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[Alif Lam Ra. This
is a Book We have sent down to you so that you
can bring mankind from the darkness to the
light, by the permission of their Lord, to the
Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.] (Ibrahim 14:1)
Allah
sent down the Qur'an for people to reflect
upon, so that they can know that He is the
only God, to learn how to worship Him, and to
become heedful. The Qur'an, our only guide,
provides us with explanations for everything
we need, shows us the path which pleases
Allah, and gives the good news of the great
consequences of surrendering as a servant to
Him:
[We have sent down
the Book to you making all things clear and as
guidance and mercy and good news for the
Muslims.] (An-Nahl 16:89)
The
Qur'an is the book Allah sent in truth to His
servants. It is an admonition, a healing, and
a mercy for believers. Believers who can grasp
this important reality reflect deeply on every
verse of the Qur'an and spend all their lives
in compliance with it. Allah provides in the
Qur'an the answer to any question they seek:
[We have brought
them a Book elucidating everything with
knowledge, as guidance and a mercy for people
who believe.] (Al-A`raf 7:52)
Since
the Qur'an explains everything relevant to
being a servant to Allah, man is responsible
for living by the Qur'n, observing its limits,
and complying with its commands. On the Day of
Reckoning, people will be questioned based on
this book alone.
Therefore,
never forget that the way you conduct
yourself, your thoughts and decisions—in
brief, your entire way of life—should be in
compliance only with the Qur'n, and not with
what the majority of people want. Living by
the Qur'n is the unique way to salvation.
Moreover,
it is necessary to read and comprehend the
Qur'n in order to live by the religion
revealed in it, even though those around you
may be far from complying with it. The
majority of people might have never read the
Qur'n. Among those who are familiar with the
Qur'n, on the other hand, there may be those
who only memorize verses in Arabic without
reflecting on their meaning. They may even
consider the Qur'n as a kind of amulet (Surely
Allah is beyond all that which they falsely
ascribe to Him) and thus keep it on the upper
shelves of closets. But if what you want to
accomplish is salvation, you need to comply
with Allah’s commands, not those of the
majority of people. You need to read the
admonitions Allah has sent down and know by
heart His commands. The reason why the Qur'n
was revealed is made clear in the following
verses:
[This is a
communication to be transmitted to mankind so
that they may be warned by it and so that they
will know that He is One God and so that
people of intelligence will pay heed.] (Ibrahim 14:52)
[It is a Book We
have sent down to you, full of blessing, so
let people of intelligence ponder its Signs
and take heed.] (Saad 38:29)
As
is seen in the above quoted verses, Allah
informs us that only the people of
intelligence, who have the faith described in
the Qur'n, can take heed. The Qur'n is made
easy for us to reflect and take advice:
[“Am I to desire
someone other than Allah as a judge when it is
He Who has sent down the Book to you
clarifying everything?” Those We have given
the Book know it has been sent down from your
Lord with truth, so on no account be among the
doubters.] (Al-An`am 6:114)
[In this way We
have sent it down as Clear Signs. Allah guides
anyone He wills.] (Al-Hajj 22:16)
Aside
from that stated in these verses, there is yet
another fact we need to keep in mind: The
Qur'n is a guide for believers; whereas it may
misguide disbelievers. Those who do not
believe that they will be gathered in the
presence of their Lord on the Day of Judgment
and that the Qur'n is the book in truth sent
by the Lord, fail to grasp the divine purpose
of its verses. They remain deaf and blind
towards them. This condition is related in the
Qur'n as follows:
[When you recite
the Qur'n, We place an obscuring veil between
you and those who do not believe in the
hereafter. We have placed covers on their
hearts, preventing them from understanding it,
and heaviness in their ears. When you mention
your Lord alone in the Qur'n, they turn their
backs and run away.] (Al-Israa’
17:45–46)
Undoubtedly,
this attitude of the disbelievers results from
their insincerity and their inclination to
follow their whims and desires. Examples of
this inherent lack of understanding among the
disbelievers are as follows:
[We have only
appointed angels as masters of the Fire and We
have only specified their number as a trial
for those who are disbelievers; so that those
who were given the Book might gain in
certainty, and those who believe might
increase in their faith, and both those who
were given the Book and the believers might
have no doubt; and so that those with sickness
in their hearts and the disbelievers might
say, “What did Allah intend by this
example?” In this way Allah misguides those
He wills and guides those He wills. No one
knows the legions of your Lord but Him. This
is nothing but a reminder to all human beings.] (Al-Muddaththir
74:31)
Believers,
on the other hand, are of an entirely
different state of mind. As soon as they hear
Allah’s verses, they conform to this most
beautiful message, and thus, attain salvation
both in this world and beyond. The attitude
typical of a believer towards Allah’s signs
is related in the Qur'n as follows:
[Allah has sent
down the Supreme Discourse, a Book consistent
in its frequent repetitions. The skins of
those who fear their Lord tremble at it and
then their skins and hearts yield softly to
the remembrance of Allah. That is Allah’s
guidance by which He guides whoever He wills.
And no one can guide those whom Allah
misguides.] (Az-Zumar 39:23)
Allah
has informed us that believers with sincere
faith will have the faculty to grasp the Qur'n
as the book in truth. Only disbelievers harbor
doubts about its justness:
[… and so that
those who have been given knowledge will know
it is the truth from their Lord and believe in
it and their hearts will be humbled to Him.
Allah guides those who believe to a straight
path. But those who disbelieve will not cease
to be in doubt of it until the Hour comes on
them suddenly or the punishment of a desolate
Day arrives.] (Al-Hajj 22:54-55)
People
will be judged according to the Qur'n on the
Day of Judgment. Allah reveals this truth in
the following verse:
[So hold fast to
what has been revealed to you. You are on a
straight path. It is certainly a reminder to
you and to your people and you will be
questioned.] (Az-Zukhruf 43:
43–44)
That
the majority of people are far removed from
the Qur'n, and that they have almost abandoned
it, should not deceive you. That is because,
as people regard a lifespan of 60–70 years
as guaranteed, they tend to wait for the later
years of their lives as the appropriate time
to follow the Qur'n. They wrongly conclude
that living by the religion would deprive them
of the pleasures of youth. By this insincere
reasoning, however, they prepare a bitter end
for themselves.
The
sole guide that explains for you how to be a
servant to Allah is the Qur'n. You must
structure your life according to its commands.
That is because, on the Day of Judgment,
believers and disbelievers alike will be
judged according to their obedience to the
Qur'n. You can only hope to attain Paradise
and deliverance from eternal punishment
provided that you sincerely carry out what the
Qur'n commands.
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