Pondering over the Meaning of the Qur’an

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One of the inward manners that one should abide by when reading the Glorious Qur’an is pondering over the meaning of the Qur’anic words and verses. When reading the Glorious Qur’an, one is recommended to think of the meaning and significance of what he reads. Allah, Most High, has revealed the Glorious Qur’an in order to be reflected upon and understood. In this connection, the Glorious Qur’an says:

[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.
(Sad 38:29)

Furthermore, Allah, Most High, urges people to reflect on the Glorious Qur’an saying:

“Do they not ponder over the Qur’an? Had it been the word of any other but Allah, they would surely have found a good deal of variation in it.”
(An-Nisa‘ 4:82)

“Do they not ponder on what the Qur’an says? Or have their hearts been sealed with locks?”
(Muhammad 47:24)

In his Jami` Al-`Ilm, Ibn `Abd AI-Barr reported on the authority of `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “There is no good in worship without consciousness, knowledge without understanding, nor in reading without contemplation.”

Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “It is better to read surat Az-Zalzalah and AI-Qari`ah with contemplation than to heedlessly read Surahs AI-Baqarah and Aal-`Imran.”

Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “In my opinion, it is better to read the Glorious Qur’an in a month than to read it in fifteen days, to read it in fifteen days is better than to read it in ten days, and to read it in ten days is better than to read it in seven days, as long as I ponder (over the meanings of the verses) and invoke (Allah).” (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah)

Apparently, reading the Glorious Qur’an slowly paves the way for contemplation, which is the avowed objective of reading the Glorious Qur’an. Allah, Most High, says:

“This is a Book whose verses are indeclinable and distinct, which comes from One who is most wise and all-knowing”
(Hud 11:1)

The Glorious Qur’an is further described in a Prophetic hadith as follows:

The Glorious Qur’an is full of signs, wisdom, rules, proofs, instructions, and miracles. Therefore, deep thinking and contemplation in reading the Qur’an is the only way to realize these contents. If a reciter of the Glorious Qur’an needs to repeat the Qur’anic verses to understand and reflect on them, he is recommended to do so. This was the custom of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), and the early Muslims.

In this context, Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported, “One night, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in the Vigil Prayer, in which he repeated the following Qur’anic verse during the whole Prayer:

“If You punish them, indeed they are Your creatures; if You pardon them, indeed You are mighty and wise.”
(AI-Ma’idah 5:118)

God honors those who honor Qur’an

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In his speech to Muslims while greeting Ramadan month, Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:

“The one who recites a verse from the Holy Quran in this month, will take the recompenses as if the one who had recited all the Quran in other months.”

Ramadan month is God’s month, and it is the most honorable and greater month; in this month, the heaven’s gates will be opened, and the hell’s gates will be closed.

Besides, in this month, the Holy Quran was descended, God specialized it with fasting, there is no honor more than this, and it was mentioned that the Islamic Holy Books such as the Scrolls of Abraham (A.S.), the Torah and the Psalms of Dawood (A.S.) and the Gospel and the Holy Quran were descended in this month.

And it was mentioned in Al-Kaffi that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Scrolls of Abraham were revealed on the first night of Ramadan month, and Torah was revealed on the sixth night of Ramadan month, and the Torah was descended on the sixth night of Ramadan month, the Gospel was revealed on the thirteenth of Ramadan month; the Psalms were revealed on the eighteenth of Ramadan month, and the Holy Quran was revealed on the twenty-third of the month of Ramadan.”

In Ramadan month, reciting the Holy Quran and reflecting on its verses have great position and feature, because of this one of the important things and obligations that we should do in the night of Ramadan month is to recite the holy Quran, in order for us not to be claimed with the complaints which Prophet Mohammad will reveal in the day of resurrection; besides, Prophet Mohammad antagonizes all the people in public, and in this case all the people are silent, ﴾On that day we will set a seal upon their months﴿, and the sounds are submissive, and the sights are gazing; in these horrible moments, each one is waiting his turn to be called to account, then Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)  will complaint to God about those people who don’t recite the Holy Quran, as was mentioned in the Holy Quran when prophet Mohammad said: ﴾O my Lord! Surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing﴿.

Then God addresses the deserted Holy Quran by saying:

“I swear with my glory and loftiness, and position, that in the day of resurrection I will confer honor upon those who honored you, and I will insult the ones who insulted you.”

Furthermore, in the day of resurrection, this complain will be upon us also, and we should take care of the Quran and recite it, because if we didn’t do as such, Prophet Mohammad will be our antagonist.

And in order for us to quite the desertion of the Holy Quran, we should do an important thing which is reciting it daily, and by this the severity of our hearts will be eliminated. And Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his household) expressed this by saying:

“These hearts corrodes as the iron corrodes; then he was asked: O Prophet, what polishes it? He answered: Reciting the Holy Quran.”

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The Favor of Reciting the Holy Quran in the Stories

Good and Light:

Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)  said: “Let you houses be lightened through reciting the Quran… in which as the recitation of the Holy Quran increases in the house, as the good increases in side it“.

Combating the Devil:

Prophet Mohammad said: “Nothing is stranger with respect to the Devil other than reciting the Holy Quran“.

The People’s Option:

it was related to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) : “The best ones are those who learned the Holy Quran and taught it for others“.

A Gate for Blessing and a Place for the Angels:

Imam Ali (A.S.) said: “The blessings will be augmented in the house whose owners recite the Holy Quran, and the angels presents in it, while the devils desert from it, and let the people be happy and lighten for the people of the heaven as the stars lighten the people of all the earth“.

Eventually, all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

Ramadan, The spring of Qur’an

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The month of Ramadhan is aptly termed the spring time of Qur’an. The Holy Book, the Almighty’s final and most comprehensive revelation to mankind was sent down to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in this blessed month.
In this month the souls are more refined, more inclined towards the Creator, and more receptive towards the bounties in Allah’s Book of wisdom, guidance and righteousness. Hence reciting the Qur’an and contemplating on its eternal verses is emphasized more in this blessed month than at any other time of the year.
The Prophet says:

“ … Invoke your Lord in right earnest with hearts that are free of sin and evil, to enable you to fast and recite His Book (Qur’an)…” 1

“… Whoever recites an Aya (verse) from the Qur’an (in Ramadhan) will receive a similar reward as the one who recites the whole Qur’an in other months.” 2

“He who makes lawful what is forbidden in the Qur’an has no faith in it.” 3

The fifth Imam of the prophet’s infallible progeny Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s) says:

“Everything has springtime and the springtime of the Qur’an is the Month of Ramadhan.”

Reports suggest Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s) used to recite the whole Qur’an ten times during Ramadhan.
The Eighth Imam, Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha (a.s) advised one of his companions as follows:

“Invoke Allah, ask for forgiveness, recite the Qur’an and repent to Allah for your sins more frequently, so that the blessings of the month of Ramadhan may come to you, while you are sincere to Allah, the Exalted.” 4

The prophet himself took the lead in this regard. He and his infallible progeny recited the Book of Allah more than anyone else in Ramadhan. They taught Muslims how to contemplate on its eternal wisdom, apply its instructions in day-to-day affairs and enlighten people with its storehouse of knowledge.
What a wonderful trail they blazed, whose radiance enables us to tread the right path. We should seize upon this opportunity and Endeavour to make the Holy Qur’an bloom it’s brightest in blessed Ramadhan. We should try to comprehend its eternal verses, and make others understand in turn. Although, reward is there for sincere efforts, reciting by rote without trying to understand the meaning of the glorious verses avails no benefit, and likewise mere understanding without practical application is also a futile exercise.
Hence, dear readers, let us promise this Ramadhan to educate and enlighten ourselves with the eternal light of the Qur’an, our one and only constitution. The gems in the Holy Book’s fathomless treasuries are waiting to be discovered, bequeathed by the Prophet and his Ahl-ul-Bait is an ocean of knowledge dealing with every topic under the sun, but unfortunately we have turned our backs, lured by the deceptive glamour of the Western Culture.
The Qur’an opens to us new vistas of thought and heights never attained before. But look what the western culture has done, degrading human honor, exploiting carnal desires and wasting away both our body and soul. Remember the Prophet’s words:

“… After death there will be no blaming, and after this world there is nothing except Paradise and Hell.” 5

If today some apostate pours poison on human values in the enticing guise of literature, are we not to blame? True we have the Qur’an, and we sincerely defend it, even by sacrificing our lives. But have we really done any concrete thing to enlighten others around of Islam’s truth.
So dear readers, let us start, better late than never. The recent satanic slander against values we hold dear should be enough to awaken our conscience, but the condition is sincerity of intention stemming from a pure and god-fearing heart.

Source: Fasting a Divine Banquet
Published by Al-Balagh Foundation

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  1. Prophet sermons, Uyun Al Akhbar ar-Ridha
  2. Prophet sermons, Uyun Al Akhbar ar-Ridha
  3. Al Harrani – Tuhaf Al-Uqul
  4. Wasail Ash’Shia – Al Hur Al Amuli
  5. Tarikh Al Yaqubi, Vol 2, Pg 89 – By Dar Sadir, Beirut

Why do some Quranic verses abrogate the others?

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Before thinking about abrogated verses we need to understand the nature of how the Qur’an was revealed.  It was not something that came down overnight as a complete revelation.  The verses were revealed to Muhammad {SAW} over a period of 20 something years.  Islam wasn’t just an ideology change but a complete lifestyle change.  People even today are generally reluctant to accept change, they don’t make many alterations to their lifestyles unless forced to and even then have a hard time changing without a continued awareness and desire to keep that change.  Think about how hard it is for example in our modern world for people to change their diets.  If you are eating unhealthy foods regularly you’re unlikely to change that until your health deteriorates and diet change becomes necessary to keep living.  People who do recognize dietary problems and desire a change in their diet generally are more successful by making small changes over a period of time.  Being that Allah is our creator and has perfect knowledge he knows this human weakness and how best to bring about that gradual change in the people.

This was why for example Muslims started off being allowed to drink alcohol (because that was common among the people).  Then they were told drinking has more sin than benefit, then not to drink when they come to pray, then don’t drink at all.  This gradual prohibition allowed people time to adjust their habits.  If you were a heavy drinker the first message to a believer may encourage them to slow their drinking to avoid the sins in it.  Then when the second message of don’t drink when you are going to pray might have them give up drinking at certain times and help them further themselves form this behavior.  Then the outright prohibition of it would be something they are already on the path for and more capable of accepting and implementing.  It is difficult for people to give up something like this cold turkey and we have to have self-motivated people in intensive rehab programs to reform alcoholics in the modern world.  This gradual modification to what was expected is then not as strange.

In addition to gradual change in our behaviors which get progressively more prohibitive there are also examples of things getting less difficult.  For those questioning the validity of the Qur’an at the time of Muhammad {SAW} and claiming his verses were forgeries or made up Allah asked them to produce something similar.  First he tells them to produce something similar.  Then he makes it easier and says produce just ten Surahs like it.  Then later he makes it even easier in his challenge and tells them bring just one surah like it.  So the challenge was made easier to the unbelievers and they still couldn’t accomplish it.

The Qur’an says Allah {SWT} will only not abrogate it without bringing something similar or better.  As we see from the progression of abrogation in the above examples it is a clear path of progressing towards the end goal.  Something is gradually changed to make this easier on the people who were following it at the time.  One can also take this to mean that the message in the Qur’an is here to abrogate verses from the Torah and Bible.  It does not mean that Allah wasn’t able to foresee these things but rather that his knowledge of his creation is so complete and perfect that he knew exactly the way and time in which these changes should be given to produce the desired effect in the community of believers.

Did Allah revealed The Holy Qu’ran in the “Night Of Glory”?

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The thing which can be treated to be the basis for the other view is the very statement of the Holy Qur’an, wherein it has been stated that the verses of the Qur’an were revealed in Ramadan. And as the day of the commencement of the prophetic mission is the day of the beginning of revelation of the Holy Qur’an it may be said that the Prophet was appointed to prophethood in the very month of Ramadan. The verses of the Holy Qur’an which indicate that it was revealed in Ramadan are as follows:

In the month of Ramadan the Qur’an was revealed.
(Surah al-Baqarah, 2:185 )

We swear by the Glorious Book that We revealed the Qur’an on a blessed night.
(Surah al-Dukhan, 44:2-3)

And that is the very night of Qadr (glory) which has been mentioned in Surah al-Qadr (verse 1) wherein it has been said:

“We revealed the Qur’an in the Night of Glory.”

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Reply By Shi’ah Scholars

The Shi’ah traditionalists and commentators have given various replies and explanations with regard to this argument; some of them are mentioned below:

[su_heading size=”19″]The First Reply[/su_heading]

The above-mentioned verses show that the Holy Qur’an was revealed in one blessed night of the Holy month of Ramadan, which is called the ‘Night of Glory’, but they do not mention the place of its revelation and do not also denote that they were revealed to the Prophet during the same night. It is quite possible that there may have been various revelations of the Qur’an and numerous Shi’ah and Sunni narrations confirm this possibility. One of those revelations is the gradual revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet and the other is its revelation in installments from the Lauhul Mehfuz  to Baytul Ma’mu’r. 

Hence there should be nothing wrong in a few verses of Surah al-Alaq being revealed to the Holy Prophet on the 27th of Rajab and the entire Qur’an, in one compact form, being revealed in the month of Ramadan from a place named by the Qur’an as ‘Lauhul Mehfuz’ to another place ‘Baytul Ma’mur.’ This view is confirmed by the very verse of Surah al-Dukhan which says:

“We swear by the glorious Book that We revealed the Qur’an on a blessed night.”

It is evident from this verse (on the strength of the pronoun which turns towards the word ‘Book’) that it was revealed in its entirety during the Glorious Night (falling in the month of Ramadan), and it is only proper that this revelation should be other than the revelation which took place at the time of the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission, because at that time only a few verses were revealed.

In short the verses which indicate that the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan during the ‘Night of Glory’ cannot be a proof of the fact that the day of the Holy Prophet’s appointment to the prophetic mission, on which only a few verses were revealed, also coincided in the same month, because the aforesaid verses show that the entire Book (the Qur’an) was revealed in that month, whereas, on the day of the Holy Prophet’s appointment to the prophetic mission only five or six verses were revealed.

Hence, the two schools, while explaining the meanings of the above-mentioned verses in their narrations, say that the entire Qur’an was sent down from the ‘Lahhul Mehfuz’ to ‘Baytul Ma’mur in that very month. The Shi’ah and Sunni scholars have quoted the said narrations and in particular Professor Muhammad Abdul Azim Zarqani of ‘Al-Azhar’ university has mentioned them in his book in detail.

[su_heading size=”23″]The Second Reply[/su_heading]

The most sound reply, which has so far been given by the scholars, is the second one. The learned scholar Tabatabai has explained it in detail in his precious book and a gist of it is given below:

The real and actual purpose of the Holy Qur’an saying that: We revealed it in the month of Ramadan is that it was revealed to the Holy Prophet during that month, because besides being revealed in parts the Holy Qur’an possesses a reality about which Almighty Allah informed His great Messenger in a particular night of the month of Ramadan.

As the Holy Prophet possessed knowledge of the entire Holy Book, he was directed not to make haste in divulging its contents and to wait till he received orders regarding its communication to the people gradually. The Holy Qur’an says: Do not make haste in narrating the contents of the Qur’an till you receive orders in this behalf through revelation.

This reply shows that the Holy Qur’an possesses a total existence which was revealed in its entirety at one time in the month of Ramadan and it also possesses a gradual existence which lasted from the day of the Holy Prophet’s appointment to the prophetic mission up to the end of his life.

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[su_heading size=”19″]The Third Reply[/su_heading]

As has been explained briefly regarding the different kinds of revelation, it has evidently various stages. The first stage is that of true visions and dreams. The second stage is that of oracular and heavenly voices which are heard without facing an angel. And the last stage is that when the Prophet sees an angel and hears the words of Allah from him and learns through him about the realities of other worlds.

As the human soul does not possess the requisite strength to bear the different stages of revelation in the very first instance, it is necessary that the capacity to bear them should develop gradually, it may be said that: on the day of his appointment to the prophetic mission (27th of Rajab) and for some time thereafter the Holy Prophet heard only those Heavenly voices which informed him that he was the Messenger and Prophet of Allah and no verse was revealed during that period. And some time later gradual revelation of the Qur’an began in the month of Ramadan.

By this we mean that the appointment of the Prophet to the prophetic mission in the month of Rajab is not attached to the revelation of the Qur’an in that month. In view of this there should be no discrepancy between the Qur’an being revealed in the month of Ramadan and the Prophet being appointed to the prophetic mission in the month of Rajab.

Although what has been stated above does not conform to numerous texts (because many historians have said explicitly that the verses of Surah al-Alaq were revealed on the very day of the appointment of the Holy Prophet to the prophetic mission), still we possess some narratives, which tell us that on the day of the Holy Prophet’s appointment to the prophetic mission he heard oracular voice, and which do not say anything about the revelation of the Holy Qur’an or its verses.

They explain the matter by saying that on that day the Holy Prophet saw an angel who said to him “O Muhammad! you are the Messenger of Allah “. And in some of the narrations only hearing of the voice by the Prophet has been mentioned and nothing has been said about his seeing the angel.

 

“Contemplation” or “Tafakkur” in Quran and hadith

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One of the important actions in Islam, that has came as an Ibadaa, is “Tafakkur” or contemplation.

The beauty of Islam is that it does NOT ONLY consist of Instructions but also invites its followers to contemplate, to reflect and to think.

Contemplation is the source of Islamic spirituality – contemplative spirituality – which is received through a thinking process rather than the cessation of intellectual activity. In fact, the process of contemplation or tafakkur and tadabbur as mentioned in the Quran, is the beginning of all sorts of spiritual activity.

The question that arises here is: What should we contemplate and think about?
Firstly, to contemplate about the creations of Allah (SWT).

“How many a sign there is in the heavens and the earth that they pass by while they are disregardful of it”
(12:105)

Contemplating on the creations of Allah (SWT) has many advantages. One of the most important things is that that it leads us to recognize our Creator. If we recognize Him, we will obey Him;
And if we obey Him, we will achieve success in this world and in the Hereafter.
Miqdad was one of the close friends of Imam ‘Ali (as). Once he heard a companion of the Holy Prophet (saww) saying that the Holy Prophet (saww) has said: “Contemplating for an hour is better than the worship of one year”.’ He then heard another companion saying that the Holy Prophet (saww) has said, “Contemplating for an hour is better than seven years of worship”. He then again heard from the third companion saying that the Holy Prophet (saww) said, “Contemplating for an hour is better than seventy years of worship”. Not knowing which Hadeeth was true, Miqdad came to the Holy Prophet (saww) and informed him of the three different versions of his Hadeeth that was being quoted by his companions.
The Holy Prophet (saww) informed him that all the three are correct. In order to prove his point, the Holy Prophet (saww) summoned all the three men.
He (saww) asked the first, “How do you contemplate?” He said, “Allah says in Quran: “Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alteration of night and day, there are signs for those who have intellects”. (3:191) I too, ponder over the wonders of the heavens and the earth”. The Holy Prophet (saww) told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of one year”.
Then he (saww) asked the second man as to how he contemplated. The man said, “I reflect upon death and the horror of Qiyamah”. The Holy Prophet (saww) told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of seven years”.
He (saww) then asked the third man about his contemplation. The man said, “I reflect upon the fire of hell and its dreadfulness and severity”. The Holy Prophet (saww) told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of seventy years”.1
Imam Ja’ffar as-Sadiq (as) has said, “Extensiveness in prayers and fasting is not the worship, rather extensiveness in contemplation is true worship”.2
He (as) has also said, “The mother of Abu Dhar (ra) was asked about the worship of Abu Dhar. She said, “He would isolate himself from the people and spend his day in ‘Tafakkur’ contemplation”.3

Secondly, to contemplate about the outcome before every action.
It is very important that before we say or do anything in this life, we must contemplate and think about their results.

A companion of the Holy Prophet (saww) once complained to him, ‘I always tend to suffer losses in my transactions. People cheat and deceive me. What should I do?’ The Holy Prophet (saww) told him, “In every transaction in which you fear to be deceived, demand from the person who you are doing business the right to annul the transaction within 3 days. This way, should you see yourself at the loosing end you can get your money back”. Then the Prophet (saww) said, “Know that contemplation and patience are from Allah; whereas hastiness is from Shaytan. Learn your lesson from a dog! When you throw a piece of bread to a dog, it does not immediately start eating it. It first sniffs it and then if it finds it suitable, it begins eating it. Similarly, you must also sniff every matter that comes to you (by weighing its pros and cons, and do not embark upon it without preliminaries). With your intellect and wisdom, you are better than a dog; thus contemplate and reflect before every matter”.4

Many people think that ‘Freedom of Individuals’ means you are free to say anything anywhere and do whatever you feel like. Islam says:
No! Before you say or do anything, think carefully about its repercussions on yourself; on those you influence and others around you. How is it going to affect them? And don’t only see its repercussions in this world; also see them in the Hereafter.

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1. Tafseer Rooh al-Bayaan
2. Al-Kaafi
3. Bihar al-Anwaar
4. Riwayat-Ha WA Hikayat-Ha

The Revelations of the Quran

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According to Allah’s statements in His Book, there were two distinct revelations of the Quran which took place. It is important that these two revelations be understood in order to clear up the apparent contradictions in the various terms used in the Quran and Sunnah to describe the Quran’s revelation. On one hand, the Quran is referred to as having been revealed in its totality in Ramadan or on Laylatul-Qadr, the Night of Decree; while on the other hand, it is referred to as having been continuously revealed in segments up until just before the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

The First Revelation
Allah caused the Quran to descend from the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuth) on which it was written to the lowest heaven. In this revelation all of the Quran was sent down at one time to a station in the lowest heaven referred to as “Bayt al-‘Izzah” (The House of Honor or Power). The blessed night on which this descent took place is called “Laylatul-Qadr” (The Night of Decree), one of the odd-numbered nights in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. Allah referred to this initial revelation as follows:

“Haa Meem. By the Clear Book, verily, I revealed it in a blessed night.”
[Noble Quran 44:1-3]

“Verily, I revealed it on the Night of Decree.”
[Noble Quran 97:1] 

“The month of Ramadan in which I revealed the Quran as guidance to mankind …”
[Noble Quran 2:185]

These verses have to refer to the initial revelation because it is a known fact that the whole Quran was not revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on a single night in Ramadan. Ibn ‘Abbas stated that the Quran was first separated from its station in the upper heavens and placed in Bayt al-‘Izzah in the lowest heaven. One version states that this took place on the Night of Decree in Ramadan. Had it been Allah’s wish, the Quran could then have been revealed as a whole to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a single revelation.

This was the method by which all of the earlier books of revelation were sent down. But, Allah chose to divide the revelation into two parts. The first revelation within the heavens represented an announcement to the inhabitants of the heavens that the final book of revelation was being sent down upon the last of the prophets.

From the lowest heaven sections of the Quran were then taken down by the angel Jibril to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This process of revelation continued over the twenty-three years of his prophethood. This revelation began with the first five verses of Surah al-‘Alaq. These verses were revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was on a spiritual retreat in the cave of Hira’ near Makkah. However, the first complete Surah to be revealed was Surah al-Fatihah. The revelation of this portion of Quran marked the beginning of the final phase of prophethood. The last Surah to be revealed was Surah an-Nasr. This Surah was brought down in Mina during the Farewell Hajj of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which took place at the end of the tenth year after the Hijrah. According to Ibn ‘Abbas, the last verse to be revealed was verse 281 in Surah al-Baqarah, the last of a series of verses dealing with interest. Allah has referred to the second revelation in the following way:

“And (it is) a Quran which I have divided into parts in order that you (Muhammad) may recite it to the people gradually, and I have revealed it by successive revelation.”
[Noble Quran 17:106]

By:
Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

Why reciting Quran is so important?

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    The Holy Quran swears to those who recite the holy book, as mentioned in Ayah 3 of Surah Al-Saffat: “Swear to those who recite the divine revelations”; this shows the importance of recitation of the book of Allah (SWT). 

 It is said in the Ayah 79 of Surah Al-Waqi’a that “No one touches it [The Quran] except the pure ones” in othe words: You should performe ablution(Wudhu) befor Reciting The Holy Quran. it has also another meaning: that the real knowledge of Quran cannot be achieved by those who possess impure soul.
There are many people who recite Quran but there are some who are cursed by it 1.

There is a narration which said: The one who says I believe in Quran whilst making Haram into Halal and lies 2.

 Ayah 204 of Surah Al-A’araaf says: “When the Quran is recited, listen to it and be silent”; and Imam Sajjad (AS) said:
[su_quote]Every Ayah of the Quran is a treasure and if you think about each Ayah, you will learn new knowledge.[/su_quote]

 To recite one Ayah of the Quran in the month of Ramadan is like reciting the whole Quran in other months.
Even those who cannot read Quran, by just looking at Ayahs and listening to recitations will be rewarded 3. Imam Ali (AS) said:
[su_quote]Lighten your houses with recitation of the Quran and recite it in a way that is pleasant to the heart 4. [/su_quote]

[divider]
[1] Mostadrakul Wasael, Vol. 4, Page 250.
[2] Kanzul Fawaed, Page 97.
[3] Fazaelul Ashharul Thalathah, Page 97.
[4] Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, Page 614.
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Explained by: Hojjatul Islam Qara’ati
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Ref: www.shafaqna.com

Fifteen phrases About the Qur’an In the holy Qur’an

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reading quranThe Qur’an says:

“O thou wrapped up in thy raiment! Keep vigil the night long, save a little — half of it, or a little less, or a little more, and recite the Qur’an in slow, measured tones. Soon shall we send down to thee a weighty Message. Truly, the vigil of the night is when impression is more keen and speech more certain.” (73:1-6)

“And most certainly you are made to receive the Qur’an from the presence of One Who is the Wise and the Knowing.” (27:6)

“But when Our Clear Signs are communicated unto them, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, say: `Bring us a Qur’an other than this, or change it.’ Say: `It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it. I follow naught but what is revealed unto me. If I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the Penalty of a Mighty Day.'”   (10:15)

“Verily, He Who ordained the Qur’an for thee, will bring thee back to the Place of Return. Say: `My Lord Knows best who it is that brings true guidance and who is in manifest error.'”   (28:85)

“When thou dost recite the Qur’an, We place between thee and those who do not believe in the Hereafter, a hidden barrier. And We put coverings on their hearts (and minds) and a heaviness in their ears lest they understand it. And when thou commemorate thy Lord – Him Alone – in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.”   (27:45-6)

“And those who disbelieve say: `Do not listen to this Qur’an and make noise therein, that you may gain the upper hand.'”   (41:26)

“We narrate unto thee the most beautiful of stories by Our revealing to thee this Qur’an. Before this, thou too were certainly among those who did not know.”   (12:3)

“We have explained in detail in this Qur’an, for the benefit of humankind, every kind of similitude. But humankind is, in most things, contentious.   (18:54)

“Certainly, this Qur’an doth explain to the Children of Israel most of that concerning which they differ.” (27:76)

“And those who disbelieve say: We believe not in this Qur’an nor in that which was before it; but oh, if thou couldst see, when the wrong-doers are brought up before their Lord,

how they cast the blame one to another; how those who were weak say unto those who were proud: But for you, we should have been believers.” (34:31)

“Those who were proud shall say unto those who were deemed weak: `did we turn you away from guidance after it reached you? Nay! You (yourselves) were guilty.'” (34:32)

“Those reckoned weak shall say to the aggressors: `Nay! It was a plot by night and by day when you told us to disbelieve in Allah and to set up equals to Him.’ They will declare repentance when they see the punishment. We shall put yokes on the necks of the unbelievers. It would only be a requital for their (ill) deeds.”   (34:33)

“Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur’an? Or are there locks on their hearts (and minds)?”   (47:24)

“Verily, this Qur’an doth guide to that which is most upright (or stable), and gives glad tidings to the believers who perform deeds of righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward.”   (17:9)

“And when the Qur’an is recited, then listen to it and remain silent, that you may receive mercy.” (7:204)

“That this is indeed a noble Qur’an, in a Book well-guarded, which none shall touch but those who are clean, a revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.” (56:77-80)

Why does Holy Quran persuade Muslims to kill infidels?

/in , /by

Quran

Question:
Why does Holy Quran persuade Muslims to kill infidels?

Answer:
Our religion does not allow killing any innocent person regardless of his or her religion. The life of all human beings is sacrosanct according to the teachings of the Qur’an and the guidance of our blessed Prophet Muhammad -peace -be upon him and upon all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah.
The Qur’an says about the prohibition of murder:

وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
“..Take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus does He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.” (al-An’am 6:151)

And Allah says in the Qur’an:

وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا فَلاَ يُسْرِفْ فِي الْقَتْلِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنصُورًا
“Nor take life – which Allah has made sacred – except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand Qisas or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life; for he is helped (by the law)” (al-Isra’ 17:33)

According to the Qur’an, killing any person without a just cause is as big a sin as killing the whole humanity and saving the life of one person is as good deed as saving the whole humanity. (See al-Ma’idah 5:32)
However, your question is valid then how come the Qur’an says:
“kill them wherever you find them…”as it is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah 2:191 and Surah al-Nisa’ 4:89. The answer is simple and that is you should read these verses in their textual and historical context. You should read the whole verse and it is better that you read few verses before and few after. Read the full text and see what is said:

وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ وَلاَ تَعْتَدُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنْ الْقَتْلِ وَلاَ تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِنْ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ فَإِنْ انتَهَوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ فَإِنْ انتَهَوْا فَلاَ عُدْوَانَ إِلاَّ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ الشَّهْرُ الْحَرَامُ بِالشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْحُرُمَاتُ قِصَاصٌ فَمَنْ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors. And kill them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, kill them. Such is the reward of those who reject faith. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.” (al-Baqarah 2:190-194)

For your second quotation also read the full text:

وَدُّوا لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُوا فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَاءً فَلاَ تَتَّخِذُوا مِنْهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ حَتَّى يُهَاجِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَخُذُوهُمْ وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَلاَ تَتَّخِذُوا مِنْهُمْ وَلِيًّا وَلاَ نَصِيرًا إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ إِلَى قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ أَوْ جَاءُوكُمْ حَصِرَتْ صُدُورُهُمْ أَنْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ أَوْ يُقَاتِلُوا قَوْمَهُمْ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَسَلَّطَهُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ فَلَقَاتَلُوكُمْ فَإِنْ اعْتَزَلُوكُمْ فَلَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ وَأَلْقَوْا إِلَيْكُمْ السَّلَمَ فَمَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ سَبِيلاً سَتَجِدُونَ آخَرِينَ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَأْمَنُوكُمْ وَيَأْمَنُوا قَوْمَهُمْ كُلَّ مَا رُدُّوا إِلَى الْفِتْنَةِ أُرْكِسُوا فِيهَا فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْتَزِلُوكُمْ وَيُلْقُوا إِلَيْكُمْ السَّلَمَ وَيَكُفُّوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَخُذُوهُمْ وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأُوْلَئِكُمْ جَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا
“They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): so take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (from what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks. Except those who join a group between whom and you there is a treaty (Of peace), or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. If Allah had pleased, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you: therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (guarantees of) peace, then Allah hath opened no way for you (to war against them). Others you will find that wish to gain your confidence as well as that of their people: every time they are sent back to temptation, they succumb thereto; if they withdraw not from you nor give you (guarantees) of peace besides restraining their hands, seize them and slay them wherever ye get them; in their case We have provided you with a clear argument against them.
(Al-Nisa’ 4:89-91)

Now tell me honestly, do these verses give a free permission to kill anyone anywhere? These verses were revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad at the time when Muslims were attacked by the non-Muslims of Mecca on a regular basis. They were frightening the Muslim community of Medina. One may say using the contemporary jargon that there were constant terrorist attacks on Medina and in this situation Muslims were given permission to fight back the “terrorist”. These verses do not give permission to “terrorism” but they are a warning against the “terrorists.” But even in these warnings you can see how much restraint and care is emphasized.

It is important that we study the religious texts in their proper context. When these texts are not read in their proper textual and historical contexts they are manipulated and distorted. It is true that some Muslims manipulate these verses for their own goals. But this is not only with Islamic texts, it is also true with the texts of other religions. I can quote dozens of verses from the Bible which seem very violent, if taken out from their historical context. These Biblical texts have been used by many violent Jewish and Christian groups. Crusaders used them against Muslims and Jews. Nazis used them against Jews. Recently Serbian Christians used them against Bosnian Muslims. Zionists are using them regularly against Palestinians.