A Qurʾān Study Technique: Qurʾān Q & A

July 19, 2016

Originally posted here.

The knowledge within the Qurʾān, the verbatim word of God, is limitless. Were you to spend a lifetime studying it, there will still be so much more to study, understand and apply.

Reading a tafsīr of the Qurʾān cover to cover, once, twice, thrice, ten times, or more will only give you a grasp of what the message says. In order to gain an in depth understanding, you need to live with these verses. You need to dedicate time to deeply think about the wisdom and lessons that they hold.

This deep understanding won’t come in a rough, rushed recitation of the Qurʾān. With our busy lifestyles, how does one interact with the Qurʾān in such a manner? I have a very simple, very basic suggestion, but one that is an effective starting point inshāʾAllāh.

It is an idea based on Imām ar-Rāzī’s book titled, أنموذج جليل في أسئلة وأجوبة عن غرائب آي التنزيل, rough translation: A Great Illustration of Questions and Answers on the Qurʾān. The book is divided into chapters according to the sūrahs of the Qurʾān. Within each chapter is a set of questions (and their answers) which he asked himself or that someone else asked him prompting him to think, reflect and study and zoom in on one specific aspect of an āyah that he might not have noticed previously.

This enriched and deepened his understanding of the Qurʾān in ways that it wouldn’t have otherwise.

Scholars encourage us to follow suit.

Set aside a notebook, and as you recite (or memorise) the Qurʾān, write down any questions or thoughts that come to your mind, and at the end of the day or week, set aside some time to answer those questions, either by asking people of knowledge (especially encouraged for those who are not ṭullāb al-ʿilm) or by looking into books of tafsīr.

Some sample questions from the aforementioned book include:

From al-Fātiḥah (paraphrased translation): The Name ar-Raḥmān is broader in meaning than ar-Raḥīm, and in the language of the Arabs, the norm is to go from high to higher (great to greater, broad to broader), why then does Allāh, exalted is He, say Ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm and not the other way round?

From Sūrat an-Nās: Why does He specify Rabb an-Nās (Lord of the Mankind), when He is the Rabb (Lord) of everything?

I leave you with a quote from a teacher which I love very much–this is for our students of knowledge, if you think that you efforts are insignificant and your contributions will never amount to anything,