30 Preface وَقالَ الرَّسولُ يا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَومِي اتَّخَذوا هٰذَا القُرآنَ مَهجورًاAhmed AliThe prophet will say: “O my Lord, my people had fettered the Qur’an.”1 A horse or camel tied head to foot was called mahjoor, and the rope used for tying it, al-hijaar, (Taj). The Qur’an today is thus fettered by custom and tradition, hearsay reports compiled centuries later, and laws and bye-laws enacted by men, each group having its own fiqah and shariah, which are held more sacrosanct and given precedence over the uncreated Word of God, the Qur’an. See also note to verse 6:117.