Reasons For Misinterpreting The Qur'an

Prejudice, Ulterior Motives and Lack of Sincerity

It is impossible to understand the Qur'an if one approaches it with ulterior motives and prejudice. This is a law of God. No matter how clever and cultured a person may be, if he views the Qur'an with an insincere and concealed intent, he will not be able understand or interpret it correctly, and will reach many false conclusions. That is why, according to the Qur'an, an "obscuring veil" will form between someone with a prejudiced and calculating approach and the Qur'an. This fact is mentioned in a Qur'anic verse:

The Qur'an is an invitation to the right path for the whole of mankind, but God directly addresses only those who believe in Him. This is why the Qur'an has been revealed as a book that is only understood properly by believers. The most important qualities of believers, that allow them to understand the Qur'an, are their good consciences and sincerity. It is only natural for people who are distant from religion and whose spiritual state and character are far from those of a believer, to misunderstand the Qur'an.

The Qur'an is written in a very clear, simple and understandable language but, as we have already stated, it is a book that is only clear to those believers with a pure conscience. If anyone who has not been introduced to Islam yet, in other words who is still a non-believer, approaches the Qur'an wholeheartedly, sincerely and without prejudice, which are the traits of a believer, he will be able to realize by the use of his conscience that it is the word of God. Everyone of good conscience would accept that the Qur'an, whether from the magnificence of its style, its perfection and clarity or from its superior scientific contents and wisdom, does not represent the words of a man but is instead a holy book. If such a conscientious person expresses faith and tries to comprehend the Qur'an, then its wisdom will become apparent to him. God's messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, also referred to this in a hadith:

Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakra's father narrated that the Prophet (saas) said: "If God wants to do good to a person, he makes him comprehend the religion and of course knowledge is attained by learning." (Bukhari 1/67)

The Qur'an will guide someone with a humble heart to salvation, while it will misguide those who harbour ulterior motives and are hostile to it. No one who uses misguided information, interpretations, lies and prejudices taken from others, together with his own principles, world-view and philosophy of life, as yardsticks can either understand the Qur'an nor benefit from it. In fact, just the opposite applies; the Qur'an will simply increase such a person's perversion and confusion. As he is unable to understand the Qur'an, he will raise foolish and illogical objections and twisted, nonsensical interpretations. As stated in the verse, "... it (the Qur'an) only increases the wrongdoers in loss" (Surat Al Isra': 82) he will be distant from the Qur'an and faith.

We will compare the foolish comments made by these imprudent people about some of the Qur'anic verses with their correct meanings and interpretations in the next chapters.

Confusing Intricate (Mutashabih) Verses With Perspicuous (Muhkam) Ones

The Qur'anic commandments have been explained in a clear and simple manner so believers can easily abide by them. These are called the "perspicuous" (muhkam) verses. These verses, according to the Qur'an, are the "Core of the Book" and so make up its foundation. There is another type of Qur'anic verses that are referred to as "intricate" (mutashabih) verses. These types of verses contain various comparisons and similes. People with no Qur'anic knowledge but ulterior motives can misinterpret the "intricate verses" in many twisted and startling ways. This is explained in the Qur'an as follows:

God alone knows the meanings of "intricate verses." No interpretations outside these meanings reflect the truth about these verses. Throughout history there have been perverted people, sects and movements that have interpreted the "intricate" Qur'anic verses in order to serve their own twisted aims and expectations. It is stated in this verse that this is sedition and that only people with misguided hearts, and more specifically those who have deviated from the right path, would resort to such methods.

The fact that only God knows the true meanings of these intricate verses is also made clear in the verse. God can reveal the information necessary for the interpretation of these verses to whomever He pleases. However, believers accept all of these intricate verses, the knowledge of which has not been revealed to them. They would never stoop to making perverted interpretations like those who wish to see conflict and whose hearts are twisted.

Lack of Expertise in Qur'anic Interpretation Techniques

The Qur'an is a miraculous Book that contains all of the essential information mankind needs. This is due to the endless divine wisdom present in it. A finite number of verses contain infinite knowledge that has been placed in them with superior wisdom. The verses contain meanings that may be apparent, hidden, inter-woven or overlapping. They also produce countless other meanings when they interact with other verses. There are times when a single verse can take a whole book to explain. That is why, in order to be able to interpret the Qur'an correctly and take in all of its contents, one must be capable of grasping it in its entirety and must also be skilled in all the required interpretation techniques.

One significant technique consists of analyzing a verse according to its context in the Qur'an. The meaning of a Qur'anic verse can often be explained according to the theme around it. The way a verse begins and those verses which follow it help to clarify its meaning. This topic is referred to in Islamic literature as the verse's "Sibaq u Siyaq" or "the whole context of a word". This is the reason why many of the verses can be misinterpreted if they are taken out and translated only in terms of the words they consist of and without any regard to their entire context.

Such misinterpretation of the Qur'anic verses throughout history, whether due to ignorance or perverted intent, has resulted in misunderstanding of the Qur'an, and certain groups with ulterior motives have even slandered it.

Another important method is to interpret the words that make up the verses by taking their context in that particular verse into consideration. Much Qur'anic vocabulary has specially intended meanings. The meaning of one Qur'anic word often derives from the way it is used in another part of the Qur'an. Time and again a word can have more than one meaning. So the meaning of such a word is to be deduced from the manner in which it is used in a different section of the Qur'an. Just looking the word up in a dictionary and applying the first meaning we come across can result in an extremely inaccurate interpretation; and sometimes, the interpretation that results can even be the opposite of the true meaning. One can see from this that the Qur'an is self-explanatory. The explanation of one verse can sometimes be hidden in the meaning of another verse or verses.

Another important rule in the interpretation of the Qur'an is to fully grasp its essence. In order to do that, one has to see it as a whole. Furthermore, it should be explained in the light of the many verses which reflect the infinite mercy, compassion and justice of God.

Since the Qur'an is a divine book it is quite unlike any other book and should never be compared to them. The Qur'an has a unique style. One has to grasp the overall style along with its underlying essence to do justice to the explanations, particularly when reading the "intricate" verses. It is important to adopt a wider perspective and cover the intensely spiritual aspects of the Qur'an to be able to properly understand the various facts revealed by God.

Insufficient Knowledge of Arabic

God states that He has sent the Qur'an as a book written in Arabic. Obviously, translations into other languages are sufficient when one only needs to understand very basic concepts, such as learning about God, the main principles of faith and their essential applications, as well as seeking guidance and meditating on it. Nonetheless, none of these translations can, in any way, match the original language of the Qur'an. Even in a direct, word for word translation, a lot of vocabulary as well as meanings will be missed since it is quite impossible to grammatically adapt many Arabic words in their correct sentence form to any other language. Therefore, so-called "translations of the Qur'an" do no more than give an overall feel of its contents and never actually reflect the exact meanings of the verses.

Therefore unless the Qur'an is studied in its original language, Arabic, one's ability to comprehend its intricacies will be severely limited. Trying to explain Qur'anic verses from translations in other languages may not always be accurate, and in fact, could even distort its meanings and intention. Relying on single or equivalent meanings of the words used in translations, without knowing their original and various other meanings in Arabic, could result in misunderstanding the whole verse. Even worse, an interpretation entirely at odds with the original meanings could result.

As we mentioned earlier, it is technically impossible to translate the Qur'an into another language on a word for word basis. Nonetheless, explanations and interpretations of the Qur'anic verses can, of course, be made in other languages, and it may indeed be possible to understand the Qur'an and learn about its verses from them.

Arabic is one of the deepest-rooted and richest languages in the world. It is powerfully expressive and has an extensive vocabulary. However, to claim that because of the language it is written in, the Qur'an has only been sent to Arabs and that they are therefore the chosen people, would be an assumption at odds with the ideals of the Qur'an. It is a well-known fact the Qur'an emphasizes that the only criteria that constitute superiority are fear of God (taqwa) and a person's closeness to God, and that no criteria other than these apply. Furthermore, it is stated in Surah Sad verse 87 that the Qur'an is "a reminder for all peoples." People whose aims are to influence the ignorant and try to destroy Islam make claims such that Islam is a religion only for Arabs. It is sufficient to read the Qur'an itself to realize just how baseless and deliberate such ideas are.

The Absence of God-Given Wisdom and Understanding

It is stated in the verses of the Qur'an that one has to have the wisdom, understanding and comprehension provided by God in order to discover its correct meanings. God's messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, also mentioned this in a hadith:

Abdullah bin Umar narrated that God's Messenger (saas) said, "Do not wish to be like anybody except in two cases: The case of a man whom God has given wealth and he spends it in the right way; and that of a man whom God has given religious wisdom (i.e., Qur'an and Sunnah) and he gives his verdicts according to it, and teaches it to others." (Bukhari 9/419 and 6/543)

The essentials necessary to interpret the Qur'an are a total acknowledgement of the Qur'an, knowing the various methods of interpretation, and having extensive Arabic skills. Nonetheless, even if one possesses all these one still cannot benefit from the Qur'an unless one has God's gift of understanding. This is why it is not sufficient to possess only the necessary technical knowledge to correctly interpret the Qur'an. History is full of examples of people who, with all their supposed technical abilities, have fallen into the error of explaining the Qur'an with a twisted approach. The founders of many perverse religious movements and sects seem proficient in their fields, but are in fact devoid of the knowledge and comprehension bestowed by God. These people have distanced themselves and their ignorant and mindless followers from the true practice of Islam.

Moreover, the idolaters (mushrikun) of Mecca during the Prophet Mohammad's time, who read, but did not understand and therefore rejected the Qur'an, are clear examples that simply knowing Arabic is not enough to comprehend the Qur'an.

The first rule in receiving the ability of understanding from God is to fear Him and be sincere. It would not be possible to receive such comprehension while indulging solely in the pleasures of this world. If one's approach toward the Qur'an were made in a judgmental spirit, with a purpose and perspective that would displease God, then this would in turn lead to faulty understanding and interpretation. Someone who indulges in his own desires will not have the right state of mind to conquer the true spirit of the Qur'an and explore its finer points, mysteries and depths. Someone who follows his own desires will lack the ability to reason, and so will only be able to interpret the verses from a very superficial point of view. Moreover, he will fail to see the divine miracles of the Qur'an.

Besides, a person who follows his baser self will be inclined to interpret the Qur'an according to his own whims and convenience, so it will not be possible for him to find the true meanings of the verses as they are intended by God. It is stated in one of the verses of the Qur'an how a self-absorbed person is incapable of true understanding:

People like that find it quite difficult to contemplate the Qur'an. They might even be incapable of understanding subjects that others consider to be perfectly elementary. They cannot establish the necessary connections between verses, or between verses and events. As a result, they will declare that those verses they are unable to understand are contradictory. Their minds are so closed that in one verse they are described as less than cattle.

Lack of Thinking

It says in the Qur'an that, in order to make a sound interpretation of its contents, one has to think about and contemplate it thoroughly. If the Qur'an is viewed superficially and read as if it were just another ordinary book, then the true benefits of this endless source of wisdom will not surface. In the Qur'an, God constantly invites man to use his reason and to think. Thinking, using one's reason, and making an effort to try and grasp the meanings, finer points, mysteries and miracles of the Qur'an are essential if one is to truly appreciate it. The Qur'an reveals to everyone information about himself, the purpose behind his creation, the true nature of this world, the reasons for what goes on around him, along with many other subjects concerning him and his surroundings. Accordingly, one should try to establish a connection between the verses and himself, his surroundings and the events he experiences, and strive to understand the Qur'an by thinking deeply on all of these. It is stated in the Qur'an that it was revealed to those who reflect:

Since the verses have been revealed only for those who reflect, it is clear that those who do not do so will not comprehend the meanings of any of the verses in the Qur'an.

It is a fact that a person's life is filled with numerous lessons he learns from the events he experiences within himself and in his surroundings. The Qur'an is a guide that shows people how to interpret the lessons in their lives and how they should react once they have understood them. Therefore, the Qur'an is a guiding light that structures a person's daily life and explains each moment of his existence. One can only come to the true meaning of the Qur'an if one reads it with the proper contemplation that God, the Possessor of infinite knowledge and wisdom, deserves. It has already been stated in a Qur'anic verse that the Qur'an is a book that one should contemplate seriously and use as a source of guidance "It is a Book We have sent down to you, full of blessing, so let men of understanding ponder its Signs and take heed." (Surah Sad: 29). Yet again, in another verse, the importance of genuinely thinking about the Qur'an has been emphasized:

The Qur'an is the source of limitless and superior knowledge because it has been revealed by God, the Lord of all the Worlds. The Qur'an covers countless topics, from the attributes of God to the wonders of creation, from the intricacies of the human soul to the facts and mysteries of the universe and the Hereafter, and so on. So the appreciation of such vast amounts of information encased in such a pure and essential language can only be possible with a combination of deep thought, awareness, attention to detail, a sincere heart and a strong conscience.

Arrogance and Superiority

Arrogance will prevent anyone from understanding the Qur'an. Since an arrogant person considers himself to be superior, he will not possess the necessary humility and awareness needed to approach the Qur'an properly. He will be unable to bear to see the verses that remind a servant his weaknesses and the fact that God is the One Who has given him everything he has ever owned and all of his attributes. He cannot bring himself to receive the warnings, follow the given commandments, distance himself from what is forbidden or surrender to the wisdom of God. His pride and assumed superiority prevent him from doing so. That is the reason why he will see the Qur'an as a threat to his character, which is based on arrogance. He will fight with all his might to seek ways to contradict the Qur'an. In so doing he will argue about the verses. It has been stated in the Qur'an that those with pride cannot comprehend its verses:

Arrogance is a tool for viewing one's own intelligence, culture and knowledge as superior. So the accomplishments of an arrogant person, such as his academic career, culture and expertise, will actually serve to distance him from the Qur'an. The unwise claims made by seeming experts or intellectuals regarding the Qur'an are proof of the fact that pride prevents anyone from truly acknowledging the Qur'an. This sort of people are described in many verses:

So we can conclude that in order to understand the Qur'an, one has to have the attributes of modesty, humility and obedience, and show total submission to God with the awareness that one is nothing before His greatness.

Trying to Interpret the Qur'an with Old Traditions

One of the greatest mistakes made when trying to interpret the Qur'an is making use of hearsay and superstitions from one's forefathers and of old traditions which are claimed to be the words of religion. People who do that follow an inherited traditional religion rather than the Qur'an, and at the same time try to adapt the Qur'an to that perverted religion. Their twisted mentality has been described in the Qur'an:

This twisted view of religion, that is widespread among the uneducated, puts forward a model of belief that is completely different from and contradictory to the Islamic one. This model, which is presented under the name of Islam, in fact has no relation whatsoever with the true religion, ethics and lifestyle that are described in the Qur'an. This distorted model is based on traditions and old-fashioned superstitions and not on the Qur'an. The followers of this warped practice try to adapt the Qur'an and its verses to fit their traditions and superstitions. It is obviously impossible to explain the Qur'an with such nonsense. However, as mentioned in the Qur'an, these fabrications that are manufactured by "distorting the book with tongues" only serve to distance one from the Qur'an.

Such people try to give the impression that they base what they say on the Qur'an when trying to authenticate their ideas, interpretations, judgments and applications that are, in truth, far from anything the Qur'an actually represents. Yet, they cannot put together any logical explanation for their unfounded claims. No matter how hard they try, anyone with common sense can see through their ridiculous explanations. Those who put such superstitions forward are actually well aware of the fact that they cannot make the Qur'an fit their twisted approach, so they content themselves with just distancing people further from the true book. Reading the Qur'an with awareness and a strong conscience would result in exposing the true face of such warped beliefs. It would also lead to a loss of status of those who maintain such beliefs, who have based their lifestyles and interests upon this twisted religion and have used it to build their position and rank.

The Qur'an reports the situation of people who are far from realizing the true meaning of the Qur'anic verses and yet try to turn people away from the right path with uneducated explanations:

Evidently, those who have such warped intentions and understanding, together with their ignorant, blind followers, will have an equally distorted perspective on and approach to the Qur'an. They will attempt to explain the verses, which are quite straightforward to the true followers of Islam, in a perverse way. In so doing they will strive to link their warped religion to the Qur'an.

Such wicked tendencies will lead these peoples' followers to loss in this world and in the Hereafter. At the same time, they will cause those without sufficient knowledge of religion to split away from Islam, and prevent them from drawing close to God. These people will spark off the utmost disruption and pose a threat to religion by attracting more ignorant people like themselves to their side. However, the right will always be victorious against the wrong and as the Qur'an informs us "the falsehood is always bound to vanish". This is its destiny, and it cannot change it. The Qur'an is present and clear. Anyone who holds on to it with the gracious intent of finding the true path of God will, with His permission, learn the actual religion, reach His salvation and be included in His mercy.

There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned. Right guidance has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false gods and has faith in God has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never give way. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. God is the Protector of those who have faith. He brings them out of the darkness into the light. But those who are disbelievers have false gods as protectors. They take them from the light into the darkness. Those are the Companions of the Fire remaining in it timelessly, for ever."(Surat al-Baqarah: 256-257)

Inability to Understand the Scientific Qur'anic Verses

Many scientific facts are mentioned either directly or indirectly in the Qur'an. Many topics, from the creation phases of the universe, human beings and the formation of rain to the movement of continents are mentioned as proof of the perfection and superiority of God's creation. Nevertheless, obviously the Qur'an is not a book of science. In the Qur'an, scientific information is sometimes mentioned in a clear, lucid language, and at other times it is explained by means of comparisons, indications or concealed language. Being unable to realize the wisdom in such verses, some prejudiced people, who do not possess the necessary basic knowledge of science and scientific progress, nor a subtle comprehension, end up opposing the Qur'an.

Still, the people of the 21st century witnessed, through the use of the latest technological observations, experiments and research, the miraculous verification of various scientific facts pointed to in the Qur'an. Furthermore, science was dominated by hearsay and unproven theories until the last two centuries when all the while the Qur'an, written some 1,400 years ago, was drawing attention to scientific facts that have finally been proven today.

Numerous scientific topics, such as the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe, the relativity of time, continental motion etc., were mentioned in the Qur'an when it was revealed nearly 1,400 years ago. (For a detailed analysis see Miracles of the Qur'an by Harun Yahya.) The secret of these verses remained a mystery for Muslims, who had been reading them for years. However, Muslims expressed faith in all of these verses, which they knew to contain many secrets and great wisdom, without understanding their true meaning, just as they believe without any doubt that the Qur'an is the "truth" (haq) revealed by God. Those who use their reason and are capable of intense thought perceive each verse as a part of the endless knowledge of God. It is true that there remain some verses that have yet to be fully explained and whose mysteries have still to be revealed. Such verses are a source of excitement and enthusiasm for the true believer. This concealed knowledge also makes them feel totally enclosed within the boundless wisdom of God.

Those with ulterior motives commonly try to cast doubt on those verses which have not yet been explained by the current standards of science and technology. In the Qur'an it is said of those people:

People like that, who approach the Qur'an with prejudice, are bound to view verses, which their limited intelligence and knowledge fail to make immediately clear, as evidence of inconsistency, as their real purpose is seeking contradictions in the Qur'an. Just as there were verses which had remained a mystery since the revelation of the Qur'an until it became possible to explain them thanks to recent scientific developments, there may be still more verses waiting to be clarified that will remain in the shadows until future scientific discoveries. For instance, the Qur'an gives indications of possible matter and scent transfer. Even though these may appear to be impossible with today's technology, such ideas have already made an appearance in science fiction. The verses related to these ideas in the Qur'an are:

- A person of knowledge in the company of the Prophet Solomon brings Queen Saba's throne from her palace, thousands of miles away:

He (Solomon) said, 'Council! Who among you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?'

An ifreet of the jinn said, 'I will bring it to you before you get up from your seat. I am strong and trustworthy enough to do it.'

He who possessed knowledge of the Book said, 'I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.' And when he (Solomon) saw it standing firmly in his presence, he said, 'This is part of my Lord's favour to test me to see if I will give thanks or show ingratitude. Whoever gives thanks only does so to his own gain. Whoever is ungrateful, my Lord is Rich Beyond Need, Generous.' (Surat an-Naml: 38-40)

- The Prophet Jacob senses the presence of his son, the Prophet Joseph, from miles away:

And when the caravan went on its way, their father said, 'I can smell Joseph's scent! You probably think I have become senile.'(Surah Yusuf: 94)

It is only natural that some of the verses in the Qur'an, which is valid till the Day of Judgment and contains information that is applicable to all times, are not understandable when they are interpreted only by using the currently available technological data, which have still not reached the required level. However, as further advances are made, the "overlapping" meanings in the scientific Qur'anic verses are becoming clearer.

Trying to Interpret the Qur'an According to the Flawed Values of the Established Order

There are those who live by modern-day as well as social standards, who accept the rules applied by the majority as absolute facts and use them to try and interpret the Qur'an. People like this make up the majority of those who try to object to the Qur'an, even though they are the least educated and cultured. It is possible to come across such people in every profession and part of society. They make up a majority, who do not think too deeply or possess a certain world-view, and are obsessed only with worldly pursuits and are only focused on their livelihood. Since they seek simple pleasures, small calculations and profits, they perceive the Qur'an as a threat that would limit their so-called freedom, alter their simple lifestyles or expectations, and the order to which they are accustomed. Therefore, they try to oppose the Qur'an with their primitive logic.

Members of this group make the same comments about the Qur'an that they have heard from others, ideas originally not their own. They usually make unreasonable and ignorant remarks about the Qur'an using sentences that begin with such words as, "In the 21st century…", "In our day and age…", "In the space age….", "In the West…." , and so on.

They propose that the lifestyle described in the Qur'an and that of our own time are incompatible, and that the former is in fact outdated. From that perspective they subsequently make false claims concerning the Qur'an. For example, they claim that such things as fasting and prayer interfere with the pace of the modern lifestyle, that the Islamic ban on interest cannot be practiced under current economic conditions and even that the prohibition of adultery in this day and age is evidence of the impossibility of applying the Qur'an to our daily lives.

They apply superficial logic and display great ignorance when addressing the topics of the prayers, commands, and prohibitions in the Qur'an. They introduce arguments about the wisdom in some commands which they do not understand or the verses that they cannot comprehend. Worse still, they defend their illogical claims with great ferocity. This stems in part from the fact that what they are defending with such eagerness is based on the ideas of the majority, rather than on logic or reason.

They accept society's general lifestyle and world-view, which they refer to as "the facts of life," as the absolute truth and seek errors and discrepancies in the Qur'an by taking them as a point of reference. The notions they use as criteria have no actual scientific or logical worth. The concepts that they assume to be the absolute truth, "the facts of life" or the requirements of the modern age, are in fact illusions with which they only deceive themselves and provide psychological support for one another.

We are informed, in the Qur'an, of the twisted path of these people, who gather all their strength from being part of the majority and think that they are on the right path since they are in harmony with everyone else: