Communicating the Word: Revelation, Translation, and Interpretation in Christianity and Islam

1.6 Revelation in the Qur’ān: Qur’ān 6:91–92; 25:32; 21:107; 38:87; 33:40

1.6 Revelation in the Qur’ān Qur’ān 6:91–92; 25:32; 21:107; 38:87; 33:40 ASMA AFSARUDDIN 6:91–921 91 They did not estimate God with a true estimation, when they said that God had not revealed anything to humans. Say: ‘‘Who then revealed the Book which Moses brought as a light and guidance to humankind, which they render as mere sheets of paper, and of which they expose part and conceal much? [But] you were taught what you and your fathers did not know.’’ Say: ‘‘[It is] God’’; then leave them to engage in their frivolous conversations. 92 This is a blessed Scripture that We have caused to come down confirming what was before it, so that you may warn the mother of the cities and those around it. And those who believe in the hereafter believe in it and they are vigilant in their prayers. 25:32 32 Those who disbelieve say, ‘‘If only the Qur’ān had been revealed to him as a whole!’’ But that is how we strengthen your heart by it and reveal it gradually. 21:107 107 We have not sent you except as a mercy to all people (lit. the worlds). 38:87 87 It [the Qur’ān] is only a reminder for all people. 33:40 40 Muhammad is not the father of any of the men among you; rather he is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets. And God is knowledgeable of everything. The hermeneutic arenas delineated by the concepts of ‘‘finality,’’ ‘‘particularity ,’’ and ‘‘universality’’ of divine revelation within Islam are rich and complex, and invite deep reflection. Given the constraints of length, this chapter 44 Revelation in the Qur’ān 45 will selectively discuss the meanings of the key verses in the Qur’ān printed above that deal with these concepts as refracted through the perspectives of some of the most important classical exegetes in Islam. The article will then conclude by comparing and assessing these varied perspectives through time and dwell on what insights we may draw from these works and their implications for interfaith conversations among contemporary religious scholars and practitioners. Qur’ān 6:91–92 The early fourth/tenth-century commentator al-Tabari (d. 310/923) indicates that shifting, multiple audiences are being addressed in these two verses; identi- fication of their audiences is therefore crucial to the exegesis of the verses. He also indicates that the exegetes before and during his time are not in agreement regarding these specific audiences. According to a number of exegetes, the first part of Qur’ān 6:91 could either be addressed to the Jews as a whole in Medina, or to one specific Jewish man, either a certain Malik b. al-Sayf or Fanhas, or, according to another group of exegetes, it could be addressed to the pagan Quraysh (mushrikū Quraysh).2 Al-Tabari prefers the latter view as more appropriate because, he says, the Jews are accustomed to refer to ‘‘the scrolls of Abraham and Moses, and the Psalms of David’’ and therefore would not have denied the fact of divine revelation. On the basis of both reports and/or reason, says al-Tabari, this verse is better understood as referring to the polytheists. The verb taj‘alūna (‘‘you have rendered’’), which indicates direct address to the Jews in this verse, should thus preferably be read as yaj‘alūna (‘‘they have rendered’’), so that the first imperative qul (‘‘say’’) signifies the beginning of a statement directed at the Meccan polytheists alone, in which the Jews are referred to in absentia.3 The part of the verse beginning ‘‘You were taught’’ signifies a major shift in the intended audience and redirects divine speech to the believers (al-mu’minu ̄n), who have been instructed in much that was previously unknown to them or to their ancestors. Another shift in audience is then immediately indicated by the second qul that is directed at the Prophet alone, commanding him to leave aside the pagan Meccans and their foolish talk.4 In these shifting, variegated audiences, we have an interplay between particularity and universality. On the one hand, these two verses are firmly anchored 46 Particularity, Universality, and Finality in Revelation in discrete historical moments and address specific individuals and/or groups...