Sometimes an ayah makes a general statement which we can then apply to our particular selves and specific circumstances. At other times, the point made in the ayah is already more specific to a context, and then we need to do a little more reflection to appreciate the broader lesson, which we can then apply to analogous situations.

This thought process underlies a great deal of what you can find under the banner of Tadabbur/Reflections: a kind of paraphrase of the ayah or an insight extracted from it. This is a skill we all need, while there are expert levels which we leave to the scholars: their task is called “istinbat” – the inference of rulings, taking the ayah as evidence.

“But I’m not a scholar. How can I find general lessons?”

For the rest of us, it is about getting the point of the ayat. An obvious example is in the stories of the Quran. Obviously, their purpose is not just to entertain us with a sequence of characters and events. These stories are among the varied methods Allah ﷻ uses to teach us: so we have to read them with the mindset of students who are keen to grasp the lesson. The same ayah can have multiple lessons, some subtler than others.

“These stories are among the varied methods Allah ﷻ uses to teach us: so we have to read them with the mindset of students who are keen to grasp the lesson.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

As always, this Lens works in conjunction with others. I’ll share an example which draws also on the Lens of My Experience. When you go through something, you might notice a general point in an ayah which otherwise might pass you by.

A few years ago, in the last ten days of Ramadan, I had the blessing to be able to join colleagues from Quran.Foundation to perform ‘Umrah. When we first got into the Sacred Mosque in Makkah to join Tarawih prayers, the imam was reciting from Surat al-Qasas, from the story of Musa (pbuh) when he was cast into the river as a baby, only to end up at the court of the tyrant Pharaoh. His mother had put her trust in God’s command, then her Lord delivered on His promise by causing the baby to refuse the breast of any suckling mother. This led to his own mother being brought into the court and paid to nurse her son, safe from the harm that was being unleashed on the male offspring of the Israelites.

To be honest, I’m unhappy with that translation. It gets the main idea, but actually Allah ﷻ says that He made all those nurses (or we can understand المراضع here as the breasts, the sources of milk) FORBIDDEN to Musa (pbuh). That’s a powerful way to express how the baby found in himself a powerful aversion to anyone other than his own mother. Look how Allah closed off all those means of nourishment, all so that he would end up with what was much better.

“Look how Allah closed off all those means of nourishment, all so that he would end up with what was much better.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

Now when I heard this ayah that night, it hit me really hard. I had been sending off applications for various academic jobs, and tried to obtain university funding for the grand ambitions I have to serve the field of Tafsir through digital projects. I certainly felt disappointment when I was turned down for this and that. But then Allah ﷻ opened up for me opportunities that I could never have conceived! Here I was in Makkah with colleagues who are dedicated to serving the Quran and its people, who run Quran.com and QuranReflect, and they are ready and waiting for my input to make these the most trusted, advanced resources on the Internet!

SubhanAllah, it dawned on me that every “No” I received was only so that I would be directed to something better, something purer and more effective. And now I can see in this ayah a general lesson for every believer: that sometimes Allah ﷻ closes doors just so that you find your way to the right door. And I will always quote this ayah when I feel that this reminder is needed.

“sometimes Allah ﷻ closes doors just so that you find your way to the right door.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed