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The Holy Qur'an is also the strongest argument of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz

 

To every Prophet, Allah gave some miracles, but gone are the Prophets and their miracles. As for Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), since he is the Last and Greatest Messenger with the universal message of Islam, God gave him a timeless miracle, and that miracle is the Holy Qur’an. It has often been argued that the Qur'an is not only the first book, and the highest linguistic achievement, of the Arabic language, but that it is also the strongest argument of Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) against those who doubt his divine mission.

The Holy Qur’an is indeed a miracle in many aspects, some of which are its exclusive eloquence of the Qur’an, its inimitable quality, the amazing divulging of scientific facts by the Qur’an many of which modern sciences is only beginning to discover, the accuracy of the historical records in the Qur’an, it’s astounding predictions, and it’s challenge which none have been able to meet over the past fourteen centuries. In ayah 27 of Surah Houd, God Almighty says:

 “This Qur’an is not such as can be produced by other than Allah, on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that were sent before it, and a full explanation of the book, wherein there is not doubt from the Lord of the worlds.”

Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), to whom Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) information every minute detail of the holy Qur’an, says in this regard: It is a light whose radiance shall not be extinguished; It is a lamp whose flame shall not die; It is an ocean whose depth cannot be fathomed; It is a path which shall not lead astray; It is a blaze whose brilliance shall not be darkened; It is a criterion whose evidence shall not be suppressed; It is a cure with which there is no fear of ailments; It is a power whose supporters cannot be defeated; It is the source of faith and its prosperity; it is the fountain-head of knowledge and its vastness; and God has made it the quencher of the thirst of scholars.

This brilliant oration reviews many important points which call for careful reflection. For instance, by saying that the Qur’an is ‘a lamp whose flame shall not die, Imam Ali (AS) means, as he does in many other statements in this oration, that the Qur’an is a book whose significance shall not be exhausted. It will remain fresh and new until the Day of Resurrection. An ayah may have been sent down regarding a specific occasion or community, yet its relevance is not limited to that occasion, person, or community; rather, its signification and applicability are general. Imam Ali (AS) further says: “The Qur’an lives and will not die; the ayahs live and will not die. If an ayah were to die with the death of the persons concerning whom it came down, then the Qur’an would have definitely died. Rather, such a verse would continue to apply to those who are alive as it did to those who died.”

The holy Qur’an is thus essential for those scholars who are interested in the study of man and society, since this book has been effectively instrumental not only in molding the destinies of Islamic societies, but also in shaping the destiny of the human race as a whole.

A brief glance over history would be enough to provide sufficient proof of the claim that there has been no such book that has ever influenced human societies to the magnitude of the Qur'an. It is for the same reason that the Qur'an automatically steps into the precincts of sociological discussions, and becomes the elemental constituent of the subjects of research in this discipline. This means that any deep study and profound research in the field of world history of the last fourteen hundred years, is impossible without the knowledge of the Qur'an.

Orient list Smith writes in his book Mohammad and Islam: “The teachings of the Qur’an, which mentions knowledge and the pen in its opening verses, brought about a tremendous transformation. Islam proclaimed study to be a religious duty, and made the blank ink of the scribe and the scholar to be superior to the red blood of the martyr. Thanks to the teachings of the Qur’an and its emphasis on the cultivation of knowledge, countless scholars made their appearance and wrote innumerable books. Different scientific disciplines were derived from the Qur’an and spread across the world by Muslim thinkers. The world was illumined with the light of the Qur’an and culture of Islam”.

Thus in view of these undeniable facts, the study and knowledge of the holy Qur'an is essential not only for Scholars and Philosophers, but for everyone: an ordinary person, a student, a worker, a trader, a learned person as well as for all faithful believers. The study of the Qur'an is essential for every committed Muslim, since it is the main source and foundation of the religious thought and faith. Whatsoever gives meaning, essence and sanctity to his existence lies in the Holy Qur'an.

In short, the Qur'an has been sent by God for all ages and for all human beings. It is so composed that in spite of changes in knowledge, outlook and approach through various times and ages, it surpasses all learning and knowledge in all ages. While it encompasses mysteries and abstruse intricacies for the reader of every age, at the same time it presents a great feast of meanings and ideas that can satiate the needs of every one and every time in accordance with the capacity of that particular age.

Therefore, the Qur’an is for all: the learned as well as the ordinary reader. To make this concept clear, we can compare the holy Qur’an to an ocean. The less earned, like children, collect pebbles and shells from its shores. The Scholars and thinkers, like pearl divers, bring out from it the highest philosophy, wisdom and rules of perfect way of living.

The Holy Qur’an invites mankind to ponder and recognize the Creator

Japanese Islamologist Toshihiko Izutsu in his book titled "God and Mankind" has attempted to understand the lofty message of the holy Qur’an. He says, the holy Qur’an presents the concept of God as the source and centre of all phenomena, with all knowledge and power belong to Him.

The Qur’an then invites mankind, the best of God’s creation, to ponder and recognize the Creator, Whose Majesty is all evident in the universe. The teachings of the Qur’an are aimed at arousing mankind to the purpose of life and the eventual destination. This image can be clearly seen in Surah Tin. Ayahs 4 to 8 of this Surah remind mankind that path towards salvation lies in faith coupled with good deeds and abstention from evil.

In the ayahs of the holy Qur’an, psychological and spiritual characteristics of mankind have been taken into consideration. Here we cite some ayahs which refer to the negative characteristics of mankind. Ayah 34 of Surah Ibrahim says:

"Indeed man is most unfair and ungrateful!"

Ayah 11 of Surah al-Isra’ reads:

"Man prays for ill as [avidly as] he prays for good, and man is overhasty."

Elsewhere in the same Surah, ayah 67 we read:

"And man is very ungrateful."

In 83 of Surah al-Isra’, we discover:

"When We bless man, he is disregardful and turns aside; but when an ill befalls him, he is despondent."

Ayahs 6 and 7 of Surah al-Alaq say:

"Indeed man becomes rebellious"

"When he considers himself without need"

Several ayahs of the holy Qur’an also refer to the positive characteristics of human beings. For instance he called the Caliph of God on earth. Other ayahs introduce the virtuous persons who traverse the path of perfection to achieve higher human degrees. The Qur’an instills in the human being the perception to understand the true meaning of the beauty of piety, and ugliness of evil. In other words, some people lie because they do not understand the beauty of honesty. So such characteristics should be properly controlled. The goal of the holy Qur’an is to guide mankind towards real prosperity in life and salvation in afterlife.

For instance, in ayah 8 of Surah Maidah, the holy Quran calls on human being to deal with others even with enemies in a just and fair manner, because oppression is not a positive characteristic. In order to promote the moral of friendship and affection in human being, the holy Qur’an calls on mankind to first show respect to parents and then to relatives in order to promote the spirit of affection and brotherhood in the society. The mercy, affection, kindness, and forgiveness of God Almighty are infinite.

The doors of repentance are always wide open for the penitents. The ayahs of the Qur’an emphasize on this characteristic of God in order to instill in man this egalitarian spirit towards fellow humans, whose faults ought to be overlooked. In this regard, some exegetes point at Surah Hujurat which contains a series of valuable moral and social messages, and called it the Surah of Ethics.

For instance Ayahs 11 and 12 of Surah Hujurat read:

"O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust."

O you who believe! Avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others.

These ayahs address both men and women and the message is to refrain from ridiculing others. The false sense of pride, egotism and self-superiority are the factors behind tension, clashes, wars and bloodshed throughout history. If the message of the holy Qur’an is correctly implemented the society will be free of evil.

In the Qur’anic logic, it is not good to suspect others and be curious about the private life or disclosure of the deficiencies of others. Islam strives to establish real security in the society and such security is materialized only in a society whose members are adorned with faith and ethics. Generally the holy Qur’an by expressing moral values presents lofty concepts in the form to inculcate in us the sense of spiritual beauty. Once human beings experience the good sense of self-sacrifice, resistance, peace, patience and generosity, they automatically step towards virtues and happiness. This is indeed among the eternal miracles of the holy Qur’an.

The Holy Qur'an introduces itself as the manifest light

The Qur'an introduces itself as the guidance for the worlds and as the manifest light. According to the Qur'an, Allah has laid down solution of every human problem in the Qur'an itself in very clear manner.

For instance, in ayah 89 of Surah Nahl, the Almighty Creator says: “We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything."

The Holy Qur'an is the book which by sound reasoning bestows insight upon man. It shows the right path by giving the accounts of the Prophets and the nations of the past. As we explained in our early episodes of this series, it motivates us through parables, exhortations and admonitions.

In ayah 49 of Surah Houd, God says: “Such are some of the stories of the unseen, which We have revealed unto you; before this neither you nor your people knew them. So persevere patiently, for the end is for those who are righteous.”

Among the functions of the Qur'an is to deliver people from darkness and guide them towards light, as God says in ayah 1 of Surah Ibrrahim: “A Book We have sent down to you so that you may bring forth mankind from the darkness into the light......”.

What is the meaning of darkness mentioned in the ayah that we recited? Without doubt the darkness of ignorance is one of the vices from which the Qur'an emancipates humanity and leads it towards the light of knowledge and wisdom. However, if merely ignorance were regarded as darkness, then the philosophers could have accomplished this job. But there exist other evils more dangerous than the vice of ignorance, and to subdue them is beyond the power of sheer knowledge. Among them are the vices of worship of material benefits, egoism, enslavement to desires, and greed, which are considered to be personal and moral vices. Social vices like oppression and discrimination manifest the spiritual darkness of a society.

In Arabic, the word zulm, which means injustice and oppression, is derived from the same root as zulmah, which means darkness, and which shows that injustice is a form of social and spiritual darkness. To struggle against such forms of darkness is the responsibility and mission of the Qur'an. The exegetes of the Qur'an emphasize the point that whenever the Qur'an mentions darkness, it always uses it in the plural form although it always uses light in its singular form. This means that the word ‘darkness’ includes all sorts of darkness, all of the evil ways that lead towards darkness, and that ‘light’ signifies one single right path --the path of righteousness, whereas the ways of deviation and perversion are many. In ayah 255 of Surah al-Baqarah, the Qur'an says: “God is the Protector of the believers; He brings them forth from the darkness into the light. And the unbelievers --their protectors are taghut (devils), that bring them forth from the light into the darkness ...”

Thus the Qur'an determines its goal to be the breaking of the chains of ignorance, misguidance, moral and social corruption and destruction, or in other words, to dissipate all sorts of ‘darkness’ and to guide humanity in the direction of ‘justice, goodness and light’.

No pen is capable of describing the excellence and magnificence of the Glorious Qur'an. This statement is absolutely correct, because while describing the Holy Qur'an, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) to whom God had revealed this most perfect heavenly scripture, has said: “The superiority of the Speech of God over other speeches is like the superiority of God over His creatures.” In view of the words of the Prophet, let us ponder and reflect upon what he himself as the the teacher of the Quran, has said about the excellence of the Holy Qur'an. Here we present you some of the hadith regarding the Qur'an: "When mischief come to confuse you like the segments of darkened night, then hold fast to the Qur'an;

"It is the intercessor whose intercession shall be granted (by God);"

"Whoever keeps it before him, it will lead him to the Garden; and whoever keeps it behind, it will drive him to the Fire;"

"There are in it the lamps of guidance and the beacon of wisdom, and guide to knowledge for him who knows the attributes."

Before departing from the world, as per the command of God Almighty, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in his famous statement called Hadith Thaqalayn said: “I am leaving behind among you two precious things; as long as you hold fast to them you will never go astray after me: The Book of Allah and my progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt; and these two shall never separate from each other until they reach me (at) the fountain of (Kowsar in paradise)”.

This hadith is a clear indication that without the Ahl al-Bayt many of the wonders of the holy Qur'an cannot be understood properly nor can one expect the complete and the most perfect form of guidance towards Allah and eternal bliss. The Prophet's divinely-appointed vicegerent, Imam Ali (AS), who is often called the Qur'an an-Nateq or the "Speaking Qur'an", has said:

"In it is the information about those who were before you and what will come after you, and it will be the judge among you."

"Whoever seeks guidance in anything other than it, God will leave him astray."

"It is the firm rope of God."

"With it, hearts will never deviate, nor will the tongues utter confusion."

"Whoever utters it speaks the truth, whoever rules by it is just; whoever abides by it will receive his just reward; and whoever calls for it shall be guided to the straight path. Follow it.”

The Oaths in the Holy Qur'an 

The oaths in the holy Qur'an are generally for two purposes. First, the oaths pertain to the importance of the subject which the oath is made to. Second, they pertain to the importance of the affairs, themselves, since oaths are always made to great matters. In this way, the oaths taken by God Almighty make us contemplate on the wonders of creation. 

In other words, these oaths arouse consciousness and proper cognizance of the goals of life. For instance, when a person says 'I swear by my life that what I say is true,' he/she actually creates a kind of relationship between his statements and his life and means to say that in the same manner as my life is valuable; my words are worthy as well. Whoever swears by God for assuming the responsibility of doing something, he/she vows to certainly do it for the sake of God's glory. 

According to exegetes of the holy Qur'an, God Almighty by taking oaths directs our attention towards the earth, the sky and whatever between them, in order to stimulate our minds and encourage us to firm our faith as well as embark upon exploring the different branches of science and knowledge. For instance, when God says: "By the Sun and its brightness", it is a reference to the fact that the sun plays a most important role in our life and in the life of all living creatures on the earth, because it is not only a source of heat and energy (the essential factors necessary for life), but it is also the origin of some other life-giving factors such as; winds, rainfall, plants, rivers and waterfalls. In addition the mineral sources; oil, coal, and the like, all depend on the sunlight so that if this world-illuminating-lamp ceased one day, darkness, silence and death would dominate everywhere. 

To be more specific, the Sun is the creation of God, and its orderly course is among the blessings of the Almighty Creator for the human beings, the best of creation. God Almighty then takes an oath on the brightness by using the word "zuha", which means 'those hours of the morning which follow shortly after sunrise', and, depict the full brightness of the sun after the end of night. It is emphasis on the glory of sunlight that dominates the land.  In the same surah, God says: "By the night when it enshrouds it." Here the reference is to the important of the Night, with all its blessings and effects, which, on the one hand, moderates the heat of the sun and, on the other, brings quietude to living things – all of which are completely necessary for life. Night provides human beings and the majority of living creatures, with rest. If the darkness of night did not exist and the sun were to shine continuously, there would be no tranquility, because the piercing heat of the sun would destroy everything. 

Another of God's oath reads: "By the Earth and He Who spread it." These words are indeed thought-provoking, since the Earth is the cradle of life for human beings and all living creatures, with all its wonders, such as mountains, seas, valleys, forests, springs, rivers, mines, and other precious sources. All these are firm indication of Divine Signs, each of which, if studied intelligently, is an evidence of God's might and wisdom. More important than the Earth is the Creator of the Earth Who spreads it out, since at the beginning the earth was totally submerged under water. Then gradually the water subsided into the low lands causing high points of land to appear and spread which is called "dahw-ul-ardh". 

Continuous heavy rains washed the high lands and, thereby, filled the valleys, so, little by little, dry level lands appeared, becoming suitable for human beings to live and farm on it. Some commentators believe that there is also a slight hint, in this sense, to the movement of the Earth, because one of the meanings of "tahw" is 'repel' and it may point to the 'driving' of the Earth around the sun or around itself or both of them. God then takes another important oath by saying: "And by the soul and He who perfected it," It is a reference to the pivotal position of mankind in the world of creation, since the human race is the best of creation; the best on the earth and in the heavens. 

The human soul is one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. Its importance is so much so that Allah swears by it and by its Maker, both. Here the reference is also to the proportion of man's soul and his spiritual faculties including external and internal senses such as comprehension, memory, apprehension, imagination, faculty of origination, love, will, and the like, all of which can be studied in psychology. 

In the next ayah, after focusing on the shaping and perfecting of the soul, God says: "Then inspired it to understand what is wrong and (what is) right for it," 

It means that God taught mankind to discriminate between right and wrong. This is the most precious gift of all granted exclusively to the human race. Thus, an entity created from clay and into which God has breathed spirit, is made to understand what is sin, impiety, and wrong doing and what is piety and right conduct. It is to make man learn that his success, prosperity, salvation, and position, where he can be in a rank higher than the angels, depends on himself, on his keeping his soul pure as Allah has made it. On the other hand, his failure, his decline to the lowest degree even lower than beasts, and his perdition depends on himself, and his polluting of his soul by choosing evil. 

Sometimes in the holy Qur'an, the oaths taken by God are at counter intellectual deviation, paganism and superstitions. For instance, in order to refute the allegations that the Almighty has a son and that the angels are His daughters, God swears by His Own Glory to dispel the thoughts of human attributes in Him, and warns the accusers that they will be questioned on the day of resurrection for their blasphemy. These oaths are indeed a firm proof of the eternally miracle nature of the holy Qur'an.

 

 

 

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