Miraculous aspects of the Holy Qur’an

Miraculous aspects of the Holy Qur’an Miraculous aspects of the Holy Qur’an: The holy Qur’an is the Last, Final and Most Comprehensive Revealed Word of God Almighty for the guidance of humanity, and as such remains the eternal miracle with no person, group or book, matching its timeless wisdom and unparalleled eloquence – a facto admitted by even non Muslims Arabic literati.

Since the holy Quran is eternal and belongs to all eras, its miraculous aspects are also permanent. Thus, as mankind progresses and contemplates over its ayahs, new and hitherto undiscovered dimensions are found to cater to the changing and expanding needs of human societies. Imam Jafar Sadeq (AS) the 6th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) says: The holy Quran is a proof for the new generations as it was for the former generations. Thus, people in every age and generation find a new freshness in the ayahs of the holy Qur’an, and whoever ponders in its contents, every time he/she finds new points that are sorely absent in the books and sagas composed by humans. Undoubtedly Muslims pay a special attention to the holy Quran and this is the result of the unique characteristics and glory of this divine book, which is indeed the eternal miracle of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), for guidance of the human race in the transient life of the world and salvation in afterlife. In view of these facts, the previously revealed scriptures could be likened to primary school books since they were not intended for the whole humanity and were meant for a particular nation in a particular era. In other words, as human intellectual grew, the need was felt for a higher level of guidance, and thus with the advent of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in the full limelight of history, as the Last and Final Messenger to mankind, God entrusted him with the unrivalled heavenly scripture, the holy Qur’an, whose nature is universal and which is meant for all humanity till the end of the world. The holy Qur’an has been remarkably preserved till this day as it was revealed over a millennium and four centuries ago, without any addition or deletion to its contents, which have been committed to memory. Actually the most important characteristic of the holy Qur’an is its constructive role in reforming thoughts and behaviors. It is the book of guidance and its audience is the whole humanity. In ayah 31 of Surah Muddassir, God says: "And this is naught but a reminder to the mortals." The holy Qur’an provides remedies to the both psychological and physical ailments, if its letter and spirit are observed. It provides healing prescription for those suffering from ignorance, pride, jealousy and discord. Therefore, God considers the holy Quran as a mercy and healing. In ayah 82, Surah al-Isra’, the holy Quran says: "And We reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers." In the account of the creation of the first human pair, Adam and Eve, and subsequently the physical birth of their children, the holy Qur’an refers to certain psychological points including the feeling of humiliation and disrespect that lead to individual and social disorders. As is evident, with the multiplication of mankind and its spread over the globe, many of the wars and bloodshed that occurred, following the first human murder by Cain of his brother Abel, were because of jealously, covetousness and pride that overshadowed faith and sincerity, and thus led to human misery and loss of self dignity. The holy Qur’an was revealed to redress these wrongs and reminded the human being that he is the caliph or representative of God on earth, and should behave with dignity. In this way, the holy Qur’an harnesses the destructive emotions in mankind and grants meaning and direction to life. Ayah 57 of Surah Yunus refers to this fact, saying: "O mankind! There has come to you indeed an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the breasts." In fact, the holy Qur’an by analyzing the ailing aspects of human personality and showing the path of treatment embarks on strengthening the healthy dimensions by distinguishing the way of growth from deviation. Imam Ali (AS) the first Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) invites mankind to benefit from the egalitarian teachings of the holy Qur’an, saying: This book contains the treatment for the most acute pains including the pains of disbelief, discord and deviation. The Imam, who as the closest person to the Prophet was witness to the gradual revelation of its dynamic ayahs over a 23-period, also reminds saying that this book contains news of the future, treats diseases, and gives order to both individual and social life; so hold fast to the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an since it is an Eternal Light. Comparing the situation of the Arabs of the days of paganism to that of those brought up under the shadow of the holy Qur’an following the advent of Islam, he points out the remarkable influence of the holy Qur’an that led to such a complete transformation of the society. Thus, it is clear that it is the Qur’an and the practicable demonstration of its teachings in society by the Prophet and his Infallible Successors that removed from society the sordid practice of not just idol worship, but also slavery and superstitious beliefs by enlightening minds and souls. The result was the birth of the unique Islamic civilization and culture that mastered various branches of science and delivered humanity from ignorance and arrogance by infusing in them the true spirit of monotheism. No wonder, one of the characteristics of the holy Qur’an is its separation righteousness from falsity, and that is the reason God calls it the Forqan or the Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood. Since the world is the arena of conflict between the forces of light and darkness, every human being naturally needs, not just the his God-given intellect for proper guidance, but the Scripture revealed by the All-Merciful Creator, in order to distinguish right from wrong, and this is further proof of the holy Qur’an being the eternal miracle.

New and more exciting dimensions of the heavenly scripture In Surah “ar-Rahman”, God Almighty refers to some material and spiritual blessings and an interesting list of the wonders of creation, and then invites the audiences to ponder and admit the undeniable truth, for which none can escape. In this Surah, after every few ayahs, God repeatedly asks: “So which of your Lord’s bounties will you both deny? This Surah, while presenting the undeniable facts means to say that while in the life of created things there is "proportion and measure", and a lag of time or distance or circumstance; in God’s Command, the Design, the Word, the Execution, and the Consequences are but a single Act. The simile given is that of the twinkling of an eye, which is the shortest time that a simple man can think of: the cause which occasions the twinkling, the movement of the muscles connected with it, the closing of the eyelids, and their reopening, are all almost like a simultaneous act. By way of contrast take an illustration like that of a man writing a book. He must form the design in his mind; he must prepare himself by research, collection of knowledge, or of personal experience: he must use or acquire the art of writing; he must collect the material for writing, viz., paper, ink, pen, etc., and this will connect with a chain of manufacturing processes in which he is dependent upon other people’s work and experience; then his book may have to be printed or lithographed or bound, and sold, or taken to a library, or presented to a friend, which will bring into play numerous other chains of processes, and dependence upon other people’s work or skill. In the meantime, the lag of Time, Space, and Circumstance will occur at numerous stages. But in God’s Command, the word "kun" which means “be” includes everything, without the intervention, of or dependence upon any other being or thing whatever. And this is also another phase of the philosophy of Unity. This is indeed proof of the divine of the Eternal Miracle that the holy Qur’an is The point raised by the holy Qur’an is that nothing which mankind does is lost, whether good or evil. Everything gives rise to an inevitable chain of consequences, from which a release is only obtained by the intervention of God’s Grace acting on an act, a striving of the human will to repent and turn to God. As we reflect on the often-repeated ayah of Surah ar-Rahman that we recited, the question arises: How can God’s favours be counted? Look at the earth alone. Life and the conditions here are mutually balanced for God’s creatures. The vegetable world produces fruit of various kinds and corn or grain of various kinds for human food. The grain harvest yields with it fodder for animals in the shape of leaves and straw, as well as food for men in the shape of grain. The plants not only supply food but sweet-smelling herbs and flowers. Rayhan is the sweet basil, but is here used in the generic sense, for agreeable produce in the vegetable world, to match the useful produce already mentioned. Thus, here in this ayah, both the pronoun "your" and the verb "will ye deny" are in the Arabic in the Dual Number, which is indeed manifestation of Divine Unity. All creation is in pairs. Justice is the conciliation of two opposites to unity, the settlement of the unending feud between Right and Wrong. The things and concepts mentioned in this Surah are in pairs: man and outer nature; sun and moon; herbs and trees; heavens and earth; fruit and corn; human food and fodder for cattle; things nourishing and things sweet-smelling; and so on throughout the Surah. Then there is man and Jinn, for which there is no denial of the facts. What will ye still deny? That is, fail to acknowledge either in word or thought or in your conduct. If you misuse God’s gifts or ignore them that is equivalent to ingratitude or denial or refusal to profit by God’s infinite Grace. In ayahs 2 to 4 of Surah Aal-e Imran, God says: “Allah—there is no god except Him— is the Living One, the All-Sustainer. “He has sent down to you the Book with the truth confirming what was [revealed] before it, and He had sent down the Torah and the Evangel Before as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the “Furqan” (that is, the Criterion – the holy Qur’an). Indeed those who defy the signs of Allah, there is a severe punishment for them; and Allah is All-Mighty, Avenger.” As we said in one of our earlier episodes of this series, among the differences of the holy Qur’an and previously revealed scriptures, is that the message of the Qur’an is universal, while that of the earlier heavenly books was time-bound and specific to a particular nation and place, although there is complete harmony in the basic theme, that is, monotheism. Everything belongs to God, the Almighty Creator, Who has no partner or associate, and He alone is worthy of worship. There is purpose behind creation, and hence after a long line of divine messengers whose missions were limited, God sent Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) with the universal message of Islam for all humanity, for all time. This is the reason that the holy Qur’an is also called “al-Furqan” or the Criterion, since no falsehood can approach this divine book, which is One and Only for all believers, unlike the various and contradictory versions of the Torah and the Evangel amongst the Jews and the Christians. The same is the case with the holy books of other creeds. This is proof the fact that Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all other Prophets gave tidings to their respective nations of the coming of the Last and Greatest Prophet with his universal message. The Qur’an goes on to remove doubts and distortions that have occurred in the other previously revealed books. For instance, the tampered version of the Torah holds Aaron, the brother of Prophet Moses, responsible for the cardinal sin of the Israelites in crafting a metal calf and worshipping it in the absence of Moses. The Qur’an, however, absolves the Immaculate Aaron of any such blemish and says clearly that the culprit was a Samaritan who committed such a cardinal crime. Likewise, the Qur’an says that Prophet Jesus neither claimed to be the son of God nor was he crucified. In fact, it is mere conjecture and the unpardonable act of polytheism by those who elevate the Virgin-born Messiah to the status of God, and then alleged that he was crucified, whereas Jesus is alive and was lifted to the heavens by the All-Wise God. The holy Qur’an has mentioned the Torah and the Evangel in several ayahs pointing to the evolutionary process of religions throughout history at the end of which Islam becomes fully manifest as the most perfect religion. According to the holy Qur’an, the true believers not only have faith in the holy Qur’an and the mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) but in the mission of all previous Prophets and the scriptures revealed to them. As ayah 285 of Surah Baqarah, says: “And the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His Prophets;” The holy Qur’an makes no difference among Prophets, beginning from Adam, the Father of mankind, to the Seal of all Divine Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), as is evident I ayah 136 of Surah Baqarah: “Say, ‘We have faith in Allah, and that which has been sent down to us, and that which was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus were given, and that which the prophets were given from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.” Unlike Torah and the Evangel, the addressees of which are the Israelites, the message of the Qur’an is universal, meant for all mankind, and thus eternal, as ayah 27 of Surah Takwir, says: “It is naught but a reminder for the nations.” In conclusion we should say that although the holy Qur’an confirms the previously revealed books, it considers them annulled since their contents are outdated and superseded by what God has revealed to Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). As God says in ayah 19 of Surah Aal-e Imran: “Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam” And in ayah 85 of the same Surah, the holy Qur’an reiterates that: “Should anyone follow a religion other than Islam, it shall never be accepted from him, and he will be among the losers in the Hereafter.”

http://shiastudies.com/en/2605/the-commencement-of-the-prophetic-mission/

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