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An Example of the New “Enlightened”Hermeneutics of the Qur’anBy Rev. Bassam M. Madany
In my previous article dealing with the reform of Islam,
“Toward a Tanweeri (Enlightened) Hermeneutics of the Qur’an,” 
I referred to an essay by a Muslimreformist scholar who advocated a complete break with the hermeneutical principles of orthodox Islam. On 31 May, 2009 he posted an article with this intriguing title:
“So That  Islam Might Not Die” 
ملسا توي  ىح 
 Hatta la Yamutu’l Islam.
http://www.kwtanweer.com/articles/articleforprint.php?articleID=2242The writer is very concerned about the lack of development in the Islamic world,attributing it to the Muslims’ inability to break from their traditional interpretation of theQur’an. In order to cope with the challenges of modernity, he called on Muslims to adoptan enlightened hermeneutics of the Qur’an, a prescription that is actually quite arevolutionary one. Still, he did not hesitate to propose it, and expressed the urgency of thematter in these words:
“For unless such a step was taken, Islam will not survive!” 
Itwas this strong conviction that made him choose the shocking title for his essay!Here are excerpts translated from that essay:
“This is my concluding article in a series that dealt with the subject of development. Toachieve this goal requires an open mind and liberation from those fixed and fanciful  positions that offered ready-made solutions to all types of human problems. We must acknowledge that traditional Islam, with its totalitarian worldview is standing in theway of progress and development. The Muslim world is in dire need for the rise and development of a progressive and non-totalitarian Islam. A genuine and seriousreformation can only happen by adopting a complete separation between Allah and  Muhammad; Allah is an absolute and unchanging Being, while the Prophet is not. Doubtless, Muhammad was the primary founder of the Umma, but as a human being,he acted within the cultural and political contexts of his days. Therefore, all the textswhich the Prophet brought, including the Qur’an, are purely historical texts, and as such, cannot be considered absolutely authentic or accurate.” 
In a follow-up article dated 10 June, 2009, our author offered examples of his reformisthermeneutics, and gave it a title,
“Clearer Guidance,” 
based on a Qur’anic
 Ayat 
that has been translated as:
“A Scripture with Clearer Guidance,” 
Qur’an 28:49
 Surat Al-Qasas
(Stories)
 
صقا
لق(اوتأف بتك وه ا دنع م ىدهمنم تصا )يقد تنك إ
49
http://www.kwtanweer.com/articles/readarticle.php?articleID=2254
 
First a word of explanation is necessary about
 Surat Al-Qasas,
which relates the story of Moses that corresponds, up to a point, to the Biblical narrative in Exodus 2. I consulted astandard Arabic commentary on the Qur’an,
Tafsir al-Qur’an: al-Jelalain,
 published inCairo, Egypt, in 1906. The following is a summary of the comments on
 Ayat 49;
with thehighlighted parts being quotations from the Qur’an:“This chapter in the Qur’an gives us an account of the negative response of Muhammad’scontemporaries to the message he brought them from
 Allah.
They complained saying,
“Why is he not given the like of what was given unto Moses?” 
After all, Moses had performed several miracles, but Muhammad had done none. In response to their challenge and unbelief,
 Allah
told the Prophet: “
 Say unto them, O Muhammad: Thenbring a scripture from the presence of Allah that giveth clearer guidance” 
SoMuhammad in his turn challenged them to bring forth a
“better revelation” 
 
than the
Torah
and the
Qur’an,
and he would be willing to follow it.”Taking his point of departure from
Qur’an 28:49,
our essayist offers his readers arevolutionary hermeneutics. He claims that in our days, there exists a
“better and clearer  guidance” 
to cope with contemporary moral and legal issues than what is provided by thetime-bound and Arab milieu of the Qur’anic revelation. This is how he develops hisargument:“This Qur’anic
 Ayat 
being normative, no one may dispute its relevance to our subject.Furthermore, it is reasonable to suggest that at that time and in that place, (i.e. in 7
th
century Arabia,) no one could have brought forth a better revelation than in either the
Torah,
or in the
Qur’an.
 
But that’s not the case today.
“Here is a list of Qur’anic laws and regulations. Are they still to be considered valid andapplicable in the 21
st
century!?
1. Cutting the hand of a thief versus the punishment for murder
“In Islam, the punishment for stealing is much more severe than the punishment for murder! For example, should the next in kin of the murdered person be willing to forgivethe murderer, his punishment would simply be a monetary payment as prescribed by theShari’ah. On the other hand, the punishment for stealing requires the amputation of thehand of the thief!”
2. Flogging the adulterer
“When a rich man commits adultery, he is protected by the code that requires four witnesses who have witnessed the act. If and when proven guilty, he is flogged for hisaction! Whereas a woman caught in adultery, is punished by stoning!”
3. Multiplicity of wives, up to four in number.4. Multiplicity of concubines.
2
 
5. Legality of sexual relations with female slaves.6. Killing of prisoners of war or their enslavement.7. The testimony of a woman is worth half of the testimony of a man.8. A woman’s inheritance is only half of a man’s inheritance.9. The alternate amputation of limbs (a right hand’s amputation with a left foot’samputation.)10. Inequality with respect to the value of human life: a Muslim may not receivecapital punishment if he has murdered an unbeliever or a slave. Also, a Muslim mandoes not receive capital punishment for the murder of a Muslim woman
Qur’an 2:178“Now can we consider these Qur’anic rules as ‘
the best revelation or guidance’ 
for human beings? It is probable that the above mentioned regulations were valid for thoseancient times; but for the present, no one may or should consider them as the best possible guidance for human beings. Of course, there are some people who do believethat such laws are valid; however they need to reflect seriously about the fairness of suchrules of conduct and punishment.“At the beginning of my article, I quoted the following
Qur’anic Ayat:
لق(اوتأف بتك وه ا دنع م ىدهمنم تصا )يقد تنك إ
49
‘Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Then bring a scripture from the presence of Allahthat giveth clearer guidance than these two (that) I may follow it, if ye are truthful.’ 
Qur’an 28:49, in the translation of Marmaduke Pickthal“Doesn’t this
 Ayat 
allow me to adopt the best of all revelations or regulations? Are we notallowed to revise the laws that we have followed for the last hundreds of years in order to bring them in line with modern concepts of justice and equity?”
Analysis
The author of the essay regarding the urgent need for the adoption of an enlightenedhermeneutics for the interpretation of the Qur’an is fully aware that, in our globalizedworld, Islam should no longer practise its harsh criminal laws. So, in order to providehumane principles for Islamic jurisprudence, it is necessary no longer to regard theQur’an as the eternal and uncreated word of Allah, but as he put it in his first article onthis subject, “
Therefore, all the texts which the Prophet brought, including the Qur’an,are purely historical texts, and as such, cannot be considered absolutely authentic or accurate.” 
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