K.M. Mahmood ur Rahman :
It is a well known fact that so many eminent scholars, both in the East and the West have been carrying out their research to unfold the endless mystery of this Divine writ. Invariably most of these research scholars have acknowledged the fact that Qur’an is the invaluable treasure for salvation of mankind. It’s message is beyond any dimension. Researchers have only been able to decipher a fraction of what it holds in it’s entirety to benefit and guide the mankind. It’s timeless message is universal and not confined to any particular sect or religion but for the whole human race.
One pervasive feature of the Qur’an’s stories of the Prophets is the miracles they performed as signs of their calling. Moses and Jesus both produced such “signs” (ayat), and so it is not unexpected that Muhammad’s(S) audience should expect just such a “sign” from the Prophet who stood before them in the Haram. The following verses may be considered in this context. (6:37-And they say, “Why has no miraculous sign been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?” Say : “Behold, God has the power to bestow any sign from on high.”), (13:7 “However, they who are bent on denying the truth (refuse to believe and) say, “Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?” (21:5-“Nay,” they say, “(Muhammad S propounds) the most involved and confusing of dreams. “Nay, but he has invented (all) this!”- “Nay, but he is (only) a poet!” – (and) “Let him, then, come unto us with a miracle, just as those (Prophets) of old were sent (with miracles!”). Muhammad (S) stoutly refused to perform any of what the Gospels call “deeds of power”; the Qur’an was the only miracle required to demonstrate that he was the envoy of God Almighty’s, and the notion became so embedded that the verses of the Qur’an eventually came themselves to be called ayat or “signs” (cf.24:1-“A surah (is this) which We have bestowed from on high and which We have laid down in plain terms; and in it have We bestowed from on high messages which are clear in themselves) so that you might keep (them in mind.”, (31:2″These Are Messages of the Divine writ, full of wisdom.”
Both the content and the diction of the Qur’an–it’s language, style, and very tropes–were from God Almighty. Hence, the Muslims quite correctly concluded, the Qur’an itself is a miracle and so is literally and literarily inimitable. Muhammad (S) (or God Almighty’s speaking through him) claimed as much in response to his critics : Let them try to produce Surahs like these (2:23 -“And if you doubt any part of what we have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our ‘abd Muhammad then produce a Surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God Almighty to bear witness for you –if what you say is true!”) And, if a miracle is an event with no natural causes, then the Qur’an is indeed a miracle.
Qur’an is the only avenue for peaceful co-existence of the human race on earth and salvation in the hereafter. Therefore, the message of Qur’an should be read and understood by all in its entirety.
“Read in the name of thy Sustainer, Who has created– created man out of a germ-cell.
Read — for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One Who has taught (man) the use of the pen — taught man what he did not know.”
With these opening verses of the ninety-sixth Surah — with an allusion to man’s humble biological origin as well as to his consciousness and intellect– began, early in the seventh century of the Christian era, the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad (S), destined to continue during the twenty-three years of his ministry and to end, shortly before his death, with verse 281 of the second Surah.
“And be conscious of the Day on which you shall be brought back unto God Almighty whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.”
Between these first and last verses (the first and the last in the chronological order of their revelation) unfolds a book which, more than any other single phenomenon known to us, has fundamentally affected the religious, social and political history of the world.
No other sacred scripture has ever had such a profound and immediate impact upon the lives of the people who first heard its message and, through them on the generations that followed them and on the entire civilization. It shook Arabia, and made a nation out of its perennially warring tribes. Within a few decades, it spread its world-view far beyond the confines of Arabia and produced the first ideological society known to man. Through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge, it engendered among its followers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry, ultimately resulting in that splendid era of learning and scientific research which distinguished the world of Islam at the height of its cultural vigour. The culture thus fostered by the Qur’an penetrated in countless ways and by-ways into the mind of medieval Europe and gave rise to that revival of Western culture which we call the Renaissance. Thus, in the course of time, the powerful message of the Qur’an eventually laid the foundation for the birth of what is described as the “age of science”, the age in which we are now living.
All this was, in the final analysis, brought about by the message of the Qur’an : and it was brought about through the medium of the people whom it inspired and to whom it supplied a basis for all their ethical valuations and a direction for all their worldly endeavours. Never has any book — not excluding the Bible — been read by so many with a comparable intensity and veneration and never has any other book supplied to so many, and over so long a span of time, a comprehensive answer to the question. “How shall I behave in order to achieve the good life in this world and happiness in the life to come?” However often individual Muslims may have misread this answer, and however far many of them may have departed from the spirit of its message, the fact remains that to all who believed and believe in it, the Qur’an represents the ultimate manifestation of God Almighty’s grace to man, the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate beauty of expression : in short, the true Word of God Almighty — the last and final Testament.
Never in the history of the world had a Divine book so comprehensively transformed the values, attitudes and conduct of the human race. The spirit and message of this Divine writ was so engrossing and all encompassing that it created an unparalleled impact on our planet and attracted people from all walks of lives to its fold. The followers of the Holy Qur’an i.e. Muslims have been multiplying rapidly since revelation of the Holy Qur’an across the globe. Consequently, Islam today is the fastest growing religion in the United States of America, Germany and other parts of Europe and elsewhere.
Slowly but surely, it is dawning on mankind that Qur’an is the ultimate Divine writ for peace and harmony on earth and for our salvation in the hereafter.
It is a well known fact that so many eminent scholars, both in the East and the West have been carrying out their research to unfold the endless mystery of this Divine writ. Invariably most of these research scholars have acknowledged the fact that Qur’an is the invaluable treasure for salvation of mankind. It’s message is beyond any dimension. Researchers have only been able to decipher a fraction of what it holds in it’s entirety to benefit and guide the mankind. It’s timeless message is universal and not confined to any particular sect or religion but for the whole human race.
One pervasive feature of the Qur’an’s stories of the Prophets is the miracles they performed as signs of their calling. Moses and Jesus both produced such “signs” (ayat), and so it is not unexpected that Muhammad’s(S) audience should expect just such a “sign” from the Prophet who stood before them in the Haram. The following verses may be considered in this context. (6:37-And they say, “Why has no miraculous sign been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?” Say : “Behold, God has the power to bestow any sign from on high.”), (13:7 “However, they who are bent on denying the truth (refuse to believe and) say, “Why has no miraculous sign ever been bestowed on him from on high by his Sustainer?” (21:5-“Nay,” they say, “(Muhammad S propounds) the most involved and confusing of dreams. “Nay, but he has invented (all) this!”- “Nay, but he is (only) a poet!” – (and) “Let him, then, come unto us with a miracle, just as those (Prophets) of old were sent (with miracles!”). Muhammad (S) stoutly refused to perform any of what the Gospels call “deeds of power”; the Qur’an was the only miracle required to demonstrate that he was the envoy of God Almighty’s, and the notion became so embedded that the verses of the Qur’an eventually came themselves to be called ayat or “signs” (cf.24:1-“A surah (is this) which We have bestowed from on high and which We have laid down in plain terms; and in it have We bestowed from on high messages which are clear in themselves) so that you might keep (them in mind.”, (31:2″These Are Messages of the Divine writ, full of wisdom.”
Both the content and the diction of the Qur’an–it’s language, style, and very tropes–were from God Almighty. Hence, the Muslims quite correctly concluded, the Qur’an itself is a miracle and so is literally and literarily inimitable. Muhammad (S) (or God Almighty’s speaking through him) claimed as much in response to his critics : Let them try to produce Surahs like these (2:23 -“And if you doubt any part of what we have bestowed from on high, step by step, upon Our ‘abd Muhammad then produce a Surah of similar merit, and call upon any other than God Almighty to bear witness for you –if what you say is true!”) And, if a miracle is an event with no natural causes, then the Qur’an is indeed a miracle.
Qur’an is the only avenue for peaceful co-existence of the human race on earth and salvation in the hereafter. Therefore, the message of Qur’an should be read and understood by all in its entirety.
“Read in the name of thy Sustainer, Who has created– created man out of a germ-cell.
Read — for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One Who has taught (man) the use of the pen — taught man what he did not know.”
With these opening verses of the ninety-sixth Surah — with an allusion to man’s humble biological origin as well as to his consciousness and intellect– began, early in the seventh century of the Christian era, the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad (S), destined to continue during the twenty-three years of his ministry and to end, shortly before his death, with verse 281 of the second Surah.
“And be conscious of the Day on which you shall be brought back unto God Almighty whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.”
Between these first and last verses (the first and the last in the chronological order of their revelation) unfolds a book which, more than any other single phenomenon known to us, has fundamentally affected the religious, social and political history of the world.
No other sacred scripture has ever had such a profound and immediate impact upon the lives of the people who first heard its message and, through them on the generations that followed them and on the entire civilization. It shook Arabia, and made a nation out of its perennially warring tribes. Within a few decades, it spread its world-view far beyond the confines of Arabia and produced the first ideological society known to man. Through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge, it engendered among its followers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry, ultimately resulting in that splendid era of learning and scientific research which distinguished the world of Islam at the height of its cultural vigour. The culture thus fostered by the Qur’an penetrated in countless ways and by-ways into the mind of medieval Europe and gave rise to that revival of Western culture which we call the Renaissance. Thus, in the course of time, the powerful message of the Qur’an eventually laid the foundation for the birth of what is described as the “age of science”, the age in which we are now living.
All this was, in the final analysis, brought about by the message of the Qur’an : and it was brought about through the medium of the people whom it inspired and to whom it supplied a basis for all their ethical valuations and a direction for all their worldly endeavours. Never has any book — not excluding the Bible — been read by so many with a comparable intensity and veneration and never has any other book supplied to so many, and over so long a span of time, a comprehensive answer to the question. “How shall I behave in order to achieve the good life in this world and happiness in the life to come?” However often individual Muslims may have misread this answer, and however far many of them may have departed from the spirit of its message, the fact remains that to all who believed and believe in it, the Qur’an represents the ultimate manifestation of God Almighty’s grace to man, the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate beauty of expression : in short, the true Word of God Almighty — the last and final Testament.
Never in the history of the world had a Divine book so comprehensively transformed the values, attitudes and conduct of the human race. The spirit and message of this Divine writ was so engrossing and all encompassing that it created an unparalleled impact on our planet and attracted people from all walks of lives to its fold. The followers of the Holy Qur’an i.e. Muslims have been multiplying rapidly since revelation of the Holy Qur’an across the globe. Consequently, Islam today is the fastest growing religion in the United States of America, Germany and other parts of Europe and elsewhere.
Slowly but surely, it is dawning on mankind that Qur’an is the ultimate Divine writ for peace and harmony on earth and for our salvation in the hereafter.
–Islam and the global issues
