A Ray of the Qur’ān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani Volume IV

advance praise for A Ray of the Qurʾān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Volume IV

“This is a very different approach to writing commentary on the Qurʾān from those written by classical or contemporary traditional scholars in the Shīʿa world. Its uniqueness comes from the fact that it was written mostly during prison time by one of the most eminent religious scholars of the twentieth century Iran who was also a relentless political activist, an advocate for justice and a champion of political freedom.

The years he spent in prison brought him in close contact with political activists of diverse orientation all united in their opposition to the Pahlavi regime. As a result, A Ray of the Qurʾān is also a window to the social and political history of Iran in the twentieth century.

This is a very original and important book, and a welcome addition to the contemporary scholarship in the field of Islamic Studies in general and Qurʾānic Studies in particular. The translator’s labor of love must be acknowledged and congratulated for providing the readers of English language with this special work.”

—Mohammad H. Faghfoory, Professor and Director, Graduate Program in Islamic Studies, George Washington University

“English-language scholarship in Qurʾān Studies owes a debt of gratitude to the translator and the publisher for making available one of the most important contemporary commentaries of the Qurʾān. Four decades after the passing of the author Al-Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani (RA), the translation makes this authentic voice of human liberation accessible to a wide audience. It is not possible to overstate the importance of this translation of the invaluable, awe-inspiring and cogent contribution to understanding the causes of and solutions to the problems of human societies. The commentary represents a distinctive and eloquent voice of consciousness that was enlightened by the Qurʾān, which he taught must be understood by every generation in light of its own realities. Based on his commentary alone, if not his personal struggles, a persuasive case can be made that Taleghani could well be considered among the first Muslim liberation theologists of the twentieth century.”

—Abbas Mirakhor, Retired Professor of Economics and Finance

A Ray of the Qurʾān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani

Volume IV

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah the Gracious, the Merciful

Contents

1. Descriptive Table of Contents

2. Acknowledgments

3. Foreword by Abbas Mirakhor

4. Transliteration of Arabic Letters

5. Translator’s Introduction

6. Editor’s Introduction

7. Author’s Biography by Abdolali Bazargan

8. A Word by the Compiler

9. Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (The Women), 4:1–22 (First Interpretation)

10. Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (The Women), 4:1–28 (Second Interpretation)

11. Author’s Notes

12. Translator’s Notes

13. Bibliography

14. Index

15. Translator and Editor biographies

Descriptive Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgments

2. Foreword by Abbas Mirakhor

3. Transliteration of Arabic Letters

4. Translator’s Introduction

5. Editor’s Introduction

6. Author’s Biography by Abdolali Bazargan

7. A Word by the Compiler

8. Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (The Women), 4:1–22 (First Interpretation)

9. Āyāt 1–6

   Self-safeguarding and righteousness when in power; marriage in Islam has been limited with guaranteed conditions; the laws of primordial nature become transmuted when societal corruption prevails; wealth becomes the source of uprising in an evolving society; recognition and understanding of responsibility are the requirements of natural intellect.

10. Āyāt 7–14

    Translation of Āyāt 7 to 14; the principle of inheritance among near relatives is both natural and in accordance with the principle of economic ownership of the producer; shares of inheritance put a limit on the inheritance of men and affirm the inheritance of women; you must submit to the command of Allah [swt] which is in accordance with the facts and with creation; this is the same Allah [swt] Who is aware of secrets and Whose jurisprudence is wise—for example, His command of formation [creation]; Islam has determined the basis of inheritance, which is a primordial and natural principle, first on the basis of womb [relations] and then on the basis of degrees of closeness and distance [to the person leaving the inheritance].

11. Āyāt 15–22

    After the āyāt of inheritance, which are fundamentally based on relations to the womb, the rule regarding adultery is ordained for the purification of households [families] from pollution and from the mixture of wombs [offspring]; if men and women who have polluted their Islamic house [or family] repent and reform that house [family home], their harm should then be avoided and they must be accepted [in society]; since human beings are changeable [evolving] phenomena, a person must be prepared for repentance by one’s own free choice and will, and by asking for help from Allah [swt]; women and men have rights and obligations compatible with their psychological and physical make-up and [reasonable] customs.

12. Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (The Women), 4:1–28 (Second Interpretation)

13. Āyāt 1–6

    Translation and explanation of Āyāt 1–6; this sūrah begins by addressing people and it discusses the relevant enjoyments and forbiddances about their public relations with other people; human beings must be on the path determined by the Almighty Nurturer for reformation and evolution toward maturity, and for perfection and its laws, and they must submit to the path; was Adam [pbuh], as described, not the first human being (?); before the chosen Adam, or those who looked like Adam, orangutans were already alive.

    In the stage of encountering the Oneness of the Origin and its growth, the prophets emerged so that by making people aware of it, and through their paths and destinations, they would revitalize and activate creational and primordial unity through awareness and intellection; any kind of worship that holds humanity back or turns it backward is idolatry, and every idolatry is a form of jāhiliyyah [ignorance]; stealing and taking the possessions of orphans were among the customary works of powerful [tribal] heads and looters [in Jāhiliyyah (the Era of Ignorance)].

    Regarding marriage, the āyāt of marriage consider women, according to their psychological and physical structures, to possess every right just like men do, and to enjoy reciprocal justice; they [the āyāt of marriage] place conditions and limits according to fairness and justice; fairness in having multiple wives is, first, subject to the psychological makeup of both woman and man; Islam must radiate in every house of Medina with all of its rays, [and in all its] aspects and dimensions; [it must] become apparent and take form; the number [of women] and the limit [on that number] for the Prophet [pbuh], [as well as] choosing, keeping, and divorcing them, and the conditions of living with them, were under the supervision and command of revelation; fear of injustice must be that which prevents multiplicity of wives; with the dawn of Islam’s monotheism [unity], conventional slaves acquired actual freedom; from the point of view of the Holy Qurʾān, a woman is neither a commodity nor the price of a dowry; people’s efforts at negating possessions and products; spending in the name of actual individual and social needs; the negation of the personality of the individual; reaching puberty marks the inception of responsibility, reaching maturity, and the beginning of independent possessions.