The Holy Qur’an
Allah’s Magnificent Bequest to Humanity
The greatest miracle for which we bless Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S every moment of the day worldwide is the Holy Qur'an.
He was unlettered. No one could ascribe the revelations to his own authorship. Allah has challenged the unbelievers, humans as well as jinns, to band together and produce, if they can, even a small chapter of comparable grandeur and truth.
None could even attempt it: "Say: if the whole of Mankind and Jinns were to come together to produce the like of the Qur'an, they will not be able to produce anything like it, even if they backed up and helped each other (to the utmost)". (Holy Qur'an: Surath Bani Isra'yeel: 88)
The text is 100% authentic and has remained in perfect and inviolate form through the 1,419 years and more that have passed since it came to us. The Holy Qur’an is the everlasting, unchanging and unchangeable word of Allah, (the original text of which is) preserved for us forever, in the seventh heaven, where the most exalted throne of Allah is:
Bal huva Qur’anum Majeed fee Lav’him Mah’fooz!
“It is the Glorious Qur’an on a most guarded and preserved tablet.”
(Surath al Burooj: 21-22)
The Holy Qur’an is the most ancient of all Holy Books. And by the Grace and Glory of Allah it has remained with us Muslims in its most authentic form, inviolable and inviolate. Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has informed us: “Allah wrote a document two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth. This is kept near His Throne. He revealed (to humanity) the two aayaath with which He concluded Surath al-Baqarah. If they are recited in a house for three consecutive nights, the Shaythaan will not approach it.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 4/274 and recorded in Saheeh al-Jaami). Please read the translation of these two aayaath in the chapter on FAQ’s at the end of the book.
] It is the mother of all sciences. The more closely we read it and understand its deep and yet deeper meaning, the more of the mysteries of the universe we are able to solve.
The very first Revelation that was brought to Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S. on his initiation as the Last and Final Prophet of Allah in the cave of Hira
Adam, the first man’s aspiration for “Ilm”, the most precious bequest, that earned us, from Allah, the title to primacy over all other creations.
“Read! In the name of your Lord, read!
And your Lord is the Most Gracious
(Who) teaches (you how to use) the pen,
teaches you that which you knew not (before).
(Surath al Alakh: 1-5 excerpts).
Islam therefore upholds knowledge as the key to our spiritual awakening and to our recording higher and higher achievement in all departments of life here and in the hereafter.
With sound reason and irrefutable evidence the Holy Qur’an demolishes the antiquated structures of ancient thought and beliefs built on conjecture. The Book of Allah conveys true knowledge and wisdom to us. These are divine bequests of inestimable value that can never be had from any other source.
It was Islam that ushered in, and still upholds, the ‘modern’ scientific temperament. The Holy “Qur’an decries myths, legends and guess work: “Opinion and wishful thinking can never take the place of knowledge” (Surah 53rd:an Naj’m:, The Star: 28). It wants us to break out of these fetters from the past and to earn the Approval of Allah, our Creator and realize the high destiny He has specified for us.
As the great Imam Abu Hanifa R.A.A. says in his celebrated treatise Al Fiqh al Akbar:
The Holy Qur’an is undoubtedly the word of Allah,
preserved in writing and in our memory, recited by our tongues and
conveyed to us by the Prophet of Islam S.A.W.S..
The Holy Qur'an will ever remain the best guide to all humanity on
how to conduct our lives,
how to overcome misfortune,
how to pray and secure from Allah a destiny that is more glorious than is ours today,
how to chart our path through life to the glory of the Hereafter, and
how to earn an abode in heaven, inspite of our sins.
Allah grants, to whom He wills, His pardon for all sins other than shir'k: that is the deadliest and unpardonable of all sins.
The foundation of our Faith is that Allah is One and there is no other God. Allah is the Supreme Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. To Allah and to Allah Alone is our worship due. The antithesis of faith is Shirk. It is the concept, belief or actual act, of equating with Allah, any being, human or otherwise, dead or alive, in any form. Whether it be an idol, a figurine or symbol or whatever else, that object is not the creator of man but a mere creation of his own fevered imagination.
The Holy Qu’ran is our shield against the machinations of Shaiythaan, who creates deviation in human thought and despoils man’s imagination.
We must be able to recite one or more Surah’s or at least a few verses from the Holy Qur'an every day and pray to Allah for protection from Shaiythaan’s inroads into our subconscious and for our success in the daily battle we wage against adversity and misfortune. Surah's Al Ya’seen, Ar Rahmaan, Al Va'qiyah, Al Saj’dah, Al Kahaf and Al Mulk, are specially commended for such recitation.
There is, however, equal sawaab, rewards, for reciting any other passage from the Holy Qur'an.
They can be our daily or weekly offering, a gift of astral flowers, to our elders who have departed. We may recite a few pages from the Holy Qur'an with devotion and pray to Allah to kindly grant its sawaab, its reward as our gift to Our Beloved Prophet Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S and to our parents and other loved ones who are no more
Even after the advance of modern science and rational thinking, the primitive practice of ancestral worship is very much in vogue in many parts of the world. Even Muslims who have not tried yet to widen their knowledge of their Faith, plead guilty to kissing the graves and seeking the blessings of their elders and the saints who are no more.
Our Glorious Prophet S.A.W.S. has dispelled these unfounded beliefs as Shirk. He said the dead are even more helpless than we are. We have life and the ability to perform good deeds. We can dedicate them to our elders as our gifts so our acts earn us Allah’s approval and our offerings go to assuage the pain and suffering of those who have departed.
For the dead are renderd incapable of even seeking forgiveness of the misdeeds committed in their life on earth. Our offering of the sawaab from our good deeds, like Qur’ani recitation and the charities we give away on their behalf, will bring them invaluable blessings. And Allah, the Most Merciful may kindly grant our parents and other loved ones an abode in Jannathul Firdau’s, the most exalted of all heavens.
Even for our Beloved Prophet, at the conclusion of every Salaah, we beseech the Glorious Creator, with true love and devotion, to kindly bless and elevate Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S to the Maqaame Mah’moodah that has been promised him in the Holy Qur’an. This is the pinnacle, the highest stage, just beneath Allah’s Magnificent Throne. And just one human being among all creation, may reach it: Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. S.A.W.S. This honor to Our Leader S.A.W.S will also bring about, insha Allah, our own elevation to be the best among all creation
Even if we are not well versed in Arabi, we will be able to recite the Holy Qur’an from either the Arabi text (if we can just read the script) or from its transliteration in Roman script.
We may also buy and listen to audio cassettes of the Holy Qur’an renderings in melliflous Qiraath by the renowned Abdul Ba’sith Abdus Samad. The recent recitations of the Holy Qur’an by Ali bin Abdur Rahmaan al Hudaifi of Saudi Arabia
The reading of the Holy Qur’an, by itself, brings us rewards from Allahu Rahmaanir Raheem: “Va rath’thi’lil Qur’ana thar’theelaa“. (And recite the Holy Qur’an in a measured and sweet tone). (Surath al Muzammil)
The beauty of Qur’ani recitation has won and continues to win millions of human hearts in every country. Professor Arberry is an eminent example. He has paid a sincere tribute in his writings to Qur’ani recitation.
It was like music to his ears and, underneath its flowing melody, he felt himself drawn to an insistent rhythm, like the beating of his own heart!
Every Muslim house that rejoices the mellifluous recitation of Allah’s Word will be safe from the ravages of Shaiy’thaan and his kin.
It will be a home blessed by Allahu Jalla Shaanuhu with happiness, good health, prosperity and the wealth of eimaan.
Recitation leads us to the next step in our spiritual ascent. We seek to understand the glorious meaning of the beautiful verses that fill our hearts with such radiance.
Once the incomparable message of Allah reaches our hearts and fills our minds with glory, all the doubts and inhibitions are shattered, that had held back our progress and advancement in life thus far.
Dynamism, in the fullest sense and the highest reach of the term, is imbibed by us as a benediction from Allah.
Dynamism is the stamp of genius, the inbuilt source of energy and drive, that powers a human being to high achievement and greatness and brings the person instant recognition and honors in any society.
And then, the next logical step: we put our energy and our resources to the service of the people to whom Allah wants His Message to be conveyed through us.
We pray to Allah for help and guidance and we take up the drive to eliminate forever the divisive and fissiparious tendencies, the needless disputation and groupism, that have persisted in our societies for centuries and have wrought havoc in the ranks of Islam!
The Holy Qur’an, in Surath Al Jaasiyah verse 17, warns us to avoid the pitfalls of an earlier ummah. They had been specially favored by Allah and granted the knowledge of religion. Yet they fell into schisms because of intense jealousy (and conflict) among themselves and they fell into disgrace.
Allah commands us to unite and avoid internecine strife:
‘And hold fast, all of you, to the rope of Allah and do not separate…
Truly Allah makes clear to you His revelations that you may be guided…”
“Let there arise from you a group of people inviting to all that is good,
Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
They are the ones to attain felicity.
Be not like those who are divided among themselves
And fall into disputations after reeiving clear signs (from Us).
For them is a dreadful chastisement”.
(Surah 3rd: Aale-e-Imraan: 103- 105)
The Glory of the Holy Qur’an: The Scholars of the Masjid and University of Al Azhar , Cairo
It is the pinnacle of linguistic perfection. (Arabi is unique as the language that developed to preeminence 15 centuries earlier and has yet retained its dynamism and everincreasing appeal to all humanity. The Holy Qur’an adds lustre to Arabi as the best of all vehicles for human thought and Allah’s Commands).
Its wonderful structure is unique: the beginning of verses, their transition and termination; the pauses earmarked and observed during its recitation. The most excellent revelation of true knowledge, Irfaan, from Allah The words are beautiful, the meaning clear and easy to understand. They amazed and conquered the hearts of al-Arbaa, the right thinking dwellers of the desert. And the dynamism of the Holy Qur'an inspired awe in the hearts and minds of the unbelivers and deterred them from creating rift, Fithna; and no one took up the challenge from Allah to band together and produce even a small passage that could be like it in any way.
The forecasts in the Holy Qur'an have proved true time after time. Events happen exactly as Allah has promised Muslims. For example, the scenario of the conquest of Makkaathul Mukarramah: "You shall most certainly enter the Sacred Masjid if it pleases Allah, in total security, (some of you) having their heads shaved and (others) having their hair cut, (and) you will not (have any) fear." (Surah 48th: An Nas’r: The Victory: 27)
Its authentic news about nations who vanished long ago. The Quraish were won over to Islaam by these. The divine origin of the glorious verses was clear to them as they knew that Mohammed S.A.W.S. was an illiterate who had no opportunity to meet with the learned, nor study under teachers in any school. He was raised among people unacquainted with books and were like virgin soil, Aarin, when it came to scientific inquiry, Al-Uloom al-Aqliyyah.
Yet another of its glory: it clarified the truth to Jewish scholars and helped in the reinvention of Hebrew that had lapsed into a “dead language” over centuries. As Allah informs us, "Surely this Qur'an declares (the truth) to the children of Israel
It revealed to the Messenger of Allah how the secret conclaves and the deadly plots hatched by those who opposed Islaam. This advance knowledge helped Muslims to frustrate those plots.
It included true knowledge about the universe, from the minutest of particles to the vast and unmapped facets of the cosmos. The Arabs’ total ignorance of these facts was quicly overcome they rose to be pioneers and world leaders in astronomy and allied sciences.
Most important of all, the Revelations from Allah were a course of instruction and enlightenment to us through Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. SA.W.S. They established the science of Shari `ah and taught us how to deduce laws, pave the way to logical argumentation, Al-Hujaj al-`Aqliyyah. They imparted us wisdom from the history of the past and taught us the best of manners and behavior. With our vision opened to the hereafter, we imbibed the right orientation to righteousness as the stepping stone to eternal glory.
For a book of such size and comprehensive range of subjects and expanse, the Holy Book is free of contradiction. "If it had been from any other than Allah, they would have found in it much incongruity" (Surah 4th: An Nisaa, The Women: 82).
It is a living miracle for it is read everywhere in absolute uniformity, and Allah has promised to protect it. We have the clearest proof of its divine origin. While the miracles performed by, and the Holy Books revealed to, all the earlier prophets vanished with their demise, the Holy Qur'an endures as Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S.'s eternal miracle. To him it was revealed and to us he recited the verses in total authenticity and his devoted companions recorded them immediately and passed on to us as Allah’s Inviolable Bequest to all Humanity.
Those who read it in true devotion never tire of it. Those who hear it are drawn to its beautyand the rhythm of its expression and they are inspired to learn its maning and acquire true wisdom and rightful motivation. of its by it. And everyone who recites it, falls in love with it.
It includes clear proof and the true knowledge it conveys is proved as divine. Those who understand the meaning derive proof and find religious dictum at the same time when they consider the way it is read and the way it is understood.
It is as amazing as it is concise, balaghah, that confirms its miraculous character and conveys Allah's Commands and His warning to His servants everywhere.
Learning it by heart, hifdh, has been made easy. (There are millions of Hafidh’s around the world, both Arabs and non-Arabs, who have been gifted by Allah and they have committed to memory in perfection all the 6,666 Arabi verses of the Holy Qur’an.)
The fear that comes to the heart when hearing it and the humility it inculcates in us before Allah, are beyond description.
The Glory of the Holy Qur’an: The Scholars of the Masjid and University of Al Azhar , Cairo
It is the pinnacle of linguistic perfection. (Arabi is unique as the language that developed to preeminence 15 centuries earlier and has yet retained its dynamism and everincreasing appeal to all humanity. The Holy Qur’an adds lustre to Arabi as the best of all vehicles for human thought and Allah’s Commands).
Its wonderful structure is unique: the beginning of verses, their transition and termination; the pauses earmarked and observed during its recitation. The most excellent revelation of true knowledge, Irfaan, from Allah The words are beautiful, the meaning clear and easy to understand. They amazed and conquered the hearts of al-Arbaa, the right thinking dwellers of the desert. And the dynamism of the Holy Qur'an inspired awe in the hearts and minds of the unbelivers and deterred them from creating rift, Fithna; and no one took up the challenge from Allah to band together and produce even a small passage that could be like it in any way.
The forecasts in the Holy Qur'an have proved true time after time. Events happen exactly as Allah has promised Muslims. For example, the scenario of the conquest of Makkaathul Mukarramah: "You shall most certainly enter the Sacred Masjid if it pleases Allah, in total security, (some of you) having their heads shaved and (others) having their hair cut, (and) you will not (have any) fear." (Surah 48th: An Nas’r: The Victory: 27)
Its authentic news about nations who vanished long ago. The Quraish were won over to Islam by these. The divine origin of the glorious verses was clear to them as they knew that Mohammed S.A.W.S. was an illiterate who had no opportunity to meet with the learned, nor study under teachers in any school. He was raised among people unacquainted with books and were like virgin soil, Aarin, when it came to scientific inquiry, Al-Uloom al-Aqliyyah.
Yet another of its glory: it clarified the truth to Jewish scholars and helped in the reinvention of Hebrew that had lapsed into a “dead language” over centuries. As Allah informs us, "Surely this Qur'an declares (the truth) to the children of Israel
It revealed to the Messenger of Allah how the secret conclaves and the deadly plots hatched by those who opposed Islam. This advance knowledge helped Muslims to frustrate those plots.
It included true knowledge about the universe, from the minutest of particles to the vast and unmapped facets of the cosmos. The Arabs’ total ignorance of these facts was quicly overcome they rose to be pioneers and world leaders in astronomy and allied sciences.
Most important of all, the Revelations from Allah were a course of instruction and enlightenment to us through Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S. SA.W.S. They established the science of Shari `ah and taught us how to deduce laws, pave the way to logical argumentation, Al-Hujaj al-`Aqliyyah. They imparted us wisdom from the history of the past and taught us the best of manners and behavior. With our vision opened to the hereafter, we imbibed the right orientation to righteousness as the stepping stone to eternal glory.
For a book of such size and comprehensive range of subjects and expanse, the Holy Book is free of contradiction. "If it had been from any other than Allah, they would have found in it much incongruity" (Surah 4th: An Nisaa, The Women: 82).
It is a living miracle for it is read everywhere in absolute uniformity, and Allah has promised to protect it. We have the clearest proof of its divine origin. With the demise of earlier prophetsvanished not only the miracles performed by them but also the original form and substance of the Holy Books revealed to them. But even today, 1360 years after the death of the Prophet of Islam, the Holy Qur'an endures as Syedina Mohammed S.A.W.S.'s eternal miracle. To him it was revealed and to us he recited the verses in total authenticity; and his devoted companions recorded them immediately and passed on to us as Allah’s Inviolable Bequest to all Humanity.
Those who read it in true devotion never tire of it. Those who hear it are drawn to its beauty, its rhythm and the joy of its expression are at once inspired to learn its meaning. And thereby they acquire true wisdom and the right motivation in the conduct of life. And everyone who recites it, falls in love with it.
It includes clear proof and the true knowledge it conveys is proved as divine. Those who understand the meaning derive proof and find religious dictum at the same time when they consider the way it is read and the way it is understood.
It is as amazing as it is concise, balaghah, that confirms its miraculous character and conveys Allah's Commands and His warning to His servants everywhere.
Learning it by heart, hifdh, has been made easy. (There are millions of Hafidh’s around the world, both Arabs and non-Arabs, who have been gifted by Allah and they have committed to memory in perfection all the 6,666 Arabi verses of the Holy Qur’an.)
The fear that comes to the heart when hearing it and the humility it inculcates in us before Allah, are beyond description.
May Allah kindly inspire all our breakaway factions to abide by this Command and return to the right and unalterable course of Islam chalked out for us by the Glorious Prophet Syedinaa Mohammed S.A.W.S S.A.W.S. and his four illustrious Khulafaaye Islam (R.A.A.).
The tragic events that followed their demise have shaken us to our roots. So much Muslim blood has been shed. And yet, the trauma continues. Muslim advancement has been set back by centuries.
Allah and Allah Alone knows the truth. His is the Infinte and Ultimate Wisdom. He has already punished whoever was at fault for the tragedy. It is not for us to be debating those long dead issues.
To persist in this farcical exercise is tantamount to questioning the wisdom of Allah and the propriety of His Will, especially as we know from the Holy Qur’an that no disaster befalls humanity nor any historic development occurs anywhere except by Allah’s Will. And Allah’s is the Infallible Judgment that no human can question..
We must learn to forgive and forget the past and usher in lasting unity among Muslims. That is the pragmatic way for us if we are a positive minded people aspiring to live with honor worldwide.
We do not know for sure who plans and who executes the scourge of periodic and preplanned massacres occurring in Muslim societies and if the socalled suicide bombers are really Muslim. One thing is certain. These tragedies make us hang our heads in shame. The ordinance is clear and emphatic in Islam that every act of murder (the unmerited and unwarranted killing of one human being by another) is not just another crime against society.
Murder is an unpardonable sin in the eyes of Allah. This is why we have proclaimed to the world that terrorism and similar practices are repugnant to Islam. Muslim or non-Muslim, individuals or groups whoever resort to them, are not safeguarding Islam. All of them are undermining Islam and destroying all the good work done by rightly guided Muslims over many centuries to earn friends everywhere for Islam!
Islam despises aggression and brutality. “He who sides with his tribe in aggression, is not one among us!” said the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S. If anyone has the good of Humanity at heart, he/she must ensure the survival of Islam with honor. That would guarantee survival to humanity with all bounties from Allah.
It is our urgent duty to reclaim for Islam the universal esteem it deserves. Islam means “Peace.” Our best salutation to the prophets and also to one another among ourselves is “Peace!”
Islam is committed to world peace and Muslims are exhorted to establish goodwill and harmony among all nations.
We need to put in superior talents to work and project sheer excellence in our work ethic and in our behavior towards others. Whatever the job or profession in which Allah has placed us, we must realize that it is auspicious and mabrook to us.
It is the gateway Allah has opened for us to put our best talents to use and rise to the highest potential we are capable of.
This is what Syedina Umar R.A.A. exemplified as he followed the example of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.S. and rose to be the best ruler of all time.
This is what Ibn Sina (Avicenna) exemplified as he set new standards of research and delved deep into literature under the inspiration of the Holy Qur'an’and Hadith and left us a vast body of literature, of which the medical branch has earned such renown worldwide.
This is what Emperor Shah Jehan exemplified as he built the Taj Mahal as the world’s most wonderful fusion of architectural harmony, poetic charm, lyrical imagery and immortal love.
We just have to be at our best at all times and win over the world to Islam.
