Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE SACRED MONTHS, FIGHTING AND PILGRIMAGEThey serve as a means by which people fix and measure the time of importantreligious events and activities such as travel, pilgrimage, fasting, marriage anddivorce, as well as trade transactions and loan periods.Whatever the original enquiry, the answer had gone beyond mere abstraction andgiven practical, rather than ‘scientific’, information relating to the phases of themoon. The Qur’ān, without going into a detailed astronomical discussion, speaks ofthe function of the moon and its role in people’s daily life. The Qur’ān did notembark on an explanation of the moon’s position within the solar system or therelative movement of stars, planets and galaxies, although this is implied in thequestion.What significance, then, does the answer given in the Qur’ān imply? The principalobjective of the Qur’ān was the creation and promotion of a new conception of life ina new social, political and economic order. Indeed, it was working towards thecreation of a new human community, with a special role of leadership in the world. Itwas developing a new model of human society, the like of which had not beenknown before, to uphold a new way of life that would firmly establish essentialuniversal features and principles which the rest of mankind would look up to andemulate.A scientific answer would undoubtedly have provided the Prophet’s followerswith theoretical knowledge about the universe, to add to their meagre understandingof it. Indeed, it is doubtful that the Arabs knew enough about astronomy at that timeto be able to make use of further theoretical information, which would have requiredan understanding of basic principles and phenomena that were beyond all scientificprogress achieved in the world up to that time.The Qur’ān avoided a scientific answer because people were not ready for it, andit would have been of little use for the universal mission the Qur’ān was revealed tofulfil. Its role was far greater than the mere dissemination of detailed knowledge. TheQur’ān was never intended to be a book on astronomy, chemistry or medicine, assome of its admirers and detractors try, each for their own different purposes, todemonstrate.These attempts betray a lack of understanding of the nature of the Qur’ān, itsfunction and scope. It is mainly concerned with the human soul and the state anddirection of the human condition. Its purpose is to establish a broad view of theworld in which we exist and its relationship with the Creator, and a general outlineof man’s position in this world and his relationship with the Creator. On the basis ofthese broad concepts, the Qur’ān goes on to establish a way of life which enablesman to apply all his skills and abilities, not least his intellectual faculties. Once theseare properly and correctly developed, they are given full freedom, through219