Hello, i am new at this forum and i will admit that i am a catholic. I am doing a paper about how does Islam affect the surrounding culture and vice versa;So i am looking for sources and opinions of different views and to prove out to my class that not Islam is not a extreme fundamentalist religion. On my initial researching i have found that the text in the Qu'ran is absolute but cannot be intepreted because we humans would corrupted. Why can't you interpret the meaning in the Qu'ran? Do you have to take what it says literally?

If it says something plainly then, yes. Since the Quran was revealed at different times there are parts that override previous parts. There is a name for that, but I'm not sure what it is off hand.

As far as "interpreting" the Quran. That's a pretty non-specific word. Any time someone translates it into English (or any other language) that is a form of interpretation. Or when a scholar comes to a conclusion on which definition applies to a particular Arabic word in a specific context, that is also something of an interpretation.

However, there isn't any room for "interpretive kung-fu" like some other texts are victims of. For example, you can't do a "Quran says intoxicants are bad->BUT it says you have to be polite->AND my friends think I'm mean because I don't have a beer with them->SO it must be OK to have a beer in that situation"....that would be bad.

As far as "interpreting" the Quran. That's a pretty non-specific word. Any time someone translates it into English (or any other language) that is a form of interpretation. Or when a scholar comes to a conclusion on which definition applies to a particular Arabic word in a specific context, that is also something of an interpretation.

Yes i agree but to answer this question


Why can't you interpret the meaning in the Qu'ran? Do you have to take what it says literally?

To interpret the Qur'an, we have to see the history behind it. Interpretation can be vary so it required someone who really understand like scholars. We can not just interpret the meaning by our own perspective

that is a controversial viewpoint, there are those of us who are Quran Alone Muslims, who believe that the Quran is a "Living Document" meant for ALL times, and the interpretation of the verses will vary depending on the individual reading them, and the life experiences they personally are going thru.

I don't know about the scholars. I was watching a subtitled vid. by an eastern teacher (not sure if he was an official "scholar") where he was trying to use the Quranic verse saying that a person who drank poison and dies was going to hell; and trying to say that that would be the same as someone smoking tobacco.

Well, that didn't fly with me since a person who deliberately took poison would be *intending* to kill themselves. Whereas someone who smokes, just has a bad habit that might end up hastening their demise. If you start going down that road where do you stop? Eating meat with too many nitrates, tanning, drinking out of those really-clear plastic bottles. Everything will kill you eventually, some things just work faster than others.

Another person was trying to say that the practice of multiple wives was just because everyone was really poor back then and didn't really apply to today. Of course this was one of those western "scholars" who had a vested interest in contorting Islam until it resembles something that is acceptable to the "christian west".

There are a lot of strange rulings coming from scholars and others (and some good stuff too, I might add), it's a bit hard to filter much of it.

Personally, I hope that I never make trouble for any of the Ummah by saying that the Quran is more or less restrictive than it is!

That is why you have to fill your brain with lots of information and knowledge try to search, make a research of what u believe in, then finally if u r truly really deeply want to know more bout islam and to be a better muslim, Allah will lead you the way.
Every human has bashirah, an alarm that can alert you what is good or wrong, heart will tell you things that u have to choose and decide.

Scholars...well, yea it's goin to be confusing choosing to believe to who..i mean everybody seems very intelligent and know everything bout ISlam. but, again just gain as much as information that u can...

wallahu'alam

EVERYONE INTERPRETS THE QURAN.

'interpreting' is pretty large.

If you think that certain stories teach you certain things. It's interpretting it. If you think that you should enforce it directly, that's an interpretation of the Quran....etc.

see my point?