The Holy Quran

Quran has been revealed for the guidance of mankind and invites the people of wisdom to read
into its pages to enhance human knowledge about the universe and Creator, and to create
environments where man could live in peace and harmony with the fellow human beings and with
the Nature.

Quran is a part of the Knowledge - which is limitless, and therefore it encapsules the stages of
human development. It also contains the solutions of issues and problems which mankind faces
and specifies a complete Islamic system i.e. the system which facilitates living in peace - where
there is no oppression, insecurity, fear and inequality. Quran commands authority and leadership
and thus declares that if anyone has any doubts about the truth of the Book which has been
revealed to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), then they should try to make even one passage which
could match the Book, and poses the challenge that despite the knowledge and resources that
man has , he will not be able to do so (re: Al-Baqra 2:23-24). This challenge has not been met to-
date.

I think perhaps it would help to outline a few basic but key aspects of the Quran:
a. Literary aspect: The language, the poetic element and the continuity of the Quran can only be
fully appreciated by those who have the knowledge and command of Arabic language, though
people of RAemanS who have no or little knowledge of the language get a wealth of satisfaction
by reciting Quran or listening to its recitation. Translation of Quran in other languages can not
reproduce the true meanings or the appropriate sense, therefore those who know no or little
Arabic and would really like to understand Quran, should learn the language first. Perhaps it
would be interesting to point out that enemies of Islam attack Quran mostly by using its
translation or analysing its passages which are taken out of context.

b.Al-Zikir: Where the reader can easily extract the lessons from what he reads. In this respect the
Quran is very easy to understand for those who have some language skills. Allah says that the
Quran was made easy in order to benefit and guide human (re: Murryam 19:97; Qamar 17:54;
Dukhan 44:58).

c.. Al-Taddabur: Where the reader has to think through, analyse the concepts and deduce
conclusions. It is this aspect of Quran which is most difficult since it goes right into the
philosophy, knowledge and higher level of understanding. To highlight this point let me give a few
examples. Abdulllah ibni Omar (son of Omar ibni Khattab) was a sahabi (companion of Prophet
Muhammad s.a.w) and therefore was in the era in which the Quran was revealed, he was a thinker
and researcher who had a total command of the Arabic language, and yet it took him
approximately 8 years to interpret and document one surah i.e. Al- Baqra (this work was done
well after the Prophet).

Imam Razi was a philosopher and researcher, had a command of Islamic thoughts and interpreted
Quran in 36 volumes. But when it came to interpret and explain Aya 2 and 3 of Al-Huded (57)
which says that He is the first and He is the last and that He is most overt and most covert, Imam
Razi wrote R this is very deep, very difficult. It is impossible to explain in words.
I hope the serious readers, believers or otherwise, would find this article helpful and would be
able to appreciate that the Quran represents social, economic and political code for improving the
quality of life. If people, Muslim or non-Muslim, do not practice the code, it is they who are the
losers and not the Islam or the Quran.
1. What is the Quran ?
2. If the Quran was used for the massage revealed to Mohammed as well as the previous
massages, what characteristics differentiate this Quran from the previous ones?

3. Some people say that this Quran is written by Mohammed. What should be the most
appropriate answer for such claims?

4. Revelations over a period of twenty years, could you tell us exactly how many verses (ayats)
does the Quran contain, also can you give an example of the length of a typical revelation at one
time to the Prophet (P.B.U.H) for the purpose of illustration.

5. The Quran is the most read single book in the world, it has been read for the past fourteen
hundred years and the indication is that people will continue to not just read this book but also
memorize It for the coming years until the day of Judgment. Could you tell us why people read
the Quran and also why do they go to the extent of even memorizing It.

6. People have different memorizing capabilities, what advice can you give them to help in this
task.?

7. The Muslims follow in their lives the Quran and the Sunnah which has been revealed to us as
Hadeath. The latter is the saying and doings of the Prophet Mohammed (P.B.U.H). However, we
hear of what is termed as Hadith Qudsi. Could you tell us what is the link between such kind of
Hadeeth and the revealed Quran.

8. A large proportion of the Muslim community are non Arabic speaking people, is it possible to
read or even recite the Quran in any other language rather than Arabic, and why?

9. Islam is the largest growing religion in the world, a great proportion of such converts are non-
Arabic speaking. However, such people are still expected to perform their daily Salah (prayers).
Can they say the appropriate quranic verses in English or any other language other than Arabic
while performing their Salah.?

10. During the years of the new message, the Prophet (P.B.U.H) spent the first period in Mecca
and the rest in Meddinah. There were a certain number of Surahs described as Makki, others were
called Meddani. What is the distinction if any between these two types of Surahs?

11. Learning the Quran is part of the Islamic faith, at what stage in our lives we ought to start
learning this book of ALLAH.

12. You stated that it is crucial that we teach the Quraan to our children, what advice can you
give parents and even the educational establishments with this aspect.

13. It is a common misconception that Islam as a religion is associated only with the Arabs or the
Arabic speaking nations. However we know, for example, that the largest Muslim countries in the
world are in fact non Arabic speaking nations. Therefore such people rely on translations of the
Quraan or the meaning of It, what are the rules and regulations that must be followed in
delivering such translations.

14. The Quraan, as the words of ALLAH, contains as well the legislation of the Muslims, their
ways of life and their conduct. It has been revealed in the richest textual format and in occasions
that vary from one to another. The Muslims rely on the Tafseer of this book to understand the
concepts contained within. Can you elaborate on this and how many different tafseers are
available and also how do they rank to each other.

15. We have established that the Quraan is in fact the words of ALLAH, therefore the status that
such book has is well above any other book. Reading the Quraan is most definitely done in a such
a way that distinguishes it from other books, we call such method of reading “Reciting”. Could
you tell us about this?