Quranic Sciences
The Qur'ān & the Sharā`ah
Written by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
In the heated discussion on the Ahlul Bayt Discussion Group, I noticed that some people talk about the laws of Islam by assuming or seeming to assume that the only valid source for Islamic views is the holy Qur'ān; and that if something is not in the Qur'ān, it is not authentic enough or substantially Islamic! Dear followers of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), this is a very misleading trend of thinking; the Qur'ān is the constitution of Islam but not the only source of Islamic views and laws.
The Muslims, from day one, firmly believe in the sunna as the second most important source and a complement to the holy Qur'ān. So just by referring to the Qur'ān without looking at the sunna, or how the Prophet and the Imams explained the Qur'ān, and how the first generations and the later experts have understood the relevant verses and the ahādāth is, to say the least, a naive way of looking at Islam. Looking at Islam from this narrow angle would place even the daily prayers of the Muslims outside Islam.
Lastly, even when studying the Qur'ān, it is important not to impose one's preconceived ideas on it otherwise one would be guilty of tafsir bi 'r-ray. Those who accuse others of imposing their "eastern cultural" underpinning upon the Qur'ān should themselves also refrain from imposing their "western, secular, humanist" values upon the Qur'ān! Let the Qur'ān be the guide.
Adapted from: "Apostasy in Islam" by: "Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi"
source : al-shia.org
