Living the Quran

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Living the Quran

Living the Quran

Living the Quran

Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {It was the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was [first] sent down as guidance for all people, having [in it] clear proofs of [Divine] guidance and the criterion.} [Quran 2:185]

Since that first Ramadan revelation, believers the world over and across history have drawn nearer to Allah Almighty, rejuvenated their faith, found their purpose in life, saved their souls from hellfire, and found the key to eternal happiness in Paradise with their Beloved Lord through the Quran.

Almost exactly 1,437 years ago, the beloved Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) commenced his journey form Makkah to Madeenah and laid the foundations of the greatest community of believers ever to have lived. Among the foundations of that Community of men and women was a radiant and vibrant faith in Allah Almighty, unflinching love for His Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) and brotherhood and sacrifice for each other. These virtues were implanted in their souls by the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) through the guidance of the Quran. The foundation of that Community was the Quran. The Word of God was what that blessed Community stood for.

Allah's speeches, delivered and explained to them by His impeccable Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) had created and nurtured that community in Makkah for the previous 13 years. In the second year of Hijrah or shortly afterward, the verses about fasting were revealed that eventually made the fasting of the month of Ramadan an obligation. Just like all other foundational markers and rituals of that blessed Community, the month of fasting was connected to the Quran.

The pillar of Islam prior to fasting, that of Prayer, was also built around the Quran. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) and his followers prayed from the very beginning of his blessed call, and read Quran in it. The five regular prayers had been revealed toward the end of Makkan life (in the year 10 or 12 of prophethood) at the occasion of the Prophet's Ascension (Mi`raaj) to Heaven. The Quran had already alluded to the number of obligatory prayers, their times, and content, and the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) had given them their final form by way of instruction from the Archangel Gabriel.

The month of fasting was designed, in the wisdom of Allah, to celebrate the Quran in a different way, but one which complemented the prayer. While the regular prayers set the tone and the rhythm of the daily life of the believers, Ramadan would challenge them and all their spiritual descendants to soar even higher in their worship and remembrance of their Creator, and specifically to rejuvenate that daily routine of prayer.

Allah, Most High, is, of course, all aware of His servants, whose habitual practices inevitably become monotonous. Thus the heart rusts. Feelings mellow. Intellectual acuity in the form of spiritual understanding clouds over. Hence, perspectives blur. The journey of faith begins to seem long and uneventful from day to day. Impulsive and short-sighted—"Man has been created from haste" [Quran 21:37]—the human being is nonetheless capable of rising to great heights, provided he is prompted with proper reminders that hold his attention to his task and path. For no matter how great the reward, how high the stakes, when the human heart loses sight of its purpose and road, it gives up the struggle. It needs peaks from where to see the end clearly, oases wherefrom to fill up on hope in order to gain the stamina required to cross the many difficult vales along the way.

The Month of Ramadan provides that climax, that summit, that viewpoint. It comes with intense physical training. But its soul is the Quran. It is only as good as the closeness to the Quran—both spiritual and intellectual—that one attains in it.

Without exemplifying the meanings of the Quran, without pondering its signs, and rethinking the whole life in a coherent way through it, Ramadan becomes empty. That is why the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) has tied fasting and the Quran together as the two intercessors on the Day of Judgment: The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: "Fasting and the Quran will intercede on behalf of the servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: `O Lord! I prevented him from food and satisfying his desires during the day. Therefore, do Thou make mean intercessor for him.' The Quran will say: `I prohibited him from sleeping at night, therefore, do Thou make me an intercessor for him.' Thus shall they intercede'” [Ahmad]

An intervening plea, then: Let us both strive, then, you and I, to make this Ramadan truly the month of the Quran, a month in which we transcend the monotony of life and reach a new level of faith and bliss. For we know not how many Ramadan peaks we have left before our way ends.

The Noble Quran is the eternal miracle of the Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) because all the miracles of the Prophets, May Allah Exalt their mention, ended with their death, except our Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) whose miracle is still preserved. This everlasting miracle is The Book of Allah and His Revealed Speech that {Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it} [Quran 41:42]

Allah, The Almighty, Confirms this fact, when He Says (what means):

• {And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Words of Allah.} [Quran 9:6]

• {Those who remained behind will say when you set out toward the war booty to take it, "Let us follow you." They wish to change the Words of Allah.} [Quran 48:15]

Those two verses prove that the Quran is the Words and Speech of Allah, The Almighty, that He Has Revealed to His Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) used to invite people to Islam during the Hajj season and would say, “Who are willing to give me asylum so that I can convey the Speech of my Lord, for the Quraysh have prevented me from conveying the Speech of my Lord.” [At-Tirmithi and Ahmad]
Hence, the Quran is the Speech of Allah as unanimously agreed upon by all Muslims.

This fact is supported by several logical and tangible pieces of evidence including the following:

- The polytheists failed to produce a single verse, let alone a single Chapter, or a whole book like the Quran despite the fact that they were utterly determined and extremely motivated to oppose and falsify the call of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). Furthermore, we must remember that they were the masters of the Arabic language, in which the Quran was revealed. Certainly, this constitutes a definitive proof that the Quran is the Speech of Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, not that of humans.

- The Quran foretold many matters of the unseen and made several prophecies that were all fulfilled exactly as they were foretold. For example, the Persians defeated the Byzantines in one of their battles and the Quran recorded this defeat foretelling that the Byzantines would defeat the Persians within three to nine years and this is what actually happened. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {The Byzantines have been defeated * In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome. * Within three to nine years.} [Quran 30: 2-4]

- The Quran includes many miraculous scientific facts that were only discovered fourteen centuries later. For example, the Quran told us about a barrier separating the salty water from the fresh water not to mix with each other. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {He Released the two seas, meeting [side by side]; * Between them is a barrier [so] neither of them transgresses.} [Quran 55:19,20]
After about fourteen centuries, modern science confirmed this scientific fact.

- When one reads the Book of Allah, he goes into a state of peace and tranquility unlike the human speeches or writings. Allah, The Exalted, Says (what means): {Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."} [Quran 13:28]

- The Quran is also a cure and it expels the devils when it is recited. Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): {And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers...} [Quran 17:82]

Of course, it is almost impossible to list all the evidences that prove that the Quran is the Speech of Allah in this article; however, we will conclude with the words of Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah, who was one of the senior leaders of the polytheists of Quraysh, about the Quran. He said, “What can I say? Whether it is about prose or poetry, or the poems of the Jinns, I possess greater knowledge than any other man. By God! The words spoken by this man cannot be compared with any of the others. By God, his words possess a charming sweetness and a particular beauty. The branches of his speech are laden with fruit while its roots are firmly entrenched in the soil from whence it proceeds. It is superior to all other discourses, and it is not possible for any other discourse to show it in poor light. For a surety it will conquer anything that comes under its own influence!” [Al-Haakim and Al-Bayhaqi]

This is the Quran, the Speech of Allah that has been challenging humankind and proving its inability to produce something to its effect as to its eloquence, wise judgments, and authentic news. The challenge is still valid, and the inability of mankind to face that challenge remains. Thus, the Quran will remain the everlasting Argument of Allah, The Almighty, against all opponents and disbelievers.

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