The Quran is `Tibyan (Explanation) for everything`. Is there a need for the Hadith to interpret and explain the Quran? Introduction The Quran is one of the biggest miracles of Allah. “If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then bring a Surah similar to this, and do call your supporters other than Allah, if you are true.” (2:23 M.T.U. - Mufti Taqi Usman). One of Quran`s main goals is to remind people on Allah in understandable way: “It is nothing but a reminder for all the (people of the) worlds.” (12:104 M.T.U.) Quran as reminder is adjusted to be easy to remind (on Allah): “Indeed, We have made the Quran easy for seeking advice…” (54:17 M.T.U.). Furthermore, Quran describes itself as explanation for everything (16:89), and the Book fully detailed (6:114 M.T.U.). The core of the Quran is clear for understanding as Quran confirms: “He it is Who hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture wherein are clear revelations - they are the substance of the Book…” (3:7 Pickthal). Here arises a logical question: based on these verses, is Quran alone enough for its understanding or we need further reading, like Hadith, Prophet`s biography, for its understanding? Can we read Quran without additional literature? Definition of the Quran The word Quran means “reading” or “recital”. Quran describes itself as “noble” (56:77) which is used very oft by scholars and majority of Muslims. Muhammad Idris al-Shafi`i (d.204) defines Quran as: the speech of God, revealed to Muhammad, recited in prayer. It has other names mentioned in the Quran. The Quran is named as: the Book (al-kitab-31:27), the word of God (kalam Allah), the Reminder (al-dhikr), the Criterion (al-Furqan), the Manuscript (al-Mushaf). The Quran is the literal world of Allah and main source of Islam. Islamic rulings, Islamic moral and Islamic thought are created on the foundations of the Quran. It is composed of 114 chapters (surah) which cover all main Islamic themes, some with more details and other with less details. Each chapter is called surah, and each verse is called ayah. Chapters are named after some word found in the same chapter or, is associated with. Some examples: forth chapter is named “Women”, nineteenth chapter is named after Maryam “Mary” etc. Some chapters have tens of pages and some other just few verses. Every chapter begins with bismillah “in the name of God…”, but one, ninth chapter. Twenty-nine chapters start with unknow letters which are differently explained by scholars. One of theories says these letters are abbreviations for the names of God. (1) Biblical figures mentioned in the Quran are oft the same with the ones in the Bible. Quran cites stories of Abraham, Mary, Solomon, Adam, Noah, Moses, Joseph, Jesus. These stories in the Quran are told something differently than in the Bible. Some stories are alike and other profoundly different. In the Quran these stories are told in different (two, three, four or more) chapters and not in chronological way. They are written “randomly” through more chapters. To understand the Quran fully and properly it is necessary to know and follow period duration in which is Quran revealed. As a whole book and all at once, from the Preserved Tablet to the heavens of this world, the Quran was revealed in Ramadan: “The month of Ramadhan: therein was sent down the Quran.” (2:185), in the Night of Power: “Verily We have sent it down on the Night of Power.” 97:1. After this night, the revelation from the first verses given to the Prophet, till the last one, took period of 23 years. The reason for piecemeal revelation lies in strengthening the Prophet: “And those who disbelieve say: wherefore is the Quran not revealed unto him entire at once! Thus---We reveal- that We may establish thy heart there with; and We have repeated it with a repetition.” (25:32, 11:20) The reason for piecemeal revelations liens in gradual legislation as ell and in invalidating the objection of the polytheists: “And they come not unto thee with a similitude, but We bring thee the truth and an excellent interpretation.” (25:33). The period of 23 years is divided into Meccan and Medinan period. Chapters revealed during Meccan period are differently composed from the one revealed during Medinan period. They are different in subjects they cover, in style they are written, in length. Meccan verses are these revealed before the Hegira and Medina verses are these revealed after the Hegira. When it comes to places, Meccan verses are revealed in Mecca and near places: Mina, Arafat, Hudaybiyah. Medina verses are these revealed in Medina and surroundings Uhud, Quba. When it comes to audience Meccan verses call on people of Mecca as: “O Mankind”. Other verses revealed in Medina call on people of Medina as: “O believers”. Meccan verses call to monotheism (God, Oneness of God, God`s attribute, disbelief), prophecy (prophet Muhammad, Quran, other Heavenly scriptures, revelation, guidance, angels), eschatology (heaven, hell, reward, punishment, death, resurrection, end of Days) etc. These verse feature general moral and legal rules of permissible and prohibited. These verses are short, and they give us parables of past nations. Other verses revealed in Medina give us details of worship and legal rulings. These verses face directly people of the Book they are long and expose hypocrites. Knowing the subject of Meccan and Medinan verses helps in distinction what are abrogated verses and what were circumstances of revelation. Furthermore, distinction of Meccan and Medinan verses differs a “sound of da’wa”. Meccan da`wa differs from Medinan. In the first instance, Quranic text circulated orally, beginning with angel Gabriel, who said it to the Prophet, and the Prophet gave it to his companions. At the same time Quran was written down, then the Quran went through a process of formation and finally resulted in the book known as the Quran. During the period of the Prophet, the Quran was written on different elements and was not collected in one collection. After the death of Muhammad, it was his successor, the Khalif Abu Bakr who ordered the collection of the whole Quran in one place. Tools for studying the Quran The Sira The revelation of Quran lasted for 23 years. It is essentially important to understand circumstances in which Quran was revealed. This is impossible without knowing the Sira, life of Muhammad. Sira connects some events from Prophet’s life with direct revelation. The revelation accompanied the Prophet during his prophetic life. There are many written Siras which in details follow Prophet`s life. One of most important biographies (Sira) of Muhammad’s life is the one from Ibn Ishak, who died 767. The Hadith Knowing the Hadith is the second precondition for understanding the Quran. Hadith in Arabic means “report”, in literature it is defined as specific reports of the prophet Muhammad`s words and deeds. (2) Hadith is constituted of the isnad or the chain of transmitters and the matn or the body of text, which refers to what Muhammad said, did, or observed. Authenticity of Hadith is determined by its credibility of transmitters. Sahih al-Bukhari and sahih al-Muslim, compiled and codified in ninth century, are the most authoritative collections of Hadiths. Hadith plays elementary role in understanding the Quran. For example, al-Bukhari has 501 hadith commenting on the Quran, 80 hadith commenting virtues of the Quran and 95 hadith commenting on holding tight to the Quran. Some other reports form these two main collections (al-Bukhari and al-Muslim) treat topics such as “collection of the Quran”, “reciting the Quran”, interpreting specific verses of the Quran. Hadith provides information on the historical context of particular verses and passages. Furthermore, it provides descriptions of events and circumstances that were cause or result of a revelation to Muhammad. (John Kaltner 2011) And, the third precondition for understanding the Quran is knowing the asbab al-Nuzul or the reasons for the revelations. Asbab al-Nuzul refers to a field of study and genre of literature devoted to recounting the circumstances of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers when particular verses from the Quran were revealed. (3) The reasons of revelation Asbab al-Nuzul follow and identify the exact reason of revelation for particular verse and circumstances in which this verse was revealed. Further, asbab al-Nuzul identify places were these verses were revealed and time they were revealed. Some verses have no apparent contextual reason of revelation. Other verses have contextual reasons of revelation which are proceeded by an event or are being proceeded by the Prophet being asked a question. Some asbab al-Nuzul are explicit and some are probable. Explicit reasons of revelation are recognized as “this happened so this verse was revealed”. Probable reasons of revelation are recognized as “i reckon this was revealed in this occasion”. Knowing asbab al-Nuzul benefits in way that they give an insight of wisdom of legislature and objectives of the Sacred law. They give insight into the proper meaning of the verse. Quran in history First revelation According to traditional Islamic sources, Muhammad received first revelation when he was 40, or 610 CE. In the cave Hira where he used to withdraw occasionally, outside Mecca, he saw angel Gabriel in his real look. Angel Gabriel ordered him to recite. Muhammad could not read nor write, so he answered negatively on Gabriel`s demand. Gabriel informed him that God had chosen him to be a prophet and to receive the Quran (4). During this event Muhammad received first revelation, first five verses in chapter al-Alaq 1-5: Recite thou in the name of thy Lord Who has created everything-- (1) He has created man from a clot! (2) Recite thou, and thy Lord is the Most Bountiful, (3) Who has taught man by the pen -- (4) He has taught man what he knew not. (5) Transmission of the Quran The Quran was revealed from God to angel Gabriel. Gabriel transmitted words of the God further to the Prophet. Muhammad would memorize words from Gabriel and then transmitted orally further to his companions. Prophet`s companions would memorize it or would write it down. Whenever Gabriel came to the Prophet he would listen, when Gabriel left, he would recite it as it was recited to him. Al-Bukhari. Gabriel used to come regularly through 23 years with revelation and once annually to check Prophet`s memorisation. Together with oral recitation (transmission) and memorisation of the Quran, the words of revelation were written down. The Quran was written on leather or palm leaves. Do not write my words except the Quran, if you write other than the Quran erase it. (6) Prophet`s companions in charge of writing down the Quran were: Ali ibn Abu Talib, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ubay, Muawiyah. The Quran which was written on leather and palm leaves was stored by several Prophet’s companions. Some of them have had less or more of Quran pieces. There are no precise and strong details of first collection of the Quran. First collection of all pieces of the Quran appeared during the rule of first caliph Abu Bakr (632). Islamic tradition does not mention precisely if the first collection was complete or not, or if this collection was in any way official or not. The second collection, known as `Uthmanic text, which occurred during caliphate of the third caliph `Uthman, which was official, is mentioned in Islamic tradition with more details and precise. Zayd b Thabit (660) who was in charge of the second collection examined all written collection available at the time and interviewed all Prophet`s companions who memorized the Quran. The second collection of the Quran is archetype for todays Quran. There are two controversies regarding Uthmanic text. The first one is existence of numerous collection of variant readings attributed to early scholars who claimed to base these reading on pre-`Uthmanic traditions. The second problem with `Uthmanic text is the fact that it was written under old Arabic script which was highly defective, without vowels and without diacritical marks which could lead to interpret some words differently. (7) Understanding the Quran Quran exegesis, as one of Quran sciences (Arabic: tafsir, lit. “interpretation”) is defined as elucidation, explanation, interpretation, and commentary carried out in order to understand the Quran and its commandments. Muhammad is considered the most authoritative interpreter of the Quran, but Quranic interpretation through reports from acknowledged Companions of the Prophet or by their successors is also considered authoritative. Tafsir is carried out in linguistic, juristic, and theological fields. (9) The word tafsir is taken from the Quran itself. “And they come not unto thee with a similitude, but We bring thee the truth and an excellent interpretation.” (25:33) There are two types of Quran exegesis, the one known as traditional, received or inherited (Tafsir bi al-Ma`Thur). This kind of Tafsir was put together, completed, and transmitted during the time of Prophet and his companions. Traditional interpretation (tafsir) are interpreted based on the Quran as the main source for Quran interpretation. Further, its interpretation is based on the sunnah, companions` view and successors` view. Traditional interpretations sometimes give `no understanding` for modern religious issues and sometimes they might be contradictory to each other. They don’t accept new explanation for the same verses explained by the first generation. The second type of Quran exegesis is the one known as `rational` or `tafsir by opinion`. This kind of exegesis reflects personal view or independent rational thinking. (10) Rational tafsirs appear more often in the contemporary time. They are in accordance with many modern issue and religious challenges. These types of exegesis give more understanding for Muslim women and her rights. Rational interpretation uses Quranic linguistic potentials and modern scientific findings as one of sources for Quran interpretation. One of preconditions for to be Quran exegete is to master Arabic language, Arabic rhetoric, grammar, morphology, and ancient Arabic poetry. Furthermore, he who wants to study and he who wants to understand the Quran must be skilled and expert in Quranic science such as recitation, the reason of revelation, abrogation. Spiritual perquisites for an exegete set by Islamic scholars are correct intention and piety. It is believed that these characteristics give its owner a possibility to breach and break into purest interspersions of the Quran. Theological perquisites for Quran exegete are correct belief and to be free from religious innovations. One of the most important scholarly perquisites for Quran exegete is to know the science of hadith, particularly to know the hadith for tafsir of the Quran and the context of revelation. Approaching Quran`s interpretation, one should consider the fact that the majority scholars look on Quran as mainly clear in its meaning and partly ambiguous. “It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Qur’an). In it are Verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book [and those are the Verses of Al-Ahkâm (commandments), Al-Farâ'id (obligatory duties) and Al-Hudud (legal laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers)]; and others not entirely clear.” 3:7 (Dr. Mohsin) Some small number of scholars consider the whole Quran clear in its meaning and in its understanding. Their argument is the verse of surah Hud: “Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture the revelations whereof are perfected and then expounded” (11:1) Opposite to these scholars, Mu`tazilites consider the whole Quran ambiguous and susceptible to allegorical interpretation. Majority of Quran verses are clear verses and have only one meaning. They do not need further explanation and are not subject of different interpretation. These verses are mainly the injunction verses: “Establish worship and pay the poor-due”. (2:110-Pickthal) “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you…”. (2:183-Pickthal) These verses are verses of commands and prohibitions. Clear verses are talking about monotheism, faith and sincerity, five pillars, civil transaction of buying, selling, marriage, divorce etc. There is about 500 jurisprudential verses. Ambiguous verses are the cryptic letters and verses pertaining to divine attributes. Quran abrogation One of very important subjects surrounding interpretation and understanding the Quran is the abrogation of some Quran verses. Quran abrogation is defined as the abrogation of divine decision by a later divine decision. Arabic naskh literally means cancellation, suspension. The term naskh is derived from the Quran itself: “Such of our revelation as We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but we bring (in place) one better or the like thereof…” 2:106 Another Quran verses confirm the abrogation of Quran rulings: “And when We put a revelation in place of (another) revelation, - and Allah knoweth best what He revealeth - they say: Lo! thou art but inventing. Most of them know not.” 16:101 Verses of abrogation are seemingly contradictory scriptures, or two primary sources of Islam are seemingly contradictory to each other. It is not defined neither by the Quran nor by the Prophet which verses are matter of abrogation. It was Prophet`s companions who informed of abrogation of some verses and some rulings. Regulations of Quran abrogation are established by the 9th century. Quran abrogation is a matter of different interpretations among jurisprudence schools, mainly between the Shafi`i and Hanafi school. (12) There are four categories of abrogation: abrogation of a Quran verse by another Quran verse, abrogation of a Quran verse by sunnah, abrogation of sunnah by a Quran verse and abrogation of sunnah by sunnah. Number of abrogated verses vary among scholars. According to al-Suyuti (d. 1505) there are 20 abrogated verses. According to Ibn al-Jawzi there are 247 verses which are abrogated. Some examples which are agreed upon majority of scholars are abrogation of the Qibla, abrogation of paying redemption for fasting and abrogation of fighting in sacred months. Abrogation of the Qibla, abrogated verse: “Unto Allah belong the East and the West, and whithersoever ye turn, there is Allah's Countenance…” 2:115 (Pickthal) Qibla was abrogated by the verse 144 of the second sura: “…so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- Al-Haram (at Makkah) …” Controversies over the abrogation of the Quran start with THE fact that it is A point of disagreement among scholars. The second controversy lies in fact that number of verses of abrogation is matter of even greater disagreement among scholars. For some western Islamic scholars, Quran abrogation is even more controversial. According to them, Quran abrogation questions originality of the Quran as divine word. Further, it questions God`s wisdom, and His eternal divine will. (13) Hadith as the legitimate interpreter of the Quran Hadith is defined as sayings, acts or tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. Authority of Hadith in interpreting the Quran is legitimize by the Quran:” Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him.” (53:3,4,) “…We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought.” 16:44 Quran mentions some important subjects without detailed explanation. For example, Quran gives introduction into ritual prayers, fast, pilgrimage. Though these directives are pillars of Islam they are not explained in the Quran in any detail. Through Hadiths Muslims learn times for ritual prayer or number of units of each prayer. Only after consulting the Quran and the Hadith ritual prayers can be fully implemented. These examples clearly show that the Quran can be fully understand only with the help of the Hadith. The Prophet himself gave authority to the Hadiths:” Beware, I have been granted the Quran and with it something similar to it.” Abu Dawud No: 4604 Prophet Muhammad used to explain the revelation given to him, used to answer questions asked by his companions regarding Quran verses. The Messenger used to explain wisdom behind some Quran verses. These traces are recorded and written down in Hadith collection. In some cases, Hadith specify a general command of the Quran. “Cut the hands of the thief-man or women-in recompense to what they earned and as an exemplary punishment from God” 5:38 This general command from God does not explain what worth of stolen item demands cutting the hands. Here comes importance of Hadith which explains specification of cutting the hands:” The hands of the thief may only be cut if he has stolen something worth at least a quarter of a dīnār.” (Abū Dāwūd, No: 4384) Muslim scholars are agreed on the Hadith as the primary and the second source of Islamic law, and as the second interpreter of the Quran (Quran itself is the first interpreter of the Quran). Still, there are some controversies regarding the Hadith. The emergence of fabricated Hadiths brings suspicions over authenticity of the Hadith and its primacy as the second source, and interpreter of the Quran. Critics of the Hadith start with many fabricated Hadiths which occur even during the time of the Prophet and especially after his death. These Hadiths mixed with correct Hadiths and scholars have had to differentiate and avoid one from the other. There were forgers who intentionally fabricated these Hadiths. Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780-855) narrated:” Hadith and Tafsir are the most affected Islamic sciences”. The critics go further with evidencing obvious errors by transmitters of the Hadith and the fact that Hadiths are not written down in the first period of their saying. First century witnessed hundreds of Hadiths orally circulating among Prophet`s companions. These Hadiths were nor organized in any way, nor written down, nor authenticated in any way. At the same time these Hadiths were mixed together with annotations of companions (sahaba). The second century witnessed some organized approach to the Hadith. This included the beginning of differentiating between correct and fictional Hadiths, between companions’ and Prophet`s words. Here appear first Hadith works with only the words of the Prophet included. The third century witnessed the gold age for Hadith science. At this time stage, the most reliable Hadith collection are created (Bukhari and Muslim collection), Hadiths are being traced and organized in subjects and the most important classified. “And We reveal the Scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things…” Early Islamic scholars developed two main concepts of Quran interpreting: contextual (asbab al-Nuzul) and internal relationships (Quran verse interpreted by other Quran verse). These two concepts give most correct method of explaining the Quran. Ibn Taymiyya (d.1328) explains the intertextual concept: What is given in a general way in one place is explained in another place. What is given briefly in one place is expanded in another.” (14) The Quran with its wide spectrum of topics is starting point for all Islamic sciences: Arabic grammar was developed to serve the Quran, the study of Arabic phonetics was pursued in order to determine the exact pronunciation of Quranic words, the science of Arabic rhetoric was developed in order to describe the features of the inimitable style of the Quran, the art of Arabic calligraphy was cultivated through writing down the Quran, the Quran is the basis of Islamic law and theology; indeed, as the celebrated fifteenth-century scholar and author al-Suyuti said, ‘Everything is based on the Quran’. (15) Ibn Kathir in his famous “Tafseer al-Quran al-Azim” (Beirut 1988) explaining the verse And We reveal the Scripture unto thee as an exposition of all things quotes Abdullah Ibn Masud:” Allah made it clear that in this Qur'an there is complete knowledge and about everything.” During the lifetime of prophet`s companion Ibn Masud, critical approach toward Quran was not developed. The Quran was interpreted from the heart and was not seen with any contradictory. Even the abrogation verses were not identified and noted as contradictory. Further, Ibn Kathir quotes Ibn Masud:” The Qur'an contains all kinds of beneficial knowledge, such as reports of what happened in the past, information about what is yet to come, what is lawful and unlawful, and what people need to know about their worldly affairs, their religion, their livelihood in this world, and their destiny in the Hereafter.” 1. Introducing the Quran for today`s reader. John Kaltner. Fortress Press. Minneapolis 2011. 2. The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Modern Islamic World. Online. Marston R. Speight. 3. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. 4. Bukhari (3). Beginning of revelation. 5. Muslim. 6. Muslim. Number 7147. 7. The Cambridge Companion to The Quran. Edited by Jane D. McAuliffe. Cambridge University Press. 2006, Cambridge. 8. The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Modern Islamic World-Qur`an, by Mahmoud M. Ayoub, Vincent J. Cornell, Mustansir Mir. Online edition. 9. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam in Oxford Islamic Studies, online. 10. The Oxford Encyclopaedia pf the Modern Islamic World. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 11. The Exegesis of Q. 2: 106 and the Islamic Theories of "naskh: mā nansakh min āya aw nansahā na'ti bi khairin minhā aw mithlihā". John Burton. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. University of London, 2012. 12. Islamic Theories of Abrogation. John Burton. Edinburgh University Press, 1990. 13. Arabica-Journal, On the Abrogation of the Bequest Verses. David S. Powers. Brill, 1982. 14. The Quran as it explains itself. Shabbir Ahmed. Lighthouse, 2003. 15. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.