Lectures on the Development of the Islamic or World-View, 
Intellectual Tradition and Polity

by
Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah

Published by Adam Publishers & Distributors Shandar Market, Chitli Qabar, Delhi, India

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question

How would you explain the Abbreviated Letters found in the Qur’an?

Answer

In certain places in the Qur’an, there are no words but only' letters e.g. Alif Lam Mim, Ha Mim, etc. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not explain the significance of these letters. Had he done so, there would have been no difference of opinion on this issue.

Now the matter has came a such a pass that at least 60 or 70 opinions are available. This has been going on for 1400 years and the process has not come to an end. Evan today fresh viewpoints are being put forth. I was at the University of Paris in 1933. One day a Christian class-fellow told me that the Muslims had not been able yet to understand letters which cannot be joined to those coming next to them. He was an expert as music. He suggested that the Abbreviated Letters referred to tunes and rhythms of music. In brief, people have been trying and will continue to try to unravel the mystery of the abbreviated letters.

All that I can say is that I know nothing in this field except a Tradition which provides a clue. Some Jews came to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him how long his religion would endure. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "Alif Lam Mim." The Jews said: "Thank God your religion will last seventy-one years and will then perish.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said Alif Lam Mim Ra had also been revealed to him The Jews calculated Alif Lam Ra was equal to 231 years while Alif Lam Mim Ra was equal to 271. Then the Prophet referred to other letters having been revealed to him e.g. Ha Mim, 'Ayr Sin Qaf etc. This went on until the Jews quit In desperation.

It is possible that the Prophet's reply was aimed at confounding them. But the reply certainly refers to the numerical value of [the] letters. As you know, in [the] Arabic alphabet alif = 1, ba = 2, jim = 3 and dat = 4. The Arabic alphabet has twenty-eight letters. One can perfectly write up to 1000 with these letters. To avoid the possibility of [a] misunderstanding arising because of the use of a figure, a letter of the alphabet can be used instead. Both can also be used at the same time. I understand this is [the] standard practice in Sanskrit. But Sanskrit has far more than twenty-eight letters of the alphabet, and one can write up to one trillion.

Question

You said something to the effect that no harm would be done if a verse was omitted from the Holy Qur’an for there are others carrying the same meaning. Why was this statement considered necessary?

Answer

All I said was that there was nothing fundamental it the two verses which were stated to have been unavailable in a written form to Zayd ibn Thabit. Their omission would not, by any chance, adversely affect the meaning of the Holy Qur’an. For example, had there been only one vase stating that there is no God except Allah, there was a possibility that its omission would damage the correct position of Islam. What I meant to say was that there was no such issue of substance involved in the two verses in question. Take for example the following verse:

“Surely, a Messenger has came unto you from among yourselves; grievous to him is that you shall fall into trouble; He is ardently desirous of your welfare; And to the believers He is Compassionate, Merciful. But if they turn away, say, Allah is sufficient for me. There is no God but He. In Him do I put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne .” (9:128-129).

Question

Please explain the word Farqalit (Perlcletos,  Paracletos)?

Answer

You are probably aware that it is a Greek word which means a guide or a director. Muslims generally believe that the word has the same meaning as Ahmad, that is, the one who has been much praised. This idea gained currency among Muslims probably because the oldest biographer of the Prophet, Ibn Ishaq,  has stated that the Prophet's name is mentioned in [the] ancient scriptures. The word also occurs in the Bible and it means Ahmad. I think it is quite possible that Jesus Christ prophesied the advent of Ahmad. The Qur’an also confirms this: ". . . give glad tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, his name is Ahmad" (61:6).

There are two Greek words with a slight difference in meaning i.e. Pericletos and Paracletos. The former means praise incarnate (Ahmad), while the latter means a guide or a director. If Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) foretold the advent of the last Prophet who would be a guide, or prophesied the coming of a Messenger who would be praise incarnate, it means the same thing. Jesus was merely saying that he had not completed the faith and that a Prophet who would follow him would do so. There is no contradiction in the two contentions. This is borne out by some other statements in the Bible. At one place Jesus (peace be upon him) states, for example, that he had to leave the world soon and that it was necessary to do so for only in that event the Father in Heaven would send a man who would fully explain things that Jesus had not yet touched upon. There were many problems which Jesus wanted to explain, but the people did not have patience. "A man will therefore come". he  prophesied, "who will explain my position again to you and will remain with you until the end of time." In other places in the Bible similar sentiments reinforcing the same idea find expression.

Question

How does one reconcile various statements, which are sometimes mutually contradictory, concerning the circumstances in the context of which the different verses of the Qur’an were revealed?

Answer

One can only say that the general rules applicable to resolving a difference of opinion in the case of a tradition would also apply here. We shall first examine whether one or the other tradition is correctly reported. Whose narrators were more reliable? Thls is the formula for resolving an differences of opinion in the case of traditions and the same rule will apply to this case. I think differences surrounding the circumstances of a revelation are not really important. Suppose for example that a narrator states that  the first surah revealed was al-Baqarah. Another narrator does not agree and suggests that another chapter was revealed instead. This difference of opinion, in my view, does not carry much weight. It only reflects the state of the Companion's knowledge. He narrates what he recollects.

Question

Who was Umm Waraqah? Was she the only lady who committed the Holy Qur’an to memory or are Umm Salamah and 'A'ishah also included in this category?

Answer

Umm Waraqah was an Ansar lady who had embraced Islam in its very early phase. It is recorded that she offered her services for the Battle of Badr to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and requested him to take her along as she wanted to fight the enemy. There is another aspect which can present some practical and academic problems. It is stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed her leader or imam of a mosque in her locality and that men prayed behind her. The mu'adhdhin, who calls the faithful to prayer, was a man. It is obvious that he too prayed behind the Imam. This account occurs in the Sunan of Abu Da'ud and the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Here the question arises whether a woman can be made an Imam. One can perhaps speculate that the tradition in question relates to the early period of Islam arid that the Prophet (peace be upon him) possibly cancelled it later. But on the contrary it [was] proved that Umm Waraqah was alive during the regime of 'Umar and continued to discharge her duties. We shall, therefore, have to give some serious thought to the question. It becomes necessary sometimes to make an exception to a rule. The Prophet (peace be upon him) must have made the exceptional appointment in exceptional circumstances.

From my personal experience I can relate an incident A few yeas ago an Afghan girl student case to Paris. A Dutch class - fellow fell in love with her. He was so infatuated that he gave up his religion and embraced Islam.  Both got married. The next day she cane to tell me that her husband had become a Muslim and wanted to do what the faith prescribed, but the problem was that he did not know haw to say his prayers. "He insists, " she said, "that I should lead  the prayers and teach him how to conduct himself. Can he follow me in prayers?" asked the girl. A common maulaui, if asked, would reply in the negative. But I recalled the case of Umm Waraqah and advised that as an exceptional case she should agree to lead the prayers. I also suggested that her husband should quickly memorize the verses considered necessary for prayers, and he should then lead the prayers and the wife should follow him. In other words, it was in exceptional circumstances that the Prophet (peace be upon him) made the exceptional choice. Anticipating an exigency in the future, the Prophet (peace be upon him) provided a precedent.

As regards the question whether women other thus Umm Waraqah had also committed the Holy Qur’an to memory, I am afraid 1 do not know. I have not come across any tradition suggesting that 'A'ishah to  Umm Salamah also fall in this category. They certainly remembered a few  Surahs, and it is possible they remembered many, but I have not yet come across a clear statement mentioning that they had in fact committed the Holy Qur’an to memory.

Question

In the light of the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the verses of the Holy Qur’an what do you think is the correct response to the incident of Bi'r Ma'unah in the Sahih of Bukhari; and Abu Muse al-Ash'ari's statement in the Sahih of Muslim "that we used to recite a particular verse which was later canceled", and to 'Umar's contention that if a man and a woman committed adultery they should be stoned to death?

Answer
It is a lengthy question and a lot of time is required to answer. Were there any verses in the Qur’an which have been cancelled and no longer exist? Do the current copies of the Holy Qur’an contain verses  which were once cancelled? Have the commandments contained in the verses in question become redundant? There is much debate about these questions and you will