“Can I use my imagination?”

There are a few key attitudes we must keep in view as we grow in our Tadabbur journey. I already spoke about humility, and curiosity (asking questions). Now I want to add another: IMAGINATION. What I mean is that you allow your mind to picture what the Quran is presenting to you. Don’t just stop at what is directly stated, but explore what lies behind and around the text.

“Allow your mind to picture what the Quran is presenting to you. Don’t just stop at what is directly stated, but explore what lies behind and around the text.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

“But isn’t that dangerous…?”

I know you can see a danger in this already: isn’t that guesswork and attributing things to the Quran that aren’t there? Well, I’m not asking you to make bold claims and assertions, just to extend your curiosity to explore the various Worlds that Allah ﷻ is talking to us about. I am going to illustrate this with three main aspects in the coming posts.

“What is the ‘world of Quran’ to consider?”

The first World of Quran to consider is the world of revelation: the context in which the ayat were being sent down. How is my understanding of Allah’s words enhanced by thinking about those who first heard it as it was being revealed to the Prophet ﷺ?

• Who exactly are these people and groups being spoken of, from Believers and People of the Book, to polytheists and hypocrites?
• What about the place of revelation, from Makkah to Madinah, and the broader era in which revelation was the most important event?

“How is my understanding of Allah’s words enhanced by thinking about those who first heard it as it was being revealed to the Prophet ﷺ?” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

“Why is it important to understand the context?”

It should be obvious enough that knowing more of their context will allow us to grasp better what is meant, and to reflect more meaningfully on the ayat which connect to this World of Revelation. This is why scholars paid so much attention to revelatory context in the form of “asbab al-nuzul” (occasions of revelation) reports, and why it is also important to study the Sirah (Prophetic biography). The Quran itself provides a lot of context when read holistically. And we can benefit from other forms of historical research on that context, just as we can when it comes to earlier nations.

“How can we make better connections to our own contexts?”

When reading ayat which were speaking directly to the Believers and others at that time, we need to maintain a careful balance between appreciating that moment in history, and grasping the relevance to our own lives. These aren’t in contradiction; rather, by knowing WHY certain things were being said, we can better make that connection to our own contexts.

“Do all ayahs apply to me?”

A problem we sometimes face is knowing whether an ayah applies to us; after all, there were extremists in the past who were noted for their error of “taking ayat about the unbelievers and applying them to the believers”. We should always be ready to ponder some lesson that we can take, even if we aren’t in the same category being addressed directly. But the starting point should be to identify correctly who and what is intended by the text so we can begin to think about how it extends to other situations.

“The starting point should be to identify correctly who and what is intended by the text so we can begin to think about how it extends to other situations.” Dr. Sohaib Saeed

An Example of the Makkans

We probably need a lot of examples here, but I will end with just one which occurred to me recently as I was discussing with a dear friend about this ayah from Surat al-Waqi’ah (Quran 56:63-64). He asked me a very astute question:

“Why are the Makkans being asked to consider their process of planting crops, while their valley was barren and they relied on neighboring tribes for all their crops?”

Notice here the importance of asking questions, and the fact that this point is based on some historical research as well as Quranic cross-references (Quran 14:37).

So we spent some time wondering and discussing, until we came to this realization (and Allah ﷻ knows best whether we got the point or not): by talking to them about their planting activities as if they were doing it themselves, there is a kind of shaming or call to attention. It is as if to say: “You know that you don’t even plant the seeds yourselves, let alone make them grow. Even on the worldly plane, you see how much you rely on your fellow man to grow your bread and feed your livestock. So is it hard for you to grasp that both you and they are utterly reliant on Our grace and power? You surely pay those tribes their due, and you would never attack them as your allies – then why do you not give to Allah the thanks due to Him? Why do you go to war against your Creator?”