What Is The Qur’an?
The Qur’an is the scripture of the muslims and the Final Revelation to Mankind. Allah revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad in the Arabic language between the years 610 and 632 C.E.The Qur’an is the literal word of God, sent through the Archangel Gabriel to the Messenger.
‘The revelation of the Book [i.e., the Qur’an] is from God, the Exalted in Might, the Wise’ [Az-Zumar 39:1]
Approximately 10 million of today’s Muslims have memorized the Qur’an and all others memorize at least parts, chapters or verses from the Qur’an in its original Arabic form. The Qur’an is the only book that remains preserved since its original version in both written and oral forms of Arabic.
Who Wrote The Qur’an?
The Qur’an being one of the substantial literatures, is not the work or creation of any human being. From the very first letter to the last, it is nothing less than the words of Allah, without the interjection of any human, including the messenger Muhammad.
And it was not [possible] for this Quran to be produced by other than God,…’ [Yunus 10:37]
The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet in stages over a period of 23 years.
‘And (it is) a Quran which We have divided (into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it by stages’ [al-Isra’ 17:106]
Couldn’t the Prophet have authored it?
Prophet Muhammad was illiterate- he couldn’t read and write. He was not educated in any field that could account for either the scientific or the historical accuracy or the literary magnificence of the book. The precision of historical recounts of previous peoples and civilisations mentioned in the Quran is too great to be authored by any man.
Purpose Of The Qur’an
- The primary purpose of revelation of the Qur’an was to teach people about Allah, their purpose of creation and servitude to the Creator.This is a Book which We have revealed to you O Prophet so that you may lead people out of darkness and into light, by the Will of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy—’ [Ibrahim 14:1]
- The Qur’an serves as an instruction manual and a code book for life. It hands out information for every aspect of life no matter how big or small- that which is relevant to the dealings.
- The Qur’an provides direction to help man judge between right and wrong, without which man is surely at a loss.
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‘…the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion…’ [Al-Baqarah 2:185]
Why Do Muslims Read the Qur’an?
- An act of worship Reciting the Qur’an and learning its teachings is an important act of worship.
- A source of reward a beautiful form of earning good deeds is reciting the Qur’an. The reader gets rewarded for every word/letter recited.
- Testament on the Day of Judgement.The Quran will stand witness for its readers on the day of judgement and ask for forgiveness for its readers.
Why Non-Muslims Should Read the Qur’an?
The Qur’an was not revealed only to muslims. It is a revelation to the entire mankind. The Qur’an is the direct word of God, addressing topics like- belief and monotheism, deism, manners, and social arrangements in addition to economics, inter-faith relations, rules of war, political relations, and accords. A non-muslim who wants to know about the teachings of Islam in unadulterated manner can approach the Qur’an.
An important thing to keep in mind is, the Qur’an has different contexts including the events that happened during the 23 year long period of its revelation and the mention of the pre-islamic events. If a non-Muslim approaches the Qur’an, it is important that he is rightly explained the context, so no misunderstanding occurs.
Secondly, a non-Muslim could read the Qur’an because it was lived by the Prophet (peace be upon him), demonstrates human nature, conflict resolution, navigating daily politics, and human failures and successes. It is a representation of human dilemmas, events, social issues, and relations.
It shows the path to a good life, justice, and reminds us of the Hereafter.
Benefits Of The Qur’an To Mankind
- Reading the Qur’an incites the mind to ponder and imagine and the heart to yearn and tremble. It, in and of itself, is a cure for all the diseases of the heart. Allah says, ‘We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers,…’ [Al-Isra 17:82]
- Reading the Qur’an is a source of comfort for the heart and soul. ‘…Verily with the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find peace’ [Ar-Rad 13:28]
- The Qur’an is the word of Allah. So reading His words and message brings one closer to Him.