Human life has a noble purpose. It is real, it is earnest. The finite character of his reason, the brevity of the span of his life on earth, the multiplicity and the intricate and diverse nature of the phenomena of human life, furnish ample evidence for the inescapable conclusion that man's life has a most noble and sublime purpose. Man is God's vicegerent on earth and has been endowed with a Divine personality. He is manifestly the central figure in the universe. He is created to develop and reflect in his person Divine attributes. It is for the fulfilment of this most sublime object that from time immemorial it has been the Divine practice that whenever moral darkness enshrouds the earth and humanity consigns belief in God to oblivion and gives itself to the worship of the gods of his own conception and creation, and moral turpitude blunts the consciousness of sin, a Divine Messenger is raised to reclaim and redeem this great purpose.
“The beginning of the seventh century was an epoch of national and social disintegration, and religion had become extinct as a moral force and had been reduced to mere ritual and ceremony and the great faiths of the world—Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Confucianism—had ceased to exercise a healthy influence on the lives of their followers. The holy flames kindled by God's great Prophets had been quenched in the blood of man” (Spirit of Islam). In describing the situation of the world at that time J. H. Denison wrote: “In the preceding two centuries the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. It seemed that the great civilization that it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration... Civilization like a gigantic tree whose foliage had over-reached the world and whose branches had borne the golden fruits of art and science and literature stood tottering, its trunk no longer alive with the flowing sap of devotion and reverence, but rotten to the core” (Emotion as Basis of Civilization). Most deplorable was the condition of Arabia at that time when every conceivable vice had taken deep roots in that country and its leaders had completely despaired of its regeneration.
Such was the moral condition of the world when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), humanity's greatest Divine teacher, appeared in the world and the perfect Divine Law in the form of the Holy Qur’an was revealed to him. A perfect Law could only have been revealed when all or most of the evils had made their appearances and had become established.
The Holy Prophet's advent fulfilled the most crying need of the time. Both his advent and the revelation of the Holy Qur’an were foretold in the previous Divine Scriptures. Prophecies to this effect are to be found in the Scriptures of almost every Faith. The Bible being the best known and most widely read of all revealed Books, and also being its forerunner and in its pristine purity being its counterpart as a Book of Divine Laws, contains the largest number of these prophecies. Some of them are as follows:
And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Sinai unto them, he shined forth from mount Paran and he came with ten thousands of saints, from his right hand went a fiery Law for them. (Deut 33:2).
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him (Deut 18:18).
Jesus said unto them: Did ye never read in the Scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Matt 21:42, 43).
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you. I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth, for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak (John 16:7-12).
Organization of the Holy Qur’an
The word Surah rendered in English as ‘Chapter’ means: i) Rank and eminence; ii) mark or sign; iii) an elevated and beautiful edifice; and iv) something full and complete (Aqrab & Qurtubi). The Chapters of the Holy Qur’an are called Surahs because: i) One is exalted in rank by reading them and attains to eminence through them; ii) they serve as marks of the beginning and the end of different subjects dealt with in the Holy Qur’an; iii) they are each like a noble spiritual edifice and iv) each one of them contains a complete theme. The name Surah for such a division has been used in the Holy Qur’an itself (v. 24:2). It has been used in the Hadith also. The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said “Just now a Surah has been revealed to me and it runs as follows” (Muslim). From this it is clear that the name Surah for a division of the Holy Qur’an has been in use from the very beginning of Islam and it is not a later innovation.
The Holy Qur’an has one hundred fourteen Surahs (Chapters) and six thousand three hundred sixty verses. According to scholarly opinion it is generally believed the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) received his first revelation—the first five verses of Surah Al-‘Alaq in Cave Hira’, on the 24th night of Ramadan and according to some scholars on some other odd night after this night, thirteen years before the Hijrah, corresponding to 610 A.D. The last verse to be revealed was the fourth verse of Surah Al-Ma’idah.
The Holy Qur’an has two sets of verses. Some are Muhkam—firm and decisive in meaning and others Mutashabih—capable of different interpretations. When interpreting a Mutashabih verse it may be noted that only such interpretation of it should be accepted as agrees with verses that are Muhkam. For the convenience of the readers the Holy Qur’an was later divided into thirty Parahs and seven Manzils and each Surah into Ruku‘s (sections). Of the one hundred and fourteen Surahs, sixty-five are believed to have been revealed before the Hijrah, eighteen after the Hijrah and opinions about the remaining thirty-one Surahs differ as to how many were revealed before the Hijrah and how many after it. The Surahs revealed before the Hijrah—the Meccan Surahs deal with the fundamentals of religion, particularly with the basic principles of Islam. Stress has been laid in them upon doctrines and morals and upon Divine attributes with particular emphasis upon the necessity and importance of Revelation, repudiation of polytheism, life after death and upon how to preach and propagate the Divine Message and to bear courageously and steadfastly the opposition and persecution one had to suffer in the discharge of the sacred mission. They contain prophecies about the ultimate triumph of Islam and deal also with the doubts and objections of disbelievers regarding the Divine origin of the Holy Qur’an and the truth of the claims of the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) and most effectively and convincingly removed them in terse, pithy and forceful language. They provide striking illustrations of condensation and economy of expression. The Surahs revealed after the Hijrah—(Medinite Surahs), however, primarily deal at length with statecraft and international relations, also shed light on the fulfilment of the prophecies made in the Meccan Surahs.
The Holy Qur’an was revealed at intervals and it took about twenty-three years to complete. The disbelievers say, ‘Why was the Holy Qur’an not revealed to the Prophet all at once’ (v.25:33)? To this objection the Holy Qur’an answered in the words: We have revealed it in this manner that we may strengthen thy heart therewith and we have arranged it in the best form (v. 25:33). The gradual revelation of the Holy Qur’an was, therefore, intended to serve a sublime purpose. The Divine design was to provide for the needs of each situation as it arose. The interval between the revelation of different passages afforded the believers an opportunity to witness the fulfilment of some of the prophecies contained in the passages already revealed and thus their faith became strengthened. It was also intended to answer the objections raised by disbelievers during the interval. The revelation was spread over a long period of time in order also to enable the believers to learn, remember and assimilate the Qur’anic teachings and to commit the Holy Qur’an itself to memory. The gradual revelation of the Holy Qur’an also fulfilled the following biblical prophecy:
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. (Isaiah 28:9-11).
The Holy Qur’an possesses all the qualities and attributes implicit in this word. It is not only completely free from every defect and imperfection but possesses all the excellent qualities that the last Divine Law for the whole of mankind should possess, and it possesses them in full measure.
The proper name of the Holy Qur’an which occurs at several places in the Holy Book itself is Al-Qur’an (v. 28:56). It also uses for itself additional names and qualifying epithets, some of which are: Al-Kitab, the Perfect Book (v. 2:3); Adh-Dhikr, the Source of Honour of the Reminder (v. 15:10); Al-Huda, the Guidance (v. 72:14); Al-Furqan that which distinguishes between right and wrong (v. 25:2); Al-Bushra, the Glad Tidings (v. 16:90); Al-Burhan, the clear Argument (v. 4:176); Al-Qayyim, the Guardian (v. 18:3); Al-Muhaimin, the Protector (v. 5:49); An-Nur, the Light (v. 7:158); Al-Haqq, the Truth (v. 18:82); Al-Bayan, the clear Demonstration (v. 3:138); Al-Khair, the Goodness (v. 3:104); An-Ni‘mat, the Bounty (v. 93:12); Ar-Rahmat, the Mercy (v. 2:06); Ash-Shifa’, the Healing (v. 10:158); Al-Hukm, the Judgement (v. 13:38); Ar-Ruh, the Spirit of the Divine Word (v. 42:53); Al-Hikmat, the Wisdom (v. 17:40); Al-Mizan, the Balance (v. 57:26); Al-Karim, the Noble (v. 56:78); Al-‘Ajab, the Wonderful (v. 72:2); Al-Hakim, Full of Wisdom (v. 36:3); Al-Majid, the Glorious (v. 50:2); Al-‘Aziz, the Mighty (v. 41:42); Al-Mubin, that which explains fully (v.12:2); Al-Musaddiq, that which fulfils the prophecies made in the previous Scriptures (v. 6:93); Mubarak, the Blessed (v. 6:93); Al-Marfu‘ah, the Exalted (v. 80:14); Al-Mutahharah, the Purified (v. 80:14).
All the names and qualifying epithets shed light upon the extensive import of the verses in which they occur.
Being the eternal revelation for all mankind till the end of time it was natural that the Holy Qur’an should have enjoyed complete immunity from all possibilities of interpolation or tempering of its text. No other Divine Scripture has claimed this distinction nor has any one of them enjoyed this immunity. This distinction and superiority of the Holy Qur’an has been set forth in the most challenging terms: We Ourselves have sent down this Exhortation and We will most surely safeguard it (v. 15:10). The promise made in this verse has been remarkably fulfilled. Not even the ardent enemies of Islam, despite all their efforts, have been able, during the past several hundred years, to detect even a solitary instance of interpolation or perversion of its text. According to Muir: “There is otherwise every security, internal and external, that we possess the text which Muhammad gave to the world and used.” Noldeke has paid his tribute to this exclusive distinction of the Holy Qur’an in these words: “Efforts of European scholars to prove the existence of later interpolations in the Qur’an have failed” (Enc. Brit.).
To implement this promise God chose Arabic for conveying the eternal truth enshrined in the Holy Book. Whereas, during the past several centuries the different extant languages of the world have undergone many changes as to have become quite different from what they were in the beginning, the wearing effect of the past many years has found it impossible to render the language of the Holy Qur’an obsolete. This is a distinctive peculiarity of the language. Moreover, some lay claim that Arabic is the basis of all languages. The word ‘Arabi (Arabic) connotes fullness, abundance and clarity. The Arabic language is so called because its roots are innumerable and are pregnant with a vast variety of meanings and also because it is most expressive, eloquent and comprehensive. It possesses suitable words and phrases for the full expression of all sorts of ideas and shades of meaning. Any topic can be discussed in this language with a precision and thoroughness inapproachable in any other language. The rhetoric and rhythm of the Arabic of the Qur’an are so characteristic, so powerful, so highly emotive that any verse whatsoever is bound, in the nature of things, to be but a poor copy of the glittering splendour of the original” says Professor Arberry.
Of all the manifold inimitable and inapproachable excellencies in which the Holy Qur’an far excels all other revealed Scriptures, the most outstanding is its repeated reference to and great emphasis on the attributes of the Divine Being. There is a well-known saying in Arabic: “He who loves something talks of it most frequently.” The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) would talk about Allah unceasingly. Always finding him engrossed in remembrance of Allah, the Meccans would observe, “‘Ashiqa Muhammadun Rabbahu” i.e., Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) has fallen in love with his Lord, i.e., Allah. Allah is the name used in the Holy Qur’an for the Supreme Being Who is the sole possessor of all perfect attributes and is completely free from all conceivable defects and shortcomings. The word has been used numerous times in the Holy Qur’an without evoking a feeling of unnecessary repetition. No other Divine Scripture has a proper name for God. The names found and used in other revealed Books are either descriptive or attributive. The principal attributes used for Allah in the Holy Qur’an fall into two main categories, viz., “Transcendent Attributes” and “Attributes of Similitude.” The “Transcendent Attributes” are eternal and unchangeable and are manifested through God's exclusive attributes and are found in no other being. The four “Transcendent Attributes” of Allah mentioned in the Holy Qur’an are: He is Ahad, which means the One, the sole (v. 112:3). He Who has no second to share in His Lordship or in His Essence. He is One and Alone in the sense that when we think of Him, the very idea that there is any other being or thing besides Him is absent from our minds. He is neither the starting point of any chain nor its last link. The second “Transcendent Attribute” is As-Samad (v. 112:3), which signifies the Supreme Being to Whom recourse is made for the fulfilment of all our needs and who will continue to exist forever after all creation has ceased to exist. He is Self-Subsisting and depends on no being or thing. He is above conjecture or conception. Another “Transcendent Attribute” is that He has succeeded no one and will be succeeded by no one (v. 112:3). He is complete in all His attributes and is Eternal, Everlasting and Absolute. The fourth “Transcendent Attribute” mentioned is that there is no one like Him (v. 112:5). Human reason demands that there should be one Creator and one Controller of the whole universe. The perfect order that pervades and permeates the entire universe leads to but one inevitable conclusion that one uniform law must be governing it and the unity and uniformity of the law and design prove and proclaim the unity of the Creator. These four-principal “Transcendent Attributes” may be said to constitute God's Throne (His ‘Arsh). The principal “Attributes of Similitude” are: Rabb-ul-‘Alamin—Lord of all the worlds (v. 1:2); Ar-Rahman—the Gracious (v. 1:3); Ar-Rahim—the Merciful (v. 1:3); and Maliki Yaumid- Din—Master of the Day of Judgment (v. 1:4). Whereas, the “Transcendent Attributes” represent God's “Throne,” the “Attributes of Similitude” may be said to be “the Bearers of His Throne.” In view of the brevity of the introduction it is difficult to enter here into a detailed explanation of the various Divine attributes referred to in the Holy Qur’an either expressly or by inference stemming from these four principles, as “Attributes of Similitude”. It may be said, however, that nothing in any other revealed Scripture touches even the fringes of the beauty, sublimity and majesty of the Divine attributes mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
Do you imagine that We have created you as a mere pastime and that you will not have eternal life and opportunities of eternal development after death (v. 23:116).
The verse clearly states that man has been created to serve a great purpose—to develop and reflect in his person Divine attributes and is manifestly the central figure in the whole of creation. Having a great and sublime purpose to fulfill his life does not end with his departure from this world and with the soul's flight from its physical body. The human soul continues its never-ending journey in a new world, in a new form and in a new body. The very idea that with the dissolution of its physical tabernacle the human soul suffers death militates against God's Wisdom and His whole design and purpose in creating the universe. Death is merely the translation of the soul from one form of existence into another which is essential for its complete development. After its flight from its physical habitat the soul is given another body which grows and develops and takes forms which it is not possible for man to know or even to conceive of.
Life after death is only an image and manifestation of the present life, and the rewards and punishments in the next world will only be the embodiments and images of the actions in this life. Heaven and hell are not new material worlds. Call them material, if you will, but they are only embodiments of the spiritual facts of this life. The entanglements of this world shall be seen as fetters in the next. The heart burning of this world shall likewise be seen as flames of burning fire, and the love which a believer feels for his Lord and Creator will appear as wine in the life to come. Thus, there will be streams, honey, meat of birds, wine, fruits, thrones, companions besides many other things in Paradise, but they will not be the things of this world but will only be the embodiments of spiritual facts of the life of this world. This is why the Holy Qur’an says: No soul knows what joy of the eyes is hidden for them (the believers) for their good works (v. 32:18). The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) has said: “No eye has seen the blessings of Paradise, nor has any ear heard of them, nor can human mind conceive of them” (Bukhari).
Before closing these introductory remarks about the Holy Qur’an, it would be appropriate to draw attention to the opinions of some eminent scholars about the many excellences of the Holy Qur’an:
“I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite the wise and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based on the principles of the Qur’an which alone are true and which alone can lead men to happiness” (Bonaparte et l' Islam by Cherfils).
“This book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence” (Goethe).
“The creed of Muhammad is free from the suspicion of ambiguity and the Qur’an is a glorious testimony to the Unity of God” (Gibbon).
“We may well say that the Qur’an is one of the greatest books ever written” (Dr. Steingass).
“The dogma of Unity of God has been proclaimed therein (in the Qur’an) with a grandeur, a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure connection which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam” (Sir Thomas Arnold).
“The Qur’an was the prime inspiration of a religious movement which gave rise to a civilization of wide extent, vast power and profound vitality” (Prof. Arberry).
“We must not be surprised to find the Qur’an the fountainhead of the sciences. Every subject connected with heaven or earth, human life, commerce and various trades is occasionally touched upon... it was indirectly due to the marvellous development of all branches of science in the Muslim world” (Dr. Hart Wing Hirschfeld).
“Its (Qur’an's) miraculous quality resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that neither men nor jinn could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter and partly in its content of teachings, prophecies about the future, and amazingly accurate information such as the illiterate Muhammad could never have gathered of his own accord” (Harry Gaylord Dorman).
“The Qur’an is the one miracle claimed by Muhammad—his standing miracle he called it... and a miracle indeed it is” (Bosworth Smith).
“The Qur’an contains, pure, elevated and benignant precepts” (Washington Iving).
“Well then, if the Qur’an were his (the Prophet's) own composition, other men could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could not) then let them accept the Qur’an as an outstanding evidential miracle” (H.A.R. Gibb).
“The Qur’an is probably the most often read book in the world, surely the most often memorized and possibly the most influential in the daily life of the people who believe in it” (James A. Michener).
“On the whole we find in the Qur’an a collection of wisdom which can be adopted by the most intelligent of men, the greatest of philosophers and the most skilful of politicians... But there is another proof of the Divinity of the Qur’an; it is the fact that it has been preserved intact through the ages since the time of its revelation till the present day... Read and re-read by the Muslim world, this book does not rouse in the faithful any weariness; it rather through repetition, is more loved every day. It gives rise to a profound feeling of awe and respect in the one who reads it or listens to it... It was, therefore, neither by means of violence of arms, nor through the pressure of obtrusive missionaries that caused the great and rapid diffusion of Islam, but above all, through the fact that this Book, presented by the Muslims to the vanquished with the liberty to accept or reject, was the Book of God, the Word of Truth, the miracle Muhammad could show to those in doubt and to those who remained stubborn” (Laura Veccia Vaglieri—Apologies de I 'Islamisme pp. 57-59).
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad. The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world, and more than that he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality, which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race... philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” (Lamartine, Histoire de la Turquie).
The Holy Qur’an is a well-preserved and well-protected Divinely-revealed Book. No effort has been spared by its hostile critics to find fault with the purity of its text. All efforts in this direction have led to but one inevitable result that the Book which the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) gave to the world fourteen hundred years ago has come down to us without the change of a single vowel (Muir). The Holy Qur’an is also a well-preserved Book in the sense that those believers who are pure of heart can have access to the spiritual treasures which it contains.
Believers are enjoined that before reading the Holy Qur’an they should solicit God’s protection against Satan: When thou recitest the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the rejected (v. 16:99). Refuge or protection implies i) that no evil should befall us; ii) that no good shall be missed by us; iii) that after we have attained goodness, we may not again relapse into evil.
In referencing the Holy Qur’an, the verse: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful) has been counted as the first verse of the Surah in which it appears. Some publishers of the Holy Qur’an, however, begin counting the verses after the first verse.