Usool al-Tafseer

 ‫أصول التفسير‬

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 The Qur’an’s Uniqueness

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 The Qur’an’s Uniqueness
 Maps of reality Criteria for judging a scripture
 Science claims to provide a system for finding out what is real. The scientific
method provides a very powerful tool for telling us how things work. But by
its nature, it can’t answer questions like “Why am I here?” and the others just
mentioned. Religions claim to answer these questions. They provide ‘maps’ of
reality. Having an accurate map is crucial to getting where you need to go.

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 Criteria for Judging Scripture:
 • Has it been accurately preserved?
 • Is it free of internal contradictions?
 • When it speaks about the past, is it accurate or mistaken?
 • When it speaks about scientific realities, is it accurate or mistaken?
 • When it predicts the future, was it accurate or mistaken?
 • Are its teachings about God clear or garbled?

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 • Does it give us a clear understanding of the purpose of life?
 • Do its laws promote human well-being?
 • Are its laws realistic, or do they demand that people act in ways that go
against the grain of human nature?
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 We should also look at the life of the religion’s founder:
 • How much did he live by his own teachings?
 • What kind of a model did he present for his followers?
 Shaykh Mahmood al-Zayn’s example
 Shaykh Mahmood al-Zayn’s Thought Problem:
 He wrote:
 A common opinion heard these days among the masses is that the miraculous nature of the
Qur’an is something that only specialized scholars can appreciate. This opinion is incorrect,
for some aspects of the Qur’an’s miraculous nature can be understood by every person, while
others can only be appreciated by scholars, and certain aspects can only be appreciated by
the most proficient scholars.
 The aspect that all people can appreciate is mentioned in the Qur’an itself, in the statement
of Allah, the Exalted:


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Usool al-Tafseer
‫ أفال يتدبرون القرآن ولو كان من عند غير هللا لوجودا يه اختالفا كثيرا‬
84 ‫ سورة النساء‬
 Will they not then ponder on the Qur’an? If it had been from other than Allah
they would have found in it much inconsistency

 That is, some parts of it would contradict each other, some parts would be
deficient, some parts would be inaccurate, and some parts would be weak. If
any of that were present, it would disprove the claim that it is miraculous,
whatever else was found in it to be correct, for it is impossible that Allah
would make any mistake.

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 The Impact Of Time Upon The Information In The Book
 The Impact of Varied Subjects on the Possibility of Error in the Book
 The Impact of a Single Author on the Possibility of Error in the Book
 The Impact of the Author’s Level of Education on the Possibility of Error in the
Book

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 Some Examples of Accuracy of Information in the Qur’aan
 Scientific facts

 Historical facts

 Predictions of the future

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 The Qur’an’s freedom from internal contradiction

 The authenticity of the Qur’an’s preservation

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 Some examples of accuracy of information in the Qur’aan scientific facts


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 historical facts

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 predictions of the future

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 The Qur’an’s freedom from internal contradiction

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 The authenticity of the Qur’an’s preservation

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