“The Spirit of The Qur’an Is More Important Than The Letter”
Have you ever heard this statement before? Doesn’t it frustrate you knowing that people can disregard such a beautiful text for the so called “apparent meaning?” It bothers me. For my Arabic 202 class at UIC, Qur’anic Vocabular and Grammar, I decided to write on an example from the Qur’an where the vocabulary itself inherently dictates that the readers of the Qur’an take the letter into account as much as they take the spirit of the text. Here it is (please ignore the completely nerdy academic style in which this paper was written):
There is an opinion amongst a community of Muslims that there are words that can be used as a synonym for words in the Qur’an, an opinion that arises from the camp of Muslims who believe that the spirit of the Qur’an is more important than the actual preservation of the letter. While it’s important not to go to either pole, a balance between adherence to the letter and understanding the spirit must be established in order to understand the Qur’an and Islam in a productive way.
Though the message behind the words is of definite importance, there is no doubt amongst the scholars of Islam that each and every word in the Qur’an has a specific significance and purpose behind its usage. To demonstrate this, the example of of the word “wife” can be given
In the Qur’an we find, amongst others, two usages of the word “wife” in Arabic – zawjah and imraa. Although they seem completely synonymous at face value, there is one subtle difference that shows the extreme importance of word choice in the Qur’an. If we look to classical Arabic dictionaries and texts, we find that there is an inherent meaning for each rendition of the word “wife.”
There are two qualities of a wife that the words seek to qualify: first, that they are compatible with their husbands (in goals and personalities), and second, that they bring about goodness for their husbands. The word zawjah fulfills both qualifications, while the word imraa only qualifies one or the other; it doesn’t fulfill both. If we look to the Qur’anic text, we see examples that show this.
If we look to the chapter of Al-Lahab, the 111th chapter in the Qur’an, we see the verse:
And his wife, too, carrier of the firewood. (111:5)
The second word in the verse is a rendition of the word imraa, conjugated in the possessive, referring to the wife of Abu Lahab, an enemy of the Prophet. In the context of the verse, the Qur’an is describing the punishment in the afterlife that Abu Lahab will receive for the evil that he did towards the Prophet. At the same time, the Qur’an describes that his wife will not only join him, but she will be a “carrier of the firewood [of hell]” as well.
If we look back to the definition of imraa as compared to the definition of zawjah, we can see the clear reason as to why the word imraa was used and how they are not synonymous in this case. Abu Lahab and his wife exemplified great compatibility – a fun date for them would include both of them criticizing the Prophet. However, it is clear from this verse that in their lives, and their afterlives, she did not bring goodness to him, thus she only fulfills one qualification of the definition of the word wife in the sense that she is compatible with Abu Lahab, but does not bring him goodness (in fact, she brings him punishment!).
On the other side of imraa, we see an example of the linguistic importance of maintaining “the letter” in the Qur’anic description of the wife of Pharoah. In the Chapter of Qasas, the 28th chapter of the Qur’an in verse 9, it says:
And the wife of Pharoah said…(28:9)
Here we find that the wife of Pharoah is referred to as imraa`tu fir’awn, thus being given the title of imraa rather than zawjah. But why is this? In Islamic tradition, isn’t the wife of Pharoah seen as a positive figure? Absolutely, which is why she received the title of imraa rather than zawjah; she was positive, but her husband, unfortunately, was not. Thus, like the wife of Abu Lahab, she fulfilled only one characteristic of the wife, albeit a better one, and so was given the title imraa due to her good character and potential in bringing goodness to her husband, but was not compatible with him in the least.
So when is the term zawjah used in the Qur’an, then? When does the Qur’an address a wife in a spousal relationship that is both compatible with her husband and also a person of good character? In a verse that is perhaps the most commonly used verse on wedding invitations, worldwide, we see a perfect example and answer to this question. In the Chapter of Ar-Rum, verse 21, the Qur’an says:
And of His signs is that He created for you from among yourselves couple that you may find repose in them and He put love and mercy between you. No doubt, in it are signs for a people who ponder. (30:21)
Here we see the Qur’an use the plural form of zawj, azwaaj, and afterwards describes positive characteristics and qualities of spouses and relationships that can only be found if the spouses are compatible and of good character.
While each argument maintains a certain level of validity, taking the spirit of the Qur’an over the letter, or vice versa, is not the correct methodology when dealing with this supremely divine text. It is through a balanced understanding, found and reinforced with simple examples such as the ones stated above, that Muslims will be able to understand their religion in a productive manner and bring goodness to themselves, the Muslim community, and to humanity in general – seeking letter and spirit simultaneously.
I take the Kamal-ian spirit
This ayah would’ve also been good to end your paper since it would’ve contrasted an evil wife with an evil husband vs a good wife with an evil husband vs. a good wife and a good husband.
http://searchquran.net/quran.php?q=21:90
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat ullahi wa barakatuhu
My teacher said that phrase, “The Spirit [of The Qur’an] Is More Important Than The Letter” while teaching us about the story of the Jews and the Sabbath. They technically did not disobey the letter of the law. They were to do nothing on Saturday, so they set up the nets on Friday and collected Sunday, being tricksy.
The Letter > Spirit arguement really annoyed me in college when people were like, “Oh, the Qu’ran says your not suppossed to look at a girl, and that’s it”. So they justified talking to a girl is ok (especially online since there is no visual interaction).
I understand you made a point at the beginning of not falling into either pole, which is completely true. But based on prior experiences, people have different, yet valid assumptions of that same statement.
And your essay I don’t think really proved the letter is greater than the spirit. I feel it just proved the importance of the letter.
That is all.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmat ullahi wa barakatuhu
I wasn’t really trying to prove that one was more important than the other, I was just trying to give both an equal level when discussing understanding the Qur’an. They’re definitely both equally important – I tried to sum it up in my conclusion as such:
mash’Allah very well written bro and informative…good stuff…
The last verse is from Ar’Rum (30). Ar’Rad is 13.
Jazak Allah khayr Ayesha, I *always* make that mistake for some reason!
I’m not happy.
I like to look at the meaning of all the root words in used in the context of a verse.
http://www.answering-christianity.com/detailed_meanings_of_scientific_words_in_verses.htm
Salaam to you all,
May God bless you for the article, i was googling for the meaning of azwaaja-n (which is often translated as “wives” instead of “spouses”), and i learned more (the Imraa vs zawja:h case study).
Aamair commented:
“The Letter > Spirit arguement really annoyed me in college when people were like, “Oh, the Qu’ran says your not suppossed to look at a girl, and that’s it”. So they justified talking to a girl is ok (especially online since there is no visual interaction).”
Does the Qur’an say, ‘your not supposed to look at a girl’?
In my opinion, this expression cannot be a good example of “Letter > Spirit” argument, because as per your comment, it does not even preserve the “Letter” part of the Quran.
And, if the verse in question were indeed 24:30, then please explain where does the expression occur. Is the expression really what the Quran says or is it interpretation of what the Quran says?
And to ask you bluntly: is what prohibited in the Quran, the “adultery” (i.e., extramarital sex) and the “approaching to adultery”, or is it “looking” and “talking” “to a girl”?
Let us be not like those mentioned in 2:78 — And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming (translation: Sahih International)
17:36 And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.
IMO, the Spirit of the Quran to one, is not separable from the Letter as he understood, and not separable from his own Heart as he decided. Interpretations of the Book have accumulated in 1400+ years, and still we have to learn the Book (and verify what has been said of the Book) by ourselves.
The best words are not from my comments/opinions–please study the referred Quran verses yourself.
Salaam,