156- Al-Qur’an al-Karim-----A Book of Guidance (Series: Inviting Reflections).

About the Holy Qur’an, Allah Himself claims:

."إِنَّ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ"

(Surely this Qur’an does guide to that which is most right and stable). Surah: 17, Verse: 9.

Hakim in his celeberated book: Al-Mustadrak has reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in order to make the Companions R.A. understand, demonstrated this verse in a beautiful way. With a wooden stick he, peace be upon him, drew a straight line on the floor and two crooked lines on the left and right of it, then pointed to the straight one and said: “This is our straight path”. The Holy Qur’an, in an explicit and clear way, has demarcated the ‘Duties and Rights’ of everybody so that an individual and society may not exploit each other.

The Holy Book is the primary source for legislation, social values and culture in an Islamic society. It is because of this pivotal position of the Qur’an in the Islamic culture that the enemies of Islam have always subjected it to their severe criticism. An Australian-American Orientalist Arthur Jeffery, in 1946, while delivering a lecture in Jerusalem stated: “It is sometimes said that Christianity can exist without New Testaments but Islam certainly cannot exist without the Qur’an”. (Arthur Jeffery, The Qur’an as Scripture, New York, 1952, p.1.)    

How can we derive hidayah (guidance) from the Qur’an? The Holy Qur’an has explained it in a clear way that it is a source of guidance for those who are in search of it and have leanings to absorb it. Please see: Surah: 2, Verses: 2-4; and Surah 3, Verse: 191. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has explained the capacity of the human beings to benefit from the revealed knowledge using an analogy of the rain water and the earth. He, peace be upon him, is reported to have said:

عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : " مَثَلُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْعِلْمِ، كَمَثَلِ الْغَيْثِ الْكَثِيرِ أَصَابَ أَرْضًا، فَكَانَ مِنْهَا نَقِيَّةٌ قَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ، فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلَأَ وَالْعُشْبَ الْكَثِيرَ، وَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا أَجَادِبُ أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ، فَنَفَعَ اللَّهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ فَشَرِبُوا، وَسَقَوْا، وَزَرَعُوا، وَأَصَابَتْ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةً أُخْرَى، إِنَّمَا هِيَ قِيعَانٌ لَا تُمْسِكُ مَاءً، وَلَا تُنْبِتُ كَلَأً، فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ، وَنَفَعَهُ مَا بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ، فَعَلِمَ وَعَلَّمَ، وَمَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذَلِكَ رَأْسًا، وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ

Please see: Sahih Muslim, Hadith # 2282, and Musnad Ahmad, Hadith # 19573.

(On the authority of Abu Musa Al-‘Ash’ari RA, it is narrated that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth. Some of the parts of land had fertile soil and those parts absorbed the rain water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. [And] another portion of the land was hard and held the rain water and Allah benefited the people with it. The people utilized that water for drinking, making their animals drink from it and for irrigation of their land and for cultivation. [And] a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation [and that land gave no benefit]. The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's message and gets benefit for himself and teaches the others that Allah has revealed through me. The last example is that of a person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's guidance revealed through me [He is like that barren land]". The human beings are different in having capacity to accept the guidance as different parts of the earth have not the same capacity to benefit from the rain water).

‘Allama Muhammad Iqbal has further elaborated it in his 1st Lecture: Knowledge and Religious Experience in his book: The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, that: “Religion is not a departmental affair; it is neither mere thought, nor mere feeling, nor mere action; it is an expression of the whole man”.(p. 2). ‘Allama Iqbal further makes a distinction between a prophetic experience and the way of a mystic by mentioning a great Sufi (mystic) of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan times: ‘Abdul Quddus Gangohi, who commented about Mi’raj (the Prophet’s Flight to Heavens): “Muhammad, peace be upon him, of Arabia ascended the highest Heaven and returned. I swear by God that if I had reached that point, I should never have returned”. Iqbal says: “[This] single sentence [of a great Sufi], discloses such an acute perception of the psychological difference between the prophetic and the mystic types of consciousness. The mystic does not wish to return from the repose of “unitary experience”; and even when he does return, as he must, his return does not mean much for mankind at large. The prophet’s return is creative. He returns to insert himself into the sweep of time with a view to control the forces of history, and thereby to create a fresh world of ideals, [whereas] for the mystic the repose of “unitary experience” is something final”.(Iqbal: Reconstruction, p. 124.) The Prophet, when comes to masses, presents himself as a model to follow. The Prophet practices what he preaches presenting himself as a role-model. He, when confronted with the enemies, proclaims: "لَبِثْتُ فِيْكُمْ عُمْراً" (I have spent a part of my life among you); Surah: 10, Verse: 16; and, you have witnessed that I am righteous and on the straight path. 

The religion of Islam encompasses all dimensions of human life, may it pertain to individual or social life; therefore, Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught his followers that:

."لَا يَأتِى اَلْخَيْرُ إلّا بِالخَيْرٍ"

(Good never brings forth but Good) which means that Good and lawful means bring good [results] only, implying that ends never justify means. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith # 6427.

Dear readers! The Holy Qur’an is the text and the conduct of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is its practical manifestation ---which is preserved in the form of hadith. The Eternal Word of Allah (al-Qur’an al-Karim) enlightens and guides towards the straight and right path.

The Hohy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have ordained the believers: "لا تنقضي عجائب القراّن و لا يخلق عن كثرة الردّ فاتلوه" (The wonders of the Qur’an will never come to an end; and, it (al-Qur’an al-Karim) will never cause boredom for its readers; therefore, read it). Al-Tirmidhi: Chapter Fadl al-Qur’an, P. 143.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has further said:

."إنَ القُرآنَ يَدُلَكُمْ عَلَى دَائِكُمْ وَ دَوَائِكُمْ"

“It is the Qur’an which points out your ailments [of the human beings] and suggests the remedies [for the benefit of humanity]”. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith # 6643.