The God of Revelation: God of Ethics or God of Jurisprudence?

The central claim of many Muslims is that the sacred text is an eternal, all-time-all-place revelation. That is, neither does the color of obsolescence and fading settle upon this book, nor does this revelation fall away from the pinnacle of knowledge and gifts. A matter in which the author of these lines, in terms of the surface meaning—i.e., the general import of this proposition—is in accord and agreement with the generality of Muslims, but in terms of the deep structure—i.e., the manner of arriving at this proposition—holds a divergent and differing opinion from them.

The God of Revelation: God of Ethics or God of Jurisprudence?! (The Hermeneutics of Eternity)

(An Inquiry into a Non-Conventional Understanding of the Sacred Text)[1]

The central claim of many Muslims is that the sacred text is an eternal, all-time-all-place revelation. That is, neither does the color of obsolescence and fading settle upon this book, nor does this revelation fall away from the pinnacle of knowledge and gifts. A matter in which the author of these lines, in terms of the surface meaning—i.e., the general import of this proposition—is in accord and agreement with the generality of Muslims, but in terms of the deep structure—i.e., the manner of arriving at this proposition—holds a divergent and differing opinion from them.

In any case, as the renowned Indian philosopher Iqbal Lahori says: “That living book, the Noble Qur’an / Its wisdom is ceaseless and eternal,”[2] the Qur’an is a living book—or better to say, a living miracle—possessing universal propositions, and one must accord it permanent validity. One must strictly refrain from a single-time-single-place view of it and not assign it an expiration date. Nor should one consider it a factor for the superiority of a minority or group, nor regard it as hostile to a majority or community. Over these approximately one thousand four hundred years, this sacred text has proven that its gaze transcends the confines of such-and-such a time and such-and-such a place, and it never opens a drink without reason for any human being. So we ask: How is this claim—that is, with what kind of gaze upon the Noble Mushaf—verified?! And how does it free itself from the shackles of affectation and artifice?!

Well, in the belief of the author of these lines, finding the answer to this question is very simple yet, at the same time, illuminating. Look, the Qur’an has numerous propositions, conventionally comprising 6236[3] propositions, which can also be divided into various types of sub-propositions. In an easily understood claim, this blessed text can preserve its eternity only when it does not lose the very essence of its worldview in the passage of time and transition of place, and does not suffer a “worldview crisis” (Crisis worldview). In other words, the eternity of the Qur’an is not related to the eternity of each and every one of its verses and propositions, or what is termed “statistical immortality,” but rather depends on the eternity of its worldview and the validity and endurance of the thread of its discourse. In this sense, the Qur’an is eternal for my time and the era in which I live, but this does not mean that the Qur’an, with all 6236 of its propositions, is present in my world and arranges life for me. Rather, the Qur’an is eternal in the sense that it still possesses for me a worldview with which I can still hold my head high against various other formal or real worldviews and take pride in it.

In this sense, in the author's view, the Qur'an remains a trans-temporal, trans-spatial revelation. Indeed, the sacred text is a book whose quintessential worldview still has application and efficacy and can still create love and hate for Muslims. In this view, the Qur'an, even with its propositional reducibility, albeit "in terms of form and statistics," is still "in terms of inner meaning and epistemology" highly applicable and guiding, and therefore it is even a duty that__ it be a criterion for life. In this belief, the Qur'an (whether or not it accepts numerical diminution in my time) owes its trans-epochal nature to the type of worldview that gives it a transcendent consistency and makes it a trans-temporal, trans-spatial sign. It unveils it in the guise of a sacred and venerable book and places it at the forefront of the creators of knowledge in existence. Or it introduces it as confirming its predecessors and even defines it as the builder of the future. Indeed, in this view, the Qur'an finds meaning as eternal and trans-epochal, and of course guiding and redeeming, and is no longer viewed according to a superficial and non-epistemological perspective, and therefore does not present propositions "superseded in form" for my time. For the Qur'an, for me, __that is: for the era in which I live,__ is eternal and applicable, because it does not base its main and vital message on formalistic propositions, __that is, propositions bound by time and space,__ and does not confront me through them in the here and now. Rather, the Qur'an confronts me, in my here and now, based on its preeminent worldview and communicates through that path, which, in the language of the Qur'an itself, is:

«O mankind! There has come to you an admonition from your Lord, and a healing for what is in the breasts, and guidance and mercy for the believers»[4]

Therefore, it is also necessary to say that the Qur'an, in whatever era and upon whichever prophet it was revealed, was compelled to present its worldview according to that time and place and to be elaborated based on the exigencies of that era. Likewise, if, for example, the Qur'an were revealed in our time and, say, in Iran upon the Seal of the Prophets (PBUH), it would certainly have been revealed in the Persian language, and certainly the formal matters of this era would have been taken into consideration. There would be no talk of cutting off the thief's hand, nor talk of the Arabic language of this scripture. In this case, the Qur'an would have taken on Iranian forms and spoken of Iranian appearances. For instance, that this book is a clear book in the Iranian tongue, and that you must not fall into pernicious ethnic nationalisms, whether Pan-Turkism, Pan-Kurdism, and so on. Therefore, whether the Qur'an was revealed in the time of the ignorant Arabs, or 500 years ago, or in the present time, this book would certainly still preserve this transcendent worldview of its own, although its accidental forms would assuredly change. In this view, the Qur'an is eternal and all-temporal, all-spatial, because this revelation never owes its truth to the fact that the number of its propositions has not diminished over 1400 years. Rather, it owes it to the fact that this sacred text, through the coming and going of successive eras, is still the exponent of a transcendent and preeminent worldview and has never submitted to exchanging its worldview and epistemological propositions with other worldviews and alien epistemological propositions. So now we ask: Truly, this worldview is attained by adherence to what kind of understanding and reading?! And by adopting what kind of reading is it squandered and marred?!

You consider the outward discourse of the Qur'an; Beneath the outward is an inward most mighty. O son, do not see only the outward of the Qur'an; The demon sees in Adam naught but clay.[5]

Now, pay attention to the title: The God of Revelation: God of Ethics or God of Jurisprudence?! Let us first clearly clarify what we mean by the terms in this title and then continue analyzing the work: By the God of revelation, we mean the God of the Quran as an eternal book; by the God of ethics, we mean the ethical/supra-temporal and supra-spatial propositions of this divine revelation; and by the God of jurisprudence, we mean the contextual and temporal-spatial propositions of this sacred text. In the author's analysis, the Quran—of course, regarding its unambiguous propositions—contains both independent and universal propositions, as well as dependent and non-universal propositions. In this book, one can find both supra-epochal and ever-applicable words, and contextual verses specific to the geography of revelation. Indeed, this writer believes that not all unambiguous propositions of the Quran are of the same kind and function; some can be formulated as mother and foundational propositions, while others are non-independent and situation-dependent propositions.

Therefore, the author of this work believes that the sacred text—of course, in relation to unambiguous propositions—can be re-identified according to this "propositional difference" and contemplated in the embrace of understanding and wisdom. A difference that, in a broad classification, divides the unambiguous propositions of the Quran into two rich types: ethical/independent-from-dependent propositions, and jurisprudential/dependent-on-independent propositions, and in this way even proves the eternity and supra-temporality/supra-spatiality of this revelation. Now consider this set of propositions:

• The Set of Ethical/Independent Propositions:

1/1- Let not the enmity of a people incite you not to act justly; act justly, that is nearer to piety... (Al-Ma'idah/8)

1/2- And when the ignorant address them, they answer with peace. (Al-Furqan/63)

1/3- Do good to parents, relatives, orphans, and the needy. (Al-Baqarah/83)

1/4- Indeed, God commands justice, good conduct, and giving... (An-Nahl/90)

1/5- Never will you attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love. (Aal-e-Imran/92)

And...

2) The Set of Jurisprudential/Dependent Propositions:

2-1- And [as for] the thief, male and female, cut off their hands as a recompense for what they have earned, as an exemplary punishment from God... (Al-Ma'idah/38)

2-2- And those of your women who commit unlawful sexual intercourse, call to witness against them four [witnesses] from among you; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death takes them or God ordains for them a way. (An-Nisa/15)

2-3- Then marry [other] women of your choice, two or three, or four... (Ibid/3)

2-4- And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer if you fear that those who disbelieve may harm you. Indeed, the disbelievers are ever to you a clear enemy. (Ibid/101)

2-5- Those who take an oath of abstention from their wives shall have a waiting period of four months. (And within these four months, they should clarify their situation with their wives regarding continuing the marriage or divorce.) Then if they return, (there is nothing upon them;) for indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful. (Al-Baqarah/226).

And...

Now then, we ask you: the eternity of the Qur'an is the product of which category of the above propositions?! Or, to put it another way, with which set of propositions is it more acceptable?! Truly, no sound mind believes or accepts that, despite the existence of propositions that invite humanity to benevolence, justice, and goodness, etc., we should exalt the Qur'an by focusing on verses that play no practical role whatsoever for my here and now, and are even at odds with the exigencies of my present, earthly life. In the author's belief, the Qur'an is an eternal and omni-temporal/omni-spatial book because the God of revelation is the God of ethics, not the God of jurisprudence; and He is a God who has chosen omni-temporal/omni-spatial propositions as His foundational and independent propositions, __of course, in the direction of expounding His worldview,__ not dependent and, naturally, environmental/geographical ones. In other words, the Qur'an is an eternal and supra-epochal book because the basis for the contraction and expansion of its propositions and concepts lies in attention to ethical values, not in care and attention to peripheral values. And it is for this reason that this scripture bases its foundation upon ethics, __of course, a resurrection-oriented and God-centered ethics,__ and through it, adorns and beautifies the world.

Of course, it is also necessary to mention here that the dependent and jurisprudential propositions, __which are present in the Qur'an but are few,__ are present for the reason that, entirely based on the exigencies of the time of revelation, they possess both practical efficacy and rational, ethically-oriented merits, and also have logical and epistemic harmony with the context of the revelation's descent and the Qur'an's audience.

Consequently, it can be said that the eternity of the Qur'an is the product of this scripture's adherence to universal and, naturally, supra-temporal/supra-spatial ethical values. Values that, through blending with pure religious values such as resurrection, prophethood, and monotheism, have indeed become more dynamic and purposeful, securing not only the world but also the Hereafter of humanity. In this sense, for as long as ethical principles such as goodness, benevolence, justice, etc., are eternal and supra-temporal/supra-spatial, __which they are and will be,__ the Qur'an is and will remain eternal and omni-temporal/omni-spatial, and will never cease from the cycle of knowledge-creation and guiding human beings. It will never, __provided it is not theorized based on the God of jurisprudence,__ cease to function and become obsolete. And it will never shirk its role as a mercy to the worlds and will never falter. For, as Iqbal says:

As long as the Qur'an's design settled in this world,
The designs of priest and pope it shattered.
I speak forth what in the heart is concealed:
This is not a book; it is something else.
When it enters the soul, the soul becomes other;
When the soul becomes other, the world becomes other.
Like Truth, this is hidden and also manifest;
It is living, enduring, and articulate.
In it are the destinies of West and East;
Find swiftness of thought like lightning.
It said to the Muslim: Lay your life on your palm;
Give away whatever you possess beyond your need.
You have created another Sharia and creed;
Look at it a little with the light of the Qur'an.
Through the bass and treble of life, you will become aware,
And also of the destiny of life, you will become aware.
Our gathering is without wine and without cupbearer;
For the music of the Qur'an, melodies remain.[۶]

Therefore, and by way of conclusion, the God of revelation is a God who employs ethics and beautiful ethical values, __of course, in line with divine and transcendent goals,__ and thus creates a living and dynamic worldview. A worldview in which the human being sees themselves freed from the bonds of the blind knots of selfishness and self-superiority, and through this possession, fills the world with roses and rose gardens. In this view, the Qur'an becomes eternal because jurisprudence and other dependent matters are referred back to ethics and the ethical values of the world, and thus, under the umbrella of ethics, __of course, according to the exigencies of the geography of revelation,__ they gain coherence. And naturally, after the passage from that time and the transition from that place, with the aid of ijtihad and rationality, again under the umbrella of resurrection-oriented and God-centered ethical values, they are renewed and refreshed, and continue to subsist in the role of dependent and temporal/spatial matters. Thus, with this view, the Qur'an becomes eternal and omni-temporal/omni-spatial, and is freed from the bonds of obsolescence and inertia, which itself demonstrates the pure caliber of this divine scripture and unveils its transcendent value. For, in the words of the text itself:

إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يِهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا/Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.[7]

Seventh of Azar, One Thousand Three Hundred and Ninety-Four

Hossein Pourfaraj

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[1] -What has been briefly presented in this work is a small part of a larger work that the author is writing in the form of a book entitled "Re-Qur'anology". A work that clearly, with a new perspective, defines the Qur'an not as a merely religious book, but as a trans-religious book, or at least as a book based on trans-religious values, and theorizes it in this way, and so on and so forth.

[2] -Divan of Iqbal / Rumuz-i Bekhudi / On the meaning that the order of the nation takes no form other than the creed, and the creed of the Muhammadan nation is the Qur'an.

[3] -There is no consensus regarding the number of verses in the Qur'an; some have considered the number of verses to be 6348, some 6636, and some 6346, and have emphasized it. However, what we have cited here is the well-known view, and also according to the "Statistical Dictionary of the Words of the Holy Qur'an," in which the number of verses is mentioned as 6236.

[4] -Yunus/57

[5] -Masnavi Ma'navi / Book Three / Section 203

[6] -Divan of Poems / Javidnama / Message of the Afghan to the Russian Nation.

[7] - Al-Isra'/9