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

Let’s start by recognizing the importance of actually LIVING life, observing and experiencing things, and bringing all that to our reading of the world. We thought about this before in terms of “Quranic Worlds”, but there we were thinking about history and nature – now we are thinking about human experiences and relationships.

I sometimes say about the name “Rabb al-ʿālamīn” (Lord of the worlds) that if you don’t know much of the creation and see the world as very small, you will then have a “small” perspective on the Lord. The vaster your awareness becomes of the world, the greater your awe for its Creator and Master.

“The vaster your awareness becomes of the world, the greater your awe for its Creator and Master.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

“How can life experience help me in my reflection journey?”

In a related way, we can also have a very limited sense of life and its intricacies, and people and their character types. Then we can miss a lot of what is really going on in the stories of the Quran. We can take things at face value, thinking that when Jacob (pbuh)’s sons accused him of favoritism, that must be true. Without some awareness of the games of politics, we might take the Minister’s (al-‘Aziz) statements and actions too much at face value, and think the citywomen were merely “gossiping”.

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(These are examples based on combining multiple Lenses, including Wording, Worlds and Experience)

“What happens if I have limited life experience?”

The danger of having a “small world” of experience is that we might see things out of proportion. So when we read about the unbelievers and the hypocrites, but all we know is our family members, it becomes tempting to apply those descriptions to the wrong people. If you don’t know what it’s like to live under tyranny, even your in-laws can become “Pharaoh and his forces” in your mind!

“If you don’t know what it’s like to live under tyranny, even your in-laws can become “Pharaoh and his forces” in your mind!” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

“Why is it important to keep coming back to the Quran?”

Sometimes a specific experience prompts us to come back to the Quran and reflect on something we didn’t see in the same light before. That’s why it’s important to keep reading, and keep living and coming back to Allah’s Word. Let your daily reading be in conversation with your daily life.

“How do my experiences add any value when there are so many scholars with more knowledge than me?”

A wonderful implication of this Lens is that there are people who would be able to bring experiences to their reading of the Quran which even the scholars of Quran commentary (mufassirun) may not have. I’m not saying that scholars live sheltered and lonely lives, but the fact is that nobody can combine that technical expertise with the whole range of human experience: being in a high-powered job, falling in love, having your heart broken, sleeping on the streets, becoming a parent, losing loved ones, caring for someone with a disability, having your faith challenged, finding Allah… and so, so much more.

And that is one of the beauties of QuranReflect! The fact is that the scholars and others running QuranReflect are keen to read your reflections because we genuinely believe that everyone has something to add to the conversation, and knowing how the ayat are received by people from all walks of life not only boosts our awareness of what we need to do as educators, but actually increases our understanding of Allah’s Words themselves. Just letting us know how the Quran interacts with your experiences and the things YOU know best, is incredibly enlightening.