Schia Islam 13 (Hermeneutics of the Word)
This is in reality the very best distinction, that the coronation of creation (man) is given the crowning of the Word of God (the Quran) for reading. How to imagine the feelings of the one who reads the message of his lover and becomes a reader of his love letter? The enthusiasm is high, because through the Quran man rises from listening to reading and becomes “reader of the Word”: “Read!” And because of this God-given ability, he becomes:
- Reader of the Book of Nature.
- Reader of the book of his self.
- Reader of his behavioral book.
- Reader of the Book of Revelation.
The reading of the Quran is so important that praying has been prescribed for its sake. In this sense, Imam Ridha (s) said: “People have been obliged to read the Quran in prayer, so that the Quran will not be abandoned, forgotten and unused: so that it may be preserved and not disappear and remain unknown.”
The main goal of reading the Quran is to understand its meanings, to reflect on its verses and to act according to what is written in it - according to the words of God the Exalted. But it is not possible for everyone to find their way in the seas of life conflicts and become “readers of the word”. You should have learned it, and for that you need training: a methodology or a hermeneutic. Here a hermeneutic of reading is proposed, which is indispensable for dialogue with the Word of God: “Hermeneutics of the Word.”
