Curiosity and Discovery in the Qur'an
The original sense of the word "discover" is "to remove the cover". Hence, when we discover anything we have removed the cover concerning that particular topic and in that case we can see it clearly. No matter how hard we search, however, we can't discover things in a complete sense in this world given our very real human limitations.
Allah says about the hereafter: "You were in heedlessness of this, we have removed your covering, so your sight TODAY is sharp." 50:22
kashf al-ghitaa' (the removal of the covering) only happens in a complete sense in the hereafter. We can't completely discover things in this world.
Perhaps it is for this reason Allah also tells us: "...and you have not been given except a little knowledge." 17:85
So when we talk about discovery from a Qur'anic perspective, we shouldn't put too much pressure on ourselves thinking we have to be great scholars and masters of the Arabic language before we can research and study the Qur'an. It is simply a slow process of removing the covering of ignorance that all of us have that prevents us from completely understanding the meanings of Allah's words.
If we are close to Allah, He will help us in this process by taking us out of many forms of darkness into light, as He says: "Allah is the wali (friend/protector/supporter) of those who believe, taking them from many forms of darkness into light..." 2:257 Allah is the director of the process of discovery.
Every aspect of the Qur'an is an expression of Allah's light, even one letter. So if you discover something new about even one letter of the Qur'an, the light shines that much brighter in your life. Never underestimate even the smallest amount of Allah's light.
We need to become more curious about the Qur'an. I once heard someone discuss different teaching philosophies. They said that people have two different perspectives when it comes to teaching. One viewpoint is that the mind is a vessel to be filled. A person who takes this standpoint will view education as a process of telling a student what they should learn and filling their head with "facts".
The second viewpoint sees the mind as a fire to be lit. Someone who takes this view will not see the education process as a method of instilling in a student the "right" information and making sure they memorize it. They will see education as an opportunity to inspire a student's own natural curiosity.
In my opinion, this is what is missing from much Islamic education. We become Muslims and immediately we are given lists of things to memorize. But we are never empowered to research for ourselves. In fact, we are told the opposite: You don't have the ability to understand the Qur'an.
But why not? Allah says this book is "...a guidance for PEOPLE..." 2:185 He didn't say for a particular people, ethnic background, education level, etc. It is a guidance for all people. From the greatest scholar to the regular everyday person, this book contains something for everyone.
That is equality. Allah doesn't favor one person over the other, rather "...He gives wisdom to WHOEVER He wills..." 2:269 Never let someone deter you from studying and contemplating this beautiful book and seeing what it says to you. Sure, we benefit from everyone, however, we also have just as much right as anyone else to contemplate this Qur'an. It is the property of no person. No one has a monopoly on what it says.
Our Islamic education, in my opinion, should more emphasize helping us become curious about the Qur'an. The word "curious" comes from "care", so a curious person is a person who cares about learning. We need to inspire this type of curiosity about the Qur'an since Allah says: " And the messenger said, 'my Lord, my people have abandoned this Qur'an'." 25:30 We stopped caring.
So we are taught to wrap the Qur'an in a thousand coverings, put it in the highest place, and not touch it unless we are clean, but if we are asked what the Qur'an says about aspects of our daily lives we can hardly think of an ayah. This in spite of the fact that Allah says: "...and we have sent down upon you the Book as a clarification of all things..." 16:89 We should constantly think about how this book contains clarification for all the aspects of our daily lives. In my opinion, that is what it means to truly respect this great book.
So I encourage all of us to become curious researchers of the Qur'an. Allah gave all of us the same tools to obtain knowledge that He gave everyone else. He says: "And Allah brought you out of your mother's wombs NOT KNOWING ANYTHING, and He made for you hearing, seeing, and hearts, so that you may be grateful." 16:78 We all start off not knowing anything, and He gives us the tools to learn, which are our senses. Our ears, eyes, and hearts are the only prerequisites we need to start studying the Qur'an, right now, today.
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