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Inspirational Du’as Of Prophets In The Qur’an

Many a time, people complain that their du’as are not being answered. They do not realize that either the du’a is not being answered for their own benefit, because Allah knows better, or because they are committing sins that are preventing their du’a from being answered.

Moreover, we may not be adopting the proper etiquette of du’a. Apart from the external factors – such as being in a state of ablution, facing the Qiblah, praising Allah, and raising our hands – there are internal matters that are of prime importance. The state of the heart and what it contains: The hope in Allah’s infinite mercy, the level of closeness the heart feels to Him, and the absolute conviction with which we believe in Him.

The Qur’an narrates to us some incidents from the lives of prophets when they turned to Allah in sincere du’a. These incidents teach us how we must turn to Allah for all our needs and the proper way of calling on Allah.

Humility despite wealth, health, and power
Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him) sought Allah’s forgiveness when he was a powerful ruler and a judge among his people. His kingdom extended over a vast dominion.

“And Dawood gathered that We had tested him: he asked forgiveness of his Lord, fell down, bowing (in prostration), and turned (to Allah in repentance).” (Qur’an, 38:24)

Despite having the world at his feet, he fell humbly in prostration to seek forgiveness. Do we do the same when we are enjoying this world’s blessings?

What may not be possible
Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him) beseeched Allah for offspring after reaching old age:
“And (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: “O my Lord! Leave me not without offspring, though You are the best of inheritors.” (Qur’an, 21:89)

(This is) a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zakariya, when he called out his Lord (Allah) a call in secret, saying: “My Lord! Indeed my bones have grown feeble, and grey hair has spread on my head. And I have never been unblest in my invocation to You, O my Lord! And Verily! I fear my relatives after me since my wife is barren. So give me from Yourself an heir.” (Qur’an, 19:2-5)

Prophet Zakariya called to Allah, conversing with Him in secret counsel, pouring out his heart and his concerns about the future to Him. Knowing that his wife was barren did not stop him from asking His Lord for a heir.

This shows us that while asking Allah for something, we should not worry about the “how” of it, but rather, only the “what”. What is it that you want from Allah? Ask Him for it with sincerity, talking to Him in your prayers the way you confide your troubles to a close friend who is listening to you with exclusive attention. Unfortunately, some of us lose hope even before asking Allah. When faced with a calamity, people wonder, “Even if I ask Allah, how will He give it to me?”

In response to Prophet Zakariya’s earnest du’a, Allah blessed him with a son, Yahya, from his “infertile: wife!

When there is no hope
Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him) called to Allah when he lost his whole family and his body was mutilated by a debilitating disease. Yet, he did not lose hope in his Lord’s mercy. Instead of being impatient and wishing for death, which we often do when severely afflicted with calamity, he begged Allah for mercy:
“Remember Our Servant Ayub. Behold, he cried to his Lord, “Shaitan has afflicted me with distress and suffering!” (Qur’an, 38:41)

“And (remember) Ayub, when he cried to his Lord, “Truly distress has seized me, but You are the Most Merciful of those that are merciful.” (Qur’an, 21:83)

Allah answered his sincere plea and granted him a complete recovery. Not just that; Allah gave him a new family, which was double the size of the one he had lost:

“Then We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered, and We gave him his household (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them, a mercy from near Us, and a remembrance for the worshippers.” (Qur’an, 21:84)

Another example from the Qur’an, of a Prophet who did not lose hope in Allah’s mercy despite the passage of many years of grief, is Prophet Yaqub (peace be upon him), who wept himself blind after his son Yusuf disappeared at the threshold of youth:

He said: “It is only to Allah that I complain of my deep grief and my sorrow: for I know, from Allah, something that you do not know (that soon he would be united with Yusuf).” (Qur’an, 12:86)

Prophet Yaqub turned away from people and complained of his sorrow to Allah alone. He was eventually reunited with his long-lost son after so many years!

The Qur’an thus shows us, by narrating these incidents from the lives of the prophets of Allah, that we should have trust in Allah the way He deserves to be trusted. We should have hope in His mercy and help.

When we want a person’s attention, we call him and pester him until he gives us what we want.

But with Allah – who sees and hears everyone, who knows what we want and what we fear and what we hide in our hearts, who provides every living creature, and who is the Most Merciful One – we despair and lose hope too soon after a few half-hearted, distracted du’as!

It is extremely rare that a person’s sincere du’a goes unanswered. And those rare occasions are also for a reason. Either Allah delays it for the appropriate time, or He may not give it because it may not be good for us, but He may give us something better than that or reward us in the Hereafter. He is indeed All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise.

The Quranic Ruling On Alcohol

[1:1] In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[5:90] O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.

Alcohol is not a good provision as understood from the following verse.

[16:67] And from the fruits of date palms and grapes you produce intoxicants, as well as good provisions. This should be (sufficient) proof for people who understand.

The following verse explains why alcohol is not a good provision.

[2:219] They ask you about intoxicants and gambling: say, “In them, there is a gross sin and some benefits for the people. But their sinfulness far outweighs their benefit.” They also ask you what to give to charity: say, “The excess.” GOD thus clarifies the revelations for you, that you may reflect,

The above verse states that there is a gross “sin” in alcohol. The following verse explains why there is a gross “sin” in consuming alcohol.

[5:91] The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering GOD, and from observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you then refrain?

The above verse states that the devil wants to distract us from observing the Contact Prayers with the help of alcohol. The following verse explains how alcohol distracts us from observing the contact prayers.

[4:43] O you who believe, do not observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) while intoxicated so that you know what you are saying. Nor after sexual orgasm without bathing, unless you are on the road, traveling; if you are ill or traveling, or you had urinary or fecal-related excretion (such as gas), or contacted the women (sexually), and you cannot find water, you shall observe Tayammum (dry ablution) by touching clean dry soil, then wiping your faces and hands therewith. GOD is Pardoner, Forgiver.

The following verse explains to us why do we need to avoid consuming alcohol.

[5:90] O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.

Please note that verses 5:90 and 5:91 above give us an understanding that the devil wants to use alcohol as a tool to misguide human beings. So, in the Quranic context consuming alcohol harms us when we commit sins. So, “sin” is the aftereffect of “harm”. In the translation of verse 2:219 above, the word “harm” might be more appropriate than the word “sin”, since, the meaning of “harm” is the opposite of “benefit”. The following translation of 2:219 by “Progressive Muslims” conveys this understanding.

“Progressive Muslims”
They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say: “In them is great harm, and a benefit for mankind; but their harm is greater than their benefit.” And they ask you how much are they to give, say: “The excess.” It is thus that God clarifies for you the revelations that you may think.

The Quran uses very straightforward verses and the very strong word “prohibition” for certain foods but not for alcohol. The consumption of alcohol is discouraged and the reasons are given clearly by God and His messenger.

[2:173] He only prohibits for you the eating of animals that die of themselves (without human interference), blood, the meat of pigs, and animals dedicated to other than GOD. If one is forced (to eat these), without being malicious or deliberate, he incurs no sin. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

[3:7] He sent down to you this scripture, containing straightforward verses – which constitute the essence of the scripture – as well as multiple-meaning or allegorical verses. Those who harbor doubts in their hearts will pursue the multiple-meaning verses to create confusion and to extricate a certain meaning. None knows the true meaning thereof except GOD and those well founded in knowledge. They say, “We believe in this – all of it comes from our Lord.” Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.

[5:90] O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and the altars of idols, and the games of chance are abominations of the devil; you shall avoid them, that you may succeed.
[5:91] The devil wants to provoke animosity and hatred among you through intoxicants and gambling, and to distract you from remembering GOD, and from observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you then refrain?

Prophethood In Islam

Prophethood in Islam has a special status and significance. According to Islam, Allah created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance. How would man know the role and purpose of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do? Here comes the need for prophethood. Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet or more to convey His Message to people. One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honor? Prophethood is Allah’s blessing and favor that He may bestow on whom He wills. However, from surveying the various messengers throughout history, three features of a prophet may be recognized:

1 . He is the best in his community morally and intellectually. This is necessary because a prophet’s life serves as a model for his followers. His personality should attract people to accept his message rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he is infallible.

2. He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not an impostor. Those miracles are granted by the power and permission of God and are usually in the field in which his people excel and are recognized as superiors. We might illustrate this by quoting the major miracles of the three prophets of the major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Moses’ contemporaries excelled in magic. So his major miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt of his days. Jesus’ contemporaries were recognized as skillful physicians. Therefore, his miracles were to raise the dead and cure incurable diseases. The Arabs, the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad, were known for their eloquence and magnificent poetry. So Prophet Muhammad’s major miracle was the Qur’an, the equivalent of which the whole legion of Arab poets and orators could not produce despite the repeated challenge from the Qur’an itself.
Again Muhammad’s miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place, i.e., they were shown to specific people at a specific time. Not so the miracle of Muhammad, the Qur’an. It is a universal and everlasting miracle.

Previous generations witnessed it and future generations will witness its miraculous nature in terms of its style, content, and spiritual upliftment. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Qur’an.

3. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. He also confirms what was revealed before him and what may be revealed after him.

A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people of all ages. So the message is one in essence and for the same purpose.

Therefore, it should not deviate from what was revealed before him or what might come after him. Prophets are necessary for conveying God’s instructions and guidance to mankind. We have no way of knowing why we were created. What will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, etc. cannot be answered without revelation from the Creator and All-Knower of the unseen.

Those answers must be authentic and must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect.
That is why messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conduct and intellectual ability.

What Do Muslims Believe About Jesus?

Muslims respect Jesus (peace be upon him) and await his second coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind…

A Muslim never refers to him simply as ‘Jesus’, but always adds the phrase “peace be upon him.” The Qur’an confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Qur’an is entitled ‘Mary’) in her time, and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation. The Qur’an describes the creation of Jesus as follows:
“Behold! the angels said, `God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one that shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.’ She said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: `Even so; God creates what He wills. When He decrees a thing, He but says to it, “Be!” and it is.” (Qur’an 3:42-47)

Jesus (peace be upon him) was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam (peace be upon him) into being without a father:
“Truly, the likeness of Jesus unto Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.” (Qur’an 3:59)

During his prophetic mission, Jesus (peace be upon him) was granted and performed many miracles. The Qur’an tells us that he said:
“I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of the clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave. And I heal the blind and the lepers, and I raise the dead by Allah’s leave.” [Qur’an 3:49]

Other miracles include speaking soon after birth in defense of his mother’s piety. God’s other gifts to him included healing the ones born blind and the sick, reviving the dead, and, most importantly, the message he was carrying. These miracles were granted to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to the Qur’an, he was not crucified, but only appeared so; instead, Allah took him up to Himself; (Qur’an, Chapter Al-Nisa)

Neither Muhammad (peace be upon him), nor Jesus (peace be upon him), came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God, brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew it. In the Quran Jesus (peace be upon him), is reported as saying: that he came
“To attest the law which was before me.
And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign form your Lord, so fear God and obey me.” (Qur’an 3:50)

What Lesson We Learn From This Hadith Qudsi

What lesson do we learn from this hadith Qudsi?[1:1] In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
[31:6] Among the people, there are those who uphold baseless Hadith, and thus divert others from the path of GOD without knowledge, and take it in vain. These have incurred shameful retribution.

According to our scholars (ulama), “Hadith Qudsi” are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad as revealed to him by God Almighty. Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are so named by them because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are “Prophetic” Hadith, their authority (Sanad) is traced back not to the Prophet but to God. In other words, like the Quran, Hadith Qudsi is the revelation from God but not included in the Quran!

The following is one such ” sacred” hadith posted by the attached article:
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri (r.a.). He quoted Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) as saying to his Companions that: a man from among the early people or from those before you had said a word, i.e. Allah had blessed him with wealth and sons. When death approached him, he asked his sons: How was I being as a father? They replied: You were the best father. He said: I didn’t save or perform any good deeds for Allah. If Allah takes possession of me, He will punish me. So, look! When I am dead, burn me until I become coal then crush me well and scatter (my ashes in the air) on a stormy day. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: He took a covenant from his sons (and died). They did according to his will and spread his ashes in the air on a stormy day. Allah asswajal said: Be and there he was embodied before Him. Allah, the Exalted, asked him: O my slave! What induced you to do what you did? He replied: It was Your fear (so that I may not appear before You). The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) added:
Allah, the Exalted rewarded him with His mercy; the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said a second time: Allah did not punish him.

(This Hadith is sound and reported by Bukhari and Muslim).

This man was a believer in the Power of Allah assawajal to resurrect and punish. His belief and fear caused him to make that will which led him to Allah’s forgiveness.

So, according to the above Hadith Qudsi, we can understand the following:

  • Allah blessed a man with money and children
  • He was the best father to his children
  • He did not perform any good deeds for Allah
  • As death approached, he realized that he will be punished by Allah
  • He was scared and asked his sons to destroy his body after his death to avoid Allah’s punishment
  • Allah forgave him because he was afraid to face Allah.

According to the above understanding of the Hadith Qudsi, we can draw the following conclusions:

  • Money and children may not be a test
  • You may not have to do good deeds even you are capable of doing so
  • It is acceptable if you fear Allah at the approaching death
  • It is acceptable if you think Allah cannot resurrect you if your body is destroyed

Now, please read and reflect on the following verses of the Quran!

[64:15] Your money and children are a test, and GOD possesses a great recompense.

[63:10] You shall give from our provisions to you before death comes to you, then you say, “My Lord if only You could delay this for a short while! I would then be charitable and join the righteous!”

[2:254] O you who believe, you shall give to charity from the provisions we have given to you before a day comes where there is no trade, no nepotism, and no intercession. The disbelievers are unjust.

[4:18] Not acceptable is the repentance of those who commit sins until death comes to them, then say, “Now I repent.” Nor is it acceptable from those who die as disbelievers. For these, we have prepared a painful retribution.

[17:49] They said, “After we turn into bones and fragments, we get resurrected anew?!”
[17:50] Say, “Even if you turn into rocks or iron.
[17:51] “Even if you turn into any kind of creation that you deem impossible.” They will then say, “Who will bring us back?” Say, “The One who created you in the first place.” They will then shake their heads and say, “When will that be?” Say, “It may be closer than you think.”

So, what is the lesson we learn after reviewing a Qudsi Hadith in the light of the Quran?!

[31:6] Among the people, there are those who uphold baseless Hadith, and thus divert others from the path of GOD without knowledge, and take it in vain. These have incurred shameful retribution.

[45:6] These are God’s revelations that we recite to you truthfully. In which Hadith other than GOD and His revelations do they believe?

Thank you and may God guide us.

Exposing Modern Muslim Misleaders

Strangely, there is a class of so-called “Muslims” supported by Western neo-con think tanks who are full-time “da’ees” inviting people to the path of Shaitan, in the name of Islam.

These “Muslims” go to great lengths to explain how we should not practice our faith. In short, keep the title only, but discard the religion.

They are the new modernists created and funded by people who are working non-stop in their war against Islam. Nothing is obligatory for them. No rules at all. Here are some general issues with these people:

1. They attack the sources
They do not want to understand the Qur’an in the way it should be understood, even though the verses are very clear. They belittle the second most important source of Islam – the Hadith. They either play on the ignorance of Muslims or invent blatant lies about the Hadith.

Let there be no doubt left that the way Hadith has been preserved is superior to any standard of authentication ever known to human history and that will ever be known till the Day of Judgment. Such are the sciences of Hadith. Such is the manner in which the Hadith were preserved. The Ahadith are 500% more verifiable, more authentic, and hence have more reasons to be believed in, than the front-page report of any newspaper. Such was the strict conditions applied for the acceptance of Hadith. Usool Al-Hadith (sciences of Hadith) will testify to that.

2. Changing Islam
These “Muslims” really believe in secularism, not in the pure Shariah. So they try to fit Islam according to the world’s ever-changing standards of ethics. They have a problem with accepting some of the laws of Islam or few things that may have been permitted or prohibited in Islam. Allah says:

“Do you believe in some parts of the Book and disbelieve in other parts? Whosoever does that would be subjected to humiliation in this life and a severe punishment on the day of resurrection.” (Qur’an. 2:85)

Realize O Muslim! Whose Messenger was Muhammad? Allah’s! His actions, his sayings, and his commands are based on the revelation from Allah. It is sufficient for non-Muslims and the skeptics to verify if Muhammad (peace be upon him) was truly a messenger or not and if the Qur’an is truly divine or not. And there are overwhelming evidence that would leave no room for doubt about the truthfulness of Islam. So if you have verified this to be true, then you cannot question the commandments of your Creator.

We are Muslims – we submit to Allah and His Messenger. When Allah and His Messenger have said something, we humbly accept it. Muslims submit to the truth immediately.

“It is not fitting for any believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have a choice in their affair. And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has gone astray into manifest error.” (Qur’an, 33:36)

“But no, by your Lord (Rabb), they can have no faith until they make you the judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept (them) fully with submission.” (Qur’an, 4:65)

What Allah and His Messenger say is right, is right, and what they say is wrong, is wrong. End of discussion. Yet, Islam is a natural religion. It is a religion of Fitrah – the natural state in which man is born. It is based on our Creator’s Guidance. So it doesn’t order or command anything that is against the general interest of man.

One such “Muslim” writer of a recent article that was supposedly defending the Prophet (peace be upon him) called for the separation of the state and the religion in Muslim lands, called for the Hadith to be limited to “common history” and to detach away from “man-made laws” of “medieval word” and step into “21st century”. What fallacy!

Just tell me how this isn’t different from secular propaganda? So, typical secular propaganda has come in the form of an “Islamic article” that “defends” the Prophet (peace be upon him). Yet this “defense” in effect calls to reject the commandments of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in our daily life, in our economic life, and in our political life! What love and what defense?!

Let’s break down these general phrases of the writer into something practical to understand its implications, shall we? The following is the direction of the “secular states” we see in our world today:

• Man is the superior being. No place for God.
• Riba (Interest) is perfectly “OK” for the 21st century.
• Premarital sex: It’s people’s choice! Marriage: Debasement and abuse.
• Homosexuality: Must be permitted. We’re in the 21st century. Freedom!

The writer says if we Muslims don’t “step into 21st century” and accept these “universal human rights”, which I have summarized above, “then we better be prepared to be mocked as stragglers in the caravan who are slowing down the progress of all humanity.”

Mr. Writer, Muslims need not leave their religion to escape the mockery of a people who don’t believe in Allah!

Just tell me how and why should man’s stances change on these immoral issues I’ve listed above? These evils don’t change into good because of advancement. What is advancement? What is enlightenment? What we see in today’s world is only scientific advancement. Socially, we are falling and regressing to new lows.

Nay, Muslims need not change their fundamentals to be accepted by the world. The world is stumbling down towards its destruction by adopting hedonism in the name of freedom. Muslims need not follow that path. Islam dictates every aspect of our life, and we should be proud of that! Our Creator did not leave us to wander without guidance and fall into the pits that we see the world falling into. We are the ones who believed in His Message.

Yes, the divine laws came down 1400 years ago. But they were with imbued such wisdom that they could be applied in the 21st century and in the centuries to come. While Shariah has specific laws for things that don’t change, it largely has general outlines and principles that can be applied to any issue that may come up with the advancement of time.

There have been in the past and will always be in the future people who call people towards the path of Shaitan and who work tenuously to misguide Muslims. But Allah has promised to protect Islam. So Islam has not changed through the ages and it will continue to be protected till the Day of Judgment.

We as Muslims must be careful about the sources where we take our Islam from. We should learn Islam from the roots – the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

We should learn Islam from scholars who stick to the Qur’an and Sunnah and the interpretation of the early generations of Muslims. Because the understanding of the early generations is what is authentic and has been approved of by Allah and His Messenger.

Qur’an: Witness The Miracle

Night after night in Ramadan, the believers witness a unique spectacle at mosques around the world. They stand in special Taraweeh prayers in which the prayer leader will recite the entire Quran from memory. Those who have accomplished this extraordinary feat of memorizing all of the 6246 verses are not a handful of devotees but there are hundreds of thousands of them. Most, just like most Muslims in the world today, do not speak Arabic. Yet they have painstakingly learnt to pronounce each and every word of the Quran correctly. The phenomenon is not a result of some religious resurgence that would pass. From the very first day that the Quran was revealed, it was memorized. And the number of those who have memorized it has been increasing ever since. Memorization of the Quran has been going on all through the centuries, all over the globe wherever Muslims are.

There are other religions that claim to possess the Word of God. There are none that can show a book that has commanded anything remotely comparable to this level of devotion. Quran is the most read and the only completely memorized book in the whole world. It is also the most studied book in the world. It has stimulated the development of entire disciplines of knowledge dealing with its reading, writing, and interpretation.

Miraculous as it is, this is not the only unique aspect of the Quran.

Quran was the first book in the Arabic language. Yet fourteen centuries later, its language is as alive as it was when it was revealed. And there is no other example of when the very first book in a language became any masterpiece let alone the eternal masterpiece that the Quran is.

This Book is meant to command and guide humanity until the end of time. That the passage of fourteen centuries has not made the slightest dent in its language or literary beauty is only one evidence of that unique role; its contents have also been unassailable by the passage of time. It makes statements of scientific facts that science would discover centuries later but none that science could ever refute. It tells about ancient histories, like the civilization of the ‘Aad people in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian desert that no other historical sources, then or since, contain any information about. Yet, its veracity has only recently been verified by scientific discoveries. Above all, it provides a system of beliefs and a code of conduct for life that is as relevant, illuminating, and true today as it was fourteen centuries earlier and during all the centuries in between.

The believers know that this Book had to be above space and time because this is the Word of the Creator of space and time. And He has promised that it will always be above space and time. But those who are looking from the outside and are just curious may consider these additional facts:

Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did not go to any school, study from any teacher, or even learn how to read and write. He even had no interest in poetry, which was one of the most prized disciplines of his time. Yet suddenly at age forty, he began to recite this marvelous revelation.

The style of the Quran is very distinct from the words of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself, which also have been preserved in Hadith collections. His own sayings are embodiments of eloquence, but they have a different style. Moreover, they clearly are the words of a human being. Although never deviating from the truth, they do show human emotions and the effects of the circumstances in which they were said. Quran, on the other hand, never shows the slightest trace of these effects. It always speaks from above.

It was revealed over a twenty-three-year period and covers a very wide range of subjects yet it shows neither a gradual development of style nor any self-contradictions in the voluminous text.

The twenty-three years of Prophetic life was not a period spent in isolation. He did not retire to a cave to produce this miraculous work. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did spend long periods of time in quiet meditation in Cave Hira before becoming a Prophet. But after Prophethood was conferred upon him, his life was one of constant struggle with the pagans, and later the Jews, of Arabia who spared no effort to stop and persecute him. It was during this period of persecution, wars, campaigns, and solving problems associated with the bringing about of the greatest civilizational revolution of all times — an extremely busy and challenging period — that Quranic Revelation was also received and compiled.

The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself was most deeply moved by the Book. He used to stand for hours in solitary midnight prayers reciting from the Book until his feet used to get swollen. How preposterous that one should attempt to attribute the Book to him. Has there ever been another example of somebody getting so moved by his own words?

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the evidence that proves the Quran to be the Word of God. Scholars have written books expounding the miracle of miracles that the Quran is. But even this small sampler may propel an inquiring mind to go and read the Book himself.

To read this book with an open mind is to believe in it. Those who sincerely seek guidance will find their questions answered, their confusions removed, their problems solved in its pages. From the beginning until the end, every word in the Quran tells the reader that it is the Word of Allah. And those who ignore it do so at their own peril.

“And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true. But if you cannot – and of a surety, you cannot – then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones which is prepared for those who reject Faith.” [Al-Baqarah 2:23-24]

By Khalid Baig

Miscellaneous Excerpts From The Holy Qur’an

[1:1] In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[3:14] Adorned for the people are the worldly pleasures, such as the women, having children, piles upon piles of gold and silver, trained horses, livestock, and crops. These are the materials of this world. A far better abode is reserved at GOD.

[4:86] When greeted with a greeting, you shall respond with a better greeting or at least an equal one. GOD reckons all things.

[5:50] Is it the law of the days of ignorance that they seek to uphold? Whose law is better than GOD’s for those who have attained certainty?

[6:70] You shall disregard those who take their religion in vain, as if it is a social function, and are totally absorbed in this worldly life. Remind with this (Quran), lest a soul may suffer the consequences of its evil earnings. It has none besides GOD as a Lord and Master, nor an intercessor. If it could offer any kind of ransom, it would not be accepted. They suffer the consequences of the evil works they earn; they have incurred hellish drinks, and a painful retribution because of their disbelief.

[21:16] We did not create the heavens and the earth, and everything between them just for amusement.

[21:17] If we needed amusement, we could have initiated it without any of this, if that is what we wanted to do.

[28:85] Surely, the One who decreed the Quran for you will summon you to a predetermined appointment. Say, “My Lord is fully aware of those who uphold the guidance, and those who have gone astray.”

[29:64] This worldly life is no more than vanity and play, while the abode of the Hereafter is the real-life, if they only knew.

[31:6] Among the people, there are those who uphold baseless Hadith, and thus divert others from the path of GOD without knowledge, and take it in vain. These have incurred a shameful retribution.

[42:21] They follow idols who decree for them religious laws never authorized by GOD. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution