THE QUR'AN: THE UNIVERSAL
MESSAGE FOR MANKIND
Our voice, though not part of our physical body, originates deep down inside of us, and through it we can say words. The Holy Qur'an originated in the Personality of Allah, as He says that it is His words. He says:
If one from amongst the Pagans asks you (O Muhammad) for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the Word of Allah. (9:6)
Imam Ghazaali writes that the Prophet (pboh) said that Allah recited Surahs Taaha and Yaaseen one thousand years before creation. This was possible because the Qur'an is the Word of Allah. Because it is the Word of the Lord of the Worlds, some Muslim Scholars argue whether the Qur'an was created or not.
Allah took all the care to preserve that great Book. At the appropriate time He placed it in a divine vault called Lauhi Mahfuuz. He record about it in the following verse:
This is the Glorious Qur'an in the Tablet preserved. (85:21-22)
When Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was commissioned as the Final Messenger of Allah on earth, Allah caused the entire Book to be impressed on his heart. He says:
Verily, this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds, with it came down the Spirit of Truth, in you heart and mind, that you may admonish in the clear Arabic tongue. (26:192-194)
Just as how the Qur'an was placed in Lauhi Mahfuuz in the heavens for safe keeping, so too, it was placed in the heart of the Trusted and Truthful person here on earth, to be released during the passage of time, in the form of revelations.
Even though the Book was in the heart of the Prophet (pboh) he was not authorised to read it before it was brought down by Angel Jibraeel in the form of Wahy over a period of twenty three years. This one reason why he was told:
High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth. Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed; but say: O my Lord, advance me in knowledge. (20:114)
The Qur'an is the only revelation from Allah that was given such importance regarding its preservation. Allah gave Moses a book, and look what He said about it:
It was We Who revealed the Law unto Moses, therein was guidance and light ……… for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah's Book and they were witnesses thereto. (5:44)
A party of them heard the Word of Allah and perverted it knowingly after they understood it. (2:75)
So Allah gave the Israelites Books, which today they call the Bible—the Word of God. The Question is: Is the Bible really the Word of God? The following points make us reject such a claim:
· There is no record that the words of the Bibles found today are the exact revealed words.
· The Biblical text is full of contradictions, absurdities, inconsistencies, unfulfilled prophecies, broken promises, immoralities, etc. This is clear evidence that it is not from God.
· Even Christian scholars admit that the entire Book is not from God. According to them part of it is Divine and part human. No one has yet been able to identify what is Divine and what is human.
· The Apocryphal books are considered by some Churches to be the word of God and others reject such a claim. The question is: who is to decide which book is the word of God and which book should not be.
· "Word of God" means word that actually came from God. This is not the case with the Bible as both the Old and New Testament is reported speech.
· The versions of the Bible found in each sect in Christianity differ from each other; the question is: which one is acceptable.
See what the Encyclopaedia Biblica says about the New Testament:
The view hitherto current that the four Gospels were compiled by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and appeared thirty or forty years after the death of Jesus, can no longer be maintained.
The four Gospels were compiled from earlier materials which have perished. Even if we accept more conservative opinions which place the earliest Gospel about 65 A.D., that would not of course, make any material difference, nor affect the conclusions of criticism as to their contents. Some of their statements of facts are quite erroneous. (Islam and Christianity in the Modern World. F.R.Ansari, pp.39-40)
We have no evidence to prove that the New Testament in its present form was ever spoken by Jesus, far less to be a revealed text.
Even if it were the spoken word, for more than sixty years no one made any attempt to record them
The four Gospels were chosen in a mysterious way.
It is the Church comprising ordinary human that decided which book was to be considered to be the word of God and which had to be rejected.
The rejected manuscripts were destroyed.
The other Sacred Scriptures of the different religions are not original revealed texts, but were compiled by the scholars over a period of time. For example, the Vedas were compiled about 1500 B.C. While each Sacred Scripture contains guidance, none of them can claim to be the original unadulterated text revealed to the messenger of the time.
The Holy Qur'an:
The Holy Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pboh) in a unique way called Wahy. Each revelation came down to the Prophet (pboh) as follows:
· Allah selected from the Book the verses that were to be revealed at any particular time.
· Angel Jibraeel was ordered to take it down to the Prophet (pboh).
· The Angel recited and the Prophet (pboh) repeated after him.
· The Prophet (pboh) then recited and the Angel listened.
· The Prophet (pboh) dictated to the available Scribes who copied what was dictated.
· The Scribes read and the Prophet (pboh) verified that what they wrote was correct.
· The Scribes and other Companions memorised and made their own copies.
· Daily recitation in Salaat made regular rehearsal of the revealed texts stay in the minds and hearts of the Companions.
No one was authorised to change any word of the Great Book; not even a dot that was revealed. About this Allah says:
This is a Message sent down from the Lord of the Worlds. And if the Messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name, We should certainly seize him by his right hand and We should certainly then cut off the artery of his heart. (69:43-46)
From this we can understand that the words of the Holy Book remain unadulterated.
The Qur'an is unique and special in many ways. Some of these are:
There is and can be no book like it. Allah says:
If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of the Qur'an, they could not have produced something like it, even if they were to back up each other with help and support. (17:88)
·
It is free from doubts: Allah begins the Message of the Qur'an by stating that this Book is free from doubts. (2:2). Even the Prophet's (pboh) life was very straight forward, and on no occasion was there any instance where he could have been accused of being deceitful. He was recognised by all as the Trusted one and the Truthful one.
· A Perfect Code of life: The Qur'an does not have any defect in grammar, expressions, or any form of contradictions, etc. Allah says:
Praise be to Allah Who sent down the Book and hath allowed therein no crookedness. (18:1)
It is an Arabic Qur'an without any defects, in order that they may guard against evil. (39:28)
· It is a Book of complete guidance. Allah says:
And We have sent down unto the (O Muhammad) a Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy and Glad Tidings to the Muslims. (16:89)
· The Challenge. Allah has issued a challenge to the world at large; i.e.
If you have doubts concerning that which We have sent down to Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a Chapter like it. (2:23)
The Qur'an is a special gift to mankind from the Lord of the Worlds and can take people out of ignorance and cause them to be enlightened. It has the capacity to enable believers to lead a successful life in this world and to gain a lofty place in Paradise in the Hereafter.
Wednesday 26 March 2008
Sunday 13 January 2008
THE SOUL
Allah says:
And they will ask you concerning the Ruh (soul), say; it is from the Command of my Lord, and I (Allah) have not given you knowledge (of it) except a little. (17:85)
The Ruh commonly translated as soul is a special non-physical spark of extremely refined light which Allah causes to enter the human physical shell. It was never a part of the universe. It does not die and does not enter the body of any other creature upon the death of the individual.
Just as how a tiny spark can glow or become a big flame, so too the Ruh can grow in the body and permeate all the cells of the person. When the light of the soul reaches all the cells the person will begin to have real "religious experience" called in the Holy Qur'an Al Yaqeen, and translated as certainty.
But in order to do so there must be the right condition in the body; just as how the flame can only burn if it gets oxygen and breeze. On the other hand if it is covered with carbon dioxide it will go out.
For the human being the permissible things are the ingredients to make the light of the soul spread and the prohibited things are like the carbon dioxide to the fire. When the light of the soul is prevented from reaching the cells of the body, the body will burn in the Hell Fire.
The mission of life is to allow the light of the soul to spread. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:
Verily, Allah created the elements of man in darkness, then He infused unto them His Light. He who received the light and made use of it received the right guidance, and he who erred was led astray.
He also used to pray as follows:
O Allah, let there be light in my heart, in my sight, in my hearing, on my right side, on my left side, in front of me and behind me. Let there be light in my nerves, in my blood, in my flesh in my hair and in my limbs. O Allah make me light.
The body is made from earth. Allah says:
He it is Who created you from clay, and then decreed a stated term (for you). (6:2)
Our mission in life is, on one hand, to decorate our bodies with beautiful colors and designs, just as the potter takes a piece of clay (ceramic) and shapes and decorate it. On the other hand we are ordained by the Lord of the worlds to polish and shine it, just as the worker will take a piece of stone (metal) and polish it and shine it till it becomes a beautiful diamond or some other expensive ornament.
Our mission in life is to change our small piece of earth which (i.e. our bodies) into another piece resembling a beautiful jewel. Perhaps, it is in this context Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:
The day the earth will be changed into another earth. (14:48)
The goldsmith takes the piece of metal which is a piece of stone taken from the ground, heats it, beats it, makes designs on it and finally produces a beautiful piece of jewel. So too, the human being can accept the trials of the world as the process for refining the personality. If we can withstand the heating and beating (trials of life) and emerge successful, we will be able to absorb the Light of the Lord inside of us and become a jewel in the presence of man and a gem for the Hereafter.
Allah says:
And the earth will shine with the Light of the Lord. (39:69)
There are personalities of bygone times who were able to polish their pieces of the earth, to such an extent, that they are today called saints. Their bodies were not different from ours, but the life style made them outstanding. They submitted to the Lord as He ordained, and when their neighbors, families and friends were enjoying the material life they were toiling (in the night) to improve their relationship with the Creator, and in the day they were humbly submitting to His commands.
Believers are expected to work ceaselessly by upholding the Islamic principles of submission, to polish and brighten their souls so that the light of them can penetrate the cells of the bodies and make them bright. Allah says:
Allah is the Protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith their patrons are the evil ones; from the light they will lead them forth into the depth of darkness. They will be the companions of the fire. They will dwell therein forever. (2:257)
With pain and suffering, with trials and tribulations, with the numerous challenges of life, the believer undertakes the journey; all the time hoping for Allah's Grace and praying that the Light of the Lord will ultimately reach his heart. Along with these programs of activities he prays sincerely as follows:
O our Lord, perfect our light for us, and grant us Forgiveness, for surely, You have power over all things. (66:8)
May the Gracious and Merciful Lord bless every believer, fill his or her heart with light, instill in his personality humility, and fill his mind with sincerity, so that he will live and love for the sake of Allah alone. May He cause every one of us to leave this world believing in His Oneness.
And they will ask you concerning the Ruh (soul), say; it is from the Command of my Lord, and I (Allah) have not given you knowledge (of it) except a little. (17:85)
The Ruh commonly translated as soul is a special non-physical spark of extremely refined light which Allah causes to enter the human physical shell. It was never a part of the universe. It does not die and does not enter the body of any other creature upon the death of the individual.
Just as how a tiny spark can glow or become a big flame, so too the Ruh can grow in the body and permeate all the cells of the person. When the light of the soul reaches all the cells the person will begin to have real "religious experience" called in the Holy Qur'an Al Yaqeen, and translated as certainty.
But in order to do so there must be the right condition in the body; just as how the flame can only burn if it gets oxygen and breeze. On the other hand if it is covered with carbon dioxide it will go out.
For the human being the permissible things are the ingredients to make the light of the soul spread and the prohibited things are like the carbon dioxide to the fire. When the light of the soul is prevented from reaching the cells of the body, the body will burn in the Hell Fire.
The mission of life is to allow the light of the soul to spread. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:
Verily, Allah created the elements of man in darkness, then He infused unto them His Light. He who received the light and made use of it received the right guidance, and he who erred was led astray.
He also used to pray as follows:
O Allah, let there be light in my heart, in my sight, in my hearing, on my right side, on my left side, in front of me and behind me. Let there be light in my nerves, in my blood, in my flesh in my hair and in my limbs. O Allah make me light.
The body is made from earth. Allah says:
He it is Who created you from clay, and then decreed a stated term (for you). (6:2)
Our mission in life is, on one hand, to decorate our bodies with beautiful colors and designs, just as the potter takes a piece of clay (ceramic) and shapes and decorate it. On the other hand we are ordained by the Lord of the worlds to polish and shine it, just as the worker will take a piece of stone (metal) and polish it and shine it till it becomes a beautiful diamond or some other expensive ornament.
Our mission in life is to change our small piece of earth which (i.e. our bodies) into another piece resembling a beautiful jewel. Perhaps, it is in this context Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:
The day the earth will be changed into another earth. (14:48)
The goldsmith takes the piece of metal which is a piece of stone taken from the ground, heats it, beats it, makes designs on it and finally produces a beautiful piece of jewel. So too, the human being can accept the trials of the world as the process for refining the personality. If we can withstand the heating and beating (trials of life) and emerge successful, we will be able to absorb the Light of the Lord inside of us and become a jewel in the presence of man and a gem for the Hereafter.
Allah says:
And the earth will shine with the Light of the Lord. (39:69)
There are personalities of bygone times who were able to polish their pieces of the earth, to such an extent, that they are today called saints. Their bodies were not different from ours, but the life style made them outstanding. They submitted to the Lord as He ordained, and when their neighbors, families and friends were enjoying the material life they were toiling (in the night) to improve their relationship with the Creator, and in the day they were humbly submitting to His commands.
Believers are expected to work ceaselessly by upholding the Islamic principles of submission, to polish and brighten their souls so that the light of them can penetrate the cells of the bodies and make them bright. Allah says:
Allah is the Protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light. Of those who reject faith their patrons are the evil ones; from the light they will lead them forth into the depth of darkness. They will be the companions of the fire. They will dwell therein forever. (2:257)
With pain and suffering, with trials and tribulations, with the numerous challenges of life, the believer undertakes the journey; all the time hoping for Allah's Grace and praying that the Light of the Lord will ultimately reach his heart. Along with these programs of activities he prays sincerely as follows:
O our Lord, perfect our light for us, and grant us Forgiveness, for surely, You have power over all things. (66:8)
May the Gracious and Merciful Lord bless every believer, fill his or her heart with light, instill in his personality humility, and fill his mind with sincerity, so that he will live and love for the sake of Allah alone. May He cause every one of us to leave this world believing in His Oneness.
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