It is for this reason that the Qur`an requires an interpreter.

It is for this reason that the Qur`an requires an interpreter. The first exegete of the Qur`an is the Qur`an itself. According to the Qur`an the next interpreter is the Prophet (ص) and then the Imams (ع). In the wake of the Infallibles, scholars have striven to collect ahadith related to the exegesis of the Qur`an. Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (ع) says, “This is Allah’s book. Through it you gain insight. Through it you speak. And through it you hear. Some of its verses explain others.

Some of its verses bear witness to others.”[^8] It was the practice of the Imams (ع) to bring several disparate verses together in order to derive a law. They would explain the meaning of the verses to their disciples. The Qur`an states: “I swear by the places where the stars set. Indeed it is a great oath, should you know.

This is indeed a noble Qur`an, in a guarded Book—no one touches it except the pure—gradually sent down from the Lord of the Worlds.” [^9] And in another place it says: “Allah only desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you thoroughly.” [^10] According to these two verses, it is the Prophet (ص) and his household that are pure and have a comprehensive knowledge of the Qur`an.

In other verses the Qur`an introduces the Prophet as its exegete and commands the believers to submit to his command.[^11] In turn, the Prophet (ص) has introduced the members of his household as the inseparable cohorts of the Qur`an. He informed us that the two can never diverge and that neither one suffices us of the other.[^12] For this reason, we not only need to work to understand the Qur`an, but must also struggle to comprehend the traditions of the Infallibles.

Accordingly, we must investigate the tools that will enable us to comprehend these two bodies of knowledge and the obstacles we must overcome to comprehend them.

The prerequisites for understanding the Qur`an and ahadith are of two kinds: One must attain a purity of soul and a desire to seek the truth so that he can approach the “pure ones.” As the Qur`an says, “Only the humble can be reminded.” From the other side, one must eliminate arrogance and prejudice and approach the Qur`an with fear and humility, for just as arrogance distances one from Allah’s (awj) proximity, so does it blind the heart, thereby preventing it from comprehending the Qur`an.

The exoteric prerequisites for understanding the Qur`an are as follows: a.