THE GUIDANCE OF THE QUR'AN
A BRIEF ANALYSIS [Part I]
BISMILLAH HIR-RAHMAAN NIR-RAHEEM (In The Name of Allah. The Most Compassionate,
The Most Merciful).
The Qur'an is the last and final testament of Almighty Allah that was revealed
upon the last and final prophet of God, Muhammad (SAW). For centuries, people
have mistaken it to be solely addressing to the Arabs. That is not true. The
Qur'an was for the whole of humanity, for all times. Each and every one of its
teachings and laws are as validly applicable and qualified as they were back
then.
The first surah (interpreted as 'Chapter') of The Qur'an is Al-Fatiha (The
Opening). It is quite similar to the Lot's Prayer of the Bible, in the sense
that it is a practical supplication and du'a for success in this life and the
Hereafter.
After Al-Fatiha comes surah Al-Baqara (The Cow). It is the longest chapter of
The Qur'an (containing 286 verses). Firstly, The Qur'an calls upon the reader
and directly challenges him/her, that it is a Book wherein there is no doubt
(Al-Baqara : V.2). The Qur'an makes it clear that only those people who fear
Allah (God-conscious, virtuous people) will be the ones who will really benefit
from the Majesty of The Qur'an i.e. The Guidance of The Qur'an. The Arabic word
mentioned is 'muttaqeen'. One may ask, fine The Qur'an has set a condition, but
how does one become muttaqi (God-fearing)? The answer is simple: It is mentioned
in V.42 of Aal-e-Imran that "Obey Allah and His Messenger". To obey the
Messenger, one has to follow his sunnah (traditions, customs) and practically
implement the teachings of The Hadi'th on himself. Only thus will one actually
benefit from The Qur'an's guidance. Otherwise, everybody can read The Qur'an
just like that...
So in a sense, the prerequisite to be a muttaqi is a kind of password that one
uses to access the main program (hidayah) i.e. guidance. Simply reading The
Qur'an otherwise without guidance is simply to read the details of the program.
It is mentioned in The Qur'an, in V.76 of Surah Maryam:
And Allah does advance in guidance those who seek guidance: and the things, Good
Deeds, are best in the sight of Your Lord, as rewards, and best in respect of
(their) eventual return
The above mentioned verse makes it precisely clear, that one must also have the
intention of obtaining guidance... Divine Guidance. Please note: Good deeds are
good for their eventual return. This statement (result) points to 3 things:
Thawaab (Reward)
Karam (Forgiveness/Salvation)
Hidayah (Guidance)
That is, the above statement best in respect of (their) eventual return means
that a person will be blessed either by one of the 3 things, or maybe all three
at once!
Remember, one of the beautiful attributes of Allah is that he is Al-Hadi i.e.
the one who shows the Straight Path. One must offer tawba (sincere repentance)
both from the tongue and especially from the heart and pray to Allah (SWT) to
bless him/her with Divine Guidance. Insha'Allah once that is achieved, a whole
new world of meaning, logic, understanding, and purpose will be unfolded unto
the one who supplicated. And what will be the definitive result? Allah (SWT)
says in The Qur'an in V.55 of Surah Noor:
Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds,
that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He
granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their
religion - the one which He had chosen for them; and that He will change (their
state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace:
'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate anyone with Me'. If any do
reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked
Another very straight-forward verse has been stated, for which a layman need not
go to an Imam or scholar for interpretation. Allah assures the believer that if
he/she does acts of righteousness, he will transfer them from their state of
miseries to that of utter mercy. For a poor person, they can be wealthy as well
as receive Divine Guidance. Whereas in the case of already blessed wealthy
people, they will be granted with that which is unpurchasable... Divine
Guidance. The reward for the poor one might seem double, but in their respective
states, it all amounts to the same.
TO BE CONTINUED... (InshaAllah)