Divine Praise and Guidance – Introduction

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Guide us upon the Straight Path,
the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour.

Sadegh Khademi

Praise and Divine Guidance

1404 Solar Hijri | Issue No. 5

Bibliographic Information

Main Entry:
Khademi, Sadegh, 1356–

Title and Author:
Praise and Divine Guidance / Sadegh Khademi.

Publication:
Shiraz: Sobh-e Entezar, 1404.

Physical Description:
768 pages.

ISBN:
978-622-7426—

Cataloguing Status:
FIPA

Notes:
Includes bibliography.

Subjects:
Qur’anic exegesis — Qur’anic aspects — Islam
Awareness — Religious aspects — Islam
Surah al-Hamd (Exegesis)
Creation (Islam)
Exegesis of the Noble Qur’an
Islamic philosophy

Library of Congress Classification:
BP250

Dewey Decimal Classification:
/

National Bibliography Number:
—

Book Information

Title: Praise and Divine Guidance
Author: Sadegh Khademi
Layout and Cover Design: Sadegh Khademi
Format: Vaziri
Print Run: 200 copies
Edition: First
ISBN: 978-622-7426—
Contact with Author: 09981197776
Price including postal delivery: 1,050,000 tomans

All rights reserved for the author.

Introduction

Surah al-Hamd, like a radiant jewel set within the crown of the Holy Qur’an, occupies an unparalleled position in Qur’anic sciences as the Opening of the Book. With its extraordinary order and coherence, this surah not only plays a central role in Islamic acts of worship—particularly in prayer—but, owing to its profound and comprehensive content, has also stood at the centre of contemplation for exegetes, mystics, and philosophers alike. This study adopts a scholarly and systematic approach to the analysis and interpretation of Surah al-Hamd.

Emphasis on the necessity of direct intimacy with the Holy Qur’an, the independence of the science of exegesis, and the practical functions of Surah al-Hamd constitute the principal themes of this work.

This book, by focusing on the interpretation of Surah al-Hamd from both scholarly and mystical perspectives, and by examining its metaphysical, functional, and spiritual dimensions as well as its miraculous, juridical, and historical aspects, reveals the depth of meaning contained within this surah across both scholarly and spiritual dimensions.

The present interpretation, grounded in the dual structure of descent and ascent embodied in the concept of “mathānī”, seeks to unveil the hidden layers of this surah.

This work elucidates all dimensions of Surah al-Hamd—from definitions and divine names to its dual structure, healing effects, and comprehensive nature—while also clarifying the elevated status of each of its seven verses and the role of this surah in guiding humanity towards divine proximity through knowledge, worship, and sound adherence. It endeavours to answer the question of how one may focus on worship in order to uncover deeper cognitive and educational dimensions, and how sincere worship may be realised in modern life and in what qualitative form.

Furthermore, it presents an innovative elucidation of the concept of the Path, clarifies the nature of the Straight Path, distinguishes it from subsidiary paths, and examines the position of the guardianship of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).

Drawing upon the traditions of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) and critically examining the views of earlier scholars, this interpretation opens a new pathway in understanding this surah.

In this book, the concepts of Surah al-Hamd are examined, and, through a critical lens, certain diverse exegetical viewpoints are addressed.

The objective of this work is to present a comprehensive and systematic analysis of Surah al-Hamd, such that, while preserving the authenticity of Qur’anic content, it contributes to the scholarly and epistemic enrichment of the discussion.

The structure of this book is founded upon the distinction between tafsīr (exegesis) and ta’wīl (interpretative return), the lexical roots of ta’wīl, its applications in the Holy Qur’an, and a critique of historical perspectives. Each section, through precise analyses and semantic interconnections, elucidates various aspects of the concepts of tafsīr and ta’wīl and the differences between them. This work not only seeks to clarify these concepts but also aims to foster scholarly dynamism in understanding the Holy Qur’an and to open new horizons in Qur’anic studies.

Surah al-Hamd, like a precious gateway into the ocean of Qur’anic knowledge, encapsulates a synthesis of theoretical and practical wisdom.

This work, with an emphasis on two principal axes—namely spiritual and lordly matters, and scholarly and rational discussions within the fields of psychology, philosophy, and mysticism—strives to generate innovative knowledge suitable for presentation within the global academic community.

By avoiding unnecessary repetition and focusing on innovative insights, the present interpretation seeks to serve as a valuable guide on the path to deeper understanding of the Holy Qur’an.

Key Point: A modern interpretation, like a clear flowing stream, draws fresh knowledge from the spring of the Holy Qur’an and avoids repetitive clichés.

Such innovation transforms interpretation into a dynamic and generative process capable of responding to the scholarly and spiritual needs of the contemporary era.

The Two Principal Axes of Interpretation

This interpretation rests upon two axes: first, the elucidation of spiritual, lordly, and divine matters concerned with religious and Islamic truths; and second, scholarly and rational analyses within the domains of psychology, philosophy, mysticism, and social sciences, aligned with established academic standards.

Key Point: Qur’anic interpretation, like a firm bridge, connects divine spirituality with scholarly reason, revealing the comprehensiveness of the Qur’an.

This duality presents the Holy Qur’an as a comprehensive source for both spiritual guidance and scholarly analysis.

Avoidance of Unsubstantiated Discussions

This interpretation refrains from unsubstantiated, populist, and traditional discussions lacking scholarly and rational foundations, emphasising instead the presentation of well-argued content defensible within academic forums.

Key Point: Avoiding unsubstantiated material, like purifying a spring of knowledge, renders interpretation clear, credible, and authoritative.

This principle liberates interpretation from unscientific clichés and transforms it into a tool for knowledge production.

The Ultimate Aim of Tafsir

The ultimate aim of this tafsir is to live in the presence of the Noble Qur’an, to cultivate a wise and enduring intimacy with it, and to accompany it until the end of life, while demonstrating the Qur’an’s vast and infinite capacity for the production of epistemic knowledge, even if this process were to extend over several decades.

Key Point: Living with the Noble Qur’an and developing intimacy with it, like a spiritual journey, guides the human being towards existential perfection and connects life to divine light.

This commitment elevates tafsir from a merely academic activity to an existential and spiritual project.

Conciseness for the Audience

In view of the mental fatigue of audiences and the limitations of their capacity for complex discussions, this tafsir is presented in a concise form; nevertheless, it does not neglect the clarification of necessary and illuminating issues.

Key Point: Conciseness, like adjusting the brightness of a lamp, illuminates knowledge in accordance with the audience’s capacity, without diminishing the depth of truth.

Critique of Traditional Approaches in Religious Exegesis

As previously stated, the exegesis of the Noble Qur’an must be presented through a scientific and spiritual approach that responds to the needs of the modern world, even for non-Muslims. This approach resembles a bridge that connects religious knowledge to the contemporary world.

Critique of Clichéd Methods

Traditional and rigid methods of presenting religious knowledge, which lack scientific argumentation, fail to address contemporary questions. The religious scholar must enter the field like a scientist, not merely as a popular narrator.

Critique of Humour in the Pulpit

Joking and frivolity on the pulpit reduce the stature of the scholar to that of an entertainer. The scholar should be like a torch that ignites the light of knowledge in hearts, not an actor whose sole purpose is to amuse.

Key Point: The religious scholar must, with dignity and seriousness, preserve the rank of the prophets and saints in presenting knowledge, and avoid humour and entertainment-seeking behaviour.

This tafsir, through a scientific and psychological approach, demonstrates the capacity of the Noble Qur’an to generate human knowledge and invites researchers to re-examine religious teachings using a standardised and modern language.

By calling for scientific and systematic analysis, this tafsir paves the way for deeper research in Qur’anic studies. It is hoped that these teachings, like a lamp upon the straight path, will guide seekers towards divine guidance.

Critique of the Historical Outlook and the Reduction of the Qur’an to Formal Rituals

Throughout history, the Noble Qur’an has often been reduced to a tool for acquiring reward, seeking blessing, and formal recitation, and has been distanced from its primary position as a book of guidance. This superficial outlook, like a veil over the truth of the Qur’an, has prevented deep reflection upon its semantic and inner layers.

Regrettably, some scholars, by emphasising the greatness and sanctity of the Noble Qur’an and restricting its understanding to the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), have considered it beyond the reach of the general public and have believed that the Qur’an is neither comprehensible nor practically applicable for ordinary people. This perspective has led to the separation of people from the Qur’an and to the lack of practical engagement with its teachings.

For example, one prominent Shi‘a scholar has stated that he encounters difficulty in reciting even a simple chapter such as Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad (Say: He is God, the One) (al-Ikhlāṣ: 1), and does not know how to recite it correctly. This example demonstrates the profound gap between religious scholarship and mastery of the Qur’anic text.

When the Noble Qur’an is presented as a text that is inaccessible and incomprehensible, individuals refrain from engaging with it and benefiting from its teachings. This disconnection is the result of promoting the belief that the Qur’an is comprehensible only to elites or to the Infallible figures (peace be upon them), whereas the Qur’an itself emphasises:

“And indeed We have made the Qur’an easy for remembrance; so is there anyone who will take heed?”
(al-Qamar: 17)

Key Point: A formalistic view of the Noble Qur’an, like a veil over its truth, has obstructed deep engagement with divine knowledge and highlights the necessity of rethinking our interaction with this heavenly book.

The Limitations of Narrations and Religious Knowledge

Scarcity of Exegetical Narrations: The narrations available concerning the Qur’an are very few, as the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), due to temporal constraints and the pressure of adversaries, did not have sufficient opportunity to provide a comprehensive exegesis of the Qur’an. This scarcity does not signify any incapacity on the part of the Imams, but is rather the result of historical circumstances.

Limitations of Religious Knowledge: Religious knowledge, due to its formal and acquisitional nature, has often been confined to the transmission of concepts within traditional frameworks and has failed to extract the profound Qur’anic truths. These sciences resemble a teacher who, during his period of apprenticeship, teaches while facing the qiblah, but during his period of mastery, teaches with his back to it; they suffice themselves with converting one concept into another.

Critique of Existing Tafsirs: Shi‘a and Sunni tafsirs, despite their great number, have failed to extract deep Qur’anic truths due to oversimplification and repetition. These tafsirs, like stagnant water that finds no fresh current, lack the necessary dynamism.

The Necessity of a New Approach: The approach proposed in this tafsir goes beyond morphology, syntax, and traditional methods. It seeks to extract Qur’anic truths from non-formal sources and to transform them into concepts comprehensible to all.

Key Point: Religious knowledge, due to its formal limitations, provides only the preliminaries for understanding the Noble Qur’an, whereas extracting its profound truths requires a new and dynamic approach.

The Comprehensiveness of the Speech of the Infallible and the Holder of Divine Authority

The speech of the Infallible and the possessor of divine authority is comprehensive and all-encompassing, and every true statement originates from it, even if it is articulated by a non-infallible speaker.

“Naḥnu al-‘ulamā’ wa shī‘atunā al-muta‘allimūn”
— “We are the scholars, and our Shi‘a are the learners.”

The speech of the Infallible is like a spring that allows truth to flow in every language and through every path.

Knowledge is founded upon logic and reason and is not confined to being Islamic or non-Islamic.

Knowledge is like a door that opens towards truth, irrespective of religious or geographical boundaries.

Nevertheless, it must be noted that the Noble Qur’an transcends narrations and cannot be interpreted solely through them. The number of Qur’anic verses is far greater than their apparent enumeration.

“All praise belongs to God, who sent down the Book to His servant.”
(al-Kahf: 1)

The Noble Qur’an may be likened to an ocean of which the narrations illuminate only a part.

The Noble Qur’an: A Living and Universal Book

The belief that the understanding of the Noble Qur’an is exclusive to the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) is rejected. The Noble Qur’an is a book for all times and all places, from which every individual may benefit in accordance with their own capacity.

The Noble Qur’an: A Book for the Possessors of Intellect

The Noble Qur’an is a book for those endowed with intellect (the possessors of reason), not merely for formal or superficial recitation. This characteristic transforms the Qur’an into a dynamic source of guidance.

The Necessity of Critical Study

Critical study of existing Qur’anic commentaries and sources, rather than contentment with traditional methods, is a means of extracting the profound truths of the Qur’an. This approach, like a fresh current, revitalises Qur’anic knowledge.

Key point: The Noble Qur’an, as a living book, is comprehensible to all possessors of intellect, and its critical study is a path towards the revival of divine knowledge.

The Noble Qur’an is a living book for the possessors of intellect, the understanding of which is not confined to the revered Infallibles (peace be upon them), but is possible for all.

Critique of Concept-Centred Approaches in Religious Knowledge

Excessive concentration on abstract concepts in religious knowledge and the science of exegesis has impeded scholarly development and the comprehension of the truths of the Noble Qur’an. True knowledge depends upon being instance-oriented and connected to existential realities. Concepts without concrete instances are like illusory shadows that conceal reality.

Key point: Most concepts without concrete instances are illusory, and truth is embedded in existential instances.

Instance-Orientation and Unity with Existence

The distinction between the signifier (mental concepts) and the signified (objective reality) is the key to understanding truth. Living within the signifier is like sleeping on a train, keeping a person in heedlessness; living within the signified, however, is like observing the movement of the train and leads to spiritual awakening.

This distinction is akin to the difference between a shadow and a body: the shadow merely points to reality, whereas the body is reality itself.

Key point: True knowledge depends upon the signified and instance-orientation, not upon the signifier and illusory concepts.

Unity with Existence

The human being must, through intimacy and the path of love and unity, become united with existence and move along with it in order to emerge from heedlessness. This unity leads to spiritual awakening and brings the human being to a state in which lā nawm lahu wa-lā sinah (neither sleep nor slumber befalls Him). This state resembles the wakefulness of a gnostic who has become one with the reality of existence.

The Effects of Worship within the Sphere of the Signified and Instance-Orientation

Worship without connection to the signified is devoid of spiritual effects. Prayer performed within the sphere of the signifier is like words uttered by the tongue that do not stir the heart. Worship within the sphere of the signified, however, is like a clear spring that quenches the heart.

Key point: Worship within the sphere of the signified has spiritual effects, whereas within the signifier it is illusory and fruitless.

A scholar who memorises the Noble Qur’an and hadith merely for the pulpit derives no benefit from them in the grave, for such memorisation occurs within the sphere of the signifier. But if one becomes an intimate companion of God through the Noble Qur’an and hadith, one will encounter a cognitive presence in the grave, for one has been within the sphere of the signified.

This parable resembles the difference between an image on paper and a light within the heart: the former is transient, while the latter is everlasting.

Reforming the System of Religious Education: Teacher-Centred versus Book-Centred

The system of religious education must move from book-centredness to teacher-centredness. The teacher is like a lamp that illuminates the path of knowledge, whereas the book is merely a map that, without a guide, may lead one astray.

The Awareness of the New Generation

New students of religious studies, due to their awareness and lived experience, have grown weary of repetitive concepts and are seeking genuine knowledge. This transformation is like a breeze that removes the dust from the mirrors of knowledge.

Key point: The system of religious education must move towards teacher-centredness and authentic knowledge in order to respond to the needs of the new generation.

Exegetical Foundations and Methodology

Previously, we emphasised the importance of two axes, scholarly and spiritual, in interpretation. The exegesis of the Noble Qur’an must rest upon two foundations: scholarly discussions, which provide coherent and generalisable rules, and spiritual discussions, which penetrate the inner and spiritual layers of the verses. Every Qur’anic discussion must avoid generalities and be based upon rules applicable in all cases.

Key point: The exegesis of the Noble Qur’an, like a two-faceted jewel, manifests divine truth in both heart and intellect through knowledge and spirituality.

Many existing commentaries, due to the lack of a scholarly foundation, are either dependent upon subjective preference or shaped by particular orientations. The answers provided to Qur’anic questions are at times devoid of firm argumentation and coherent rules.

Key point: Unscholarly interpretation, like a fragile structure, collapses in the face of rational questions.

The Necessity of Fixed Rules in Interpretation

Exegetical rules must be fixed, generalisable, and irrefutable in order to respond to profound theological and spiritual questions. These rules protect interpretation from fragmentation and arbitrariness.

Key point: Fixed rules, like sturdy pillars, protect the structure of interpretation from the harm of doubts.

We emphasise the necessity of grounding interpretation upon both scholarly and spiritual axes. Critiquing unscientific and preference-based commentaries paves the way for presenting a coherent rule in elucidating guidance. This approach elevates interpretation to a level that is both rational and spiritual.

Critique of the State of Qur’anic Interpretation

Historical weakness in Qur’anic interpretation: The understanding and interpretation of the Noble Qur’an throughout history have lacked sufficient depth and precision. Many of the commentaries produced, especially among Islamic groups, have been limited to popular and taste-based approaches and lack scholarly and philosophical foundations. This deficiency has led to a separation of interpretations from the authentic text of the Noble Qur’an.

Key point: Historical Qur’anic commentaries, often due to taste-based and popular approaches, lack scholarly depth and precision.

This weakness is like a shadow cast upon the light of the Noble Qur’an, preventing the full radiance of its meanings. The need for a scholarly and systematic approach to interpretation is an undeniable necessity.

Critique of the claim of scholarly interpretation: The claim of scholarly rigour in certain commentaries, such as those proposed in some educational institutions, is incorrect. These institutions, rather than grounding interpretation in scholarly foundations, have engaged in superficiality and oversimplification of Qur’anic meanings.

Such claims are like constructing a building upon a fragile foundation, incapable of bearing the weight of profound Qur’anic meanings.

Most historical Qur’anic commentaries, due to the absence of a scholarly approach and reliance upon taste and personal inclination, have failed to properly elucidate the depth of Qur’anic meanings. This critique underscores the necessity of revising exegetical methodology.

وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الاُْمُورِ

Sadegh Khademi

Long live the Exalted Truth

Ābān 1404