The Qur’an: The Holy Scripture of Islam
“When humanity was floundering in the brutality of ignorance and unbelief, the Qur’an burst forth in a flood of enlightenment that drowned the world in its light. The Qur’an engendered a revolution without parallel or equal. History is a sufficient witness!”
– Fethullah Gulen, Pearls of Wisdom (1)
First revealed in 610 CE, the Holy Qur’an is the religious text of more than 1.6 billion people worldwide. (2) Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the verbatim word of God-Almighty, revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) through the Archangel Gabriel. Revealed over a span of 23 years, verses were sent down sporadically, many times in coherence with specific events happening at the time, or as an answer to a question.
God-Almighty also revealed texts to prophets that preceded Prophet Muhammad. The Pages of Abraham, the Bible, the Psalms, and the Torah being among them, it is important to note that we may not know the names of all texts given to all prophets.
“We have revealed to you (O Messenger), as We revealed to Noah and the Prophets after him; and We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Prophets who were raised in the tribes, and Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon; and We gave David the Psalms.” (4:163)
For many centuries, almost a third of humanity lived under the peaceful rule of the Qur’an, today it is still the main source of love and hope for old and young alike.
Surely, be they of those who declare faith (the Community of Muhammad), or be they of those who are the Jews or the Sabaeans or the Christians (or of another faith) whoever truly and sincerely believes in God and the Last Day and does good, righteous deeds they will have no fear, nor will they grieve.” (5:69)
The Preservation of the Qur’an
“The Word of your Lord is perfected (with the Qur’an) as the embodiment of truth (with respect to the essentials of belief, principles of worship and good conduct, the rules to govern human life, and all the tidings it gives considering the past and future, including the Hereafter), and of justice (regarding all the commandments it contains): there is no altering of His words (the laws He has established for life, and the operation of the universe; attempting to interfere with them will bring about great disasters, so no one must ever attempt to change His commandments, which are contained in the Book). He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing (Who knows every need of every creature, and every requirement of every age, just as He knows how you respond to His commandments).” (6:115)
The preservation of the original text of the Holy Qur’an is in itself a miracle to Muslims around the world. Consisting of rhythmic verses, so linguistically impressive even the world’s most advanced Arab linguistics say it is beyond the capacity for any human to produce, the Qur’an has been preserved in its original form since its revelation, fourteen hundred years ago.
What is the Central Message of the Qur’an?
Said Nursi, a prominent scholar describes the Qur’an as built upon four main themes (3):
Among the messages found in the Holy Qur’an, God-Almighty tells us that we were created to know and worship Him. “I have not created the jinn and humankind but to (know and) worship Me (exclusively).” (51:56)
We will be tested here on Earth and then judged according to the choices we make before being sent to our eternal destination (Heaven or Hell).
Conclusion
The Qur’an is considered as the verbatim word of God-Almighty to 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. In a time where misinformation is spread easily, the reader should find a trustworthy translation and teacher to gain the most from the Qur’an beyond the basic translation. In addition to this, the original texts of the revelations preceding the Holy Qur’an have either been lost or only have translations available for viewing. The Qur’an, on the contrary, has been preserved in its original language and form, and understood in its original language and form by millions of people worldwide.
References
Gulen, Fethullah. Pearls of Wisdom. Somerset, NJ: Light, 2005. Print
Lipka, Michael. “Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.S. and around the World.” Pew Research Center. N.p., 22 July 2016
Unal, Ali. “The Miraculous Quran.” The Miraculous Quran.
Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. Miraculous Qur’an and Some of Its Mysteries: From the Risale-i Nur Collection. Light, 2006. Print.
