An Account of the Quran Sessions and Three Fundamental Questions; Part 3 of 4

An Account by Mehdi Iranmanesh of Farhad Shafti's Views Presented in the Series of Sessions on "The Quran and Three Fundamental Questions"; Part Three: What Use Is the Quran to Us Today?

For the PDF file, refer to the end of the page.

"Third Question: What Use Is the Quran to Us Today?"

A Note from Farhad Shafti: I am grateful to Sedanet and my esteemed friend, Mehdi Iranmanesh, for undertaking the task of transcribing the five sessions of "The Quran and Three Fundamental Questions" held at Sedanet into the following written account in a very short time. I am also grateful that they gave me the opportunity to revise it before publication, although this caused a delay in the release of this text. In the review, I tried to preserve its conversational nature while adding to the coherence and clarity of this text, which was originally speech and dialogue, with some editing, and in some cases rearranging and, rarely, adding some explanations.

As stated in the text, the main question is in fact what use the Quran is to us today. To explain my answer to this question, however, I had to pass through the pass of two other fundamental questions: first, who is the audience of the Quran, and second, whether the Quran has a pluralistic view of religion or an exclusivist one. After answering these two questions, one can address the question of the Quran, today, and us with a more seasoned perspective.

I would like to explain two points in this note. First, the discussions of these three questions are interdependent. The answer to the third question is based on the answers to the first and second questions. For this reason, perhaps reading the final parts of this text without at least a review of the initial and middle sections may obscure the basis and logic of the argument. The second point is that in answering these three questions, as appropriate to the subject, the flow of thought gradually moves toward the intended destination. I believe that the conviction and understanding I have presented on various subjects only becomes clear as we approach the final discussions.

Summary of the Answer to the Second Question: Is the Quran Exclusivist or Pluralistic?

The Quran's account of the tradition of sending prophets, the criterion for salvation, and the diversity of religious laws is a pluralistic account, not an exclusivist one. The Quran emphasizes the sending of prophets to their own people and in their own language, and introduces self-purification, not adherence to a specific religious law, as the criterion for salvation. It not only tolerates different religious laws but considers them God's will, and calls upon each of the Jews and Christians to follow their own religious law. Some exclusivist interpretations of Quranic verses result from a universal interpretation of words like 'people' or 'worlds' without attention to the context of the verses. Also, failing to distinguish between believing in the Prophet and following the Prophet's religious law leads to an exclusivist interpretation of verses in which the People of the Book at the time and place of revelation are called to believe. Attention to what was referred to as the limitations of the Quran—and not its flaws—can extend the Quran's pluralism to non-Abrahamic religions as well. The Quran's pluralism, however, is not absolute and does not include every creed. That religion, creed, or doctrine which encourages its followers toward immorality in one or more of the threefold relationships of the human being—as described—has no place within the breadth of the Quran's pluralism.

Introduction

In previous discussions, it was mentioned that answering the question of the Quran's audience is like plowing the soil of thought, and answering the question of the Quran's pluralism is like planting a seed in it. Those two questions and all that discussion came so that, through contemplation and discussion, we might glean and harvest the crop in answering the third question. In this section, while re-emphasizing that our discussion is one related to reading the text, we want to see how the text of the Quran can help someone who, for whatever reason, has an attachment to this book, and what use it is to them today.

For this purpose, if we are not aware of which Quranic address is directed at us and which is directed at the direct audience, we cannot make proper use of the Quran. In other words, until we move past the sheet specific to the direct audience, we will not reach the second sheet, which includes the indirect audience. This is not at all a matter of looking more deeply; the point is that at the very level we are looking, these two sheets exist and must be separated. In answering the first question, we addressed this issue and, considering the Quran's initial purpose for its direct audience, examined that first sheet.

The second question was also particularly helpful in making us realize that the Quran tells us an image of the truth, not the truth itself. Therefore, the thought of whether this image is correct or that image is correct will not necessarily be a relevant line of thinking. We can make our understanding of the Quran somewhat more inclusive.

But the third question is to see: what use is the Quran to us today? This has an obvious answer, which is that the Quran is the constitution of religion, or a source of beliefs, or if you want to understand the rulings of religion, it is necessary to refer to the Quran, and the Quran has the final say. Regardless of whether we believe these rulings are useful for us today or not, and regardless of whether we believe in a static Sharia or a dynamic Sharia. We will pass over this obvious answer, because what is meant here is the application of the Quran—specifically the text of the Quran—for the life of a human being devoted to the Quran, and not the role of the Quran in understanding religion and Sharia.

3—What Use Is the Quran to Us Today?

We will pursue the third question by examining three sub-questions and then answering the main question in the following sections:

0 What is the ultimate purpose of the Quran?

0 What can be understood from the narration of the story of human creation in the Quran?

0 How does the Quran influence the purification and spirituality of those devoted to it?

0 Conclusion and answer to the main question: What use is the Quran to us today?

1-3— What is the Ultimate Purpose of the Quran?

We said that the initial purpose of the Quran was to establish conclusive proof for the direct audience. The ultimate purpose of the Quran is what was mentioned in section 2-2-2, in answer to the second question, as the criterion for salvation in the Quran, namely purification. There it was stated:

If we seek the criterion for salvation in the Quran in a single word, it is purification.

"قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّى" (87:14)

(Indeed, he who purifies himself [from inner and outer vices] has attained salvation.)

The Quran presents the purpose of religion in four similar verses. In the current order of the Quran, the first verse is verse 129 of Surah Al-Baqarah, when Prophet Abraham prays that God send a messenger among them. The other three verses, with the same content and the same key words, are addressed to the audience of the Quran:

"رَبَّنا وَ ابْعَثْ فيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ آياتِكَ وَ يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتابَ وَ الْحِكْمَةَ وَ يُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزيزُ الْحَكيمُ" (2:129)

As with the answer to the second question, to minimize debate over the translation of the verses, we present the translation by Hossein Ansarian:

(Our Lord! Raise up among them a messenger from among themselves, who will recite Your verses to them, and teach them the Book and wisdom, and purify them [from outward and inward impurities]; indeed, You are the Almighty, the All-Wise.)

If we read these verses hastily and without reflection, we might conclude that the Prophet came for four separate purposes:

1- Reciting the verses of the Quran 2- Teaching the Book 3- Teaching wisdom 4- Purification

According to Dr. Shafti, religion is for that final purpose, namely purification, and those three are a path to purification. The transmission of the Quranic verses to the audience by the Prophet opens the way for teaching the Book and wisdom to the audience, and this in turn opens the way for the primary goal, which is purification. With those three but without purification, not only will the ailment remain uncured, but the situation will become even worse. Because those three bring with them knowledge and awareness, and one who acquires this knowledge and awareness, understands it, and believes it, yet does not purify themselves, will have little excuse. Every other recommendation and benefit of religion mentioned in the Quran, such as piety, the establishment of justice, and the clarification of matters of dispute, has also been for this primary goal, namely purification.

In the Quran, the ultimate goal of every command and ruling that has been given is purification. Indeed, even the initial goal, which was warning and the completion of proof for the direct audience, was for purification. That is, the Quran's primary goal for its direct audience was also in service of this final goal, namely their purification. Leaving aside the goal, it is good to also pay attention to the Quran's subject and style. The Quran says it is hudan li-l-muttaqin (a guidance for the God-conscious) or hudan li-n-nas (a guidance for mankind), or it says the Quran is a book of guidance and mercy for the believers; guidance is the subject of the Quran.

Understanding this point is of utmost importance because with this understanding, for example, when it says the Quran is tibyanan li-kulli shay' (a clarification of all things), we will no longer have any and every expectation of it, and we will understand

The next point in the story of human creation is the discussion of arrogance, where Satan is asked, أَسْتَكْبَرْتَ: Did you act arrogantly? In the discussion related to the second question, we said that this is what, according to the Quran, makes a person deserving of hell. Because my nature is to be with Him, and if I am arrogant, I have stood against my own nature. My nature is dependent on and connected to Him, since He breathed into me of His spirit, and this breathing continues, “Every day He is in a [new] state” (55:29). If I am arrogant, I have in fact set myself against Him and made myself an example of shirk (polytheism). Then, when the angels say to God that this being will shed blood, God says, إِنِّی أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ: I know what you do not know. It is as if God wants to continue this discussion with the angels and says that He taught the names to Adam, and says, “Tell me who these are, if you know,” and they say, “We do not know.” One can derive a philosophical understanding from these names. One can also look at it as some commentaries have, that given the use of the word هَؤُلَاءِ in this verse, what is meant by these names are the names of perfect human beings, such as the prophets in the Abrahamic religions, the Buddha, and other perfect humans. It is as if this explanation is God’s answer that إِنِّی أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ.

Like a gardener whose work a passerby sees as nothing but dust and mud, who asks in wonder, “What are you doing?” and the gardener says, إِنِّی أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ. A few months later, the gardener shows him the fruits and flowers. Yes, an Abraham, a Moses, a Jesus, and a Muhammad will come, and an Ibn Arabi, a Rumi, a Hafez, an Attar, and a Buddha... will come.

2-2-3ـ Section Two: The Purpose of Human Creation

Based on the Quran, what is the purpose of human creation? The Quran says: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِیعْبُدُونِ: We created mankind and jinn only to worship God. Although some have interpreted لِیعْبُدُونِ as لِیعْرِفُونِ (to know), it seems there is no need for such an interpretation. That is, the purpose is the same لِیعْبُدُونِ. But based on the text of the Quran, why was humanity created to worship God? God is not in need of people’s worship, so what is meant?

In the Arabic language, and especially in the Quran, it is not always the case that the word ‘abd (servant) conjures a lowly image in the mind. In the Quran, God speaks of His servants with pride, and “The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth, and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace’” (25:63), and when He refers to His prophets, He uses the word ‘abd, “Indeed, he was of Our servants,” “And remember Our servant...” The station of the ‘abd is measured against the station of the mawla (master). The higher the master, the higher the station of the servant.

But what characteristic must a servant have to be a good servant to his master?

Let us give an example. If “this” is the servant of “that,” and “that” is hospitable but “this” is not hospitable, or if “this” is in the habit of waking up late but “that” is an early riser, can “this” be a good servant for “that”? The servant must resemble the master, must love the same things the master loves, and, within his own capacity, be on the path of his master. To be a servant of God means to become like Him and to take on His color and hue, “And who is better than God in hue?” (2:138), the color of God, and what color is better than God’s color? And then He says, “and we are worshippers for Him” (2:138). Why should we become like Him? Because we have come from Him, “I breathed into him of My spirit,” and to Him we return, “Indeed we belong to God, and indeed to Him we are returning.”

So being a servant of God means taking on His color, becoming like Him. That is why it says that this religion to which you are called (Islam in the sense of being surrendered to the Truth) is the primordial nature of God upon which humanity was created: فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّینِ حَنِیفًا فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِی فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَیهَا. That criterion of salvation we discussed in response to the first and second questions—namely, purification (tazkiya)—is precisely what makes us resemble Him, for He is the source of all purity. Worship aids purification: إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ تَنْهى‏ عَنِ الْفَحْشاءِ وَ الْمُنْكَر, or یا أَیهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذی خَلَقَكُمْ وَ الَّذینَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ‏ تَتَّقُونَ‏, قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكىَ‏ وَ ذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلى. In this last verse, فَصَلى is not a second criterion for salvation but a means of attaining purification.

So when He says: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِیعْبُدُونِ, it means I created these beings so that they might take on the color of God, My color—so that they might become like Him and, within their own limits, become pure.

May Hafiz never be free of that curling lock,

for those bound by your lasso are the saved.

3-2-3—Chapter Three: What means and provisions have been made for taking on the color of God?

God has given us a trust, whether it be reason or free will or whatever it may be. On the other hand, He says We created man weak and hasty. Man is impatient and greedy. Are these truly bad qualities for a human being? The Quran states that He Himself created us this way; can we say that He placed bad qualities in our creation?

The reality is that although, viewed in absolute terms, these are bad qualities, within the system of existence they help us. On the one hand, we have come from Him: نَفَخْتُ فِیهِ مِنْ رُوحِی. And on the other hand, there are devilish impulses within us that are the product of our being greedy, hasty, and weak. These devilish impulses open our eyes to doing different and varied things, and this in a world full of suffering and challenge. الَّذی خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ‏ وَ الْحَیاةَ لِیبْلُوَكُمْ أَیكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلا ... (He who created death and life to challenge you, that He may see which of you is best in conduct... — 67:2).

This "putting to the test" is usually translated as "examining," which is not a good translation. "Examining" raises the question: did God not already know? A better translation is "to challenge." It is these challenges that transform potential into actuality in a person and provide the ground for their improvement, growth, and taking on the color of God. By "challenge," moreover, I do not mean only the hardships and difficulties of life. At every moment and in every state, even in times of joy, we are caught in the challenge of our own selves.

According to the Quranic narrative, the possibility of taking on the color of God—which is achieved through purification—is provided by the three elements discussed: first, نَفَخْتُ فِیهِ مِنْ رُوحِی, meaning that we have come from Him and our origin bears His mark; second, human qualities such as being hasty, weak, and greedy; and third, an arena filled with challenge, namely this world. This combination gives human beings the possibility of growth and transcendence and helps them to place themselves on the path of purifying their own souls.

4-2-3—Chapter Four: According to the Quranic narrative, what are these challenges and the striving to take on the color of God for?

According to the Quranic narrative, one can say the answer is: because ... إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیهِ راجِعُون (2:156). If we are to return to Him, we must have an affinity with Him; otherwise, no door will open to us. One can only sit with someone who shares one's character, and this holds true for God as well. If we do not share His character, we will have no occasion to sit with Him.

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَ إِنَّا إِلَیهِ راجِعُون, and especially یا أَیهَا الْإِنْسانُ إِنَّكَ كادِحٌ إِلى‏ رَبِّكَ كَدْحاً فَمُلاقیه (84:6), show that whatever we do and whatever concerns we have, whether good or bad, is fundamentally because we have lost something and wish to reach that lost thing. Some know they have a lost thing and some do not; some know what that lost thing is and some do not.

این روایتی که آمد روایت قرآن بود. این روایت بر مبنای تصویر ادیان ابراهیمی از آن حقیقت مطلق و امر متعالی است. روایتی که بر مبنای تصویر خدایی متشخص از آن حقیقت مطلق است. اصل معنای این روایت اما برای پیروان بسیاری از ادیان و مسلک‌های معنوی دیگر نیز، که تصویری متفاوت از آن حقیقت مطلق و امر متعالی دارند، شبیه به همین است.

 از این منظر این روایت برای ایشان نیز روایتی آشناست. اگر برخی کلمات مانند خدا و آدم و حوا و شیطان را از این روایت بردارید و آنها را با مفاهیم جایگزین کنید، و آن را مثلا به یک بودایی نشان بدهید می‌بینید که برای او هم این روایت آشناست.

 او هم اینگونه می‌گوید که انسان در رنج است و برای اینکه از رنج خلاص بشود باید وابسته به چیزی نباشد و اگر در مسیر رهایی از تعلقات تلاش کند و تلاشش را ادامه دهد به یک نیروانایی می‌رسد و در آن مقام کاملا از رنج خلاص می‌شود. همچنین است اگر این داستان را به یک هندو و یا پیرو یک مسلک معنوی که دین رسمی‌ ندارد، نشان بدهید، برای او هم روایت آشنایی‌است. قرآن این روایت را در قالب‌هایی مانند داستان آدم و حوّا و خدای متشخص تصویر کرده است، اما اصل روایت بین بسیاری از ادیان و مسلک‌های معنوی مشترک است یا بگوییم اشتراک فراوان دارد.

در واقع اینکه انسان با تزکیه‌ی نفس می‌تواند با هستی هم‌سوتر شود، از رنج خود بکاهد و حداقل در همین دنیا با آرامش بیشتری زندگی کند حتی برای بسیاری از خداناباوران (یعنی ناباور به هر تصویری از او) قابل درک و پذیرش است.

یک قصه بیش نیست غم عشق و این عجب

کز هر زبان که می‌‌شنوم نامکرر است

 ۳-۳ـ  قرآن چگونه بر تزکیه و معنویت دل‌بستگانش تاثیر می‌گذارد؟

 گفتیم که قرآن مخاطبان اولیه را با هدف اولیه‌ی اتمام حجت و با زبان انذار پروا داده است. اکنون این را مطرح می‌کنیم که برای آن هدف نهایی که گفتیم، یعنی تزکیه، قرآن با زبان ذکر، یعنی یادآوری، با مخاطبانش صحبت می‌کند.

زبان انذار قرآن برای مخاطب مستقیم است و زبان یادآوری برای همه مخاطبان، چه مستقیم و چه غیر مستقیم. إِنَّ هذِهِ تَذْكِرَةٌ فَمَنْ شاءَ اتَّخَذَ إِلى‏ رَبِّهِ سَبیلا (این یاد‌آوری‌است پس هر که خواست - با آن - به سوی پروردگارش راهی پیش گیرد - 76:29).

 بنابراین اگر آن لایه‌ی اول یعنی آن وعده‌های عذاب اخروی و دنیوی و آن ملامت‌ها و دستورهای جنگ را که تقریبا همه به انذار مخاطب مستقیم مربوط می‌شوند کنار بزنیم، و البته در کنار احکام شرعی که بحث دیگری است، آنچه می‌ماند همه‌اش یادآوریست.

 یادآوری روایتی که بر مبنای تزکیه و معنویت است. در واقع حتی همان انذار و همان بیان همان احکام شرعی نیز برای مخاطبان مستقیم و غیر مستقیم ابزار یادآوری نیز هست. به اختصار به مفهوم تزکیه و معنویت بپردازیم:

۱-۳-۳ـ مختصری درباره‌ی مفهوم تزکیه:

تزکیه از نظر لغوی هم به معنای پاک کردن و هم به معنای نمو و رشد کردن است.  به تعبیری می‌توان گفت که تزکیه نمو کردنی است که نتیجه‌ی آن پاک کردن است. تزکیه در یک مسلک معنوی، به خصوص در قرآن در سه بعد آمده است: ارتباط با خود، ارتباط با دیگری (انسانها و حیوانات و محیط اطراف ما) و ارتباط با ورای این عالم ناسوت که مسلمانان و ادیان ابراهیمی‌ اسمش را الله یا خدا یا یهوه در یهودیت گذاشته‌اند، و مثلا بودایی‌ها اسمش را چیز دیگری می‌گذارند.

هر آیه از قرآن که به کاری اشاره کرده تا ما را از آن طریق به تزکیه دعوت کند به یکی از این سه ضلع مثلث مرتبط است: نماز بخوان، این برای تقویت ارتباط با خداست. روزه بگیر که تقوا پیشه کنی، این برای تقویت ارتباط تو با خودت. کمک به نیازمند کن، غیبت نکن؛ این هم برای تقویت ارتباط با دیگری است.

۲-۳-۳ـ مختصری درباره‌ی مفهوم معنویت:

Spirituality, of course, has no entirely clear definition, but those who have researched spirituality, especially those not confined to a religious perspective and who have, for instance, investigated it from the angles of psychology, psychotherapy, and even nursing, point to noteworthy elements. They refer to states and behaviors and call their totality spirituality, including: having hope, feeling connectedness and harmony with existence, feeling empowered, finding meaning, avoiding futility, living authentically, self-governance (not being under the influence of others), love for human beings, belief in a mystery in existence, and striving for betterment. You can see that many of these are also considered by religious thinkers to be outcomes of spirituality. In an article in the Negah-e Aftab quarterly, while referencing sources in this field, Quranic verses are also cited that connect spirituality with these states and behaviors.

Each of these states and behaviors also falls within one of those three relationships pertaining to tazkiyah, namely the relationship with oneself, with others, and with God or the image one holds of the Transcendent. The noteworthy point is that the components of spirituality are all compatible with one another, and experience shows that one who steps onto the path of spirituality usually cultivates all of them within themselves as a whole, and it is not the case that they are attained one by one and independently of each other.

At the beginning of Surah al-Mu'minun, states and behaviors are mentioned that all fit within this same triangular set of relationships, and they are referred to as the attributes of believers. Dr. Shafti's understanding is that whenever the sides of this triangle begin to have a positive effect on one another and cause synergy, and this triangle gradually begins to change toward becoming a circle, this is the beginning of spirituality. In other words, someone might work only on one side of this triangle, for example, the relationship with others. In this state, it can still be said that they are engaged in tazkiyah. Spirituality, however, will emerge when, in addition to all three sides being active, they also have a positive effect on one another. On this basis, he considers the closest Quranic word to spirituality to be the word mu'min (believer), because the mu'min in the Quranic discourse possesses all of these together, and within them, these elements create synergy. For example, إِنَّ الصَّلاةَ تَنْهَى‏ عَنِ الْفَحْشَآءِ وَالْمُنكَر, prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing, meaning the connection with God has synergy with the connection with oneself and the connection with others; إِنمَّا نُطْعِمُكمُ‏ لِوَجْهِ الله, "feeding the needy," which is a connection with others, is for the sake of aiding the connection with God.

Based on the narrative of creation that appeared in Part 2-3, we arrive at the understanding that human challenges and trials can be a ground for moving further and further along the path of tazkiyah, for improving in those three relationships, and for attaining that spirituality. The Quran is a reminder for finding this path and flowing within it. One of the best examples seen in the Quran in this regard is the verses that either admonish or counsel the Prophet. The Quran provided spiritual training for the Prophet and became his Manazil al-Sa'irin (Stations of the Wayfarers). How beautiful, weighty, and rich it is when the Prophet receives from that source of revelation: إِنَّكَ بِأَعْینِنا. وَ اصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْینِنا وَ سَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ حینَ تَقُومُ (52:48)

إِنَّكَ بِأَعْینِنا, meaning you are in Our eyes and We are watching you. That is, We look after you and We are attentive to you. It is this very spiritual training of the Quran that spreads, continues, and reaches great figures such as Hafez, Attar, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, and others.

Let us consider another example of Quranic education: In the second question, the discussion of pluralism, we said that praising God is no easy task. For praise (ḥamd) is a declaration of what You are; whereas glorification (tasbīḥ) is a declaration of what You are not, which is an easy task. Sūrat al-Ḥamd, which is called the key to the Quran, is recited in every prayer and is the essence of the Muslim prayer. When we recite this sūra in prayer and say al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn, we are making a claim of praise. It is as if God is showing us a worldview so that by repeating it in prayer we may try to establish this worldview in our minds. Thus it can be said that the beginning of this sūra, in the light of other Quranic verses, seems to say: Know that praise belongs to God, and you cannot perform His praise completely and perfectly, but in the limited praise that you do offer, keep these three in mind: Lord of the Worlds (rabbi l-ʿālamīn), the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful (ar-raḥmāni r-raḥīm), Master of the Day of Judgement (māliki yawmi d-dīn).

With these three phrases, the Quran presents a specific image of God and existence. Can we step a little outside this image and look at these verses more inclusively, such that if a non-Muslim, or someone who believes in an impersonal God, or even someone who does not believe in any God at all, hears our words, these words would also have meaning for them and be acceptable or at least worthy of reflection? For this purpose, we try to go beyond the intra-religious and intra-Quranic concept of these phrases.

From Lord of the Worlds (rabbi l-ʿālamīn), one can arrive at a concept beyond its intra-religious meaning, namely that existence has an order and is not entirely based on chance. Chance exists, but that very chance is also one of the components of that order. That is, chance itself is employed for order, as we see, for example, in the process of the evolution of beings. Lord of the Worlds means there is an order, and also that this order has a basis. Existence is not a series of disconnected threads; rather, it has a connecting thread. From this perspective, we are not alone and we are connected to that connecting thread.

The concept beyond the intra-religious meaning that can be derived from the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful (ar-raḥmāni r-raḥīm) is that the hinge of life's door turns on love (kindness). Love is the oil of the lamp of existence. The same God who has made certain things obligatory upon human beings makes mercy obligatory upon Himself: He has prescribed mercy for Himself (kataba ʿalā nafsihi r-raḥma). He has made kindness obligatory upon Himself, and if this is so, and if I breathed into him of My Spirit (nafakhtu fīhi min rūḥī), and if worship of God is for becoming God-like and taking on His color (ṣibghat Allāh), then the lamp of our existence is also lit by kindness.

The concept beyond the intra-religious meaning that can be understood from Master of the Day of Judgement (māliki yawmi d-dīn) is that the Quran's emphasis on the Resurrection and the consequence of deeds speaks of this truth flowing through existence: that existence is the arena of cause and effect. Every action we perform has an effect somewhere. Newton discovered this same law in physics, and we may perhaps, in the struggle of life, realize the universality of this law in existence.

In the prayer we recite and in repeating these words, we are practically establishing this worldview in our minds so that we may see the world in this way: a world that has a connecting thread, revolves around kindness, and in which every action has an effect somewhere. With this worldview, perhaps we can draw near to a station free from fear and grief: No fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve (lā khawfun ʿalayhim wa-lā hum yaḥzanūn), which is the promise of the Quran.

This worldview brings tranquility and joy. Tranquility in the face of fear, and joy in the face of grief and sorrow. Tranquility and joy are themselves among the signs of spirituality. Even if a spiritual person experiences sorrow or anxiety, their sorrow and anxiety are situated within an aura and a ground of joy and tranquility.

Saadi said:

What difference do sorrow and joy make to the mystic?

Cupbearer, bring wine for the joy of that, for this sorrow is from Him.

4-3— Conclusion and Answer to the Main Question: What Use is the Quran to Us Today?

The Quran has two leaves, and by leaf I mean that we are not speaking of surface and depth. These two leaves are the two interrelated aims of the Quran; they are parallel to one another, not sequential. The first leaf was the Quran's aim for its direct audience, namely the inhabitants of Arabia, especially the polytheists, and alongside them the Jews and Christians who were in that land. For this specific group, the aim of the Quran and the mission of the Prophet was the ultimatum. This ultimatum had worldly and otherworldly consequences for the Quran's direct audience. In the first leaf, the Quran's method is warning. None of us are the audience of this first leaf, nor are any of the human beings who were not present in the time and land of the revelation.

The second leaf is the Quran's universal aim, which is purification; in the second leaf, this aim is accomplished through remembrance (tadhakkur). Based on what has been said, the Quran is a reminder and a recollection for the path of spirituality. The Quran, while beautiful, possesses a firm and serious discourse, such that one cannot easily pass over it. Even if someone does not believe in this book and does not consider it from a revelatory source, I think they can still feel the power and impact of the Quran's speech upon the mind and heart of the reader.

The reader can well perceive the beauty and sublimity of the speech in the form of the Quran's language, even if they do not know much Arabic. The Quranic text is one of those texts that is multi-layered and mysterious, amenable to contemplation and interaction with the reader. For this reason, it is a book that is very effective and powerful for recollection and remembrance. It says itself: وَلَقَدْ یسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ. A verse repeated four times in Surah al-Qamar.

Some have mistakenly understood from this verse that the Quran is easy to understand. The verse does not say this, and understanding the Quran is not easy; otherwise, we would not be faced with so many commentaries and differences of opinion. یسرنا القرآن للذکر means the Quran is made easy for remembrance, and its speech is suited for recollection.

Recollection of what? Recollection for the recovery of one's lost self.

In this world where Hafez says, "I see no friend in anyone; what has happened to the friends?" and Orfi Shirazi says, "From the catapult of the firmament, the stone of strife rains down," and Nima Yushij says, "On which part of this dark night should I hang my tattered cloak?" and Ebtehaj says, "In this abode of loneliness, no one knocks on the door," we have something lost and we are searching for that lost thing. Our lost thing is that very source of perfection from which we are distant, and the path to reach it is precisely purification.

If our image of reality is the image that Islam gives us, and we are attached to this image and this religion, we must note that the Quran is a reminder so that in this abode of loneliness we may recover ourselves, polish ourselves so that we may return, with the intention of meeting, toward that God who said, نفخت فیه من روحی. Those attached to other images of reality also have their own book or words that help them walk the same path, the path of purification and spirituality with the formulation that was mentioned.

It is important to note that this remembrance is a weighty and significant matter; we must not consider it merely on the level of recalling a memory, for instance. This is not a mental recollection but a heartfelt and practical one.

It is a recollection through which we connect to the source of being and interact with it: فَاذْكُرُونی‏ أَذْكُرْكُم‏, remember Me, and I will remember you. This is a recollection that brings healing and mercy with it: وَ نُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ما هُوَ شِفاءٌ وَ رَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنین‏, a recollection whose beginning is taking refuge in God: فَإِذا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ‏ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّیطانِ الرَّجیمِ. The Quran says that if these very words had been sent down upon a mountain, it would have humbled it and rent it asunder from the awe of God: لَوْ أَنْزَلْنا هذَا الْقُرْآنَ‏ عَلى‏ جَبَلٍ لَرَأَیتَهُ خاشِعاً مُتَصَدِّعاً مِنْ خَشْیةِ اللَّه‏.

As a believer in the Quran, when you read the verses of this book and continue reading, and delve into their meanings, a remembrance is rekindled in your heart that helps you attain a spiritual life. This, of course, does not mean that we reach spirituality only through the Quran and need nothing else. The human being is a complex creature. We need to receive reminders of this very meaning from multiple sources. We need to use many works and books and benefit from transcendent human beings to whom we or their works have access. Using the Quran does not mean being needless of other sources.

Summary of the answer to the third question:

What use is the Quran to us today? For anyone inclined toward spiritual wayfaring and also attached to the Quran, this book is an unparalleled reminder for being placed on the path of spirituality and flowing along this path. This reminder is not for his mind but for his heart. This reminder makes the path of his interaction with the source of existence, God, more accessible and helps heal his heart from darknesses. Moving past the Quran's aspect of warning, which was for its direct audience, can make recognizing and using the Quran's aspect of remembrance easier for many.

Dr. Farhad Shafti's Telegram channel:

https://t.me/farhadshafti

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PDF An Account of the Quran Sessions and Three Fundamental Questions; Part 3 of 4

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