Reading without understanding. When I got home the other day I saw my daughter learning her “maddressa sabbak.” (Lesson). She was reading a section of the Holy Quran. When I asked her what she was reading about, she replied that she did not know.
That made no sense to me.
How can one read without understanding? She was pronouncing a whole lot of words but she did not know the meaning of a single word. I thought about it for a moment.
I learnt Afrikaans in school which was totally new to me at that time. I remembered that i learnt to read, write and understand all in one go.
What’s worse is that she is learning complex details such as ‘tajweed’ and ‘makarij’, (basically correct pronunciation) without understanding.
The Holy Quran has a message, it is guidance for humanity and we therefore ought to understand the message in it so that we could follow and practise what it teaches.
The Prophet ﷺ said that there will come a time when learning will depart. His companion asked how will it disappear if we read the Quran and teach our children to read it too. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not the Jews and the Christians read the Torah and the Bible while they do not know what is in them.” Al Hadis 3:37:3:11.
As for the Holy Quran, the word “understand” appears more than seventy times and I quote just one. “And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember. Then is there anyone who would take admonition (heed)?” Al Quran 54:32.
From these quotations we can safely conclude that understanding is important, but at the same time, we cannot abandon the Arabic Quran and rely on translations only.
In our religion it is compulsory to read our prayers and parts of the Friday Sermon in Arabic and there is good reason for this as well, as this would preserve the original meaning of the Holy Quran because a lot can be changed or lost in translation.
The optimum therefore would be to read the holy Quran in Arabic and understand what we read. Second best would be to read the Holy Quran in Arabic and then read the English translation. With today’s technology we can even listen to the Holy Quran in Arabic and read the English translation simultaneously.
As humans we can be so quarrelsome that we can even find faults where there are none to be found. Apart from understanding what we read we therefore need to approach the Holy Quran with a certain frame of mind, a frame of mind that stems from faith, belief, good conduct and the willingness to learn so that we could appreciate the true meaning of the Holy Quran.
In other words we have to read it with an open mind, a pure heart and with clean intentions. These are some of the very first verses of the Holy Quran which detail the manner by which we should approach the Quran:
“This is the Book, in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah: who believe in the existence of a hidden reality, that which is beyond the reach of human perception and ordinary cognisance and who observe the Prayer and spend (on others) out of that which We have provided for them, And who (also) believe in the (Message) which has been sent to you and to those before you, and who have firm faith in the Hereafter.” Al Quran 2:2
Note these are the conditions that we have to fulfil in order to get guidance from the Quran.
There are so many ways in which the Holy Quran is different to other books. Firstly the subject matter is not grouped into sections. Not everything about marriage or divorce is in one chapter but the verses pertaining to a particular subject are spread throughout the Holy Quran.
Secondly the Holy Quran has different messages all rolled into one. There is great wisdom in this structuring of the Holy Quran. Apart from teaching the normal laws that pertain to life (sharia aspect), it also teaches the most complex of subject matter ie. Spirituality.
This is something that’s beyond understanding, it’s something we feel and if we get this right our eyes would bare testimony when the tears flow.
The Holy Quran therefore stimulates pondering, searching, thinking and also, feeling. No matter how often we read the Holy Quran or how long we ponder over a certain part, there is always something new to be learnt from it.
In this way the Holy Quran encourages spiritual growth because, by pondering and reflecting we refine our souls and train it to see the deeper meanings not only in the Holy Quran but in everything around us and everything we experience.
“Consider what that Speaker (God) chanted into the ear of the clouds so that it poured tears from its eyes, like a water skin. Consider what God has chanted into the ear of the earth that it became regardful and has (ever since) remained silent. Whosoever in perplexity is sorely troubled, God has spoken the riddle into his ear. That He may imprison him in two (doubtful) thoughts. “Shall I do what He told me or the contrary thereof. From (the decree of God also, one side obtains the upper hand, and from the (Devine) quarter he chooses one of the (alternatives). If you would not have the mind of your spirit in (a state of) perplexity (worry), do not stuff this cotton wool into your spiritual ear. So that you may understand those riddles of His, so that you may apprehend (both) the secret sign and the open. Then the spiritual ear becomes the place where ‘wahy’ (inspiration) descends. What is ‘wahy? a speech hidden from sense perception.” Matnawi 1:1454.
In understanding the Holy Quran and gaining knowledge, we have to exercise caution. Knowledge, like wealth can give us pride and sometimes we might tend to want to brag to others about whatever we read. As soon as we do this, then know that we have learnt nothing.
Knowledge and learning must bring about humility because the more we know the more we should realize just how little we know of all that there is to know.
It is excellent to teach others and share our knowledge with others providing we do it with good intention.
We also need to verify that our understanding of the Holy Quran is correct and to do this we have to cross reference it with the Hadith and other classical works such as Ihya Uloom id Deen, the Mathnawi or perhaps quotations from learned people such as the Aulia Allah etc.
Our religion also teaches us that guidance is attained by following Allah’s chosen ones (surah Al Fatiha) so we also need to follow such blessed people. This is important, and a topic on its own.
This is the scientific approach that the early scholars of Islam used to learn, write and teach.
Never think we now know it all because this shuts the door to further learning. Even if we teach we must still be able to listen and learn from those we teach.
Having said all of this about understanding, we must never judge or mock those that read the Holy Quran without understanding.
Perhaps their love, faith and belief is all that they need to get guidance from the Holy Quran. Perhaps they practise what little they know while we might know a lot and practise nothing. In Islam, knowledge without practising means nothing.
By not reading the Holy Quran with love, faith and understanding, we are robbing ourselves and our children of a great blessing.
End.
Published by Anjuman e Waris e Mohammedi 2014. Author: Mahomed Hassan Gaffoor WhatsApp: +27 84 910 1486