Introduction
Today Muslims, thinking that they are looking for what they have lost in the right place, are focusing on the Qur’an without taking anything else (like Sunnah, Usul-i Fiqh, etc) into consideration. The address is correct, but is the compass to be relied on?
It is not enough to know that the compass is directing us to the correct destination. We have to be sure that when we reach the destination what we find will be what we were looking for exactly.
Even this is not enough; maybe we should go right to the beginning and guarantee that what we are “looking for” is the same as what we “need”.
Without asking the right questions or receiving the right answers we cannot be absolutely sure about where we are going, why we are going there or if what we are doing is correct or not. This means that in order to get the right answers from the Qur’an we have to ask the right questions. Here is our inquiry file we have prepared in order to study our understanding of the Qur’an, our relationship with it and whether we are asking the correct questions or not.
1. What is the source of the Historicism (the idea of historicity of the Qur’anic verses and being non-binding on the all times)? Can there be any “Islamic” roots for the claim of historicity of the Qur’anic verses by your opinion?
2- What is the origin of the thought of Hermeneutic (which says that the verses of Qur’an bear different and special meanings and connotations for everyone in every time)? Could there be an Islamic ground for this thought?
3- What is your opinion about the claim says that the Semantic System (semantic of the term, clause, indication, necessity, etc) in Usul-i Tafseer is inappropriate to the requirements or the circumstances of the present day?
4- What are the pros and cons of reading translations of the Qur’an without sufficient knowledge about sciences of the Qur’an (Ulum al-Qur’an) and fundamentals of interpretation (Usul-i Tafseer)? How must be the relationship of an ordinary Muslim with Holy Qur’an? And a simple Muslim “for what” and “how” must read the translations of the meanings of Holy Qur’an?
5- Is it possible and realistic an Islamic understanding that is limited with Qur’an alone? What are the causes and consequences of the trend, which inspires to be content with Qur’an and rejects or waves aside other sources (such as Sunnah, Ijma, etc) implicitly or explicitly?
