THE ALLEGED ISSUE of Sūrah At-Taubah (Chapter 9) and the so-called escalation of violence in the Holy Quran cannot be fully understood until one understands the proper methods of the study and exegesis of the Holy Quran. In this short book, we cannot attempt to address the full scope of this immense field of study. Instead, we will reproduce below the seven criteria necessary to properly understand the Holy Quran as outlined by the Promised Messiahas in his book, Blessings of Prayer:
The first and foremost criterion for an accurate commentary of the Holy Quran is the testimony of the Holy Quran itself. One should bear well in mind that the Holy Quran is not like other books that are dependent upon extraneous sources for the proof or disclosure of their verities. The Holy Quran is like a perfectly balanced structure, the whole dynamics of which are disturbed by the displacement of a single block. The Holy Quran possesses no verity that is not supported by at least ten or twenty testimonies contained within itself. So, when we interpret a verse of the Holy Quran in a certain way, we should try to find out whether or not there are other testimonies present in the Holy Quran which support this interpretation. If there are no other testimonies, and the interpretation is found to be clearly opposed to some other verses, then we should conclude that this interpretation is false, for there is no possibility of contradiction in the Holy Quran. The touchstone of a true interpretation is that it should be supported by a host of clear and supporting testimonies of the Holy Quran itself.
The second criterion is the interpretation of the Holy Prophetsa. There can be no doubt that our beloved and revered Prophetsa was the one who best understood the Holy Quran. Thus, if an interpretation made by the Holy Prophetsa is available, then a Muslim is duty-bound to accept it without any hesitation or reservation, otherwise he will appear to be feeble of faith and under the spell of philosophy.
The third criterion is the interpretation of the Companions of the Holy Prophetsa. There is no doubt that the Companionsra were the first to inherit the light of the Holy Prophetsa and were the foremost inheritors of his knowledge. Allah blessed them abundantly and helped them in their understanding, for they practiced what they preached.
The fourth criterion is to meditate upon the meanings of the Holy Quran with the purity of one’s own self, because purity of the self has a certain affinity with the Holy Quran, as Allah says122:
Arabic: La Yamassuhoo ill-al-muttahharoon
which means that the verities of the Holy Quran are disclosed only to a person of pure heart, for the two have an affinity with one another. Such a person recognizes these verities, and smells them, and his heart cries out that this indeed is the true way. The light of his heart is an excellent criterion for evaluating the truth. Unless a person is endowed with this quality and treads on the narrow path which the Prophetsas have tread, it is only prudent that he should refrain from impertinently and arrogantly assuming the role of a commentator of the Holy Quran. Otherwise his commentary will be based upon his own inference, and this is something which the Holy Prophetsa has forbidden. He has said123:
He who interprets the Holy Quran based on his own inference, does an erroneous interpretation even though he thinks he has done well.
The fifth criterion is the Arabic lexicon. Since, the Holy Quran itself has provided sufficient means for its understanding, recourse to Arabic lexicon seems unnecessary. But there is no doubt that it helps in enhancing our understanding, and sometimes, when we consult the lexicon, our attention is drawn to some hidden subtleties of the Holy Quran and we discover some mystery.
The sixth criterion for understanding the spiritual order is the understanding of the physical order, for there is complete harmony between the two.
The seventh criterion is the revelation granted to saints and the visions of the Muḥaddathīn 124.125