Do you take the Qur'an literally?

[Recluse]

Hi,

I've come to the conclusion that the Qur'an as a whole cannot be taken literally, this would simply be impossible and irrational.

Anyone who reads the Qur'an carefully will clearly see that there are plenty of verses that were only relevant to the conditions of the Arabs of Arabia at the time. There is actually no person on earth, no country on earth, and no organization on earth that follows the entire Qur'an literally. Even those who think they do. But if you tell any Muslim that there are verses that are NOT universal or verses that should NOT be taken LITERALLY they go berserk...

The Qur'an is not an encyclopedia, not "everything" can be find in the Qur'an. And it's not a book of law or economics or anything similar that we could easily apply in our life. The Qur'an was one of God's "interventions" in human history in a particular region in a particular time in history. Sure, there are beautiful universal messages as well, but to believe that the entire Qur'an can be taken literally and applied at any time in any region on earth is insanity. We can and should only be inspired by the Qur'an...

Your thoughts? What does the "Qur'an" mean to you?

[Novice]

I think Quran is a living book and it is applicable for all the times. The wisdom contained therein is not time bound. Anyone can get guidance from it at anytime if it is approached with a clean slate, without any pre-conceived concepts, tafseers or reasons/incidents for revealing verses etc. Whoever opens it to get guidance can get it as per individual's capacity.

Peace

[Mazhar]

I've come to the conclusion that the Qur'an as a whole cannot be taken literally, this would simply be impossible and irrational.

Well said Novice:

I think Quran is a living book and it is applicable for all the times. The wisdom contained therein is not time bound.

Literally:

strictly adhering to basic meaning: in a way based on the basic or explicit meaning of a word or text

Grand Qur'aan is a non-fiction book. It must be interpreted literally. When you do so, the time-frames mentioned therein are taken care.

Its title indicates that it is a living book, time-space wraped to a compact dot.

Grand Qur'aan is alive in time and space

[Samira1234]

@Recluse

I've come to the conclusion that the Qur'an as a whole cannot be taken literally, this would simply be impossible and irrational.

That's a spot on statement. Someone with somewhat thinking capacities and rationality would come to the same conclusion, if they weren't so thoroughly religiously indoctrinated (which all of us have gone through actually).

There is actually no person on earth, no country on earth, and no organization on earth that follows the entire Qur'an literally. Even those who think they do. But if you tell any Muslim that there are verses that are NOT universal or verses that should NOT be taken LITERALLY they go berserk...

True. Exactly what I have gone through. I guess they want to hold on that the Quran is 100% infallible word of the Creator. And anything slightly else they would lose their head. Their rose-coloured lenses would drop off. They are also scared of losing a steady moral system that they are accustomed to, and the "sweetness of faith" as well. Also we suffer a lot in our lives in general, so thinking the God of the Quran is someone we can rely on to reward us for our pain is comforting and our pain becomes less and more manageable in a way.

Sure, there are beautiful universal messages as well, but to believe that the entire Qur'an can be taken literally and applied at any time in any region on earth is insanity.

A lot of the Quran actually, if taken literally, or applied literally in this world, is insanity. I even feel it would have been insanity for any ages at all. Which is what makes me thoroughly doubt regarding the Quran. Either the interpretations are WAY off, or the Arabic text of the Quran has been tampered with, or the Quran is not the Word of God. I am currently investigating slowly, before I end up deciding on the third possibility.

I sometimes think ISIS is doing a better job at implementing some of the Quran's verses in it's literal way, instead of many Muslims who play interpretation acrobatics with the verses, end up having mud fights with each other on whose interpretation is correct and later end up using their normal conscience and reasoning to do what is right, instead of following the Quran literally. And the same Muslims later look at some of the actions of ISIS with horror, such as wondering how they mustered so much hatred against the non-Muslims, instead of going to the Quran and apart from a few verses, seeing hundreds of verses spewing the same hatred against the non-Muslims.

Peace.

[Man of Faith]

You can take the Quran as a guide, if it is interpreted as intended by the Author, but if you follow the false interpretations then you must think carefully.

Have faith

Salaam

[huruf]

Teh Qur?an itself says for instance for Paradise and jehannam that it is speaking in mathal, paraboles or whatever one wants to call them. But other things it does say that it is uite clear and without imbiguity.

So it is to be taken literally where it is meant literally and as mathal where it is meant that way.

But, of course, you must first understand, what it says and not jump to whatever idiocy may come to the mind either of the reader or of those the reader is following when reading the Qur'an or a translation.

Salaam

[Samira1234]

@Man of Faith

You can take the Quran as a guide, if it is interpreted as intended by the Author, but if you follow the false interpretations then you must think carefully.

It looks like people had rather prefer mud-fights and blaming everybody else left and right rather than thinking carefully over the source that they are trying to interpret. It's NOT the people and their character's fault here to a large extent, it is the source itself. At least starting with seeing if the Quran was ever translated properly in the first place. And after the "proper" translation has been done, seeing whether it suits the humanistic, progressive and just vision that a lot of the world apart from the Muslims have embraced for themselves.

[Reee]

I sometimes think ISIS is doing a better job at implementing some of the Quran's verses in it's literal way, instead of many Muslims who play interpretation acrobatics with the verses, end up having mud fights with each other on whose interpretation is correct and later end up using their normal conscience and reasoning to do what is right, instead of following the Quran literally. And the same Muslims later look at some of the actions of ISIS with horror, such as wondering how they mustered so much hatred against the non-Muslims, instead of going to the Quran and apart from a few verses, seeing hundreds of verses spewing the same hatred against the non-Muslims.

I think the problem lies in applying the meaning of the word "Muslim" as it is used today to the Quran. There was no such thing like a religion called Islam when the Quran was pronounced. The Hebrew Bible is full of complaints and curses against the Jews, but no one would say it it antisemitic but it has ti be read as "internat critique". The same applies to Quran, it is a critique about atrocities within the community (of believers, in the case of Jews and Christians, and of the same tribe, in case of the Arabs), not against the Other.

[Samira1234]

Hello Reee,

I wish I understood people's complete opinions further regarding the Quran. I really do not wish to see interpretation acrobatics being at play. As a start, people could start finding what is the meaning of the word "kafir" as used hundreds of times in the Quran.

[huruf]

Oh we have found that meaning, don't worry, cut I doubt that it does interest you. You seem to catch up to any straw to just disqualify anythign that is answered to you and instead speak at interpretation acrobatics, but reject that what you have been fed, or you say so, about the Qur'an may have been indeed interretation acrobatics. A problem you will not have with the West which they have rally been saints all along.