Islam as a Deen offers a comprehensive code of life, and Allah gifted the scripture to His Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) in the form of the remarkable Holy Book, the Quran. The Quran offers a comprehensive solution to humanity in every domain of life, encompassing social, economic, cultural, welfare, military, religious, justice, equality, and governance.
Even though the Quran provided a complete solution to the worldly issues and aspects in hereafter, Allah sent His Messengers to different nations to demonstrate the practical manifestation of Allah’s Directives in various Holy Books from time to time. All of these Holy Books were ascended on respective Prophets for their people in their language so that they could easily understand and follow even after the Prophet left the eternal abode. For instance, the Torah, which was bestowed upon Prophet Musa (PBUH), was written in Hebrew so that people could easily understand Allah’s message and follow it in both letter and spirit.
Likewise, the Bible, revered by Prophet Isa (PBUH), was also written in Hebrew because, at the time, Ancient Hebrew was the language spoken and widely understood in the region. However, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Since the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was residing in the Hijaz region of the Arabian Peninsula, it was rightly revealed in the Arabic language, which is one of the oldest languages. Allah declared the necessity of revealing the Quran in the Arabic language, making it easy for you to understand and follow. However, when Islam spread to different regions, the Quran had to be translated into regional languages so that newly converted Muslims could read and understand the essence of Allah’s Directives and earn His Blessings.
Pakistan is the second-largest Muslim country, with a majority of over 97 percent. However, the country does not lead the Ummah in any domain except religious political parties leading the occasional riots in the the country.
The same happened when Islam reached the shores of the Indian Subcontinent in the early 8th Century. The Message of Allah quickly spread among the invading warriors, Sufi Saints, travellers, merchants, and businessmen. However, these volunteers had a twin task: one was to convert people to Islam, and the other was to translate the Quran and make people understand Allah’s Message. There is no denying that the Sufi Saints did a great job in spreading Islam in the Subcontinent, where people practiced Hinduism, an ancient religion of the region. The translation of the Quran also took place in time, but unfortunately, our elders failed to insist on the newly converted Muslims to read the Quran with its translation for better understanding Allah’s Directives. They only insisted on memorizing the Quran and reciting the Quran as much as an ordinary Muslim could do.
This strategic neglect of Allah’s Directives that you must read this Book to understand, and it has been easy for you to understand, is costing Muslims across the globe even after the passage of so many centuries. Even today, in the 21st Century, there are not many religious scholars who insist that people should read the Quran with translation to understand Allah’s message better. Perhaps these religious scholars do not want a common person to gain intellectual wisdom by understanding the Quran and start questioning the numerous interpretations offered by them, particularly in present-day Pakistan.
Pakistan is the second-largest country, with a population of approximately 250 million people and a Muslim majority of over 97 percent. However, the country does not lead the Muslim Ummah in any domain except religious political parties leading the occasional riots in the the country.
It pains me to write that the religious scholars in Pakistan have failed to guide the people and he governments on religious affairs, and that is one reason we often see fissures among the state elements. The contradictory interpretations of the Quranic verses have led people to contest every issue, including the moon sighting for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. Likewise, there is no consensus on the state laws and rules regarding Riba, Zakat, divorce, Nikah, and many other key issues.
Therefore, the importance of understanding the Quran cannot be overstated, as these contradictions in various interpretations can only be resolved if we begin to read the Quran with authentic translations in the language we understand better. As the Quran itself declares, “This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah” (Quran 2:2).
The writer of this article has authored four international books: Nuclear Deterrence and Conflict Management Between India and Pakistan, South Asia Needs Hybrid Peace, Understanding Sun Tzu and the Art of Hybrid War, and Diplomacy and Deterrence.”