Most people on this list will have no hesitation naming at least one
important work of the famous English language authors. Similarly, they
will
be equally at ease to identify the authors' names from the major
English
works. But if asked about the number of Surahs and Ayahs in the Quran,
or
the names of the biggest Surahs, they will probably be less sure of
their
answers.
We happily lose track of time when reading the newspaper every day, or
'riffling' through our favourite sports or fashion magazine. But when
it
comes to the Holy Quran most of us will concede last they read it was
during Ramadan. It is also usual for the parents of a sick child in the
house to endlessly pour over the ten rupee medicine's prescription to
satisfy themselves that their darling has been prescribed the right
medicine. Yet, they will give no heed to the moribund soul within their
own
selves which gasps for nourishment from an ayah of Quran.
Brothers and sisters, the above is a mere glance at the unfortunate
state
of affairs of our relationship with Allah Subhabhanahu wa Ta'ala and
His
Final Message. In the following passages, Inshaallah, through an
excerpted
translation of Dr. Israr Ahmad's speech, I shall reproduce selected
information about the Quran Al-Hakeem. Let us pray to become regular in
our
reading and understanding of the Quran Al-Kareem. In our grave,
our
newspapers and ours magazines will not keep away the frightening
serpents
and the flesh eating insects; It is this Word of Allah Aziz ul Hakeem
which
shall secure protection for us, Insha'allah.
Al-Furqan:
1. Our concise belief about the Quran is that it is a) the Word of
Allah,
b) present in absolute protected form and c) was revealed unto Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe wa Sal'am).
2. The original Quran is with Allah Ta'ala in "Lohe-e-Mahfooz".
{('And
verily, it is in the Mother of the Book, in Our Presence, high (in
dignity), full of wisdom.' 43: Al-Zukhruf:4}
What we have with us is the 'Mashaf-e-Usman (RAA)', i.e., Quran
scripted
during the caliphate of Hazrat Usman (RAA).
3. Allah's Word has been communicated to the mankind on earth in
three ways: a) Direct Revelation: (Ilhaam=Inspiration); b)
Minwarai-e-Hijab
(From behind veil): the only instance in this world, the communication
with
Hazrat Musa (Alaihe Salaam); c) Through a messenger. Quran was revealed
through this third form of communication.
4. While the Torah and the Injeel (Bible) were revealed in full, all at
once, the Quran was revealed in stages. It was transported, in complete
form, from the Loh-e-Mahfooz to the First Heaven during the
Laila-tul-Qadr. Thereafter, it was revealed in stages.
5. The period of revelation of the Quran in terms of the Christian
calendar
was between 610 CE (Christian Era) and 632 CE. Another reckoning is by
the
year of birth of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), which is also known as Aam
Al-Fil
(Year of the Elephant) because of the advance upon Mecca by Abraha's
army.
Starting in 40 Aam Al-Fil, over a period of twenty three years, its
revelation was completed in Hijrah 11, or 11 Al-Hijrah (A.H.).
6. The part of Arabia in which Quran was revealed is known as Hijaz,
which
means a screen. Among other cities this includes Mecca, Medinah and
Tabuk
in the North. It is a low lying mountainous range running North to
South on
the western coast of Arabia. To its west is a sliver of plain lands
known
as Tihama, and to its East lie the area of Najd.
7. Except for the last two Ayahs of Surah Al-Baqarah, the whole of
Quran
was revealed in Hijaz. These two Ayahs were revealed in the Heavens on
the
Night of Ascension (Shab-e-Mairaj).
8. Quran's language is Arabic, of course, however, its dialect is of
the
rural Najd. Because Mecca was a trading hub, the language of its
inhabitants had been 'corrupted' by the dialects of the visiting trade
caravans. It was the practice of the nobles of Quraish to send their
young
ones to the suburbs to learn pure, chaste Arabic. However, even that
did
not remain fully insulated and there are words in the Quran which are
not
of Arabic origin but were Arabicised. One example is the Persian word
'Sang-e-Gil', which became 'Sijjil' in Surah Al-Fil.
9. There are various interpretations for the derivation of the word
Quran.
In Arabic, 'Qaran' means close. It is also one of the forms of Hajj -
'Qiraan', whence Hajj and Umrah are joined. 'Qarah' means inclination,
and
'Qirya' is a village or town.
10. One thing is explicit about Quran's form of narration; it is not
poetry. It is more like prose, but a special ilk of prose. Unlike most
books where a topic or discussion is rounded up in one chapter, Quran
will
take up a subject at different places. The saga of Prophet Adam (AH)
and
Shaitaan is mentioned seven times. It is easier to think of its form of
address as a sermon. It is a collection of Divine Oration.
Among the Arabs there were only two forms of narrative which were
popular;
poetry and sermon. It is mandatory for a sermon (Khutba) to have a
historical background. Another quality is the shift in address. The
addressee may be switched from time to time. Besides, reasoning, it
relies
on emotions too, and its beginning and end are extremely profound and
compact.
