METHODOLOGY FOR STUDY OF THE QUR'AN
by Sheikh Imran Nazar Hosein
CHAPTER FIVE
Do not study any verse of the Qur’ān
(or any Hadīth) in isolation
“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, We will surely call them to account for what they did.”
(Qur’ān, al-Hijr, 15:89-93)
Allah 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 (a) and then proceeded to inform us that they all did so, except (or save) Iblis::
“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.
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:
“… 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 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):
“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 (s) 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:
“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)
to be continued .....
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