AI-Qur'an - What is it?

 

AI-Qur'an - What is it?

 

A.R.Khaliq

 

To consider the Holy Qur'an merely as a book inscribed by some Divine Pen is, I think, a concept that denies the Qur'an its due respect, status and honour and is one that stands in need of revision. The Holy Qur'an is not merely a book. Books are written and compiled by someone. The Holy Qur'an was never written, even by a Divine Pen: It was spoken and the spoken word was passed on to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) The Prophet himself did not copy down what was told to him. The Spoken Word was spoken by him to the Muslims of those times. The Holy Qur'an is the "KALAAM", i.e., the "WORD" of Allah. It is the Divine Commandment and not a presentation of the Divine Commandment.

When someone writes or compiles a book, he has an idea, a philosophy, a something that he wants others to know. The Holy Qur'an is not something which

Allah wanted or needed man to know. Man himself had asked for it when he was groping in darkness, the darkness of evil. In frustration and despair, man had cried out for help (as he still cries out for help).

"Owner of the Day of Judgment; show us the straight path." -AI-Fatihah.

Divine Guidance.

The Beneficent, the Merciful would not endure that man, the man He Himself had created, whom He had ordained above all His creations, should perish. He came to his aid. He Himself spoke out and directed man from the snares of darkness into which he had fallen. He led him step by step, telling him what to do and what to avoid. He led him away from his strayings in wickedness, back to the path that is straight and that would save him. This lead was provided to man through the Holy Qur'an. through the "WORD" of Allah:

But the Qur'an does more than only leads us after we have strayed. God is All Considerate. He did not abandon man after bringing him to the straight path. Man is human and subject to error. He cannot pass through the vicissitudes of his worldly residence without a guide. Man's Guide and Safeguard against the pitfalls that lie ahead of him is also the Holy Qur'an. As man precariously steps forth on his appointed course, he constantly encounters cross-roads, At all such cross-roads, man will always find Almighty Allah at his side to direct him. And these directions come to man through the Spoken Word of God, through the Kalaam-ullah, through the Holy Qur'an.

Infinite Theme

In books, as I previously stated, some idea or some philosophy is expressed. The scope of books is invariably restricted to the topic of their dealing. Always they are limited. The Qur'an essentially differs from books in this. Its theme is not limited but unlimited, not finite but infinite. The scope of the Qur'an is not restricted to any single aspect, but is universal. Being the Word of the Divine Being, its coverage, too, is Divine. There is nettling that the Qur'an omits or forgets to tell us. In the Qur'an, we get acquainted with the worlds (not world), with the Heavens and with the expanses of Space. The Qur'an tells us of the deep-buried treasures, the deep-running waters and the deep-stirring winds of this earth. Here we find solved the intricate mysteries of life -- of its origin, of its past, of its present and of its future. Here is explained everything of which man's brain can never conceive and here are elucidated points about which man may ever doubt. This universality of theme is something which is Unique, which no book enjoys or can even share with the word of our Creator.

The intellectual powers of man being limited, he is not free and cannot soar beyond his limitations. To explain anything, he builds up comparisons between the thing he is explaining and the things that are common and of which he has experience. He selects the qualities of one thing, the properties of another and the attributes of still another and, in the light of these, tries to convey his meaning to his fellows. This parallel fails in the case of the Holy Qur'an.

It is indisputable that the Holy Qur'an is the Word of Allah. Hence, it is something Divine, that which is radically different from everything in this material universe. It bears no comparison and possesses no quality, property or attribute that is twin to any man-made product. The Holy Qur'an is, in essence, supra- natural and, hence, cannot and should not be compared with an object so slight as a book.

Beyond Comprehension

Indeed, what the Holy Qur'an is, no man can tell. Such comprehension is beyond our intellectual powers and capabilities. All I can say is that to me, it is a Dispensation, a Mercy that He has bestowed on me by virtue of which a link is formed between His Greatness and my smallness. The Qur'an is His Love and His Greatness and my smallness. The Qur'an is His Love and His Guidance. It is that by which He manifests Himself in order that He may seem more actually besides me. To me the Qur'an has never been a mere book. It has been something infinitely transcendent, and, in it I have always found all things.

Whenever I am sad and my heart grows heavy, I take up the Holy Qur'an and find in it comfort and solace. When I am happy and joyful, I recite its verses. My joy is enhanced and happiness grows greater. When I am undecided, I look for guidance in the Qur'an and it has never failed to direct me. When I am in doubt, I resort to it and my doubts are resolved for me. When the glare of modern scientific advances blinds me, the Qur'an opens my eyes to still greater expectations. It is my source of wisdom, my code of ethics, my guide through marshes, my light in dark alleys, my sense of security, my hope in death and, above all, my very life.

And yet, even though it is all these things to me, when you ask me to define what the Qur'an really is, its intrinsic essence and the fact of it, I find that the Holy Qur'an is beyond the confines of my comprehension and abashed stand before you with a mind grown blank and a tongue tied to answer the question I myself have asked you in the beginning:"AL-QUR'AN ---WHAT IS IT?"