About verse 3-7

[Cyril]

I am a bit puzzled by the Quran verse 3-7 which tells about ambiguities. The problem is that it seems to contain an ambiguity in itself.

The verse says "...nobody knows its interpretation except God and those who are rooted in science", which means that the Prophet knows it too.

But the verse can also be read "...nobody knows its interpretation except God." with a full stop after God. That reading would exclude the Prophet from the possibility to interpret ambiguous verses.

What should be the correct reading?

[Cartman]

no this is the verse in

It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.


It's not ambiguous at all, people who want to shcew islam will take ambiguous verses to back them up. For example Irshad manji, who justifies her homosexuality by saying that the quran says we should be true to ourselves. She doesn't even know what the hell she is talking about

[Cyril]

... And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.


It's not ambiguous at all,...

I see that you put a full stop after the word Allah. If that is your sole translation then of course the verse is not ambiguous.

My question was to know if the other translation is possible too or if only one is correct.

[Cartman]

what are you talking about?

the verse is easy to undenrstand, the meaning of the unspecific verses is not known to anyone except allah almighty,, and that deviants will use those verses to justify themselves

[Cyril]

what are you talking about?

the verse is easy to undenrstand, the meaning of the unspecific verses is not known to anyone except allah almighty,, and that deviants will use those verses to justify themselves

I have checked various translations and I must reckon that most serious translators put a stop after the word Allah. The few that do not are people from un-orthodox Muslim sects like the Ahmadis. There is also a translator called Zaydan who does not put a stop but I don't know him.

I am asking my question because in a discussion some Muslim told me that the other translation was the correct one.

[Samurai]

What should be the correct reading?

Even if you get the correct reading, does it mean you get it?

I will tell you what i think it means.

The Quran because of it coming down from the high truth to words, is mixed with light and darkness, truth and falsehood, clear and also verses that due to our viels are unclear and if we interpet these verses while vieled, we would incline to other then it, and it's not the original of the book and has nothing to do with it, although we might think it means what we think, those who have faith follow the light and it's clear signs and this is the original book, those who are vieled follow darkness and faleshood seeking their own views and implementing in on the Quran, those in the middle of faith and hypocricy they neither inclining to it's clear signs neither are they following their own views, the book itself is clear and is bright signs for people of knowledge (it says in another verse "nay it is clear signs for the hearts that been given knowledge"), however since it's verses can always be taken the wrong way and understood wrongly, it is from this view something other then clear signs come from it

now depending on which reading (different readings have passed on)

with the stop, it can mean the people of knowledge say we believe in it and their faith is what guides them to know it's meaning, meaning they inclined to the unseen of it, thus through it their belief, they are guided to following and inclining to it's clear signs, at the same time, no one knows the inner reality but God himself, because in it's is God's hidden name, and it's crystalizes it perfectly, Mohammad (pbuh) ofcourse knew the tafsir and the deepest level of Taweel of all verses when revealed, because it was revealed to him above words, but even then, he was commanded to say "increase me in knowledge", hence alluding it's an endless ocean, the people deep in knowledge understand Quran's nature, they understand the means to it is through faith because it comes from the Allah (swt) brought down to Jibrael (as) who brought it to heart of Mohammad (pbuh), who then even was taught to say "increase me in knowledge" while at the same time, it kept coming down and down, so that it comes down to the minds of all people, so that dark dumb souls like me can incline somewhat to God and his glory, and incline to the unseen world, and it's only people who understand that achieve thiker (remembrance) can be refering to true state of thiker or it can say without understanding, no inclanation to Allah (swt) name and it's treasures and it's secret and the unseen world can be made

in this view, the deeply rooted in knowledge can be one and the same of people of understanding, the deep root here would refer to the knowledge of tawheed and marifa, since it's the key to achieving thiker, or it may not, and it would mean people deeply rooted understand it's nature and they included people of understanding, but people who understand achieve thiker also, although it may be they don't understand it's reality, and also, it may be refering to the fact only people of understanding mind and remember, meaning everyone else, they heedless to what was said in this verse


If there isn't a stop (and even there is, it can be interpeted like this:)

Only God and some deep people in knowledge know it's interpetation, as for the people who are vieled they claim to be believe in it while no one minds/remembers but the people of understanding

meaning, only God and a certain people deeply rooted in knowledge know it's interpetation while the "they" refers back to those seeking their own interpetation, it says they say the believe in it but in reality, they follow falsehood and are indulged in darkness, only people of understanding achieve thiker (remember) (and there is different levels and people of understanding can be other then the deeply rooted in knowledge) and the Quran in other verses show the signs are made clear to people who do thiker, and it is to them the signs of nubuwa of the Nabi (saw) would be clear to. Also see the other explanation possibilities I gave that it means.


At any rate, the next verse shows the neccessity of asking God to establish our faith and not make us ever incline to our own views but seeking the truth through it, it infact confirms either one of these views.

The following verse is infact the best way to know it's meaning, and after a while, with reading, which possibility will become more known.

people who say it means the Quran is for all layman and anyone interpeting a verse beyond layman understanding, or that any verses that are beyond layman understanding are not possible to be known to anyone but God are themselves the ones who the verses condemns as following other then it altough it resembles it, it's far from it, as the light and darkness are two different things and falsehood and truth are two different things

[Samurai]

people who say it means the Quran is for all layman and anyone interpeting a verse beyond layman understanding, or that any verses that are beyond layman understanding are not possible to be bear any knowledge to anyone but God are themselves the ones who the verses condemns as following other then it altough it resembles it, it's far from it, as the light and darkness are two different things and falsehood and truth are two different things and people of viels are not authority to what Quran says and this verse does not mean whatever the people of viels understand, that is Quran and there is nothing beyond that and anyone who claims to know anything from it beyond the people of viels or understands what is ambigious to them from it, is following his passions, these people Satan has tricked them, made them sastified in darkness and being remote from God, made them sastified with their ignorance and closed the doors to knowledge for them, it's knowledge and blessings remain closed to people who stick to the earth and refuse it's heavenly knowledge - unfortunetly "and it does not increase the unjust but in destruction"

And other verses show it's the people of trangression that always don't know the meaning of it's parables and God misguides only trangressors by it while people of faith know the truth from their lord and it increases them in faith, ofcourse most people are probably neither of the two, and being tried to whether we will submit and worship God so as to be guided or will we seek self-praise and ego and thus all doors will be closed for us.


May God save us from selfish, egoistic and jealous thinking