A common misconception amongst the traditionalists (Sunni/Shi'ah and other sectarians) is that a true understanding of the Qur'aan is dependant upon external sources such as the compilations of muhaditheen (al-Bukhaari Abu Dawud, Ahmad ibn Hanbal etc), the books of exegesis (tafseer) and the books compiled by historians. The adherents of these sects are instructed to follow a doctrine which does not encourage reflection nor the use of logic and reasoning but instead dictates a rigid mindset in which the masses are treated as insignificant laymen who are obliged to follow the interpretations (ta'weel) of self certified scholars from past and present.
Simply put, the traditionalists believe that the Qur'aan is a complex book that is NOT clear and which can NOT be understood on its own.
In trying to justify their misguided doctrine the traditionalists bring verses 44 and 64 from Surah An-Nahl to the exclusion of numerous other verses and claim that the duty of explaining the Qur'aan was upon Prophet Muhammad and that his explanations (exegesis) were compiled in the books of muhaditheen hundreds of years after his death. However, the message of the Qur'aan exposes their misinterpretation of those verses within Surah An-Nahl as well as the falsehood of their invented doctrine.
To begin with, the Prophet Muhammad conveyed that the Qur'aan is:
🌀| A CLEAR BOOK
{Surah Al-Hijr, 15:1}:
الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِينٍ
"Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book and clear Qur'aan."
And in {Surah An-Naml, 27:1}:
طس تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
"Ta Sin. These are the verses of the Qur'aan and clear Book."
And in {Surah Ash-Shuara, 26:2}:
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ
"These are the verses of the Book of clarity."
And in {Surah Al-Hadid, Verse 57:9}:
هُوَ الَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لِّيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
"He it is who sends down clear upon His servant clear verses, to bring you out from the darkness into the light. And indeed, Allah is Kind, Merciful to you."
And in {Surah Al-Noor, 24:46}:
لَّقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
"Certainly We have sent down clear verses, and Allah guides whom He pleases to the straight path."
And in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:99}:
وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَا يَكْفُرُ بِهَا إِلَّا الْفَاسِقُونَ
"And certainly We have sent down to you clear verses and none disbelieve in them except the defiantly disobedient."
🔎 Analysis of the words مُّبِينٍ and بَيِّنَاتٍ :
The triliteral root of these words is bā yā nūn (ب ي ن) which occurs 523 times in the Qur'aan, in thirteen derived forms:
1. As the form II verb bayyanu (بَيَّنُ)
2.. As the form IV verb yubīnu (يُبِينُ)
3. As the form V verb tabayyana (تَبَيَّنَ)
4. As the form X verb tastabīna (تَسْتَبِينَ)
5. As the noun bayān (بَيَان)
6. As the nominal bayn (بَيْن)
7. As the adjective bayyin (بَيِّن)
8. As the nominal bayyinat (بَيِّنَة)
9. As the noun tib'yān (تِبْيَٰن)
10. As the nominal mubayyināt (مُّبَيِّنَٰت)
11. As the form II active participle mubayyinat (مُّبَيِّنَة)
12. As the form IV active participle mubīn (مُّبِين)
13. As the form X active participle mus'tabīn (مُسْتَبِين)
Its meaning includes the following:
to become separated, severed, disunited or cut off from a thing, to become apparent/clear/plain/manifest/evident/known, an evidence/proof/indication/demonstration such as is manifest or clear, to be between/amidst/among two or more things (when prefixed). [1]
Furthermore, throughout His Book not only does Allah repeatedly inform the Prophet that His ayaat are already clear but in the following verses He also explains the purpose and benefits of such clarity:
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
"Thus does Allah make clear to you the verses, that you may ponder."
{Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:219}
And in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:242}
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
"Allah thus makes clear to you His verses that you may understand."
And in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:221}:
وَيُبَيِّنُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
"...and (Allah) makes clear His verses to mankind, that they may be mindful."
And in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:187}:
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
"Thus does Allah make clear His verses for mankind that they may be conscious of Him."
And in {Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:103}
كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
"Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may may be guided."
However, according to the doctrine of the sectarian traditionalists the numerous commands for mankind to ponder and reflect upon the ayaat become redundant because, according to them, the ayaat can NOT be understood and nor can guidance be achieved without an explanation through external hadith. Without doubt those who hold such a doctrine to be true have implied that the word of Allah is not so.
Contrary to the beliefs of the traditionalists, the Prophet Muhammad actually conveyed that the Qur'aan is:
🌀| A BOOK EXPLAINED IN DETAIL
{Surah Al-Araf, 7:52}:
وَلَقَدْ جِئْنَاهُم بِكِتَابٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
"And certainly We have brought them a Book which We have made clear/distinct/explained with knowledge, a guidance and a mercy for people who believe."
And similarly in {Surah Fussilat, 41:3}:
كِتَابٌ فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
"A Book of which its verses are clear/distinct/explained in detail, an Arabic Qur'aan for a people who know."
And in {Surah Fussilat, 41:44}:
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَّقَالُوا لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ
"And if We had made it a Qur'aan in a foreign tongue, they would have said: Why are not its verses clear/explained?"
And in {Surah Az-Zukhruf, 43:3}:
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
"Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur'aan that you all may reason/understand/use intellect."
🔎 Analysis of the words فُصِّلَتْ and فَصَّلْنَاهُ :
The triliteral root of these words is fa-sad-lam (ف ص ل) which occurs 43 times in the Qur'aan, in nine derived forms.
Its meaning includes the following: clear/distinct/plain/manifest, explain in detail, to seperate, set apart, divide or distinguish a thing from another, to decide or judge between two things, to set out or set forth, the weaning of a suckling infant. [2]
And in {Surah Al-Furqan, 25:33} after responding to questions from the disbelievers intending to cast doubt over the truthfulness of the Prophet, Allah states that He provides the best explanation through revelation to His Prophet:
وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا
"And they do not come to you with similar, except that We come to you with the truth and best explanation (tafseeran)."
🔎 Analysis of the word تَفْسِيرً :
This word is an indefinite form II masculine verbal noun and is in the accusative case (منصوب). The triliteral root is fā sīn rā (ف س ر) which occurs only once in the Qur'aan.
Its meaning includes the following: to discover/disclose/reveal something that was concealed or obscured, to explain, to expound, to interpret. [3]
In contrast to the unequivocal truthfulness of the Qur'aan the attempted explanations through other sources such as the exegesis (tafseer) of ibn Kathir or al-Tabari are littered with conjecture, hearsay and false information that distort the true meanings of the Qur'aan.
An example of how Allah clarifies and provides a detailed explanation of the Qur'aan within the Qur'aan itself is through the verses relating to Night and Day.
To begin with, in {Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:33} Allah revealed about their creation that:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ
"And He it is Who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon..."
And in {Surah Al-Israa, 17:12} Allah revealed information pertaining to their purpose and reasoning:
وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا
"And We have made the night and the day two signs, then We erased the sign of the night and We made the sign of the day visible, so that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you might know the numbering of the years and the counting; and We have made clear/explained in detail everything with distinctness."
And in {Surah Yunus, 10:67} Allah provides further information relating to the purpose of the night as well as explaining that visibility is the sign of the day:
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ
"He it is Who made for you the night that you might rest in it, and the day giving visibility. Indeed, in this are signs for a people who listen."
And in {Surah Ya Seen, 36:37} Allah explains that darkness is the sign of the night:
وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ
"And a sign to them is the night: We withdraw from it the day, then behold, they are in darkness."
Another example which demonstrates how the Qur'aan provides its own explanation/ exegesis (tafseer) is in how {Surah al-Israa', 17:72} is decisively understood through another verse that relates to the same or similar matter.
In {Surah al-Israa, 17:72} Allah revealed that:
وَمَن كَانَ فِي هَٰذِهِ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
"And whoever is blind in this, then he will be blind in the hereafter; and more erring from the path."
Does this mean that whoever is literally blind in this life will be likewise in the after life?
In {Surah Taha, 20:124-125} Allah revealed that:
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ
"And whoever turns away from My reminder, his will be a narrow life, and We will raise him on the day of resurrection, blind.
قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَىٰ وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيرًا
He shall say: My Lord! why have you raised me blind while I had sight?"
And in {Surah Al-Hajj, 22:46}:
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ
"Have they not travelled in the land so that they have hearts with which to reason/understand, or ears with which to hear? So indeed, it is not the eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the chests."
Thus, when one actually makes an effort to study the Qur'aan they will come to understand that the reference to blindness in Surah al-Israa, verse 72 refers to the state of the heart of those who reject the ayaat of Allah, and that it does not refer to those who are physically blind in the eyes.
It should by now be clear to the reader that all the above mentioned verses establish a decisive refutation against those who claim that the Qur'aan can not be understood except through an exegesis (tafseer) from secondary sources.
In addition to the Qur'aan being a book that is clear and explained in detail, the Prophet Muhammad conveyed that it is also:
🌀| A CLARIFICATION OF ALL THINGS
In {Surah Al-Nahl, 16:89}:
وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
"And We have sent down the Book to you clarifying everything, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who submit."
And in {Surah Al-An'aam, 6:38}:
مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ
"We have not neglected anything in the Book."
In {Surah al-Anaam, 6:114} Allah revealed that the Qur'aan is a detailed explanation of everything concerning law/judgement:
أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْتَغِي حَكَمًا وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكِتَابَ مُفَصَّلًا وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ
"Then is it other than Allah (that) I should seek as a judge while He is the One Who has sent down to you the Book explained in detail?" And those whom We gave the Book know that it is sent down by your Lord with truth, therefore do not be of the doubters."
It is therefore understood that the phrase تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ is a reference to how the Qur'aan contains and clarifies ALL the NECESSARY details relating to the Deen (System) of Islaam by which the believer who follows it can lead a life that earns Allah's good pleasure.
The traditionalists however, echoe the misguided speech of their scholars who claim that the Qur'aan provides only a general outline but that the books of hadith which were written hundreds of years after the death of prophet Muhammad contain the fully detailed clarifications and guidance. For example, the traditionalists affirm that the command to establish the salah is mentioned within the Qur'aan but they believe that the details of how to perform it are only known through secondary hadith.
It thus becomes evident that the traditionalists are a people who not only believe that the Qur'aan is incomplete but that they are also from those who give precedence to the statements of fallible men over the impeccable words of Allah.
An article on the popular traditionalist website IslamQA for example, endorses the following creed:
"The Book needs the Sunnah more than the Sunnah needs the Book." [4]
Whereas Allah in His Book revealed that:
اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ
"Allah has sent down the best hadith (narration/statement), a Book, consimilar/consistent with itself, oft-repeating. The skins of those who fear their Lord shudder from it. Then their skin and their heart soften/relax to the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah. He Guides with it whom He wills and whomever Allah leaves astray, for him there is no guide."
{Surah Az-Zumar, 39:23}
And in {Surah Al-Kahf, 18:109}:
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا
"Say: If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely be exhausted before the words of my Lord are exhausted, even if We were to bring the like of it to add."
And in {Surah Luqman, 31:27}:
وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
"And if whatever in the earth of trees were (made into) pens, and the seas were added to by seven more seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed Allah is Mighty, Wise."
So here we are being informed by our Creator that the Book is the source through which His guidance may be attained and that if any further information was necessary for our guidance then Allah would have mentioned it in His Book because His words do not run out.
As a matter of fact, Allah revealed in {Surah Al-Anaam, 6:115}:
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
"And the word of your Lord has been completed/fulfilled truthfully and justly; none can change His words, and He is the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing."
To conclude with, I present the following verses as a reminder and warning and in the hope that those of a sincere heart may submit to Allah alone by following the perfect guidance contained within His Book whilst abandoning all other baseless hadith:
In {Surah An-Nisaa', 4:174} the Messenger conveyed that:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ قَدْ جَآءَكُم بُرْهَٰنٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا
"O mankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light."
And in {Surah Al-Anaam, 6:104}:
قَدْ جَاءَكُم بَصَائِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ
"Indeed there has come to you enlightment from your Lord; whoever will therefore see, it is for his own soul and whoever will be blind, it shall be against himself and I am not a guardian over you."
And in {Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:159}
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ
"Indeed, those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance that We sent down after We made it clear in the Book for mankind, those it is whom Allah shall curse, and those who curse shall curse them (too)."
And in {Surah Al-Jathiya, 45:6}:
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَ اللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ يُؤْمِنُونَ
"These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you with truth; then in what hadith (statement) would they believe after Allah and His verses?"
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References:
[1] Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 1, Pages 285 - 289
[2] Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863, Pages 2405 - 2408
[3] Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863, Page 2397
[4] al-Bahr al-Muheet by az-Zarkashi (6/11) quoted from al-Awzaa‘i; and also quoted by Ibn al-Muflih al-Hanbali in al-Aadaab ash-Shar‘iyyah (2/307) from the Taabi‘i Makhool.
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