View Full Version : Quran importance
Salaam Alaykum
I would like to ask about any Ahadeeth or statements from scholars testifying to the importance of Quran in Islam.
(This may seem as a rhetorical question, but it is of importance).
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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:
1. The Muslim is required to believe in the Qur'an,
2. He is required to read it,
3. He is required to understand it,
4. He is required to act upon its teachings, and
5. 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.)
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.
Quoted, with slight modifications, from Dr. Israr Ahmad’s article on “The Obligations the Muslims Owe to the Qur’an”, The Straight Way online magazine
(http://www.thestraightway.com/literature/0002.html)
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To begin with, learning and memorizing the Qur’an is the best action a Muslim can do. The one who learns and teaches the Qur’an is considered the best of all Muslims as reported in the hadith that reads: “The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it to others.” In fact, memorizing and learning the Qur’an brings the best of this life and the Hereafter. In this world, the person will be spiritually rich and lead a life of tranquility and complete happiness. In the Hereafter, the person will attain Jannah and enjoy the pleasure of Allah and His protection.
There are many benefits and rewards for memorizing and learning the Qur’an, including leading a successful life, having a pure soul, being close to Allah, and enjoying His pleasure in this life and in the Hereafter.
Tackling this issue in detail is the fatwa of Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi scholar and lecturer:
"Whoever memorizes the Qur’an and acts upon it, will be rewarded and honored greatly by Allah. He will have a highly elevated status in Paradise that suits the honor of the Qur’an itself. `Abdullah ibn `Amr reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “(On the Day of Judgment,) it will be said to the one who has learned the Qur’an: ‘Read (the Qur’an) and occupy your high degrees. Recite as you used to recite in the world, for your position (in Paradise) will be (determined) by the last verse that you recite.’”
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who knows more Qur’an should lead people in prayer…” meaning the one who has memorized the most. Also, the differentiation between degrees in Paradise will depend on the amount of Qur’an that had been memorized in this world, not on how much one recites on that day, as some people believe. It is important to note that this is for the person who memorizes the Qur’an for the sake of Allah, not for worldly gains.
Concerning the status of the one who memorizes the Qur’an, `A'ishah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who recites Qur’an while being proficient in it (that is, he knows its rules of recitation because he has already memorized it) will be the companion of the righteous honorable scribes (of Angels). The one who recites it while finding it difficult to recite (because he has not memorized it but he tries his best to recite correctly), will have two rewards.”
It is easy for the one who has memorized the Qur’an to perform Qiyam Al-Layl(Night Vigil Prayer). Moreover, the Qur’an will intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection and ask Allah to grant him forgiveness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for a person on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him of food and desires during the daytime, so let me intercede for him.’ The Qur’an will say, ‘O Lord, I deprived him of sleep at night, so let me intercede for him.’ Then, their intercession for him will be accepted.”"
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam-qa.com
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In the first place, we would like to make it crystal clear that the Qur’an stands as the unique and inimitable book of Allah that contains guidance and knowledge for mankind. Imam `Ali describes it saying: “It contains the stories of the previous nations and the news of your coming days and judgment for your own disputes.” Almighty Allah says: “ We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.” (Al-An`aam: 38)
Coming to the question in point, it is to be noted that being a book describing man and the universe, the Qur’an contains ‘everything’. It declares: “With Him (Allah) are the keys of the Unseen. None but He knows them. And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but with His Knowledge, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, nothing of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a Manifest Book.” (Al-An`aam: 59)
“Ibn Mas`ud says that the Qur’an provides information on everything but we may not be able to see everything in it. Ibn `Abbas, known as the Interpreter of the Qur’an and the Scholar of the Ummah, asserts that if he loses the rein of his camel, he can find it by means of the Qur’an. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, a significant scholar who lived in Egypt in the 15th century, explains that all sciences or branches of knowledge are to be found in the Qur’an.
Someone may say: “How can a book of medium size contain everything we need about life, sciences, conduct, creation, the past and future and so on?”
Before proceeding to explain this important matter, we should point out that in order to benefit from the Qur’an, which addresses all time and space and all levels of understanding from philosophers to sociologists and psychologists, from physicists to biologists, from lawyers to traditionists and from spiritual guides to educationists, one should be prepared to benefit from it. A student of the Qur’an should, first of all, have firm belief in the Qur’an and does his utmost to practice it in his daily life. Second, he must try to refrain from sins as much as possible. Thirdly, the Qur’an declares that a man has only that for which he makes effort (An-Najm: 39), so, in order to benefit from the Qur’an, a student of the Qur’an should, in the manner of a good, experienced diver searching for coral or of a deep-sea explorer, dive into the ‘ocean’ of the Qur’an and, with no tiredness and boredom, he should continue his research until death. Fourthly, understanding the Qur’an requires a good command of the Arabic language and sufficient knowledge about all the branches of natural and religious sciences.
Therefore, a good interpretation of the Qur’an demands the cooperation of scientists from all fields of natural and sociological sciences and religious scholars-experts on the Qur’anic commentary, Hadith, Jurisprudence, theology and spiritual sciences. While reciting and studying the Qur’an, a student of the Qur’an should regard him as the first addressee of the Qur’an. He should be conscious of the fact that every verse of the Qur’an addresses each of its students directly. If we consider, for example, its verses telling of the past events or the stories of the Prophets and their peoples as, simply, an account of certain historical events which has nothing to say to us, we cannot benefit from the Qur’an. We should know that with all of its verses, the Qur’an addresses us directly and describes us to ourselves.
According to its nature, significance, worth and place in existence, everything has a place of its own in the Qur’an.
The Qur’an contains everything but not in the same degree:
The Qur’an pursues four purposes: it seeks to prove the existence and Unity of Allah, Prophethood and bodily resurrection and concentrates on worship of Allah and justice. In order to realize its purposes, the Qur’an draws our attentions to Allah’s acts in the universe, His matchless art displayed through creation, the manifestations of His Names and Attributes and the magnificent, perfect order and harmony in existence. Also, it mentions certain historical events, establishes the rules of personal and social good conduct and morality and the principles of a happy, harmonious social life. Again, it explains how we must worship our Creator and what we must do in order to please Him. The Qur’an also gives much account of the other life and expounds how we can gain eternal happiness and be saved from eternal punishment.
Everything is found in the Qur’an, but everyone cannot see every thing in it since the things are found at different levels of understanding.
The above mentioned verse of Sura Al-An`aam states that everything, wet or dry, is found in the Qur’an. Is that really so? Yes, everything is found in it, but everyone cannot see every thing in it since the things are found at different levels. The Qur’an contains all things, but since the basic duty of the Qur’an is, as mentioned above, to teach about the perfections, essential qualities and acts of Allah and the duties and the status and affairs pertaining to the sphere of servitude to Allah, it contains them either in the form of seeds or nuclei or summaries or as principles or signs, and they are found either explicitly or implicitly, or allusively, or vaguely, or suggestively. One or other of these forms is preferred according to occasion, in a way fitting for the purposes of the Qur’an and in connection with the requirements of the context.
For example: As the result of man’s progress in science and industry, some scientific and technological wonders such as planes, electricity, motor vehicles, and means of radio and telecommunication have come into existence and taken the most prominent position in the material life of mankind. According to the Qur’an, the world is a guest-house. Man is a guest with many duties who will stay there for a short time only, and he is charged with preparing all the necessities for eternal life. He will give priority to the most urgent and important of his duties. Therefore, whatever is designed and used mostly for worldly purposes, it will have very little share in servitude to and worship of Allah, which is founded upon love of truth and otherworldliness, and therefore it will have a place in the Qur’an according to its merit.
If the Qur’an had mentioned future events and scientific developments explicitly, then the purpose for testing men would have been meaningless. Religion is for examination, a test and trial offered by Allah so that in the area of competition elevated spirits and base ones may be distinguished from each other. Just as raw materials are put in the fire so that diamond and coal, gold and earth, separate out from one another, so too, in this arena of trial the Divine obligations are for testing conscious beings and putting them to a competition so that the precious ‘ore’ in the ‘mine’ of human potential may be separated from the dross.
Since the Qur’an was revealed for man to be perfected through trial in this abode of testing, in this arena of competition, for sure it will only allude to the future events pertaining to the world, which everyone will witness in due course of time, and will only open the door to reason to a degree that proves its argument. If it had mentioned them explicitly, then the purpose for testing men would have been meaningless. Simply, the truth of the Divine obligations or proposals would have been as evident as if inscribed with stars on the face of the skies. Then everyone would be left no alternative other than affirming them. There would be no competition, the testing and trial would mean nothing. A spirit like coal would remain together with, and appear to be of the same degree as, a spirit like diamond.
The Qur’an addresses all times and places and all levels of understanding:
It is the commonalty in every community and in every age that constitute the great majority of people. Therefore, in order to guide everyone to truth and to its basic purposes, the Qur’an follows a style and language which is understandable to everyone. As an ordinary man of the lowest intellectual level can benefit from the Qur’an, a greatest scientist, no matter to which branch of science he belongs, also benefits from the Qur’an. This is also why the Qur’an usually uses a symbolical language and frequently resorts to metaphors, allegories, comparisons and parables. Those who are well-versed in knowledge know how to approach the Qur’an and benefit from it and conclude that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah.
If the Qur’an had mentioned modern scientific and technological discoveries, the people of earlier times would not have been able to understand them and therefore been deprived of benefiting from the relevant verses of the Qur’an. Also, sciences are in constant advance and what is regarded today as true may appear tomorrow as wrong or, by contrast, what we see today as wrong, may be proved to be true in the future. Almighty Allah has endowed man with intellectual faculties, so in many of its verses the Qur’an urges man to use those faculties of him and study nature and events. If, therefore, the Qur’an had mentioned, say, modern scientific and technological discoveries or everything pertaining to life, nature, history and man himself, it would have been meaningless that man is created as the best pattern of creation endowed with many intellectual faculties. For he would not have been able to use those faculties and improve them.
Again, if the Qur’an had mentioned explicitly whatever we like it to do so, then it would have been a book with hundreds of thousands of pages and therefore we would not be able to recite it completely to benefit from its spiritual enlightenment. Also, it would give us great boredom to recite. This is contrary to the reason of its revelation and the purposes it pursues.”
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.thewaytotruth.org
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