Perfection of Religion

One of the most important principles associated with the interpretation of the Qur'an is the idea that the Qur'an is its own best commentary. As Ibn Taymiya states it: "What is given in a general way in one place is explained in detail in another place. What is given briefly in one place is expanded in another."
So, following up on the notion of the seal of the prophets (33:40), it is quite logical for us to ask whether there is another location in the Qur'an where this idea appears, or where a related idea appears that would help us to understand how to interpret this verse. While no direct parallel seems to exist, there is another concept introduced in the Qur'an that could be viewed as helpful. The relevant verse reads: "Today, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion Islam" (Qur'an 5:3).
Like the word seal, the word perfection has a number of possible meanings, implying in many instances both the concept of completion, as well as the idea of being the best, or most correct. If through the Qur'an, and its revelation to Muhammad, religion is complete, then surely this supports the notion that Muhammad is the last and final prophet. There is no more to say about religion, that is, there is no more to be revealed about Islam, therefore there is no need for a further messenger. In fact, some might suggest that if another messenger were to appear, it would cast doubts on the perfect nature of Islam, as well as implying that the Qur'an was either incomplete or incorrect.
In my next post I will examine how these ideas might be viewed less literally, as metaphors or euphemisms.

Competing Monotheisms

I describe my approach to the Qur'an as 'contextualist', by which I mean that the Qur'an, to the extent that it is a tangible object, cannot be treated in isolation from knowledge of the time and place in which it came into existence. Nor can we pretend to be able to view the Qur'an as if fourteen centuries of history have not since taken place. Next week I will have some remarks to make about our contemporary appreciation of the Qur'an, but for now I want to elaborate on a comment that I make in several places throughout my book, that Islam emerged within a context of competing monotheisms.
When I talk about competition I do not mean that representatives of different monotheistic groups were doing their best to acquire the maximum market share of available souls. What I do mean is that the presentation of ideas associated with the One God to the people of early seventh century Arabia would, in virtue of historical circumstance, be compared and contrasted with what those people already had been exposed to, whether formally or informally, with respect to the Jewish and Christian responses to that God.
Even though I do not state the matter this way in my book, my continual reference to the context of religious competition is meant to be a reminder that one of the important questions to be answered about the content and structure of the Qur'an is: Why is so much of the Qur'an devoted to discussing the Jews?

An Arabic Qur'an

In spite of what the title of my book might appear to imply, I make it very clear in the first chapter that only the Arabic Qur'an is the Qur'an, and that there is no adequate substitute for reading the Qur'an in Arabic. However, I also make it clear that because most people, non-Muslim and Muslim alike, lack proficiency in reading and understanding Classical Arabic, there is much that can be learned about the structure and content of the Qur'an, and about the doctrine and early history of Islam, through reading an English (or other modern language) translation of the Qur'an.
Reciting passages from the Qur'an (in Arabic) during prayer, or in its entirety during Ramadan, are an integral part of Islamic religious practice and spirituality, but more is expected. In several places, it is clearly stated in the Qur'an that its contents have been purposely provided in Arabic so that they are accessible and comprehensible to those who will hear the message - "We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an so that you [people] may understand" (12:2).
Fourteen centuries after the fact, and living in a world where Islam has spread far beyond the Arabian peninsula, surely it is desirable for people to learn something about Islam through reading a translation of the Qur'an rather than remaining in a state of ignorance imposed by a language barrier.