The Quran to the Last Messenger Muhammad (

8/7/2019 The Quran to the Last Messenger Muhammad (

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The Quran to the Last Messenger

Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a finalguidance to mankind.

Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaFaculty of LawPursuing PHD Program in LawP58462

Musbri MohamedDIL; ADIL ( ITM )MBL ( UKM )

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Man denies God

God's communication with man has always accompanied him, from theearliest period of his appearance on this planet, and throughout the agesuntil today.

Men have often denied the communication from God or attributed it tosomething other than its true source and origin. More recently some have

begun to deny God altogether, or to explain away man's preoccupation withGod and the communication from Him as a preoccupation with delusionand fantasy. Yet even such people do not doubt that the preoccupation of man with God's communication is as old as man himself. Their reasoningis, they claim, based on material evidence. Following this line of thoughtthey feel that they should deny God's existence, but are at the same timecompelled to concede the point for material evidence is abundant that man

has ever been preoccupied with thinking about God and the concept of God's communication with man. Empiricism and Realism.

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The Quran was revealed piecemeal throughout a period of about23 years. The Prophet received the first revelation in 610CE, inthe Cave of Hira in the Mountain of Light (Jabale-Noor), two anda half miles away from the House of Allah in the cityof Makkah in Arabia.

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The first revelation was the first five verses of Surah (chapter) Al-Alaq:" Iqra bismi rabbikalla dhi khalaq. Khalaqal insana min alaq. Iqra warabbukal akram. Alladhi 'allama bil qalam. 'Allamal insana malam

yalam, " which means "Read in the name of your Lord who created,created man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most Generous, Whoteaches by means of the pen, teaches man what he does not know."

(96: 1-5)

The last revelation was the third verse of Surah Al-Maidah, which wassent down to the Prophet in 632 C.E. : " Al yawma akmaltu lakum dinakamwa atmamtu alaikam ni'mati wa raditu' lakumul islama dinan''," whichmeans "Today I perfected your religion for you and completed my favor toyou and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your religion." (5:3)

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The Arabs of that time were renown for their rich literature andhad excelled in the art of poetry and literature. But even the best of them failed to mach the power of the Quran.

The Quran challenged them to come up with one chapter similar toit, a challenge that was later reduced to a challenge to come up

with at least one verse. But they never rose up to the challengedespite their opposition to Muhammad and his message.

What was even more astonishing to them was the fact thatMuhammad, an illiterate, never possessed the ability to recite or even to speak poetry.

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Al-Quran is divided into thirty equal divisions, which arecalled juz in Arabic. There are 114 chapters, of varyinglength. The longest chapter is Al-Baqarah consisting of 286 verses and the shortest chapter is AlKawthar consisting of three verses only. The whole Quran has6,236 verses.

The chapters revealed before the migration of the Prophetto Madina are called Makkan, whereas those sent downafter the migration are called Madinan.

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Makkan chapters generally consist of brief sentences which are full of enthusiasm, poetical, lofty and brilliant. They stress the Unity andMajesty of Allah, the Most Exalted, Most High (SWT), denounce idolworship, promise paradise for the righteous and warn wrongdoers of their punishment in Hellfire, confirm the prophethood of Muhammad(PBUH), and remind humanity of the past prophets and events of their time.

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The Madinan chapters are lengthy and the verses are more prosaic.They outline ritualistic aspects of Islam such as Zakah, Fasting, andHajj, lay down moral and ethical codes, criminal laws, social,economic, and state policies, give guidelines for foreign relations,rules and regulations for battle and the captives of war.

They also contain descriptions of some of the early battles of Islam,condemnation of hypocrites, emphasis on the unified basic messageof all the past prophets, and confirmation that the process of

prophethood and revelation is complete, so that no Prophet willcome after Muhammad [PBUH], no new book will be revealed, andAllah's religion is complete through Al-Quran. So here Allah [SWT]exhorted the followers of truth to make Al-Quran as their onlyguide.

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The Quran is not just a beautiful Arabic literature but also agreat source of wisdom. The Quran is the last revealed wordof God and the basic source of Islamic teachings and laws. Itdeals with a variety of subjects including the basic beliefs of Islam, morality, worship, knowledge, wisdom, God-and-man relationships, and relations among human beings .

Comprehensive teachings on which sound systems of social

justice, politics, economics, legislation, jurisprudence, lawand international relations can be built from an important part of the Holy Quran.

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Al-Quran is the only ever living miracle. Today no other miracle of any prophet exists. According to a survey, the number of Huffaz (personswho have memorized the whole Quran) today is more than 10 million.Millions of editions and copies were printed and handwritten in almostevery part of the world. They were also translated into most of thelanguages of mankind. During the period of over 1400 years since theQuran was revealed, not a single letter was changed. This is one of thegreatest miracles of the Quran.

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The Quran contains 114 chapters ; 661 6verses; 77,93 4 words ; and 323,67 1 letters that have remained unchangedsince the end of revelation ( more than1400 years ago ) .

The original and complete text of theQuran is in Arabic and translations of itsmeaning in most known languages areavailable in major libraries and

bookstores.

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The Quran is the principle source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all subjects that concern us as human beings,including wisdom, doctrine, worship and law ; but its basic theme isthe relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time,the Quran provides guidelines for a just society, proper humanconduct and equitable economic principles.

"He (God) has sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) with truth,confirming what was revealed before; And He sent down the Torah(of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this as a guide inhumankind; and He sent down the Criterion (the Qur'an)." (Qur'an3:3-4)

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This was not Gods first revelation to mankind. Hehad revealed his will as guidance previously tomankind, and each time in different languages tocommunicate to different people. This time thechosen language of revelation was Arabic, simply

because the person to whom it was revealed was an

Arabic speaker. This person was the Last messenger,Muhammad (peace be upon him).

If it was the case that God chose Muhammad (peace be upon him) as his Last Messenger, but thelanguage of revelation was not Arabic, then it is clear this would not have the effect desired as nobodywould understand what was being revealed, nor

would it be any kind of guidance.

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As mentioned, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not the only person to receive divine revelation, he was simply the Last of the people to receive it. All the Messengers of Allah experiencedrevelation. Allah says:

V erily, We have sent Revelation to you (O Muhammad) as We have sent Revelation to Nuh (Noah) and the prophets who came after him.We had sent revelation to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishq(Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), the Tribes, Isa (Jesus), Ayyub (Job), Yunus(Jonah), Harun (Aaron), and Sulayman (Solomon). And to Dawud (David) We gave the Psalms. And Messengers We have told you about before, and Messengers We have not told you about and to Musa(Moses) We spoke directly.

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So it is clear that God had revealed his will to mankind before. Some of which he

has mentioned in the Quran, and some which he has not. From this it is clear thatthere are other religions in the world today which most probably to have thereorigin from the One God, Allah. Whether it is Hinduism, Sikhism, BuddhismetcThe message of these religions at one time was preached by certainindividuals as previously mentioned. Whether these were also messengers fromAllah, only he knows best.

What is clear however is that the original teachings which were taught by the

messengers, and revealed by Allah had through time been altered and changed byhumanity. This is why Allah sent down the final revelation, the recitation, theQuran to the Last Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a final guidanceto mankind.

Man denies God and disregards His communication with man. Suffice tosay that the cause must be seen in man's self-perception, his arroganceand false pride. Having discovered that he and his kind constitute the peak of 'creation', he thinks himself autonomous, self-dependent, absolutelyfree and fully equipped to be master of the universe. Somehow, this self-

perception too has been with man from his early days. He has alwaysthought himself better than anything else

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The question of how evil came into the world has preoccupied manysincere seekers after the truth. The answer which the Qur'an gives issimple yet convincing if seen against all the evidence of historical andcontemporary human civilisation.

At the root of all evil in this world is disobedience to God, resultingfrom the belief that one is superior to another. From this belief stemsoppression of man by man discrimination, crime and all other evils

that rule the day. The test lies in obedience to God, for seen againstGod, the 'wholly other', all creation is indeed on the other side andequal. In Sura al-a'raf (7) it is related that God asked all angels to bow

before Adam, the first man. The angels obeyed, and observed God'swill, except Iblis. When asked why he opposed God's will, he replied:'ana khairun minhu' I (Iblis) am better than him (Adam), you createdme from fire and created him from clay' (Al-Qur'an 7:12) .

This then is the beginning of all evil, for it is Iblis who after thismakes it his mission to incite men also to act against God's will.

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The Qur'an was revealed 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 are thefollowing:

(i) To strengthen the heart of the Prophet by addressing himcontinuously and whenever the need for guidance arose.(ii) Out of consideration for the Prophet since revelation was avery difficult experience for him.(iii) To gradually implement the laws of God.(iv) To make understanding, application and memorisation of the revelation easier for the believers.

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Guidance through Revelation

We call a man to whom God in his own way communicates Hisguidance, a prophet or messenger (nabi, rasul). Prophets receive theword of God through revelation and then communicate it to their fellowhuman beings:'W e have sent thee INSPIRATION, as W e sent it to Noah and themessengers after him: W e sent INSPIRATION to Abraham, Ismail,Isaac, Jacob and the tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Harun andSolomon, and to David W e gave the Psalms. Of some apostles, W ehave already told the story, of others W e have not and to MosesGod spoke direct apostles who gave good news as well as warning,that mankind after (the coming) of the apostles should have no pleaagainst God: for God is exalted in power and ways ' (Al-Qur'an 4:

163-5).

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Means of Revelation

Wahy in the sense of 'revelation' is guidance from God for His creation, brought by the Prophets, who received the word from God through oneof the means mentioned in the following Qur'anic verse:' It is not fitting for a man that God should speak to him except byinspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending of a messenger toreveal with God ' s permission what God wills: for He is Most High,Most W ise ' (Al-Qur'an 42: 51).

Means of revelation are:

Inspiration, e.g. in a dream (see Al-Qur'an 37: 102, where it is relatedthat Ibrahim receives guidance in a vision, while asleep, to sacrifice hisson).Speech hidden away (see Al-Qur'an 27: 8, where it is related that Godspoke to Musa from the fire).Words (speech) sent through a special messenger from God (see Al-Qur'an 2:97, where it is related that God sent the Angel Gabriel as themessenger to Muhammad to reveal His message).

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God Guides His Creation

Allah the Creator has not only brought about the creation, but continues tosustain and direct it, in the way that He has created us and all that is aroundus. He has provided many forms of guidance, indeed, a system of guiding

principles, of which the laws of 'nature' are a part.But Allah has also granted a special form of guidance for mankind from the

outset of its occupancy of the earth. He promised to Adam and hisdescendants: ' Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comesto you guidance from Me, whosoever follows guidance, on them shallbe no fear, nor shall they grieve ' (Al-Qur'an 2: 38). ' This guidance comesthrough the prophets, whom Allah continuously sent to mankind, until thelast messenger, Muhammad received His final guidance.

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Other Names of the Qur ' an

The revelation from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad isreferred to in the Qur'an itself by the name qur'an (recitation)as well as by other names, such as e.g. furqan (criterion, seeAl-Qur'an 25: 1). tanzil (sent down, see Al-Qur'an 26: 192).dhikr (reminder, see Al-Qur'an 15: 9). kitab (scripture, see Al-Qur'an 21:10).Other references to the Qur'an are by such words as nur (light), huda (guidance), rahma (mercy), majid (glorious),mubarak (blessed), bashir (announcer), nadhir (warner), etc.All these names reflect one of the various aspects of therevealed word of Allah.

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Distinctive Features of the Qur ' an

The most important distinction between the Qur'anand all other words or writings therefore is that theQur'an is the speech from Allah, revealed in its

precise meaning and wording through the AngelGabriel, transmitted by many, inimitable, unique and

protected by Allah Himself against any corruption.

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The Final Revelation

Muhammad was the last messenger from Allah to mankind, and he brought the final revelation from God to man. Therefore thescripture containing this revelation is the last of the Holy Scriptures.The basic message of the Holy Qur'an is the same as the basicmessage of the previous revelations and books, and the directivesand instructions, by which it provides guidance for man are of auniversal nature. They apply for all times to come and in allsituations. This revelation corresponds to man's position on earth andin history. Man has reached, in his development, the stage whenuniversal principles need to be applied to safeguard his purposefulexistence.

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The Names of the Scriptures and their Number

Just as there have been numerous prophets so therewere numerous written records of their messages. TheQur'an mentions the following revelations in

particular, which are sometimes called sheets or leaves (suhuf) and sometimes book or scripture(kitab):

The 'sheets' of Ibrahim and Musa. The Torah (taurat)of Musa. The Psalms (zabur) of Dawud. The Gospel(injil) of 'Isa. The Qur'an of Muhammad.

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The Contents of the Former Scriptures

All the teachings contained in the former Scriptures that weremeant to be of lasting value and importance are included in theQur'an. The Qur'an also gives some specific accounts, althoughselective, of what the pre-Qur'anic scriptures contained and it isworthwhile to look briefly at this material:

A reference to the 'sheets' (suhuf) of Ibrahim and Musa:' But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify thename of their guardian Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer.Nay, behold, ye prefer the life of this world; but the Hereafteris better and more enduring ' (Al-Qur'an 87: 14-17).

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A reference to the Torah (taurat) of Musa:

' It was W e who revealed the law (to Moses): therein wasguidance and light ... W e ordained therein for them: life forlife, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth andwounds equal for equal, but if anyone remits the retaliation byway of charity it is an act of atonement for himself and if any

fail to judge by (the light of) what God has revealed they are(no better than) wrongdoers ' (Al-Qur'an 5: 47-8).

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A reference to the Psalms (zabur) of Dawud:

' And verily W e have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder:My righteous slaves will inherit the earth ' (Al-Qur'an 21: 105).

A reference to the Gospel (injil) of 'Isa:' Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him arehard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves.Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate(in worship) seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance.The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likenessin the Gospel like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot andstrengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting thesowers that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of)them. Allah has promised, unto such of them as believe and dogood works, forgiveness and immense reward ' (Al-Qur'an 48: 29).

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The pre-Qur'anic scriptures, besides carryingthe same basic message about Allah, theMaster of the worlds, and man, His creation,also brought specific instructions addresseddirectly to particular communities of people atgiven points of time in history and in

particular circumstances, such as the Jewish or

Christian communities. Revelation before theQur'an, and hence scriptures before it, were inmany of their details situation-oriented innature and therefore confined to their

particular frameworks. This also explains thecontinuity of revelation. With changingcircumstances and in different situations newguidance from Allah was required. As long asthe revelation and scripture were notcompletely universal in nature, revelationwould not reach its finality.

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Guidance for Man

Muslims, referring to the Holy Qur'an, also conclude that from the beginning of his life on earth, man has received communication fromGod, to guide him and protect him from such self-perception anddeceit:

'W e said: Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, therecomes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidanceon them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve ' (Al-Qur'an 2:38)

This message and promise has been communicated by God to allmankind, all children of Adam, as the Qur'an explains:' O ye children of Adam! W henever there come to you apostles

from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you those who arerighteous and mend (their lives) on them shall be no fear norshall they grieve ' (Al-Qur'an 7:35).

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Creation is Material Evidence for God

Many now accept empiricism as their guiding principles and Godgives ample evidence, material evidence, capable of verification byall empiricists, for His being and existence.

The wide earth, the whole universe of creation, are evidence,material evidence, for God. No empiricist would deny that the earthand the universe do exist. It is only that he does not always perceivethem as 'creation', for then he would have to argue from the materialevidence that he has to a mighty and puissant cause, to reason and

purpose behind it. Such an argument would by no means be incontradiction with his empiricist, rational and scientific line of thought, rather in perfect agreement with it.

M usbri M ohamed

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The Quran to the Last Messenger Muhammad (