the world, and negligence in

respect of locating the explanation in the Qur’ān for

today’s universal Fasād, but it also led to a

misinterpretation of the Hadīth which spoke of Allah

sending Gog and Magog rather than releasing them:

1
�ُجوåَ َ�ُهْم ِمْن ُ

ْ
ُجوåَ َ�َمأ

ْ
َ�َيبَْعُث �هللا�ُ يَأ

ي�َة  ِ� َطَ¤ِ َxَْÂُ
َ
�ُهْم َ

ُ
َ��ئِل

َ
� �وَ� َفيَُمر

ُ
َحَدNٍ يَنِْسل

و
ُ
ب َ
ْ

§
َ
ي
َ
َقْد ف

َ
وَ� ل

ُ
َ� َما ِفيَها َ�َيُمر� 3ِخُرُهْم َفيَُقول

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82

ا�ٌ
َ
 م
ً
� ر�

َ
ِذcِ م

َ
 بِه

َ
�
َ
�

… And then Allah will send Gog and Magog and they will

spread out in every direction. The first of them will pass by

the Sea of Galilee and they will drink from it. And the last of

them will pass by and they will say that there used to be

water in it.

(Sahīh Muslim)

Those who used the wrong methodology also missed

the clue given by the Hadīth that an ever-diminishing

water-level of the Sea of Galilee will indicate that Gog

and Magog have been released, and that they have been

passing by that Sea on their way to Jerusalem. In fact, the

water-level in the Sea of Galilee is now so low that it has

crossed all previous records, and it seems only a matter of

time before the Sea becomes dry and devoid of water.

This provides further tangible proof that Gog and Magog

have already been released.

Finally, we may direct attention to another Hadīth

which records a vision which the blessed Prophet

 experienced while sleeping at the home of (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

his wife Zainab )هللا عنها� ÇQ( . The Hadīth is so important

that we had to quote it entirely:

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Chapter Four

83

نَا ُشَعيٌْبÌ َعِن    ْخَ¤َ
َ
� Ì�ََِما

ْ
n� بُو

َ
نَا �

َ
ع َحد�

 ��
َ
� Ì ِxَْب �ثَِ� ُعْرَ�ُ� ْنُن �لز  َحد�

َ
fقَا Ì 1hْهِر��لز

'� َحِبيبََة
ُ
� ��

َ
َعتُْه � َمَةÌ َحد�

َ
Îِ َسل

َ
Èَيْنََب �ْننََة �

تَْها َقْن Èَيْنََب
َ
ع يَاَ� َحد�

ْ
Îِ ُسف

َ
ِت بِنَْت �

ْ

ن
ِ
ب

�� ��èِ�j ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم Rََخَل
َ
� Ìَجْحٍش

ُ
fو

ُ
ق
َ
 ف

ً
زِ�

َ
ا ف

َ
ه
ْ
ي
َ
ل
َ
َعَرNِ   ” ع

ْ
 لِل

ٌ
Ì َ�يْل  �هللا�ُ

�
َ Gِال

َ
�ِG

َ
ال

 åَُجو
ْ
َْوَ' ِمْن RَْQِ' يَأ

ْ
n� فُِتَح ÌNََ®َ

ْ
ِمْن ºَ· قَِد �ق

ُجوåَ ِمثُْل َهَذ�
ْ
ِعِه �َ   .  “ َ�َمأ

َ
ب
ْ
َق بِإِص

�
ل
َ
ِ� �َح

�
بِال

 �هللا�ِ
َ
fَُسوQ ُت يَا

ْ
ل
ُ
ق
َ
ْت Èَيْنَُب ف

َ
ال
َ
ق
َ
تَِليَهاÌ ف

َ
fا

َ
اUُِوَ� ق َغْهِلُك َ�ِفينَا �لص�

َ
� ”   َ

ُ
�
َ
� ك

َ
FِG Ìَغَعْم

ُ
ث
َ
ب
َ ْ
¶� “

“Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh: One day Allah’s Apostle

entered upon her in a state of fear and said: None has the

right to be worshipped but Allah! Woe to the Arabs from the

Great evil that has approached (them). Today a hole has been

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

84

opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog like this. The

Prophet made a circle with his index finger and thumb.

Zainab bint Jahsh added: I asked: O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we

be destroyed though there will be righteous people among us?

The Prophet said: Yes, (it will come to pass) when

wickedness increases (i.e. scum, evil, disgusting conduct,

sexual perversity, etc. overtakes the world).” (This indicates

not only political, economic and military oppression of Arabs

but also, that they would be demonized in every conceivable

obscene and malicious way.)

(Sahīh Bukhārī)

This vision not only clearly indicated that the release

of Gog and Magog commenced in the Prophet’s life-time,

but it also prophesied the eventual destruction of the

Arabs by Gog and Magog at that time when Khabath or

scum, prevails. It is plain as daylight that scum is now

incrementally prevailing in the world. Nowhere is that

scum more visible than in those parts of the world where a

man can now marry another man and get a marriage

certificate. There are those Muslims, without any faith in

their hearts, who actually make Hijrah to those parts of

the world where scum prevails, because they can live

there comfortably, make heaps of money, build mansions

with that money in Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and

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85

elsewhere, and thus justify their Hijrah in the eyes of the

poor destitute masses of those countries. Scum now

prevails in the Arab world as well, in consequence of

which the oppressed masses are now destitute, the

Algerian Dinār (like the Pakistani Rupee) is trading at

more than 100 to US$1, millions live the wretched life of

refugees, and the true believers amongst the Arabs live the

most miserable life possible.

It is not difficult to understand why Gog and Magog

have embarked on a destruction of the Arabs. A Pax

Judaica, in succession to Pax Americana, would not be

possible so long as the Arabs are strong enough to offer

effective resistance to oppression.

However, there is comfort for the Arabs in the

knowledge that their destruction will not constitute

Divine punishment since it will take place despite

righteous conduct.

[

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87

CHAPTER FIVE

Do not study any verse of the Qur’ān
(or any Hadīth) in isolation

[

﴿ ُVُمِب
ْ
نَا ��jِذيُر �ل

َ
�

1
ÕِG

ْ
   َ�قُل

َ
�َا َ

ْ
jنَز

َ
َما �

َ
ك

َ
Vِسِم

َ
ت
ْ
ق
ُ
ْر3َ� ِعِض � َV �لم

ُ
ق
ْ
و� �ل

ُ
يَن َجَعل ِ

�
A 

 َVْ¹َِْع
َ
�ُهْم �

َ
j
َ
نَْسأ

َ
و�   فََوQَب1َك ل

ُ
ن
َ
ا � م�

َ
ق

َ
و�

ُ
ل
َ
م
ْ
ع
َ
 ﴾ف

“And say: “I am indeed he that warns openly and without

ambiguity,” (of Our Divine anger) as We responded to those

who (conveniently) divided (Scripture into arbitrary parts),

(and acted likewise) in dividing this Qur’ān (as well) into

(arbitrary) pieces (as they please). Therefore, by the Lord,

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

88

We will surely call them to account for what they did.”

 (Qur’ān, al-Hijr, 15:89-93)

llah Most High taught a very important lesson at

the beginning of the Qur’ān, in methodology of

the study of the Book. He did so when He revealed that

He ordered the Angels to bow down and prostrate

themselves before Ādam ('عليه �لسال) and then proceeded to

inform us that they all did so, except (or save) Iblis::

﴿
ْ
ِة �س

َ
ئِك

َ
َمال

ْ
ا لِل

َ
ن
ْ
ل
ُ
 ق
ْ
Fiِ�َ

ْ
 آلRََ' فََسَجُد��

ْ
ُجُد��

فِِرينَ
َ
v
ْ
َ� ِمَن �ل

َ
ë�َ َ¤َ

ْ
َب َ��ْستَك

َ
 Gِبِْليَس �

�
  ﴾Gِال

“And behold, We said to the angels: “Bow down to Adam”

and they (all) bowed down except (or save) Iblīs: he refused

and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:34)

If this verse of the Qur’ān were to be studied by itself

in isolation (or stand-alone), the inescapable conclusion

would be that Iblīs (otherwise known as Lucifer) was an

Angel. Indeed, those who came to that conclusion still

hold the view to this day, that he is a fallen Angel since

he disobeyed Allah’s order.

A

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Chapter Five

89

It was precisely because Allah Most High wanted to

teach a lesson in methodology that the sentence was

constructed in the way it was.

When we study the rest of the Qur’ān, we find that

Angels cannot disobey (nor do they eat food). They must

do whatever they are ordered to do:

وَ� َما  .… ﴿
ُ
َمَرُهْم َ�َيْفَعل

َ
 َفْعُصوَ� �هللا�َ َما �

َ
ال

َ
��

ُ
ر
َ
م
ْ
ؤ
ُ
 ﴾ي

“… who resist not Allah in that which He commands them,

but do that which they are ordered.”

(Qur’ān, al-Tahrīm, 66:6)

Since Angels cannot, and do not disobey Allah Most

High, and Iblīs (i.e., Satan) disobeyed Him, the

implication, which is now as plain as daylight, is that

Iblīs could not have been an Angel.

Finally, in Sūrah al-Kahf, the Qur’ān concluded its

lesson in methodology by repeating that the order to

prostrate was given to the Angels, and that they all

obeyed except Iblīs. The Qur’ān then proceeded to close

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

90

the subject with the declaration that Iblīs was a Jinn (i.e.,

a category of beings created from smokeless fire and

popularly known as ghosts):

ئَِكِة �ْسُجُد�� ِآلRََ' فََسَجُد�� ﴿
َ

َمال
ْ
نَا لِل

ْ
 قُل

ْ
Fiِ�َ

ْمِر
َ
َفَسَق َقْن �

َ
ن1 ف ِ

ْ
َ� ِمَن �«

َ
 Gِبِْليَس �

�
Gِال

هِ
1
ب
َ
Q﴾

“Behold! We said to the angels, “Bow down to Adam”: They

bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinn, and he

broke the Command of his Lord.”

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:50)

The lesson that was taught was that a wrong

methodology of studying a verse of the Qur’ān, or a

Hadīth of Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), in isolation,

can lead to error. This methodology of breaking-up the

Qur’ān into pieces for convenience – either for the

purpose of conveniently accepting a piece and rejecting

another piece, or for studying the Qur’ān one piece at a

time, was condemned in the Qur’ān:

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Chapter Five

91

﴿ َVتَِسِم
ْ
 �لُمق

َ
�َا َ

ْ
jنَز

َ
َما �

َ
و�  ك

ُ
يَن َجَعل ِ

�
A�

 َVْر3َ� ِعِض
ُ
ق
ْ
   �ل

َ
 ل
َ
َوQَب1ك

َ
 ف

َ ْ
Vِع

َ ْ
¹

َ

�
ْ
م
ُ
ه
�
َ
j

َ

أ
ْ
س
َ
  ن

﴾
َ
و�

ُ
ْعَمل

َ
نُو� ف

َ
ا �   َقم�

“Those who make division in such as We send down, those

who break the Qur’ān into parts; by your Lord, We shall

question them, every one of them, in respect of what they

used to do.”

    (Qur’ān, al-Hijr, 15:90-93)

WWWWrong methodologyrong methodologyrong methodologyrong methodology    lead to error concerning moneylead to error concerning moneylead to error concerning moneylead to error concerning money

Not only did Allah Most High teach this important

lesson of methodology, but He also went on to test those

who study the Book. For example, He declared in Sūrah

al-Kahf that the young men slept in the cave for 300 years

after which He woke them up from their sleep. They then

decided to send one of them to the market to buy some

food and gave him money with which to buy the food.

The Qur’ān has used the word Wariq for the money that

was taken to buy the food. Since Waraq can mean leaf or

paper, those who used the methodology of studying a

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

92

verse in isolation came to the conclusion, wrongly so,

that paper could be used as money, and hence that

today’s paper-money (i.e., currency notes) was Halāl.

Gold and silver coins that the Qur’ān recognized as

money (i.e., Dinār and Dirham) always have intrinsic

value, whereas paper-money has no intrinsic value.

Rather it has a fictitious value that is manipulated to

unjustly enrich western civilization while impoverishing

all those who resist western domination. The deadliest

weapon that the west employs against those who resist

their domination is the weapon of inflation, and this is

made possible because of manipulation of the (fictitious)

value of paper-money. (See my book entitled The Gold Dinār

and Silver Dirham – Islam and the Future of Money). Paper money

or currency notes in today’s monetary system are bogus

fraudulent and utterly Harām, but the Muftis of Islam

who deliver legal opinions, remain in a state of blissful

ignorance of this fact – even while some of them frolic in

Wall Street. Those who disagree, and who reject this

view, will learn in their graves the truth that they cannot

dispute.

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Chapter Five

93

WWWWrong methodologyrong methodologyrong methodologyrong methodology    lead to error concerninglead to error concerninglead to error concerninglead to error concerning    ththththe age at e age at e age at e age at

which marriagewhich marriagewhich marriagewhich marriage    isisisis    permissiblepermissiblepermissiblepermissible

It remains a matter of profound regret that many

Muslims (including some scholars) came to a deplorable

conclusion, based on a misreading of a solitary verse of

the Qur’ān that Allah Most High has permitted marriage

with a girl even before she reaches the age of puberty:

َسائُِكْم ﴿
1
َمِحيِض ِمن ن

ْ
íِ يَئِْسَن ِمَن �ل

�
َ��لال

ْشهُ
َ
ثَُة �

َ
ُيُهن� ثَال ْم Qْ� �ِGِتَبْتُْم فَِعد�

َ
íِ ل

�
ٍر َ��لال

� يََضْعَن
َ
ُهن� �

ُ
َجل

َ
� fِْ�َا

َ ْ
aُ �أل

َ
ْ�ال

ُ
ْضَن َ�� ِÑَ

� ْمِرcِ ي6ًُْ
َ
ُ ِمْن �

�
َْعل �

َ
ت�ِق �هللا�َ �

َ
ُهن� َ�َمن ف

َ
  ﴾َ�ْل

“Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly

(menstrual) courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye

have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no

(menstrual) courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life

within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their

burdens: and for those who fear Allah, He will make their

path easy.”

(Qur’ān, al-Talāq, 65:4)

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The above verse deals with the law of divorce in

Islam which prescribes a waiting period after a

pronouncement of divorce, before the divorce enters-

into-force, or takes effect. That waiting period is three

menstrual periods of the wife who is being divorced. In

the event that the wife has reached the age of menopause

when women stop having the menstrual periods, the law

prescribes instead, a waiting period of three months. It

then explains that the same waiting period of three

months will apply for wives who (otherwise) have no

menstrual periods.

Such a woman who does not have her normal

monthly menstrual period can either be one who has not

as yet reached the age of puberty – hence she will not

qualify as other than a child – or a woman who suffers

from an abnormal state of no menses. Which of the two

is the Qur’ān referring to in the above verse?

The very clear answer emerges from even a cursory

study of the rest of the Qur’ān that marriage is always

with Nisā (i.e. women), and never with a child. Whenever

the Qur’ān has referred to marriage, or to intimate

relations, it has always used the word Nisā.

In one verse in particular, the Qur’ān has referred to

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Chapter Five

95

Nisā as Harth (i.e., tilth or field which is ploughed so

that seeds can be planted with the hope that they will

fertilize and grow and produce a crop):

﴿
�
î
َ
 َحْرثَُكْم ك

ْ
تُو�
ْ
ُكْم فَأ

�
نَِسآpُُكْم َحْرÞٌ ل

ْ
م
ُ
ت
ْ
 ﴾ …ِشئ

“Your women are your tilth; go, then, unto your tilth as you

may desire …”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:223)

In order therefore, for a girl to become Nisā, and

hence eligible for sexual intercourse with men, she must

reach the age of puberty, since it is only at this age that

her womb can qualify as Harth, or a field which can be

cultivated. Prior to that age her womb cannot be

cultivated since no seed can ever be fertilized and grow.

The same guidance from the Qur’ān concerning

marriage is to be found in the verse where Allah Most

High directed attention to the collective responsibility of

the community of Muslims for maintenance of an

abnormally high number of widows and orphans in the

wake of two wars which had taken place (i.e., the battle

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

96

of Badr and of Uhud). His first, and most urgent

response, was to advise a means of resolving the problem

of maintenance of orphan girls (since they are His first

priority) as follows:

﴿
ْ
َتَاïَ فَانِكُحو�

ْ
n� �ِ

ْ
 ُيْقِسُطو�

�
ال
َ
iِ�َْ� ِخْفتُْم �

َ
ðَباQُ�َ

َ
Þ
َ
ال
ُ
Úَ َ�ث

ْ
َن �لن1َسا� َمث ُكم م1

َ
َما َطاNَ ل

 يَ
�
ال
َ
ْت فَِإْ� ِخْفتُْم �

َ
ك
َ
ْ� َما َمل

َ
َو�ِحَدً� �

َ
 ف
ْ
و�
ُ
ْعِدل

ْ
و�
ُ
 َيُعول

�
ال
َ
�
َ
îRْ

َ
ْفَمانُُكْم Fَلَِك �

َ
� ﴾

And if you fear that you will not be able to fulfill (your

collective responsibility to maintain) the orphan (girls),

(since, for example, the Zakāt funds may not suffice) marry

from among those (orphan girls who have become) women

(i.e., who have reached the age of puberty) and who are

pleasing to you, – two or three or four; but if you fear that ye

cannot do justice (in respect of maintaining all these wives

with equity since, for example, you may not have the

resources to do so) then (marry only) one (and instead of

marrying those orphan girls who are eligible for marriage)

you may take them (with their guardians’ consent, as Milk al-

Yamīn) as those that your right hands possess (who do not

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Chapter Five

97

have to be maintained on the basis of equity with wives).

That is better (for you) since you will consequently not do

injustice (by failing to maintain the orphan girls who are the

most vulnerable of all those who need to be maintained.

(Qur’ān, al-Nisā, 4:3)

(Note: When you have the resources to do so, you should

then marry such Milk al-Yamīn, so they would then become

wives. While we do not address and explain the subject of

Milk al-Yamīn at this time, and in this book, it should be

clear to our readers that wrong methodology has also led

many to a wrong explanation of the several verses of the

Qur’ān on this subject.)

The above verse makes it abundantly clear that the

orphan girls can be married only when they are women,

i.e., they have attained the age of puberty.

It is now also clear that the Hadīth in Sahīh Bukhārī

which declared that Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

married a six-year-old child, is in manifest conflict with

the Qur’ān, and hence false and fabricated.

Those who disagree with the above should show some

integrity by declaring that it is Sunnah to marry a six-

year-old, and that they are themselves prepared to accept

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98

and to apply this Sunnah, since Allah Most High has

declared (Qur’ān, al-Ahzāb, 33:21) that the conduct of

the blessed Prophet is the best example or model of

human conduct. They should also explain why no one has

followed this so-called Sunnah since the time of the

blessed Prophet

 Finally, they should prepare to defend .(ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

their view when ISIS arranges for the marriage of a 6

year-old child with a 55 year-old man to be video-

recorded with Zionist-supplied state-of-the-art recording

equipment, and that video is then broadcast on every

television channel in the world.

[

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99

CHAPTER SIX

The verses of the Qur’ān are
like the stars in the sky

[

ْغيَا بَِمَصانِيحَ  ﴿ �َما� �© َقْد Èَي�ن�ا �لس�
َ
 ﴾…َ�ل

“And we have surely adorned the lowest sky with lamps …”

(Qur’ān, al-Mulk, 67:5)

he Qur’ān, directs our attention to the stars above

and informs us that they were placed in the sky as

an adornment and in order to beautify the sky:

َو�ِكِب
َ
ك
ْ
يَا بِِزينٍَة �ل

ْ
غ �َما� �©  ﴾ ﴿Gِن�ا Èَي�ن�ا �لس�

“Behold, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with

the beauty of stars.”

(Qur’ān, al-Saffāt, 37:6)

T

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But it is part of the divine wisdom with which He

teaches methodology for the study of the Qur’ān, that he

has described those very stars in the sky above as lamps:

نَاَها
ْ
ْغيَا بَِمَصانِيَح �ََجَعل �َما� �© َقْد Èَي�ن�ا �لس�

َ
﴿َ�ل

 Nَُهْم َعَذ�
َ
ْقتَْدنَا ل

َ
��َ Vِيَاِط لش�

1
Qُُجوًما ل

﴾xِِع   �لس�

“And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth

with lamps, and have made them the object of futile guesses

for the evil ones [i.e., astrologers]: and for them have We

readied suffering through a blazing flame.”

(Qur’ān, al-Mulk, 67:5)

The reason why He has described the stars as lamps is

because they have an important additional function to

perform, since Allah Most High has put them there so

that they can be used to locate direction:

�ُجوj� ُكُم
َ
 ل
َ
h َجَعل ِ

�
A� بَِها ﴿َ�ُهَو

ْ
َ' ãَِْهتَُد��

نَا �آليَاaِ ِلَقْوٍ'
ْ
ل َْحِر قَْد فَص� ْz��َ 1¤َ

ْ
َماaِ �ل

ُ
ِ� ُظل

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Chapter Six

101

﴾
َ
ُمو�

َ
ْعل

َ
 ف

“And He it is who has set up for you the stars so that you

might be guided by them (for direction, for example, when

travelling) in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea:

clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto

people of [innate] knowledge!”

(Qur’ān, al-An’ām, 6:97)

Rivers and mountains, like stars in the sky, also assist

in the same matter of providing a sense of direction:

� تَِميَد بُِكْم
َ
� َñِ��َQَ ِ̄ Qْ

َ
òَ ِ� �أل

ْ
ل
َ
��َ﴿

ُكْم َيْهتَُد�َ�﴾
�
َعل

�
 ل
ً
ْغَها�Qً �َُسبُال

َ
��َ

“And he has placed firm mountains on earth, lest it sway

with you, and rivers and paths, so that you might find your

way, (16:15)

ْهتَُد��َ
َ
  ﴾ ﴿�ََعالَماaٍ َ�بِا�jْجِم ُهْم ف

“as well as [various other] means of orientation: for [it is] by

the stars that men find their way.”

(Qur’ān, al-Nahl, 16:16)

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102

In order for the stars to function as lamps with which

we can locate direction for travel, or direction of the

Qiblah (i.e., direction of prayer), it is necessary for us to

first study how they are inter-connected and how they

combine to form a whole. We must carefully study the

stars to grasp the ‘big picture’, and only then can we read

our present location and find the desired direction.

Indeed there is an entire branch of knowledge known as

astronomy, and one part of astronomy is devoted to the

study of the stars. For thousands of years before the

modern telescope was invented, numerous civilizations

achieved great sophistication in this branch of knowledge

through which stars became lamps.

Simple common sense is enough for us to recognize

that if we look at only one star, or just a few stars,

without a knowledge of the big picture that emerges from

a study of the totality of stars, we can make mistakes

when selecting direction.

It is this very lesson in methodology that Allah Most

High has taught at the very beginning of the Qur’ān

when He declared that all the angels obeyed His order to

them to prostrate before Ādam )'عليه �لسال(  except Iblīs (i.e.

Satan). It was because of methodology that the sentence

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Chapter Six

103

was divinely-constructed like this, since wrong

methodology of studying a verse in isolation (or stand-

alone) would inevitably lead to the conclusion that Iblīs

was an angel. When, on the other hand, we use the right

methodology of studying the totality of the data in the

Qur’ān, we find that Iblīs was not an Angel, and could

not have been an Angel, but, rather, was a Jinn.

It is indeed very strange that so many scholars of

Islam in a modern age which has already witnessed the

return of the Israelite Jews to Holy Jerusalem to reclaim

that town as their own, have failed to recognize the

presence of Gog and Magog in the Judeo-Christian

Zionist alliance which has brought about that momentous

return. They have made the elementary mistake of

remaining fixated on one solitary Hadīth which they

misunderstand to declare that Gog and Magog will be

released into the world only after the return of the true

Messiah, Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال), the son of the virgin

Mary. In doing so, they have ignored the Qur’ān which

declares that it explains all things, and hence must

explain that momentous return.

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

104

Locating tLocating tLocating tLocating the system of meaninghe system of meaninghe system of meaninghe system of meaning    of of of of aaaa    subject being studied subject being studied subject being studied subject being studied

in the in the in the in the QurQurQurQur’’’’āāāānnnn

In the same way that the stars in the sky cannot function

as lamps for us unless and until we study, understand and

grasp the pattern in which they are inter-connected, so

too the verses of the Qur’ān have to be studied and

understood to locate the pattern with which they are

inter-connected in order for us to discover their true

meaning. Maulānā Dr. Muhammad Fazlur Rahmān

Ansārī, the author of the great 2-volume work on the

Qur’ān entitled The Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of

Muslim Society, has described that pattern as the system of

meaning of the subject:

Now, besides consistency, the conformability of the Holy

Qur’ān in its various parts, as mentioned in the above verse,

brings us to the logic of theoretic consciousness, which, too,

is inherent in the holy book, even as the logic of religious

consciousness is enshrined therein.

The conformability, however, signifies, in the estimation of

the best Qur’anic authorities, not only uniformity of

teaching but also the principle that all the verses of the holy

book are inter-related as parts of an intelligible system –

whereby the existence of a system of meaning in the Holy

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Chapter Six

105

Qur’ān is positively established, as also the technique of the

exposition of that system.

(QFSMS, Vol. 1 p. 111.)

Not everyone is a mariner with knowledge of

navigation through the stars; so too only scholars of Islam

would devote the effort for study of the system of meaning

of a subject dealt with in the Qur’ān. That system of

meaning cannot be grasped without the simultaneous

application of both external study and internal insight.

The Qur’ān has described this integration of external and

internal knowledge as Majma’a al-Bahrain (i.e., the

meeting of the two oceans), and the model of such

scholarship was depicted in the person of someone called

Khidr who bore an uncanny epistemological resemblance

to Nabī ‘Isa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال). (See my book entitled In Search of

Khidr’s Footprints in Ākhir al-Zamān).

Harmony in the stars and in the Harmony in the stars and in the Harmony in the stars and in the Harmony in the stars and in the QurQurQurQur’’’’āāāānnnn

The Qur’ān has invited mankind to embark on a search

to find any discordance or anything which disrupts the

perfect harmony that exists in the sky above:

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

106

﴿ �ِ Hا تََر َق َسبَْع َسَماaٍ��َ ِطبَاقًا م�
َ
h َخل ِ

�
A�

ْ
óَََ َهل ْz� ِْجِعQا

َ
ِق �لر�ْ�َِن ِمن َيَفا�aٍُ ف

ْ
َخل

 ٍQُطو
ُ
َرH ِمن ف

َ
  ﴾ت

“[Hallowed be] He who has created seven heavens in full

harmony with one another: no fault will you see in the

creation of the Most Gracious. And turn your vision [upon

it] once more: can you see any flaw? – 67:3

 ُóََ ْz� َْك
َ
nِG يَنَقِلْب ِVَْي ر�

َ
óَََ ك ْz� ِْجِعQ� ُعم�

 َ�ُهَو حَ
ً
 َخاِسأ

ٌ
xِس﴾

“Yea, turn your vision [upon it] again and yet again: [and

every time] your vision will fall back upon you, dazzled and

truly defeated …”

(Qur’ān, al-Mulk, 67:3-4)

Only after having challenged mankind to find any

discrepancy or disharmony in the pattern of the stars

above, did the Qur’ān then explain that the stars were

placed in the sky as lamps (which show the way to go):

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107

نَاَها ﴿
ْ
ْغيَا بَِمَصانِيَح �ََجَعل �َما� �© َقْد Èَي�ن�ا �لس�

َ
َ�ل

ا
ً
وم

ُ
ُهْم َعَذ�Q  Nَُج

َ
ْقتَْدنَا ل

َ
��َ Vِيَاِط لش�

1
ل

 ِxِع   ﴾�لس�

“And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth

with lights, and have made them the object of futile guesses

for the evil ones [from among men]: and for them have We

readied suffering through a blazing flame –”

(Qur’ān, al-Mulk, 67:5)

The lesson in methodology that was thus taught

should have been clear to the scholars of the Qur’ān,

namely that there is perfect harmony with no

inconsistency and no contradiction in all the verses of the

Qur’ān.  Indeed this perfect harmony is a Sign of its

divine origin:

تََدب�رُ ﴿
َ
 ف
َ
ال

َ
ف
َ
� ِxْ

َ
َ� ِمْن ِعنِد ل

َ
ْو �

َ
ْر3َ� َ�ل

ُ
ق
ْ
�َ� �ل

�xًِث
َ
ا ك

ً
ف
َ
ِتال

ْ
 ِفيِه �خ

ْ
وََجُد��

َ
 ﴾�هللا1 ل

Will they not, then, try to understand this Qur’ān? Had it

issued from any but Allah, they would surely have found in it

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

108

many an inner contradiction (i.e., many verses contradicting

each other)!

(Qur’ān, al-Nisā, 4:82)

Hence in studying the verses of the Qur’ān to

discover the system of meaning of a subject, the student

must always struggle to locate that explanation which

harmoniously integrates as a perfect whole all the data in

the Qur’ān on that subject. In the same way that no star

is out of place in the sky above, so too no verse is out of

place in the Qur’ān. No verse contradicts another verse,

and no verse cancels another verse!

It would benefit the gentle reader if some examples of

the applications of that method of study of the Qur’ān of

locating the system of meaning, can be provided in this

essay, and it is to this that we now turn.

[

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109

CHAPTER SEVEN

System of meaning in the Qur’ān
on the subject of consumption of

intoxicants and curing
addiction to alcohol

[

﴿�
ُ
ل
َ
ث
َ
ن م ْغَهاQٌ م1

َ
ُمت�ُقوَ� ِفيَها �

ْ
ِ� �ُِعَد �ل

�
َن�ِة �ل

ْ
»

ْ َطْعُمُه  �xْم َفتََغ
�
ôٍَ ل

�
ْغَهاQٌ ِمن ل

َ
ا� َلxِْ 3ِسٍن َ�� م�

 VَِبQِا لش�
1
ٍ� ل

� �
A ٍْر

َ
à ْن َهاQٌ م1

ْ
غ
َ
��َ…﴾

“[Here is a description] of paradise which the God-conscious

are promised [a paradise] wherein there are rivers of water

which time does not corrupt, and rivers of milk the taste

whereof never alters, and rivers of wine delightful to those

who drink it …”

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

110

 (Qur’ān, Muhammad, 47:15)

s we search for perfect harmony in the verses of

the Qur’ān which deal with this subject, we

eventually realize that there is no cancellation or

abrogation of any of the verses. It was because of a lack of

proper methodology that some scholars of Islam were led

to the false conclusion that a later verse on this subject

cancelled an earlier verse. May Allah forgive such scholars

when, on Judgment Day, they have to answer for having

declared a verse of the blessed Qur’ān to have

been cancelled or abrogated. Only Nabī Muhammad

 could possibly have had the authority to (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

make such a declaration, and he never did so!

When we adopt the methodology of studying this

subject in the Qur’ān to locate that system of meaning

which binds or integrates all the Qur’anic data as a

harmonious and meaningful whole, we realize that the

Qur’ān has dealt with the subject in a manner designed to

achieve two objectives.

The first divine objective was to dramatically create a

community of people, absolutely unique in human

history, who would abstain totally from consumption of

intoxicating drinks even while they understood and

A

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Chapter Seven

111

recognized that wine could be enjoyed innocently

provided it did not intoxicate, and even while they lived

with the promise of such wine in paradise. This community

could then play a magnificent role as a model community

in assisting the rest of mankind to respond to the many

dangers that attend the consumption of alcohol. This

would be particularly important in Ākhir al-Zamān, or

the End-time, when the consumption of alcohol would

proliferate to such an extent as to inundate the world.

The second divine objective, which seems not to have

been recognized by those who hastened to declare a verse

of the Qur’ān on the subject to have been cancelled or

abrogated by subsequent revelation (i.e., Mansūkh), was

to deliver a divinely-ordained method for curing the

alcohol addict so that this unique community would be

able to play a strategically important role in time to come

in delivering the addict from addiction to wine and to

gambling. This represented, and still represents, a

manifestation of Divine wisdom that is truly dazzling to

behold.

The verses of the Qur’ān delivered a stage-by-stage

method through which the first divine objective was

achieved in a spectacular manner. Previous revelations

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112

had prepared the way for the final revelation which

prohibited the consumption of Khamr (i.e., alcoholic

drinks). When that final revelation came down (Qur’ān, al-

Māidah, 5:90-91), we learn from the historical record that

wine flowed down the streets of the city of Madīna. This

was perhaps, the first time in recorded human history

that an entire community of people who were habitual in

the consumption of intoxicating beverages, voluntarily

discarded all their stocks by pouring them down the

drains, and then permanently embraced total abstention

from intoxicating beverages. Why did Allah Most High

bring about this dramatic transformation, and what was

the strategy employed by the divine wisdom with which

He succeeded in this total transformation of the society?

The student of the Qur’ān who probes the revelations

to locate the system of meaning of this subject, would have

to ask the pertinent question: How do we explain that

even after a Muslim community comprised of

companions of the blessed Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) had

received all previous revelations on the subject, they still

had such ample stocks of wine in their home when the

final revelation was received, that wine flowed down the

streets of their city? How do we explain the historical fact

that even after all previous revelations had come down,

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Chapter Seven

113

there were eminent companions of the Prophet ( ص$ �هللا

 who were drinking wine when that final (عليه �سلم

revelation came down? Was it because they understood

the divine revelations on the subject to have been

directed to addicts, rather than to the community as a

whole?

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said: “I once was giving an

alcoholic beverage to Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah, Ubay ibn

Ka’b, Suhayl bin Baydaa and several of their friends meeting

at Abu Talhah’s house. When they were almost intoxicated,

some Muslims came and said, ‘Did you not know that Khamr

has been prohibited?’ They said, ‘We’ll wait and ask.’ They

then said, ‘O Anas! Spill the remaining alcohol out of your

container.’ By Allah! They never drank it again, and their

Khamr at that time was made from unripe and normal dates.”

This is also recorded in the two Sahihs (i.e. Bukhārī and

Muslim)

With the dramatic creation of a unique community

of people who abstained totally from the consumption of

alcoholic beverages, the stage was set for the world of

Islam to play a strategic role in history as the haven for

cure of alcohol addicts. The stage was set for hearts of

very large numbers of people in affected parts of the

world to eventually beat in gratitude to the world of

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

114

Islam and perhaps, to also recognize Truth in the Qur’ān.

This book points out that the moment in history for

Islam to play such a role, has now arrived!

In order, however, for Muslims to function as a

haven for the cure of alcohol addicts, Muslims have to

understand the second divine objective of the Qur’anic

system of meaning which delivered a method to cure the

addict. That method delivered a stage-by-stage cure.

Before beginning the process of dramatic

transformation of the Muslim society in respect of the

consumption of wine, the Qur’ān first appealed to them

to think. The same fruit trees which produced

intoxicating beverages such as wine, also produced

wholesome food (Qur’ān, al-Nahl, 16:67). People were

invited to think and to realize that both wine and food

had thus been provided by Allah Most High, and

mankind should ponder and reflect over the divine

wisdom that was now being manifested in the revelations

of the Qur’ān on this subject.

Not only had Allah Most High created the fruit trees

from whose fruits wine was pressed, but He had very

clearly described the life of heaven as one in which the

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Chapter Seven

115

believers would enjoy Khamr (i.e., wine) innocently, i.e.,

without the dangerously harmful effects of intoxication

and of addiction. There was powerful imagery in the

description of that heavenly life with its innocent

enjoyment of wine. It was meant to compensate for the

coming loss of the same innocent enjoyment of wine in

this world:

ن ﴿ ْغَهاQٌ م1
َ
ُمت�ُقوَ� ِفيَها �

ْ
ِ� �ُِعَد �ل

�
َن�ِة �ل

ْ
َمثَُل �«

ْ َطْعُمُه  �xْم َفتََغ
�
ôٍَ ل

�
ْغَهاQٌ ِمن ل

َ
ا� َلxِْ 3ِسٍن َ�� م�

 ٌQَها
ْ
غ
َ
ْن  َ�� َهاQٌ م1

ْ
غ
َ
��َ VَِبQِا لش�

1
ٍ� ل

� �
A ٍْر

َ
à ْن م1

 aَِمَر��õ�
1 ُ
�ُهْم ِفيَها ِمن

َ
َص÷ö َ�ل �َعَسٍل م

 Qِا�j� �ِ ٌ©َِمْن ُهَو َخا
َ
ب1ِهْم ك �Q ن َ�َمْغِفَرٌ� م1

ْمَعا�ُهمْ
َ
َع � يًما َفَقط�  ﴾ �َُسُقو� َما� َ�ِ

“[Here is a description] of paradise which the God-conscious

are promised [a paradise] wherein there are rivers of water

which time does not corrupt, and rivers of milk the taste

whereof never alters, and rivers of wine delightful to those

who drink it, and rivers of honey of all impurity cleansed,

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

116

and the enjoyment of all the fruits [of their good deeds] and

of forgiveness from their Lord-God: can this [parable of

paradise] be likened unto [the parable of the recompense of]

such as are to abide in the fire and be given waters of burning

despair to drink, so that it will tear their bowels asunder?”

(Qur’ān, Muhammad, 47:15)

و'ٍ ﴿
ُ
ت
ْ �
ø ِحيٍق�Q ِمن

َ
ْو�

َ
ق
ْ
س
ُ
 ﴾ ي

“They will be given a drink of pure wine whereon the seal [of

Allah] will have been set.”

ُمتَنَا﴿
ْ
ِس �ل

َ
نَاف

َ
يَت
ْ
ل
َ
 ف

َ
لِك

َ
F }ِ�َ

ٌ
 ِمْسك

ُ
 ِختَاُمه

َ
و�

ُ
 ﴾ فِس

“pouring forth with a fragrance of musk. To that [wine of

paradise], then, let all such aspire as [are willing to] aspire to

things of high account.”

(Qur’ān, al-Mutaffifīn, 83:25-26)

﴿ َVِص
َ
ل
ْ
ُمخ

ْ
 �هللا�ِ �ل

َ
Rِعبَا

�
ُهْم Gِ  ~ٌÈْQِال

َ
َِك ل

َ
ù�ْ

ُ
�

و'ٌ
ُ
ْعل  فََو�ِكُه �َُهم   م�

َ
َرُمو�

ْ
ك �ا  aِ م

�
ِ� َجن

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117

ابِِل�j�   َVِعيمِ
َ
ق
َ
ت
�
Qٍ م ُ

ُ
�

َ َ
�   يِْهم

َ
 َعل

ُ
oَطا

ُ
ف

 ٍVِع
�
ٍ� ِمن م

ْ
أ
َ
اQِب  َVِ بِك

�
لش

1
ٍ� ل

� َ
A ا�

َ
ض

ْ
  َني

و�َ
ُ
 ُهْم َقنَْها يgَُف

َ
 َ�ال

ٌ
fْو

َ
 ِفيَها غ

َ
   ﴾ال

“Not so, however, Allah’s true servants; [in the hereafter,]

theirs shall be a sustenance which they will recognize; as the

fruits [of their life on earth]; and honored shall they be; in

gardens of bliss: facing one another [in love] upon thrones of

happiness; A cup will be passed round among them [with a

drink] from unsullied springs: clear, delightful to those who

drink it; no headiness will be in it, and they will not get

intoxicated thereon.”

(Qur’ān, al-Saffāt, 37:40-47)

The important lesson was taught that heaven was a

place where believers can enjoy wine innocently without

the grave dangers that attend intoxication, and therefore

without any possibility of ever becoming helplessly

intoxicated addicts.

A time would come when alcohol would become one

of the most dangerous weapons with which Shaitān (i.e.,

Satan) would attack mankind, and the Qur’ān was about

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118

to respond to that coming danger.

The Qur’ān  recognized a similarity between

intoxicants and gambling (Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:219). Both

are addictive! In the same way that healthy food was

contrasted to harmful addiction to alcohol, so too, honest

livelihood through sweat and labor, was contrasted to the

lack of honesty and integrity inherent in gambling. In

creating a community that would abstain totally from all

forms of gambling (including lottery), the Divine wisdom

again dazzled with splendor at the role that this

community was destined to play in history in curing

addition to gambling as well.

The Qur’ān recognized that there was some benefit in

both intoxicants and gambling, but that the harm thereof

was greater than the benefit. Those who received this

divine warning were now rationally challenged to enquire

into both the individual and collective benefits and harm

that accrue to the individual and the society from

intoxicants and from gambling. What is the impact of

alcohol on the digestive system? – Circulatory system? –

Nervous system? What are the psychological and moral

effects of alcohol on the individual? What are the

sociological effects of alcohol on society and, in

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119

particular, the family?  What is the economic cost of

alcohol in respect of health services, economic activity,

accidents etc.?

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) spoke prophetically

to the addict when he declared of the dangers of alcohol

(when it intoxicates), that it is the key to all evil (hence it

is like playing with fire):

“Do not drink wine for it is the key to all evils.”

(Sunan, Ibn Mājah)

Any rational enquiry into the harmful effects of the

consumption of alcohol was certain to confirm the

Qur’anic position that the ‘harm’ is greater than the

‘benefit’.

As a consequence of this first stage of the process, not

only would the society as a whole have a better

understanding of the subject, but there would be some

addicts who would abstain from intoxicants on the basis

of their understanding of the danger it posed either to

themselves personally, or to the society; and such

understanding would be reinforced when they ponder

over the similarity between alcohol and gambling, both

being addictive and both capable of inflicting great

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120

personal and collective harm. Thus the strategically

important result of first stage of the Qur’anic method was

the creation of a group of addicts who now refrained

from the consumption of alcohol on the basis of rational

conviction. They constituted a model of common sense

and good sense which the other addicts could observe and

emulate. The first stage of the process thus concluded in a

manner that witnessed an appeal, both theoretical and

concrete, to the rationality and common sense with which

every alcoholic, as a human being, was endowed by his

Creator.

Clearly, if the remaining addicts were ever to be

weaned away from alcohol and gambling, it would not

suffice to appeal to their rational consciousness. A

different stage in the process was required if such addicts

were to be cured of addiction to alcohol.

While the first stage of Qur’anic method was directed

to the entire society, including the addicts, and was based

on an appeal to rationality, the second stage was directed

to only those addicted to alcohol and witnessed a multi-

dimensional embrace on the addict’s inner being – his

emotional personality and its attachment to a world that

was sacred – employing psychology, sociology and

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spirituality.

Contrary to both popular opinion as well as the

opinion of many scholars of Islam through the ages, this

stage of the Qur’anic revelation on the subject remains

valid and can be eternally applied, i.e., until the end of

time. The mistake which was made was the assumption

that this stage of revelation of the Qur’ān  was applicable

to the entire society.

The second stage in the Qur’anic revelation on the

subject was delayed until such time when the House of

Allah (Masjid) was built in Madīna and Salāt (or prayer)

was established as an institution in the individual and

collective lives of the believers. Their hearts were now

attached to Salāt (prayer) at home as well as in the

Masjid. Indeed Salāt and the Masjid had become the most

powerful concrete symbols in their daily life of the entire

world of the sacred.

The second stage of the Qur’anic revelation (Qur’ān, al-

Nisā, 4:43) prohibited those who were intoxicated from

performing Salāt. Such people were therefore also

prohibited from visiting the Masjid for the purpose of

performing Salāt.

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This prohibition was related to the world of the

sacred, and the sacred was always something that

impacted with tremendous power on the emotions as well

as the intellect. A mother, for example, is always

recognized as sacred; and so there is profound emotional

pain when one is barred from approaching his or her

mother. This can take the form of a mother turning a

wayward son out of her home. So too would there be

tremendous pain in the heart of a believer when he is

prohibited from standing before Allah, His Lord, to

worship Him in Salāt, or from entering His holy house,

the Masjid, for the purpose of performing Salāt. The

drunks who were addicted to alcohol, and could not

easily give it up, now began to hate alcohol since it

caused them such tremendous pain. This was the stage of

psychological demonization and it could not be pursued

if the individual did not possess some consciousness of a

world that is truly sacred, – and forever sacred. Only

religion has a conception of the sacred. The secular west

has lost consciousness of the world of the sacred.

The beauty in the psychology of the Qur’anic

method, perceptible only to those who pursue the Islamic

spiritual quest (al-Ihsān or Tasawwuf), was the

magnificent manner in which it embraced both the

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rational and the spiritual consciousness in human nature

and made profound use of both of them in delivering a

profound emotional shock capable of breaking the

addiction to alcohol.

The beauty in the sociology of the Qur’anic method,

on the other hand, was the equally magnificent manner in

which it exploited the herd or group instinct in

attempting to cure the addict.

The Qur’anic method revealed that an emotional jolt

that comes from a rejection associated with the sacred

could be enough to deliver to the addict the inner

strength with which to stop drinking alcohol. Indeed it

can force a sinner to stop committing sin altogether.

The very heart of the method of the Qur’ān

therefore, is the use of love for individual and collective

worship (Salāt) to cure drug addiction and alcoholism.

In the second stage as well, there is a continuation of

the process of education commenced in the first stage.

The revelation prohibited the drunk from entering the

Masjid for prayer until such time as he could understand

what he was saying. There was therefore the clear

implication that a person in the state of intoxication

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124

could say anything, make an utter fool of himself, insult

others, and can even insult Allah, Most High, and His

Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم). Elementary human reason would

show such behavior to be harmful and potentially

dangerous.

The third stage of the divine method witnessed

legislation prohibiting both the consumption of alcohol

as well as gambling (Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:90-91).

Even while the absolute prohibition was being

promulgated, the Qur’ān  still continued with the process

of education by warning the believers that Satan exploits

the opportunities created by intoxicants to his advantage.

He breaks up the unity, fraternity and solidarity of the

social order and creates enmity and hatred between

people. He also succeeds in hindering people from prayer

and from the remembrance of Allah, Most High.

In the third stage the Qur’ān  significantly restricted

itself to the promulgation of the prohibition of

intoxicants, and left it to the Prophet to explain and

apply the law. Thus the Prophet (  ruled that ( عليه �سلمص$ �هللا

it was unlawful to drink any drink that intoxicates.

The philosophy of punishment, as determined

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through the Qur’ān, is directed to one of three basic

objectives. Punishment can be retributive, deterrent, or

reformatory. The third stage had made the consumption

of alcohol and all intoxicants to be Harām (prohibited).

However the Qur’ān did not prescribe any punishment

for those who violated the prohibition of consumption of

alcohol. This was so perhaps, because of the fact that

addiction to alcohol constituted a disease. People have

differences in their biological constitutions, and so they

react differently to alcohol. It would have been ethically

repugnant to punish someone who was helpless in respect

of abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, and had

not been given enough time to cure himself. It was an

eloquent testimony to the wisdom of the gradual

approach of the Qur’ān  that it was left to the believers to

determine when it would be appropriate (if at all) to

promulgate the gentle beating that Nabī Muhammad ( ص$ �هللا

 and the believers now inflicted on those who (عليه �سلم

persisted in consuming alcohol.

The primary function of that gentle beating was

therapeutic, i.e., to help the addict to summon the inner

resources to abstain from drinking. It was not

punishment! It did not, and should not, be recognized as

part of any penal code. Neither did the Qur’ān, nor did

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126

the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), prescribe any punishment for

the consumption of alcohol.

The system of meaning now requires that we probe to

locate the reason why the divine wisdom brought about a

dramatic and unique transformation of a society in which

the consumption alcohol did not appear to be a great

problem, into one of such complete abstinence.

Our response, and Allah Knows best, is that the

divine wisdom brought about this dramatic

transformation of society in order to present a model to a

world which would be inundated in Ākhir al-Zamān with

alcohol, alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction –

which is the world today. The model was meant to

deliver a message of hope to those who were drowning in

alcohol and other forms of drug addiction that it was

possible to live a life of happiness and satisfaction

without the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This

vital and powerful instrument of D’awah (or calling

mankind to ‘truth’) appears not to have been understood,

nor as yet applied.

The divine wisdom also presented to the world a

Qur’anic method for curing alcoholism and other forms

of drug addiction. (See my book entitled The Qur’anic Method of

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127

Curing Alcoholism and Drug Addiction.) This wonderful

instrument of D’awah which could be applied today with

spectacular results, appears also to have been lost because

of the error that was committed in not recognizing that

Allah Most Wise had delivered an eternally valid method

of curing alcoholism and no stage in the process was ever,

or will ever, be abrogated or cancelled.

There are some scholars of Islam who have been

persuaded that the Qur’anic revelations pertaining to the

consumption of alcohol have been subjected to Naskh

(the principle of abrogation of one divine revelation by

another). They build their argument on the basis of the

following verse of the Qur’ān:

 �ْ
َ
نَْها � xٍْ م1

َúِ aِ
ْ
ْ� نُنِسَها نَأ

َ
﴿َما نَنَسْخ ِمْن 3يٍَة �

ٍ� قَِديٌر﴾ ْ َ
�

1
�ُ َ

َ
��� �هللا� َ

َ
ْم �

َ
ْم َيْعل

َ
ل
َ
  ِمثِْلَها �

“Any (Divinely-revealed) verse or message which We cancel,

abrogate, or cause to be forgotten, We replace with a better

or a similar one. Do you not know that Allah has the power

over all things?”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:106)

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In their view, subsequent Qur’anic revelation

abrogated (Naskh) previous revelation in the Qur’ān  on

this subject. They also hold the view that once a Qur’anic

revelation was subjected to Naskh, it ceased to possess any

operational validity. It is amazing that they should hold

such a view, when he who was commissioned by Allah,

Most High, to teach the Qur’ān, never expressed such a

view.  Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) never declared of

any verse of the Qur’ān, that it was abrogated. Secondly,

all those who expressed opinions that verses of the Qur’ān

were abrogated were doing nothing more profound than

expressing a mere opinion. Thirdly, they differed

amongst themselves to such an extent that there is no

agreement regarding the number of verses alleged to have

been abrogated. Fourthly, even eminent companions of

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) are alleged to have

opposite opinions on the subject, and these have been

recorded in the Sahīh of Imām al-Bukhārī.

The further amazing implication of the acceptance of

such a view is that the Qur’anic method of dealing with

alcohol and drugs was applied only once in history, and

could never be applied again.

In response to a hypothetical situation in which an

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alcoholic wished to take the Shahādah (i.e., declaration of

faith) and become a Muslim in this age, such scholars

would require him to first cure himself of his alcoholism

before taking the Shahādah. The reason for this is the

certainty that he would have to be punished for drinking

alcohol when once he became a Muslim. But how is he to

be cured of his alcoholism in this age other than through

the Qur’anic method? Such scholars have no answer!

If we reject belief in the internal application of Naskh

to the Qur’ān  it would be possible for us to respond in a

different way to the alcoholic who wished to take the

Shahādah  (i.e., declaration of faith) and enter into Islam.

We would invite him to take the Shahādah even though

he was still an alcoholic. We would then take him stage-

by-stage through the Qur’anic method until, at the very

end, we would respond with a gentle beating if he were to

still drink alcohol. If the alcoholic was not Muslim, and

came to the Muslim community for help, then he could

be taken through all the stages, provided that the gentle

beating at the end – if it becomes necessary – would not

be applied without his prior consent.

The student of the Qur’ān should now find great

benefit in searching for and locating the system of meaning

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130

with which the Qur’ān deals with subjects such as slavery,

concubinage (i.e., Milk al-Yamīn), the recovery of

Pharaoh’s body, Nabī Ibrāhīm’s (Abraham 'عليه �لسال), dream

of sacrifice of his son, and Muslim relations with

Christians, Jews, the Torah, Psalms and Gospel, etc.

We now proceed to apply the methodology of

locating the system of meaning in the Qur’ān in respect of

the critically important Āyāt Mutashābihāt of the Qur’ān.

We offer analysis and interpretation while examining

such subjects such as Muslim relations with the Christian

and the Jew, and with their Revealed Scriptures (i.e., the

Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel), the Muqatta’āt of the

Qur’ān, the dream of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال),

the preservation of Pharaoh’s body, and Pax Qarnain.

(These strange terms are explained in the Chapter 9).

[

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CHAPTER EIGHT

System of meaning in the Qur’ān in the
matter of Muslim relations with
the Christian, the Jew, the Torah,

Psalms and Gospel

[

ًة َ��ِحَد�ً …﴿ م�
ُ
ُكْم �

َ
ََعل

َ
» �ْو َشا� �هللا

َ
 ﴾… َ�ل

“… And if Allah had so willed, He could surely have made

you all one single community …”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:48)

﴿ HَQَصا�j��َ
ْ
��Rُيَن َها ِ

�
A��َ

ْ
يَن 3َمنُو� ِ

�
A� ��Gِ

َْوِ' �آلِخِر �ََعِمَل
ْ
n��َ َِمْن 3َمَن بِاهللا� Vَِابِئ َ��لص�

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132

ٌ

oَْخو
َ
ْجُرُهْم ِعنَد Qَب1ِهْم َ�ال

َ
ُهْم �

َ
 فَل

ً
َصاUِا

 ُهمْ
َ
يِْهْم َ�ال

َ
  َعل

َ
و�

ُ
ن
َ
ز
ْ َ
Ñ﴾

“VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine

scripture], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and

the Christians, and the Sabians – all who believe in Allah and

the Last Day and do righteous deeds – shall have their reward

with their Lord-God; and no fear need they have, and neither

shall they grieve.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:62)

و� 3َمن�ا بِ …﴿
ُ
ول
ُ
 َ�ق

َ
fنِز

ُ
ْنَا َ��

َ
nGِ

َ
fنِز

ُ
� h ِ

�
Aا

ُهُكْم َ��ِحدٌ
َ
ُهنَا i�َِل

َ
ُْكْم i�َِل

َ
nGِ…﴾

“… And say (to them, i.e., Christians and Jews) we believe in

that which was sent down (as Divine revelation) to us, as well

as in that which was sent down to you; and our God and

your God is One (i.e., one and the same) …”

(Qur’ān, al-Ankabūt, 29:46)

he Qur’ān has made mention of previously revealed

scriptures by name. It has referred to the Taurāt T

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133

(i.e., Torah) that was sent down to Nabī Mūsa (Moses

 the Zabūr (i.e., Psalms) that were sent down to ,(عليه �لسال'

Nabī Dāūd (David 'عليه �لسال), and the Injīl (i.e., Gospel)

that was sent down to Nabī ‘Īsa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال). But at the

very beginning of the Qur’ān, when Allah Most High

declared that this scripture was sent down as guidance to

those who have fear of Him in their hearts, He proceeded

to describe the beliefs of those who truly fear Him, and

declared that, among other things, they have faith in

previously revealed scriptures:

 ِمن ﴿
َ
fنِز

ُ
َْك َ�َما �

َ
nِG

َ
fنِز

ُ
يَن يُْؤِمنُوَ� بَِما � ِ

�
A��

 ﴾َقبِْلَك َ�بِاآلِخَرِ� ُهْم يُوقِنُو�َ

“And who believe in that which has been bestowed from on

high upon you, [O Prophet, i.e., the Qur’ān] as well as in

that which was sent down before your time (i.e., the Torah,

the Psalms and the Gospel):  for it is they who in their

innermost are certain of the life to come!”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:4)

The Qur’ān proceeded to make specific mention

concerning names and scriptures, previous to Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) and the Qur’ān, and ordered

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134

those who followed him and submitted to the Qur’ān,

that they must declare their belief in that which came

before:

﴿
َ
fنِز

ُ
ْنَا َ�َما �

َ
nGِ

َ
fنِز

ُ
 3َمن�ا بِاهللا1 َ�َمآ �

ْ
و�
ُ
ول
ُ
ق

 Nَِْسَحَق َ�َيْعُقوi�َ
َ
 Gِبَْر�ِهيَم i�َِْسَماِقيل

َ
kِG

 َØِ�
ُ
�Øَِ ُموÜَ �َِعيَ¾ َ�َما �

ُ
َ��ألْسبَاæِ َ�َما �

 َVَْن ~ُ  ُغَفر1
َ
ب1ِهْم ال �Q وَ� ِمن� ��jِبي

ْ
م
ُ
ه
ْ
ن
1
ٍد م

َ
ح
َ
�

َ
ُ ُمْسِلُمو�

َ
ُن �

ْ َ
��َ ﴾

Say ye: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us,

and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and

that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all)

prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between

one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:136)

Shortly after this opening statement the Qur’ān

proceeded to address those who received those previous

revealed scriptures, advising them to believe in this new

scripture which confirmed what they had received in the

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135

scriptures sent down to them, and warned them not to be

the first to reject this new scripture:

﴿
َ
َما َمَعُكْم َ�ال

1
 ل
ً
قا ُت ُمَصد1

ْ
نَزل

َ
 بَِما �

ْ
3�َِمنُو�

فٍِر بِِه
َ
�

َ
f ��

َ
�
ْ
 ﴾.…تَُكونُو�

“And do believe in that which I have [now] bestowed from

on high, which confirms the truth that is already with you,

and be not the first of those who deny its truth …”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:41)

Finally the Qur’ān declared that the function of the

new scripture was not just to confirm truth that had

previously been sent down in the Torah, Psalms and

Gospel, but also to guard and protect that truth so that it

cannot ever be distorted or lost. The Qur’ān can, of

course, perform this function since it is divinely

protected and thus can never itself be changed in any

way, and can never be lost.

The verse continued to recognize that while Truth is

one, the Divine wisdom has ordained that several separate

religious communities should emerge, each with its one

code of law and own spiritual path to that one truth:

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136

﴿ َVَْما َن
1
ا ل
ً
ق َق1 ُمَصد1

ْ
Uبِا Nَِكتَا

ْ
 �ل

َ
ْك

َ
nِG َا

ْ
jنَز

َ
��َ

ْ
ِه ِمَن �ل

ْ
ي
َ
يِْه فَاْحُكم يَد

َ
ِكتَاNِ َ�ُمَهيِْمنًا َعل

ا  ْهَو��ُهْم َقم�
َ
 تَت�ِبْع �

َ
نَزfَ �هللا� َ�ال

َ
بَيْنَُهم بَِما �

ً
نَا ِمنُكْم ºَِْعة

ْ
 َجَعل

· ُ
َق1 ِل¸

ْ
U� ِمَن yََجا�

ًة َ��ِحَدً�  م�
ُ
ُكْم �

َ
ََعل

َ
» �ْو َشا� �هللا

َ
َ�ِمنَْهاًجا َ�ل

ْم ِ�
ُ
َو^

ُ
َبْل

1
n ِكن

َ
َمآ 3تَاُكم فَاْستَِبُقو� َ�ل

يًعا َفيُنَب1ئُُكم   �هللا َمرِْجُعُكْم ¹َِ
َ
kِG aِ� َxَْ¶�

ْتَِلُفو�َ
َ
نتُْم ِفيِه ½

ُ
  ﴾بَِما ك

To you (O Muhammad) We sent the Scripture (i.e., the

Qur’ān) in Truth, confirming the Scriptures that came before

it (i.e., the Torah, Psalms and Gospel), and guarding (them)

in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed,

and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth

that hath come to you. To each among you have we

prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He

would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to

test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in

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137

all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah. It is He Who will

show you the truth of the matters in which you dispute;

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:48)

The Qur’ān was not revealed, therefore, to invalidate

and replace the previous scriptures, and the laws and

spiritual paths that were prescribed for those religious

communities of mainly Christians and Jews. While it is

true that Allah Most High has sometimes changed the old

law and replaced it with a new law for a new religious

community, it is important to note that the new law

never differed from the old law. Rather, the new law was

either similar or better than the old law:

﴿ �ْ
َ
نَْها � xٍْ م1

َúِ aِ
ْ
ْ� نُنِسَها نَأ

َ
َما نَنَسْخ ِمْن 3يٍَة �

ٍ� قَِدير ْ َ
�

1
�ُ َ

َ
��� �هللا� َ

َ
ْم �

َ
ْم َيْعل

َ
ل
َ
  ﴾ٌِمثِْلَها �

“None of Our (previous) revelations do We abrogate or cause

to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or

similar: Do you not know that Allah has power over all

things?”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:106)

It is also important for us to note that the new law

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138

did not invalidate the old law for the religious

community which followed the old law. Sometimes the

new law emerged in order to distinguish the new

community from the older ones. This is precisely what

happened when the Qiblah (i.e., direction of prayer) was

changed from the old Qiblah, i.e., in Jerusalem, to the

new Qiblah, i.e., in Makkah:

﴿
َ
ك

�
َن
1
nنَُو

َ
ل
َ
َما� ف  ِ� �لس�

َ
ِهك

ْ
َب �َج

�
ل
َ
ق
َ
َرH ي

َ
 ن
ْ
د
َ
ق

ِجِد
ْ
َمس

ْ
َر �ل

ْ
ط

َ
 ش

َ
ك

َ
ه
ْ
 �َج

1
fَو

َ
ا ف

َ
اه

َ
رْض

َ
 ت

ً
ة
َ
ل
ْ
قِب

 cُُُجوَِهُكْم َشْطَر�
ْ
و�
�
نتُْم فََول

ُ
ََر�ِ' �ََحيُْث َما ك

ْ
U�

 �َق
ْ
U� ن�ُه

َ
ُموَ� ك

َ
َْعل

َ
n Nَِكتَا

ْ
 �ل

ْ
ْ�تُو�

ُ
يَن � ِ

�
A� ��iِ�َ

و�َ مِ
ُ
ا َفْعَمل ب1ِهْم َ�َما �هللا� بَِغافٍِل َقم� �Q ن﴾

“We see the turning of your face (for guidance to the

heavens: now We will turn you to a Qiblah that shall please

you. Turn then your face in the direction of the sacred

Mosque: Wherever you are, turn your faces in that direction.

The people of the Book know well that that is the truth from

their Lord. Nor is Allah unmindful of what they do.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:144)

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Those who criticized the change from Jerusalem to

Makkah were castigated in the Qur’ān in unusually harsh

language as fools:

ُهْم َعن ﴿
�
َفَها� ِمَن ��jاِ� َما َ�ال � �لس

ُ
fَسيَُقو

ِتهِ
َ
ل
ْ
ُ~ قِب َمْ§ِ

ْ
1 �ل يَْها قُل هللا1

َ
 َعل

ْ
ِ� َ�نُو�

�
ُم �ل

 æٍ� َçِ
َ
kِG ا�

َ
ِدh َمن يَش

ْ
ه
َ
رNُِ ف

ْ
َمغ
ْ
َ��ل

ِقيمٍ
َ
ْست

�
  ﴾م

“The fools among the people will say: “What hath turned

them from the Qiblah to which they were used?” Say: To

Allah belong both east and west: He guides whom He will to

a Way that is straight.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:142)

The Qur’ān proceeded to explain that Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) was guided, upon his arrival in

Madīna after his migration from Makkah, to turn to

Jerusalem in prayer. This was indeed a very difficult thing

for an Arab to do since he venerated the Ka’aba that was

built by Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال), in Makkah as

the center of the sacred world, and it had functioned as

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140

his Qiblah for ages. If he turned, while located in

Madīna, towards Jerusalem, his back would be turned to

the Ka’aba in Makkah.

The divine wisdom in this matter was explained in

the Qur’ān as Allah’s way wherewith He distinguished

those Muslims who truly followed the Prophet ( ص$ �هللا عليه

 from those who would refuse to do so (because it (�سلم

would be so difficult for them to turn their backs to

Makkah in prayer):

﴿… ِG يَْها
َ
نَت َعل

ُ
ِ� ك

�
 �ل

َ
ة
َ
ِقبْل

ْ
نَا �ل

ْ
 َ�َما َجَعل

�
ال

 َعِقبَيِْه
َ
�ن يَنَقِلُب َ  ِمم�

َ
fَم َمن يَت�ِبُع �لر�ُسو

َ
jَِْعل

يَن َهَدH �هللا� َ�َما  ِ
�
A�

َ
�َ

�
ِبG �ًxَِال

َ
ك
َ
نَْت ل

َ
� �iِ�َ

َ�َ� �هللا� nُِِضيَع Gِيَمانَُكْم ��Gِ �هللا� بِا�jاِ�
 �Qِحيمٌ

ٌ
o�pَُر

َ
  ﴾ل

“… and We appointed the Qiblah to which you were

accustomed, only to test those who followed the Messenger

from those who would turn on their heels (from the Faith).

Indeed it was (a change) momentous, except to those guided

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141

by Allah. And never would Allah make your faith of no

effect. For Allah is to all people most surely, full of Kindness,

Most Merciful.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:143)

The Qur’ān concluded the divine explanation of the

subject by informing the Prophet and his followers that

Christians and Jews will never give up Jerusalem as their

Qiblah. Hence when they, the Christians and Jews, turn

to their Qiblah, the Muslims should remain steadfast in

turning to the Ka’aba, and neither they (Christians and

Jews) nor the Muslims should turn to each other’s

Qiblah:

 3يٍَة ﴿
1
ِكتَاNَ بُِكل

ْ
 �ل
ْ
ْ�تُو�

ُ
يَن � ِ

�
A� َييَْت

َ
� ْ ِ́

َ
َ�ل

تَُهْم َ�َما
َ
نَت بِتَابٍِع قِبْل

َ
تََك َ�َما �

َ
 قِبْل

ْ
ا تَِبُعو� م�

ِ �ي�بَْعَت  ِ́
َ
 َنْعٍض َ�ل

َ
ة
َ
َنْعُضُهم بِتَابٍِع قِبْل

ً
�FَGِ ن�َكGِ ِم

ْ
ِعل

ْ
ن َنْعِد َما َجا�yَ ِمَن �ل ْهَو��ُهم م1

َ
�

مِ
�
الِِمVَ ل

�
  ﴾َن �لظ

“Even if you were to bring to the people of the Book all the

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142

Signs (together), they would not follow your Qiblah; nor

should you follow their Qiblah; nor indeed will they follow

each other’s Qiblah. If, after knowledge has reached you, you

were to follow their (vain) desires, then you would indeed be

(clearly) in the wrong.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:145)

In other words, even though Allah Most High had

ordained Naskh (i.e., cancellation or abrogation) in the

matter of the old Qiblah in Jerusalem and had replaced it

with a new Qiblah in Makkah, the Jews and Christians

were not only permitted to continue to pray in the

direction of the old Qiblah in Jerusalem but, in addition,

both the old religious communities and the new religious

community were ordered to respect each other’s Qiblah.

The implication of Jews and Christians retaining

Jerusalem as their Qiblah, is a Divine recognition that

they were a people who still had a significant part of

Truth with them.  It is to that status of Christians and

Jews that we must now direct our attention.

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143

What is the status of ChristiansWhat is the status of ChristiansWhat is the status of ChristiansWhat is the status of Christians    and Jewsand Jewsand Jewsand Jews    when judged by when judged by when judged by when judged by

the the the the QurQurQurQur’’’’āāāānnnn????

ُمُر�َ� ﴿
ْ
ْخرَِجْت لِلن�اِ� تَأ

ُ
ٍة � م�

ُ
� َxْنتُْم َخ

ُ
ك

ِر َ�تُْؤِمنُوَ� بِاهللا1
َ
ُمنك

ْ
َمْعُر�oِ َ�َينَْهْوَ� َعِن �ل

ْ
بِال

نُْهُم  ُهم م1
�
� ل ًxَْخ �َvَ

َ
ِكتَاNِ ل

ْ
ْهُل �ل

َ
ْو 3َمَن �

َ
َ�ل

َفاِسُقو�َ
ْ
َ�ُُهُم �ل

ْ
ك
َ
ُمْؤِمنُوَ� َ��

ْ
 ﴾ �ل

“You (Muslims) are an excellent community evolved (by

divine wisdom) for the sake of mankind, (provided that you)

enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in

Allah. If only the People of the Book (i.e., Jews and

Christians) believed (in Muhammad as a Prophet of the One

God and in the Qur’ān as His revealed Word), it were best

for them: amongst them there are those who have faith, but

most of them are perverted transgressors.”

(Qur’ān, Ale ‘Imran, 3:110)

In consequence of the above unambiguous

declaration by Allah Most High in which He has affirmed

that amongst the Christians and Jews (i.e., the People of

the Book) there are those who have faith, while most of

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144

them are sinful in conduct, the system of meaning in the

Qur’ān on the subject must be one with which we can

identify and demarcate the two groups, i.e., those who act

in a manner consistent with a people who have faith, and

those whose conduct is manifestly sinful.

A people who have faith would not harbor feelings of

hatred in their hearts for the believers in Allah Most

High. Nor would a people who have faith become friends

and allies of those whose hearts are filled with such

hatred. Hence we can easily identify those amongst the

Christians and Jews who are a people without faith.

The Qur’ān quite explicitly identifies the community

of Jews to be a people whose hearts will display great

hatred for Islam and Muslims. This was manifest in the

life-time of Nabī Muhammad ( �هللا عليه �سلمص$  ), and has once

again manifested itself in the modern age in which Jews

have created the Zionist Movement:

﴿
ْ
يَن 3َمنُو� ِ

�
ث
1
َشد� ��jاِ� َعَد�َ�ً� ل

َ
َِجَد�� � َã

 َ
َ
ã�َ

ْ
و�
ُ
^ َºْ

َ
يَن � ِ

�
A��َ Rََُهو

ْ
n� �ً �Rَو َرَبُهْم م�

ْ
ق
َ
ِجَد�� �

 ��
َ
لَِك بِأ

َ
F HَQن�ا نََصاGِ

ْ
َو�
ُ
ال
َ
يَن ق ِ

�
A�

ْ
يَن 3َمنُو� ِ

�
ث
1
ل

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145

 َ��ُ¤ِ
ْ
 يَْستَك

َ
غ�ُهْم ال

َ
يِسQ�َ Vَُْهبَانًا َ�ك  ﴾ ِمنُْهْم قِس1

“Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt you

find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to

the believers wilt you find those who say, “We are

Christians”: because amongst them are priests (who devote

their lives to teaching and administering religious rites) and

men who have embraced monasticism (and have hence

renounced the world), and they are not arrogant.”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:82)

Not only did the Qur’ān identify in the above verse

the community of Jews as the People of the Book who are

without faith, but it also went on to identify those

(amongst the People of the Book) who display love and

affection for Muslims – and hence display an important

sign of faith. They are a people who declare of themselves

that: “We are Christians”.

Christians who displayed love and affection for Islam

and for Muslims did appear in early Islam when the

Negus of Abyssinia (i.e., modern-day Ethiopia) rejected

the request of Makkah to repatriate the Muslims (who

were slaves or semi-slaves) who had fled from persecution

and oppression in Makkah, and had sought asylum in

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146

Abyssinia. Indeed, when the Negus died, and the news of

his death reached Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) in

Madīna, he performed the funeral prayer for him, thus

recognizing him as a Christian who had faith in Allah

Most High despite some of his Christian beliefs. There is

absolutely no evidence from Prophet Muhammad

 who conducted that funeral prayer, that ,(ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

the Negus had renounced his belief in Jesus as the son of

God, or that he had ceased to worship Jesus as God; nor

do we have any such evidence from the community of

Christians of whom he was the leader. When there is no

such evidence from these two primary sources, evidence

from self-serving secondary sources is of no scholarly

value.

It is certain that such Christians will once again

emerge in the historical process in a time-frame that will

match the contemporary emergence of Zionist Jews who

display unprecedented hatred for Islam and Muslims.

That hatred is most visible in their barbarous oppression

of the innocent people of Gaza in the Holy Land.

The verse of the Qur’ān provides important signs by

which such Christians who would be closest in love and

affection for Muslims, will be identified:

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Chapter Eight

147

1. They will be a Christian people who preserve the

institution of priesthood and whose priests, from

their Patriarch down to the lowest Priest, will

demonstrate genuine love and affection for Islam

and Muslims. This most certainly excludes the

Vatican and the Roman Catholic faith, the

Anglican Church (of England), and all other

Christian churches in western Christianity.

2. They will be a Christian people who preserve the

institution of monasticism, and whose monks will

display love and affection for Islam and Muslims.

This most certainly excludes western Christianity

which has almost totally abandoned monasticism

and the monastic way of life.

3. They will be a Christian people in whose conduct

there is no arrogance. This again excludes those

Christians who brought modern western

civilization into being with an unprecedentedly

arrogant agenda of imposing its unjust and

oppressive rule over all of mankind at the point of

a naked blood-stained sword.

4. They will be a Christian people who would

publicly and proudly identify themselves as

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148

‘Christians’. This would exclude the secularized

Christians of modern western civilization whose

primary identity is with their nation or State,

rather than with their religion.

5. They cannot be a handful of scattered Christians

who worship Allah as prescribed in the Qur’ān,

and hence do not worship Nabī ‘Īsa (Jesus 'عليه �لسال)

as a third person in a trinity; and do not declare

that Allah Most High had a son etc., rather they

will have to be a community of Christians complete

with their priests and monks, and hence easily

identified. One would not have to search for them

in some nook or cranny with a fine-teeth comb!!!

The Qur’ān has also informed us, in a very important

passage in a Sūrah which is named after Christians, i.e.,

Sūrah al-Rūm, that Rum, or the Byzantine Christian

Empire which was defeated by the Persians, would soon

reverse the defeat and be victorious:

﴿  ُ'� �ِلبَِت �لر
ُ
ن    غ ِ̄ َ�ُهم م1 Qْ

َ ْ
 �أل

َ
îRْ

َ
� �ِ

ِلبُو�َ
ْ
ِبِهْم َسيَغ

َ
ل
َ
�ِ   َنْعِد غ ِ� بِْضِع ِسنVَِ ِهللا

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 َ�ِمن نَ
ُ
بْل

َ
ْمُر ِمن ق

َ ْ
َرüُ �أل

ْ
ف
َ
ئٍِذ ف

َ
 َ�َيْوم

ُ
د
ْ
ع

َ
و�

ُ
ِمن

ْ
ُمؤ

ْ
بِنóَِْ �هللا�ِ يَنóُُ َمن يََشا� َ�ُهَو   �ل

َعِزيُز �لر�ِحيمُ
ْ
  ﴾ �ل

“The Byzantines have been defeated in lands which are close

by, yet, notwithstanding their defeat, within a few years they

will be victorious: [for] with Allah rests all power of decision,

both previous and later. And on that day (of victory) will the

believers celebrate in (response to Allah’s help): [for] He

gives help to whomever He wills, since He alone is almighty,

a dispenser of grace.”

(Qur’ān, al-Rum 30:5)

The passage from the Qur’ān (above) went on to

declare that on that day of Byzantine victory Muslims

would celebrate the (Byzantine) victory while recognizing

that it was achieved in consequence of Allah’s help. The

implication of the above was that Byzantine Christian

belief in Jesus as the son of God, and their worship of

Jesus as the third person in a triune God, did not stand in

the way of Muslims celebrating the Christian victory, nor

did it prevent Allah Most High from helping the

Christians to achieve that victory.

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Hence it was to Rum that the Qur’ān had to be

pointing when it declared that there would be Christians

who would be closest in love and affection for Muslims.

The Qur’ān went on to exclude certain Christians

from those who would be closest in love and affection for

Muslims. It declared of such Christians (and Jews as well)

that they will never be content until they succeed in

getting Muslims to give up Islam and, instead to follow

their way of life:

ن﴿
َ
 ��jَصاHَQ َح|�  َ�ل

َ
 َ�ال

ُ
Rَُهو

ْ
n�

َ
 َعنك

َ
ýْر

َ
ت

تَُهْم
�
 ﴾…تَت�ِبَع ِمل

“For, never will the Jews be pleased with you, nor yet the

Christians, unless you follow their own creed …”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:120)

This arrogant behavior towards Muslims is found

exclusively amongst Rūm of the West, i.e., Christians

located in modern western civilization.

Finally the Qur’ān delivers the coup de grace against

the Christians of the modern West (i.e., Rūm of the

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151

West) when it prohibits Muslims from being friends and

allies of those Christians who become friends and allies of

the Jews in a Judeo-Christian alliance:

﴿ Rََُهو
ْ
n�

ْ
��
ُ
 َيت�ِخذ

َ
 ال

ْ
يَن 3َمنُو� ِ

�
A� َها

�
ف
َ
يَا ك

nِ�َْا� َنْعٍض َ�َمن
َ
nِ�َْا� َنْعُضُهْم �

َ
� HَQَصا�j��َ

 َفهْ
َ
نُكْم فَِإن�ُه ِمنُْهْم Gِ�� �هللا� ال ُهم م1

�
ِدh َفتََول

 َVالِِم ْوَ' �لظ�
َ
ق
ْ
 ﴾�ل

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not take (such)

Jews and Christians as your friends and allies who,

themselves, are friends and allies of each other. And whoever

of you allies himself with them becomes, verily, one of them;

behold, Allah does not guide such evildoers.”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:51)

Regretfully, we have to explain, again and again and

yet again, the application of proper methodology which

delivers the correct meaning of this all-important verse of

the Qur’ān.

Those who adopted the incorrect methodology of

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152

studying a verse of the Qur’ān in isolation (or stand-

alone) have explained the verse to say that Jews and

Christians are friends and allies of each other.

Our first critical response to such an explanation is

that Jews and Christians were never friends and allies (or

patrons, or protecting allies) of each other all through

history until the modern age. They were most certainly

not friends and allies of each other when the Qur’ān was

revealed. In fact, Jewish-Christian friendship and alliance

was not cemented until the Second Vatican Council

(1962-65) exonerated the Jews for the crucifixion of

Jesus.

Hence any explanation of the verse that Christians

and Jews are friends and allies or patrons, or protecting

allies of each other is manifestly false. Rather, Christians

hated the Jews whom they blamed for the crucifixion of

Jesus whom they worshipped as God.  Jews, on the other

hand, rejected the Christian blasphemy in their worship of

Jesus as God, as well as in their declaration that God had

a son, and that God is three persons in One, etc.

In explaining the verse in the way that they have,

these translations and explanations have opened a way for

critics to declare that the Qur’ān has made a manifestly

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153

false statement.

Secondly, even now after the mysterious emergence

of a Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance, not all Christians

and not all Jews are allies of each other. Indeed, most

Jews initially opposed the Zionist Movement which

forged that Judeo-Christian alliance, and to this day there

are Jewish communities which reject the Judeo-Christian

alliance. Many Jews were assassinated because of their

opposition to the goal of Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance

to create a Jewish State in the Holy Land.  There are

many Christians as well, who reject alliance with Jews.

Most of them are to be found amongst the Orthodox

Christians. Such Christians and such Jews are hardly

likely to be impressed by a Qur’ān which, according to

this explanation of the verse, made a statement

concerning them which is manifestly false.

Thirdly, Allah Himself declared that a Christian

people would be closest in friendship and alliance with

Muslims.  This has already occurred in history, and will

recur at that time (as mentioned earlier in this section)

when Jews will again display the greatest hatred for

Muslims. The Qur’ān will be contradicting itself if it

were to prohibit friendship and alliance with a people

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154

who are closest in love and affection for Muslims.

Rather, the verse of the Qur’ān anticipates a

mysterious reconciliation between one part of the

Christian world and one part of the Jewish world who

will then forge a Judeo-Christian alliance between

themselves. There can be no doubt that the Qur’ān is

here referring to the Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance

which is located at the very heart of modern western

civilization. The Roman Catholic Church, led by the

Vatican, played an extremely important role in forging

that alliance. Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia,

Albania, etc., appear to be unaware of the fact that

NATO is the military arm of that Judeo-Christian

Zionist alliance.

It is with these Christians and these Jews, and not

with all Christians and not with all Jews, that the Qur’ān

has prohibited friendship and alliance.

(For a comparative analysis by Hasbullah Bin Hithayathulah

Shafi'iy, my young student and a rising scholar of Islam, of the

various explanations of this verse of the Qur’ān see:

http://www.imranhosein.org/articles/ understanding-islam/550-a-

commentary-to-maulana-imran-hoseins-interpretation-of-the-verse-

.html)

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155

We began with the verse of the Qur’ān which

described most Christians and Jews as sinful people. The

sinful character of those who lead western Christianity, as

well as most Christians of the west, is quite evident in the

increasing legal acceptance of homosexuality by western

Christian nations.  When a man can marry another man

and get a legal marriage certificate, there is no need to

proceed any further in order to recognize such Christians

as a people without faith.

We conclude by reminding our critics that we do not

have to engage in a theological search for such Christians

who will be closest in love and affection for Muslims; rather

we will recognize them when they display that love and

affection. We also remind our critics that it is not we,

Muslims, who will determine whether they are really

Christians or not. Rather, the Qur’ān declares that it is

they who will proclaim themselves ‘Christians’. When that

happens, this writer will recognize them as the Christians

referred to in the verse, embrace them in a Muslim-

Christian alliance, and move on in the historical process

that will soon witness the conquest of Constantinople,

while leaving the adamant rejectionist critics behind.

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The The The The QurQurQurQur’’’’āāāānnnn    responds to responds to responds to responds to the the the the claim of claim of claim of claim of JJJJewsewsewsews    and Christiansand Christiansand Christiansand Christians    to to to to

possess a possess a possess a possess a mmmmonopoly oonopoly oonopoly oonopoly on Truthn Truthn Truthn Truth    andandandand    FaithFaithFaithFaith

There is a divine response in the Qur’ān to those

Christians and Jews who believe that they are the chosen

people of the Lord-God with a monopoly on truth, faith,

divine blessings and entry into heaven:

﴿ �ْ
َ
�
ً
�Rُهو �َ

َ
 َمن �

�
 Gِال

َ
َن�ة
ْ
»�

َ
ن يَْدُخل

َ
 ل
ْ
و�
ُ
ال
َ
َ�ق

اQَى
َ
ص
َ
 بُْرَهانَُكْم Gِ�  ن

ْ
َماِغي�ُهْم قُْل َهاتُو�

َ
َك �

ْ
تِل

 َVِقRِنتُْم َصا
ُ
 ﴾ ك

And they say: “None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew

or a Christian.” Those are their (vain) desires. Say: “Produce

your proof if ye are truthful.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:111)

Not only does the Qur’ān declare such a belief to be

false, but it set the record straight in the very next verse

with a clear rebuttal concerning who will enter heaven.

Heaven is not reserved exclusively for Jews, Christians,

Muslims, or anyone else; rather:

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157

﴿ cُْجُر
َ
ُه �

َ
1 َ�ُهَو þُِْسٌن فَل َم �َْجَهُه ِهللا

َ
ْسل

َ
بََ$ َمْن �

 ْÑَ ُهْم
َ
يِْهْم َ�ال

َ
 َعل

ٌ
oَْخو

َ
 ِعنَد Qَب1ِه َ�ال

َ
و�

ُ
ن
َ
  ﴾ز

“Nay, whoever submits His whole self to Allah and is a doer

of good, He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall

be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:112)

Allah Most High declared to those who have fear of

the Lord-God in their hearts (and who hence accept the

Qur’ān as His Word), and who have faith in Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) as His last Messenger (or

Prophet), that He would bless them in such wise as would

clearly invalidate that false claim. He has promised to

such believers that He will not only multiply by twice His

Rahmah (i.e., kindness and mercy) on them, but also do

two more things for them:

1. He will bless them with a divine light with which

they will walk (i.e., they will be able to read the

world, and hence the historical process, the way an

astronomer or a navigator of a ship reads the

stars);

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158

2. He will forgive them their sins:

يَن 3َمنُو� �ي�ُقو� �هللا�َ 3�َِمنُو� بِرَُسوِ�ِ  ِ
�
A� َها

�
ف
َ
﴿يَا ك

 �Qًُكْم نُو
�
َْعل ل

َ
Vِْ ِمن �Qْ�َِتِه َ��

َ
ل
ْ
يُْؤتُِكْم ِكف

َ
ِفْر ل

ْ
 بِِه َ�َيغ

َ
و�

ُ
ش
ْ
م
َ
  ﴾ ُكْم َ��هللا�ُ َلُفو�Q Qٌِحيمٌ ي

َ
�َ �َ�Qَُفْقِد

�
ال
َ
ِكتَاNِ ك

ْ
ْهُل �ل

َ
َم �

َ
 َفْعل

�
﴿ùَِال

 نِيَِد �هللا�ِ يُْؤِييِه
َ
َفْضل

ْ
�� �ل

َ
ن فَْضِل �هللا�ِ َ�� ٍ� م1 ْ

َ
�

َعِظيِم﴾
ْ
َفْضِل �ل

ْ
  َمن يََشا� َ��هللا�ُ �Fُ �ل

“O you who have faith! Fear Allah, and believe in His

Messenger, and He will bestow on you a double portion of

His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which you can

walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your

past): for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.  57:28

“(He will act this way so that) the Ahl al-Kitāb (i.e.,

Christians and Jews) should know that they have no

monopoly over any of Allah’s Grace, seeing that all Grace is

in Allah’s hand [alone]: He grants it unto whomever He wills

– for Allah is limitless in His great Grace.”

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159

(Qur’ān, al-Hadīd, 57:28-29)

Nowhere is that ‘light’ from Allah more manifest in

the life of such a believer than in his study,

understanding and explanation of this Qur’ān.

[

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CHAPTER NINE

Ayāt Mutashābihāt
(Verses to be Interpreted)

[

﴿ aٌِمنُْه 3يَا Nَِكتَا
ْ
يَْك �ل

َ
 َعل

َ
fنَز

َ
� hَ ِ

�
A� ُهَو

 aٌَخُر ُمتََشابَِها
ُ
��َ Nِِكتَا

ْ
� �ل'

ُ
َماaٌ ُهن� �

َ
ْك �þ

يَن � قُ  ِ
�
A� ا م�

َ
 فَأ

َ
ابَه

َ
ش
َ
ا ت

َ
 م

َ
و�

ُ
ِبع
�
ت
َ
ي
َ
 ف

ٌ
وبِِهْم Èَيْغ

ُ
ل

ُم
َ
ِ�يِلِه َ�َما َفْعل

ْ
ِفتْنَِة َ��بِْتَغا� تَأ

ْ
ِمنُْه �بِْتَغا� �ل

وَ�
ُ
ِم َفُقول

ْ
ِعل

ْ
�ِسُخوَ� ِ� �ل  �هللا� َ��لر�

�
ُه Gِال

َ
ِ�يل

ْ
تَأ

ْ
و�
ُ
ْ�ل
ُ
�
�
ُر Gِال

�
ك
�
ْن ِعنِد Qَب1نَا َ�َما يَذ  م1

� ُ
�3َمن�ا بِِه

� Nَِا
ْ
zأل﴾

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162

“He it is who has bestowed upon you from on high this

divine scripture, containing verses that are Muhkam, i.e.,

plain and clear in and by themselves – and these are the

essence of the Book – as well as others that are Mutashābih,

i.e., allegorical. Now those whose hearts are given to

swerving from the truth go after that part of the scripture

which is allegorical, seeking to confuse, and seeking to

interpret them [in an arbitrary manner]; but none save Allah,

as well as those who are firmly-grounded in knowledge, know

their final meaning. They (the learned) say: “We believe in

it; the whole [of the Book] is from our Lord-God – albeit

none takes this to heart save those who are endowed with

insight.”

(Qur’ān, Āle ‘Imrān, 3:7)

he Qur’ān declares (above) that it contains two

kinds of verses – the first being Āyāt Muhkamāt, or

verses which are plain and clear, and require only to be

explained (i.e., Tafsīr), and they are described as Umm al-

Kitāb, or the heart of the book. This would clearly

include all verses with legal injunctions concerning Halāl,

or legally permissible, and Harām, or legally prohibited,

etc. The second kind of verses are Ayāt Mutashābihāt, or

verses which have to be subjected to T’awīl (i.e.,

interpretation) in order for their meaning to be

T

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discovered. This is the most direct and basic explanation

of the term Mutashābih since this explanation is taken

directly from the verse of the Qur’ān which introduces

the subject. When the Qur’ān goes on to declare that the

only ones who know the meaning of the Āyāt

Mutashābihāt are Allah, as well as those who are

Rāsikhūnā fī al-’Ilm (i.e., firmly grounded in knowledge),

and when the verse concludes with the declaration that

none receive this message other than Ulul Albāb (i.e.,

men of insight and understanding), the implication is

that a scholar not only has to devote a life-time of effort

to study the Qur’ān with both proper methodology as

well as Basīrah (spiritual insight), but he also has to

receive knowledge directly from Allah Most High (as did

Khidr  ('عليه �لسال)  hence, as Muhammad Asad describes it

in his commentary to the verse below, he penetrates the

utmost depth of mystic insight accessible to man:

 ِمْن ﴿
ً
َة
ْ
�َQ cُنَا 3تَيْنَاRِْن ِعبَا وََجَد� َقبًْد� م1

َ
ف

َ
ًماِعنِدن

ْ
ا ِعل

�
ن ُ
�

اcُ ِمن ©
َ
ْمن

�
 ﴾ا �ََعل

“And found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed

grace from Ourselves and unto whom We had imparted

knowledge [issuing directly] from Our (Divine) presence.”

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164

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:65)

A classic example of Ayāt Mutashābihāt can be found

in the revelation of the Qur’ān in Sūrah al-Baqarah

(verses 183 to 187) which replaced the previous law of

fasting in the Torah (i.e., the law of fasting from sunset

to sunset with no food, drink or sex during the hours of

fasting), with a new law of fasting in which one is allowed

to eat and drink and engage in sexual relations during the

nights of fasting until the white thread of dawn is distinct

from the black thread, at which time the fast would

commence, and then continue until nightfall (i.e., until

the day has ended):

﴿…

ُ ُ

�
َ
�

ُ

َيْط
ْ
ُكُم �¶

َ
َ ل �Vََح|� يَتَب

ْ
ُبو� َºْ��َ

ْ
و�

ْ
و� �تِم

َ
َفْجِر ُعم� �

ْ
ْسوRَِ ِمَن �ل

َ
َيِْط �أل

ْ
ْنيَُض ِمَن �¶

َ
�أل

ليِْل
�
 �ل

َ
kِG 'َيَا  ﴾…�لص1

“… and eat and drink until you can distinguish the ‘white

thread’ of dawn from the ‘black thread’, and then commence

the fast (which should continue) until nightfall (i.e., until

the day has ended) …”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:187)

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A companion of the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), who

understood the command to be literally applied, took two

pieces of thread, one white and the other black, and then

struggled with them at a time close to dawn to determine

the time at which the fast would commence. Since he had

difficulties with that process, he took his problem to the

Prophet (  who promptly responded with a ( �هللا عليه �سلمص$

T’awīl or interpretation of the ‘white’ and ‘black’ threads

(i.e., in the verse) to mean that the fast would commence

when the light of the day became distinct from the darkness

of the night.  By virtue of the fact that the blessed Prophet

interpreted the verse, it was confirmed to be Mutashābih

(i.e., a verse which has to be subjected to T’awīl or

interpretation).

Had this interpretation of the verse not been

provided, all Muslims, to this day, would have had to

arm themselves with two pieces of thread – one white and

one black – and would have had to struggle with them

every morning of the blessed month of Ramadān to

determine the time when the fast began.

It was not by accident, despite the above, that the

verse was revealed by Allah Most High and was

transmitted by the Prophet without an interpretation.

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Allah Most High wanted to do three things:

1. He wanted to provide an unambiguous example of

an Āyah Mutashābiha;

2. He wanted to provoke a clear event in which the

blessed Prophet would interpret an Ayah

Mutashābih;

3. He wanted to thus refute a false punctuation of

the verse which He knew would eventually be

inserted into the Qur’ān by human beings.

Here is the verse with the (false) punctuation:

﴿...
َ
ا ف

َ
 �هللا�ُ َ�م

�
ُه Gِال

َ
ِ�يل

ْ
ُم تَأ

َ
 �َ  ْعل

َ
و�

ُ
�ِسخ �لر�

ا
َ
ِد Qَب1ن

ْ
 ِمْن ِعن

� ُ
�وَ� 3َمن�ا بِِه

ُ
ِم َفُقول

ْ
ِعل

ْ
 ِ� �ل

ا
َ
رُ  َ�م

�
ك
�
  يَذ

�
و Gِال

ُ
�ل
ُ
�  Nَِا

ْ
z
َ ْ
  ﴾�أل

This false punctuation has delivered a meaning to the

effect that no one knows the interpretation of these

Mutashābihāt verses except Allah (i.e., not even Nabī

Muhammad ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم). Hence we are left with the

ridiculous and obviously false conclusion that Allah Most

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167

Wise sent down His last scripture to the last of His

Prophets, and appointed him to teach the Book, but there

is one part of the Book whose meaning even he, the

teacher, does not know, and no one can ever know until

the end of the world. What then is the use of such

revelation? How can it function as guidance? Can a Wise

God do such a foolish thing?

Allah Most High has knowledge of all things, and so

He knew that this false punctuation would be put into

the Qur’ān, and hence He created a situation in which

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) could refute the falsehood

by himself interpreting an Āyah Mutashābiha of the

Qur’ān.

There are other Ayāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān,

i.e., verses which have to be interpreted in order for their

meaning to be discovered, and we have discovered that

many of them belong to the subject of Ākhir al-Zamān.

Let us, however, turn our attention to the most difficult

and challenging of the Ayāt Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān,

i.e., the Muqatta’āt.

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ĀĀĀĀyyyyāāāāt Mutasht Mutasht Mutasht Mutashāāāābihbihbihbihāāāātttt::::    The MuqattaThe MuqattaThe MuqattaThe Muqatta’’’’ātātātāt

The most prominent of all Āyāt Mutashābihāt of the

Qur’ān are certain letters of the Arabic alphabet with

which some Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence. Indeed, the

Qur’ān itself commences, after the Opening Chapter (i.e.,

Sūrah al-Fātihah) with three letters of the Arabic alphabet

–  �,  f,   '  – which are located at the very beginning of

the second chapter (i.e., Sūrah al-Baqarah). Other letters

of the Arabic alphabet appear at the commencement of

other Sūrahs of the Qur’ān.

It was not by accident, but by Divine design, that the

text of the Qur’ān commenced with three letters of the

Arabic alphabet, nor was it by accident but, rather, by

Divine design, that he who was sent to teach the Qur’ān,

never taught the interpretation of these letters of the

alphabet in the Qur’ān. Rather the divine plan appears to

have been designed to challenge those who would study

the Qur’ān, to locate a methodology of study through

which they could eventually attempt an explanation for

the Muqatta’āt.

A proper effort to locate the system of meaning

which would allow for a possible interpretation of the

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Muqatta’āt must be based on recognition of the fact that

we have no evidence of Allah Most High, or the blessed

Prophet, or any previous Prophet, ever previously

employing a letter of an alphabet to symbolize a meaning

or message being conveyed allegorically. In recognition of

the theory of consistency in the Divine literary method,

we can dismiss the view that these letters symbolize some

meaning which was being symbolically conveyed, such as

an interpretation that �, (i.e., Alif) stands for Allah, ' (i.e.,

Mīm) stands for Muhammad, and f (i.e., Lām) stands of

the last letter in the name of Jibrāīl (or Gabriel).

We do find in the Qur’ān, however, evidence of a

numerological system which protects and guards the

Qur’ān from forces of evil which may seek to penetrate

and corrupt it. How else can we explain the anomaly that

all Sūrahs of the Qur’ān commence with the phrase “with

the Name of Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” except

Sūrah al-Taubah? Since the Qur’ān itself declares that it

has no defect or inconsistency, how do we explain this

anomaly other than by recognizing the existence of a

numerical system which binds together, in an inter-

locking foolproof security-system, all the verses and even

letters of the Book? There are 114 Sūrahs in the Qur’ān

and this number seems to have a numerical significance.

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As a consequence of the fact that there are 114 Sūrahs in

the Qur’ān, it appears that the phrase “with the Name of

Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful” must also occur

114 times. Had this phrase appeared at the beginning of

Sūrah al-Taubah, the number of occurrences in the

Qur’ān would have been 115 instead of 114 because the

phrase also occurs once within the text of Sūrah al-Naml:

ُه � �هللا�ِ �لر�ْ�َِن �لر�ِحيمِ
�
 iِ�َن

َ
يَْما�

َ
ُه ِمن ُسل

�
 ﴾ ﴿Gِن

“Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says ‘with the name of

Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful’.”

(Qur’ān, al-Naml, 27:30)

If letters of the Arabic alphabet used in the Qur’ān

have a numerical value, then the Muqatta’āt can be

recognized to have a function of guarding or protecting

the Qur’ān and to therefore constitute a part of that

security-system of the Qur’ān. And Allah Knows best!

It would also appear that the second Sūrah of the

Qur’ān was chosen to commence with the Muqatta’āt,

and not the first, since the function of Sūrah al-Fātihah is

to open or unlock the security system of the Qur’ān, and

hence it was given the name The Sūrah which Opens. And

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Allah Knows best!

It is therefore advisable never to recite the Qur’ān

without first reciting Sūrah al-Fātihah, and to do so with

the consciousness in the heart that with this recitation

the Qur’ān can be unlocked for those who possess faith in

it.

We now offer three more examples of Āyāt

Mutashābihāt in the Qur’ān and go on to offer an

interpretation of all three based on methodology taught

in this book. The first is the verse concerning the

preservation of Pharaoh’s body, the second is Abraham’s

dream in which he saw himself sacrificing his son, and

the third is the narrative concerning Dhūl Qarnain.

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ĀyahĀyahĀyahĀyah    MutashābihMutashābihMutashābihMutashābihaaaa: : : : PharaohPharaohPharaohPharaoh’’’’ssss    bbbbodyodyodyody

When Pharaoh was drowning, something very dramatic

occurred underneath the water which remained unknown

for thousands of years until it was revealed in the Qur’ān:

ْيبََعُهْم ﴿
َ
َْحَر فَأ ْz� ِثيَل� َ�ْGِ �َِنَا بِبÈْ�َََجا�

ُه
َ
^QَRْ

َ
� �

َ
FGِ �|َنْغيًا �ََعْدً�� َح cُRُفِرَْعْوُ� �َُجنُو

h 3َمنَْت  ِ
�
A�

�
ن�ُه ال Gِِلَه Gِال

َ
 3َمنُت ك

َ
fا
َ
َغَرُ~ ق

ْ
�ل

 ِG و
ُ
ن
َ
ُمْسِلِمVَ بِِه ن

ْ
 ِمَن �ل

ْ
نَا
َ
��َ

َ
�ِثيل َ�ْ ﴾

When We took the Children of Israel across the sea, Pharaoh

and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite. But when

he was drowning he (realized that he was not God and

declared:  “I (now) believe that there is no God except Him

Whom the Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who

submit (to their God).”

(Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90)

Allah Most High, responded to that declaration of

faith as follows:

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ِسِدينَ ﴿
ْ
ُمف
ْ
نَت ِمَن �ل

ُ
^�َ

ُ
بْل

َ
ْد َعَصيَْت ق

َ
 ﴾ 3آلَ� َ�ق

“Ah now! But a little while before, you were in rebellion! –

and you were engaged in acts of destructive corruption!” –

10:91

َْو'َ ﴿
ْ
nا

َ
  ف

ً
 3يَة

َ
ك

َ
ف
ْ
وَ� لَِمْن َخل

ُ
 ãَِك

َ
 بِبََدنِك

َ
يك ُغنَج1

و�َ
ُ
َغافِل

َ
َن ��jاِ� َقْن 3يَاتِنَا ل ِث�xً م1

َ
 ﴾ i�َِ�� ك

“This day We (have decided to) preserve your (physical)

body, so that you (i.e., your physical body, when it is

discovered, or when it resurfaces in the historical process)

may (function as) a Sign for a people who will come after

you. But verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our

Signs!”

(Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90-92)

The Qur’ān has repeated this information that the

matter concerning Pharaoh’s end constitutes an End-time

Sign for mankind:

﴿ َV¹َِْع
َ
َرْقنَاُهْم �

ْ
غ
َ
ا 3َسُفونَا �نتََقْمنَا ِمنُْهْم فَأ م�

َ
  فَل

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  َِخِرين
ْ

 لِآل
ً

ًفا َ�َمثَال
َ
نَاُهْم َسل

ْ
 ﴾ فََجَعل

“So, when they angered Us, We punished them and drowned

them every one. And We made them a thing past, and an

example for those after (them).”

(Qur’ān, Zukhruf, 43:55-56)

There is conclusive evidence that the body of the

Pharaoh who died by drowning, was discovered in 1898,

and this confirmed the amazing Divine declaration in the

Qur’ān concerning the preservation of his body. But the

Qur’ān did not simply say that his body will be preserved;

rather it said that when his body is discovered it would

function as a Sign for a people to come after him. It then

concluded with the sad recognition that most people are

negligent concerning Allah’s Signs.

The world of Islamic scholarship has responded to

the discovery of the body in 1898, and to its subsequent

positive identification by the most eminent of French

scientists in the 1980’s, with in the precise way which

Allah Most High lamented. Their response has never

ventured beyond a recognition that a Divine prophecy in

the Qur’ān was fulfilled, and that this has further

validated its claim to Truth. Rather, this is an Āyah

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Mutashābiha which requires an interpretation, and that

interpretation cannot be discovered without proper

methodology of studying the Qur’ān as a whole to locate

the system of meaning of the subject.

I published my book entitled Jerusalem in the Qur’ān

in 2002 with the following analysis and interpretation of

the event of the discovery of Pharaoh’s body:

““““The body of PhThe body of PhThe body of PhThe body of Pharaoharaoharaoharaoh     (of the Exodus(of the Exodus(of the Exodus(of the Exodus) would be )  would be )  would be )  would be

recovered and that would indicate that the Jewsrecovered and that would indicate that the Jewsrecovered and that would indicate that the Jewsrecovered and that would indicate that the Jews     would would would would

now suffer the same fate that now suffer the same fate that now suffer the same fate that now suffer the same fate that PharaohPharaohPharaohPharaoh    suffered suffered suffered suffered

The Qur’ān provided yet another sign to show that the final

countdown for Banū Isrāīl in the Last Age had now arrived

and that the worst possible punishment would now be

unleashed upon them by Allah Most High. That divine sign

was the recovery of the body of the Pharaoh who was

drowned when he attempted to cross the sea in pursuit of

Moses. Allah Most High had parted the sea in order to save

Banū Isrāīl. And after they had crossed over to safety He

brought down the waters on Pharaoh and his army and they

were all destroyed. The Qur’ān refers to this: “And remember

We parted the Sea for you and saved you and drowned

Pharaoh’s people before your very sight.” (Qur’ān, al-

Baqarah, 2:50). Banū Isrāīl did not know, and still do not

recognize, that they would themselves one day be destroyed

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176

(as Pharaoh was destroyed), and in the same manner as

Pharaoh, if they betrayed Allah Most High and committed

certain sins. How did Pharaoh die? The gentle reader would

be astonished when he reads of the Qur’anic account of

Pharaoh’s death: “We took Banū Isrāīl across the sea: then

Pharaoh and his hosts followed them in insolence and spite.

At length, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said: I

(now) believe that there is no God except Him Whom the

Children of Israel believe in: I am of those who submit (to

the God of the Israelites). “(It was said to him: Ah now! But

a little while before, you were in (a state of) rebellion! And

you were inflicting oppression (and violence)! “And so this

day (We have decided that) We shall save you in your body

(i.e. We shall preserve your dead body), so that you (i.e.,

your dead body when it reappears in history) may be a Sign

for those who come after you! But verily, most among

mankind are heedless of Our Signs!” (Qur’ān, Yūnus, 10:90-

2) “But when they continued to challenge Us We inflicted

Our retribution on them and drowned them all. And We

made them a thing of the past and an (ominous) example for

those to come after them.” (Qur’ān, al-Zukhruf, 43:55-6)

And so the Qur’ān made the amazing prophecy that the dead

body of the Pharaoh of the exodus would one day be

discovered, and that when it was discovered that would

constitute a most ominous divine sign. Amazingly the body

of that Pharaoh was discovered close to the end of the last

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century. It was an even more ominous sign for the Jews that

the Zionist Movement was also established at just about the

same time that the body of Pharaoh was discovered. It is

clear that Dajjāl, the False Messiah, was the mastermind

behind the creation of the Zionist Movement. And so the age

of Gog and Magog was also the age of Dajjāl. The

implication of the above is that the Jews were now being led

by Dajjāl, the False Messiah, and by Gog and Magog, on a

path which would witness the worst possible punishment

being unleashed against them and which would culminate

with divinely ordained destruction. But the end would come

upon them in the same way that the end came to Pharaoh.

What would be that end? The discovery of the body of

Pharaoh was a momentous Sign from Allah Most High that

the world would now witness the greatest drama ever enacted

in human history. Time was now up for the Jews in

particular, and for all of mankind in general. Those who

lived like Pharaoh did, would now die the way Pharaoh

died.”

(Jerusalem in the Qur’ān, 2nd. Edition. pp. 164-167)

More than 13 years have passed since this best-selling

book was published, and despite the fact that it has been

read by very large numbers of people, reprinted more

than a dozen times, and translated into many different

languages, yet no prominent scholar of Islam in the

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178

modern age has as yet come forth to even comment on

the above interpretation of the verse of the Qur’ān; nor is

it likely that they will ever do so, since so many of them

appear to be imprisoned by the false punctuation of the

verse concerning the interpretation of an Āyah

Mutashābiha of the Qur’ān.

This writer urges a research student to take up the

subject of an Islamic eschatological analysis of events,

including most of all, World Wars, which have occurred

since the body of Pharaoh was discovered in 1898. Such a

research work would certainly confirm that the world is

now experiencing the last count-down to the end of

history. History, in turn, will end with the Jews who

support Israel, experiencing exactly the same fate which

Pharaoh experienced while drowning.

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ĀyahĀyahĀyahĀyah    MutashābihMutashābihMutashābihMutashābihaaaa: : : : The Dream of The Dream of The Dream of The Dream of Nabī IbrāhīmNabī IbrāhīmNabī IbrāhīmNabī Ibrāhīm,,,,    i.e.i.e.i.e.i.e., , , ,

AbrahamAbrahamAbrahamAbraham    (عليه �لسال�)

Nabī Ibrāhīm ('عليه �لسال) once had a dream in which he saw

himself sacrificing his son (i.e., the way an animal is

sacrificed through cutting the throat). Here is the passage

of the Qur’ān which describes the event. Our readers

should kindly note that it was only after the conclusion

of this event that the Lord-God conveyed to Nabī

Ibrāhīm ('عليه �لسال) the glad tidings that he would have

another son whose name would be Ishāq i.e., Isaac. Hence

it is quite clear from the Qur’ān that the son of the

sacrifice had to be his son whose name was Ismāīl i.e.,

Ishmael. So long as a Christian or a Jew rejects this view

from the Qur’ān, and holds on to the contrary view that

the son of the sacrifice was Nabī Ishāq (i.e., Isaac   عليه)

 ,he will never succeed in penetrating eschatology ,�لسال'

and, as a consequence, never be able to read the world

correctly in the End-time.

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imranhosein.org

METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

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And [Abraham] said: “Verily, I shall [leave this land and] go

wherever my Lord-God will guide me!” 37:99

[And he prayed:] “O my Lord-God! Bestow upon me the gift

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181

of [a son who shall be] one of the righteous!” 37:100

Whereupon We gave him the glad tiding of a boy-child

gentle [like himself]? 37:101

And [one day,] when [the son] had become old enough to

share in his [father’s] endeavors, the latter said: “O my dear

son! I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you:

consider, then, what would be your view!” He (the son)

answered: “O my father! Do as you are ordered: you will find

me, if Allah so wills, among those who are patient (in such a

trial)!”  37:102

But as soon as the two had surrendered themselves to [what

they understood to be] the will of Allah, and [Abraham] had

laid him down on his face, 37:103

We called out to him: “O Abraham, 37:104

You have already fulfilled (what was required of you in) that

vision (which came as a dream)!” Thus, verily, do We reward

the doers of good. 37:105

For, behold, all this was indeed a trial, clear in itself. 37:106

And We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice, 37:107

And left this (i.e., the sacrifice) to occur in a later

time: 37:108

“Peace be upon Abraham!” 37:109

Thus do We reward the doers of good 37:110

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182

For he was truly one of our believing servants. 37:111

And We (then) gave him the glad tiding of Isaac, [who, too,

would be] a prophet, one of the righteous. 37:112

(Qur’ān, al-Saffāt, 37:99-112)

In analyzing this event we must carefully note that

Allah Most Just, is never unjust to anyone! Since the son

did nothing for which death would have been a just

punishment, it would have been an act of injustice for

Allah Most High to give an order for his life to be

literally taken. In addition, the Qur’ān came to put an

end to all forms of pagan sacrifice, and this most certainly

included human sacrifice. Instead, sacrifice is always of

an animal. It would therefore have been a contradiction

for Allah Most High to order a human sacrifice.  Finally,

although Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال) never actually

sacrificed his son, yet Allah Most High declared to him

that he had already fulfilled what was required of him in

the vision. The implication is that Allah Most High never

ordered a literal sacrifice of the son, nor did he ever order a

human sacrifice for any reason whatsoever.

Our methodology has led us to the conclusion that

the vision conveyed to Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال) a

sign that was Mutashābih i.e., something that had to be

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183

interpreted, and that the interpretation of the Sign was

linked to Ākhir al-Zamān. What, then, is the

interpretation of this sign?

There can be only one such interpretation, and it is

that Allah Most High wanted Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham

 to accept the sacrifice of his son, in the form of (عليه �لسال'

his son’s seed, for some momentous Divine plan. Who,

then, are his seed (i.e., his progeny), and what is that

Divine plan?

Nabī Muhammad ( لمص$ �هللا عليه �س ) traced his lineage

directly to Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael 'عليه �لسال), who was the son

of the sacrifice:

Wathīla bin al-Asqa reported: I heard Allah’s Messenger

saying: Verily Allah granted eminence to Kināna from

amongst the descendants of Ishmael; and He granted

eminence to the Quraish amongst the Kināna; and He

granted eminence to Banū Hāshim amongst the Quraish; and

He granted me eminence from amongst the tribe of Banū

Hāshim.”

(Sahīh Muslim: Kitāb al-Fadāil)

The conclusion is that the Arabs are from the seed of

Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael 'عليه �لسال), and hence the dream

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184

indicated that a sacrifice of the Arabs was to come in

Ākhir al-Zamān (the End-time) in order for a Divine plan

to be fulfilled, and Allah Most High wanted Nabī

Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه �لسال) to accept that sacrifice. When

he did so, Allah Most Knowing then declared that he had

left the event to occur in a later time (see 37:108 above).

We have specific information concerning that

momentous sacrifice of the Arabs that is to come, and it

was conveyed to Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) in a

vision. We know when it will occur. The blessed Prophet

was asleep at the home of his wife Zainab )هللا عنها� ÇQ(  when

he woke from his sleep with his face flushed red. He had

seen a terrible vision and it affected him tremendously

and he then spoke those ominous words which were

connected to the fulfillment of Abraham’s dream: “Woe

unto the Arabs because of an evil which now draws close” and

then went on to confirm the destruction of the Arabs in

Ākhir al-Zamān:

“Narrated Zainab bint Jahsh: The Prophet got up from his

sleep with a flushed red face and said: None has the right to

be worshipped but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, from the great

evil that is close and is approaching them. Today a hole has

been made in the Radm (structure built like a dam) of Gog

and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated by this forming the

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185

number 90 or 100 with his fingers.) She asked: Shall we be

destroyed though there are righteous people among us?” The

Prophet said: Yes! (it will occur) when Khabath (i.e.,

rubbish) has increased (i.e. prevails).”

(Sahīh Bukhārī)

This writer is of the view that Khabath or rubbish

now prevails everywhere – the political system, economy,

market, monetary system, sexual relations, feminism, etc.,

and that the destruction of the seed of Nabī Ismāīl

(Ishmael 'عليه �لسال) (i.e., the Arabs) that was conveyed in the

vision, is now taking place incrementally even as this book

is being written. However there is a time-line for that

destruction to be completed – and it is the succession of

Pax Americana by Pax Judaica.

It is now not difficult to understand why the

destruction of the Arabs has to take place. Through our

understanding of Islamic eschatology, we anticipate that a

so-called Pax Judaica will seek to replace Pax Americana,

in the same way that Pax Americana replaced Pax

Britanica. It should be obvious that Pax Judaica – or

Jewish Israeli rule over the world, will not be possible

without:

1. Destruction of the Islamic Caliphate;

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186

2. Abandonment of the Hajj;

3. Destruction of the Arabs.

However, Allah Most Kind, has sent a message to His

believing servants amongst the Arabs that should console

them. The message is that their father Nabī Ibrāhīm

(Abraham 'عليه �لسال) has himself consented to, or accepted,

the destruction of those who will be from the seed of his

son Nabī Ismāīl (Ishmael 'عليه �لسال), in order that the Divine

response to Jewish oppression in the Holy Land might

one day culminate with trees and stones speaking and

calling for the punishment of those oppressors.  And

Allah Knows best!

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ĀyĀyĀyĀyahahahah    MutashābihMutashābihMutashābihMutashābihaaaa: : : : Pax QarnainPax QarnainPax QarnainPax Qarnain    ((((i.e.i.e.i.e.i.e., , , , the worldthe worldthe worldthe world----order of order of order of order of

DhDhDhDhūūūūl Qarnainl Qarnainl Qarnainl Qarnain) ) ) )

The polytheist Arabs of the tribe of Quraish, resident in

Makkah, were astonished when an Arab named

Muhammad, who was born, and had lived all his life in

their midst, and was so well-known for his truthfulness

that they called him Al-Amīn (the truthful and trust-

worthy one), suddenly declared, at the age of 40, that he

was a Prophet of One God, and that beside Him there

was no other God. The Arabs in Makkah were familiar

with monotheist Jews who lived not far away from

Makkah in the northern city of Yathrib (now renamed

Madīna). They were also aware that the Jews claimed to

have a special status with their One God Who

continuously sent Prophets in their midst.  They

therefore decided to send a delegation to meet with the

Rabbis in Madīna and to consult with them how to

determine the validity of Al-Amīn’s claim to prophet-

hood. The Rabbis gave the Arab delegation three

questions to put before Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) in

order to test whether or not he was indeed a true Prophet

of Allah Most High. They declared of the questions, that

only a true Prophet of the One God could possibly

answer them. One of the three questions concerned a

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188

great traveler who traveled to the two ends of the land.

When the answer to that question was revealed in the

Qur’ān, we were informed of a third journey, in addition

to the two concerning which the Rabbis had questioned,

and that third journey led to Gog and Magog. Since Gog

and Magog are a major sign of the Last Day, of which

only a Prophet would have knowledge, it was clear that

the Rabbis posed the question to determine whether or

not Nabī Muhammad

 knew about that major Sign of the Last (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

Day, namely, Gog and Magog. Before we attempt an

interpretation of the verses of the Qur’ān pertaining to

the subject, let us first review the Qur’anic response to

the question posed by the Rabbis concerning the great

traveler. The answer commences with verse 83 of Sūrah

al-Kahf and continues until verse 101:

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They ask you concerning Dhūl-Qarnain. Say, “I will provide

you with some information concerning him.” (18:83)

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Verily We established him with power in the land, and We

gave him the capacity to pursue whatever goal he chose.

18:84

He then decided (to travel) on a way (18:85)

until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it

setting in a spring/lake/sea of dark/murky water. Near it he

found a people, and We said to him: “O Dhūl-Qarnain! (you

have the authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them

with kindness.” (18:86)

He replied: “Whoever acts unjustly/wickedly, we will punish

him, and when he returns to his Lord-God, He will also

punish him with a punishment unheard-of (before). (18:87)

But whoever has faith (in the One God), and is righteous in

conduct, he will be rewarded, and easy will be his task as We

order it by our Command.” (18:88)

He then decided to travel on another way (18:89)

until, when he came to the rising of the sun, he found it

rising on a people for whom We had provided no covering

(that could offer protection against the sun). (18:90)

He (wisely and compassionately respected their indigenous

way of life and) left them as they were, and We completely

understood his response. (18:91)

He then decided to travel on (a third) way (18:92) until,

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when he reached (a pass) between two mountains, he found,

at that pass, a people who could scarcely understand a word

(he spoke) (because their language was completely different

and unrelated to all other languages in that geographical

region). (18:93)

They said: “O Dhūl-Qarnain! Gog and Magog are (wickedly)

perpetrating corruption and destruction in (our) land: can we

pay you to erect a barrier between us and them (to protect us

from their wickedness)? 18:94 He replied: “(The power) in

which my Lord has established me is better (than what you

offer): Help me therefore with man-power: I will erect a

strong barrier (in the form of a dam) between you and them

(and you will be safe from their wickedness) 18:95

“Bring me blocks of iron.” At length, when he had filled up

the space between the two steep mountain-sides, He said,

“Blow (with your bellows)” Then, when he had made it (red)

as fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper that I might pour

over it.” 18:96

Thus were they (Gog and Magog) made powerless to scale

(over) it or to dig through it. 18:97

He (Dhūl Qarnain) said: “The (construction of this barrier)

is a mercy from my Lord-God. But when that time comes, of

which my Lord-God has warned (i.e., the End-time) He will

reduce this (iron barrier) to dust; and the warning of my

Lord-God will come to pass.” 18:98

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At that time We will cause them (i.e., Gog and Magog) to

surge like waves on one another (as they wreak havoc in the

world): the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them

all together (in one godless global society). 18:99

And We shall present Hell that day for Kuffār (i.e., those

who reject the truth and its righteous way of life) to see, all

spread out, (i.e., the godless global society will live the way

of the people of the hell-fire) 18:100

(That global society will be comprised of people) whose eyes

had been under a veil from remembrance of Me, and who

had been unable even to hear (the cries, for example, of the

oppressed).

(Qur’ān, al-Kahf, 18:83-101)

Dhūl Qarnain in Arabic refers to someone who

possesses two Qarns. This can mean either two ‘horns’ or

two ‘ages’. But since the Qur’ān has always used the word

Qarn to refer to an age, epoch, or page of the book of

history (see, for example, Qur’ān, al-An’ām, 6:6; Maryam, 19:74;

Sād, 38:3; Qāf, 50:36; al-Mu’minūn, 23:31 etc.) and never as

‘horn’, we choose to translate Dhūl Qarnain as one who

impacts on two different pages of the book of history.

And since we locate the true target of the question posed

by the Jewish Rabbis in that major Sign of the Last Day,

namely, Gog and Magog, we are of the view that

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Qarnain, i.e., the two ages, refer to an age in the distant

past, and to an age which is to come, which would be the

Last Age or the Age of Fitan. We hold the view that we

now live in that Last Age, and hence, that this event in

the Qur’ān has direct relevance to the world today.

Those, on the other hand, who choose to believe that

Dhūl Qarnain refers to someone who possesses two horns,

would explain this subject differently from us. This writer

cannot, for obvious reasons, offer any assistance to the

reader in respect of such an explanation of the subject.

Who was Dhūl Qarnain? This writer has not found

any compelling necessity to devote attention to

identifying Dhūl Qarnain, the historical personality.

Rather we believe that attention should be directed to the

conduct displayed by Dhūl Qarnain in his exercise of

power and authority, for therein lies the very substance of

the divine guidance being conveyed in the narrative, and

therein lies the hidden message through which the

discerning student of the Qur’ān can recognize the second

of the two ages in the Qarnain. Those who insist on

locating the identity of Dhūl Qarnain would therefore

have to seek guidance and assistance elsewhere.

Sūrah al-Kahf has introduced us in this story to the

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subject of power and its relation to faith in Allah Most

High.

Dhūl Qarnain possessed faith in the One God, and

this is something common to believing Muslims as well as

to those described in the Qur’ān as Ahl al-Kitāb (i.e.,

believing Christians and believing Jews), although there

are Muslims today (and may Allah protect this writer

from such people) who dismiss the possibility that a

Christian or a Jew can have faith in the One God.

He was endowed by Allah with the power to pursue

whatever objective he chose. He therefore had the

capacity to establish what may be described as Pax

Qarnain (i.e., Dhūl Qarnain’s world-order). At the heart

of this allegorical narrative is a description of a world-

order constructed once upon a time by one who possessed

faith in the One God. We are presented with a critically

important description of that world-order. It is one in

which power rests on the foundations of faith in the One

God, and is used to respond to oppression by punishing

the oppressor and by protecting, assisting and rewarding

those who have faith and whose conduct is righteous.

The Qur’ān then warned of the emergence of a Gog

and Magog world-order that would witness power resting

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on foundations that would be essentially godless, and

power being wickedly used to oppress in exactly the

opposite way from that of Dhūl Qarnain. Finally the

promise was delivered that history would not end without

that page of history being revisited in the second of the

two Qarns, and a world-order being restored in which

power would be used as it was used by Dhūl Qarnain.

When will the second of two Qarns come to pass?

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Pax QarnainPax QarnainPax QarnainPax Qarnain    ––––    the journey to the West the journey to the West the journey to the West the journey to the West

The Qur’ān informed us that Dhūl Qarnain traveled

westwards until he reached a point in his travels where he

came upon a body of dark, murky water and saw the sun

go down beneath that sea of water (in the poetic sense of

course). The implication was that this was the farthest

point westwards that he could travel. It was perhaps for

this reason that the Rabbis had described him as someone

who travelled to the two ends of the land. The famous

commentator of the Qur’ān, Ibn Kathīr, recognized that

body of dark murky water to be the Black Sea. We have

also come to the same conclusion using a different

method of analysis (See my book entitled An Islamic View of Gog

and Magog in the Modern World).

He came across a community of people at that place

and Allah Most High gave him the choice of using his

power either to punish or to reward them. Dhūl

Qarnain’s reply delivered the heart and substance of a

world-order based on revealed Truth. He declared that he

would use his power and authority to punish the

oppressor, and that when he was finished with punishing

him, the oppressor would then face additional

punishment from his Lord-God when he returned to

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Him. This is the kind of world-order that the Lord-God

wants mankind to establish and sustain. Such a world-

order, established by those who possess faith in Allah

Most High, would witness an essential harmony between

the heavenly order above and the world-order below. The

implication is that whenever oppression is banished and

justice is established, mankind would enjoy a blessed state

in which peace and happiness would prevail. It is for this

reason that true religion has zero tolerance for

oppression. The greatest of all oppression is, of course,

the monetary oppression of the bogus Zionist-created

monetary system which has been imposed on mankind by

brute force.

Dhūl Qarnain also declared that whoever had faith

(in the One God), and was righteous in conduct, he

would be rewarded, and easy would be such a person’s

task as ordered by his Command.

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Pax QarnainPax QarnainPax QarnainPax Qarnain    ––––    the journey to the East the journey to the East the journey to the East the journey to the East

After describing the journey to the West, Sūrah al-Kahf

then proceeded to describe Dhūl Qarnain’s journey to the

East, or to the ‘rising of the sun’. Since he travelled to

two ends of the land, and the first journey ended at a body

of water, the implication would be that the second

journey also ended the same way. If the first journey

ended at the Black Sea, it would be clear that the second

journey in the opposite direction would have to end at

the Caspian Sea.

There he found a people concerning whom Allah

Most High declared, “We did not provide for them, as a

covering, other than it.” The Qur’anic narrative described

Dhūl Qarnain’s response to those people in language that

is extremely difficult to interpret. “Kadhālika” was the

first part of the response. And this could mean: thus did

he find them and thus did he leave them (undisturbed).

The second part of the response described Allah’s

response to Dhūl Qarnain’s conduct with those people.

Allah Most High recognized (and approved of) Dhūl

Qarnain’s wise and compassionate treatment of those

people.  What was that ‘covering’ provided to the people

by Allah Most High, other than which they had no other

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‘covering’? And how do we interpret Dhūl Qarnain’s

enigmatic response to their situation? Our view, which

we venture to explain with the proviso that Allah Knows

best, is that Sūrah al-Kahf is here preparing the believers

for the age of Fitan when the modern world’s hunger for

exploitation of all resources of the earth and, in

particular, oil, would result in callous disregard for

human life and suffering. Primitive people, whose only

possessions are land and homes, but whose territory is

oil-rich (for example), would find themselves dispossessed

of both land and homes. This blatant rape of innocent

people who lived in wondrous harmony with the natural

order had to take place in order for North America and

Australia for example, to become a modern paradise.

Dhūl Qarnain recognized the human person and

human rights to be superior to resources, and so he left

those people undisturbed in their possession of their land

and homes. When the Last Age comes, and the masses are

reduced through Ribā to biting poverty, the second of the

two Qarns would be recognized through its respect for

the human person and human rights while it seeks to

exploit (for example) resources of the earth.

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Pax QarnainPax QarnainPax QarnainPax Qarnain    ––––    the enigmatic third journey the enigmatic third journey the enigmatic third journey the enigmatic third journey

After describing the two journeys to West and East, and

thus answering the question overtly posed by the Jewish

Rabbis, the Qur’ān then proceeded to describe a third

journey which was the real target of the question,

although it had not been overtly posed by the Rabbis. It

was while describing the third journey that Sūrah al-Kahf

mentioned, for the first time, the names of Gog and

Magog. Their release into the world would herald a major

Sign of the Last Day. Knowledge of the Signs of the Last

Day is a subject that lies beyond the reach of human

intellect. Indeed such knowledge cannot but be the

exclusive preserve of the Prophets of Allah Most High.

The Sūrah informs us that, in his third journey, Dhūl

Qarnain came upon a people living in a pass between two

mountain ranges. This has to be a pass in-between the

Caucasus range of mountains which stretch from the

Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. (See my book entitled An

Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern World for a detailed

exposition of this subject).

They complained to him about Gog and Magog’s

Fasād in their territory. They requested him to build a

barrier that could contain Gog and Magog and thus

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protect them. They were prepared to pay Dhūl Qarnain

to build the barrier for them.

Gog and Magog are two communities of human

beings who, according to Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم),

are descended from Nabī Nūh (i.e., Noah 'عليه �لسال). As

mentioned above, they are agents of Fasād. But the

blessed Prophet went on to disclose a communication

from Allah Most High reported in His direct speech

(Hadīth al-Qudsi) to the effect that, “I have created creatures

of Mine (i.e., Gog and Magog) so powerful that none but I can

destroy them.” (Sahih Muslim). With their invincible power

they can thus destroy peace on earth. Hence their

conduct is the opposite to that of Dhūl Qarnain.

Dhūl Qarnain built a barrier of blocks of iron and

coated it with molten copper. The barrier blocked the

entire pass like a dam, and as a consequence, Gog and

Magog were contained since they could neither penetrate

nor scale the barrier. He then declared the construction

of the barrier, and the consequent containment of Gog

and Magog, to be a manifestation of Divine Mercy. But

he went on to disclose that Allah Himself would destroy

the wall and release Gog and Magog into the world at a

time of the Last Age. The Sūrah concluded with a

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description of what the world would witness when Gog

and Magog are released into the world: “On that day We

shall leave them to surge like waves on one another; the trumpet

will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. And We shall

present Hell that day for Unbelievers to see, all spread out,

(Unbelievers) whose eyes had been under a veil from Remembrance

of Me, and who had been unable even to hear.” (Qur’ān, al-Kahf,

18:99-101)

When Gog and Magog are eventually released into

the world (in the Last Age) mankind would witness the

emergence of a world-order that would be the opposite of

what Truth would have delivered to mankind. Mankind

would witness power in the hands of those who have no

faith in Allah Most High. Instead of using power to

liberate the oppressed and to punish the oppressor, that

essentially godless age would witness power used to

oppress (in particular) those who have faith in Allah Most

High and whose conduct is righteous. We have argued in

our book entitled ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’ān’ (see Ch. 10)

that Allah Most High released Gog and Magog into the

world during the lifetime of Nabī Muhammad ( ص$ �هللا عليه

 The Qur’ān provided believers with a momentous .(�سلم

sign by which they would not only have concrete

evidence of the release of Gog and Magog, but more than

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that, they would have the evidence that the world was

now in the control of Gog and Magog. They would thus

be able to identify Gog and Magog as the ruling power in

the world. This is located in the reference to Gog and

Magog in Sūrah al-Anbiyāh: “But there is a ban on a town

which We have destroyed: that they (the residents) shall not return

– until Gog and Magog are let through (their barrier) and they

swiftly spread out in every direction.” (Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh, 21:95-

6). When Gog and Magog have been released and, in

addition, “have spread out in every direction”, then at that

time the people of the town who were punished by Allah

Most High, and had been banished from their town

(which was destroyed by Allah Most High), would be

brought back to that town. There is only one such town

(which was destroyed by Allah Most High) which is

mentioned in the Ahādīth pertaining to Gog and Magog,

and it is Jerusalem. (See pp. 91-2 for the Hadīth). Since

no other town (destroyed by Allah Most High) other than

Jerusalem is mentioned in the Ahādīth pertaining to Gog

and Magog, we have come to the conclusion that the

town mentioned in Sūrah al-Anbiyāh (verse 95 and 96)

above can only be Jerusalem. From this conclusion and

identification of the town, now emerges the implication

that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land was made

possible through the intervention of Gog and Magog. In

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other words, the Judeo-Christian Zionist Euro-world-

order that now rules the world from Washington is the

world-order of Gog and Magog.

The Qur’ān proceeded to warn that when these

events take place the world would witness the countdown

to the Last Day: “Then will the true warning (of the Day of

Accounts) draw close (to fulfillment): then behold! (on that day)

the eyes of the Kuffār will stare in horror: Ah! Woe to us! We were

indeed heedless of this; nay, we were truly wicked!” (Qur’ān, al-

Anbiyāh, 21:98)

(NB: A Kāfir is not someone who declines to accept Islam.

Rather he is someone who knowingly rejects the claim of the

Qur’ān to be the Word of the One God, and rejects the claim

of Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) to be His Prophet, and then

adopts a posture of hostility to the Qur’ān, to the Prophet

and to his message.)

When Gog and Magog are released they would

‘spread out in every direction’. This indicates that with

their invincible power they will take control of the whole

world and that, for the first time in history, one set of

people would rule all of mankind. That is precisely our

present world. The world order of Gog and Magog would

be one of Fasād (i.e., oppression and wickedness). Sūrah

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al-Kahf has described the two defining characteristics of

the Fasād of that world order as being the opposite of the

two defining characteristics of the world order of Dhūl

Qarnain.

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QarnainQarnainQarnainQarnain: The second of the two Qarns: The second of the two Qarns: The second of the two Qarns: The second of the two Qarns

When will the second of the two Qarns in Qarnain, i.e.,

the second of the two ages, occur? And what will the

world witness in that second Qarn, or age?

Our first response is that evidence of the emergence

of the second of the two ages of Dhūl Qarnain must come

from the region of the Black Sea with the emergence of a

powerful State whose people worship the One God and

who are powerful enough to punish oppressors and others

who are wicked in conduct. The only people who reside

in the region of the Black Sea, who follow a revealed

scripture, and who possess power with which to punish

the oppressors in such a way, are Orthodox Christians.

The Qur’ān described them as Ahl al-Kitāb.

It is not by accident that Allah Most High has

specifically permitted Muslims (in the Qur’ān) to not

only eat the food of Ahl al-Kitāb, but also to marry their

women. This is Allah’s way of informing Muslims that

He, Allah Most High, distinguishes between Ahl al-Kitāb

and others with whom marriage is not permitted, and

whose food may not be eaten.

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“This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto

you. The food of the Ahl al-Kitāb (i.e., Christians and Jews)

is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. (Lawful

unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are

believers, but chaste women among the Ahl al-Kitāb, revealed

before your time – when ye give them their due dowers, and

desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues if any one

rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will

be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).”

(Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:5)

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[This permission to partake of the food of the Ahl al-Kitāb

excludes, of course, forbidden categories of meat such as

pork. If a Christian is today found eating pork, then instead

of condemning him, the Muslim should gently, patiently and

respectfully try to guide him to his own Christian faith and

law while warning him that when Jesus returns, he will not

eat pork!]

Hence the second Dhūl Qarnain will have to be an

Orthodox Christian State that is located in the region of

the Black Sea with military power adequate to contain

and neutralize Gog and Magog’s NATO.

There are woefully misguided Muslims who claim

that when the Ottoman Islamic Empire conquered

Constantinople, that Empire became Rūm. They go on to

argue that the present-day  secular Republic of Turkey

which is comfortably sleeping in the same bed with

Western Christianity in NATO, is a littoral State of the

Black Sea and should be recognized as the second Qarn in

Qarnain.

Turkey cannot qualify for a number of reasons:

1. Turkey is a member of NATO in direct

disobedience of Allah’s command in the Qur’ān:

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Oh you who have faith (in Allah), do not take

such Jews and such Christians as your friends and

allies who, themselves, are friends and allies of

each other! (Qur’ān, al-Māidah, 5:51).  Dhūl

Qarnain does not defy Allah!

2. Turkey, the NATO member-State, is also a friend

and ally of the greatest oppressor history has ever

known i.e., the Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance

which controls power in Britain, USA, Canada,

France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Australia, New

Zealand, etc. Dhūl Qarnain has zero tolerance for

oppression!

3. Those who rule over Turkey at this time are also a

people who identify with, and are proud of the

Ottoman so-called Islamic Empire which

oppressed the Orthodox Christians in that region

of the world for 600 years, and who, in

transferring the seat of the Khilāfah, i.e., Islamic

Caliphate, from the Arab world to

Constantinople, were complicit in the eventual

destruction of the Islamic Khilāfah. Dhūl Qarnain

does not act in such a treacherous way!

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4. The Turkish government and Armed Forces are

complicit in a criminal adventure in their sinful

participation in the overthrow of the Libyan

Government, in consequence of which Libya is

now a NATO puppet State, and in their sinful role

in actively supporting a bogus ISIS as part of their

strategy to recover the Ottoman Empire. This is

the conduct of an oppressor!

Our view is that Orthodox Christian Russia has

miraculously survived the attack of the Jewish Bolshevik

Revolution and the godless Marxist Communism and a

ruthless atheist Soviet Union through which Russian Jews

sought to destroy the religious foundations of Russian

society. Russia is now returning to its Christian roots and

it its spiritual heart, and every sensible and intelligent

Muslim should welcome such a wonderful and

momentous event in the historical process. Regretfully,

not all Muslims are sensible and intelligent!

Secondly, Russia has re-emerged from that long

Soviet nightmare as a formidable military power which

commands respect. Russia has also demonstrated that it is

not prepared to submit to those who seek to rule the

world through Pax Americana and through NATO.

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Hence Russia is manifesting a profile of resistance to the

oppressor. There are those who are unaware of facts, and

rush to condemn Russia for having brutally crushed the

last Chechen so-called Jihād. Had they done some

research they would have discovered the sinister role of

the CIA in actively funding and supporting that Saudi-

Wahhabi Jihād through a supply of state-of-the-art

weapons as well as financing and covert training of those

Yankee Mujāhidīn. The Zionists sought to destabilize

Russia in that last Chechen CIA-sponsored so called

Jihād. Had it succeeded, Russia would not have been able

to resist that Judeo-Christian Zionist world-order, and

would have had to submit to it the way Greece has today

submitted.

Thirdly, it must have been by Divine plan that

Russia was successful in not only thwarting the evil

Zionist plan which would have robbed her of a warm

water port in Crimea, but in also recovering Russian

sovereignty of Crimea in what must be recognized as the

greatest failure that world Zionism has ever experienced.

Fourthly, had Russia not intervened militarily in

Syria, that country would have already become another

NATO-controlled Libya. Indeed, Syria’s Orthodox

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Christians would also have already been slaughtered by

the evil ones who are waging a bogus Jihād in Syria on

behalf of the Zionist pay-master. Had such a slaughter of

Syrian Orthodox Christians taken place, it would have

destroyed any possibility of a Muslim-Orthodox

Christian End-time alliance to resist Zionist oppression.

If we are correct in our analysis of all the data which

has so far emerged, that they point to the emergence of

the second of the two ages in Qarnain in the region of the

Black Sea, and that the power that would emerge will

contain Gog and Magog as they were contained the first

time, then our conclusion is that only Orthodox

Christian Russia qualifies for that historic role. The

world can therefore be about to witness an unprecedented

military drama in which Russia will check-mate NATO

and then proceed, in collaboration with a Muslim army,

to liberate Constantinople. And Allah Knows best!

We must now apply our methodology to assess the

validity of a well-known Hadīth with a prophecy

concerning Muslim End-time relations with their

Christian allies (in Rūm) in which we are told that the

Muslim-Christian alliance will be victorious against an

enemy. However, the Christians will eventually turn

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214

against Muslims and wage war on them because a

Christian would claim the victory for the Cross which a

Muslim would dispute, while claiming the victory for

Allah.

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Chapter Nine

215

RRRRūūūūmmmm    of the East and Rof the East and Rof the East and Rof the East and Rūūūūm of the Westm of the Westm of the Westm of the West

When the Qur’ān announced that Rūm was defeated in a

land close by, but notwithstanding this defeat, Rūm

would soon be victorious (Qur’ān, al-Rūm, 30:2), it referred

to a Byzantine Christian Empire which had its capital in

Constantinople. Shortly after the revelation of the

Qur’ān, however, Rūm broke into two parts. The first, or

the original Rūm, remained based in Constantinople until

Dajjāl’s Ottoman Empire conquered the city and

deprived Rūm of its base. It exists to this day as Orthodox

Christianity. The second part, which is today known as

Western Christianity, went to the Italian city of Rome to

establish a new Roman church called the Roman Catholic

Church.

If Muslims are to make an End-time alliance with

Rūm, as prophesied above, with which Rūm should they

ally themselves – the first or the second? A Muslim-

Christian alliance should obviously be with those

Christians whom the Qur’ān has described in Sūrah al-

Māidah as “closest in love and affection to Muslims”, and not

with those who would deceive them and wage war on

them. A believing people who are recognized by Allah

Most High as closest in love and affection for Muslims, will

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216

not deceive them and wage war on them.  Such will not

qualify as love and affection, but rather, deceit and

hatred.

Hence, the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) has prophesied that

Muslims will make an alliance with the wrong Christians.

That ominous prophecy is already fulfilled today,

particularly in the Arab-Muslim world which has already

made an alliance with the wrong Christians. The world of

Arab States is led by governments who have been in

alliance with the Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance. They

give the appearance of recognizing Washington, rather

than the Ka’aba, as their Qiblah. The exceptions have

been Libya under Gen Qaddafi, Syria, Iraq, etc. And it is

because those who are in alliance are hell-bent on

ensuring total conformity of all Arabs with the alliance,

that Arab States which are not a part of the alliance have

been viciously attacked to force their submission.

This book does not address the subject of whether or

not a Hadīth has prophesied a Muslim End-time alliance

with Orthodox Christians.

[

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217

APPENDIX 1

An Introduction to the
Religious Thought of Maulānā

Dr.Muhammad Fazlur Rahmān Ansārī

( )
� ���

[

he most distinctive characteristic of the personality

of Maulānā Ansārī was his life-long devotion to the

Qur’ān. He spent his entire life studying the Qur’ān, and

then explaining and teaching it to others.

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) declared of those who

spend their lives studying and teaching the Qur’ān, that

they are a people with the highest status of all:

ْ
ف
َ
�
�
�Gِ َُمه

�
ُقْر3َ� �ََعل

ْ
َم �ل

�
ُكْم َمْن َيَعل

َ
       َضل

T

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218

“The best among you are those who have learnt the Qur’ān

and teach it (to others)”

[Sahīh Bukhārī]

Maulānā’s devotion to the Qur’ān may have thus

raised him to a status of the highest and the best of those

who worshipped the One God.

The QurThe QurThe QurThe Qur’’’’āāāān and Rahmahn and Rahmahn and Rahmahn and Rahmah    ((((i.e.i.e.i.e.i.e., kindness, mercy, , kindness, mercy, , kindness, mercy, , kindness, mercy,

compassion)compassion)compassion)compassion)

Maulānā was of the view that whenever Allah Most High

made mention of one of His names/attributes while

directing attention to a particular activity or matter, the

implication was that those who pursued an effort in that

matter would receive the blessings that are inherent in

that particular divine attribute. Hence, when Allah Most

High chose to make mention of his name of al-Rahmān,

i.e., the Compassionate God, when He declared that He

taught the blessed Qur’ān:

َنُ
ْ
ُقْر  َ�3 ﴿�لر��

ْ
َم �ل

�
  ﴾ َعل

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219

“The Most Compassionate (God) has taught the Qur’ān.”

(Qur’ān, al-Rahman, 55:1-2)

the implication for Maulānā, was that whoever studied

the Qur’ān sufficiently to teach it to others, would

continuously receive Rahmah (i.e., Compassion and

Mercy) from Allah Most High.

Those who devote their entire lives to the continuous

recitation of the Qur’ān, and to studying it and teaching

it to others, have another divine promise of great reward.

That promise was conveyed in the very first revelation of

the Qur’ān that was transmitted by the Angel Gabriel to

the Prophet while he was in meditation in a cave high up

on a mountain close to Makkah.

Allah, Who is al-Akram (i.e., He Who is Most Noble

and Generous), commanded that the Qur’ān be recited!

He did so in the very first word of the very first

revelation of the Qur’ān that was sent down to Nabī

Muhammad  (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) – (repeated in both 1st and 3rd

verses):

َرُ' ﴾
ْ
ك
َ ْ
 Qَ�َب�َك �أل

ْ
 ﴿�قَْر�

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

220

“Recite (or read, and hence study) and your Lord-God is

Noblest (Most Bountiful and Generous).”

(Qur’ān, al-’Alaq, 96:3)

The implication of the above is that those who

continuously recite the Qur’ān, and who devote an effort

to study it, and who, having understood even a small part

of the Book then teach it to others, would be elevated to

a noble status in this world and the next by He Who is

Most Bounteous and Generous.

Maulānā Ansārī was a scholar who lived for the

Qur’ān, and died while still devoted to the mission of

reaching the Qur’ān out to mankind, hence it is that so

many years after his death he still commands such

respect, and is held in such high esteem in the world.

The QurThe QurThe QurThe Qur’’’’āāāān and the Rational Facultyn and the Rational Facultyn and the Rational Facultyn and the Rational Faculty

Allah Most High went on to further declare, after having

declared that He taught the Qur’ān, that He created

mankind, and taught man al-Bayān. What this means is

that He bestowed on him the rational faculty with a

capacity and the technique with which to study,

understand, explain, and then to teach what was

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221

acquired, to others:

﴿
َ
ا�

َ
نس ِ

ْ
 �إل

َ
ق
َ
ل
َ
   خ

َ
ا�

َ
َي
ْ
z�

ُ
ه
َ
م
�
ل
َ
 ﴾ ع

“He has created man and bestowed on him articulate thought

and speech.”

(Qur’ān, al-Rahman, 55:3-4)

The implication of of juxtaposing the first two verses

with the third and fourth in this passage of the Qur’ān, is

that the primary function of the rational faculty is for the

study of the revealed scriptures, of which the last is the

Qur’ān, in order to understand those revealed scriptures

and to then explain and teach them to others.

One of the most marvelous examples of the

application of the rational faculty to the study and the

explanation of the Qur’ān, in so far as its guidance is to

be applied in this modern age, can be found in Maulānā’s

magnum opus, The Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of

Muslim Society in two volumes (herein-after referred to as

QFSMS – available in English and French from the online

bookstore: www.imranhosein.com). While others used their

rational faculty for the pursuit of other ends and goals,

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222

Maulānā used his rational faculty almost exclusively for

the study and exposition of the Qur’ān.

The QurThe QurThe QurThe Qur’’’’āāāān n n n ––––    the the the the fountain of all Knowledgefountain of all Knowledgefountain of all Knowledgefountain of all Knowledge

The dominant characteristic of Maulānā’s religious

thought was his insistence on recognition of the Qur’ān

as the fountain of all knowledge. Indeed he held the view

that Muslims rose to greatness through the Qur’ān, and

hence it would only be through the Qur’ān that they

could ever extricate themselves from the present sorry

mess, and rise again to greatness.

He spent his entire life studying the Qur’ān and

teaching the Qur’ān in such wise that he could

demonstrate that it was the fountain of all knowledge.

When Maulānā wrote The Qur’anic Foundations and

Structure of Muslim Society (QFSMS) he singled out one

verse of the Qur’ān to be placed at the very beginning of

each of the two volumes, and it was a verse which

declared of the Qur’ān that it explained and clarified all

things:

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223

  ﴿   … �ٍ ْ َ
�

1 ُ
¸

1
ِكتَاNَ تِبْيَانًا ل

ْ
 �ل

َ
يْك

َ
َا َعل

ْ
j َ�نَز�

 َVِلِم
ْ
ُمس

ْ
Hَ لِل ْ§

ُ
 َ�ب

ً
َة

ْ
�َQ�َ H

ً
د
ُ
 ﴾ َ�ه

“… in as much as We have bestowed from on high upon you,

step by step, this divine scripture, to explain and to clarify all

things, and to provide guidance and grace and glad tidings

unto all who accept (the ‘truth’ in this Qur’ān).”

(Qur’ān, al-Nahl, 16:89)

It was precisely because of his recognition of this

unique status of the Qur’ān that he responded to

secularism’s epistemological challenge to revealed

knowledge by deriving from the Qur’ān the complete code

of life – political, economic, social, religious and

spiritual, etc. – for the establishment of a happy, stable

and successful society. QFSMS was his multi-dimensional

response from the Qur’ān to the challenge of modern

secular godless western thought, and to the godless

western model of society which had emerged from that

thought.

I recall, as vividly as yesterday’s rain, the very first

lesson he taught me as a student at Aleemiyah. He taught

that we must first use our rational faculty to respond to

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224

the claim of the Qur’ān that is the Word of the One God.

Either the Qur’ān is divinely-revealed ‘truth’, or it is not!

Once we accept the Qur’ān as the revealed Word of the

One God, we must submit to divinely-revealed ‘truth’

totally, and without reservations of any kind.  Once it is

recognized to be divinely-revealed truth, the human mind

cannot sit in judgment over such ‘truth’. Whether we

understand what is in the Qur’ān or we do not, whether

we are comfortable with what is in the Qur’ān or we are

not, faith requires that we first submit to all that is in the

Qur’ān – understanding can come later. We cannot

accept ‘part’ of the Qur’ān as ‘truth’, and reject, or

reserve our acceptance, of another ‘part’.

I learnt from Malcolm X something which could be

added to this first lesson, namely, namely, once we

recognize ‘truth’ and accept it, – once we are convinced

that it is ‘truth’, we must proclaim it as ‘truth’ without

regard for consequences. That is the essential Sunnah (or

way of conduct) of Nabī Muhammad

 Had he not proclaimed the ‘truth’, he  .(ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

would not have had to make Hijrah (i.e., to migrate)

from his native Makkah to the city of Madīna that was

located hundreds of miles away from Makkah.

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225

MethodologyMethodologyMethodologyMethodology

For the first time in human history the world of

scholarship was presented with absolute truth in a Book

(i.e., the Qur’ān), which was divinely-protected and

hence immune from any corruption of the text. What

methodology can there be for the study of such Absolute

Truth?

In consequence of recognition of this status and role

of the Qur’ān in the world of knowledge as ‘absolute

truth’, and since Allah Most High declared that He

taught the Qur’ān, Maulānā recognized that the Book

must itself establish the methodology with which it

should be studied, and it would be the function of the

teacher who was appointed by Allah Most High to teach

the Book, to explain that methodology.

Truth did not come to the world for the first time

with the Qur’ān. The Qur’ān has never claimed a

monopoly on Truth. Rather Truth came to the world

time and again with Prophets of the Lord-God who

received divine-revelations from Him. Hence Maulānā

directed attention to the role of the Qur’ān as al-Furqān

i.e., that which distinguishes ‘truth’ which was already

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226

revealed, from falsehood, and consequently always sought

validation in the Qur’ān for whatever was presented as

‘truth’ in any and every branch of knowledge. This was

particularly so for the previous scriptures. Whenever the

Qur’ān exposed anything in previous scriptures as false,

the implication would be that it did not come from the

One God. Rather it would be a corruption of that which

had previously come as Truth.

The QurThe QurThe QurThe Qur’’’’ān validates the Hadān validates the Hadān validates the Hadān validates the Hadīīīīthththth

Maulānā’s consequent methodology for the pursuit of

knowledge was that all knowledge located outside of the

Qur’ān had to be judged for validity based on conformity

and compatibility with absolute ‘truth’ located in the

Qur’ān. This included the Hadīth of Nabī Muhammad

 which was the second most important (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

source of knowledge of Islam. Maulānā was unambiguous

in his forthright declaration that it was “the function of

the Qur’ān to sit in judgment over the Hadīth and not

vice versa” (QFSMS, Vol. 1, Introductory Observations, p. xxiv.

Published by World Federation of Islamic Missions. Malaysian

edition. 2012). Thus, proper methodology for assessing the

textual validity of a Hadīth required that the effort

should commence with the Qur’ān, since it is with the

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227

Qur’ān that the textual validity of a Hadīth would be

assessed. He rejected the other route of commencing the

effort with the Hadīth, and then approaching the Qur’ān

in order to assess the textual validity of the Hadīth.

Indeed Maulānā may have been on the verge of

making a very valuable contribution to the vexed subject

of the critical textual evaluation of Āhadīth of Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) – a subject that so many

scholars of Islam have avoided for so long. He established

the foundation in QFSMS for a follow-up book on

Hadīth that he wanted to produce just before his death.

The new contribution to the subject, to which we have

already briefly referred above, would have argued that the

Qur’ān be recognized as al-Furqān, and to thus have a

priority role as the criterion with which one can evaluate

the text of a Hadīth – hence his words that – “the Qur’ān

must sit in judgment over the Hadīth and not vice-versa”.

Instead of the research scholar proceeding from a

particular Hadīth to look for verses of the Qur’ān which

validate or invalidate it, Maulānā would have argued that

the research scholar should commence his effort with the

study of the subject from the Qur’ān, while using a

methodology for the study of the Qur’ān that will be

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228

explained in my book on Methodology Insha’ Allah. Only

after the scholar has completed the study of a particular

subject in the Qur’ān, and has penetrated the system of

meaning of that subject which brings all the data in the

Qur’ān on that subject into a harmonious whole like

pearls on a necklace, should he then embark on a study of

all Āhadīth on that subject. This method would

eventually allow him to add those Āhadīth which are

harmonious with the Qur’ān to the pearls on the necklace,

and then to identify a fabricated Āhadīth when it could

not be added to the necklace of pearls.

His major work on the Qur’ān, the QFSMS, was

completed and published in September 1973, and he died

about 8 months later. In the months prior to his death he

had already engaged in preparatory work on his second

major work which would have required him, among many

other things, to make a textual assessment of the Hadīth

literature to determine compatibility with the Qur’ān,

and hence to identify fabricated Āhadīth. He made a

reference to the subject of fabricated Āhadīth in QFSMS

as follows:

“… the Qur’ān is absolutely authentic, while even the best

Hadīth literature is only relatively authentic – namely,

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229

authentic only in a qualified manner. And, of course, every

student of Islam knows all the mischief in the field of Hadīth

perpetrated by the forces of counter-revolution in the very

early period of Muslim history, – a mischief which emerged

in the form of sects and schisms, and which forged the

Traditions relating to certain aspects of Islamic life and

history to an extent that the confusion created thereby has

continued to plague the Muslim society up to the present

day.

 (QFSMS, Volume One, ‘Introductory Observations’,

p. xxviii)

Regrettably he died before he could write even a part

of that new book, and this, perhaps, explains serious

problems which now confront us.

Now it was quite clear that Maulānā rejected at least

part of a Hadīth recorded in Sahīh Bukhārī to the effect

that Nabī Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) married a six-year-

old child, and consummated the marriage when she was

nine. Maulānā declared that Aisha )هللا عنها� ÇQ(  was 17 years

of age when that marriage was consummated:

“… a wife like Lady Ayesha, who was a virgin of seventeen at

the time of the consummation of marriage …”

(QFSMS, Volume One, ‘Introductory Observations’,

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230

p. xxxviii.)

It seems quite strange indeed that we do not know

from the above statement whether he also rejected the

even more dangerous part of the Hadīth which declared

that the blessed Prophet married her before she reached

the age of puberty (i.e., the Hadith says that she was just

a six-year-old child). Also, surprisingly, and alarmingly

so, Maulānā did not explain how he arrived at an age of

consummation of the marriage which contradicted the

text of the Hadīth in Sahīh Bukhārī.

However, since he rejected the declaration of the

Hadīth of Sahīh Bukhārī concerning the age of Aisha at

the time of the consummation of her marriage with Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم), the entirely reasonable

conclusion could follow that he considered at least that

part of a Sahīh Hadīth to be false, and hence fabricated.

The normal and time-tested method by which a

Hadīth is recognized as ‘weak’ is through the examination

of the Isnād, or chain of narrators. There is absolutely no

evidence whatsoever which even suggests that Isnād had

anything to do with his rejection of a part of this Sahīh

Hadīth. The other two possibilities are that he may have

used the Qur’ān to judge the Hadīth, or that he

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231

calculated her age at the time of consummation of the

marriage based on data located in other Āhadīth and in

the Sīrah or life of Nabī Muhammad ( هللا عليه �سلمص$ � ).

It nevertheless remains a matter of profound regret

that Maulānā simply made mention of her age at the time

of consummation of the marriage to have been seventeen,

without offering any evidence or argument to support his

rejection of the age given in a Hadīth recorded in Sahīh

Bukhārī.

We have, ourselves, used Maulānā’s methodology of

using the Qur’ān to sit in judgment over the Hadīth, to

demonstrate that the Hadīth in Sahīh Bukhārī concerning

the age of marriage with Aisha )هللا عنها� ÇQ(  is in manifest

conflict with the Qur’ān, and based on that conflict we

have no hesitation in recognizing it to be false and

fabricated. (See Chapter Five in my book on Methodology for

Study of the Qur’ān)

There was conflict with the Qur’ān in another Hadīth

as well, recorded in Sahīh Bukhārī, which declared that

the punishment of Rajm (i.e., stoning to death) for

adultery committed by a married person, used to be in the

Qur’ān once upon a time, but was now no longer in the

Qur’ān. Maulānā declared this to be false (see section of

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

232

Naskh below). However, when he dealt in QFSMS with

the subject of punishment for adultery and fornication,

he simply made mention of the punishment prescribed in

Sūrah al-Nūr (verses 2-3) of the Qur’ān of ‘public

flogging’ with one hundred stripes and, strangely so,

chose to remain silent on the Hadīth of Sahīh Bukhārī

which prescribed the punishment of Rajm for the married

person who engages in adultery.

Yet it is quite clear from another statement on the

subject in QFSMS that he recognized a conflict between

the Hadīth and the Qur’ān on the subject of punishment

for adultery, and that he consequently rejected the

Hadīth:

“Viewing the Qur’anic punishments in the light of ethics, the

punishments relating to fornication, adultery and homo-

sexuality are reformative in the sense that they imply the

spiritual purification of the offenders; the punishments

prescribed for theft, robbery and treason are of deterrent

character; and the punishment in respect of murder is based

on retribution which is tempered with mercy (2:178).”

(QFSMS, Vol. 1, p 336.)

Flogging is reformatory punishment, while Rajm, or

stoning to death, is clearly deterrent punishment. A

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Appendix 1

233

person who has been ‘stoned to death’ cannot be

reformed. Maulānā declared the punishment for adultery

in Islam to be reformatory, hence it implies that he

rejected Rajm as the punishment in Islam for adultery (in

case the adulterer is married).

While we must be eternally grateful to Maulānā for

having provided this very important opinion of rejection

of the Hadīth in Sahīh Bukhārī on the punishment of

Rajm for adultery in Islam, while upholding the

punishment established in the Qur’ān, we will forever

regret that this very important opinion was strangely

derived by implication, rather than through a direct

statement on the subject from him.

NaskhNaskhNaskhNaskh    ––––    cancellation or abrogationcancellation or abrogationcancellation or abrogationcancellation or abrogation    of divine revelationof divine revelationof divine revelationof divine revelation

Maulānā rejected anything which compromised the

integrity of the Qur’ān, and hence he rejected the

application, within the Qur’ān, of any Naskh (i.e.,

cancellation or abrogation of any Āyah or divinely-

revealed verse).

I was sitting in the classroom attending a class of

Tafsīr (i.e., explanation of the Qur’ān) when the teacher

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234

quoted the Hadīth concerning a ‘forgotten’ verse of Rajm

(i.e., stoning to death) that used to be in the Qur’ān once

upon a time. I was quite disturbed to listen to what

appeared to me to be total nonsense, and so I went to

Maulānā at the end of the class to seek a clarification

from him on the subject of the integrity of the Qur’ān.

“Is it true”, I asked, “that there are verses which used to

be in the Qur’ān once upon a time, and are now

forgotten?” His response to me was to deny such a

possibility, and hence to reject the Hadīth about a

forgotten verse that used to be in the Qur’ān. He declared

such a Hadīth to be a fabrication; and in doing so he

upheld the integrity of the Qur’ān. His view was that no

verse of the Qur’ān was ever cancelled, abrogated or

forgotten, and that the verse of the Qur’ān in Sūrah al-

Baqarah on the subject of Naskh (i.e., cancelation or

abrogation of divine revelation) referred to cancellation

of previously revealed laws in previous scriptures, and did

not imply that any verse of the Qur’ān was ever

abrogated, cancelled or forgotten:

 �ْ
َ
نَْها � xٍْ م1

َúِ aِ
ْ
ْ� نُنِسَها نَأ

َ
﴿َما نَنَسْخ ِمْن 3يٍَة �

 ْ
َ

�
1
�ُ َ

َ
��� �هللا� َ

َ
ْم �

َ
ْم َيْعل

َ
ل
َ
ِديٌر﴾ِمثِْلَها �

َ
 ٍ� ق

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235

“Any (Divinely-revealed) verse or message which We cancel,

abrogate, or cause to be forgotten, We replace with a better

or a similar one. Do you not know that Allah has the power

over all things?”

(Qur’ān, al-Baqarah, 2:106)

Here is the Hadīth in Sahīh Bukhārī which recorded

what we were asked to believe were the words of ‘Umar

ibn al-Khattāb )هللا عنه� ÇQ(  who is reported to have said that

when the Qur’ān was revealed there was a verse in it on

Rajm (i.e., stoning to death as punishment for adultery).

Since the verse is no longer in the Qur’ān, the

implication, for those who accept that verses of the

Qur’ān can be abrogated, would be that Allah Most High

either cancelled the verse, or caused it to be forgotten:

 �هللا�ُ  …﴿
َ
fَز

ْ
ن
َ
ا � َ� ِمم�

َ
v
َ
ِكتَاNَ ف

ْ
يِْه �ل

َ
 َعل

َ
fَز

ْ
ن
َ
��َ

Ìلر�ْجِم�
ُ
رَ  3يَة

َ
ق
َ
نَاَها َ�َ�َقيْنَاَهاف

ْ
ل
َ
نَاَها َ�َقق

ْ
�…﴾

“… and the book (i.e., the Qur’ān) was revealed to him, and

amongst that which Allah sent down was a verse on Rajm

(i.e., the punishment of stoning to death for adultery), so we

recited (the verse), and we understood it, and we applied it

…”

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(Bukhārī, Hadīth Number 6829)

If Allah Most High cancelled the verse, or caused it

to be forgotten, then why did ‘Umar )هللا عنه� ÇQ(  attempt to

restore it? Did he have the authority to do so?

Maulānā pointed out, correctly so, that it would have

been the function of the divinely-appointed teacher of

the Qur’ān to declare that a verse of the Qur’ān was

cancelled, abrogated or forgotten, but Nabī Muhammad

 never did such a thing, and no one has the (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

authority to do such a thing other than the divinely-

appointed teacher of the Qur’ān.

The truth is that Naskh (i.e., cancellation/abrogation

of an Āyah or verse, or causing an Āyah to be forgotten)

did not apply internally to verses of the Qur’ān, but,

rather, externally to certain previous divine revelations.

Here are examples of precisely such cancellations:

� Cancellation (for the followers of Nabī Muhammad

 of Jerusalem as the Qiblah or direction to (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم

be faced in prayer, and replacement with the Ka’aba in

Makkah as the new Qiblah;

� Cancellation (for the followers of Nabī Muhammad

 of the previous law of fasting in the Torah (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم

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237

which prohibited eating, drinking and sexual relations in

the nights of fasting, with a new law which permitted such;

� Cancellation of the law of punishment for adultery in the

Torah of Rajm or stoning to death, and replacement of

Rajm with a new law of public flogging;

� Cancellation of the freedom for a man to have as many

wives as he wished in previous law as practiced by Prophets

such as Nabī Dāūd (David) and Nabī Sulaimān (Solomon

 and replacement with a new law restricting or ,(عليهم �لسال'

limiting the number of wives to four;

� Cancellation of the spiritual retreat (known in the Qur'an

as I'tikāf) being performed in lonely places far from the

madding crowd, and replacement with a new law which

required that I'tikāf must now be performed in the Masjid;

� Cancellation of permission (for those who follow Nabī

Muhammad ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) to consume alcoholic drinks.

This response to my question set Maulānā apart as a

unique scholar in a world of Islamic scholarship which

almost universally held that some verses of the Qur’ān

cancelled other verses, and hence that some verses of the

Qur’ān (such as an alleged verse on Rajm) used to be in

the Qur’ān once upon a time, but are now forgotten. One

had to be a scholar of incredible courage and intellectual

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238

integrity to so challenge and defy almost an entire world

of Islamic scholarship. Our readers are surely familiar

with the pathetic refrain – how can one scholar be correct

and all the rest wrong? Here was an example of one

scholar who was correct, when most of the rest of his

contemporaries in the world of Islamic scholarship were

wrong.

The problem that we must now address is: why is

there no mention of this admirable and entirely correct

view on Naskh in the QFSMS which is his magnum opus

on the Qur’ān? Why is the QFSMS silent on the subject

of Naskh? It will forever remain a matter of profound

sadness that Maulānā chose not to present in QFSMS, or

in any other written record or public lecture, the view of

Naskh which he disclosed to me on that fateful day. Is

there any explanation for this enigma?

What AllahWhat AllahWhat AllahWhat Allah    causes to be forgotten!causes to be forgotten!causes to be forgotten!causes to be forgotten!

Although Maulānā made no mention of it when he

answered me on that memorable day, we may add for the

benefit of readers, that only ‘part’ of that which was sent

down by Allah Most High on Nabī Muhammad

 constituted revelations of the Qur’ān. There (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم)

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239

was much that was sent down on him which did not form

part of the Qur’ān. Muslims are well aware, for example,

that there are many Ahādīth which contain the direct

speech of Allah Most High, and are known as Hadīth al-

Qudsī, which do not form part of the Qur’ān. It is with

reference to such divine inspiration sent to mankind,

including Prophets of Allah, and to Nabī Muhammad

( سلمص$ �هللا عليه � ) himself, that the Qur’ān has revealed that

Allah can cause such a person to forget whatever Allah

chooses to have forgotten:

نَ¾
َ
 ت

َ
ال
َ
yَ ف

ُ
pِر
ْ
   ﴿َسنُق

ُ
ه
�
ا� �هللا�ُ Gِن

َ
 َما ش

�
Gِال

 ÷َْ
َ
َْهَر َ�َما �

ْ
ُم �«

َ
ْعل

َ
  ﴾ ف

“We shall teach you, and you will not forget [anything of

what you are taught], (87:6)

“Save what Allah may will [you to forget] – for, verily, He

[alone] knows all that is open to [man’s] perception as well as

all that is hidden [from it].”

(Qur’ān, al-’Ala, 87:6-7)

This ‘forgetting’ does not at all apply to the

revelation of verses of the Qur’ān.

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240

The Qur’ān has, in fact, recorded an event in which

Allah did cause the Prophet (ص$ �هللا عليه �سلم) to forget an

item of knowledge that was sent down to Him through

Angel Gabriel, but which did not form part of the Holy

Book. The reader can find it in the commentary to Sūrah

al-Kahf, 18:23-4.

It is possible that Allah first teaches something to a

special servant of his, such as a Prophet, and then causes

that knowledge to be forgotten, because, in His wisdom,

He wants that knowledge to be subsequently presented in

a new form appropriate to a new stage in the historical

process. And Allah Knows best!

Gog and MagogGog and MagogGog and MagogGog and Magog

It was in the early 90’s when I was still based in New

York, that I arrived at an interpretation of a crucially

important verse of the Qur’ān concerning the identity of

Gog and Magog, and I was quietly confident that my

interpretation was correct. But since I could not find any

other scholar who had interpreted the verse the way that I

did, I found myself in a unique and precarious position.

My view was that the Qur’ān referred to Jerusalem when

it declared, in Verses 95 and 96 of Sūrah al-Anbiyāh, that

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241

Allah Most High had destroyed a ‘town’, had expelled its

people, and had banned their return (to the town to

reclaim it as their own) until Gog and Magog were

released, and they had spread out in all directions, or

descended from every height:

 يَرِْجُعو�َ ﴿
َ

غ�ُهْم ال
َ
نَاَها ك

ْ
ك
َ
ْهل

َ
 قَْرَيٍة �

َ
� �ََحَر�ٌ' َ

  ن ُجوåُ َ�ُهم م1
ْ
ُجوåُ َ�َمأ

ْ
َح|� �FَGِ فُِتَحْت يَأ

َ
و�

ُ
Nٍ يَنِسل

َ
 َحد

1 ُ
� ﴾

“We have prohibited the return of a people to a town which

we have destroyed, (21:95)

Until Gog and Magog are released, and they spread out in all

directions (or descend from every height).”

(Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh, 21:95-6)

This interpretation of the Qur’ān, in which I

identified the ‘town’ as Jerusalem, allowed me to go on to

recognize the presence of Gog and Magog in the Judeo-

Christian Zionist alliance in modern western civilization,

since they were the ones responsible for bringing the Jews

back to Jerusalem to reclaim it as their own some 2000

years after Allah had expelled them from that town and

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242

had banned such return.

It was only after I had interpreted the ‘town’ as

Jerusalem, was the road opened for me to write my best-

selling book entitled ‘Jerusalem in the Qur’ān’.

A few months after I had identified the ‘town’ as

Jerusalem, I picked up a booklet from the books of

Maulānā’s personal library which had been gifted to me

after I married his daughter. It was written by Ebrahīm

Ahmad Bāwāny, a Pakistani businessman )ه �هللا�Q( , and was

entitled ‘Gog Magog and the State of Israel’. I was

absolutely astonished to find at the very beginning of the

booklet that Bāwāny had not only quoted the two verses

of Sūrah al-Anbiyāh which made mention of Gog and

Magog, but had also identified the ‘town’ as Jerusalem.

Bāwāny went on to explain in the Preface to the booklet

that he was indebted to the Islamic scholar, Maulānā Dr.

Muhammad Fazlur Rahmān Ansārī, who not only

explained the subject of Gog and Magog to him, but also,

and of crucial importance to us, he identified the ‘town’

in Sūrah al-Anbiyāh: 95-96, as Jerusalem.

Commenting on the two verses of Sūrah al-Anbiyāh’

and to the ‘town’, Bāwāny declared as follows: “we firmly

believe (and for which we have advanced solid arguments in the

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243

following pages) that this Ayah refers in particular to the city of

Jerusalem …” (p. 2). He went on to declare: “Thus the Ayah of

the Holy Qur’ān (i.e. al-Anbiyāh’: 95-96), beyond doubt, relates to

the establishment of the State of Israel by the connivance and

support of the powers of Gog and Magog.” (p. 3). He also

acknowledged his debt to Maulānā Muhammad Fazlur

Rahman Ansari, “whose interpretation and explanation of the

Ayāt relating to the return of the people to the city which was

destroyed, referred to in the preceding pages, inspired me to make

research and to write on the subject” (p. iii).

The booklet was published in August 1967 by the

Begum Aisha Bāwāny Wakf in Karachi, Pakistan, and so

Maulānā must have arrived at the interpretation of the

‘town’ as Jerusalem, a few decades before I did. We do

not know how he arrived at his interpretation, but we can

assume that it was his methodology for the study of the

Qur’ān which delivered this astonishing fruit to him.

Since he (correctly) identified the ‘town’ as

Jerusalem, the implication must be that Maulānā had also

easily identified the presence of Gog and Magog in the

Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance in the modern world,

and was thus well-placed to pioneer Islamic eschatology

as a new branch of knowledge in Islam. It will forever

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244

remain an agonizing mystery why he chose not to do so.

I remained his student for seven years, and it may

perhaps be true to say that he had a high regard for me as

his student. It remains an enigma that even though

Maulānā clearly had the knowledge to do so, never

during my seven years with him did he ever attempt to

teach and explain to me, or to any of his other students,

the subjects of Dajjāl  and of Gog and Magog in Ākhir al-

Zamān (i.e., the last age). I am left to wonder in

amazement and disbelief whether he deliberately

maintained that silence since his plan was for someone

other than himself to pioneer Islamic eschatology.

The mystery that is evident in Maulānā’s silence on

the subject of Gog and Magog finds an uncanny echo in

the even more mysterious silence of the poet-philosopher,

Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, who responded to the Bolshevik

revolution of 1917 and the subsequent European crusader

conquest of Jerusalem one month later, with an amazing

couplet of Urdu poetry in which he declared that Gog

and Magog had been released:

 كھُل �ئے ياجوQ�� å ماجوå كے لشكر تما'

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245

 �شم ُمسلم Rيكھ لے تفسx حرo ينسلو�

Khul gayay Yajooj aur Majooj kay lashkar tamam

Chashmay Muslim dekh lay tafseer-e harf-e-yansiloon.

“Set loose are all the hordes of Gog and Magog; To the

Muslim eye manifest is the meaning of the word Yansilūn”,

(i.e. the two verses of the Qur’ān, al-Anbiyāh’, 21: 95-6, which

end with the word ‘Yansilūn’).

[Bang-e-Dara – Zarifana: 23]

Having made this amazing statement in Urdu poetry

confirming that Gog and Magog had been released, and

having linked the event of the British liberation of

Jerusalem (for the Jews) with the release of Gog and

Magog,  Iqbal then proceeded to maintain a mysterious

total silence on the subject for the rest of his life. He

never wrote or spoke a single word on the subject

subsequent to that amazingly accurate penetration of the

verses of the Qur’ān concerning the release of Gog and

Magog into the world.

This mysterious silence on the subject of Gog and

Magog from the world of Islamic scholarship cannot

continue for much longer since it appears that the world

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246

is now poised on the brink of another world war. In the

same way that the First World War was used to bring

down the curtain on the Islamic Caliphate, so too it

appears that this coming world war will bring down the

curtain on the Hajj or pilgrimage to the Ka’aba in

Makkah. When that happens, it would no longer be

possible for any Muslim to remain in a state of denial

concerning the release of Gog and Magog in the world

since the Prophet prophesied, in a Hadīth recorded in

Sahīh Bukhārī, that:

 åَُجو
ْ
ُْعتََمَر�� َنْعَد ُخُر�åِ يَأ

َ
n�َ َيُْت

ْ
z� ن� َُحج�

َ
n

َ
åو

ُ
ج

ْ

أ
َ
م
َ
�

“People would continue to perform the Hajj and ‘Umrah

even after Gog and Magog have been released.”

But then he went on to declare:

َيُْت
ْ
z� َج�Ñُ

َ
 َح|� ال

ُ
اَعة  َيُقوُ' �لس�

َ
 ال

“The Last Hour would not come before the Hajj no longer

takes place.”

(Sahīh Bukhārī)

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247

The Imperative of Islamic SpiritualityThe Imperative of Islamic SpiritualityThe Imperative of Islamic SpiritualityThe Imperative of Islamic Spirituality

Maulānā Ansārī identified himself as a Sufi Shaikh in the

Aleemiyah-Qaderiyyah Spiritual Order. His spiritual

mentor, Maulānā Muhammad ‘Abdul ‘Aleem al-Siddiqui,

was also a Sufi Shaikh in several Sufi Spiritual Orders. (I

also identified myself with Sufism all my life until I

found that I could not pursue my humble efforts in

Islamic eschatology if I had to defend Sufi religious

beliefs and practices which were not clearly based on the

Qur’ān and Sunnah, or way of life of the Prophet  ص$ �هللا

 .(عليه �سلم

Maulānā Ansārī recognized Sufism or Tasawwuf to be

the very heart of the religion of Islam, but he preferred

the term al-Ihsān, used in the Hadīth, for the spiritual

quest, and the same Hadīth clearly depicted ‘internal

vision’ to be the very heart of al-Ihsān. Hence the heart of

Sufism was ‘internal vision’:

In Islamic terminology the term that emerges for the

religious quest is al-Ihsān, as laid explicitly in Bukhāri’s

Sahīh: “… he (the enquirer) asked: ‘What is al-Ihsān? (To

that) he (the Holy Prophet) replied: ‘It is to pursue the

System of Obedience to Allah as if you are seeing Him (i.e.,

with the inner vision of ‘Divine Presence’); but if it is not

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248

possible for you to see Him (inside your consciousness), then

(this reality should remain thoroughly in your mind that) He

is seeing you’.” (Qur’anic Foundations, Vol. 1, p. 140)

The goal or objective of the spiritual quest in Islam is

al-Basīrah which becomes possible when the rational

faculty is enriched by internal intuitive spiritual insight.

That insight, in turn, becomes possible when Allah Most

High bestows Nūr or light, to the heart of the believer.

The Qur’ān refers to al-Basīrah in the following

verse:

ْ
نَا
َ
� �ٍxَبَِص َ� �هللا1 َ

َ
kِG ُعوRْ

َ
� Íَِسِبي cِقُْل َهِذ﴿

بَ
�
ِن �ي

َ
 ِمَن َ�م

ْ
نَا
َ
َعِ� �َُسبَْحاَ� �هللا1 َ�َما �

 َVِ̂ ِ
ْ

ُم§
ْ
  ﴾ �ل

Say [O Prophet]: “This is my way: Resting upon conscious

insight accessible to reason, I am calling [you all] unto Allah -

I and they who follow me.” And [say:] “Limitless is Allah in

His glory; and I am not one of those who ascribe divinity to

aught beside Him!”

(Qur’ān, Yūsuf, 12:108)

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249

The above is Muhammad Asad’s translation of the

verse. Maulānā Ansari translates the verse slightly

differently:

Say (O Muhammad!): This is my way: I do invite unto Allah,

– on evidence as clear as seeing with one’s eyes, – I and whoever

follows me (practically). Glory to Allah! And I am not of

those who join Gods with Allah”. (Yūsuf, 12:108)

(Qur’anic Foundations, Vol. 1 p 139-40)

Basīrah is thus something which is so evident, or is

presented in such a way that it can be perceived ‘as plain

as daylight’. The Sufi is thus someone who develops the

capacity to present the ‘truth’ with Basīrah, or in such a

manner that it would be as plain as daylight that it is

‘truth’. People who develop that capacity are referred to

in the Qur’ān as Ulul absār, or the people of Basar. Nabī

Ibrāhīm (Abraham), Nabī Ishāq (Isaac) and Nabī Y’aqūb

(Jacob) ('عليهم �لسال) are described as people of Absār.  The

Sufis are those who are described in the Qur’ān as Ulul

absār or people with (spiritual) insight who see with both

the external and the internal eyes:

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250

 �ِ�ْ
ُ
� Nَِْسَحَق َ�َيْعُقوi�َ بَْر�ِهيَمG نَاRَْر ِعبَا

ُ
﴿Fْ��َك

 ِQبَْصا
َ ْ
يِْدh َ��أل

َ ْ
 ﴾ �أل

“And call to mind Our servants Abraham and Isaac and

Jacob, [all of them] endowed with inner strength and inner

vision.”

(Qur’ān, Sād, 38:45)

The Qur’ān invited mankind to ponder and reflect

with ‘internal insight’ upon the fate of those who

followed earlier revelation and who not only rejected the

Qur’ān and Nabī Muhammad ( �هللا عليه �سلم ص$ ), but also

waged war on Islam. They paid a price for their hostility:

ْهِل
َ
يَن َكَفُر�� ِمْن � ِ

�
A� åَْخَر

َ
� h ِ

�
A� ُهَو﴿

 �
َ
َْ§ِ َما َظنَنتُْم �

ْ
U� fِ ��

َ
ِكتَاNِ ِمن RِيَاQِِهْم ِأل

ْ
�ل

هُ
�
غ
َ
رُُجو� َ�َظن�و� ك

ْ َ
َن �هللا�ِ � انَِعتُُهْم ُحُصوُغُهم م1 م م�

 �ِ oَْتَِسبُو� َ�قََذÑَ ْم
َ
تَاُهُم �هللا�ُ ِمْن َحيُْث ل

َ
فَأ

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251

يِْديِهْم
َ
وبِِهُم �لر�ْعَب ُ�ِْرُبوَ� ُنيُوَيُهم بِأ

ُ
قُل

 ِQبَْصا
َ ْ
�ِ� �أل

ُ
�� يَا � اْقتَِ¤ُ

َ
ُمْؤِمِنVَ ف

ْ
يِْدh �ل

َ
��َ ﴾

“He it is who turned out of their homes, at the time of

[their] first gathering [for war], such of the followers of

earlier revelation as were bent on denying the truth. You did

not think [O believers] that they would depart [without

resistance] – just as they thought that their strongholds

would protect them against Allah: but Allah came upon them

in a manner which they had not expected, and cast terror

into their hearts; [and thus] they destroyed their homes by

their own hands as well as the hands of the believers; learn a

lesson, then, O you who are endowed with insight!”

(Qur’ān, al-Hashr, 59:2)

The Qur’ān again referred to Basīrah (in the sense of

gaining insight) in an enigmatic verse in which a

mysterious Sāmirī (that is his name) explained to Nabī

Mūsa (Moses 'عليه �لسال) his reason for forging a golden

calf, and then getting the Israelites to worship it:

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َقبَْض
َ
�� بِِه ف ُóُْب

َ
ْم ف

َ
 بaُْóَُ بَِما ل

َ
fا
َ
 ﴿ق

ُ
ت

ْت
َ
ل لَِك َسو�

َ
ذ
َ
ُيَها َ�^

ْ
نَبَذ

َ
ِر �لر�ُسوfِ ف

َ
ث
َ
ْن �  م1

ً
بَْضة

َ
ق

﴾Ãِ
ْ
  Áِ َغف

He answered: “I have gained insight into something which

they were unable to see (i.e., with the internal eye): and so I

took hold of a handful of the Apostle’s teachings and cast it

away: for thus has my mind prompted me [to act].”

(Qur’ān, Tā Hā, 20:96)

In another verse the Qur’ān used the word Basīrah in

the sense of that which provokes someone to gain insight:

ْ
د
َ
ق
َ
 ل

َ
fا
َ
�  ﴿قNَQ

�
 َهُؤال� Gِال

َ
fنَز

َ
َعِلْمَت َما �

ُظن�َك يَا
َ َ
 أل

1
Õِi�َ بََصآئَِر ِ̄ Qْ

َ
َماaِ��َ َ��أل �لس�

�Qًو
ُ
ب
ْ
ث
َ
 م

ُ
و�

َ
  ﴾ فِرْع

Answered [Moses]: “You know well that none but the Lord-

God of the heavens and the earth has bestowed these

[miraculous signs] from on high, as a means of [provoking]

insight [for you]; and, verily, O Pharaoh, [since you have

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253

chosen to reject them;] I think that you art utterly lost!”

(Qur’ān, al-Isrā, 17:102)

But the Qur’ān also uses the word Basīrah for actual

physical vision, as in the following verse where Yūsuf

 asked his brothers to place his shirt over his (عليه �لسال')

blind father’s eyes, and this would restore his vision:

 Îِ
َ
 �َْجِه �

َ
�َ cُُقو

ْ
ل
َ
ِميِ� َهَذ� فَأ

َ
 بِق

ْ
َهبُو�

ْ
F�﴿

 َV¹َِْع
َ
ْهِلُكْم �

َ
تُوÀِ بِأ

ْ
��َ �xًبَِص aِ

ْ
  ﴾ يَأ

“[And now] go and take this tunic of mine and lay it over my

father’s face, and he will recover his sight. And thereupon

come [back] to me with all your family.”

(Qur’ān, Yūsuf, 12:93)

In the verses below, the Qur’ān refers to both

internal and external sight at the same time:

َ
ال
َ
ف
َ
� xَُِص ْz��َ �َْق

َ
 يَْستَوhِ �أل

ْ
 َهل

ْ
﴿قُل

ُر�َ�﴾
�
ك
َ
  َيتَف

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Say: “Can the blind and the seeing be deemed equal? Will

you not, then, take thought?”

(Qur’ān, al-An’ām, 6:50)

نُت
ُ
 ك

ْ
د
َ
ْقَ� َ�ق

َ
تَِ� �  1NَQ لَِم َحَ§ْ

َ
fقَا﴿

﴾�xًبَِص

[And so, on Resurrection Day, the sinner] will ask: “O my

Lord-God! Why have You raised me up blind, whereas [on

earth] I was endowed with sight?”

(Qur’ān, Tā Hā, 20:125)

Our conclusion is that the Qur’ān has used the term

Basīrah to mean both external and internal sight; and

since the Qur’ān goes on in the verses below to describe

the totality of divine revelation as Basāir, which is the

plural of Basīrah, the implication is that one of the

primary functions of Islamic spirituality is to deliver the

internal intuitive spiritual insight which, in conjunction

with the rational faculty, delivers that capacity with

which a believer can penetrate and understand the

Qur’ān:

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255

 َóَْب
َ
ب1ُكْم َفَمْن � �Q قَْد َجا�ُكم بََصآئُِر ِمن﴿

َ

ِ
�

َ
ْن ع

َ
ِسِه َ�م

ْ
ف
َ
ِلن
َ
يُْكم  ف

َ
 َعل

ْ
نَا
َ
يَْها َ�َما �

َ
َفَعل

ِفيٍظ
َ
Âِ ﴾

Means of insight have now come unto you from your Lord-

God [through this divine writ]. Whoever, therefore, chooses

to see, does so for his own good; and whoever chooses to

remain blind, does so to his own hurt. And [say unto the

blind of heart]: “I am not your keeper.”

(Qur’ān, al-An’ām, 6:104)

 �ْجتَبَيْتََها قُْل
َ
ْوال

َ
 ل
ْ
و�
ُ
تِِهم بِآيٍَة قَال

ْ
ْم تَأ

َ
﴿�Fَiِ�َ ل

ت�ِبُع َما
َ
َما ك   ُ��َ�� Gِغ�

1
Ä
�
Q ِمن

�
َ

ÁGِ ا بََصآئُِر
َ
 َهذ

ْوٍ' يُْؤِمنُو�َ
َ
ق
1
 ل
ٌ
َة
ْ
�َQ�َ Hب1ُكْم َ�ُهًد �Q ِمن ﴾

And yet, when you [O Prophet] do not produce any miracle

for them, some [people] say, “Why do you not seek to obtain

it [from Allah]? Say: “I only follow whatever is being revealed

to me by my Lord-God: this [revelation] is a means of insight

from your Lord-God, and a guidance and grace unto people

who will believe.

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

256

(Qur’ān, al-’Arāf, 7:203)

What is the precise role that Basīrah plays in the

study of the Qur’ān, and hence how important is

Sufism/Tasawwuf/al-Ihsān for the study of the Qur’ān

and for penetrating the greatest of all Fitnah, i.e., the

Fitnah of Dajjāl? Maulānā’s response was to quote the

Hadīth in which the blessed Prophet (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم)

warned as follows:

�
ِإن
َ
ِمِن ف

ْ
ُمؤ

ْ
 ال
َ
وا فَِراَسة

ُ
ق
�
نُْظُر بِنُوQِ اهللا�ِ اي

َ
  ُه ف

“Fear the Firāsah (or wisdom that comes from that spiritual

insight) of the one who has faith, for he surely sees with

Allah’s Light.”

(Narrated by Abū Saīd al-Khudrī and recorded in Tirmīdhi’s

Jāmi’, Hadīth number 3419. Book of Tafsīr al-Qur’ān).

The specific role that Basīrah plays in delivering the

Firāsah with which to penetrate the Qur’ān and to thus

respond to Dajjāl, is located in Maulānā’s methodology

for the study of the Qur’ān. Having directed attention to

the supreme epistemological importance of al-Ihsān and

the Basīrah and Firāsah which it delivers, and disposed of

all challenges to the status and integrity of the Qur’ān,

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257

Maulānā was able to deliver his greatest contribution to

Islamic thought, i.e., methodology for the study of the

Qur’ān, and we have written a book to explain that

methodology in as comprehensive a way as is possible.

Basīrah plays a very important role in that methodology.

A Spiritual Bond with A Spiritual Bond with A Spiritual Bond with A Spiritual Bond with Nabī MuhammadNabī MuhammadNabī MuhammadNabī Muhammad    (ص� �هللا عليه �سلم)

Maulānā spent a great deal of time explaining that Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم) was not a postman whose

function was simply to deliver the package of Islam and

then to say goodbye and go on his way. Rather, he has an

abiding role to play in the lives of believers, even after he

died and left this world. The proof of this is to be found

in the Qur’ān where all Muslims, for all times to come,

are ordered to send salutations and greetings of peace on

him, even after he is no longer in this world:

َها  �ف
َ
وَ� َ�َ ا1èِ�j يَا ك

�
ئَِكتَُه يَُصل

َ
﴿��Gِ اهللا�َ َ�َمال

ْسِليًما
َ
ُموا ت

1
يِْه �ََسل

َ
وا َعل

�
يَن 3َمنُوا َصل ِ

�
Aا ﴾

“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

258

ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a

worthy salutation.”

(Qur’ān, al-Ahzāb, 33:56)

The very clear implication of the above is that Nabī

Muhammad (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم) is alive in another world, and

that he receives the salutations sent to him by the

believers. But it has always been the belief of those who

follow the religion of Nabī Ibrāhīm (Abraham 'عليه السال),

that there is life beyond death. If the Prophet ( ص$ اهللا عليه

 is alive in another world, and we are commanded to (�سلم

send salutations on him which he receives, then it is

possible that he has abiding roles to play in the religious

life of a believer even after his death and departure from

this world. Does the Qur’ān offer any guidance on this

subject?

The Qur’ān does speak about the role and mission of

the Prophet ( هللا عليه �سلمص$ ا ) in communicating the divine

guidance and revelations to a non-Jewish people (i.e., the

Arabs) who were hitherto living in manifest error, in

purifying them, and in teaching them the Book (i.e., the

revealed scripture) and wisdom. But then it went on to

speak of a people who would come at a later time, who

have as yet no contact with the Prophet (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم), for

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Appendix 1

259

whom he will also perform the same role and function:

و
ُ
نُْهْم َفتْل  م1

ً
يQ Vَ1َُسوال م1

ُ ْ
h َنَعَث ِ� األ ِ

�
Aُهَو ا﴿

 Nَِكتَا
ْ
ُمُهُم ال

1
يِهْم َ�ُيَعل

1
يِْهْم 3يَاتِِه َ�ُيَز^

َ
َعل

 ٍVِب
�
fٍ م

َ
ال
َ
ِ� ض

َ
 ل
ُ
بْل

َ
نُوا ِمن ق

َ
� �iِ�َ

َ
َمة

ْ
ِك
ْ
Uَ�ا

  َِحُقوا بِه
ْ
ا يَل م�

َ
َعِزيُز 3�ََخِريَن ِمنُْهْم ل

ْ
ْم َ�ُهَو ال

َِكيمُ
ْ
Uا ﴾

“He it is Who hath sent among the unlettered ones a

messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelations

and to make them grow, and to teach them the Scripture and

Wisdom, though heretofore they were indeed in error

manifest, (62:2)

“Along with others of them who have not yet joined them.

He is the Mighty, the Wise.”

(Qur’ān, al-Jumu’āh, 62:2-3)

There are two amazing implications which emerge

from the above verses of the Qur’ān. The first is that, by

divine planning, no one can by-pass either the Qur’ān or

Nabī Muhammad (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم) and yet penetrate ‘truth’

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

260

in its totality (i.e., the complete truth that is accessible to

human beings). And it is for this reason that the Qur’ān

has no direct mention in it of Dajjāl. It is by divine

wisdom that the world has only one means of acquiring

comprehensive knowledge of Dajjāl, and that is from the

Āhadīth of the Nabī Muhammad (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم). It is only

through the Āhadīth on Dajjāl that we can recognize and

identify the references to Dajjāl in the Qur’ān.

The second implication is that Islamic scholarship

(among others) in Ākhir al-Zamān (i.e., the End-time) is

destined to receive from Nabī Muhammad (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم),

something of what those who lived at his time also

received from him. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why

he spoke about the End-time Muslims in the way that he

did:

َ
َمَطِر ال

ْ
ِ� َمثَُل ال م�

ُ
ْ'  َمثَُل �

َ
� ٌxَْخ ُ

ُ
� ��

َ
� HَQيُْد

 ُc3ِخُر

“My Ummah (i.e., community) is like the rain. I do not know

which (shower) is better – the first or the last.”

(Jāmi’ al-Tirmīdhī)

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Appendix 1

261

We do not claim that scholars will be the only ones

who might qualify to be amongst such people, however

since the Prophet (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم) declared that the Ulamā

(i.e., scholars) are “inheritors of the Prophets” (inheriting a

special role in post-prophetic history and a status

appropriate to that role), the implication is that they

must be included amongst those who will have that

special End-time blessing.

Rejection of SectarianismRejection of SectarianismRejection of SectarianismRejection of Sectarianism

In the Pakistan in which Maulānā lived there were two

major sects, Deobandis and Brelvis, who were locked in

mortal and foolish sectarian combat with each other.

Then there was the Ahl al-Hadīth sect, the Wahhabis, as

well as Tablīgh Jamaat, and finally there were several

groups within the Shia sect. He rejected all sects and

refused to be identified with any of them, while

steadfastly upholding the imperative of Muslim unity

based on fidelity and adherence to the Qur’ān and, to the

extent that it was in harmony with the Qur’ān, the

Hadīth as well.

He did identify himself as Sunni, but he did not

recognize Sunni Islam as a sect. Rather, the term Sunni

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262

was coined in order that the main body of Muslims might

respond to Shia sectarianism. He chose dynamic orthodoxy

as the only road to salvation for the world of Islam:

In the dynamic orthodoxy that has thus emerged lies, in the

belief of the present writer, the salvation of Muslims and of

humanity at large. (QFSMS, Vol. 1, p. XXII)

It must have taken an immense amount of courage

for him to publicly declare, as he did on countless

occasions: “I am not Deobandi, and I am not Brelvi, and I am not

Ahles Hadīth, and I am not Wahhabi. I am Muslim!” The

consequence was that all the sects rejected him, and he

was left all alone in Pakistan to preach and to teach only

those who would listen to him. Those, on the other hand,

who brandished their Deobandi and Brelvi swords with

relish, were adored by the masses.

Maulānā rejected all divisions in the House of Islam

based on Āhadīth, and was thus quite forthright in his

rejection of the emergence of a Shia sect based on beliefs

which largely depended on Āhadīth rather than the

Qur’ān. For example, the main Shia belief which

separated them from the rest of the Muslims, is the belief

in the Imamate. They believe that Allah Most High

designated the Ahl al-Bayt, i.e., the House of Muhammad

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Appendix 1

263

 to succeed him in leadership of the (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم)

community of Muslims. The first such successor was ‘Alī

)ÇQ اهللا عنه( , and they believe that his succession was

personally announced by the Prophet (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم)

himself. They therefore believe, with considerable pain

and anger, that the over-whelming majority of Muslims

chose, mysteriously so, to reject the appointment of ‘Alī

)ÇQ اهللا عنه(  that was made personally by the Prophet

himself. As a consequence they rejected Abu Bakr, ‘Umar

and Uthmān )اهللا عنه ÇQ( , who succeeded Nabī Muhammad

 as the leaders, one after the other, as the (ص$ اهللا عليه �سلم)

leaders of the Muslim community. They were accused of

being usurpers.

Maulānā’s view was that the belief-system of Islam

had to come from the Qur’ān: “… that it is not the function

of the Hadīth literature – however valuable its role otherwise, but

only of the Qur’ān, to lay down the constitutive factors of the

Islamic Creed” (QFSMS, Vol. 1, p. xxvi). The belief in the

Imamate was based entirely on alleged Āhadīth and could

not be established from the Āyāt Muhkamāt of the

Qur’ān. Hence it could not be admitted as part of the

system of beliefs in Islam; rather, its claim to be a part of

that belief-system had to be rejected.

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264

However Maulānā never considered the Shia to be

outside of the House of Islam; rather, they were Muslims.

In this matter of relationship with the Shia, he followed

the way of his teacher and spiritual master, Maulānā

Abdul Aleem Siddiqui ( �Qه اهللا( , who maintained friendly

ties with the Shia despite his rejection of their Imamate

theory.

A rare moment in time is gone A rare moment in time is gone A rare moment in time is gone A rare moment in time is gone ––––    a golden opportunitya golden opportunitya golden opportunitya golden opportunity    is is is is

perhaps lost!perhaps lost!perhaps lost!perhaps lost!

There are those who might question my right to disclose

in this essay such views of Maulānā which he chose not to

speak about in his public lectures, nor to record in his

writings. My response is that I not only have the right to

do so, but that I am honored to do so.  It seems to me

that Maulānā may have believed that he lived his life

before his time in history had come, and hence that he

was a scholar before his age. I am honored to be among

those chosen to fulfill the humble role of transmitting his

thought to the world of Islamic scholarship so many years

after his death. However my voice is insignificant, and I

fear that unless there are other voices as well, I may have

little success in transmitting such a powerful message to

the world of Islamic scholarship.

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Appendix 1

265

I must also confess my view that Maulānā may have

chosen to remain silent on these pivotally important

issues of Islamic scholarship because of fear that

disclosure might have resulted in such condemnation and

such universal attacks on his scholarship by his peers, the

scholars of Islam, as could have resulted in the total

destruction of his profile and status as a highly-respected

leading scholar of Islam of his age.

If this was the reason for his silence, then I must

enter into the record my contrary view. I have no doubt

whatsoever that if he had made his views public and had

argued his viewpoint, that Allah Most High would have

protected him, and he might just have succeeded in

provoking a glorious revolution in Islamic scholarship.

He did not do so, and chose instead to be either silent or

to express his views in a manner that was not easily

discernible. The result is that we still live with the

present sorry and miserable plight of that world of

Islamic scholarship. More than forty years ago Maulānā

wrote about the miserable plight of Islamic scholarship in

his age:

As matters stand in the Muslim world today, it is the decline

of religious leadership from the Islamic standard in a serious

measure that constitutes a major cause of its inability with regard to

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

266

its emergence from the abyss into which it has been descending

since some time. (QFSMS, Vol. 1, p. 151, fn. 153)

As matters stand in respect of the Muslim religious leadership

of the present day, neither those who are popularly known as Sufis,

nor those who have become anti-Tasawwuf, and neither the

political agitators among the ‘Ulamā, nor the professional preachers

and writers among them, seem to possess any chances of achieving

success in defeating the forces of evil that sway the world. (QFSMS,

Vol. 1, p. 361)

Forty years later, as this brief essay is being published

for the first time, the state of the world of Islamic

scholarship is even worse than it was in his time.

[

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267

Index

[

9/11 .......................... 52, 53, 287

Abdul ‘Aleem al-Siddiqui ...... 245

Abdullah bin ‘Amr ............ 58, 59

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-’Ās.... 59

Abū Dāūd ............................... 60

Abraham……ix, 2, 16, 29, 36, 39,

129, 130, 134, 139, 171, 179,

180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 186,

248, 256, 286

abrogate ................ 127, 137, 233

abrogation…….x, 110, 127, 142,

232, 233, 235

Absār ..................................... 248

Abu Bakr............................... 261

Abū Saīd al-Khudrī ............... 254

Abu Talhah ........................... 113

Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah ... 113

Abyssinia............................... 145

Ādam ........................ 88, 90, 102

addict…..111, 114, 119, 120, 123,

125

addiction…….ix, 109, 111, 114,

118, 120, 122, 123, 124, 126

Africa ........................................ 5

agriculture ............................... 11

Āhadīth……xvii, 225, 226, 227,

229, 258, 260, 261

Ahl al-Hadīth ........................ 261

Ahl al-Bayt ............................ 260

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268

Ahl al-Kitāb……35, 36, 40, 42,

158, 195, 206, 207, 208

Aisha ..................... 228, 229, 230

Ākhir al-Zamān………46, 105,

111, 126, 167, 182, 183, 184,

243, 258, 288

Al Azhar University ................. xx

al-’Ala ................................... 238

al-’Alaq ........................... 28, 219

al-’Arāf ............................ 74, 254

al-Ahzāb .......................... 97, 256

al-Akram ............................... 218

al-Alīm .................................... 55

Al-Amīn ................................ 187

al-An’ām ....... 101, 193, 252, 253

al-Anbiyāh….78, 204, 205, 239,

240, 241, 243

al-Anfāl ..................................... 4

al-Ankabūt ...................... 50, 132

Albania ................................. 154

al-Baqarah……xii, 5, 7, 26, 28,

38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 70, 88, 95,

118, 127, 132, 133, 134, 135,

137, 138, 139, 141, 142, 150,

156, 157, 163, 164, 168, 175,

233

al-Bayān ................................ 219

alcohol…….ix, 109, 111, 113,

114, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122,

123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128,

129

alcohol addict ....................... 111

alcoholic beverages ........ 113, 126

alcoholic drinks ............. 112, 236

alcoholism............. 120, 123, 128

Āle ‘Imrān ... 36, 37, 45, 143, 162

Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic

Studies ................. xx, 222, 289

Aleemiyah-Qaderiyyah Spiritual

Order ............................... 245

al-Fātihah ............. 168, 170, 171

al-Furqān…..12, 32, 62, 76, 224,

226

Algerian .................................. 85

al-Hadīd ........................... 9, 158

al-Hashr .......................... 30, 249

al-Hijr ......................... 19, 88, 91

Alī......................................... 260

al-Ihsān ......................... 246, 254

Al-Ijāzah al-’Āliyah .................. xx

al-Inshiqāq ................................ 1

al-Isrā ........................ 31, 64, 251

al-Jumu’āh ...................... 68, 257

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Index

269

al-Kahf…….19, 81, 89, 90, 91,

163, 188, 193, 194, 199, 200,

201, 203, 205, 238, 287

Allah…….x, xii, xvii, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9,

10, 12, 13, 19, 25, 27, 30, 36,

37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 46,

47, 48, 49, 57, 58, 59, 62, 64,

67, 69, 70, 74, 75, 77, 81, 82,

88, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 100,

102, 107, 110, 112, 113, 114,

116, 117, 121, 122, 123, 124,

126, 127,131, 132, 133, 134,

136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141,

142, 143, 144, 146, 148, 149,

151, 153, 156, 157, 158, 159,

162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 169,

170, 171, 172, 174, 175, 181,

182, 183, 184, 185, 187, 194,

195, 197, 199, 201, 202, 203,

206, 208, 212, 213, 214, 217,

218, 219, 224, 226, 233, 234,

237, 238, 239, 240, 246, 247,

249, 253, 254, 255, 260, 263

Allah’s Apostle ........................ 83

alliance….45, 46, 152, 153, 154,

155, 212, 214, 215

al-Māidah….35, 39, 44, 48, 112,

124, 131, 137, 145, 151, 207,

209, 214

al-Masīh .................................. 16

al-Mu’minūn ........................ 193

al-Mudaththar ........................ 34

al-Mulk ........... 99, 100, 106, 107

al-Mutaffifīn ......................... 116

al-Muzammil .................... 55, 65

al-Nahl ........... 73, 101, 114, 222

al-Naml .................... 16, 57, 170

al-Nisā ........ 28, 69, 97, 108, 121

al-Nūr ................................... 230

al-Qamar .................................. 2

al-Qiyāmah ............................. 75

al-Rahman .................... 218, 220

al-Rūm ......................... 148, 214

al-Saffāt ............ 51, 99, 117, 182

al-Tahrīm ............................... 89

al-Talāq .................................. 93

al-Taubah ......................... 4, 169

al-Zukhruf ...................... 79, 176

Anas bin Malik ................. 7, 113

Angel….3, 4, 22, 60, 62, 69, 88,

89, 90, 102, 103, 218, 238, 255

Anglican Church ................... 147

Ansārī……..vii, xv, xvii, xviii, xx,

xxi, 216, 219, 245, 246

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METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR’ĀN

270

Apostle ............................ 35, 250

Arab……..vii, 5, 24, 26, 63, 84,

139, 187, 209, 215

Arab delegation ..................... 187

Arab States ............................ 215

Arabia ............................... 23, 26

Arabic………xii, 3, 6, 21, 24, 63,

168, 170, 193

Arabic language…….xii, 5, 6, 21,

23, 75

Arabic text................. xii, 5, 6, 21

Arabs……..5, 21, 23, 24, 83, 84,

85, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187,

215, 256

arbitrary .......................... 87, 162

arbitrary parts .......................... 87

arrogance ........................ 34, 147

art of critical thinking .............. 12

astrologers ............................. 100

astronomer ............................ 157

astronomy ............................. 102

Australia ........................ 200, 209

Āyah…….ix, 165, 167, 172, 174,

177, 179, 187, 232, 235

Āyāt Muhkamāt ............ 162, 261

Ayāt Mutashābihāt….ix, 129, 161,

162, 163, 165, 167, 168, 171,

172, 174, 178, 179, 187

Ayesha .................................. 228

Badr ........................................ 95

Balkans ................................... 51

Bang-e-Dara ......................... 244

Bangladesh .............................. 84

Banū Hāshim ........................ 183

Banū Isrāīl ............................ 175

barrier……30, 31, 83, 192, 201,

202, 204

Basar ..................................... 248

Basīrah…..163, 246, 247, 249,

250, 251, 252, 254

bear witness ...................... 25, 35

Begum Aisha Bāwāny ............ 242

Belgium ............................ 5, 209

believer….30, 122, 159, 246, 252,

256

benefit……xvii, 2, 48, 58, 108,

118, 119, 129, 237

betrayal ................................... 11

biological constitutions ......... 125

Black Sea…….197, 199, 201, 206,

208, 212

blasphemy ................. 45, 49, 152

blazing flame ................. 100, 107

Bosnia ................................... 154

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Index

271

brainwash ................................ 11

Brelvi ................... xviii, 259, 260

Britain ................................... 209

British ................................... 244

Bukhārī ......... 113, 128, 230, 234

Byzantine .............. 148, 149, 214

Byzantine Christian ............... 149

Canada .................................. 209

Caribbean ............................ xviii

Caspian Sea ................... 199, 201

Caucasus range ...................... 201

chaste women ........................ 207

Chechen ................................ 211

children ......................... 5, 42, 74

Children of Israel .......... 172, 176

Christian….viii, ix, 4, 16, 29, 34,

49, 130, 146, 147, 152, 153,

154, 155, 156, 179, 195, 208,

212, 214

Christian churches ................ 147

Christian Empire................... 148

Christians…….ix, 16, 35, 36, 37,

38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48,

49, 50, 52, 129, 132, 137, 141,

142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147,

148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 154,

155, 156, 158, 195, 206, 207,

209, 212, 214, 215

chronological order ................. 28

chronologically revealed .......... 28

CIA ...................................... 211

circulatory system ................. 118

civilizations ........................... 102

civilized oppressors .................... 5

collective responsibility ..... 95, 96

colonized subjects ..................... 5

communication ............... 11, 202

community…..27, 35, 38, 40, 43,

44, 95, 110, 111, 112, 113,

118, 129, 131, 137, 142, 143,

144, 145, 146, 148, 197, 258,

260

concubinage .......................... 129

conflict ............. 18, 97, 230, 231

Constantinople….155, 208, 209,

212, 214

contradiction……18, 27, 28, 29,

107, 108, 182

corrupt….10, 11, 17, 18, 29, 109,

115, 169

credentials ......................... 16, 21

Crimea .................................. 211

Cross .................................... 213

crucifixion............................. 152

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currency notes ......................... 92

D’awah ................................. 126

Dajjāl…..xi, xvi, xvii, xxi, 6, 32,

50, 53, 77, 176, 214, 243, 254,

257, 288

Dajjāl the False Messiah ... xi, 288

darkness .... 8, 9, 53, 60, 101, 165

Dāūd .................. 2, 38, 133, 235

David .................. 2, 38, 133, 235

decay ....................................... 10

declaration….16, 19, 70, 90, 110,

128, 129, 143, 152, 163, 172,

225, 229

deities...................................... 47

Deobandi ............. xviii, 259, 260

destroy .. 10, 11, 20, 26, 202, 210

Dhūl Qarnain…..ix, 171, 187,

190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195,

197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202,

205, 206, 208, 209

dialects .................................... 24

dictation............................ 28, 29

die ........................... 3, 4, 34, 175

digestive system ..................... 118

Dinār ........................ 85, 92, 287

Dirham ........................... 92, 287

disobedience ............. 13, 61, 208

disrespect ............. viii, 73, 74, 75

divergent views........................ 16

Divine anger ........................... 87

Divine blessings .................... 156

Divine Book ........................... 19

Divine command .................... 61

Divine declaration ................. 174

Divine decree .............. 38, 77, 80

Divine design .................... 4, 168

Divine guidance ...... 68, 194, 256

Divine literary method .......... 169

Divine Mercy ........................ 202

Divine message ................. 18, 19

Divine objective .... 110, 111, 114

Divine origin ............ 25, 51, 107

Divine plan ................... 183, 211

Divine Presence .................... 246

Divine promise ..................... 218

Divine prophecy ................... 174

Divine protection .................... 20

Divine punishment ................. 85

Divine recognition .......... 43, 142

Divine response .................... 155

Divine revelation…..24, 31, 113,

132, 233

Divine scripture .................... 132

Divine sign ........................... 175

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Divine warning ..................... 118

Divine wisdom….100, 111, 112,

114, 118, 125, 126, 135, 140,

143, 257

Divine wrath ........................... 68

Divine writ ................ 12, 44, 253

Divine presence ..................... 163

Divine message........................ 51

Divinely ordained ......... 111, 177

Divinely-appointed ........... 9, 234

Divinely-constructed ............. 103

Divinely-protected .......... 21, 223

Divinely-revealed…………17, 25,

127, 222, 232, 233

Divinely-revealed word............ 17

divorced .................................. 94

domination ............................. 92

donkey .................................... 69

drug .............................. 120, 123

earth…..10, 80, 99, 100, 101, 107,

117, 200, 202, 251, 252

Ebrahīm Ahmad Bāwāny....... 241

Egypt ................................ xx, 84

electronic money ..................... 70

End-time……..78, 79, 111, 173,

179, 183, 192, 212, 214, 215,

258, 259

English.................. 3, 22, 63, 220

epistemological ..... 105, 222, 254

Eric E. Williams ..................... xix

errant ................................ 41, 44

eschatology ................... 179, 245

Ethiopia ................................ 145

Europe ...................................... 5

evidence….26, 27, 32, 41, 146,

169, 174, 203, 206, 229, 247

evil…..xvii, 17, 18, 29, 50, 83,

100, 107, 119, 169, 184, 211,

212, 263

evildoers .......................... 41, 151

Exodus .................................. 175

expulsion of the Jews ............... 80

external study ........................ 105

fabricated ........ 97, 227, 229, 230

faith…7, 45, 46, 84, 128, 129,

132, 133, 141, 143, 144, 145,

146, 147, 151, 155, 156, 157,

158, 171, 172, 191, 194, 195,

198, 203, 207, 208, 209, 223,

254

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Faith .................. ix, 88, 140, 155

fallen Angel ............................. 88

false Messiah ........ xxi, 32, 53, 77

false-flag ............................ 52, 53

falsehood ........... 17, 18, 167, 224

Fasād ......... 10, 81, 201, 202, 205

fear of Allah ............................ 30

feminism ............................... 185

feminist revolution ............ xx, 11

Firāsah .................................. 254

Fitan ..................... 193, 200, 286

Fitnah ........................... xvii, 254

forbidden ........................ 69, 208

forgive ....... 48, 49, 110, 157, 158

forgiveness................. 49, 50, 115

forsaken .................................. 62

France ............................... 5, 209

freedom ........................... 11, 235

French ................ 3, 63, 174, 220

friendship .......... 45, 46, 153, 154

funeral prayer ........................ 146

Fussilāt .............................. 15, 18

Gabriel…..22, 60, 69, 169, 218,

238

gambling…..111, 118, 119, 120,

124

gardens ........................... 48, 117

Gen Qaddafi ......................... 215

German ...................... 5, 63, 209

ghosts ..................................... 90

God-conscious .............. 109, 115

Gog and Magog….x, 76, 77, 78,

79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 103,

177, 184, 188, 192, 193, 195,

197, 201, 202, 203, 205, 208,

212, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243,

244, 245, 287

Gold and silver coins ............... 92

golden opportunity ..... x, 26, 261

Gospel….ix, 2, 16, 36, 129, 130,

133, 135, 136

grammar ................................. 22

grammatically ......................... 20

grave ..................... 3, 62, 63, 117

guidance…..40, 55, 68, 69, 95,

133, 138, 167, 194, 220, 221,

253, 256

habitual................................. 112

Hadīth…..viii, x, xvii, 46, 58, 76,

77, 79, 81, 82, 90, 97, 103,

202, 204, 212, 215, 225, 226,

227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232,

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275

233, 234, 237, 244, 246, 254,

260

Hadīth literature ....... 9, 227, 261

Hajj ...................... 185, 244, 245

Halāl ............................... 92, 162

Harām ............. xxi, 92, 124, 162

harm ............................. 118, 119

Harth ................................ 94, 95

Hasbullah Bin Hithayathulah

Shafi'iy.............................. 154

Head of State .......................... 27

heart….7, 8, 12, 13, 21, 30, 36,

51, 56, 122, 123, 154, 162,

171, 195, 197, 210, 246, 253

heaven….40, 106, 114, 117, 138,

156, 251

Hell-fire .................... 34, 45, 193

Hijrah ............................. 84, 223

Hindu ..................................... 52

historical fact ......................... 112

historical record............... 26, 112

history…..xxi, 22, 24, 113, 114,

118, 128, 152, 153, 176, 178,

193, 196, 205, 209, 227, 258,

262

Holy Book ........................ 3, 238

Holy Land….38, 53, 146, 153,

186, 204

House of Allah ........................ 39

House of Islam .............. 260, 261

House of Muhammad ........... 260

human…..10, 21, 27, 110, 120,

177, 200, 202, 257

human being ........... 21, 120, 166

human conduct ....................... 97

human history….21, 110, 112,

177, 223

human intellect ..................... 201

human mind ......................... 222

human nature ....................... 122

human reason ....................... 123

human rights ........................ 200

human sacrifice ..................... 182

human world .......................... 10

Iblīs .................... 88, 89, 90, 102

Ibn Kathīr ............................. 197

Ibn Mājah .................xvi, 58, 119

Ibrāhīm…..ix, 2, 16, 29, 36, 39,

129, 130, 139, 179, 182, 183,

186, 248, 256

ignorant ......................... xviii, 70

Ihsān ..................................... 122

Imām .................................... 128

Imam Ahmad ........................ 113

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Imamate ........................ 260, 261

inconsistency ........... 29, 107, 169

incorruptible ..................... 17, 18

inflation .................................. 92

Injīl ................................... 2, 133

injustice .................... 52, 96, 182

innocence ................................ 53

innocent people ....... 52, 146, 200

integrity…18, 19, 97, 118, 232,

236, 254

internal insight .............. 105, 248

intimate relations .................... 94

intoxicants ............ 118, 119, 124

intoxicating drinks ................ 110

intoxication ........... 114, 117, 123

intrinsic value .......................... 92

Inviolable House of Worship ... 40

Iqra ......................................... 56

Iraq ....................................... 215

irrefutable proof ...................... 29

Isa …2, 16, 42, 45, 46, 48, 49, 53,

77, 78, 79, 103, 105, 133, 148

Isaac .............. 134, 179, 181, 248

Ishāq ............................. 179, 248

Ishmael……39, 134, 179, 183,

185, 186

ISIS ................................. 98, 210

Islam ..................................... 129

Islam and Science ................. xviii

Islam and Western Civilization

 ...................................... …xix

Islamic Banks .......................... 71

Islamic Caliphate .. 185, 209, 244

Islamic Empire ...................... 209

Islamic eschatological ............ 178

Islamic eschatology…….185, 242,

243

Islamic Modernism .............. xviii

Islamic religious scholar ....... xviii

Islamic response ...................... xx

Islamic scholar ..... xi, xv, xxi, 241

Islamic scholarship….xv, xvii, xix,

xxi, 174, 236, 244, 258, 262,

263, 264

Islamic spiritual quest............ 122

Islamic standard .................... 263

Islamic State/ISIS .................... 52

Islamic terminology .............. 246

Ismāīl ...... 39, 179, 183, 185, 186

Isnād ..................................... 229

Israel ............... 54, 172, 178, 288

Israelite ................. 16, 38, 68, 81

Israelite Jews ................... 81, 103

Israelite people .................. 16, 38

Italy ...................................... 209

Ittikāf.................................... 236

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277

Jacob ............................. 134, 248

Jāmi’ al-Tirmīdhī .................... 80

Jerusalem….38, 39, 40, 41, 52, 78,

79, 80, 82, 103, 138, 139, 141,

142, 175, 177, 203, 235, 239,

240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 287

Jesus….xvi, 2, 16, 42, 45, 46, 47,

48, 49, 53, 77, 78, 79, 103,

105, 133, 134, 146, 148, 149,

152, 208, 288

Jew….viii, ix, 4, 16, 34, 53, 130,

156, 179, 195

Jewish ..... 29, 132, 153, 185, 256

Jewish Bolshevik Revolution . 210

Jewish oppression .................. 186

Jewish Rabbis ................ 193, 201

Jewish reader ........................... 29

Jewish State ........................... 153

Jewish-Christian friendship ... 152

Jews….ix, 16, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40,

41, 42, 43, 45, 129, 132, 137,

141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146,

150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155,

156, 158, 175, 176, 178, 187,

195, 204, 207, 209, 240, 244

Jibrāīl .................................... 169

Jihād ................. 12, 50, 211, 212

Jinn ................................ 90, 103

John F Kennedy ...................... 53

Judeo-Christian alliance .. ….150,

153

Judeo-Christian Zionist….52, 80,

103, 152, 154, 204, 209, 211

Judeo-Christian Zionist alliance ..

80, 103, 153, 154, 209, 215,

240, 242

Judeo-Christian Zionist Euro-

world-order ...................... 204

Judge ...................................... 44

judgment….32, 76, 222, 225, 226,

230

Judgment Day ................ 48, 110

justice ............................. 96, 198

Ka’aba….38, 39, 139, 141, 215,

235, 244

Kadhālika.............................. 199

Kāfir ..................................... 205

Khabath .................. 84, 184, 185

Khamr .................. 112, 113, 114

Khidr .................... 105, 163, 288

Khilāfah ................................ 209

Kināna .................................. 183

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knowledge….viii, xviii, 9, 41, 55,

68, 73, 76, 85, 101, 102, 141,

162, 163, 167, 188, 201, 221,

222, 224, 225, 238, 242, 258

knowledge from the Qur’ān .... 76

knowledge of navigation ........ 105

Kosovo .................................. 154

Kuffār ........................... 193, 205

lamps ...... 99, 100, 102, 104, 106

Law….37, 44, 67, 124, 135, 136,

137, 164, 208, 233, 235

law of divorce .......................... 94

legal opinions .......................... 92

liberate their minds ................. 11

Libya ............... 53, 210, 211, 215

Libyan Government .............. 210

life here-after ........................... 30

light…8, 9, 53, 157, 159, 165,

231, 246

lineage ................................... 183

literary form ........................ 4, 22

literary work ............................ 23

Lucifer .................................... 88

lunar ....................................... 60

Macedonia ............................ 154

Madīna….39, 112, 121, 139, 146,

187, 223, 288

Madīna al-Rasūl ...................... 39

Majma’a al-Bahrain ............... 105

major sign of the End-time ..... 76

Makkah…..38, 39, 40, 41, 138,

139, 140, 142, 145, 187, 218,

223, 235, 244

male-female relationship ......... 11

mankind……8, 9, 19, 24, 52, 81,

105, 106, 111, 114, 117, 126,

143, 147, 173, 176, 198, 203,

205, 219, 237, 248

Mansūkh ........................ 40, 111

marriage….viii, 49, 84, 93, 94, 95,

96, 98, 155, 206, 207, 228,

229, 230

marriage certificate .......... 84, 155

Marxist Communism ............ 210

Maryam ................................ 193

Masjid…..xvi, xviii, 38, 74, 121,

122, 123, 236

Masjid al-Ansārī ................... xviii

material world ......................... 10

meditates ................................ 33

menstrual .......................... 93, 94

messages.......... 9, 13, 33, 36, 101

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279

Messenger…..6, 36, 58, 59, 62,

70, 140, 157, 158, 183

Messiah…xvi, 16, 53, 103, 176,

288

method of recitation ................ 60

methodology……viii, xi, xvii, 6,

11, 13, 18, 24, 76, 77, 78, 81,

82, 88, 89, 90, 91, 93, 97, 100,

102, 107, 110, 129, 151, 163,

168, 171, 174, 182, 212, 223,

224, 225, 226, 230, 242, 254

military force ........................... 52

military oppression .................. 84

Milk al-Yamīn ........... 96, 97, 129

miracle .. 1, 7, 24, 26, 27, 29, 253

miraculous feature ................... 22

miraculous Qur’ān .................... 8

miraculous status ..................... 23

miraculously identical.............. 21

miraculously retained .............. 23

miraculously uncorrupted........ 21

misinterpret ............................ 77

misinterpretation ..................... 81

modern age…..xv, xvii, xx, 22, 24,

103, 144, 152, 177, 220

modern western civilization…..76,

80, 147, 150, 154, 240

modern world ........... 5, 200, 242

monasticism .................. 145, 147

monetary system…….11, 92, 185,

198

Montrose Village ................. xviii

moon ...................................... 60

moral order ............................. 52

Moses…..2, 16, 68, 133, 134, 175,

250, 251

Mosque ................................. 138

mountain…..30, 52, 79, 80, 192,

201, 218

Muftis ..................................... 92

Muhammad…..x, xi, xii, xv, 12,

25, 38, 41, 42, 56, 62, 128,

136, 143, 169, 187, 205, 237,

241, 243, 247, 258, 289

Muhammad Asad ... xii, 163, 247

Muhammad Fazlur Rahmān

Ansārī……x, xi, xv, 104, 216,

241, 289

Muhkam ............................... 161

Muqatta’āt ix, 130, 167, 168, 170

Murābaha ............................... 71

Mūsa ............ 2, 16, 68, 133, 250

Mushrik .................................. 49

Mushrikūn .............................. 49

musk ..................................... 116

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Muslim……ix, xv, xxi, 3, 4, 7, 46,

49, 63, 70, 74, 104, 113, 114,

128, 129, 130, 155, 183, 202,

208, 210, 212, 215, 220, 221,

227, 243, 244, 259, 260, 261,

263, 286, 287, 289

Muslim community……..39, 112,

261

Muslim world ........... 8, 215, 263

Muslim-Christian alliance .... 155,

212, 214

Muslims…..5, 6, 8, 23, 45, 46, 48,

49, 50, 52, 53, 57, 62, 70, 73,

84, 93, 95, 113, 114, 140, 141,

143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149,

150, 153, 154, 155, 156, 165,

195, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214,

215, 221, 237, 255, 258, 259,

260, 261

Mutashābih ... 162, 165, 166, 182

Mutashābihāt ................ 166, 167

Nabī Muhammad….x, xvii, 3, 6,

16, 20, 26, 28, 29, 36, 37, 39,

53, 60, 61, 62, 68, 70, 76, 90,

97, 110, 119, 125, 127, 133,

139, 144, 145, 157, 166, 167,

183, 184, 187, 202, 203, 216,

218, 223, 225, 228, 229, 234,

235, 236, 237, 248, 255, 256,

257, 258, 261

Naskh……x, 127, 128, 142, 230,

232, 233, 235, 236

NATO……52, 154, 208, 209,

210, 211, 212

navigator ............................... 157

Negus of Abyssinia ................ 145

neo-Ottoman .......................... 52

nervous system ...................... 118

New York ....................... xv, 239

New Zealand ........................ 209

Nisā .................................. 94, 95

Noah .................................... 202

Nūh ...................................... 202

numerical system .................. 169

Nūr....................................... 246

One God….vii, 3, 7, 24, 27, 31,

37, 41, 61, 76, 143, 187, 191,

194, 195, 198, 205, 206, 217,

222, 224

One True God….1, 2, 17, 21, 25,

26, 29, 31, 32, 34, 36

oppression….52, 85, 145, 146,

176, 195, 198, 205, 209, 212

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281

oppressors ............... 11, 186, 206

orphan .............................. 96, 97

orphan girls ....................... 96, 97

Orthodox Christian ........... 8, 208

Orthodox Christian Russia .... 210

Orthodox Christians….50, 52, 53,

153, 209, 212, 215

Ottoman ................. 50, 208, 209

Ottoman Empire ..... 50, 210, 214

Ottoman Islamic Empire ....... 208

Our Signs ................................ 15

Oxford University .................. xix

Pagans ................................... 145

Pakistan….xviii, xx, 8, 84, 242,

259, 260, 288

Pakistani proxies ..................... 10

Pakistani Rupee ....................... 85

paper-money .................... xxi, 92

paper-money monetary system….

 .......................................... xxi

paradise….109, 111, 115, 116,

156, 200

patience ............................. 42, 45

Patriarch ............................... 146

Pax Americana ........ 85, 185, 210

Pax Britanica ......................... 185

Pax Judaica ..................... 85, 185

Pax Qarnain…ix, 130, 187, 195,

197, 199, 201

penal code ............................. 125

People of the Book ........ 143, 145

Persians ................................. 148

Pharaoh….ix, 53, 129, 130, 171,

172, 173, 174, 175, 178, 251

poet-philosopher ................... 243

political dominion .................. 52

polytheist .............................. 187

pray ........................ xvii, 36, 142

prayer….24, 38, 39, 40, 41, 64,

75, 102, 121, 123, 124, 138,

139, 140, 146, 235

President ................................. 53

prohibited……46, 49, 75, 111,

113, 121, 122, 123, 124, 154,

162, 235, 240

prohibited the return of a people

 ................................... 78, 240

prohibition ................... 121, 124

Prophet…..xvi, xvii, 1, 3, 7, 19,

21, 26, 30, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41,

42, 43, 44, 46, 53, 56, 57, 59,

60, 62, 69, 80, 82, 83, 84, 97,

112, 123, 124, 125, 133, 140,

141, 143, 146, 157, 164, 165,

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166, 169, 184, 187, 202, 205,

215, 218, 228, 238, 244, 246,

247, 253, 254, 255, 256, 258,

260

Prophet Muhammad…..xvii, 1,

19, 43, 62, 69, 146

prostrate .............. 37, 88, 89, 102

Psalms…..ix, 2, 36, 129, 130, 133,

135, 136

psychological ......................... 118

psychological demonization ... 122

psychology .................... 120, 122

puberty ........... 93, 94, 95, 96, 97

punctuation .... 21, 166, 167, 177

punish…48, 125, 191, 197, 203,

206

punished ......... 53, 128, 173, 204

punishment….10, 124, 125, 175,

182, 186, 191, 197, 230, 231,

234, 235

punishment in the grave .......... 63

pursuit of knowledge ............... 75

Qāderiyyah Sufi Order ............ xv

Qāf ....................................... 193

Qarn ..................... 193, 206, 208

Qarnain….ix, 193, 194, 196, 199,

206, 208, 212

Qarns ....... ix, 193, 196, 200, 206

Qiblah….38, 39, 40, 102, 138,

139, 140, 141, 142, 215, 235

Qur’an…..112, 114, 118, 121,

124, 125, 127, 129

Qur’anic authorities .............. 104

Qur’anic data ........................ 110

Qur’anic method………119, 120,

122, 123, 126, 128, 129

Qur’anic punishments........... 231

Quraish......................... 183, 187

Rabbis ........................... 187, 197

Radm .................................... 184

Rahmah ............ x, 157, 217, 218

Rajm….230, 231, 232, 234, 235,

236

Ramadān .................. 60, 75, 165

Rāsikhūnā fī al-’Ilm .............. 163

recitation…..viii, 3, 59, 60, 61, 75,

171, 218

recite…..3, 5, 31, 37, 55, 56, 57,

58,  60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 74, 75,

171, 218, 219, 257

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283

recited….viii, 1, 20, 30, 56, 57,

58, 60, 62, 64, 74, 75, 218, 234

reflects ..................................... 33

refugees ............................. 10, 85

relations…..ix, 45, 46, 129, 130,

164, 212, 235

religious community ............. 137

religious consciousness .......... 104

religious rites ......................... 145

religious thought…….xi, xvii, xxi,

221

Republic of Turkey ............... 208

revealed scriptures…..18, 130,

132, 134, 220

revealed verses ......................... 37

revelation…..x, 7, 19, 20, 21, 36,

37, 40, 41, 42, 44, 50, 67, 69,

75, 111, 112, 114, 120, 121,

123, 127, 134, 137, 163, 167,

214, 218, 224, 232, 235, 237,

238, 248, 249, 252, 253, 256,

257

Ribā…….28, 68, 69, 70, 71, 200,

286

right hands possess .................. 96

righteous conduct .................... 85

rightly-guided ......................... 57

rituals ...................................... 37

Roman Catholic .... 147, 154, 214

Roman church ...................... 214

Rum ............................. 148, 149

Rūm ........ ix, 150, 208, 212, 214

Russia ............... 8, 210, 211, 212

Russian Jews ......................... 210

Russian society ...................... 210

Sabians ................................. 132

sacrifice….129, 179, 181, 182,

183, 184

Sād ............................... 193, 248

Sahīh .................................... 128

Sahīh Bukhārī….84, 97, 184, 217,

228, 229, 230, 231, 233, 244,

245

Sahīh Muslim ......................... 82

Salafi .................................... xviii

Salāt ...................... 121, 122, 123

Salāt al-Jumu’ah ................ 24, 74

Salāt al-Tarawīh ...................... 75

Sāmirī ................................... 250

Satan…..xvi, xvii, 89, 102, 117,

124

Saudi .......................... 8, 10, 287

Saudi Riyal ............................... 8

Saudi-Wahhabi Jihād ............ 211

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scholar of Islam…xix, 154, 177,

262

scholars….xvi, xvii, xx, 93, 107,

128, 225, 258, 262

scholars of Islam….xvii, 103, 105,

110, 120, 126, 225, 262

scientific enquiry .................. xviii

scientific scholarship ............. xviii

scribes ................... 22, 26, 27, 28

scripture…..37, 133, 134, 135,

161, 166, 206, 221, 256

Scripture ............. 7, 87, 136, 257

scriptures…..37, 76, 133, 134,

137, 220, 224, 233

Sea of Galilee .............. 79, 80, 82

Second Vatican Council ........ 152

secular economy ...................... 11

secular political system ............ 11

servants…..48, 117, 163, 181,

186, 248

sexual intercourse .................... 95

sexual relations ...................... 185

Shahādah ...................... 128, 129

Shia .............. xviii, 259, 260, 261

Shirk ........................... 45, 48, 49

Sign of the Last Day…..79, 188,

193, 201

Sign of the Last Hour .............. 79

Signs of the End-time ............. 78

silence ............. 74, 243, 244, 263

Sīrah ..................................... 229

slavery ................................... 129

society….112, 114, 118, 119, 120,

121, 125, 126, 192, 193, 222,

227

sociological ........................... 118

sociology ....................... 120, 122

Solomon ................. 38, 170, 235

son of God ........ 42, 49, 146, 149

son of Mary ............................ 47

soul ............................. 48, 57, 62

Soviet Union......................... 210

Spain ..................................... xix

spellbinding eloquence ...... 34, 51

spiritual capital ....................... 38

spiritual quest ....................... 246

spirituality..................... 120, 252

State of Israel….38, 52, 53, 241,

286

straight way ............................. 79

student…..xii, xx, 4, 5, 7, 55, 68,

75, 76, 78, 108, 112, 129, 154,

178, 194, 222, 227, 242

Sufi ........ xv, xvii, xix, 8, 245, 248

Sufi epistemology .................. xvii

Sufi Masters .............................. 8

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285

Sufi personality ...................... xix

Sufi religious beliefs ............... 245

Sufi scholar ........................... xvii

Sufi Shaikh............... xv, xvii, 245

Sufis .............................. 248, 263

Sufism ................... 245, 246, 254

Sufyan ................................... 184

Suhayl bin Baydaa ................. 113

Sulaimān ......................... 38, 235

Sunan ................................... 119

Sunnah ..... 70, 97, 223, 246, 286

Sunni .................................... 259

Sūrah….xii, 2, 4, 7, 25, 28, 61, 89,

91, 148, 163, 168, 169, 170,

171, 188, 194, 199, 200, 201,

202, 204, 205, 214, 230, 233,

238, 239, 241, 287

surrender ........................... 50, 56

syntactically ............................. 20

Syria .............................. 211, 215

Syria’s Orthodox Christians .. 211

system of meaning….viii, 104,

105, 108, 110, 112, 114, 125,

129, 143, 168, 175, 226

systematic ................................ 13

T’awīl ........................... 162, 165

Tā Hā ........................... 250, 252

Tablīgh Jamaat ............ xviii, 259

Tafsīr .............. xii, 162, 232, 254

Tafsīr al-Qur’ān .............. xii, 254

Tasawwuf ..... 122, 246, 254, 263

Taurāt ............................... 2, 132

Tazkiyah ............................... 7, 8

teacher….xv, xvi, 6, 9, 166, 224,

232, 234, 261

tears ............................ 34, 35, 51

television ........................... 11, 98

Temple ................................... 38

terrorism ................................. 52

terrorists.................................. 52

text…..vii, xi, xii, 4, 18, 19, 20, 21,

22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 168, 170,

223, 226, 228

theoretic consciousness .......... 104

theoretical analysis .................. 13

tilth................................... 94, 95

Tirmīdhī ........................... 7, 258

Tirmīdhi’s Jāmi’ .................... 254

tongue .................................... 75

Torah….ix, 2, 16, 36, 67, 68, 69,

129, 130, 133, 135, 136, 164,

235

transformation….112, 114, 125,

126

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translation ............. xii, 5, 63, 247

transport ................................. 11

Trinidad..............  xviii, xix, xx, 4

trinity .............................. 49, 148

triumph supreme ..................... 48

truth…..4, 12, 15, 18, 32, 33, 34,

35, 40, 42, 44, 51, 69, 76, 78,

92, 126, 135, 137, 138, 156,

162, 193, 221, 222, 223, 224,

225, 235, 248, 249, 257

truthfulness ..................... 48, 187

Turkey .......................... 208, 209

Turkish ............... 10, 51, 52, 210

Ubay ibn Ka’b ....................... 113

Uhud ...................................... 95

Ulamā ........................... 258, 263

Ulul absār.............................. 248

Ulul Albāb ............................ 163

Umar ibn al-Khattāb…...233, 234,

261

Umm al-Kitāb ....................... 162

Ummah ................................ 258

Umrah .................................. 245

uncorrupted .......... 17, 18, 21, 29

universal Fasād .................. 10, 81

universe ............................ xix, 15

unlettered ....................... 29, 257

Urdu ....................... 63, 243, 244

USA ................................ 53, 209

usury ................................. 28, 69

Uthmān ................................ 261

Vatican ................. 147, 152, 154

Virgin Mary ............................ 77

vocabulary............................... 22

vouchsafed ........................ 42, 44

Wahhabis .............................. 259

waiting period ......................... 94

Wakf..................................... 242

Wall Street .............................. 92

war on Islam ......... 6, 12, 52, 248

war on terror ........................... 12

Wariq ..................................... 91

Washington .................. 204, 215

water consumption ................. 11

Wathīla bin al-Asqa .............. 183

west .......... 10, 92, 122, 139, 154

western Christianity ...... 147, 154

Western Civilization ........ xix, 92

western domination ................ 92

western economic and monetary

oppression .......................... 10

imranhosein.org

Index

287

wife ................... 82, 94, 184, 228

wine…109, 111, 112, 114, 115,

116, 117, 119

women…49, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97,

206

world….ix, xix, xx, 1, 5, 8, 9, 10,

11, 17, 21, 23, 24, 29, 38, 52,

53, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 84, 98,

103, 111, 113, 115, 120, 121,

126, 139, 145, 153, 157, 167,

174, 177, 178, 179, 185, 187,

192, 194, 195, 197, 201, 202,

203, 205, 206, 209, 210, 211,

212, 215, 219, 223, 224, 236,

244, 255, 256, 258, 259, 262,

263, 264

world-order….195, 196, 197, 203,

211

Yankee Mujāhidīn ................. 211

Yansilūn ................................ 243

Yāsīn ......................................... 7

Yathrib............................ 39, 187

Yazīd ibn Abdullah ................. 59

Yūnus ............... 9, 172, 173, 176

Yūsuf ...................... xii, 247, 251

Zabūr................................ 2, 133

Zainab ............................ 82, 184

Zainab bint Jahsh............ 83, 184

Zakāt ...................................... 96

Zarifana ................................ 244

Zionism ................................ 211

Zionist …52, 53, 98, 144, 146,

154, 198, 211, 212

Zionist Christian ..................... 52

Zionist Jew ............................. 52

Zionist Jews ...................... 52, 53

Zionist Movement ........ 153, 176

Zionists .......................... xvi, 211

Zionist-sponsored monetary system

 ........................................... 70

Zukhruf ................................ 174

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289

Ansari Memorial Series

[

1. The Prohibition of Ribā in the Qur’ān and Sunnah;

1997

2. The Importance of the Prohibition of Ribā in Islam;

1997

3. One Jamaat One Ameer: The Organization of a

Muslim Community in the Age of Fitan; 1997

4. The Religion of Abraham and the State of Israel – A

View from the Qur’ān; 1997.

5. The Strategic Importance of Isrā and Mirāj; 1997

6. The Strategic Importance of Dreams and Visions in

Islam; 1997. Second edition 2014

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7. The Caliphate The Hejaz and The Saudi-Wahhabi

Nation-State; 1997. Second edition 2013

8. Fasting and Power; 1997. Second edition 2011

9. The Qur’anic Method of Curing Alcoholism and

Drug Addiction; 2000

10. George Bernard Shaw and the Islamic Scholar; 2000

11. A Muslim Response to the 9/11 Attack on America;

2002

12. Jerusalem in the Qur’ān; 2002, Second edition 2002

13. Sūrah al-Kahf Text Translation and Commentary;

2007

14. Sūrah al-Kahf and the Modern Age; 2007

15. Signs of the Last Day in the Modern World; 2007

16. The Gold Dinār and Silver Dirham – Islam and the

Future of Money; 2007

17. The Islamic Travelogue; 2009

18. An Islamic View of Gog and Magog in the Modern

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World; 2009, Second edition 2011

19. Explaining Israel’s Mysterious Imperial Agenda; 2011

20. Iqbal and Pakistan’s Moment of Truth; 2011

21. Madīna Returns to Center-State in Ākhir al-Zamān;

2012

22. In Search of Khidr’s footprints in Ākhir al-Zamān;

2014

23. From Jesus the True Messiah to Dajjāl the False

Messiah; 2016

24. An Introduction to Methodology for Study of the

Qur’ān; 2016

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AleemiyahAleemiyahAleemiyahAleemiyah    Memorial SeriesMemorial SeriesMemorial SeriesMemorial Series

Islam and Buddhism in the Modern Age; 1972

World Federation of Islamic MissionsWorld Federation of Islamic MissionsWorld Federation of Islamic MissionsWorld Federation of Islamic Missions

The Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim

Society in 2 Vols. By Maulānā Dr. Muhammad Fazlur

Rahmān Ansārī. First published 1973. Malaysian Edition

2011

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