The average Malay Muslim has been told so often that he is incapable of understanding the Qur'an on his own, that he is utterly dependent on someone else's interpretation to the point that the interpretation is now akin to the word of God Himself.
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As a result, these man-made interpretations cannot be questioned, and a different understanding of the verses cannot be comprehended or processed.
To be fair, there is no real basis for comparison, because he thinks he will not be able to understand a pure translation.
To be fair, there is no real basis for comparison, because he thinks he will not be able to understand a pure translation.
Because these interpretations have been accepted for centuries, the Qur'an is anchored to the period in which the interpretations were made, instead of being interpreted in light of the currently available evidence.
And instead of being guidance for all time that can be interpreted in any era, the Qur'an is reduced to being a historical document interpreted through 7th-century mores.
It's no wonder that Islam is seen as an archaic faith, unable to cope with changes in humanity as it develops through the millennia.
And it's ironic that God's guidance should be seen as separate from God's creation, while the creation itself evolves in accordance with His laws
And it's ironic that God's guidance should be seen as separate from God's creation, while the creation itself evolves in accordance with His laws
If we do need an interpretation, we should have one made in the 21st-century, for 21st-century humans.
More importantly, the interpretation should depend entirely on the Qur'an itself instead of historical records of the messenger, whose job was only to convey the Message.
More importantly, the interpretation should depend entirely on the Qur'an itself instead of historical records of the messenger, whose job was only to convey the Message.
But interpretations have an inherent danger of becoming calcified, as it has done before. Furthermore, this calcification places us in danger of shirk, if we were to depend entirely on it as if it were the actual word of God.
This danger is not limited to non-Arabic speakers - for there are many native Arabic speakers who do not read classical Arabic which they think the Qur'an is in, and depend on interpretations for their understanding as much as non-Arabic speakers.
The alternative, then, is to produce a faithful and pure translation without any influence from any text that can be anchored to a particular era.
Readers can then read this translation and understand it in the era that they live in, be it in the 21st, or 30th century or beyond.
Readers can then read this translation and understand it in the era that they live in, be it in the 21st, or 30th century or beyond.
To do this, we have to first recognize that as God says, the Qur'an is complete in and of itself (7:52, 11:1). It explains itself (10:37, 75:19) and self-references for clarity (17:89, 18:54)
This means it has its own language (based on Arabic), own definitions, and contexts.
This means it has its own language (based on Arabic), own definitions, and contexts.
Once we recognize this, the next step would be to produce a glossary of the terms used in the Qur'an as defined by the Qur'an itself.
Then, we can proceed to make a pure translation that can be understood in any era, free from the anchor of time, an interpreter, or both.
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Then, we can proceed to make a pure translation that can be understood in any era, free from the anchor of time, an interpreter, or both.
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