Revelation from God

Whenever Allah sent a messenger to a group of people He sent him with a miracle so that people would bring an understanding of the truthfulness of the man’s prophethood. As such Allah supported His messengers by sending them holy verses so that they might be believed and followed.

‘We have already sent Our messengers with clear evidences and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance that the people may maintain [their affairs] in justice’

[Al-Hadeed 57:25]

Before the Quran, many scriptures like Suhuf, Tawraat, Zaboor and Injeel were revealed to the other prophets Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus respectively. It is mentioned in the Quran,

‘I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Book [all the holy Books, – this Quran and the Books of the old from the Taurat (Torah), or the Injeel (Gospel) or the Pages of Ibrahim (Abraham)]’

[Ash-Shooraa 42:15]

Each book was revealed to the messengers by Allah, who then passed on the words onto their people. While the Book of Abraham had been entirely lost, the other books are no longer in their original state. They have been added to, fabricated, altered, or their origin cannot be traced back to the prophets. Despite the differences, the prime message of the holy books is the same. Each text preaches that there is Only One God, living righteously, accountability on the day of judgement and rewards and punishment. The Quran affirms the core message in the previous books, verifies and elaborates its beliefs and refutes the fabricated allegations. 

Believing in the Quran and other holy books is one of the six articles of faith in Islam. It is obligatory for a believer to follow the Quran both inwardly and outwardly and to adhere to it sincerely, which is clear from the following verse, 

‘And this is a blessed Book (the Quran) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allah.’

[Al-Anam 6:155]

It implies that, one must regard what it permits as permitted, regard what it forbids as forbidden, obey its commands, avoid that which it prohibits, pay heed to its lessons, learn from its stories, understand its clear and unambiguous texts, refer the exact meaning of its ambiguous texts to Allah, not overstep its limits and defend it, must memorize it, recite it in a proper manner, ponder over the meanings of its verses, recite it in prayer night and day, be sincere towards it in all senses, and call others to do likewise with understanding.

The belief in the revelation of Allah, will result in important implications such as 

  • The knowledge and realization that Allah cares for him and hence had revealed the book to guide him.
  • The knowledge and realization that Allah is just and has set laws for people, each suited to their circumstances.
  • Fulfilling the duty of giving thanks for such a great blessing as the Quran, without which man would have been lost.
  • The importance of paying attention to the quran, understanding and implementing its meanings and acting accordingly.