Al-Quran
The Divine Word
The Guiding Light, The Right Book!
Islam:
God’s Way, The Right Way, The Only Way!
(Part 1 of 2)
(M. Javed Naseem)
ذٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَابُ
لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
“This is the Book; in it is guidance sure,
“This is the Book; in it is guidance sure,
without doubt, to those who fear Allah.”
(al-Quran 2:2)
أَفَلاَ
يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ
“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand
“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand
the Quran, or are their hearts locked up
by them?”
(al-Quran 47:24)
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was the ‘walking Quran’, a
personification of Islam. He showed the path, set the standards and walked the
walk to prove that Islam was the right way – the way Allah prescribed for
mankind through the Holy Quran. He practiced this Deen and advised every
believer to practice the same. That’s the only guarantee to salvation.
“Verily, I have left
amongst you that which will
never lead you
astray, the Book of Allah, which
if you hold fast, you
shall never go astray”.
-- Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w.)
(From the ‘Last
Sermon of Hajj’ of the Prophet , s.a.w.)
And that’s the
Book in which, without any doubt, there is guidance and mercy for the mankind.
But we can benefit from this guidance of Allah and His mercy only through applying
the Quranic guidelines to our practical lives. So, we should study it carefully
and follow it sincerely.
يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ
قَدْ جَآءَتْكُمْ مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
وَشِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِى
ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“O mankind! There has come to you a direction
“O mankind! There has come to you a direction
from your Lord and a healing for the
(diseases)
in your hearts, and for those who believe,
a Guidance and a Mercy.”
(al-Quran 10:57)
Unbelievable! The
sacred Word of Allah contains not only the direction, the guidance but also the
cure for our spiritual diseases, plus the endless Mercy from our Creator, the
Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent. Shouldn’t we then profit from it?
أَفَلاَ
يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْآنَ
“Do they not consider the Quran (with care)?”
“Do they not consider the Quran (with care)?”
(Or: “Why do they not study the Quran
carefully?”)
(al-Quran 4:82)
For a society
plagued by
Social,
cultural, financial,
Religious and
political evils,
Islam Is The Solution!
Every nation has its term or tenure. It started from Adam
and will finish with Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), as he’s the last and final
Messenger of God. There shall be no more messenger or prophet. Therefore, we
are the last of all nations (e.g., nation of Moses, nation of Jesus, etc.). Our
tenure lasts till the End of the world or till the Resurrection Day or D/Day.
During the time of Prophet Moses, people were asked to
follow Torah and Moses for their salvation. Then his term ended and came
Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary. The believers of the world were asked to follow
him and the Gospel for their salvation. Then his term ended and came Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w.). The believers of the world were asked to follow him and the
Quran for their salvation. He was the last prophet (messenger); he brought the
last book containing Allah’s word – the Quran. And we are going through the
last phase of this planet Earth, approaching its D/Day. In other words we have
this last chance to win the mercy of our Lord Almighty and seek salvation.
Disputing would take you nowhere! You can’t go back to the past. If there’s any
future for the mankind, it’s in Islam and the Quran. All previous Scriptures
and Prophets, along with their rituals, have been superseded and replaced by
the Quran and its holder – the last Prophet.
But one thing was common among all of them and that stayed
the same – the ‘Deen’ (the system of life). And the only ‘Deen’ acceptable to
God is Islam. Islam is not new. It was the ‘Deen’ (or religion, if you like) of
all the prophets and messengers of God. It’s the only Deen God prescribed for
mankind. Man, in every era, corrupted it and altered it to suit his easy life,
and gave it different names. It started from Paradise
and was spread in the earth by Allah’s messengers. It’s the Deen of Truth.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِيۤ
أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ
لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى
ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance
and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it
over all
religions, even though the Pagans may
detest (it).”
(al-Quran 9:33)
قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى
ٱللَّهِ هُوَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَأُمِرْنَا لِنُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ
“… Say: Allah's guidance is the (only)
guidance,
and we have been directed to submit
ourselves
to the Lord of the worlds.”
(al-Quran
6:71)
The biggest contribution of Islam to the modern world and
humanity is the equality, dignity, respect and honor it bestows upon all human
beings that accept it as a system of life. It guarantees them a social system
based on justice and fairness. It makes them a part of the universal community,
international brotherhood, with no discrimination of any sort whatsoever. It’s
a great feat. No other system in the world has ever achieved it.
"The extinction
of race consciousness as between Muslims
is one of the
outstanding achievements of Islam and in the
contemporary world
there is, as it happens, a crying need
for the propagation
of this Islamic virtue..."
-- A. J.
Toynbee
(‘Civilization On
Trial’, New York ,
p. 205)
"Sense of
justice is one of the most wonderful ideals of Islam,
because as I read in the
Quran, I find those dynamic principles
of life, not mystic
but practical ethics for the daily conduct of
life suited to the
whole world."
-- Sarojini Naidu
(Lectures on
"The Ideals of Islam", from ‘Speeches And Writings
of Sarojini Naidu’, Madras , 1918, p. 167)
IT IS ISLAM
From The Beginning Till The End!
As I mentioned earlier, Islam was prescribed by our Creator,
the Lord Almighty, for the mankind, and it’s the only ‘Way of Life’ acceptable
to Him.
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ ٱلإِسْلاَمِ دِيناً فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ
وَهُوَ فِى ٱلآخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَاسِرِينَ
“If anyone desires a
religion other than Islam
(submission to
Allah), never will it be accepted
of him; and in the
Hereafter he will be in the
ranks of the losers.”
(al-Quran 3:85)
It can’t be said more simply, more vigorously and more
clearly than the above verse that it is Islam or else. There is absolutely no
ambiguity, no confusion, no misunderstanding or no chance of misinterpretation
of this verse. It is as clear as sunshine and is self-explanatory. Islam is the
way!
وَلاَ تُؤْمِنُوۤاْ إِلاَّ لِمَنْ تَبِعَ دِينَكُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْهُدَىٰ
هُدَى ٱللَّهِ
"And believe no one unless he follows your religion.
"And believe no one unless he follows your religion.
Say: "True guidance is the Guidance
of Allah. …”
(al-Quran 3:73)
For those who deny this fact, there’s the invitation,
suggestion and even the command of Allah to correct their belief and follow the
right Faith. If you study the Quran with open mind and clean heart, you’ll find
the answers to your questions. You’ll get the guidance you are looking for!
يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ
قَدْ جَآءَتْكُمْ مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ
وَشِفَآءٌ لِّمَا فِى
ٱلصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“O mankind! There has come to you a direction
“O mankind! There has come to you a direction
from your Lord and a healing for the
(diseases)
in your hearts, and for those who believe,
a Guidance and a Mercy.”
(al-Quran 10:57)
فَإِمَّا
يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّى هُدًى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدَاى
فَلاَ خَوْفٌ
عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“… And if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance
“… And if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance
from Me, whosoever follows My guidance, on
them
shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”
(al-Quran 2:38)
هَـٰذَا بَيَانٌ
لِّلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةٌ لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
“Here is a plain statement to men, a guidance
“Here is a plain statement to men, a guidance
and instruction to those who fear Allah!”
(al-Quran 3:138)
A very clear message from the Almighty prompting us to
follow it, implement it and protect our souls from the Hellfire with the help
of it.
يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ
آمَنُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ
مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا
ٱهْتَدَيْتُمْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعاً
فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا
كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
“O you who believe! Guard your own souls!
“O you who believe! Guard your own souls!
If you follow (right) guidance, no hurt
can come
to you from those who stray. The goal of
you all
is to Allah. It is He that will show you
the truth
of all that you do.”
(al-Quran 5:105)
يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ
وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُّسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe!
Fear Allah as He should be
feared, and die not
except in a state of Islam.”
(al-Quran 3:102)
"I have always
held the religion of Muhammad in high
estimation because of
its wonderful vitality. It is the only
religion which
appears to me to possess that assimilating
capacity to the
changing phase of existence which can
make itself appeal to
every age. I have studied him - the
wonderful man and in
my opinion far from being an
anti-Christ, he must
be called the ‘Savior of Humanity’.
I believe that if a
man like him were to assume the
dictatorship of the
modern world, he would succeed in
solving its problems
in a way that would bring it the
much needed peace and
happiness. I have prophesied
about the faith of
Muhammad that it would be acceptable
to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be
acceptable to the Europe of today."
-- George
Bernard Shaw
(‘The Genuine Islam’)
ISLAM WAS IN THE HEAVEN
(Before The Creation of Adam)
Prophet Jesus (Isa), the son of Mary, showed great respect
for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and always referred to him as the ‘Messenger of
God’ in the Bible (The Gospel of Barnabas). Here’s what he told his disciples
about the creation of Adam:
“Then God gave his soul to man, while all the holy angels
sang: “Blessed be your holy name, O God our Lord”. Adam, having sprung upon his
feet, saw in the air a writing that shone like the sun; which said:
“La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad ar-Rasool Allah”
(“There is only One God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God”).
“Whereupon Adam opened his mouth and said: “I thank you, O
Lord my God, that you have deigned to create me; but tell me, I pray you, what
means the message of these words: Muhammad is Messenger of God. Have there been
other men before me?”
Then said God: “Be you welcome, O my servant Adam. I tell
you that you are the first man whom I have created. And he, whom you have seen
(mentioned) is your son, who shall come into the world many years hence, and
shall be my Messenger, for whom I have created all things; who shall give light
to the world when he shall come; whose soul was set in a celestial splendour,
sixty thousand years before I made any thing.”
--
(From the book: God’s Prescription – Al-Quran,
Chapter: ‘Jesus Talks About Muhammad, s.a.w.’)
"I am not a
Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope
I am a
"Muslim" as "one surrendered to God," but I
believe that embedded
in the Quran and other expressions
of the Islamic vision
are vast stores of divine truth from
which I and other
occidentals have still much to learn,
and Islam is
certainly a strong contender for the supplying
of the basic
framework of the one religion of the future."
-- Montgomery
(‘Islam And Christianity
Today’, London ,
1983)
“I believe in one
God and Mohammed the Apostle of God”,
is the simple and
invariable profession of Islam. The
intellectual image of
the Deity has never been degraded
by any visible idol;
the honors of the prophet have never
transgressed the
measure of human virtue, and his living
precepts have
restrained the gratitude of his disciples
within the bounds of
reason and religion."
-- Edward
Gibbon & Simon Oakley
(‘History of The Saracen
Empire’, London ,
1870, P. 54)
"The doctrine of
brotherhood of Islam extends to all
human beings, no
matter what color, race or creed.
Islam is the only
religion which has been able to
realize this doctrine
in practice. Muslims, wherever in
the world they are,
will recognize each other as brothers."
-- R. L.
Mellema
(Anthropologist,
Writer and Scholar from Holland )
(End of Part-I/2)
***********
