Ramadan –The Month of the Qur’an
The best amongst you is he who learns
the Qur’an and teaches it –The Prophet.
Dr. Mozammel Haque
The Noble Qur’an was revealed in the
month of Ramadan (Al-Qur’an, 97:1-3.). The Qur’an was sent down in the
month of Ramadan on the Night of Power Lailatul Qadr. (Al-Qur’an,
91:1-3.). It is the month of Ramadan that Allah has honoured by revealing the
Qur’an. Because of this strong relation between the Qur’an and the month
of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to read the Qur’an to
Archangel Jibreel every Ramadan. I think this is the right place to discuss the
purpose and objective of the revelation of the Qur’an, its importance, the
campaigns against it and the do’s and don’ts of the Qur’an.
First of all, Allah the Most High,
created mankind and gave him the gift of expression. For the guidance of
mankind Allah sent Prophets (peace be upon them all) to every single community.
In the words of the Qur’an, "There has been no community to which God’s
messengers have not come" and "Muslims should make no distinctions
between them." So it is the duty of a Muslim to honour all the prophets
equally.
The Qur’an represents the culmination
of all other earlier Revealed Books. The Qur’an is the last of the Revealed
Books. The Qur’an is the first religious book in the world, which requires the
belief in other revelations, a part of its Faith. This Sacred Book was revealed
to the last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the month of
Ramadan. Allah Himself said in the Qur’an: “Ramadan is the (month) in which was
sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to Mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance
and judgment (between right and wrong).” (2:185). Allah the Most High has
especially mentioned the exact date and month of the revelation: “We have
indeed revealed This (Message) in the Night of Power.” (97:1) So the purpose of
the revelation of the Qur’an was for guidance of Mankind.
The Qur’an is emphatic in proclaiming
that Islam is the religion of Jesus, Moses, Abraham and the Prophets Jesus and
Moses were not Jews but Muslims. "Surely those who believe (in that which
is revealed to Muhammad Peace be upon him) and those who are Jews, and the
Christians, and the Sabaeans – whoever believes in Allah, and the Last Day and
does good, surely their reward is with their Lord, and there is no fear for
them nor shall they grieve." (2:62). "A Guidance for mankind and
clear proofs for the guidance and judgement (between right and wrong)."
This is the most important characteristic of the Qur’an, the Book that Allah
has revealed in the month of Ramadan. It is guidance for mankind. It is clear
proof, clear proof of guidance and of judgement.
Before the revelation of the Qur’an, it was preserved and guarded from corruption in the "Mother of the Book". Allah Subhanahu wa Taala said: "Nay this is a Glorious Qur’an (inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved" (85:21-22). When Allah wanted to give this Trust to someone, the Heavens, the Earth, and the Mountains, i.e. other creatures of Allah, besides man, refused to undertake this Trust or responsibility. They preferred to submit their will entirely to Allah’s Will, which is All-Wise and Perfect, and which would give them far more happiness than a faculty of choice, with their imperfect knowledge. Allah says in the Qur’an: "We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it: He was indeed unjust and foolish." (33-72).
So it is the human beings who took the
responsibility of the Trust without realising its importance. This Sacred Book
was revealed to the last Messenger Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the month of
Ramadan. The Qur’an is the revealed Book of Allah Subhanahu wa Taala which has been in existence for
more than fourteen hundred years and the Word of Allah is available in its original
form. There has not been an iota of change in this unique historic record. Its
originality and authenticity has been guaranteed by no other than Allah the
Almighty who challenges in the Qur’an itself.
Allah said, "This Qur’an is not such as can be produced by other than
Allah: on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelation) that went before
it, and a fuller explanation of the Book - wherein there is no doubt – from the
Lord of the Worlds." (10:37). In another verse of the Qur’an Allah
challenges, "Or do they say, "He forged it?" Say: "Bring
then a Surah like unto it; and call (to your aid) anyone who can, beside Allah
if it be you speak the truth!" (10:38). "Or they may say, "He
forged it." Say, "Bring you then ten Suras forged, like unto it, and
call (to your aid) whomsoever you can, other than Allah! – if you speak the
truth!" (11:13).
Allah said in the Qur’an,
"And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to
Our servant then produce a Sura like thereunto, and call your witness and
helpers (if there are any) besides Allah, if you are truthful." (2:23)
Allah places many verses before you. Can you produce one like it?
The world is challenged to produce a
Book like it and has not produced one. It is the only Revealed Book whose text
stands pure and uncorrupted today. Allah said, "Say: "if the whole of
mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an,
they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with
help and support." (17:88)
Since the revelation of the Qur’an, the
enemies of Islam have been trying to distort it. Firstly, they said, it is not
revelation, it is written by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Then they started
attacking its authenticity and originality. Recently, attempts have been made
to humiliate Muslims by burning copies of the Muslim Holy Book, The Qur’an.
Pastor Jones and members
of his Dove Outreach Church in Gainesville, Florida, had intended to throw200
copies of the Islamic holy book on a bonfire on 11 September 2010, reported in
the Daily Mail on 11 September 2010. Jones burned a Qur’an on
the grounds of his church in Florida in March last year, 2011. On 24 April
2012, Al-Arabiya News reported that US Pastor Terry Jones, a
self-professed scourge of Islam, has threatened to ‘burn Qur’ans and images of
Prophet Mohammad’if a Christian religious leader in Iran is not released from
jail. The Guardian London reported on 23 February 2012 the burning of copies of
the Qur’an by American soldiers in Afghanistan on Monday, the 20th of
February, 2012. In spite of their conspiracy, the Qur’an has been preserved in
its original form.
Not only that, it
is recently reported that the Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript contains
parts of suras 18-20 of the Qur’an. The Qur’an manuscript held
by the University of Birmingham has been placed among the oldest in the world.
. It is said that the result of radiocarbon dating of the parchment on which
the text is written places the manuscript in the period between 568 and 645
with 95.4% probability. The testing was commissioned from the University
of Oxford and carried out in 2014. This result suggests that
the manuscript dates back to the first century of Islam, close to the
lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) [About
570-632] and the rule of the first three Caliphs.
The Qur’an is the
only Book in the world which has remained more than fourteen centuries pure
without any interpolation or change and will remain so till the Last Day as
Allah has guaranteed its purity. (15:9).
The purity, preservation and
propagation of the Qur’an were maintained by two methods: memorization of
Qur’an in Qur’anic schools and the recitation of the complete Qur’an in
Ramadan. In the month of Ramadan every year the Noble Prophet (peace be upon
him) was asked by Archangel Jibreel to recite the whole of it twice. It was a
Muzakira between the two. Abu Huraira reported that Jibreel used to repeat the
recitation of the Qur’an with the Prophet once a year, but he repeated it twice
with him in the year the Prophet (peace be upon him) died. The Qur’an was
recited in the Taraweeh for the first time during the era of
Caliph Omar.
So far as the memorization of the
Qur’an in Qur’anic schools is concerned, many Huffaz and
Islamic scholars have been killed in different parts of the world at different
times. But still there is no dearth of Islamic scholars who can recite the
complete Qur’an from memory. Severe campaigns have been launched against the
Qur’anic schools, which teach the study, recitation and memorization of the
Qur’an. The Qur’an is the main Book of the Muslims; it is the duty of the
Muslims to learn Qur’an, which contains their code of life and ethical values
whose benefits have been experienced by mankind throughout the ages.
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I have already mentioned the objective and importance of the Qur’an and
how its originality and purity have been maintained. Our Prophet (pbuh) and his
Companions dedicated their days and nights for worship. Their lives revolved
completely around the Book of Allah, the Qur’an, reciting it in and out
of Salah.
A great Islamic
scholar wrote in his book entitled Toward Understanding of the Qur’an:
“The present arrangement of the Qur'an is not the work of later generations,
but was made by the Prophet under God's direction. Whenever a surah was
revealed, the Prophet summoned his scribes, to whom he carefully dictated its
contents, and instructed them where to place it in relation to the other surahs. The
Prophet followed the same order of surahs and verses when
reciting during ritual Prayer as on other occasions, and his Companions
followed the same practice in memorizing the Qur'an. It is therefore a
historical fact that the collection of the Qur'an came to an end on the very
day that its revelation ceased. The One who was responsible for its revelation
was also the One who fixed its arrangement. The one whose heart was the receptacle
of the Qur'an was also responsible for arranging its sequence. This was far
too important and too delicate a matter for anyone else to dare to become
involved in.”
“Not even the most
skeptical person has any reason to doubt that the Qur'an as we know it today is
identical with the Qur'an which Muhammad (peace be on him) set before the
world; this is an unquestionable, objective, historical fact, and there is
nothing in human history on which the evidence is so overwhelmingly strong and
conclusive. To doubt the authenticity of the Qur'an is like doubting the
existence of the Roman Empire, the Mughals of India, or Napoleon! To doubt
historical facts like these is a sign of stark ignorance, not a mark of
erudition and scholarships,” he added.
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