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There is no doubt that the
Qur'an is the Book of Allah, His eternal word
and divine miracle. Muslims know that and
believe it with all their hearts. They know it
was sent down to Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) in order to guide humanity to the
straight path which leads to success in this
life and the Hereafter.
[
Alif. Lam. Ra. A Book which we have
revealed unto you, In order that you might
lead humanity from the depths of darkness
into light - by the leave of their Lord -
to the way of (Him), the Exalted In power,
worthy of all praise!"] (Ibrahim
14: 1)
Allah the Almighty has set the
criterion of reward for the Day of Judgment.
Taqwa and righteousness will be the key to
heavenly bliss as long as the principle of
tawheed is intact.
[…Verily
the most honored of you in the sight of
Allah is (he/she who is) the most
righteous of you…] (Al-Hujurat
49:13)
Therefore, it is not
surprising that the concept of taqwa and
righteousness is mentioned constantly and
continuously in all divine revelations.
Allah the Almighty says:
[For
Allah belongs all that is in the heavens
and the earth. And truly We have enjoined
on those who were given the Scriptures
before you, and you yourselves, that you
shall all be God-fearing…]
(An-Nisaa’ 4:131)
The earlier scriptures were
ultimately sent down to serve the purpose of
developing God-fearing individuals, and
nourishing the concept of taqwa amongst the
followers of the Messengers of Allah.
Concerning the Torah, Allah
The Almighty says:
[In the past we
granted to Moses and Aaron the Criterion (for
judgment), and a light and a 'revealed'
reminder for the God-fearing
–AlMuttaqeen.] (Al-Anbiyaa’21:48)
Then down came the Gospel of
`Isa (Jesus) (may Allah be pleased with him)
with the same message. Allah the Almighty
says:
[And
in their footsteps We sent 'Isa the son of
Maryam, confirming the Law that had come
before him: We sent him the Gospel:
therein was guidance and light, and
confirmation of the Law that had come
before him: a guidance and an admonition
to those who fear Allah.]
(Al-Ma’idah 5:46)
The Qur'an was revealed as the
last revelation to confirm the previous
revelations and to reaffirm the religious
guidance they once provided to their
followers.
[To
thee We sent the Scripture in truth,
confirming the Scripture that came before
it, and as a guardian over it…] (Al-Ma’idah
5:48)
Taqwa, as stated previously,
was one of the main objectives of this
revelation, the revelation of the Qur'an.
Allah the Almighty says:
[(It
is) a Qur'an in Arabic, without any
crookedness (therein): in order that they
may become righteous (achieve
Taqwa).] (Az-Zumar 39:28)
The Qur'an, being the last
testament and the final revelation Allah the
Almighty sent down to mankind, made its call
to build God-fearing people very clear.
In a basic search of the
paradigm of the Arabic word 'taqwa' we find
over two-hundred and thirty locations in the
Qur'an. More than half this number is found in
the first third of the Qur'an, according to
its order.
The subject of taqwa was
covered thoroughly in the Qur'an in different
ways. In the form of command Allah the
Almighty mandates taqwa for His servants:
[O you who believe!
Fear Allah As He should be feared, and die not
except in a state of Islam.] (Aal
`Imran 3:101)
This explicit command is
repeated frequently in the Qur'an. There are
many verses in the Qur'an that begin, "O
ye who believe! fear Allah."
Taqwa was mentioned in the
Qur'an as one of the injunctions Allah the
Almighty prescribed upon those who preceded
us, as explained earlier, and hence was
perceived as one of the highly-praised
qualities of the righteous throughout the
ages.
Those who acquire taqwa are
those who believe in the revelation:
[And He who brings the
truth and He who confirms (and supports) it -
such are those who are righteous.] (Az-Zumar
39:33)
They follow it and benefit
from it. Allah the Almighty says:
[And
this is a Book which We have revealed as a
blessing: so follow it and be righteous,
that ye may receive mercy.]
(Al-An`am 6:155)
And they realize the goodness
that is revealed within its verses. Allah the
Almighty says:
[To
the righteous (when) it is said, 'What is
it that your Lord has revealed?' They say,
'All that is good.' To those who do good,
there is good in this world, and the abode
of the Hereafter is better and truly
excellent indeed is the home of the
righteous.] (An-Nahl 16:30)
The Qur'an is a source of
guidance to those who are truly God-fearing.
Allah the Almighty says:
[Alif. Lam. Mim. This is the Book; in it is
sure guidance, without doubt, for those
who fear Allah.] (Al-Baqarah
2:1-2)
The whole of the Qur'an was
revealed as an admonition and a reminder to
the one who fears Allah the Almighty. Allah
the Almighty says:
[But
verily this 'Qur'an' is a reminder for the
Muttaqeen, the God-fearing.]
(Al-Haqqah 69:48)
Ultimately, the Qur'an is a
divine message that promotes taqwa and those
who have taqwa benefit most from the Qur'an.
The relationship between taqwa
and the Qur'an has been established.
Therefore, it is not surprising to add this
virtue of the taqwa-Qur'an relationship to the
Fasting-taqwa -Qur'an triangle.
Ramadan is called the month of
the Qur'an because the revelation of the
Qur'an began in this month.
[Ramadan
is the month in which was sent down the
Qur'an as a guide for humanity, and also
clear (signs) for guidance and Judgment
(between right and wrong)…]
(Al-Baqarah 2:185)
Ibn Kathir says in his
commentary on this verse: "Allah praised
the month of Ramadan beyond other months by
choosing to send down the Glorious Qur'an
therein."
Ibn Rajab says: "…And
the month of Ramadan is distinguished by the
Qur'an, as Allah says: Ramadan is the month in
which the Qur'an was sent down."
The most favorable act of
worship performed in this month is recitation
of the Qur'an. Occupying oneself with the
Qur'an in Ramadan has been the tradition of
Muslims; scholars and laymen, throughout the
history of Islam. It is the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be
upon him).
Ibn `Abbas narrated:
"Allah's Apostle was the most generous of
all the people and he used to reach the utmost
in generosity during the month of Ramadan when
Jibreel (Gabriel) met with him. Jibreel
(Gabriel) (Gabriel) used to visit him every
night of Ramadan to revise (in another
narration: to teach him) the Qur'an. Allah's
Apostle (peace and blessings be upon him) was
the most generous person, even more generous
than the strong, bountiful wind (in readiness
and haste to do charitable deeds)."
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Ibn Rajab said: "This
hadith shows the excellence of studying the
Qur'an in Ramadan and gathering for this
purpose. It is also proof of the
recommendation to increase recitation of the
Qur'an in Ramadan."
The Sunnah of Qiyam Al-Layl
and Tarawih Prayer, performed every night
throughout the whole month of Ramadan, is
another manifestation to the virtue of the
Qur'an in Ramadan.
Narrated Abu Hurairah, the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be
upon him) said: "Whoever prays at
night in Ramadan out of faith and in the hope
of reward, his previous sins will be
forgiven." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
In the hadith of Jabir (may
Allah be pleased with him) the Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
explains the concept and significance of Qiyam
Al-Layl, stating: "Qiyam (night
prayer) is the long Qunoot (standing)."
(Muslim)
Imam An-Nawawi asserts that:
"The meaning of 'Qunoot' in this hadith
is the long standing in recitation. This is
what all the scholars of Islam agree on."
Jibreel (Gabriel) (peace be
upon him) used to review the Qur'an with the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be
upon him) every Ramadan and in the last year
of the life of Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) he did so twice. Since then, the
Muslim Ummah started the tradition of reciting
the whole Qur'an every Ramadan.
There is an abundance of
reports regarding the tradition of the
scholars and pious predecessors regarding
their approach to the Quran in Ramadan. Some
reports might seem strange and difficult to
understand. People used to count sixty full
recitations of the Qur`an for Imam Ash-shafi`i
in Ramadan. Imam Az-Zuhri used to stop the
sessions of hadith and direct his attention to
the Qur'an in Ramadan.
During the month of Ramadan,
the Qur'an becomes the theme and focus of this
Ummah. Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an and
the achievement of taqwa is its purpose. All
this is sought so as to develop God-fearing
individuals who will then become citizens of a
God-fearing society.
There is no better chance to
achieve the triangle of virtue than the
opportunity that Ramadan presents. No wonder!
When Jibreel (Gabriel) said to the Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him):
"May his nose be rubbed in dust; one who
experiences Ramadan and in spite of that does
not enter Paradise. Say ameen." The
Messenger of Allah replied: "Ameen".
(Muslim)
[O
ye who believe. Fasting is prescribed for you as it was
prescribed to those before you. That ye may (learn)
self-restraint.]
(Al-Baqarah 2:183)
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