Tuesday, November 25, 2008

A guiding book has to be clear!

Q: As a matter of fact, even devout Muslims will confirm that the Quran is hard to understand. They even prove it by the existence of the so-called tafsirs, Quranic commentaries. The Quran claims to be a guide for the believer but to understand it one needs 10 more books. This cannot be right! A guiding book has to be clear!

A: Ofcourse, this cannot be right. My personal advice is always, first read the Quran in Arabic (if you understand the language), else read a good translation, comparing it with other translations as the need arises, as all translations are limited by the knowledge and understanding of the translator, and only afterwards, read different books to delve deeper and understand further. With a basic knowledge of the Quran, one would be able to judge what seems correct or otherwise of the other books, and thus accept or reject whatever new information one may find in other books. The Quran is quite clear on most topics that apply to the individual. Just reading it on its own and following it is sufficient. I haven’t had the need to take religion form any other book as yet. Yes, I do read other books from time to time, but don’t we do that with all fields of knowledge….. keep reading and researching to enhance our knowledge base?

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