Pre-Islamic Quran
Written by: Anwar Goins (e-mail: anwargoi@sas.upenn.edu)

The Koran(Qur'an) is pre-Islamic. It is not an Islamic work.

One may wonder what I mean by this.

Well, first let us admit that any Muslim must validate his faith with the Qur'an. Every Muslim knows and will proudly proclaim that the Qur'an started his/her religion specifically called "Islam."

Moreover, most will say that Islam (Al-Islaamu) means "Submission to God" however, other Muslims have different interpretations and this particular one is a Shafi'ee interpretation. In the aspect of Islam meaning Submission to God it is quite logical and understandable that a Muslim would say that the Quran didn't start Islam and that Islam is not new, because the concept of "submission to God" is not new. However it is completely wrong to say that Al-Islaamu means submission to God.

Let's go back, let's say, a year before the Koran was revealed. This time and earliear is called Pre-Islamic or wrongly "jahileeyah"(a word which means time of ignorance) by Muslims. In this Pre-Islamic period and in Pre-Islamic Arabic, the word 'Al-Islaamu' and the word 'muslim'(properly muslimun) did exist. The former meant 'Submission or the submission' and the latter meant 'one who submits/a submissive one.' That is it! God is nowhere implied in these words, remember the religious interpretation that Al-Islaamu means submission to the will of God is a Shafi'ee interpration and after the Koran.

Now the Koran is revealed. It is in this same pre-Islamic Arabic, hence it uses the words Al-Islaamu and Muslimun in the same pre-Islamic sense. The Koran never changes the meaning of the words Muslimun or Al-Islaamu. It never, in its pages, redefines these words to mean 'submission to God' or anything else. So now you understand what I mean when i say that the Koran is pre-Islamic. Since it never redefines the words 'muslimun' or 'Al-Islaamu' it can ONLY be using them in their Pre-Islamic senses. Therefore to interpret the Koran with Arabic Islamic vocabulary instead of using the Pre-Islamic Arabic meanings, being the Non-Modern, Non-Islamic and Arabic form-related meanings, is taking the Koran out of context. By this taking out of context only wrong interpretations and confusion have come about. It is like interpreting a 15th century English work as if it were speaking about locomotives because it uses the words 'conductor', 'tracks' or 'trains. Even though, the work never redefined or added meanings to these words.'

So when the Koran speaks on the faithful believers it is NOT talking about Muslims. When it speaks on taqwaa'(pre-Islamically=prudence) it is not speaking on 'fear of God' and most importantly when it uses the word 'Islam' it is not speaking on the religion of 'Islam.' The fact that the Koran is pre-Islamic is a solution to many problems people have with the Koran, and to use the Islamic Hadeeth, Islamic terminology or Islamic tradition and theology to interpret the Koran is an erroneous mistake, which have only and will only lead to more erroneous mistakes. (This is further elaborated upon in the article 'Not Islam, Not Christianity, Not Judaism).

What does the Quran promote? Submission to and for God (Al-Islaamu lillahi).

Who are the faithful beliviers it speaks of?

Surely, those who have been believers and have been faithful, amidst the Jews, the Nazarines and those who divert from these, are whoever would believe in God and the finality and work what is righteous, as righteous people. For these is their reward with their lord, having nothing to fear, and they will not be sad. The Reading/Qur'an 2:62

Also who are the 'pagans' and 'the people of the book? 'Mushrikun' the word usually translated as 'pagan' means 'one who who takes an equal'. The Koran condemns every 'mushrikun billaahi' or 'one who takes an equal with God' in profession or action. But it still does not advocate the making of war against these people unless in self-defense. Moreover, these people can also be amidst those who call themselves the 'faithful believers'. Also the phrase 'ahlul-kitaabi' usually translated as 'people of the book' and usually attributed to Christians and Jews can also mean 'people of scripture' or 'people of law and decree'. This includes the faithful believers who follow the Qur'an as well as any people who follows a scripture or follow some decree or law.

This above knowledge necesitates that the Koran be studied from a secular, non-Islamic Classical Arabic point of view. Also since Qur'anic Arabic was before the codification of Classical Arabic, and since Classical Arabic was codified using grammatical observations from the Koran and other Classical Arabic linguistic sources early in Islamic history when this language was still a native language, the rules that it may seem to break are actually indicators of what Classical Arabic truly is and how it was used in that time or of implied meanings that whether tasteful or not to Islam are valid and to be accepted and not hidden or distorted.(this in response to the issue of grammatical mistakes in the Qur'an which one may easily find on the net.)