Naseer Ahmed's Quranic Project: A Cautionary Note

By Ghulam Mohiyuddin, New Age Islam 12 April 2025 Naseer Ahmed Sahab's article is titled "A Quran-Alone Methodology for Muhkamat Verses, and Science-Alone for the Mutashabihat". Let us examine the arguments he makes to justify his approach. He proposes that for the Quran’s Muhkamat verses, which define the religion (Deen) and moral guidance, we use only the Quran’s own intra-textual logic, consistency, and usage of language across verses. For the Mutashabihat verses, which refer to the natural world, creation, psychology, and history, interpretation must be confirmed through established scientific or historical facts. Let me first state that there is no general understanding of what "the Quran’s own intra-textual logic and consistency" mean. The "usage of language across verses" refers to a dubious technique that Naseer Ahmed uses to alter the meaning of a word by impinging on it the meanings it yields in other contexts. Through this technique, he tries to show that the verse meant something quite different from what a simple interpretation of the verse would convey. He says, "A logical truth is a conclusion that necessarily follows from a set of true premises through sound reasoning." That is true, but it scarcely applies to the Quran. Most of the conclusions in the Quran are based on faith. He says, "In Quranic interpretation, the meaning of a keyword is derived by examining every verse in which the word appears." This would mean that a reader would have to first identify all the "keywords" in the book. Then he would have to find out how that word is used in all the other verses in which it has been used. Based on that, he would then find one common interpretation for that word. If so, no one would want to read such a book. Let us remember that the Quran calls itself the book that is "clear". There is no mention in it of Chat GPT coming along someday and making the meaning of the Quran clear for everybody. He touches on the subject of "How science has made once-unclear verses intelligible". Any relationship between real science and the "science" in the Quran is imaginary and aspirational. It may make us feel good, but it does not help the cause of either religion or science. Naseer Ahmed's call to action asking all of us to join his project is grandiose, but his premises are faulty, and his theories are based on wishful thinking. ------ Ghulam Mohiyuddin is a retired psychiatrist. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/naseer-quranic-project-cautionary/d/135132 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism