“O Mankind! The Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord, so believe, then, for your own good! And if you deny the truth - behold, unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and God is indeed all-knowing, wise!” (Qur'an 4:170)
The Holy Qur'an is God's message which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is the basis of Islamic faith followed by the hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) The Angel Gabriel brought the revelations to the Prophet over a period of twenty-three years, in verses of varying lengths. The Holy Qur'an is still in its original form as it had been revealed. Allah even promised in the Qur'an that it would be preserved: ''Indeed, We have sent down the Qur'an, and surely We will guard it (from corruption)''. (Qur'an 15:9)
The entire Qur'an was written down during the Prophet's lifetime, on various surfaces such as parchments and palm leaves. After the Prophet's death, the first ruler Abu Bakr oversaw the compiling into one volume by the Prophets scribe Zaid Ibn Thabit. The order of the Qur'an was already established by Prophet Muhammad and was well known to his Companions. Each Ramadan (month of fasting) the Angel Gabriel recited the entire Qur'an with the Prophet Muhammad. To this day, every night in Ramadan, throughout the month, Muslims go to the mosque to recite the Qur'an from start to finish. The Holy Quran was memorised in its entirety by the early Muslims and continues to be memorised completely until this day. Those who have memorised the Qur'an are called Haafiz.
The Angel Gabriel Came To Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
According to tradition, when Prophet Muhammad was nearly 40, he had taken to reflecting and speculating over the aspects of creation around him, in a cave named Hira, high above the city of Mecca. It was there that the Angel Gabriel (Jibril) came to him unexpectedly.
The Angel Gabriel said to him, "Recite." "I cannot recite," Prophet Muhammad said.
The Prophet himself described:
"Then he took me and squeezed me vehemently and then let me go and repeated the order 'Recite.' 'I cannot recite' said I, and once again he squeezed me and let me till I was exhausted. Then he said, 'Recite.' I said, 'I cannot recite.' He squeezed me for a third time and then let me go and said:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
''Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth.
Createth man from a clot.
Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,
Who teacheth by the pen,
Teacheth man that which he knew not.'' (Quran: 96:1-5)
He became frightened and he ran home to his beloved wife Khadija saying 'cover me'. This is narrated as following, by the Prophet's wife Aisha.
''..Then Allah's Apostle returned with that experience; and the muscles between his neck and shoulders were trembling till he came upon Khadija and said, "Cover me!" They covered him, and when the state of fear was over, he said to Khadija, "O Khadija! What is wrong with me? I was afraid that something bad might happen to me." Then he told her the story. Khadija said, "Nay! But receive the good tidings! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you, for by Allah, you keep good relations with your kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, entertain your guests generously and assist those who are stricken with calamities." Khadija then took him to Waraqa bin Naufil, the son of Khadija's paternal uncle. Waraqa had been converted to Christianity in the Pre-lslamic Period and used to write Arabic and write of the Gospel in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said (to Waraqa), "O my cousin! Listen to what your nephew is going to say." Waraqa said, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" The Prophet then described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same Angel (Gabriel) who was sent to Moses. I wish I were young." He added some other statement. Allah's Apostle asked, "Will these people drive me out?" Waraqa said, "Yes, for nobody brought the like of what you have brought, but was treated with hostility. If I were to remain alive till your day (when you start preaching). then I would support you strongly.."(Bukhari Book #60, Hadith #47)
Messages Of The Qur'an
Allah (s.w.t.) is calling us in the Holy Qur'an to come back to the straight path, to worship Him as One, with no others beside Him. There is a surah (chapter) that Muslims recite more than any other, as it is compulsory to read in every prayer:
''Praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds, Master of the Day of Judgement. It is You we worship; it is You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed those who incur no anger and who have not gone astray.'' (chapter 1, Al-Fatiha)
Some more messages are..
* To warn mankind not to associate partners with God:
''Say (O Prophet), "I am but a mortal man like all of you. It is revealed to me that your God is the One and Only God. Hence, whoever looks forward to meeting His Sustainer, let him do works that help others, and let him admit no one as partner in the service [Ibadat] of his Sustainer. ” (18:110)
''Say (O Messenger), "What could be the greatest witness?” Say, “Allah is Witness between me and you. This Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you as well as whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other deities besides Allah?” Say, “I bear no such witness.” Say, “He is the One God [ILAH]. I disown what you associate with Him.” (6:19)
* That God is not a trinity:
''People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a 'Trinity' - stop, that is better for you - God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust. '' (4:171)
* Warning of Judgement Day:
''In that is a Sign for those who fear the penalty of the Hereafter: that is a Day for which mankind will be gathered together: that will be a Day of Testimony. Nor shall We delay it but for a term appointed. (11.102-7)
* To draw lessons from previous nations:
''Before thee We sent (Messengers) to many nations, and We afflicted the nations with suffering and adversity that they might learn humility. When the suffering reached them from Us, why then did they not learn humility? On the contrary their hearts became hardened, and Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them.'' (6:42,43)
* To reflect upon things in universe:
''...There are signs in the heavens and the earth for those who believe: in the creation of you, in the creatures God scattered on the earth, there are signs for people of sure faith; in the alternation of night and day, in the rain God provides, sending it down from the sky and reviving the dead earth with it, and in His shifting of the winds there are signs for those who use their reason..'
* To tell us what is lawful and unlawful for us:
''Say: The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: shameful deeds, whether open or secret; sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah, for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.'' (7.33)
''They ask thee what is lawful to them (as food): say: Lawful unto you are (all) things good and pure: and what ye have taught your trained hunting animals (to catch) in the manner directed to you by Allah; eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it: and fear Allah; for Allah is swift in taking account.'' (5:4)
''Eat not of (meats) on which Allah's name hath not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to contend with you; if ye were to obey them, ye would indeed be pagans.'' (6:121)
* That Islam is the final religion and no other religion will be accepted from anyone:
''And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. 3:85''
Miracles Of The Qur'an
The beauty of the Qur'an in the Arabic language, in which it was revealed, is nothing anyone can match. As Allah (s.w.t) says in the Qur'an:
''And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed (the Qur'an) to Our worshiper (Muhammad), then produce a chapter like it, and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God if you are truthful. And if you do not do it, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones. It has been prepared for disbelievers. And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that for them are gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow...''(Qur'an, 2:23-25)
The Arab poets were dumbfounded on hearing the eloquence of the Qur'an and after ceaseless effort were forced to say ''This is nothing else but mere magic.'' (Qur'an 34:43)
There are also numerous verses which contain information that have only recently been discovered by scientists. Here are a few examples:
The expanding universe: Allah (s.w.t.) says "And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it." (51:47)
Iron has come from space (from meteors): ''And We sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind....(57:25)
see also:
Mountain as pegss: http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-1-b.htm
Two types of water do not mix: http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-1-e.htm
Embryonic development: http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-1-a.htm
Qur'an Verse
Ayat al-Kursi (The Verse of the Throne)
'God: there is no God but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful.
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him.
All that is in the heavens and in the earth belong to Him.
Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave?
He knows what is before them and what is behind them,
but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills.
His throne extends over the heavens and the earth: it does not weary Him
to preserve them both.
He is the Most High, the Tremendous. '' (2:255)
