QURAN
The Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an
Prophetic Guidance Regarding the Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an.'Recite the Qur'an. It will appear on the Day of Rising as an intercessor for its people.'[Muslim] On the Day of Rising the Qur'an will be brought with the people who used to act by it in this world, preceded by Surat al-Baqara (2) and Ali 'Imran (3), arguing on behalf of those who knew them.'[Muslim]The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.'[al-Bukhari]Verily the one who recites the Qur'an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Agreed upon]It will be said to the companion of the Qur'an: Read and elevate (through the levels of the Paradise) and beautify your voice as you used to do when you were in the dunya! For verily, your position in the Paradise will be at the last verse you recite![Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi - sahih] The metaphor of a believer who recites the Qur'an is that of a citron - its scent is fragrant and its taste is good. The metaphor of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is that of a date - it has no scent but its taste is sweet. The metaphor of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is that of basil - its scent is fragrant but its taste is bitter. The metaphor of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is that of colocynth - it has no scent and its taste is bitter.[Agreed upon]By this Book Allah elevates some people and abases others.[Muslim] The Qur'an is an intercessor, something given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire.[At-Tabarani, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud - sahih] There was once a man who had a horse tied with two ropes (due to the horse's strength) and was reading Surah Al-Kahf. Then a cloud came over them, such that it began to twirl and come closer. His horse began to flee from it. So when he (the man) woke up he came to the Prophet and told him (what happened). He said: This is the tranquility that descended due to the Qur'an.[Bukhari, Muslim] You can only have envy for two things: for a man to whom Allah has given the Qur'an and he gets up and recites it throughout the night, and for a man to whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it throughout the night and the day.[Agreed upon]A man was reciting Surat al-Kahf (18) and he had a horse with him tethered by two ropes. Then a cloud came over him and began to draw near and his horse began to shy away from it. In the morning he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned that to him and he said, 'That was the Sakina which descended on account of the Qur'an.'[Agreed upon]Whoever recites a letter of the Book of Allah earns a good deed, and each good deed is worth ten like it. I do not say that 'Alif-lam-mim' is one letter, but that alif is a letter, lam is a letter, mim is a letter.[at-Tirmidhi]A person who has nothing of the Qur'an inside him is like a ruined house.[at-Tirmidhi] And the Qur'an is a proof for you or against you.[Muslim]Will not any of you go to the Masjid and learn or read two verses from the Book of Allah, The Exalted, Mighty and Glorified be He? (For) that is better for him than two she-camels, and three (verses) are better for him than three (she-camels), and four (verses) are better for him than four (she-camels). And the number (of verses read in total) are better than the same number of camels..[Muslim]It will be said to those who know the Qur'an, 'Recite and ascend. Recite slowly as you did in the world below. Your station will be at the last verse you recite.'[Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]Undoubtedly, the heart gets rusted like metal gets rusted when water goes over it. The People asked, "How can they [hearts] be cleaned." The Prophet replied, "To remember death in abundance and to recite the Holy Qur'an.[Mishkat]Whoever read the Qur'an and memorized it and believed its' Halal to be Halal, and its Haram to be Haram [i.e., accepted it commandments of Halal and Haram], Allah will accept the intercession for such 10 people on from him whom Hell had already become Wajib.[at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Darimi]Decorate the Qur'an with your (good) voices[Mishkat]Engender the Qur'an with your voices, for verily the voice of beauty increases the beauty of the Qur'an.[Al-Hakim from Bara ibn 'Azib - Sahih]Verily the best of people with regard to voices, is he whom you feel fears Allah, when he recites.[Ad-Darimi and others - Sahih] Fasting and the Qur'an will intercede for the slave on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: 'Oh my Rabb! I prevented him from food and desires, so accept my intercession for him.' And the Qur'an will say: 'I prevented him from sleep during the night, so accept my intercession for him.' He ! said: "And they will (be allowed to) intercede."[Ahmad, At-Tabarani, Al-Hakim, and others from Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Al-Aas - Sahih]O People of the Qur'an, do not make the Qur'an a pillow, that is do not be lazy and be careless, and read the Qur'an in the day and night like it is the Haq of Recitation, and spread it, that is, read with good voices or do not take compensation for it, and whatever is in it, reflect upon itso that you may attain success, and do not hurry in its reward because the reward for it is great (which will be given in the Akhirah).[Bayhaqi]Read the Qur'an, put it into practice, do not abandon it, do not put grudges (upon others) through it, and do not eat and gain wealth through it.[Ahmad, at-Tabarani, and others from Abdul Rahman ibn Shibl - Sahih]He who recites the Qur'an well and clearly is equal in rank to the Angels who record creation's deeds. These Angels are gracious, honourable and of lofty rank. He who finds difficulty in reciting the Qur'an will obtain a double reward.[Bukhari, Muslim]Continue reciting the Qur'an because on the Day of Qiyaamah it will appear as an intercessor for the reciter.[Muslim]Maintain the Qur'an. For verily, by He in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is in, it (the Qur'an) is more intense in escaping (memory) than a camel from its rein.[Bukhari, Muslim] Maintain learning the Qur'an, by heart for verily it is greater in escaping from the chests of men than camels from their reins.[Bukhari, Muslim]Verily the likeness of the beholder of the Qur'an is like that of a reined camel. If he were to undertake it, he would grasp it. And if he were to leave it, it would escape.[Bukhari, Muslim] The Qur'an will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, along with its companions who used to act by it, at the front being Surah al-Baqarah and Al 'Imran like two black clouds or canopies with light, or two flocks of birds pleading for their companion[Muslim]Do not turn your homes into a graveyard [by giving up reading the Qur'an]. Satan flees from a house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited[Muslim]May Allah make us of the people of the Qur'an and help us to act by His Book.Ameen.Sources:Imam Nawawi’s Gardens of the Righteous (Riyad al-Salihin)Hayaat-ul-Muslimeen by Mohammad Ashraf Ali ThanviMiscellaneous ahadith collections
Tilawa of the Qur'an
The most important nourishment for the qalb or heart is the Qur'an. Those who lived in the time of the Prophet received their training and inspiration from the Qur'an. It was their guide, their light and their leader. Likewise, it must be your constant companion.
The Qur'an contains a treasure house of soul-stirring inspiration and wisdom. We can and should spend hours in understanding the Qur'an. There are thousands of pages of tafsir or Quranic exegesis to read. But we must know that the real test of benefiting from the Quran lies somewhere else. The Qur'an says that when people really listen to it, their faith must increase:
Believers are those who, when God is mentioned, feel a tremor in their heart, and whenever His Messages are conveyed to them their faith is strengthened. [Surah al-Anfal 8: 2.]
Where there is a fire, there is smoke. If the 'fire' of iman has been lit inside the heart, there must be smoke, and you will see that those who truly listen to the Qur'an, their eyes begin to well up with tears which trickle down their cheeks.
Nowadays, when we listen to the Qur'an or read it, our hearts are not moved, nor do our lives change. It is as if water is felling on a rock and flowing away. Our task is to replace this hard rock with soft absorbent soil so that the Qur'an may nourish the seed that has been planted. We should always study the Qur'an as if it is being revealed to us today. One of the greatest injustices we do to the Qur'an is that we read it as if it were something of the past and of no relevance to the present.
Remember that the whole purpose of the man is to guide you and to change you by bringing you into submission to Allah. As you read it, also try to live by what it invites you to. If it does not have any impact upon your actions and if you do not observe what it enjoins and avoid what it prohibits, then you are not getting anywhere nearer the Qur'an. In fact, one who reads the Qur'an and does not try to act upon it may be more likely to be cursed and punished by Allah. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
Many of the hypocrites in my Ummah will be from among the reciters. [Ahmad.]
He is not a Believer in the Qur'an who makes halal or lawful what has been made haram or prohibited. [at-Tirmidhi.]
It is also narrated that many Companions, like Uthman and Abdullah ibn Masud, once they learnt ten verses from the Prophet did not move further unless they had `learnt' it fully both in understanding and in action; that is how they sometimes spent years in learning only one surah or chapter.
If you sincerely start changing your life according to the Qur'an, Allah will certainly help you and make the path easy for you. Allah reassures us in the Quran:
Those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and continue upon the straight way, the angels descend upon them: Do not fear, nor be grieved, and receive glad tidings of the Garden which you were promised. We are your supporters in this world and in the Hereafter. And for you therein is whatever your souls desire, and for you therein is whatever you ask for.' [Surah al-Fussilat 41:30-31.]
Studying the Qur'an: Tips and Pointers
There are certain aids which you will require to help you if you intend on studying the Qur'an as fully as possible. Try to acquire as many of them as you can.
Have a copy of the Qur'an with a translation in your language. This is the minimum that you will require. This you should use for both general reading and study. The same can be used for memorization, if it is handy. But, take care that throughout life you stick with the same copy for memorization, otherwise revision will be difficult.Remember, too, that no translation can be perfect or accurate. Each translation contains an element of interpretation by the translator. There is not, and cannot be, an 'authorized' translation of the Qur'an.
The same copy may contain a short commentary, or you may have to acquire one separately. But you must have one. A translation and a reliable commentary should be enough for your initial, main objectives.
You may find it useful, though it is not necessary, to have more than one translation and commentary to investigate various meanings of words and text as understood by different scholars.
For more advanced study, you should have at least one more detailed tafsir. You may not find one in English; but, then, try to acquire whatever part-Tafsir works are available.
Have a good Arabic dictionary, preferably a Qur'anic dictionary, to enable you to look deeper into the meanings of words.
Have a concordance. (This is an alphabetical verbal index (of the Qur'an) showing the places in the Qur'an where each principal word may be found, with its immediate context in each place. - for example; the word "Hamd" can be found in various places in the Qur'an; surah al-fatihah, al-Kahf, and so on)
The History of the Qur'an
In this Book, the Holy Prophet's life, the history of the Arabs and the events which occurred during the period of the revelation of the Qur'an have not been mingled with the Divine Verses, as is the case with the Bible. The Qur'an is the pure word of God. Not one word therein is not divine. Not a single word has been deleted from its text. The Book has been handed down to our age in its complete and original form since the time of Prophet Muhammad.From the time the Book began to be revealed, the Holy Prophet had dictated its text to the scribes. Whenever some Divine Message was revealed, the Holy Prophet would call a scribe and dictate its words to him. The written text was then read out to the Holy Prophet, who, having satisfied himself that the scribe has committed no error of recording, would put the manuscript in safe custody.The Blessed Prophet used to instruct the scribe about the sequence in which a revealed message was to be placed in a particular Surah (chapter). In this manner, the Holy Prophet continued to arrange the text of the Quran in systematic order till the end of the chain of revelations. Again, it was ordained from the beginning of Islam that a recitation of the Qur'an must be an integral part of worship. Hence the illustrious Companions would commit the Divine verses to memory as soon as they were revealed. Many of them learned the whole text and a far larger number had memorized different portions of it.
Method of preservations of the Qur'an during the Prophet's time
Besides, those of the Companions (radiAllahu anhum) who were literate used to keep a written record of several portions of the Holy Qur'an. In this manner, the text of the Holy Qur'an had been preserved in four different ways during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him):
a) The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had the whole text of the Divine Messages from the beginning to the end committed to writing by the scribes of revelations.
b) Many of the Companions learned the whole text of the Quran, every syllable of it, by heart.
c) All the illustrious Companions, without an exception, had memorized at least some portions of the Holy Qur'an, for the simple reason that it was obligatory for them to recite it during worship. An estimate of the number of the illustrious Companions may be obtained from the fact that one hundred and forty thousands Companions had participated in the Last Pilgrimage performed by the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).
d) A considerable number of the literate Companions kept a private record of the text of the Qur'an and satisfied themselves as to the purity of their record by reading it out to the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).
Method of preservations of the Quran after the demise of the Prophet
It is an incontrovertible historical truth that the text of the Holy Qur'an extant today is, syllable for syllable, exactly the same as the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had offered to the world as the Word of God.After the demise of the Holy Prophet, the first Caliph Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) assembled all the Huffaz and the written records of the Holy Qur'an and with their help had the whole text written in Book form. In the time of Uthman (radiAllahu anhu) copies of this original version were made and officially dispatched to the Capitals of the Islamic World. Two Of these copies exist in the world today, one in Istanbul and the other in Tashkent. Whosoever is so inclined may compare any printed text of the Holy Qur'an with those two copies, he shall find no variation. And how can one expect any discrepancy, when there have existed several million Huffaz in every generation since the time of the Holy Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and in our own time? Should anyone alter a syllable of the original text of the Qur'an, these Huffaz would at once expose the mistake. In the last century, an Institute of Munich University in Germany collected FORTY-TWO THOUSAND copies of the Holy Qur'an including manuscripts and printed texts produced in each period in the various parts of the Islamic World.Research work was carried out on these texts for half a century, at the end of which the researchers concluded that apart from copying mistakes, there was no discrepancy in the text of these forty-two thousand copies, even though they belonged to the period between the 1st Century Hijra to 14th Century Hijrah and had been procured from all parts of the world. This Institute, alas! perished in the bombing attacks on Germany during World War II, but the findings of its research project survived.,br> Another point that must be kept in view is that the word in which the Qur'an was revealed is a living language in our own time. It is still current as the mother tongue of about a hundred million people from Iraq to Morocco. In the non-Arab world too, hundreds of thousands of people study and teach this language.
The grammar of the Arabic language, its lexicon, its phonetic system and its phraseology, have remained intact for fourteen hundred years.
A modern Arabic-speaking person can comprehend the Holy Qur'an with as much proficiency as did the Arabs of fourteen centuries ago. This, then, is an important attribute of Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), which is shared by no other Prophet or Leader of Religion. The Book which God revealed to Him for the guidance of mankind is today's in its original language without the slightest alteration in its vocabulary.
The Qur'an: Categories of Understanding
Broadly speaking, we may divide the study of the Qur'an into two categories: Tadhakkur and Tadabbur, after the Qur'anic verse:
"That men may ponder over (li yaddabbaru) its revelations and ... may take them to heart (li yatadhakkara)"[surah Sad 38: 29].Intellectual Copyright (c) 2003 Mutmainaa. All Rights Reserved. Please refrain from reproducing any of the information contained in these pages without prior consent. www.geocities.com/mutmainaa
Tadhakkur
Tadhakkur, used extensively in the Qur'an, has been translated variously as receiving admonition, deriving advice, remembering, taking heed, and taking to heart. It can therefore be taken to signify the process whereby you try to grasp the general messages and teachings being conveyed by the Qur'an, to find out what they mean for you and what demands they make upon you, to take them to heart, to bring forth corresponding responses of heart and mind and attitudes, to have the will to act in accordance with whatever you find, and, finally, to determine what message you have to deliver to your fellow human beings.
Tadhakkur is a category of understanding which, in its essential nature, should not require any sophisticated tools of scholarship. You may not know the meaning of every word, you may not be competent enough to explore the full meaning of all the important and key words, and you may not understand every verse, but the general, overall message, especially the message for you-how to live-should come out clearly and radiantly.
After all, the people who understood the Qur'an most and benefited from it the greatest were its first hearers they were city merchants, farmers, shepherds, camel riders and nomads. They did not have at their elbows lexicons, tafsir books, treatises on style, diction, cadence, rhetoric nor did they possess all the knowledge of philosophy, history, geography, archaeology, anthropology, or of the social and physical sciences. Yet they were the most successful in understanding the Qur'an. For, they took the message of the Qur'an to their heart and began to live it. Hence this category of understanding ought to be and is available to every person who fulfils the necessary condition for it in this respect. The degree and intensity of what he receives will depend on his effort and capacity. Of course, tools of scholarship may add new dimensions, lend added weight, give new insights, to this process; but they are not a must.
It is in the sense of Tadhakkur that the Qur'an categorically states that it is easy to understand, it is available to every sincere inquirer if he only comprehends what he is reading and ponders over it. It is to this Tadhakkur that the Qur'an invites everyone who can hear, see and think, to be guided by it. It is in this sense that it says:
"Indeed we have made this Qur'an easy for understanding and remembering (dhikr). Is there any, then, that will take it to heart (muddakir)"[surah al-Qamar; 54: 17]."Indeed we have made it [the Qur'an] easy [to understand] by your tongue [O Prophet] so that men might take it to heart (yaTadhakkuran)"[surah al-Dukhan; 44: 58]."Indeed We have made propounded unto men all kinds of parables in this Qur'an, so that they might understand (yatadhakkarun)"[surah al-Zumar; 39: 27]."In this there is indeed a reminder (dhikr) for everyone who has a heart, or will give ear while he is a witness [present with his mind]"[surah Qaf; 50: 37].
Tadhakkur is not some lower category of understanding; it is the basic essential purpose of the Qur'an. You will have to strive all your life in order to gain the light and guidance and healing through Tadhakkur and through this process you, personally, must continue to gather an unlimited number of gems.
Tadabbur
Tadabbur is the other category of understanding. It signifiesL that you try to find the full meaning of every word, Ayah, and, Surah, that you explore the fuller meaning behind those words, metaphors and parables, that you discover the textual cohesion and underlying unity, that you determine the central ideas, delve into lexical intricacies, tanzil, and historical background, and that you undertake a comparative study of different tafsir. Then, that you discover all the implications for the relationship between man and his God, his fellow human beings, his own self, and the world around him; that you derive laws and morals for individuals and society, rules for state and economy, principles for history and philosophy, and implications for the current level of human knowledge.
Such a study would require a greater and deeper knowledge of various 'ulum al-Qur'an (the Quranic disciplines), depending on your goals and aims.
Tadabbur and Tadhakkur are not entirely separate nor mutually exclusive categories of understanding, they overlap.
Your Aims
What should your aims be? Obviously aims will vary from person to person and, even for a person, from time to time. Tadhakkur, in my view, is obligatory for every Muslim who is or can become capable of understanding the Qur'an.
Hence, as an average-educated Muslim, who is trying to fulfil his commitment to Allah in the light of his capabilities and limitations, Tadhakkur should be your first aim, and the most important one. You will stay with it forever; you will never reach a stage where you may dispense with it.In Tadhakkur, remember, you essentially set out to nourish your heart and mind, to increase your faith, to discover the message that the Qur'an is giving to you, to take it to heart, to remember it. Through all your labours you should be able to hear God's voice: what He wants you to be and to do.
Learning the Qur'an
The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.- MuhammadsalAllahu alayhi wa salam
These references are narrated in the Hadith. For reasons of brevity, only the following summary and reference of each Hadith is mentioned instead of the entire Hadith.
1. Whoever recites the Qur'an well and clearly is equal in rank to the Angels who record creation's deeds. These Angels are gracious, honorable and of lofty rank. He who finds difficulty in reciting the Qur'an will obtain a double reward.[Bukhari, Muslim].
2. A person whose breast is devoid of the Qur'an (i.e. has not learnt anything of the Qur'an Majeed) is like a desolate house.[at-Tirmidhi].
3. A person who recites one letter of the Qur'an, obtains one virtue; each virtue multiplies to ten virtues. I am not saying that (ALM) is one letter. But, Alif is one letter; Laam is one letter and Meem is one letter.[at-Tirmidhi, Darimi].
4. On the day of Resurrection a crown of such brilliance will be placed on the heads of the parents of one who learnt the Qur'an and practiced on its laws, that its glitter will outshine the brilliance of the sun which penetrates your houses. What then do you think will be the position of the one who himself learnt the Qur'an and acted in accordance with it? [Ahmad, abu Dawud].
5. Whoever recites the Qur'an, memorizes it, accepts its halal (lawful things) as halal and haram (forbidden things) as haram (i.e. his beliefs in these matters are correct), Allah, the Exalted, will enter him to Paradise and accept his intercession on behalf of ten such persons of his family upon whom entry into Hell has become incumbent (i.e. Allah will forgive them because of his intercession)."
[Ahmad, Tirmidhi, ibn Majah, Darimi].
6. Continue reciting the Qur'an because on the Day of Qiyamah it will appear as an intercessor for the reciter. [Muslim].
7. Whoever listens to even a single ayat (being recited by another person) obtains such a virtue which perpetually multiplies (it increases in merit continuously). The one who recited the ayat will on the Day of Resurrection find the recited ayat in the form of a Noor (which will be of greater value and significance than the virtue which accrued to the one who had listened to the recitation).[Ahmad].
8. The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it. [Bukhari].
9. On the Day of Resurrection the Qur'an will petition Allah to cloak the one who had recited it with garments of honor and respect. A crown of honor will then be placed on the head of the reciter. The Qur'an will then petition Allah to shower His pleasure on the reciter. Allah will then become pleased with him. The reciter will then be asked to recite the Qur'an, thereby attaining higher ranks of elevation. In reward for each ayat a virtue will accrue to him. [at-Tirmidhi, ibn Khuzaimah].
10. Continue climbing (higher and higher in rank) with your recitation in the same way as you recited with care and concern on earth. Your abode (of residing) is located (at that rank attained) with the last ayat recited. [Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, ibn Majah, ibn Habban]
Approaching the Qur'an
he one pre-requisite for understanding the Qur'an is to study it with an open and detached mind. Whether one believes it to be a revealed book or not, one should, as far as possible, free one's mind of bias in favour of or against it and get rid of all pre-conceived opinions and then approach it with the sole desire of understanding it. Those people who study it with preconceived notions of their own, read only their own ideas between its lines and cannot, therefore, grasp what the Qur'an wants to convey. It is obvious that this method of study can never be fruitful even with other books but it is utterly fruitless when applied to the study of the Qur'an.
There is another thing which must be kept in view. If one wants to have merely a cursory acquaintance with the contents of the Qur'an, then perhaps it might suffice for him to read it once. But, if one wishes to have a deep knowledge of it, one will have to go through it several times and each time from a different point of view.
One should also try to find out its fundamentals and the way of life it aims to build on them. During this preliminary study, if some questions occur in his mind, the reader should note them down and patiently continue his study, for he is likely to find their answers somewhere in the Qur'an itself.
After getting a general insight into the Qur'an in this way, one should begin its detailed study and take down notes of the different aspects of its teachings. For instance, one should note down what pattern of life it approves and what it disapproves. One should note down the qualities of a good man and those of a bad man, side by side, in order to bring both the patterns clearly before his mind simultaneously. Similarly, one should note down, side by side, those things which lead to the success and salvation of man and those which lead to his failure and ruin. In the same way, he should put down, under different headings, the teachings and instruction of the Qur'an about creed, morality, duties, obligations, civilization, culture, economics, politics, law, social system, peace, war and other human problems. These notes should be consolidated to form a complete sketch of each aspect of the teachings and then fitted together to form a complete system of life.
Then, if one desires to know the Qur'anic solution of a certain human problem he should first make study of the relevant literature, both ancient and modern, and note down the basic issues. He should also make use of the research so far made into the problem and note down the points at issue. He should then study the Quran with a view to finding out the answers to those issues. I can say from my own personal ,experience that when one studies the Qur'an with a view to making research into any problem, one will find an answer to it even in those verses which one had skipped over without ever imagining that it lay hidden therein.
One cannot grasp the inspiring spirit of the Qur'an, unless one begins to put its message into practice, for the Qur'an is neither a book of abstract. ideas and theories which may be studied in an easy chair nor is it a book of religious enigmas which may be unravelled in monasteries and universities. It is a Book that has been sent down to invite people to start a movement and to lead its followers and direct their activities towards the achievement of its mission. One has, therefore, to go to the battlefield of life to understand its real meaning. That was why a quiet and amiable person like Muhammad had to come out of his seclusion and start the Islamic Movement and fight against the rebellious world, It was the Qur'an that urged him to declare war against every kind of falsehood and engage in conflict with the leaders of disbelief without any consideration of the consequences. Then it attracted good souls from every home and gathered them under the banner of its leader in order to fight against the upholders of the old order who organised themselves into a gang to oppose them. During this long and bitter struggle between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, which continued for twenty-three years or so, the Qur'an went on guiding the Movement in every phase and at every stage, until it succeeded in establishing the Islamic Way of life in its perfection.
It is thus obvious that one cannot possibly grasp the truths contained in the Qur'an by the mere recitation of its words. For this purpose one must take active part in the conflict between belief and un-belief, Islam and un-Islam, truth and falsehood. One can understand it only if one takes up its Message, invites the world to accept it and moves on and on in accordance with its Guidance. Thus alone will one experience and understand all that which happened during the revelation of the Qura'n. One will meet with the same conditions that were experienced at Makkah, Taif and Habash and pass through the same kind of fire that had to be passed through at Badr, Uhd, Hunain, Tabuk etc. One will meet with Abu Jahls and Abu Lahabs and come across hypocrites, the double-faced, in short, every type of people mentioned in the Qur'an. Incidentally, this is a wonderful experience of its own kind and worth the trial.
While passing through any one of these stages of this experience, one will find some verses and some surahs of the Qur'an, which will themselves tell that they were revealed at such and such a stage and brought such and such instructions for the guidance of the Movement. In this way the Qur'an will lay bare its spirit even though one might not be able to understand all the lexical meanings of its words and solve all the intricacies of grammar and rhetoric. The same formula applies to its Commandments, its moral teachings, its instructions about economics and culture and its laws regarding different aspects of human life. These things can never be understood unless they are put into practice. It is thus obvious that those individuals and communities who discard it from practical life, cannot understand its meaning and imbibe its spirit by mere lip-service to it. This is from me and true knowledge is With Allah; I have full trust in Him and turn to Him for true guidance
7 Reasons to Read the Glorious Qur'an
1. InimitableIt dares you to disprove it. How? It says that humans cannot write a book like this even if they pooled all their resources together and got help also from the spirits. The Qur'an said this fourteen hundred years ago and yet no one has been able to disprove it.. Billions of books have been written, but not another one like the Qur'an.2. IncorruptibleIt is the only religious sacred writing that has been in circulation for such a long time and yet remains as pure as it was in the beginning. The Qur'an was kept intact. Nothing was added to it, nothing was changed in it, and nothing was taken away from it ever since its revelation was completed 1400 hundred years ago.3. UnsurpassableThe Qur'an is God's final revelation to humankind. God revealed the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and finally the Qur'an to Muhammad. Peace be upon Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad. No other book will came from God to surpass His final revelation.4. IndisputableThe Qur'an withstands the test of time and scrutiny. No one can dispute the truth of this book. It speaks about past history and turns out right. It speaks about the future in prophecies and it turns our right. It mentions details of physical phenomena which were not known to people at the time; yet later scientific discoveries prove that the Qur'an was right all along. Every other book needs to be revised to accord with modern knowledge. The Qur'an alone is never contradicted by a newly discovered scientific fact.5. Your Roadmap for Life and AfterlifeThe Qur'an is the best guidebook on how to structure your life. No other bok presents such a comprehensive system involving all aspects of human life and endeavor. The Qur'an also points out the way to secure everlasting happiness in the afterlife. It is your roadmap showing how to get to Paradise.6. God's Gift of GuidanceGod has not left alone. You were made for a reason. God tells you why he made you, what he demands from you and what he has in store for you. If you operate a machine contrary to it's manufacturer's specification you will ruin that machine. What about you? Do you have an owner's manual for yourself? The Qur'an is from your Maker. It is a gift for you to make sure you function for success, lest you fail to function. It is a healing from God. It satisfies the soul, and cleans the heart. It removes doubts and brings peace.7. Your Calling Card to Communicate with you LordHumans are social creatures. We love to communicate with other intelligent life. The Qur'an tells us how to communicate with the source of all intelligence and the source of all life, the One God. The Qur'an tell us who God is, by what name we should address Him, and the way in which to communicate with Him.