The Holy Quran is a book that not only offers spiritual guidance but also stands as an inexhaustible source of knowledge, wisdom, and power. Verse 259 of Surah Al-Baqarah, through the narrative of a man who passed by a ruined city and questioned how God could resurrect it after its death, opens a window towards contemplating the infinite power of God. This treatise, by deeply examining this verse, explores its scientific, practical, and philosophical dimensions and, by critiquing the historical passivity in utilising the Quran, proposes a strategy for revitalising a scientific approach to this heavenly scripture. The aim is an invitation to an understanding that preserves both the authentic outward form of the Quran and probes its profound inner meanings, thereby guiding the Islamic society towards contemporary scientific production and empowerment.
أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْيِي هَٰذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۖ قَالَ بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِائَةَ عَامٍ ۖ فَانْظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَانْظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ ۖ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Or [consider] the one who passed by a town which had fallen into ruin, and said, How will Allah bring this to life after its death? So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years and then resurrected him. He said, How long have you remained [dead]? The man said, I have remained a day or part of a day. He said, Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; they have not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and thus We make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh. And when it became clear to him, he said, I know that Allah is over all things competent.
This verse, through a remarkable parable, portrays divine power in resurrecting what is dead. The believers question about the revival of a ruined city is not born of doubt but arises from eagerness to comprehend divine wisdom. God's response is a practical experience: by causing the believer to die and then resurrecting him, He guides him towards the perception of divine omnipotence.
The Holy Quran, akin to an endless ocean, is replete with scientific and practical knowledge that could guide Islamic society towards advancement. Nevertheless, Islamic history has witnessed a regrettable passivity in utilising this potential. The focus on recitation, memorisation, and melodious reading, without exploring the depths of meanings, has reduced the Quran to a purely ritualistic text.
Some mystics, through fabricated interpretations lacking Quranic evidence, have attributed meanings to the Quran which have been accused of distortion by the literalist scholars. These interpretations, often resulting from insufficient knowledge of linguistics and grammar, have sometimes added irrelevant content to the Quran rather than offering true exegesis, thereby damaging its credibility.
The literalists, emphasising the outward meaning of the verses and rejecting the inner dimensions of the Quran, have accused the mystics of distortion and promoted a rigid, spiritless approach. This perspective, by limiting the Quran to its apparent meaning, has failed to uncover the depths of its meanings and has exacerbated conflicts with the mystics.
The Traditionalists, holding the belief that the Holy Quran is exclusive to the Infallibles and its understanding is impossible for others, have effectively denied public access to this divine book. This view has resulted in scientific passivity and has even prohibited traditional practices such as divination (istikhrah) using the Quran.
Some religious scholars, due to distrust in their own understanding of the Quran, have even forbidden istikhrah with the Quran, resorting instead to tools such as prayer beads (tasb). This practice, sometimes ironically likened to a coin toss, signifies the decline of the Qurans position in the scholarly domain. Istikhrah with prayer beads lacks validity and logic and cannot substitute the Divine Book.
The historical passivity in utilising the Holy Quran results from the conflict among literalist, mystical, and traditionalist currents. These conflicts, by limiting the Quran to mere recitation, baseless interpretations, or exclusivity to the Infallibles, have diminished its scientific and practical potentials. To revive the status of the Quran, a comprehensive approach must be adopted that preserves its authentic outward form and probes its profound inner meanings.
The Holy Quran is like a deed of ownership, in which any alteration compromises its authenticity. Preserving the outward form of the verses is a fundamental principle in interacting with this divine book. Any addition or alteration to the text is akin to erasure in a financial document, constituting a betrayal of the Quran and diminishing its value.
Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) likened the Holy Quran to a deep ocean from which pearls of knowledge can be extracted. This inner meaning is an infinite source for understanding divine wisdom but must be approached with caution, avoiding baseless interpretations (waste) that pollute it.
Exegesis involves extracting meaning from the Holy Quran, whereas interpretation (tawil) is the addition of self-constructed meanings. Exegesis, akin to mining jewels, requires a scientific and evidence-based method, while baseless interpretation leads to distortion.
Preserving the outward form and exploring the inner meaning of the Holy Quran are two wings for soaring in the sky of divine knowledge