Book & Author
Irfan Ahmad Khan: An Exercise in Understanding Qur’an — An Outline Study of the Last Thirty Divine Discourses (Surah 85 – Surah 114)
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
“READ in the name of your Lord Who created - created man from a clot!
Read – and your Lord is the Most generous, Who taught [man] the use of the pen
- Taught man what he did not know.”(Qur’an 96:1-5)
“Verily, We sent it (The Glorious Qur’an) down on the Night of QaDr – And what will make you understand ‘what is the Night of QaDr ?’ – The Night of QaDr is better than one thousand months! The angels descend in it, and the Spirit (Gabriel) is (also) amongst them, with the sanction of their Lord, bringing all kind of (blessed) commands (i.e. decrees for the betterment of human life on earth).
Peace, it is till the rise of Dawn. (Qur’an 97 1-5)
The Qur’an — the final divine revelation – is a unique book in many respects; it exists in its original form and format in Arabic —without any distortions and revisions; it is the only book that can be memorized by heart in its entirety (hunDr eds of thousands of people — Huffaz — have memorized it since its revelation more than 1,400 hunDr ed years ago); it provides a moral and ethical code of conduct for humans and Jinns at personal and societal levels — to be successful in this world and the hereafter; it invites its readers to reflect upon things around them and in the cosmos, and ponder over the purpose of their existence; it is inimitable — no human communications can equal its content and form; its mode of revelation was spiritual — it was revealed on the heart of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh); and, it incorporates the message of earlier revelations.
The original version of Qur’an exists in Arabic. Qur’an has been translated into many European, Asian, and African languages. But the process of translation —from one language to another — attenuates the fidelity of the message viz a viz incompatible vocabulary, variations in grammar structure, and differing phrases and expressions of a given language. Many authors have translated Qur’an into English — the prominent ones include Muhammad Marmaduke William Pickthall, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, and Muhammad Asad.
An Exercise in Understanding Qur’an — An Outline Study of the Last Thirty Divine Discourses (Surah 85 – Surah 114), by Irfan Ahmad Khan presents translation of the last thirty surahs (chapters) of Qur’an — providing an opportunity for the reader to comprehend the message of Qur’an and to establish a direct connection with Qur’an — ultimately leading to a personal relationship with the Creator — Allah (SWT).
Dr Irfan Ahmad Khan (1931 -2018) was born in UP, British India. After graduating from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) with a BSc, he pursued higher studies in Qur’an and classical Arabic at Rampur. After completing his Master of Arts (MA) in Philosophy from AMU (1958), he taught Western philosophy, Indian religions and Muslim theology (1958-1973). In the early 1960s, Dr Khan served as the editor of Islamic Thought – a journal dedicated to Islamic research. In 1974, he came to the United States and earned a PhD in Philosophy from University of Illinois at Chicago. During the past four decades, Dr Khan taught Western and Islamic Philosophy at various schools in the United States —and worked zealously to promote the scholarship and understanding of the Qur’an.
Dr Khan was a founding trustee of the Parliament of World’s Religions and International Committee for the Peace Council and the Interfaith Engagement Project for the 21 st Century. Dr Khan also served as the director of the Association for Qur’anic Understanding which promoted understanding of Qur’an through global networking among scholars.
Dr Khan authored many articles and two major books on Qur’an and Islam and won accolades for his scholarship. Contrary to the opinion of many scholars, Dr Khan believed that the Qur'an should be understood directly by the reader. Dr Khan’s magnum opus Reflections on the Qur’an: Understanding Surahs Al-Fatihah & Al-Baqarah , features Qur'anic translation and commentary. He used an innovative thematic structure approach for Qur’anic exegesis.
Reflecting on Dr Khan’s scholarship for his book “ Understanding The Qur’an ,” Dr Joseph Elder, Professor of Sociology, Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin, Madison, has observed, “Dr Khan’s path-breaking contribution helps understanding the Qur’anic text ‘with one’s own mind.'…It is a remarkable achievement for which readers will be deeply grateful.”
In the foreword commenting on the author’s approach and nature of the book, Mustansir Mir of Youngstown State University, observes: “Dr Irfan Ahmad Khan passionately holds that readers of the Qur'an should strive to establish a personal relationship with the Qur'an—a relationship based on a direct understanding of the Islamic Scripture. In his view, a teacher of the Qur'an should attempt to help his students develop an independent understanding of the Qur'an, a task that Dr Irfan Khan carefully distinguishes from that of a teacher presenting before his students his personal understanding of the Scripture. With this aim in mind, Dr Irfan Khan engages in what he calls an exercise in understanding the Qur'an, the exercise consisting in a study of the last thirty surahs (chapters) of the Qur'an. After discussing, in the Introduction, a series of definitional, textual, conceptual, and thematic issues—pertaining to the Qur'an in general, and to the surahs under study in particular—Dr Irfan Khan offers a treatment of the chosen surahs one by one, in each case translating the surah, outlining the surah's structure, and offering brief notes on the interpretation of the surah. In the last part of the book, he offers a general discussion of the surahs, dividing these into five categories and explaining the sequential relationship, first, between the surahs in each category and then, between the categories themselves.”
In the preface, the author reflecting on the nature of Qur’anic communications observes: “In the Qur'an, it is God, the Lord of Humankind, Who is talking to God's servants. It is an open book which invites each human to its reading. We are supposed to listen to the Divine Words attentively and strive to understand it. We can help each other in understanding the Book better and correct each other's mistakes. But no one has the ability to communicate with us like God. According to me, interpreters and commentators do not have to remain standing between God and God's servants.”
Expounding further on comprehension of the Qur'an, the author states:“I believe that understanding the Book is a continuing process — as the Prophet [SAW] exclaimed: 'Its treasures will never be exhausted'. We learn from earlier readers and keep moving. We understand our Text, in changing human situations and with our growing abilities and skills - as the progress in human knowledge and technology continues. The Prophet has a special status. But he emphasized the believer's direct relationship with the Book and placed his Sunnah (words and deeds) next to the Divine Book. In a plural world where we have readers of other scriptures one should know how to respect each other, how to learn from each other, and how to work together in this global village for our common good.”
The author concludes the preface by commenting on the final version of the divine message, and inviting followers of the other Abrahamic faiths, and non-believers to study Qur’an:“The Qur'an itself claims to be the last edition of the Book, given to Moses, Jesus, and other messengers of God. We will request even the non-believers to give it a trial. Maybe they can see the possibility of its Divine origin! As I request the Qur'anic scholars to correct me wherever they see any mistake, I present my own exercise in understanding the Qur'an with the expectations that I may succeed in motivating my readers even to a better understanding of our Book.”
The book, in addition to the translation of the last thirty chapters (85-114 Suras) of Qur’an, consists of the following sections: Foreword, Introduction, Understanding The Qur’an, Qasam or Swearing, Important Terms and Concepts, Glossary, and Suwar An Overall Look. The translations of the last thirty chapters include Surah al-Buruj (85), Surah at-Tariq (86), Surah al-A’la (87), Surah al-Ghashiyah (88), Surah al-Fajr (89), Surah al-Balad (90), Surah ash-Shams (91), Surah ah al-Layl (92), Surah ad-Duha (93), Surah ash-Sharh (94), Surah at-Tin (95), Surah al-Alaq (96), Surah al-QaDr (97), Sarah al-Bayyinah (98), Surah az-Zalzalah (99), Surah al- Adiyat(100), Surah al-Qari'ah (101), Surah At-Takathur (102), Surah al- Asr (103), Surah al-Humazah (104), Surah al-Fil (105), Surah al-Quraysh (106), Surah al-Ma 'un (107), Surah al-Kauthar (108), Surah al-Kafirun (109), Surah an-Nasr (110), Surah al-Masad (111), Surah al-Ikhlas (112), Surah al-Falaq (113), Surah an-Nas (114). Using a pedagogical approach, the author first explains the vocabulary of each Surah, and presents the translation of each ayat of the surah in a tabular form, then provides an outline of the structure of the surah, and finally discusses the understanding and interpretation of the Surah.
In section 1 “Certain Points Related to Understanding The Qur'an,” the author poses a number of questions and then answers them. In answering the question: What do we Understand When we Consider we Understand The Qur'an? How Is ‘Understanding The Qur'an' Different From ‘Understanding an Understanding of The Qur'an'? the author states: “My interest basically lies in helping my readers in understanding the Qur'anic text with their own minds. Just 'delivering my own understanding of the Qur'an to the audience' is not the purpose. I underline the difference between 'a teacher's delivering his or her understanding of the Text to the students' and 'his or her making these students understand the Text with their own minds'. According to me, it is only in the latter case that one is doing his or her duty as a teacher of the Text. And in this book I am trying to do my duty as a teacher of the Text…What is important: According to us, one's act of understanding a text involves that one is striving to develop an insight into its meanings through building one's own direct relationship with its verbal content.”
Answering the question: What is a Surah and What is Involved in Understanding a Surah? the authors notes: “…the Qur'anic Text consists of one hundred fourteen suwar…The way 'chapter' is used in the English language, mainly in academic circles, translating surah as 'chapter' creates a great misunderstanding. A surah is more like a complete sermon or lecture or even a book or an essay, rather than a chapter of a book. ‘Chapter', being a division of (e.g.) a book, conveys a sense of incompleteness, while surah is a complete discourse…Every surah has its own unique style of elaborating its central theme which runs like an invisible thread from the beginning of the surah to the end of the surah. In fact, it is this central theme of the surah which gives the surah its unity.”
Expounding on “What is an Ayah and What is Involved in Understanding an Ayah of The Qur'an?” the author states: A Qur'anic surah is composed of verses which are called ayat (singular ayah, i.e., a sign). An ayah is a point which is marked, in the Revealed Text, as such by the Divine Author…An ayah is, by definition, something which calls for its own understanding. Thus, in its very nature, an ayah is something meaningful. This is why the Qur'an speaks repeatedly of ‘reflection (tafakkur) upon Divine signs (ayat)', i.e., deliberating over their meanings… in the understanding of an ayah, its literary context, and therefore its place in the surah matters. This is the reason why reciting the Qur'an or listening to its recitation over and over again, is expected to yield better and better understanding of the meaning of the Qur'anic Text.” The author also discusses the number of ayahs in a surah and the thematic structure of the surah, in terms of small and large surah, and the order of the arrangement and system of Surwar in the Qur’an.
Discussing the concept of Qasam or Swearing in the Qur’an in section 2 the author states that Swearing or Qasam is a linguistic tradition, and cites many examples, including surah at-Tariq and surah al-Asr: “… the interpretation and understanding of the three ayat of Surah at-Tariq (86: 1, 11, and 12) each of which contains a swearing. It is very unusual that two of these are inserted in the middle of the surah; however, these two also re-endorse the first swearing (86: 1) and re-emphasize its point in the middle of the surah. The three cases of qasam in these three ayat testify the main theme of the surah which is developed through a step-by-step process – from the beginning till the end of the surah…The swearing in Surah al-Asr (103: 1) refers to the Qur'anic review of the history of civilizations. It reminds us of the fate of those nations which had filled the earth with corruption and did not correct themselves in spite of repeated warnings of the prophets of God. Consequently, punishment of God eliminated them from the surface of the earth. This story is repeatedly told in the Qur'an. In that light, the surah asserts that today also Man is rushing toward self-destruction. However, humankind surely has a bright future and people will attain al-Falah (Salvation and Ultimate Success), if they learn the lesson the Qur'an is teaching. This lesson is given the form of a four-point formula for the attainment of al-Falah for humanity (103: 3).”
In section 3 the author explains Qur’anic terms and concepts which include Abd-Rabb (Servant-Lord) relationship, Ibadah ((Worship or service), Mukhlis (Being sincere), Hanif (undivided loyalty to God), Shirk (associating partners with God), Mushrik (one who adopts Shirk), Dhikr (Remembering God, includes Tasbih, Hamd, Istighfar and Salah), Iman (Believing) and Kufr (disbelief), ad-Din (The religion — refers to common core of teachings of the prophets of God), Khalq (Creation) and Amr (Command or Rule), Huda/Hidayah (Guidance), QaDr (God’s plan and guidance), Nafs (self, a human or person), Ruh (spirit), Taswiyah (perfection) of Nafs, Tazkiyah (purification) of Nafs, Itmi’nan (satisfaction) of Nafs, Tughyan (Transgression), Fasad (corruption), Fitnah (an attempt to corrupt or distort movement of reform [islah]), Amal Salih (victorious action), Yatim (Orphan), Miskin (Poor) and Raqabah (freeing a neck, referring to freeing a prisoner or a slave), Tawqa (Piety) and Istighna (Being free of any obligation/Carelessness), Taqwa and Fujur (Lewdness), Atqa (Most pious) and Ashqa (Most Helpless Wretch), Falah (Ultimate success or happiness) and Khusran (doom or total loss), Al-Insan (Man) and An-Nas (the people), and, Al-Khitab (The Book) and Al-Qur’an (The Reader).
Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) has said: “The best among you is the one who learns Qur’an and teaches it…” Dr Irfan Ahmad Khan through his scholarship has presented an eloquent example of following this Hadith . InAn Exercise in Understanding Qur’an — An Outline Study of the Last Thirty Divine Discourses (Surah 85 – Surah 114), Irfan Ahmad Khan has translated the last thirty surahs (chapters) of the Qur’an using a simple but eloquent format, and a pedagogical approach — making it easy for Muslims, followers of other Abrahamic faiths, and seekers of the truth to comprehend the message of Qur’an.
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