You are asked A Content Analysis of the Qur'ānic Verses about Inquiring of the Prophet Muhammad

Abstract

Questioning can be a good starting point for a conversation and an interaction, particularly when it is needed and done deliberately. As one of the best expressive methods, questioning and answering is commonly used in Qur'ān. On the whole, 1260 explicit and implicit questions are asked in Qur'ān. Only in 18 chapters out of 114 chapters of Qur'ān, no question is asked. The questions have different addressees. Sometimes God inquires of the man; sometimes the Angles address God; some other times people ask one another. In some cases, people ask the Prophet (PBUH) their questions which are posed in either simple present tense "Yas'alunaka" or simple past tense "Sa'alaka". Out of thirteen questions, twelve questions were in the simple present and only one was posed in the simple past tense. In the present study, the researchers analyzed these questions based on Tafsīr-e-Nemunih and al-Mizān fī Tafsīr al-Qur'ān commentaries. The topics around which these questions mainly revolve include God, the phases of the moon, things to be spent in the way of God, War in the Holy months, win and gambling, Orphans, menses, lawful foods, Resurrection Day, spoils of war, soul, Dhul Qarnayn, and the mountains. The Prophet's (PBUH) wise responses to the questions and his concern about the needs of the audience in responding are two important findings of the study. Furthermore, the analyses showed how the Holy Prophet (PBUH) turned the threats into opportunities when someone asked undue questions and made the most of those opportunities.