Bismillāh.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: “Indeed the doors of heaven are opened on the first night of the month of Ramadan, and they are not shut until the last night from it.”
Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 10, p. 504
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا
Do they not contemplate the Quran? Had it been from [someone] other than Allah, they would have surely found much discrepancy in it.
Sūrat al-Nisā’, No. 4, Āyat 82
The word tadabbur in Arabic has to do with following after something, and therefore the meaning of the word in this verse is to ponder upon one verse again and again, or alternatively it could mean to ponder upon one verse after another verse, comparing them together. Regardless, the verse is encouraging us to ponder and contemplate on the Noble Qur’ān, to compare and contrast different verses which would allow us to realize that there is no contradiction or difference in the message of different verses.
The Qur’ān contains different styles: some verses are short and powerful, others are long and gentle. It also addresses a broad range of subjects such as historical stories, technical laws, profound descriptions about God and man’s relationship to Him, deep analysis of human beings and the reasons why they choose misguidance, etc. If a believer sincerely ponders upon these verses, they will only be amazed at how it all contains one coherent message. Parts of it confirm what is said elsewhere, at times repeating the same concept in different words, at times further explaining what was said elsewhere.
This is the case despite the fact that the Qur’ān was revealed over a span of 23 years, in different contexts. At times the Muslims were weak and poor, being persecuted by the Quraysh of Makkah. At the end of the Noble Messenger’s life, the Muslims were victorious conquerors of the entire Arabian peninsula! Yet the message and depth of the Qur’ān is one and the same. This is a clear miracle and proof that the Qur’ān was not authored by a human being who would be naturally subject to change and growth.
This verse also shows us another important reality: that the Qur’ān is an independent book that people are able to understand with their own intellect. If people take the trouble to read and ponder upon the Qur’ān, comparing some verses to others, then they can come to an understanding of what is being said. The apparent words of the Qur’ān are understandable and are in fact the strongest authority to claim what is Islam’s opinion on a matter.
It does not make sense to say that the Qur’ān is God’s book of guidance for mankind, but then to also say that it cannot be understood without the help of something external such as the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Rather the correct understanding in this regard is that the luminous teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) serve two purposes:
- At times they give us further knowledge not mentioned in the Qur’ān. Sometimes we would refer to this as being a deeper meaning than what the apparent words of the Qur’ān are saying.
- At other times, their narrations help explain the same divine teachings that are present in the apparent words of the Qur’ān. After learning these concepts from the Ahl al-Bayt (a), if we go back to the Qur’ān and carefully ponder upon it alone we can find these same teachings hidden in the text of the Qur’ān!
We pray that Allah gives us the opportunity to delve into the Qur’ān and extract some of the gems that are hidden within it. We ask Him by the sake of His noble Messenger peace be upon him and his family, to bless the Muslim ummah in this month of Ramadān and quickly relieve the ummah of all the suffering it is going through. Last but not least, we pray for the quick reappearance of the Imam of our time (aj).
Sources: Allāmah Tabātabā’ī, Al-Mīzān.