The Concept of Order and the Reconstruction of the Qur’anic Worldview
A critical reading of the use of modernist concepts and their projection onto the Qur’anic discourse:

By: Dr. Omar Al-Shafeea

Smoothing:
For example, the expression “Qur’anic text” is inaccurate because the Qur’an is not a text but a saying, and if we reflect on the concept of “text” as it is formed in modern study, the difference between it and the Qur’anic saying will become clear. When I recorded a previous podcast titled “The System of Qur’anic Saying”, I then realized the inaccuracy of this expression because of my introduction of the concept of “system” and “system” to the Qur’anic Saying; therefore, I have avoided it since then and this article is only some nuggets in this critical path.
The concept of “order” is one of the most frequently used concepts in contemporary Islamic discourse, whether in the context of the universe, law, society, or the state; it is often used as an intuitive, self-evidently positive concept that is assumed in such Islamic discourse to reflect the Qur’anic worldview; however, this assumption is often not subject to rigorous conceptual or Qur’anic scrutiny.
This article starts from the central thesis that the problem with the concept of order is not only linguistic, i.e. not that it does not appear in the Qur’an, but that it is a problem of vision and knowledge, affecting the way we see the world, man and revelation, and the relationship between them. Therefore, the critique of this concept does not aim to deny regularity or rationality, but rather to free the Qur’anic vision from the projection of imported modernist concepts that distort its internal horizon.
These issues are summarized in the following points:
First: The term system, as a modern concept rather than a Quranic one, has historically emerged in specific contexts, most notably:
– The modern state.
– Centralized management.
– Machine-oriented natural sciences.
– Social engineering.
Moreover, it is a concept that comes with implicit assumptions, the most important of which are:
– Having a center that coordinates and organizes relationships.
– The world is reducible to a structure that can be deconstructed and reworked.
– Operability and control.
– Moral neutrality.
When this concept is transferred to the Quranic discourse without question, it turns from a tool of interpretation into a coercive lens through which the Quranic saying is reshaped, instead of meaning emerging from within it. This is where the trouble begins, as the Quran is read not as it is, but as we want it to be in accordance with the system’s perception.
II: Conceptualizing the world in the Qur’an as a network of relationships
The Qur’an does not present the world as a closed system or a self-contained structure, but as a world of relationships. Relationship is the fundamental unit of understanding, not part or whole.
The Quranic world consists of:
– Verses, not items
– Signals, not components
– Invitations to look, not neutral descriptions
In the Qur’anic perspective, a verse is not part of a system, but a semantic event and a divine call:
– Understanding
– position
– Response
Hence, the Qur’an does not describe the world as it is in itself, but as it should be understood ontologically and ethically; hence the requirement to listen and hear when reading it.
III: The alleged neutrality of the regime versus Koranic morality
The most dangerous thing known about the concept of order is that it is morally neutral, meaning that the system works whether man is unjust or just, righteous or corrupt. This is what the Qur’an cannot be characterized as, as the Qur’an links the movement of history and the prosperity and collapse of societies to the human attitude:

“Allah does not change what is in a people until they change what is in themselves.” Surah Al-Ra’d, verse 11

“And those villages We destroyed when they were unjust, and We made a promise for those who destroyed them.”[ Al-Kahf: 59] [ Al-Kahf: 59]

This is not an operating rule, but an ethical code.
The difference is fundamental:
– The regime interprets the facts
– The Sunnis hold the perpetrators accountable
The introduction of the concept of order empties the Qur’anic vision of its deep moral dimension.
IV: The Illusion of Self-Sufficiency and the Elimination of Stewardship
The language of the system implies that the world:
– Self-powered
– Internally Completed
– Independent in its continuation
The Qur’an insists on denying this illusion:

“Allah, there is no god but He who is the living and the resurrected” (Al-Imran 2)
“Every day is a matter of affairs” (al-Rahman 29)

The Qiyumiyyah here is not a technical management, but a permanent resurrection of the divine act; and the Qiyumiyyah of Allah Almighty is a great help to those who make their prayers and salat and have people who are active in the event of guidance and speech.
The world is not run as a system, it is set up in every moment.
To replace this stewardship with the language of order is, in essence, to turn the divine act into a function.
V: The Sunnah as an Alternative Quranic Framework
In contrast to the concept of order, the Qur’an introduces the concept of sunnan as the broadest and most accurate framework for understanding the regularity of the world.
Sunnen:
– is fixed in direction.
– Flexible in realization.
– and conditioned by human action

“The Sunnah of Allah in those who have gone before. And you will not find a change in the Sunnah of Allah.” Al-Ahzab 62

The constancy here is not mechanical, but semantic and moral, and the Sunnah does not cancel freedom, but holds it responsible.
VI: From “System of Religion” to Human Guidance
The popularization of the concept of order has led to a clear tendency towards:
– Engineering Religion
– Compilation of judgments
– Turning revelations into blueprints
But the Qur’an does not present itself as such:
– System Constitution
– No playlist
but as:
– Guidance and reminders
– Consciousness-raising
– and redirecting the human path.
Religion in the Quran is lived before it is organized.
It is understood ontologically before it is institutionalized.

Conclusion of the article:

This article concludes that the concept of “order”, despite its seeming rationality, is not consistent with the deep structure of the Qur’anic vision.
The Qur’an does not deny regularity (in the sense of consistency and coordination), but it refuses to reduce existence to a structure, revelation to a blueprint, and man to an operator.
The Quranic alternative is not anarchy:
– Sunnahs instead of systems.
– Balance instead of geometry.
– A gift of an operating allowance.
– Replace management.
Without this conceptual shift, contemporary Qur’anic discourse will remain captive to concepts that do not belong to its language and words, nor to its spirit and light.