of Nekounam, (Session 126)
The Holy Quran, as an unparalleled source for the guidance of humanity, transcends being merely a religious text and encompasses profound capacities for the analysis of social, psychological, philosophical, and scientific issues. The second verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, by emphasising guidance for the God-conscious (al-Muttaqn), opens a gateway towards understanding this comprehensiveness and enables a re-reading of the Quran as a universal book. This work, employing a sociological and psychological approach, presents the content of the delivered lectures in a scientific and systematic format. The aim of this treatise is to offer a comprehensive and precise exegesis of the verse under discussion, composed in an elegant style commensurate with the academic atmosphere, tailored especially for researchers and educated audiences at the doctoral level. This writing preserves all details and fundamental concepts, employing rich literary metaphors and allegories to enhance its literary quality, introducing the Holy Quran as a magnificent city encompassing all human needs.
The Holy Quran, beyond being a religious scripture, is a book encompassing all existential dimensions of human beings and social structures. This comprehensiveness has rendered the Quran an unparalleled source for analysing human behaviours and social frameworks, without restricting it to scientific labels such as sociology or psychology. The verse:
ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ [بقره: ۲]
Translation: This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-conscious.
Although it explicitly mentions guidance for the God-conscious, other verses, such as:
هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ [بقره: ۱۸۵]
Translation: A guidance for mankind.
هُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ [آل عمران: ۹۶]
Translation: A guidance for the worlds.
emphasise the Quranic guidances universality for all humanity and the entire cosmos.
This perspective elevates the Quran beyond a text confined to devotional or individual matters, presenting it as a book guiding the entirety of humanity. The necessity to re-examine the Quran within the framework of modern human sciences, including sociology and psychology, is underscored in this approach.
The Holy Quran may be likened to a city in which all human needs are found. The God-conscious within this city are analogous to the mihrab of a mosque: a valuable and spiritual part, yet not the entire structure. Just as a city is not defined solely by its mosque, the Quran is not solely for the God-conscious, but was revealed for all humans and the worlds. Although the mihrab constitutes the spiritual centre of the mosque, it loses its full function without the other components of the city and mosque.
This metaphor illustrates the position of the God-conscious as a valuable but non-exclusive segment of the Quran. The God-conscious, like the mihrab in the mosque, are the spiritual heart of Quranic guidance; however, the Quran speaks to all humanity, including non-believers. This perspective emphasises the necessity of balance in the understanding of the Quran and cautions against exclusivism.
Throughout history, particularly during the era of occultation, Islamic sciences suffered contraction and limitation under the influence of despotic rulers and sultans, including the Umayyads, Abbasids, and Persian monarchs. This contraction confined the influence of the Quran and related sciences to introspective and group-oriented domains, diminishing their dynamism.
This condition is the result of political and cultural pressures that isolated Islamic sciences and transformed the Quran into a merely religious and domestic book. Such contraction necessitates a reassessment of interpretative methodologies and the utilisation of interdisciplinary approaches.
Literary and scientific constraints in Islamic societies, particularly in the fields of jurisprudence, principles, philosophy, and theology, have led to the reproduction of limited and introspective interpretations. Studies of traditional exegeses reveal that less than five percent of their content addresses social issues, whereas the Quran is entirely social, scientific, and modern.
These constraints have confined the Quranoriginally a book for universal guidanceto narrow local and religious frameworks. For instance, the verse:
ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ [بقره: ۲]
Translation: This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-conscious.
Although it refers to the God-conscious, together with verses like:
هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ [بقره: ۱۸۵]
Translation: A guidance for mankind.
it indicates the comprehensiveness of Quranic guidance for all humans.
The Holy Quran offers guidance at various levels: for mankind (ns), the general (mm), and the God-conscious (muttaqn). The term ns, repeated 240 times in the Quran, encompasses the most general human concept, including all people, whether believers or non-believers. Verses such as:
هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ [بقره: ۱۸۵]
Translation: A guidance for mankind.
هُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ [آل عمران: ۹۶]
Translation: A guidance for the worlds.
emphasise this comprehensiveness.
This diversity in levels of guidance renders the Quran a universal text capable of speaking within any context, from a graveyard to a temple. This viewpoint liberates the Quran from local and sectarian limitations.
The term Ins in the Quran is contrasted with Jinn (hidden beings) and animals (wild creatures), indicating the human position as a conscious and social entity. The verse:
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِنْكُمْ [انعام: ۱۳۰]
Translation: O assembly of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from among you?
Humans, rooted in knowledge and awareness, are introduced as a distinct entity. This distinction forms the basis of human responsibility towards Qur'anic guidance and emphasises the superiority of human intellect over jinn, who may possess greater material power.
وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنْسِ وَالْجِنِّ [Al-Anm: 112]
And thus We have appointed for every prophet an enemy, devils from mankind and jinn.
This indicates the existence of adversaries for the prophets from among humans and jinn. This verse emphasises the complexities of the prophetic path and the challenges of guidance.
Demons of humans and jinn, as obstacles to guidance, indicate the necessity for a rational confrontation with these challenges. This verse presents the enemies not only as impediments but also as factors for the growth and strengthening of prophets and humans.
In the Holy Quran, Satan is a general concept encompassing anything that obstructs guidance, ranging from microbes and viruses to atomic devils, whereas Iblis is a specific being. This distinction renders the Quranic perspective on the concepts of evil multi-layered and enables a scientific analysis of evil.
This viewpoint presents the Quran as a source for managing global challenges, including scientific issues such as nuclear weapons. The Quran possesses the capacity to control these challenges and can offer solutions for the future of humanity.
لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ [Al-Isr: 88]
If mankind and jinn were to come together to produce the like of this Quran.
This stresses the miracle of the Quran and the incapacity of humans and jinn to produce its equivalent. This challenge questions the superiority of human intellect and invites one to experience and test it.
The challenge of the Quran requires an experimental approach. Without debate and wrestling with the Quran, its miracle cannot be realised. This perspective introduces the Quran as an open text for dialogue and scientific examination.
يَرِيدُ الْإِنْسَانُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَهُ [Al-Qiymah: 5]
Man desires to pierce forth before him.
Man is introduced as a being inherently seeking to open new frontiers. This attribute exists both in the believer and the non-believer and is affirmed by the Quran as part of human identity.
As an unveiling being, man opens and conquers the world and existence. This capacity designates the Quran as a source of creativity and progress.
Man, whether believer or non-believer, is the primary subject of the Quranic verses. The verse:
وَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حُسْنًا [Al-Ankabt: 8]
And We have enjoined upon man kindness to his parents.
Indicates the inclusiveness of man within the Quranic guidance system.
This verse underscores universal values such as benevolence to parents, transcending faith or disbelief. This perspective introduces the Quran as a source for universal ethics.
Respect for people, especially the masses, is a fundamental principle in social interactions. Disrespect towards people causes both the scholar and religion to be rejected. Religious scholars who respect the people find a place in their hearts and succeed, whereas disrespect leads to the isolation of religion and scholars.
This principle presents the Quran as a source for social management. People, like water for fish, are the habitat for the life of religion and scholars.
The Holy Quran should be regarded as a primary and lesson-based book. Scientific debate with the Quran is a way to unlock its latent capacities. This approach enables the discovery of new and practical dimensions of the Quran and reduces the limitations of traditional exegeses.
The Quran, even in encounters with diverse groups such as disbelievers, communists, or atheists, holds the capacity for dialogue and the presentation of scientific content. This perspective introduces the Quran as a source for intercultural and scientific dialogue.
Society must open itself to the acceptance of occult sciences, such as those related to jinn, to be able to utilise the hidden capacities of the Quran. Occult sciences, which are mentioned in the Quran, can become tools for guidance and progress if society becomes receptive.
This point emphasises the necessity of removing cultural and scientific restrictions. The Holy Quran, by referring to humans and jinn, provides the capacity for analysing these sciences.
Scientific domains must pursue scientific and practical power instead of relying solely on prayer and praise to manage global challenges such as nuclear weapons. The Holy Quran possesses the capacity to control these challenges and can provide solutions for the future of humanity.
This perspective introduces the Quran as a forward-looking text that operates beyond its own time.
The interpretation of the second verse of Surah Al-Baqarah with a sociological and psychological approach introduces the Holy Quran as a vast city encompassing all human needs. This verse, emphasising guidance for the God-fearing, alongside verses such as:
هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ [Al-Baqarah: 185]
Guidance for the people.
Demonstrates the comprehensiveness of Quranic guidance for all humans, from the masses to the God-fearing. The contraction of Islamic sciences under historical despotism has confined exegeses to limited and introverted domains, yet the Quran retains the capacity to guide all humanity.
Man, as the central subject of Quranic verses, is introduced as an unveiling and creative being who, with superior intellect, can overcome global challenges including demons of humans and jinn. Respect for people, scientific dialogue with the Quran, and opening society to accept occult sciences are key principles for reviving Quranic capacities. This book, by offering a comprehensive and refined interpretation, is an invitation to reassess the latent capacities of the Holy Quran for guiding the contemporary world.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
