Is the Quran really easy to understand?
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Peace N,
I may be wrong, but I cannot find a verse in the Quran that tells us that it is easy to understand.
The word 'understand' (ya'kaloon = they understand, ta'kaloon = you (pl) understand) is used to describe the believers, whereas the disbelievers 'do not understand'.
I also found a few scientific miracles in the Quran that didn't make sense to anyone until they were explained by scientific researches hundreds of years later eg the identity in the finger print, the menstrual cycle, the protection of the foetus in the womb, etc (see http//miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_index.html)
So certain verses were not understood for many centuries. Maybe there are still some verses that we will not understand for many years, or even in this lifetime?
The only verse that is translated as the Quran is easy to learn is this
We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn?
..which is repeated a few times in the Quran. One of them being 5422
However what does 'learn' mean? In Arabic the word used hre is 'dhikr' (thaal kaf ra). According to Study Quran, this can mean the following
to remember/commemorate/recollect, study in order to remember, remind, bear in mind, mindful, mention/tell/relate, magnify/praise, admonish/warn (e.g. dhikra is the 2nd declenation and it is stronger than dhikr), preach, extol, give status.So it cannot mean 'learn' ('ilm - 'ain-lam-meem)
So it can either mean to memorise the Quran or remember God.
The Quran is easy to learn as the endings of the verses tend to rhyme.
The Quran also allows the reader to remember God.Please share your thoughts.
Agreed bravo bravo bravo
We are asked to use our AQL and FIKR to understand the signs of the god. The qur'aan is for eternity and its understanding can change depending on the advancements in the collective knowledge of humanity. It also depends on each person's level of AQL and FIKR. We should use our AQL and FIKR to the maximum possible extent to try to understand the qur'aan and I don't think the god will punish us for any misunderstanding due to our human limitations provided we have sincerely tried to understand his words.
The qur'aan itself tells us that it contains some signs the correct meaning of which only the god knows
37 He is the one who sent down to you the scripture, from which there are governing verses; they are the essence of the scripture; and others which are similar/allegorical. As for those who have disease in their hearts, they will follow what is similar/allegorical from it seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say ?We believe in it, all is from our lord.? And none will remember except the people of understanding.
We are asked to use our AQL and FIKR to understand the signs
3190 In the creation of heavens and Earth, and the difference between night and day, are signs for those with understanding.
3921 Do you not see that God sends down water from the sky, and causes it to become streams through the land, then He produces with it plants of various colors, then they grow until they turn yellow, then He makes them dry and broken? In this is a reminder for those of understanding.
3942 God seizes the souls at the time of their death; and for those that have not died, during their sleep. He then keeps those that have been overtaken by death, and He sends the others back until a predetermined time. In that are signs for a people who will think.
What is this seizing of souls during sleep?
The qur'aan mentions sab3a samawaat
6512 God who created seven heavens and the same number of Earths. His command descends between them, that you may know that God is capable of all things, and that God has encompassed all things with His knowledge.
No one has been able to come up with a satisfactory explanation of this yet. I think it is referring to either seven dimensions or seven parallel universes. Dimensions higher than 4 and existence of parallel universes connected by wormholes have been currently theorized by quantum physics and superstring theory. God knows better.
2782 And when the punishment has been deserved by them, We will bring out for them a creature from the Earth, it will speak to them that the people have been unaware regarding our revelations.
What is this creature from Earth?
351 Praise be to God, Initiator of the heavens and the Earth; maker of the controllers as messengers with wings in two?s, and three?s, and four?s. He increases in the creation as He wishes. God is able to do all things.
What are these wings? And why the hell translators say two's three's four's here, but they always say two, three, four in 43, thereby distorting the meaning completely to "maximum of four". It doesn't say "four"; it says "fours" meaning "groups of four". So it is not a maximum of four but maximum of groups of four meaning marrying two simultaneously as a group or three simultaneously as a group or four simultaneously as a group in 43.
What are the jinn?
2739 A powerful being from among the Jinn said ?I will bring it to you before you rise from your station. For I am strong and trustworthy.?
2740 And one who had knowledge from the Scripture said ?I will bring it to you before you blink.? So when he saw it resting before him, he said ?This is from the grace of my Lord, so that He tests me whether I am thankful or whether I reject. As for he who is thankful, he is thankful for himself, and as for he who rejects, then my Lord is Rich, Bountiful.?How can jinn bring it before he rises from his station and the one with knowledge can bring it before he blinks? What is this knowledge?
1518 Except he who manages to eavesdrop, he will be pursued clearly by a flaming meteor.
What is this eavesdropping and what is this pursuit by a flaming meteor of those who eavesdrop?
4410 Therefore, watch for the day when the sky will bring a visible smoke.
What phenomenon is being talked about?
Etc. etc. etc.
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Peace,
Thanks for extending on my post.
I remember getting frustrated not understanding some parts of the Quran, even though I know Arabic and read several English translations side by side.
There might be some parts in the Quran that may not apply to us because such situation does not yet exist. And when such situation does occur, for example 'the dabbah', the people will refer to the Quran and think "wait, this has been predicted in the Quran". It will continue to surprise people. This will strengthen the faiths of those who "understand" and attract those who disbelieved. And unfortunately, there will always be people with a "disease" in their hearts who will continue to ignore the miracles of the Quran, the true words of God.
The Quran isn't just a book that was sent down once. Its messages are being slowly revealed over time.In the meantime, we should stop arguing about the parts of the Quran we do not understand. God will reveal its meaning in its own time. It could be in this lifetime, shortly before Judgement day eg the 'Dabbah' or in Heaven, God willing, eg how heaven looks like and who are the Houris? All we can do is try our best to follow the Quran alone and take from it what we do understand, and try to figure out what we do not understand.
What phenomenon is being talked about?
Only time will tell, God willing.
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37 He is the one who sent down to you the scripture, from which there are governing verses; they are the essence of the scripture; and others which are similar/allegorical. As for those who have disease in their hearts, they will follow what is similar/allegorical from it seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say ?We believe in it, all is from our lord.? And none will remember except the people of understanding.
He is the One Who has since sent you, the Messenger the Book,
from/within him/that Book are Aaya'at the peculiarity/individuality of which is made to/that they contain straight/stable/permanent /injunctions/ commands/prescribed social conduct;
these Aaya'at are the essence/purpose of sending the Book ;
and other than those are Aa'ya'at that explain hidden physical facts with metaphors.
For this reason/making it an excuse, those people who have inclination/atilt in their hearts keep physically pursuing that from the Book whatever was individually perceived as vague/confusing with the objective of spreading disturbance/confusion/liquefying/distancing people and in pursuit to find his/its ultimate result/objective perception,
but none knows/have the knowledge ultimate objective perception of him/that except Allah; and the holders of in-depth knowledge/scientists/experts/true believers
they say; "We believe in that, the Book, it all/entirely is from our Sustainer Lord".
o
And none remembers/cautioned except those who look into matters objectively without overlapping it with emotions/prejudices/biases/whims/caprices. -
Peace
Application. Apply what you know so far. Study the book, live the book, and as you grow in understanding modify your practice. Too much theory out there, not enough pragmatic usage. Theoretical persuits can only take you so far on the journey .
Joe
Peace.
Yes of course. We can't sit down all day until we know everything.
Each person needs to practice what they know. God will judge us on what we know. And also on what we have done to find the truth, so we cannot stop. We cannot wait for God to reveal things for us. Searching for knowledge and the practice of it is a lifelong journey and our reason for being. Not only the individual's lifetime, but the lifetime of humanity.
In my opinion. the quran wasn't a one-off revelation, God will reveal things for us over time.Thanks for your input and God bless )
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Peace nsws1988
Peace.
Yes of course. We can't sit down all day until we know everything.
Each person needs to practice what they know. God will judge us on what we know. And also on what we have done to find the truth, so we cannot stop. We cannot wait for God to reveal things for us. Searching for knowledge and the practice of it is a lifelong journey and our reason for being. Not only the individual's lifetime, but the lifetime of humanity.
In my opinion. the quran wasn't a one-off revelation, God will reveal things for us over time.Thanks for your input and God bless )
{quote}Peace
Comprehension and understanding of The Qur'an varies from person to person , depending on how much effort one puts into it as well as our sincerety . As we know there is no 'spontaneous' knowledge . each person aquires knowledge through gradual process , but it will help to understand more of The Qur'an if you have more experience as well as knowing other disciplines , be it social science or the exact sciences . Anyway , you'll know yourself how easy The Qur'an is to understand as you learn and practise what what you have learned from it . Agreed 100% with what 'The Nabi' said above .
No one can't know the Qur'an all at once , but as we grow intellectually and spiritually as well as the availabity of new tools of learning , we will get there God Willing . May Allah increase our knowledge and wisdom .
Peace
almarh0m
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Peace
Application. Apply what you know so far. Study the book, live the book, and as you grow in understanding modify your practice. Too much theory out there, not enough pragmatic usage. Theoretical persuits can only take you so far on the journey .
Joe
The basic purpose of reading a book is to find clue for action. Once one reads a book then it is the right of the book that either it should be discarded with rational argument otherwise accepted for physical following.
What Nabi said, Qur'aan supports him.Whatever you have read, then put it into physical action by exactly following it as you have perceived. Afterwards it was to be made distinct/evident by Allah by sending other verses. On keep reading one will find the explanation/ deeper understanding of one verse with another verse. Allah keeps revolving the Aay'aat to make things distinct, segregated, evident.
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Peace truthseeker11, I disagree with your translation of verse 37.
37 He is the one who sent down to you the scripture, from which there are governing verses; they are the essence of the scripture; and others which are similar/allegorical. As for those who have disease in their hearts, they will follow what is similar/allegorical from it seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say ?We believe in it, all is from our lord.? And none will remember except the people of understanding.
Here is my justification for the disagreement
Quran contains clear verses.
Quran contains unclear verses.
Bad people use the unclear verses to divert peoples.
Note Bad people do not follow the clear verses either. They are helper of satan.
This is the category of people the God is referring to in the verse 37.
The good people (believer) follow the clear verses without any doubt whatsoever.
Some of the good people (believer) try to understand the meaning of unclear verses as the Quran is full of wisdom.
2269 - He bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses, and whoever attains wisdom, has attained a great bounty. Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.
The God is not forbidding the good people (believer) from seeking the meaning (studying) of the unclear verses; you are, via your translation.
Can you show me Quranic evidence that forbids believer from studying the whole Quran?
1591 - They accept the Quran only partially.
482 - Why do they not study the Quran carefully?
The Quran instructs us to study the whole Quran.
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Peace truthseeker11, I disagree with your translation of verse 37.
37 He is the one who sent down to you the scripture, from which there are governing verses; they are the essence of the scripture; and others which are similar/allegorical. As for those who have disease in their hearts, they will follow what is similar/allegorical from it seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say ?We believe in it, all is from our lord.? And none will remember except the people of understanding.
Here is my justification for the disagreement
Quran contains clear verses.
Quran contains unclear verses.
Bad people use the unclear verses to divert peoples.
Note Bad people do not follow the clear verses either. They are helper of satan.
This is the category of people the God is referring to in the verse 37.
The good people (believer) follow the clear verses without any doubt whatsoever.
Some of the good people (believer) try to understand the meaning of unclear verses as the Quran is full of wisdom.
2269 - He bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses, and whoever attains wisdom, has attained a great bounty. Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.
The God is not forbidding the good people (believer) from seeking the meaning (studying) of the unclear verses; you are, via your translation.
Can you show me Quranic evidence that forbids believer from studying the whole Quran?
1591 - They accept the Quran only partially.
482 - Why do they not study the Quran carefully?
The Quran instructs us to study the whole Quran.
Please read through the ninth page of this thread http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9598270.120
especially Edip Yuksel's post.Peace
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Peace
Application. Apply what you know so far. Study the book, live the book, and as you grow in understanding modify your practice. Too much theory out there, not enough pragmatic usage. Theoretical persuits can only take you so far on the journey .
Joe
That sounds like brilliant advice.
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Quran contains clear verses.
Quran contains unclear verses.
Which word of the Quran could be translated as "unclear"?
Peace
I have not come across the word unclear in the Quran. Like I said, I could be wrong and would appreciate some input.
If you reread my first post on this thread, you will find my reasons for thinking that certain verses in the Quran are unclear.God bless
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Peace
I have not come across the word unclear in the Quran. Like I said, I could be wrong and would appreciate some input.
If you reread my first post on this thread, you will find my reasons for thinking that certain verses in the Quran are unclear.God bless
He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses - which constitute the essence of the scripture - as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses
I have read other translations and they are the same.
God bless
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37 - He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses - which constitute the essence of the scripture - as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses??
From above verse one can conclude that there are two categories of verses in the Quran i.e. straightforward category and multiple-meaning category
In my previous post I have equated straightforward = clear and multiple-meaning = unclear. Those are poor choice of words.
Mazhar, thank you for pointing it out to me.
I am amending my previous post on this thread to the following
Peace truthseeker11, I disagree with your translation of verse 37.
37 He is the one who sent down to you the scripture, from which there are governing verses; they are the essence of the scripture; and others which are similar/allegorical. As for those who have disease in their hearts, they will follow what is similar/allegorical from it seeking to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say ?We believe in it, all is from our lord.? And none will remember except the people of understanding.
Here is my justification for the disagreement
Quran contains straightforward verses.
Quran contains multiple-meaning verses.
Bad people use the multiple-meaning verses to divert peoples.
Note Bad people do not follow the straightforward verses either. They are helper of satan.
This is the category of people the God is referring to in the verse 37.
The good people (believer) follow the straightforward verses without any doubt whatsoever.
Some of the good people (believer) try to understand the meaning of multiple-meaning verses as the Quran is full of wisdom.
2269 - He bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses, and whoever attains wisdom, has attained a great bounty. Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.
The God is not forbidding the good people (believer) from seeking the meaning (studying) of the multiple-meaning verses; you are, via your translation.
Can you show me Quranic evidence that forbids believer from studying the whole Quran?
1591 - They accept the Quran only partially.
482 - Why do they not study the Quran carefully?
The Quran instructs us to study the whole Quran.
Peace to all.
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Peace nsws1988,
Quote ?I have read other translations and they are the same.?
The difference we are talking about is this
37 ?------ None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. ---?
Vs.
37 ?----- But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say -----?
Please note where the period is in the above two translations. One allows comprehension of multiple-meaning verses by the believer and the other doesn?t.
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Peace nsws1988,
Quote ?I have read other translations and they are the same.?
The difference we are talking about is this
37 ?------ None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. ---?
Vs.
37 ?----- But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say -----?
Please note where the period is in the above two translations. One allows comprehension of multiple-meaning verses by the believer and the other doesn?t.
Peace
I was referring to the part about the allegorical verses, but I hadn't compared the translation of the rest of the verse. I'll look into that one. Thanks!
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Peace nsws1988,
Quote ?I have read other translations and they are the same.?
The difference we are talking about is this
37 ?------ None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. ---?
Vs.
37 ?----- But none know its interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say -----?
Please note where the period is in the above two translations. One allows comprehension of multiple-meaning verses by the believer and the other doesn?t.
Peace guest, all
I think the translation should be
37 ?----- But none know its original interpretation except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say -----?
The word used in Arabic is "ta?weelahu", from the same root as "awwal" meaning "first", and that would give "its first intended meaning".
37 ?----- But none know its first intended meaning except the god. And those who are well founded in knowledge say -----?
Thus, anybody has the right to understand the scripture, but nobody can claim to know its first intended meaning. This is the beauty of this verse, it is telling us that it is vain to argue about the meaning of the similar/not so clear verses, because anyway, only the god knows and we have no way to ask the author of this book about what he meant... And those who are well founded in knowledge say everything is from the god. Thus, we have to study the scripture but not spend all our time arguing about its "not so clear verses", instead we have to look around us, the god the truth is everywhere. We should not limit ourselves.