Why are we told not to ask questions? (5:101)
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Salaam all,
I have wondered about this verse for a long time. Does anyone have a plausible explanation for it? It seems almost as if God is discouraging questioning and seeking the truth...although that goes against other verses in the Quran in my opinion.
O believers, question not concerning things which, if they were revealed to you, would vex you; yet if you question concerning them when the Koran is being sent down, they will be revealed to you. God has effaced those things; for God is All-forgiving, All-clement.
5101 -
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Salaam jack,
This verse is not discouraging questioning in general, rather stupid, irrelevant questions. Read the next verse.
Honestly I didn't get that at all....people wouldn't become disbelievers if they were asking silly stupid questions.
A people before you indeed asked such questions, and then became disbelievers on account of them. 5102
I think that we need to find out what problems Christians and Jews had with their revelations that made them disbelieve.
Perhaps it has something to do with the nature of God.Do you know of any other places in the Quran where God admonishes people asking about specific things?
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Salaam jack,
Honestly I didn't get that at all....people wouldn't become disbelievers if they were asking silly stupid questions.
Salaam ths,
Wrong questions can lead to the wrong conclusions and faulty logic being exercised.
Perhaps it has something to do with the nature of God.
I was thinking this as well. For example 'why doesn't god have a wife', 'who created God'. One can say 'well since God is not 'created', he is illogical, thus, he is a fabrication'.
Do you know of any other places in the Quran where God admonishes people asking about specific things?
umm...723-4, 2142?
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Wrong questions can lead to the wrong conclusions and faulty logic being exercised.
not the question, but wrong answer does lead to wrong conclusions!
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O believers, question not concerning things which, if they were revealed to you, would vex you; yet if you question concerning them when the Koran is being sent down, they will be revealed to you. God has effaced those things; for God is All-forgiving, All-clement.
5101I think the answer is in the verse itself. "that it will be revealed to you? in a sense that could be difficult for you to follow. how I understand this like Moses asked his people to sacrifice a cow, it was simple for them to do so but they started asking him..age, colour etc and it became difficult for them to find such a cow. ?
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O believers, question not concerning things which, if they were revealed to you, would vex you; yet if you question concerning them when the Koran is being sent down, they will be revealed to you. God has effaced those things; for God is All-forgiving, All-clement.
5101This verse is during the revelation of Quran, therefore momins should wait until whole revelation is given before they ask questions.
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This verse is during the revelation of Quran, therefore momins should wait until whole revelation is given before they ask questions.
many of their questions are added in the quran like
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Exceptionally I am going to refer to a hadith, because it might throuw light on this matter -or not- and at any rate is full of common sense. I cant remember exact wording or whether it is bukhari or whoever. Just the jest of it.
At one time someone was asking the Prophet how should he (the questioner) do some thing, The Prophet answered, then the questioner, wanting very much to do things estrictly according to the wish of God, questioned further, and then further and the Prophet was getting embarrassed about the questions, because he didn't want to be that specific, because with every new question the buren on the believer was being made more restricting and exacting, so finally he said, please do not keep asking me, you oblige me to impose upon you conditions that are not meant to be imposed...
Something like that.
So I wonder whether it is not that what is being meant here.
This is one of the hadiths that without going into authenticity I find in a sense redeeming since it goes against so much of meaningless precepts that are dumped on well meaning muslims, just because at one time somebody asked a question and the cow has kept beeing milked for centuries afterwards so that muslims have thousands of obligations.
Salaam
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Salaam RasulHamsa
I think you're on the right track.
I think it would be very interesting to look up all occurrances of "yas2aluunaka" and "yas2aluun" to see exactly what the people have been asking in the Quran. I'll try this out when I have time inshallah.
I suspect the answer might be similar to what Huruf describes with the hadith.
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A qualification has been attached to the sort of questions which are advised not to be asked in one's own interest.
http//www.haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.Arabic%20Text/temp%2002%20%202.104a.gif
O you who declare to have accepted/believed!
http//www.haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.Arabic%20Text/005.%20Al%20Maida/temo5.101b.gif
You should not ask questions/seek answers about such matters that if those are made open/disclosed for you it may cause you embarrassment/trouble.
http//www.haqeeqat.org.pk/English%20Tafsir%20e%20Haqeeqat/00.Arabic%20Text/005.%20Al%20Maida/temo5.101c.gif
And if you ask about those during the period the Qur'aan is being sent gradually that will be made open/disclosed for you; Allah has overlooked from those.Surat Al Maida
Some stupid can wish to verify whether or not "A" is his father as is known publicly, and go for DNA test etc. If the response is negative, he will cause for himself life long trouble plus exposure of his "mother's mistake or unreported rape".
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Yes but the verse also identifies the questions to be about the Quran
You should not ask questions/seek answers about such matters that if those are made open/disclosed for you it may cause you embarrassment/trouble.
And if you ask about these things during the period the Qur'aan is being sent down, gradually that will be made open for you
So it makes it sound that the question either has something to do with the Quran, that God will answer in the Quran as He sends it down,
or,
they can only ask these questions from the Prophet whilst the Quran is being sent down, after which they cannot do so.
It's almost as if God is telling them HE will provide the Messenger with the answers to their questions while he is sending the Quran, but after He stops sending the Quran the Messenger will not be able to answer them.
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Yes but the verse also identifies the questions to be about the Quran
You should not ask questions/seek answers about such matters that if those are made open/disclosed for you it may cause you embarrassment/trouble.
And if you ask about these things during the period the Qur'aan is being sent down, gradually that will be made open for you
So it makes it sound that the question either has something to do with the Quran, that God will answer in the Quran as He sends it down,
or,
they can only ask these questions from the Prophet whilst the Quran is being sent down, after which they cannot do so.
It's almost as if God is telling them HE will provide the Messenger with the answers to their questions while he is sending the Quran, but after He stops sending the Quran the Messenger will not be able to answer them.
salam,
perhaps you may want to ponder about this;
the command was "Do not ask."
ask about what? about things when manifested* will distress you.
when? while the qur'an is being revealed.
why? they will be manifested if you ask.
so what if they are being revealed? read 5102 please.
peace
mohammed nohp.s.
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- so this implies that the things are in the hidden (the opposite of things manifested).
- is anyone here into meditation? perhaps he/she can share his/her personal experience regarding this matter.
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ask about what? about things when manifested* will distress you.
when? while the qur'an is being revealed.
It is not "when"-time adverb but "if" conditional particle.
The next sentence is independent and sequential. "And if you ask about such things while the Grand Qur'aan is being communicated...".
