Key Feature of Man Based on Quranic Verses
Verses 1 to 4 of Surah Ar-Rahman reads: “The Merciful has taught the Quran. He created the human and taught him its pronunciation.”
Some may say that “He created the human” should come earlier than “has taught the Quran”. However, interpreters believe that there has been a reason for this sequence; they believe what makes us humans is the role and presence of the Quran in our lives.
Some experts in the field of logic or other sciences define human as an animal that possesses the ability to think. However, Surah Ar-Rahman notes that humans are created only when they have learned the Quran. Accordingly, if we want to define humans with a combination of these two perspectives, we can say that they are animals that possess Quranic thinking. After learning the Quran and growing its teachings in themselves, humans will be able to remove ambiguities from their words and convey their message clearly.
Individuals who are equipped with the Quran will have a different understanding of themselves and the world and their words become clear for others to understand. The Quran refers to this clarity as “Bayan”.
One will get acquainted with various aspects of his/her internal needs by reading and reflecting on the Quran. Basically, there are two ways for people to recognize their needs; one is based on the understanding that one has of himself/herself of the one that is imposed by society. The second approach, which is also the best one, is that individuals refer to the book inside them i.e. the Quran: “Now, We have sent down to you a Book in which is your Remembrance. Will you not understand?” (Surah Al-Anbiya, verse 10) The Quran bears the remembrance of humans and hence, we can understand our needs based on this book and then try to resolve them in the next step.
