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Name
Suleiman
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Profession
Question
Salam,
Why was the Qur'an sent to the Prophet in a small number of verses at a time, and not as a whole book?
Answer
Salam Suleiman,
Thank you for your question.
Indeed the Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in stages over a period of 23 years, and not as a complete book in one single act of revelation. There are a number of reasons for this; most important of these reasons are as follows:
1. To strengthen the heart of the Prophet by addressing him continuously and whenever the need for Divine Guidance arose.
2. Out of special consideration for the Prophet since revelation was a very difficult experience for him.
3. To facilitate the gradual implementation of the laws of God.
4. To make understanding of the revelation as well as its memorization and application easier for the believers.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Mukhtar
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Profession
Question
Assalamu alikom dear sheikh
I'm Arab. What are the best steps to memorize the Qur'an?
Answer
Salam Mukhtar,
Thank you for your question.
I think the first step can be to start learning the short surahs first, as this is our long tradition.
Since you are an Arab, you can easily understand the meaning of the verses and this enables you to learn the verses fully concentrating on the meaning as well.
That would certainly help you in remembering the verses.
Reading the verses in the silence of the dawn in a low voice would be a good idea.
And after reading a short verse, or the short portion of a verse, you can immediately recite it without looking at the page - and then repeat it: This way, you may be able to quickly learn the verses by heart. This should be done with the presence of your full mind, not in a cursory or half-hearted manner.
And pray to Allah Almighty to help you and guide you in your effort.
I hope the above procedure will enable you to memorize the Qur'an faster, insha' Allah.
And Allah knows best.
Name
cellou
- France
Profession
student
Question
Assalam alaikoum
In the Qur'an we see, yahoud (Jews) and bani Israel (children of israel),
Can you explain the difference?
Thanks you for your works.
Answer
Salam Cellou,
Thank you for your question.
"The Holy Qur'an speaks extensively about the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il) and recognizes that the Jews (al-Yahud) are, according to lineage, descendants of Prophet Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob." (Dr Muzammil Siddiqui)
I think there is a slight difference in meaning between Bani Isra'il and Yahud: The name 'Yahud' is used for any member of the Jewish community, while Bani Isra'il signifies specifically the descendents of Ya'qub (Jacob), peace be upon him.
But in most contexts, the difference does not matter, as far as I understand.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Adam
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Profession
Question
Hello
Can the Qur'an heal some psychological or physical diseases?
Answer
Salam Adam,
Thank you for your question.
Allah Almighty Who sent down the Qur'an has described it thus:
"O MANKIND! There has now come unto you an admonition from your Sustainer, and a cure for all [the ill] that may be in men's hearts, and guidance and grace unto all who believe [in Him]." (Qur'an 10:57)
What is translated as "cure for all the ill that may be in men's hearts" does not necessarily mean that the Qur'an can heal physical diseases. But it does mean that it can cure 'psychological' illnesses; that is the mental problems that torment many of us. Particularly it means that the Qur'an is "a remedy for all that is contrary to truth and moral good." (Muhammad Asad)
The Qur'an gives us the Guidance from Allah the All Merciful, and so it helps us along the Straight Path. Thus it leads us away from many ills that afflict the humans who follow the wrong paths. In this sense, the Qur'an is a healing for humanity.
And Allah knows best.
Name
bless
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Profession
Question
Assalm alykom
What is the relation between the Qur'an and other books of previous religions?
Thanks
Answer
Salam Bless,
Thank you for your question.
The Qur'an is the Book of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), the Last Prophet of God. It is a confirmation and completion of the earlier Books of God revealed to other Prophets before him. The Qur'an teaches Muslims to believe in all the earlier scriptures as revealed Messages from God. But uncorrupted copies of these earlier Holy Books are not available. Because of the passage of time and the bad conditions of preservation, they have undergone changes.
The Qur'an’s story is very different from this. As soon as the Prophet got Allah's verses revealed to him, he dictated them to his disciples, who not only wrote them down, but also tried to learn them by heart. There were so many people who had memorized the Qur'an among his disciples. From the first day of its revelation, as it were, the Qur'an was in the hands and hearts of the people.
Before the death of the Prophet, the whole of the Qur'an was written down, examined and verified by the Prophet himself. From that time onwards, it has remained safe from corruption as several copies of it were in the possession of the Muslims.
And Allah says in the Qur'an,
“Certainly, it was We Who revealed the Reminder (the Qur'an) and certainly, We shall preserve it.”
In fact, there are a number of vital differences between the Qur'an and other scriptures like the Torah and the Gospel. And probably the most important differences are the following:
1. The Qur'an is the Last Testament of God for Man; it is Divine Guidance perfected and preserved from corruption; and it is the only Book that calls itself “a Guidance for the God-fearing” and “a Healing and a Mercy for the believers” most emphatically; and repeatedly it is stated that it is from the One and Only God of the universe. Neither the Torah, nor the Gospel does this.
2. The Qur'an is the completion and confirmation of all the truth in the previous scriptures; it verifies and affirms the truth in all the Books of God and recognizes all the prophets of God before it, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be on them all. No other scripture does this.
3. The Qur'an is the most frequently read book in the world, as its verses are recited five times daily in the prayers all over the world; and all pious Muslims read at least a few verses from it every morning. A whole month of fasting and prayer is held in commemoration of the Descent of the Qur'an to the earth; no other book has such an honor.
Allah says in the Holy Qur'an,
“If there were a Qur'an with which mountains were moved, or the earth were cloven asunder, or the dead were made to speak, (this would be the one!)...(Qur'an 13:31)
And Allah knows best.
Name
Sam
-
Profession
Question
Hi
Should a new Muslim learn Qur'an in Arabic, or is it enough to deal with English translation, for example?
Thanks
Answer
Salam Sam,
Thank you for your question.
A new Muslim who does not know Arabic can start learning the Qur'an with a translation. But he or she should find time - make every effort - to learn reading the Qur'an in Arabic. It is absolutely necessary for them to learn Al-Fatihah (Chapter 1) and a few other short surahs for their five times' salah (Prayer).
And remember: reading the Qur'an at Al-Fajr time is a meritorious act that is recommended for every Muslim. A whole month - Ramadan - should be spent not only in fasting, but in the study of the Qur'an as well.
So, no Muslim - whether traditional Muslim or new Muslim - should consider a translation of the Qur'an sufficient.
May Allah Almighty help you and guide you in your study of the Holy Qur'an!
Name
cellou
-
Profession
Question
Why all the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an comes from the same region?
I mean "region", the whole part of Arabia and the countries that are next.
How about the part of Africa or some region in Asia (China for example)
Thanks
Answer
Salam Cellou,
Thank you for your question.
The Qur'an clearly says that there were no People to whom a prophet was not sent, as mentioned in these verses:
"..and there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past)" (Qur'an 35:24)
"..to every people (there has been) a guide." (Qur'an 13:7)
"We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee..." (Qur'an 40:78)
The above verses clearly show that prophets came to all parts of the world, in different periods of time, not only to Arabia. But, we can understand that all (or at any rate most) of the twenty five prophets mentioned in the Qur’an came to the region encompassing Arabia. This is understandable in view of the unfolding plan of God to complete His religion through the Last Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Besides, there are archeological evidences to prove that the earliest human civilization was in Mesopotamia, known as "the Cradle of Civilization." (Mayer, Eric. Rise of the Human Race: The Civilizations of the Ancient Near East). This is the area now known as Iraq. According to biblical scholars, Prophet Abraham was born in a place called Ur in ancient Mesopotamia (Encyclopedia Britannica, "Abraham.")
Masses of ancient people who inhabited the Cradle of Civilization in the course of time migrated to other parts of the world in search of arable land and pastures, and later for trade and commerce. That was how newer human settlements came into existence in other parts of the world, leading to the development of different civilizations.
And Prophet Muhammad was an Arab, and so it is only reasonable that the stories narrated in the Qur'an are immediately relevant and understandable to him and his people in the first place.
But at the same time, no careful study of the Qur'an, even by non-Arabs, will call the Qur'an a book for Arabs only. On the contrary, the Qur'an is a book of universal relevance and meaning, meant for all time, exactly like Islam is.
And God knows best.
Name
Quadir
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Profession
Question
Assalaam alaikum Sheikh
May Allah reward you for your efforts!
Why do the Surahs contain various incidents and they are not in series? Sometimes it is difficult; the verses address various scenarios at once...
I know there is the same message from the Torah and Bible in Qur'an. But I never get to know about Zuboor - why is that?
Answer
Salam Quadir,
Thank you for your question.
Certainly when you look at the Qur'an as you look at a story book, you may have reason to say that there is no serial narration; or that different events are referred to in the same chapter etc.
But you should remember that the Qur'an is not a book of history; nor it aims at telling stories in chronological order. Its purpose is Guidance; and the events narrated or mentioned would be enough to demonstrate or emphasize the lesson Allah wants us to learn.
We can see that some of the verses were revealed in answer to the requirement of certain contexts. But once that occasion is over, it was necessary to find the most suitable place for that verse. And the Prophet under divine Guidance showed the right place. Also remember: the needs of the new emerging Muslim society of the Prophet’s time were different from the needs of the later times; and so the Prophet was directed to give an arrangement that was different from the merely chronological one.
The Qur'an represents life as it is experienced: In life you don’t have neat separations and boundary lines between one thought and another, one feeling and another, one experience and another… Life goes on in a continuous stream, and the Qur'an is for our life.
All the previous scriptures of God taught their people basically the same message. The Qur'an emphasizes the teachings of the Torah and the Gospel, probably because Jews and Christians would become dominant communities in later times - as Allah knows; and there are no people who now exist known as the followers of "Zaboor". May be that is the reason, why the Zaboor is sidelined.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
