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When the devil cites the scripture...
As a scholar trained in religious and Islamic studies, I will say that, Ahok’s critique is “love speech” or a “love letter”, a reminder that sometimes, for certain purposes, we might use and abuse the Quran.
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A Muslim protester holds a banner with picture depicting Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as (AP/Dita Alangkara)
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ost Muslims have read the Quran in its original Arabic text. They believe that reciting the Quran is a holy act in itself, which brings God’s blessing to them. As good as these intentions are, they miss out on the very reason the scripture identifies itself as the divine purpose behind its bestowment, i.e. to serve as guidance to mankind (hudan li an-nas).
Can people be guided if they do not understand the language of the guide?
The Quran invites people to not just read it but also make an effort to discern God’s message.
Then, there are those Muslims who did read translations, which could lead to misinterpretation because of the risk of taking messages out of context.
In this case, we may also be criticized of being little more “eisegesis” than “exegesis”.
When someone practices exegesis, he is trying to take the message that God placed in scripture.
But practicing eisegesis is putting into the text our own thoughts and ideas, searching for texts that support these ideas. It is forcing the text to prove our own self-interested perspective.
