Book & Author
Jamaal Al-Din M. Zarabozo : How to Approach and Understand the Qur’an
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
The work is well researched and organized and uses commentaries (Tafseer) of prominent scholars such asal-Tabari, al-Razi, al-Ghazzali, Ibn al-Qayyim, Maududi, Qutb, Murad, Israr Ahmad, and others
The Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, holds several unique aspects that distinguish it from other scriptures: 1. Divine Revelation: It is the literal word of God (Allah), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) over 23 years through the Angel Gabriel (PBUH). The revelation began in the holy month of Ramadan, specifically on Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree); 2. Preservation: It has remained unchanged since its revelation — fourteen hundred years ago —with its text meticulously preserved through oral and written traditions; 3. Blueprint for Life: It serves as a comprehensive guide, addressing spiritual, moral, social, and legal aspects of life of this world and hereafter, offering protocols for personal and communal welfare; 4. Universal Message for All Times: It emphasizes themes of monotheism, justice, compassion, and accountability, aiming to guide humanity regardless of time or place; 5. Scientific Insights: Many verses are interpreted to align with modern scientific discoveries, sparking discussions about its timeless relevance; 6. Language and Style: It is celebrated for its unique and unparalleled linguistic beauty, rhythm, and eloquence; and, 7. Memorization Tradition: It is the only book that can be memorized in its entirety. Millions of Muslims, known as Hafiz, memorize the Qur’an — a practice that has helped preserve its authenticity over the past fourteen hundred years. These aspects contribute to the Qur’an's profound influence on individuals and societies around the globe.
How to Approach and Understand the Qur’an by Jamaal Al-Din M. Zarabozo , describes and explores the disconnect between the Qur’an and contemporary Muslims. The author suggests various ways to approach the Qur’an to gain guidance for succeeding in life of this world and the hereafter.
The author expounds on the virtues of reciting the Qur’an by preparing a reader to explore and engage with the Qur’an. He discusses the aadab (etiquette) of reciting and understanding the Qur’an, the objectives of Qur’an, primary and secondary reasons for reading the Qur’an via educating the “creation” about the “Creator (Allah).” The book, in addition to a preface, a plethora of footnotes and a list of references, has nine chapters. The work is well researched and organized and uses commentaries (Tafseer) of prominent scholars such as al-Tabari, al-Razi, al-Ghazzali, Ibn al-Qayyim, Maududi, Qutb, Murad, Israr Ahmad, and others.
Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo was born in 1960 to Catholic parents in France. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, and his Master’s in Economics from UC, Davis. He discontinued his PhD studies due to the negative attitude of his adviser, and pursued Islamic studies. He educated himself in Arabic and Islam, and later studied Islam with Dr Mustafa Azami, a prominent scholar of hadith, in Boulder, Colorado. In 1976, he accepted Islam. Reflecting on his accepting Islam, he observed: “The idea of Tawhid appealed to me first of all – as it does to many converts to Islam – as this was one of the main problems I had with Christianity. The combination of the idea of Tawhid and the preservation of the text of the Qur’an were the aspects that affected me the most…” His works include A Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Nawawi, Towards Understanding Islam – Part I, How to Approach and Understand the Qur’an, The Authority and Importance of the Sunnah, Purification of the Soul, He Came to Teach you your Religion, The Fiqh of the Friday Prayer, The Friday Prayer – Khutbas I-II, Easy Fiqh, and Jihad and Western Attitude toward War. He has also translated a number of Arabic books into English: The World of The Jinn and The Devils by Omar Al-Ashqar, Words of Remembrance and Words of Reminder ( Salih al-Sadlaan), The Fiqh of Marriage (Salih al-Sadlaan), Marital Discord (Salih al-Sadlaan), The Concise Presentation of The Fiqh, Fiqh al-Sunnah (Syed Sabiq) and Religious Extremism in the Lives of Contemporary Muslims.
In Chapter 1 “Introduction” the author observes: “It is saddening that Muslims possess this great book of guidance yet for many of them, their lives do not reflect the blessings and guidance of its teachings. This phenomenon might be quite perplexing for some people. It might be difficult for some to understand how the Muslims have they are currently in. The answer seems to lie in how Muslims approach and understand the Qur’an. There might be some problem in their treatment of the Qur’an or their approach to it. This, in turn, leads to the state where the guidance exists in the Qur’an but it is not having the effect on humanity that it could be having.”
Describing the nature of work, the author states: “This work, in essence, touches upon how many Muslims are currently approaching the Qur’an. It also suggests an appropriate approach to the Qur’an. Finally, it deals with the proper methodology that should be used to understand or interpret the Qur’an. In an effort to understand the large disparity between the kind of life the Qur’an is seeking to bring about and the plight of Muslims today...”
Discussing the purpose and goal of Chapter 2 “What It Is and What Is One’s Obligation Toward It,” the author states: “It is to remind the Muslim of what the Qur’an is in reality. When, as Uthmaan ibn Affaan and al-Hudhaifah stated, a person whose heart is pure realizes the many important characteristics and attributes of the Qur’an, he will desire to read the Qur’an more often. He will desire to study the Qur’an. He will zealously want to know how he is supposed to approach and understand the Qur’an. Then he will sincerely do his best to apply the Qur’an in the proper manner. When he does this, by the will of Allah, the Qur’an will have its desired effect on him, in the same way that it had its desired effect upon the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
In Chapter 3 “The Qur’anic Generation: The Results of Approaching and Understanding the Qur’an Correctly,” the author states, “The Qur’an came to change the beliefs, behavior and Outlook of all who are astray. It came to guide them to the true happiness and the way of life that one should follow in this life. The Qur’an states, "O you who believe, respond "to Allah and His messenger as they call you to that which gives you life" (al-Anfaal 24). Al Suddi, an early commentator on the Qur’an, stated that this verse means that Islam gave the Companions true life after they were truly dead in disbelief.”
The author, discussing the strategies of anti-Islamic camps to attenuate the importance of Qur’an from the lives of Muslims, cites statement of William Ewart Gladstone, four-time prime minister of Great Britain, made at the British Parliament: “As long as this Qur’an exists, Europe will never be able to conquer the Islamic East." Similarly, the author cites a statement of the French Colonial Governor of Algeria on the occasion of one hundred years of French occupation of Algeria: "It is a must to remove the Arabic Qur’an from their presence and to remove the Arabic language from their tongues in order for us to have victory over them.”
Expounding on the reasons why the Qur’an does not have the same effect today, the author points out four possible reasons: 1. Some Muslims emphasize secondary aspects of the Qur’an while ignoring its more important primary aspects, 2. Related to (1), too many Muslims do not recognize and understand the primary goals of the Qur’an, therefore, they read it but do not get out of it what it desires for them, 3. In addition, some Muslims do not approach the Qur’an in the proper manner, missing the essential link between what it teaches and how it is to affect mankind, and, 4. Even when the above obstacles or problems are overcome, some Muslims do not interpret the Qur’an in the proper manner and, hence, although they read it, they do not get its correct teachings from it…Al-Khaalidi noted through the blessings and guidance of the Qur’an Allah made a generation from ‘nonexistence,’ as he put it, solely based on and inspired by the teachings of that Qur’an.”
In Chapter 4 “Emphasizing Secondary Aspects of the Qur’an: How Many Muslims Currently Approach the Qur’an,” observes that There are many ways by which a people may take the Qur’an as something mahjoor (‘The Messenger said, ' O Lord, my people have taken this Qur’an as something mahjoor — [something to be avoided or shunned] al-Furqaan 30). The author cites Ibn al-Qayyim’s narration explaining ways by which the people take the Qur’an as something to be avoided or shunned: “1. Avoiding listening to its recitation, believing in it or paying attention or inclining to it, 2. Avoiding acting by and respecting what the Qur’an states as permissible or forbidden, even though the person reads it or believes in it, 3. Avoiding accepting the Qur’an as the arbiter or judging by it in the fundamental as well as secondary aspects of the religion or believing that it does not warrant certainty of belief in it, 4. Avoiding pondering over its meanings, understanding it and knowing what Allah desires from the reader, 5. Avoiding using it as a healing and cure for the diseases of the heart while seeking the cure for such diseases from other sources.”
In Chapter 5 “The ‘Major Goals’ of the Qur’an,” the author explores the major goals of the Qur’an: 1.Teaching the Creation about Allah, His Oneness and Attributes, 2. Showing the Creation the Path and Way of Life That Is Pleasing to Allah, 3. Creating the Complete and Balanced Islamic Individual, 4. Guiding Muslims in Their Ongoing Struggle against the Enemies of Islam. The author observes that in reality, all these goals emanate from one goal: the true, complete and proper conception and application of belief in the oneness of God — Tauheed.
In Chapter 6 “The Way To Approach The Qur’an” the author discusses how one should approach the Qur’an. After realizing what the Qur’an is attempting to bring about, the author emphasizes some attitudes that one should possess while reading the Qur’an. Presence of such attitudes in the heart and soul of the reader of the Qur’an will make it easier for the reader to grasp the teachings of the Qur’an and apply them in his life.
In Chapter 7 “Interpreting The Qur’an In A Proper Manner” the author explains proper methods of Qur’anic interpretation. The author notes: “Even if a person reads the Qur’an daily, his understanding of the Qur’an may be distant from what the Qur’an is actually stating if he is not following the proper method of interpretation. This chapter mostly deals with the sources of Qur’anic exegesis that one must turn to.”
In Chapter 8 “The Need to Return to the Guidance of the Qur’an,” the author expounding on seeking guidance from the Qur’an for the welfare of mankind in both this life and the hereafter, observes: “Humanity, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are in need of the guidance of Allah as found in the Qur’an. Without this guidance, they are at a loss, whether they realize it or not, and whether they are willing to admit it or not. Mankind is not able to guide itself in all aspects of life. Furthermore, when Muslims do not turn to the Qur’an in the proper manner, they also do not receive that needed guidance completely or correctly. For both this life and the Hereafter, all must turn to the Qur’an in the proper manner to receive its guidance and apply it in their lives.”
In the concluding Chapter 9, “Final Words” the author notes: “If the Muslims would turn to the Qur’an and receive its guidance, they would receive blessings for both this life and the Hereafter. It has become a very sad state of affairs, but for many of today's estimated one billion Muslims, there is a barrier between them and the Qur’an. It is not a physical barrier. Most Muslims are free to open the Qur’an and read its pages, as probably most do. No, the barrier is a much more dangerous barrier than a physical barrier because many Muslims do not perceive that the barrier even exists. It is a barrier between the heart of the individual and the Qur’an, between the person's actions and the teachings of the Qur’an, between his aspirations and dreams in this life and what Allah is calling him to in both this life and Hereafter, between his way of life and culture and the straight path described in the Qur’an.”
The author further observes: “In reality, there is a need for the Muslim nation as a whole to return to the Qur’an. Any cursory glance at the Muslim world will quickly reveal that the governments and the masses as a whole are not applying the Qur’an and, in fact, many of them actually have no idea what the guidance of the Qur’an is all about. For many, the Qur’an is simply a book to be read as an act of devotion or worship. Others see it as a book simply explaining the existence of a Creator and so on.”
In concluding the book, the author notes: “The most fitting way to conclude this book is by quoting Allah's words, words that should awaken the hearts of the believers and revive them to return to the word of Allah, the Qur’an, to read it sincerely and seriously and to submit to it completely. Allah says, in a verse that has had a great effect on many in the past,” "Has not the time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the truth which has been revealed (to them), and that they should not become like those to whom was given revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors (al-Hadeed 16).”
In “How to Approach and Understand the Qur’an,” Jamaal Al-Din Zarabozo, using classic sources and scholars’ commentaries (Tafseer), explores the barriers that have restricted the contemporary Muslims from benefiting from the Qur’an, and pinpoints problems and suggests solutions. It’s essential reading for all Muslims — especially the youth and new followers.
(Dr Ahmed S. Khan — dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org — is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar)
