Jarnhamar said:So if I understand it correctly Islamic scholars take it upon themselves to decipher the Koran and can basically come up with different rules and laws on their own? Like a thou shall not pokemon ruling?
George Wallace said:As English has evolved over the centuries, as has other languages, the original meanings of some words have changed over time and with context. It is likely that the Arabic languages are no different. This would be compounded, as well, as more words are added to a language to differentiate between the various nuances of a series of words for a certain thing.
George is 100% right, Arabic has changed over the last 1,400 years. So arabic speaking people who read the Quran and Hadith's are not getting the full understanding. It has not changed quite as much as english, but it is still changed.
Not all Islamic scholars are qualified to decipher the Quran and on top of that those qualified to decipher the Quran may, not be eligible to decipher Hadiths because they are two different areas of studies. A rough break down in order of easiness to toughest (roughly) is as follows and levels of knowledge.
1-Hafiz; someone who has memorized the Quran and nothing else, he can simply recite the entire Quran by memory. That is all, he may not even understand what he is saying, which is usually the case in areas like Pakistan and India.
2-Qari; Qari's have perfected the pronunciation and intonation of recitation of the Quran and nothing else, albeit sometimes they are also taught the correct way to perform prayer.
3-Alim; they usually have done 6 years of studies on average, usually only taking one month off a year for Ramadan and then 5 or 6 days a week in studies at Madrasah's or Darul Uloom's which are were the majority of Islamic scholars are certified in our own rites.
4-Mufti; they have completed their Alim studies and have usually done the Hafiz studies as well. They have performed more in depth studies and are able to give Quran tafsir on the spot due to extensive studies. But very rarely will they make their own. Mufti's have completed studies in the arabic language from the time of the prophet pbuh, to understand the linguistic nuances of the Quran to some extent and the historical context of the verses of when where and why the verse came down. Now mufti studies usually take an extra 2 or 3 years on top of Alim studies, but they can continue for many many years depending on how deep they wish to go.
Some Mufti's specialize in Quranic tafsir, or explanation of Hadiths, or the different legal rulings, or different spiritual aspects and how they pertain in this day and age. So just because someone is a Mufti doesnt mean he will create a explanation for you, but it does mean generally he can give you one from one of the tafsirs already in existence. But having said that, you have to go to the right Alim for what you wish to understand...
Now I have big and serious issues with people who circumvent 8-10 years of studies and make up their own opinions on the Quran and Hadiths. I dont mind anyone taking time to do these studies and give Tafsir, but until a person understands the language and context fully, I believe they should keep their yap shut.
Abdullah