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The
pathetic and disastrous condition of the
Muslim Ummah throughout the world is due to
the abandoning of the Qur'an by the Muslims.
The attitude of indifference that we
constantly show towards the last of the
Allah's Revelations, along with our
hypocritical lip-service, is tantamount to
ridiculing it. Instead, we must clearly
understand our responsibilities towards the
Qur'an and try our very best in fulfilling
them. We can neither expect any improvement in
our worldly state of affairs nor hope for
salvation in the Hereafter, unless we carry
out all the obligations that we owe the
Qur'an.
Five
things that the Qur'an demands from every
Muslim are as follows:
-
The
Muslim is required to believe in the
Qur'an,
-
He
is required to read it,
-
He
is required to understand it,
-
He
is required to act upon its teachings, and
-
He
is required to convey its teachings to
others.
OUR
FIRST OBLIGATION is to have faith (Iman)
in the Divine origin of the Qur'an. Iman
has two phases: verbal profession (iqrar
bil-lisan) and heart-felt conviction (tasdiq
bil-qalb). To have faith in the Qur'an
means that we should verbally profess that the
Qur'an is the Word of Almighty Allah that was
revealed by Him through His angel Gabriel to
the last of His Messengers, Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him.
This
is a legal requirement for the acceptance of a
person as a member of the Muslim society.
Having done that, however, we also need to
develop a deeply felt certitude in the Qur'an.
It is only when we have real conviction in
that verbal declaration that our hearts and
minds would come under the influence of the
Qur'an, leading us towards genuine devotion
and veneration of the Glorious Book.
Unfortunately,
there is a woeful lack of staunch faith in the
Divine origin of the Qur'an among the Muslims
of today. This lack of faith is the reason why
we neither find any reverence for the Qur'an
in our hearts, nor feel inclined to study it,
nor evince any interest in pondering over its
meanings, nor ever think of seeking its
guidance in conducting our lives.
It
might be asked as to how can we acquire true
faith? The answer is that the source of Iman
is the Qur'an itself. If the Book is studied
and its meanings are pondered upon in an
authentic quest for truth, all the veils of
darkness shall be lifted from one's heart, and
the inner self - the soul - will get
illuminated by the light of true faith.
Note
that faith is not something that can be
planted in us from the outside. It is an
embodiment of fundamental truths that already
exist inside us; the practice of pondering
over the verses of the Qur'an serves to bring
them to the surface of our consciousness.
OUR
SECOND OBLIGATION is mindful and
thoughtful reading of the Qur'an with correct
pronunciation, generally described as Tilawah,
Tartil, and Tajwid. Note that Tilawah
is not only an important form of worship, but
it is also an effective method of continually
refreshing our faith.
The
Qur'an is not a book to be read once; it is a
Book that needs to be read again and again. We
must read it carefully, reflecting on its
messages, constantly seeking guidance for our
lives. Just as our material body is in
constant need of food for its sustenance, our
spiritual soul or Ruh is also in
perpetual need for its nourishment. And just
as the food for our bodies is derived from the
earth, the diet for our souls is obtained from
the Word of God, the Qur'an itself.
Moreover,
a regular and constant program of reciting the
Qur'an is also needed because it is a means of
refreshing and reviving our faith, and a
weapon for surmounting the obstacles in the
path of Almighty Allah. The ideal way in which
the Glorious Book should be recited is that
one should stand in the post-midnight prayer
before his Lord and recite its verses in a
slow and patient manner, pausing at proper
places so as to enable one's heart to imbibe
its influence. (Though reading the Qur'an in
all times is virtuous, reading it at mid-night
is more virtuous.)
Abide
by the Qur'an - Yusuf Estes (1)
OUR
THIRD OBLIGATION is to understand and
comprehend the Qur'an. The Qur'an has been
revealed so that it may be understood and
pondered upon. Of course, there are numerous
levels and grades of comprehension, accessible
to different persons according to their
respective planes of intellect and
consciousness.
The
first stage in the comprehension of the Qur'an
is called Tazakkur, a term which
alludes to the fact that the teachings of the
Qur'an are not at all foreign or alien to the
human Fitrah (pure instinct). Instead,
they represent the eternal truths dormant in
the human soul itself, and the reading or
listening of the Qur'an only facilitates the
recalling of these forgotten verities.
The
Qur'an has been rendered very easy, by
Almighty Allah, for the purpose of gaining
this level of guidance. It does not matter if
a person's intelligence is limited, or his
knowledge of logic and philosophy is poor, or
if he has no fine sense of language and
literature. In spite of these drawbacks, he
can still understand the basic message and
practical guidance of the Qur'an, provided he
has an untainted nature not perverted by any
crookedness.
The
second stage in the comprehension of the
Qur'an is far from easy. Tadabbur is
described as a penetrating study, an intense
reflection, as thorough deliberation of the
Qur'an as possible, and diving deep into the
bottomless ocean of its wisdom.
This
kind of understanding is impossible unless one
is to devote his entire life, all his talents,
and all his energies for the sole purpose of
comprehending the Qur'an. Obviously, not
everyone is capable of such a high level of
devotion and effort to acquire such insight
and comprehension. But there must be a number
of persons, at all times, who are engaged in
this enterprise.
Such
scholars cannot be produced unless we have a
network of universities throughout the Muslim
world, which concentrate on the Qur'anic
research and make this Book the focus of all
their intellectual activity.
OUR
FOURTH OBLIGATION is to act upon the
teachings of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the
"Guidance for mankind." The purpose
for which this Book has been revealed will be
fully realized only when people act upon its
teachings and make it the guide for them in
every sphere of their lives. If we disregard
the injunctions of the Qur'an, then the
reading and understanding of the Glorious
Book, instead of doing us any good, will only
make us more guilty before Almighty Allah.
At
an individual level, it is imperative for
every Muslim to mold his or her life according
to the teachings of the Qur'an. Our Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
said: "None of you can become a true
believer until his desires become subordinate
to what I have brought." The best way to
benefit from the study of the Qur'an is to go
on changing our life-styles and mending our
ways in accordance with its teachings.
At
the collective level of the community, it is
equally imperative for us to try and establish
the system of Social Justice as given by the
Qur'an. The Muslims are, as a whole,
responsible for establishing the Sovereignty
of Almighty Allah in the public as well as the
private sphere, and each of us is obligated to
try his utmost in this path. The struggle for
the establishment of such a just and equitable
order in accordance with the teachings of the
Qur'an is the bounding duty of its followers.
OUR
FIFTH OBLIGATION is to propagate the
message of the Qur'an to every nook and corner
of the world. This was originally the
responsibility of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) who fulfilled his own
obligation by conveying the Divine message to
the Ummah; since Prophethood has been
concluded with the advent of Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) who is the
last of the Divine Messengers, it is now the
duty of the Muslims to deliver that message to
all humanity.
Unfortunately,
the proclamation of the Divine message to the
whole world appears like a far-fetched and
fantastic idea, because, at the moment, the
Muslims themselves are ignorant of the
teachings of the Qur'an.
Therefore,
a powerful intellectual and academic movement
- back to the Qur'an - is needed in order to
propagate and disseminate the knowledge and
wisdom of the Qur'an, both on a general scale
for the benefit of our masses and on the
highest level of scholarship in order to
convert the educated and intelligent elite of
the Muslim society.
Sources:
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