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Five Lenses to Reflect on the Quran

1: Picking our locks, picking up the Book
2: How do I start reflecting on the Quran?
3: The Heart Filter
4: The Lens of Wording
5: The Lens of Wording (part 2)
6: The Lens of Wording (part 3)
7: The Lens of Quranic Worlds
8: The Lens of Quranic Worlds (Part 2)
9: The Lens of Quranic Worlds (Part 3)
10: The Lens of My Experience
11: The Lens of My Experience (Part 2)
12: The Lens of My Experience (Part 3)
13: The Lens of Connections
14: The Lens of Connections (Part 2)
15: The Lens of Connections (Part 3)
16: The Lens of General Lessons
17: The Lens of General Lessons (Part 2)
18: The Lens of General Lessons (Part 3) and conclusion

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Five Lenses to Reflect on the Quran

Day 10: The Lens of My Experience

Let’s recap the key questions from the previous Lens of Quranic Worlds:

  1. The world of revelation: what should I consider about the time, place and hearers of the Quran (believers and opponents) as it was being sent down?
  2. The worlds of past nations: what light does studying history shed on those stories and references in the Quran?
  3. The world of creation: what does studying science provide in uncovering depths of meaning in divine descriptions of life and the universe?

So all the above is about trying to access a world beyond ourselves, the various Worlds of the Quran. Today we start to look at the World of Personal Experience.

“What is the ‘world’ of Personal Experience”?

We have already touched on the fact that, while Tafsir (exegesis) is a science aimed at establishing objective meanings of the Quran, Tadabbur (reflection) is something else which is explicitly subjective. It is a personal perspective geared towards benefiting from the message of the Quran once it is properly understood.

The Tafsir can sit in books upon your shelf, but Tadabbur has to happen in your heart and mind (quite apart from the fact that you might then put those reflections into words and maybe share them on QuranReflect).

“The Tafsir can sit in books upon your shelf, but Tadabbur has to happen in your heart and mind” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

We should appreciate that the Quran constantly speaks to human experience, and calls to witness what its hearers see and know about themselves as well as the world around them.

“Why is Personal Experience an important part of reflection?

Just as we said before that the Quran guides us in our study of creation, likewise it provides a pathway into our own souls. And just as our reading of the Quran is enhanced by what we learn about science, history and more, it is just as important to bring SELF-AWARENESS to our reflections upon the scripture.

What questions can help me reflect using this lens?”

Next time, we will start considering these key questions:

1. How can I ponder the layers of my existence, and the facets of my personality, so that the Quran holds a mirror up to me?

2. What can I learn from my relationships with other people, and roles I have experiences, that would help me understand the teachings and examples in the Revelation?

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