Interpretation and Its Pitfalls

There are many different ways to be a Muslim.  Muslims are people called upon to submit to the will of Allah.  And the will of Allah is written in the Qu’ran.  But once it is written it requires interpretation.  And therein lies the rub.  Once you have a written text you cannot control who reads the text, who interprets the text, the way they interpret the text, and the way they act after they interpret the text.  This is the great blessing and the terrible curse inherent in having your revelation come through a scripture.  This is true for Muslims, Christians Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and any other religion that possesses a scripture

Interpretation is loaded with all sorts of cultural preconceptions, self serving commitments, and the desire for power.  When a person believes or thinks that he or she really understands a text, it means they have control of that text.  Interpretation is all wrapped up in the possibility of self deception.  This does not mean we ought not engage in interpretation.  It is inevitable and necessary.  The very text beckons us.  But interpretation is best done within a community of readers who can call each other out and tell each other that we/you might be wrong.  Interpretation requires humility for it to be effective. Interpretation of any text is by nature tentative and only a glimpse of its meaning.  So, be careful, think that you may be wrong.