Response to Orientalists

For quite some time, there was a theory that there is no coherence in Quran. It was asserted that Quran is a collection of different verses having no logical connection with each other. In the late 19th and early 20th century Western scholars propounded the theory and some of them proposed chronological order on the bases of which the Quran should be rearranged. On the other hand, Quran has the most important place in the Muslim community. They derive all religious guidance and aspirations from the Quran.

Orientalists assert that Quran does not even fulfill the characteristics of a book. How can it be claimed to be the best of all the books? Tadabbur-e-Qurān is conceived to an answer to the challenge that the Quran is not a coherent book. Islahi wrote his magnum opus, on the principles derived from his teacher, Farahi, who address the issue in the beginning of 20th century. Islahi started his work on this project at the beginning of his career and completed it in 1980. The work upholds that Quran is not a haphazardly arranged book, but that there is a structural and thematic coherence in the Quran. The arrangement of the Quran is divine and rational. Islahi divided the whole Quran in seven groups named Amud (central theme). Each section is revolving around a particular theme. Each sura is carrying a theme and connected with the adjacent sura as pair. Each is complementing the other by different ways with the exception of sura Fatiha.

Influence

The concept of nazm in Quran adopted by Islahi in his exegesis led him to interpret Quran in many places different from the other scholars. Another characteristic of Tadabbur-e-Qurān is specification of the addresses of the text. This is important to determine implications of the tenets of Quran upon the Muslims. Tadabbur-e-Qurān is influencing Islamic literature more than any other Quranic exegetical work in modern times. No future scholar undertaking interpretation and exposition of Quran or working on Islamic themes can afford to ignore this monumental exegetical work of Islahi.