Different Interpretations of the Quran - Essay Example

The presence of two texts, however, causes misunderstandings and is seen as one of the reasons for the emergence of different readings of the Quran following the establishment of the religion. The rearrangement of the chapters of the Quran by Uthman ibn Affan, a companion of the prophet, was another reason for the changing interpretations of the Quran in the Muslim world following the death of the prophet (Davidmann).

The division of the Muslims into Shias and Sunnis was also a reason for the different interpretations of the Quran. The difference, initiated by a difference in political viewpoints between two groups escalated into differences in the way the very religion and its basic text was viewed and this led to changes in the way prayer and other rituals were conducted. How these rituals are to be done is a part of the Quran; however, the different interpretations cause them to be done with variations (Shuster).

There was a period following this when there was no animosity between the Christians and the Muslims and thus, interpretations of the controversial clause of jihad remained the same as it was in earlier times. During this period, the similarity in certain teachings of the Quran and the Bible were accepted without any enmity and there was mutual trust as a result of this (Muslim-Christian Relations, The Good, the Bad). Later on, however, with an increase in the amount of contact with Christian and other religious ideologies, the interpretations of the Quran underwent changes.

This was a result of mostly western thought upon these interpretations. Apart from this, there was the influence of the thought of the east as well. The spread of Islam to different parts of the world like the Indian subcontinent meant that it could not be free from the interpretations that were affected by these schools of thought. The rise of the Sufi schools of thought was based upon an interpretation of the Quran that sought unity with other religions in general and Hinduism in particular.