Quran,
The Holy (Ar. Al-Qur'an, from qara, to
read or recite) the holy book of the Muslim,
is the compilation of Allah's (swt) revelations
to the Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (Sm),
over a period of 23 years. The Quran is
also known as Al-Furqan (that which differentiates
between truth and falsehood), Al-Kitab
(the book) and Adh-Dhikr (the remembrance).
In formal speech the Quran is referred
to as Quran Majid, the glorious Quran.
The Quran is divided into 30 sections of
equal |
 |
length for ease of recitation.
In all there are 114 surahs (chapters), 7 manzils
(stops), 16 sijdas (prostrations) and 6,666 ayats
(verses) in the Quran. According to Majhab, the
Quran has 15 Sijdahs. Also opinions differ on
the number of ayats in the Quran. Many verses
of the Quran are poetic in their use of rhyme
and imagery, while others have the smooth flow
and depth of prose. As the revealed words of Allah,
the Quran must only be touched and handled in
a state of purity.
The revelation of the Quran began
about the year 610 AD, when the Prophet (Sm) was
engaged in meditation in a cave of Mount Hira.
On one of the last few nights of Ramadan (Lailatul
Qadr), the angel Jibrail appeared before the Prophet
(Sm) and asked him to read. These lines form the
opening verses of Surah 96. Some of the surahs
were revealed in Makkah and some in Medina. The
surahs revealed at Makkah, before the Prophet
(Sm) migrated to Madina, are known as Makki and
those revealed at Madina, after his migration,
are known as Madani. The Makki surahs speak of
Allah's existence, oneness, the veracity of the
Quran, the day of judgement, resurrection, punishment
and reward for sins and virtues, paradise and
hell and moral teachings. The Madani surahs describe
mostly religious rites, various rules and regulations.
The Quran was not compiled during
the lifetime of the Prophet (Sm), as the revelations
continued up to 632 AD, with the last revelation
forming part of the sermon during the 'farewell
pilgrimage', a few months before the Prophet's
(Sm) death. The revelations were written down
as they were received on leather, papyrus, stones,
and leaves, but most were committed to memory.
Those who memorised the Quran were known as hafiz.
When quite a few hafiz were killed in the war
of Yamama, Hazrat 'Umar became concerned about
the preservation of the Quran. At his instance,
Hazrat Abu Bakr, the first Khalifa, took steps
to consolidate the different parts of the Quran
into a single book. After Hazrat Abu Bakr's death,
Hazrat 'Umar, now Khalifa, took the responsibility
of preserving the Quran. However, it was during
the time of the third Khalifa, Hazrat 'Uthman,
that copies of the definitive text were made and
sent to different parts of the world. This is
why Hazrat 'Uthman is regarded as the compiler
of the Quran (Zamiul Quran).
The most important teachings
of the Quran is 'Tawhid', oneness of God and belief
in the day of judgement. The Quran emphasises
equality, amity and fraternity among human beings.
It also has a liberal outlook towards other religions.
It declares that no group of people in the world
is excluded from the kindness of Allah and that
Allah has sent prophets and messengers for the
guidance of all human beings. An important aspect
of the Quran is its description of historic events.
These descriptions focus on the conflict of truth
and falsehood as well as on the conflict of the
followers of Allah and their enemies. The Quran
also contains narratives about some prophets that
Allah sent for the guidance of human beings. The
Quran thus includes the stories of Hazrat Adam,
Hazrat Nuh (Noah), Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham), Hazrat
Musa (Moses), etc.
The first interpreter of the
Quran was Prophet Muhammad (Sm) himself. He used
to explain the Quranic verses as they were revealed.
Subsequently, Islamic scholars wrote interpretations
of the Quran. Some famous books of Tafsir (commentaries
on the Quran), are Jami' al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran,
al-Kashshaf 'an Haqa'iq at-Tanzil, Tafsir-al Baydawi
and Tafsir Ibn Kathir.
The Quran is the primary doctrinal
source of Islam. It is followed by the Hadith
(the sayings of the Prophet (Sm) and the Sunnah
or the precepts of the Prophet (Sm). It is also
believed that reciting and hearing the Quran in
the original Arabic bring blessings to both reciters
and audience. However, there are rules that have
to be followed in order to recite the Quran as
the revealed word of Allah. Muslims memorise several
verses of the Quran to recite properly during
namaz (prayers) or in times of stress and danger.
The Quran deals with a wide range
of subjects. It has a detailed description about
the Tawhid, foundation of Islam, and Hazrat Muhammad
(Sm), the last and the greatest prophet. Four
important areas in the descriptions of the Quran
are a. the relationship between the Creator and
the creations, b. relationship between Allah and
mankind, c. relationship between individuals,
and d. relationship between humans and all other
creations of Allah. The Quran ordains many problems
having direct bearing on the welfare and well-being
of mankind. These include a. the mundane affairs
of man and the improvements in the means of his
living and conducting his lifestyle; b. advice
and normative suggestions with instances for development
of mind and soul; c. rules and regulations related
to the welfare and well-being of mankind here
and hereafter; d. accounts of the life and activities
of the former prophets so as enable man to draw
lessons from their lives and acquire mental firmness,
moral strength and courage; e. description of
rites and rituals required to lead a normal and
healthy social life; f. commands to conduct honest
and just life and refrain from wrongdoing; and
g. the call for studying the mystery of creation
of the universe and for acquiring knowledge about
arts and sciences.
In general, the teachings of
the Quran have emphasised equality, fellowship
and brotherhood among all men. The Quran demonstrates
liberal attitudes to all other religions. It declares
that no nation or creation on earth is deprived
of the blessings of Allah. Allah has sent prophets
for every nation to guide them and convey to them
His messages. The Quran attests all Books revealed
previously by Allah. Thus the Quran is a holy
book not for a specific community only, rather
it is for the mankind as a whole. It is a complete
code of life. All men can live in peace and harmony
and acquire merit for the other world if they
live in accordance with the teachings of the Quran.
|
