The Need for an Additional Qualification

INTERPRETATION BASED ON PERSONAL INSIGHT Interpreting the Quran based on one’s personal opinion without proper knowledge and understanding is a sinful act. If someone deliberately misrepresents the meaning of any verse in the Quran, it is regarded as distortion (tahrif) (Quran 2:75), and such distortion is undoubtedly an unforgivable offence in the eyes of the Quran. This matter is so delicate that even if someone interprets the Quran accurately—yet does so solely based on personal opinion—there remains a risk of it leading to sin. A hadith states that the Prophet Muhammad said: “Whoever speaks about the Book of God based on his own opinion, and even if he is right, he has still made a mistake.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 3652) Explaining the Quran’s meaning without meeting the proper requirements for interpretation—and relying solely on one’s own reasoning—is a careless approach. Therefore, even if such an individual’s interpretation happens to be correct by chance, they are still considered at fault due to their reckless method. Such a person cannot be rewarded for arriving at the right interpretation.