How would you justify the approach that suggests that each verse of the Quran has only one true and exact meaning as per the reference to the context, if, as you say, nobody today can claim to possess 100 percent truth? What was Maulana Islahi’s approach regarding this issue?
Answer
Maulana Islahi used to say that every ayat can have only one correct meaning given its wordings and context. This statement to me means that the opinion that several different, often conflicting, possibilities for a verse – mentioned by many exegetes – is not correct, because when the Almighty wants to say something, He says it clearly. His statements mean one clear thing. Therefore, Maulana himself would normally insist that a particular verse means just one thing. I don’t have any dispute with that except that the mortal who is presenting his views should tell people that what he himself suggests is, in the end, just his own view and he must offer arguments in support of his viewpoint. People should then decide on their own whether what the ‘Alim’ is saying is right or wrong.