The Magnificent Book
Allah-SWT has revealed a magnificent Book unto the Holy Prophet-SW so that he may with His-SWT Permission lead mankind out of the darkness into the light.
First of all it highlights its own magnificence as Allaah-SWT ’s Own Word and a perfect example of the proverb that the word of Kings is also the king of words. From the literary point of view its excellence is such that no one ever dared to compose a single phrase that could match it. It provides guidance over each and every aspect of human life and is workable for the entire mankind simultaneously. It is the Final Word for all times, over all issues, be it politics, economics, administration, moral values, rules of war and peace, pursuit of knowledge or scientific research, the relationship between human beings or between man and his Creator. The Quran is indeed a complete guide on all issues for all times to come.
The Exaltation of Prophethood
It also establishes the magnificence of Prophethood of the Holy Prophet-SW unto whom was revealed this superb and unique Book, it is also his prerogative to explain its meaning and to illuminate the hearts of people by its blessings and wipe away the darkness of evil and disbelief by the light of Allah-SWT's Cognition. Just as only the Holy Prophet-SW receives the Revelation, it only befits his exalted status to understand it. So only that interpretation of the Quran will be valid which he taught to the Companions-RAU they practised before him and which he approved of. And thus, they became the custodians of this Divine Message which they devotedly conveyed to the entire mankind. Even today, any interpretation of the Quran that contradicts the practice of the Companions'-RAU will not be considered valid. Rather, such an effort will tantamount to interpolation in Din.
The Quran has been revealed for the very purpose that people recite, understand, and practise it. It is not merely a Book of incantations, but a Message of life. It is not only to be read by the side of a patient to alleviate his agony, or to ease the difficult moment of death or for the forgiveness of the dead, but the real aim is to understand and practise it.
Effects of Recitation of Quran
The Quran contains within itself a light which can be acquired just by recitation. Even if the reader is unaware of its meanings, continuous recitation generates a light in the heart which inclines him towards piety, and repels sin. But this is only possible if the Quran is learnt the way it has been taught by the Holy Prophet-SW.
Allah-SWT ’s Providence has blessed us with a physical entity, and has, in order to provide for it, created an extensive system. The sun, moon, stars, clouds, rain, air, mountains, valleys, plains, deserts, oceans, rivers and the unlimited variety of creation; the fruits, flowers, vegetables and all kinds of food, the alternation of day and night, the weather changes, are all sources of fulfilling the bodily needs of human beings. Then there is the Realm of Angels, a vast invisible world, assigned the management of the affairs of this universe, as predestined by Allaah-SWT . These affairs include a wide range of activities from birth to death, provisions, health, sickness etc.
A human being also has a Ruh, which in fact deserves to be called the real human being. The physical body may well be called a robe, or a carriage, or an instrument for the Ruh to stay and function in this world. The human Ruh originates from the ‘Alam-e-Amr which begins where the 'Alam-e-Khalq ends. Amr (the Command) is a Divine Attribute and only Allaah-SWT knows about its relationship or link with Him-SWT . However, He-SWT has told us that the Ruh is by His-SWT Command, It would not have befitted the Magnificent Provider, Who-SWT has created such an extensive network of provisions for the physical body, had he ignored the Ruh, leaving it without any nourishment and care. Even logically it seems impossible that the inferior be so meticulously provided for and the superior be ignored.
So the Mighty Provider catered for all the spiritual needs by revealing His-SWT Book. In this world of matter, all actions of the human body impact the Ruh. So Allaah-SWT issued such regulations following which the actions may generate the best possible impact. And if one may stagger by virtue of being human, Allaah-SWT has prescribed the medication of repentance. It was simply not possible for every individual to receive and understand the Divine Scripture, as it required greater purity and subtlety than enjoyed even by the angels. So Allaah-SWT graced His-SWT Messengers-AS with this honour. Time and again they were deputed to convey His-SWT Message to mankind, until the final and the most exalted Prophet-SW was raised. He-SW is not only the leader of all the Prophets-AS but has also been blessed with such a magnificent Book as to suffice for the guidance of entire mankind for all times to come. It is enriched with such light as is sufficient for all the Arwah to attain ultimate level of excellence and Divine Nearness. Obviously, this stale can only be attained by following the fountainhead of this light unto whom it has been revealed. Thus His-SWT objective of Providence will be met. So the Holy Prophet-SW must lead the people from darkness to light, which is the Path of the Unseen and the Praiseworthy Allaah-SWT the Sole Owner of the heavens and the earth and all that lies therein.
Darkness and Light
These two words do not stand for the darkness or light perceived by the physical eye. Rather, these denote the darkness or light of beliefs, thoughts and actions of an individual. If the beliefs are incorrect, darkness is generated in the heart which darkens further with every evil action. So the heart of a non believer keeps sinking deeper into darkness until it reaches the point of no return. Such are the people who shall never be guided. And when someone embraces Islam, it is such an exalted act that its light washes away the darkness of disbelief and sins of a lifetime. This light is received from the most sacred heart of the Holy Prophet-SW. It brightens for the believers with every step taken in his obedience and they continuously receive this light.
The Companions-RAU received the greatest level of illumination in the company of the Holy Prophet-SW. A single glance by him-SW was enough not only to illuminate their hearts but also to make every cell of their bodies to ceaselessly engage in Allaah-SWT ’s Zikr. So the obedience of Allaah-SWT became a passion with them. The righteous scholars invite people to believe in Allaah-SWT and motivate them to obey Him-SWT . Those who take Shahadah and exert to obey are blessed with light according to their individual craving. The Sufi Masters practise the third aspect. They themselves attain the light from the hearts of their predecessors and dispense it to the seekers. Anyone so blessed begins to improve in beliefs and practices. This is also known as receiving Faidh. As a result the heart transforms in a way that it accepts only the truth and tries its utmost to abstain from Allah-SWT ’s disobedience. As for the believers who opted for darkness asked for their own devastation and will have to face a tormenting punishment. But why did they dare this?
The Basic Cause of Disbelief and Disobedience
The Quran declares the love for this world as the basic cause, for faith dictates that both the earning as well as the spending must be regulated in accordance with Allaah-SWT ’s Will. But man tends to follow his own desires. So those overpowered by mundane love refuse to accept faith. In other words, they prefer the ephemeral life over the eternal. Having made this choice, they then try to justify their decision and also begin to invite others to their viewpoint, which amounts to impeding others from the Path of Allaah-SWT . It is a deadly sin that they twist the facts and try to misguide people by raising baseless objections and present the straight Path as crooked.
Those Who Twist Quranic Meanings to Suit Personal Opinion
Such people are indeed misguided. Not only the infidels but those believers are also guilty who try to interpret the Quran to suit their own fancies, to acquire wealth, or to prove their personal opinions as correct. They apply themselves to mould the real meaning and interpretation of the Quran, or the decisions taken in the light of Shari'ah. This evil is widespread today. May Allaah-SWT protect us!
The infidels objected to the revelation of Quran in Arabic, which was the Holy Prophet-SW's mother tongue. They suggested that it should have been revealed in any language other then Arabic so that no one could have ever doubted him of having composed it. History answers this objection and shows that the Prophets-AS they believed in were also blessed with Scriptures in their native languages. Since Messengership and Prophethood is for the guidance of mankind, everyone of them brought unto his respective nation a Divine Scripture in the language they spoke. Had it been revealed in any foreign language, the entire nation would have been put to trouble by having to translate it first into their native tongue in order to understand it, depriving many in the process. So Allaah-SWT made it easier for people and revealed Scriptures in their respective languages. Similarly the Holy Prophet-SW was an Arab. His-SW nation had the honour of being the very first addressee of the Quran and was entrusted with the task of conveying it to others. Therefore, this Message had to be in their own language. Moreover, all the preceding Prophets-AS were only raised unto a particular nation, so their Books were in their languages. But the Holy Prophet-SW was raised for the entire mankind, a multilingual multitude of nations. Had a separate Book been revealed in each prevalent language, none of them could have inspired contemplation. Many of the languages spoken at that time later became obsolete, which would have further complicated the matter. Therefore, it was important that the Quran be revealed in a language, to be the source of guidance for the entire mankind. So Allaah-SWT chose Arabic, as this indeed is the real language of humanity, to be spoken in Jannah, the eternal abode of mankind.
Allah-SWT had blessed the Arabs with a special quality. Inspite of their many drawbacks once they embraced Islam they became totally committed and crossed all limits of dedication. They quickly learnt and swiftly conveyed it to others. So much so that they sacrificed their lives and wealth, honour and children in the Cause of Allaah-SWT Because of this quality Allaah-SWT raised His-SWT final Prophet-SW amongst them, and blessed him-SW with His-SWT Book in Arabic language. Also, no other language can boast of such a rich vocabulary as Arabic. Nor can it be matched in fluency and grammatical excellence. The Arabs duly proved themselves to be a nation worthy of Quran, revealed in their language. Within twenty-three years of its completion, they took its Message across the globe to every nation. History provides a decisive and honest testimony of their supernatural valour.
Hence the objection over Arabic is fully answered. As for the question why some people still remained deprived, the answer is simple. They were so unfortunate that even if the Quran had been revealed in any other language, they would still have remained faithless, because Allah-SWT had denied them guidance. It was because repeated sinning had obliterated the urge for it from their hearts. Allaah-SWT is all Powerful and Wise. He-SWT may bestow or withhold guidance at Will. He-SWT has. However, decreed that He-SWT will guide only those who desire it from the core of their hearts.
Allah-SWT had assigned Prophet Musa-AS the same exalted task of leading his people out of darkness into light. He was given clear Signs such as the Torah and magnificent miracles, instructed to inform his people of the Divine Favours promised to the obedient and the ill-fate awaiting the disobedient.“Annals of Allaah-SWT “refer to the days, when either a Divine Favour was sent or punishment met to a particular nation. Either aspect can be presented as an example when inviting people to guidance. Obedience earns favours, which is an incentive for good acts, while the punishment promised on disobedience is a word of caution.
Patience and Gratitude
It is added that the impatient and the ingrate remains unmoved by the Annals of Allaah-SWT . These can only benefit those who can sensibly analyze the circumstances with a sense of gratitude for the Divine Blessings they already enjoy. For them are clear Signs in the Annals of Allah-SWT, yet those who lack contentment are always bent upon usurping whatever others have and fail to appreciate the favours in their own possession. Such are the people who never learn a lesson. Usually they are seen repining against Allaah-SWT .This is why Sabr is defined as one-half of faith, as it means contentment over one's rightfully acquired means without snatching away the rights of others. The essence of gratitude is that one should at least appreciate the existing favours. Given this realization, one expresses his gratitude, which in turn facilitates obedience. Deprived of these two qualities, miracles and other Signs seldom help.
So Prophet Musa-AS, reminding his people of the Divine Favours they had enjoyed, said: See how Allaah-SWT has delivered you from the tyranny of the Pharaoh who made you work like donkeys, treated you as slaves, assassinated your sons and spared your daughters to serve him and his people. Allah-SWT, the Munificent indeed delivered you of this terrible turmoil.
