MISREADING THE SIGNS

Correcting Misconceptions About Ramadan through a Qur'anic Perspective

We live among "signs," and "signs" are even hidden within our very selves. Whether we are shopping, working, relaxing, or even seeking intimacy, we always use "signs". From childhood to adulthood, from elementary graduates to professors, and from the layperson to famous scholars, everyone speaks of and uses "signs," even though very few of us truly understand what a sign is, where it operates, or how it impacts human thought, action, and judgment in life.

In fact, since the dawn of human civilization, the very first thing God taught mankind was "signs" (asma). Thus, signs represent knowledge that spans from the "primitive" to the modern, and today, they have entered the postmodern and metaverse eras.

وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمۡ عَلَى ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبُِٔونِي بِأَسۡمَآءِ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ

“And He taught Adam all the names (asma) then presented them to the angels and said: “Tell Me the names of these things if you are truthful!” (QS. Al-Baqarah: 31)

In the context of revelation, Allah states that what He revealed is a "sign". Every line of the revealed text is referred to by Allah as a "sign," groups of revelations are called "signs," and even the Qur'an, the universe, and humans themselves are "signs". As Muslims, it is necessary to understand what constitutes a "sign," both as defined by God's word and as studied by human perspectives.

The Scope of Signs

Generally, Allah informs humanity that the entire universe, including humans, consists of "signs" for those who have certainty (yaqin), as He says:

وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَايَٰتٞ لِّلۡمُوقِنِينَ وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ

"And on the earth are signs for those of certainty. And in yourselves. Then will you not see?" (QS. Ad-Dzariyat: 20-21)

Furthermore, Allah informs us that what is sent down (anzala) to His servants are also "clear signs":

هُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِۦٓ ءَايَٰتِۢ بَيِّنَٰتٖ لِّيُخۡرِجَكُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُمۡ لَرَءُوفٞ رَّحِيمٞ

"It is He who sends down to His servant clear verses (signs) (the Quran) that He may bring you out from darkness into light. And indeed, Allah is indeed Forbearing and Merciful to you." (QS. Al-Hadid: 9)

Because the Qur'an was sent down (yunazzil) by Allah, its texts are also "signs":

هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِنۡهُ ءَايَٰتٞ مُّحۡكَمَٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَٰبِهَٰتٞۖ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ زَيۡغٞ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَٰبَهَ مِنۡهُ ٱبۡتِغَآءَ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ وَٱبۡتِغَآءَ تَأۡوِيلِهِۦۖ وَمَا يَعۡلَمُ تَأۡوِيلَهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُۗ وَٱلرَّٰسِخُونَ فِي ٱلۡعِلۡمِ يَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلّٞ مِّنۡ عِندِ رَبِّنَاۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّآ أُوْلُواْ ٱلۡأَلۡبَٰبِ

"It is He who has sent down to you the Book; in it are verses (ayat / signs) that are precise—they are the foundation of the Book and others unspecific..." (QS. Al-Imran: 7)

Thus, every text in the Qur'an is called a sign. Even the sections we call surahs are signs in another sense; in Qur'anic Arabic, one meaning of surah is a "collection of verses". In other words, a "surah" is a representation/sign of a collection of verses or signs.

Aligning Human Knowledge with Divine Signs

Language, as an object of "signs," saw its "rules of the game" developed early in Islamic history, leading to sciences like grammar (nahwu-sharf), rhetoric (balaghah), logic (mantiq), and jurisprudence (fiqh). Unfortunately, as knowledge grows, the boundaries of signs intended by God can be exceeded by human interpretation.

The parameter for what Allah intends lies in the "content" (matan) of the knowledge humans develop. Humans must categorize knowledge as follows:

1. Knowledge whose content contradicts the Qur'an must not be used.
2. Knowledge whose content aligns with the Qur'an may be used.

Knowledge that contradicts the Qur'an leads to a regression in thinking and exceeds the limits set by Allah. Aligning human knowledge with the Qur'an is what is meant by being "Kaffah". The word "Kaffah" is a "sign" for the harmony between human thought and Divine thought perfectly full, neither more nor less.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱدۡخُلُواْ فِي ٱلسِّلۡمِ كَآفَّةٗ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمۡ عَدُوّٞ مُّبِينٞ

"O you who have believed, enter into Islam Kaffah (completely), and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." (QS. Al-Baqarah: 208)

In this verse, "Kaffah" is linked with "Satan" because "Satan" represents a form of human thinking that either subtracts from or exceeds the boundaries God has set.

Example: The Naming of Prayers

Consider the naming of "Sunnah" prayers. In human-developed jurisprudence (fiqh), scholars often debate these, yet during the Prophet's time, such specific naming did not exist. Examples include Tahajjud and Tarawih, and the number of rak'ahs between them.

Scholars defined the prayers performed by Prophet Muhammad at specific times and named them based on their own ijtihad (reasoning) without considering potential negative impacts. While this seems good, if measured by Qur'anic principles, it can lead to conflict:

وَلَا تَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَٱخۡتَلَفُواْ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتُۚ وَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٞ

"And do not be like those who split up and differ after clear evidence has come to them. Those are the ones who will have a severe punishment," (QS. Al-Imran: 105)

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا يَسۡخَرۡ قَوۡمٞ مِّن قَوۡمٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونُواْ خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ وَلَا نِسَآءٞ مِّن نِّسَآءٍ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيۡرٗا مِّنۡهُنَّۖ وَلَا تَلۡمِزُوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَلَا تَنَابَزُواْ بِٱلۡأَلۡقَٰبِۖ بِئۡسَ ٱلِٱسۡمُ ٱلۡفُسُوقُ بَعۡدَ ٱلۡإِيمَٰنِۚ وَمَن لَّمۡ يَتُبۡ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ

"O you who believe, do not make fun of another people, maybe the one being made fun of is better than them. And don't let a group of women make fun of another group, maybe the one being humiliated is actually better. And don't like to criticize yourself and don't call with titles that contain mockery. The worst calling is (calling) that is bad after faith and whoever does not repent, then those are the wrongdoers". (QS. Al-Hujurat: 11)

Furthermore, the Qur'an warns against insulting others or calling them by offensive nicknames. These "signs" should serve as parameters for human thinking so that God's boundaries are not crossed.

Scholars are ordinary humans whose conclusions might "overstep". Therefore, Allah provides hudud (boundaries) so humans do not overstep when assigning signs to one another, ensuring a harmonious life as social beings and as creatures living alongside nature.

@Abu Musa2026