THE QUR'AN ALONE

by Othman Ali    

Do people need volumes of books to explain the Quran?

Is the Quran a Message from God - made easy to understand?

The word Qur'an first appears in Allah's Book in sura 2, Al-Baqarah, Verse 185.
  "Ramadan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed, as guidance for mankind, and with explanations of the guidance, and as the Standard." (Al-Baqarah 2:185):

Thus, from that month, began the modern history of Islam, the worshipping and submitting to the one and only God, under the Prophetship of Muhammad. His ordained mission, to deliver the Message of the Qur'an, was not welcomed at first and the opposition was not always directed to him personally, for as we know, he was endowed with an exalted character (see Al-Qalm 68:4); it was directed to the one book, the Qur'an, which he was preaching.

    "It is not you, in fact, they accuse of lies, but the wicked deny the revelations of God."
(Al-An'am 6:33).

And in another verse:
  "The disbelievers say, 'Do not listen to this Qur'an, and shout away so that you may prevail."
 (Fussilat 41:26).

The enemies disliked the Book and some of them even asked for a different book from Muhammad. The Qur'an relates the incidence as follows:
    "When Our clear messages are recited to them, those who do not hope to meet Us say, 'Bring a different Qur'an or make amendments to this one.' Say (Muhammad): 'It is not for me to change it of my will. I follow (only what is revealed to me. If I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of an awful Day." (Yunus 10:15).

This is history in the Qur'an, but today, the insistence for other books from Muhammad is silent, not only because Muhammad is no longer with us, but also because they have produced massive volumes of books - illegal books in the long absence of Muhammad without his knowledge and consent. And today they are saying: "Muslims cannot only just depend on the Qur'an alone to practise Islam."

Are there other books of guidance after the Qur'an? The answer must be a definite NO. "Say: 'Then bring me a book which is a better guide... (Than the Quran and Tora) " Al-Qasas 28.49

(See also Al-A'raf 7:185 and Al-Mursalat 77:50).

Islam, however, encourages the writings of books as mentioned in sura Al-Alaq 96:4, but God does not favour the writings of religious books as the following verse shows:
    "But woe to them who fake the scriptures and say, 'This is from God' so that they might earn some profit thereby, and woe to them for what they fake, and woe to them for what they earn from it. "
(Al-Baqarah (2:79).

Let me give an example. From the Qur'an one learns that Allah is extremely displeased with those who prohibit (Arabic: haram) anything that was not specifically stated as haram in the Qur'an. "Do not utter the lies your tongues make up, 'This is halal and this is haram' in order to impute lies to God, for they who impute lies to God will never prosper." (Al-Nahl 16:116)

To get the full flavour of the above verse, please also read versed 112 through to 115.

All those additional prohibitions (harams) found in sources other than the Qur'an, are said to have been taught by the Prophet Muhammad. But, he didn't teach all those!

The Qur'an states plainly what Muhammad had to say regarding the haram food in Sura 6, Verse 145: "Say (Muhammad): I do not find in what is revealed to me anything haram for any eater except carrion, running blood, the meat of pigs for it is unclean or meat consecrated in the name of some other than God which is profane. But, if one is forced to eat these, without being malicious or deliberate, then your Lord is forgiving and kind."

This is a proof that Muslims don't need other sources than the Quran to practise Islam!

The universal excuse for Muslims to uphold teachings other than the Qur'an comes from the rumours that the Qur'an does not contain details of the rituals like Salat, Zakat, the Fast and the Pilgrimage.

With regards to Salat, the questions raised like "What", "When", "Why", "How", "How many" or the Dos and Don'ts are answered in the Qur'an.

However, the additional washing of the ears and nose, in ablution, for example, are not found in Allah's Book. A question from God:
    "Say: Would you teach God something concerning your religion? God knows whatever is in heaven and whatever is on earth. God is aware of everything: (Al-Hujjurat 49:16).

The giving of our Zakat to those eligible is not restricted to the Muslims alone. The teaching of Allah in the Qur'an which is contrary to the teachings of other sources.

The same can be concluded for the Fasting. The additional fast of six days in Shawal, the fast on Mondays and Thursdays and even fast on certain days in Muharram were never authorised by God in His Book.

The mentioning of his name in the Quran by Allah is as a Reminder for us. But what do we have today? We have scores of Ezras and therefore, a multitude religious sources other than the Qur'an.

Ulema is a word in the Qur'an, the plural of the adjective "alim" which means one who has knowledge or knower or all-knowing which is a Divine Attribute. Of the 163 alim and ulema words in the Qur'an, only 10 are adjectives for man. The remaining majorities are for Allah.

Examples of the word used for Man are:
1. Alim or ulema magicians, in the story of Prophet Musa (7:109, 112, 10:79, 26:34,37).

2. Prophet Joseph was an alim in keeping the storehouses (12:55)

3. The alim son of Prophet Abraham (15:53, 51:28) 4. The ulema of Bani Israel who believe in the Qur'an (26:197). The ulema here are not the Ezras or the masters or doctors of religion because Allah uses a different word: hubr for them. (This word will be discussed later).

5. Only the ulema fear Allah, in Sura 35, Verse 28. Some people have claimed that the ulema as used in the above examples are them.

Let us see the context in which they are used. "Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky to produce fruits of various colours? The mountains show white streaks of different shades and are intensely black. Also, the people, the animals and the livestock are of different colours. That is why the servants of God who truly fear Him are the ulema. God is Almighty, Forgiving. "
(Fatir 35:27-28).

Ulema, in Allah's language, mean those who know or the experts or the scholars of the arts and sciences excluding those master or doctors of religion. As for them Allah uses the word mentioned earlier, habr, and this word appears four times in the Qur'an. They are:
1. Habr who uphold the Scripture (5:44)

2. Habr who conceal the truth (5:63)

3. Habr who cheat the people of their monies and properties and they keep the people away from the path of God (9:34)

4. I quote from the Qur'an:
    "They have taken their habr and priest as Lords beside Allah. "
(Al-Tawbah 9:31)

Obeying the teachings of these masters or doctors of religion or habr while disregarding the teachings of Allah tantamount to taking them as gods beside Allah or as His partners.

I quote another verse:
    "Or do they have associates who legislate for them about religion in mutters which Allah would not permit?"
(Al-Shura 42:21).

Yes, obeying these masters of doctors or religion could make us to be idolaters, or mushriks -to use the Quranic description.

Of course, we have to seek the help of our fellow human beings in our search for the truth. Sura Al-Zumar 39 verse 18, in the Qur'an tells us to listen to all views and follow the best and it also tells us to whom we should ask if we do not know:
    "Ask the people of Rememberance if you do not know" (AI-Nahl 16:43).

What is the Rememberance? Here is an example to explain it:
    "And this (Quran) is a blessed Rememberance which We have revealed; will you then deny it?"
(Al-Anbiya 21:50).

The Message or the Qur'an, is the only source for Muslims to practise Islam. Other sources, Allah says, are full of contradictions and are inconsistent:
    "Do they not ponder over the Qur'an? Had it been the word of any other but Allah they would surely have found in it much inconsistency."
(Al-Nisa 4:82).

Allah's Words cannot be denied, "none denies our Ayats except the disbelievers (Arabic: kaafiruuns)" says Allah in sura Al-Ankaboot 29 verse 47.

To say that there are other sources than the Qur'an to practise Islam is to accept obedience to god-like habr or the dozens of Ezras, "sons" of God, that are present in the 'muslim' world. Muslims need only the Qur'an to practise Islam!

In conclusion, I quote:
    "God advances the example of a man who is owned by a number of men at loggerheads, and another man who is owned by only one. Are these two alike in attribute? God be praised, yet most of them do not know."
(Al-Zumar 39:29).