The Holy Quran-Guidance for Mankind

Al-Quran is a book that is the word of Allah (God) and there is no doubt about its divinity as the claim is made by no one but Allah Himself. This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)). Allah says: And this Qur’an is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah (Lord of the heavens and the earth), but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it [i.e. the Taurat (Torah), and the Injeel (Gospel)], and a full explanation of the book (i.e. laws, decreed for mankind) – wherein there is no doubt – from the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists). Quran (Surah Younus, Verse 37) Quran is considered as the book of Truth, since time immemorial people have been arguing about “truth” and the criteria to determine the “truth”. Allah makes it clear in the Quran about “ultimate truth.” No book on entity has made such a universal claim with such an authority. The Quran is the Book of Allah with a message of truth for all of mankind: “Verily, We have sent down to you (O Muhammad (S)) the Book (this Quran) for mankind in truth. So whosoever accepts the guidance, it is only for his own self, and whosoever goes astray, he goes astray only for his (own) loss. And you (O Muhammad (S)) are not a Wakeel (trustee or disposer of affairs, or keeper) over them.” Quran (Surah Al-Zumar, Verse 41) Allah also says: These are the Verses of the Book (the Quran), and that which has been revealed unto you (Muhammad (S)) from your Lord is the truth, but most men believe not. Quran is the book of guidance for a Muslims life. To begin with, there are many verses in Quran itself that underscore the majesty of Allah’s verses and the Quran itself. See the following: Quran – Surah Al-Israa Verse 88 Say: ‘If the mankind and the jinn were together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another’” [Quran Al-Israa’ 17:88] Allah says in another verse: Quran – Surah Al-Hashr – Verse 21 Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind that they may reflect. [Quran Al-Hashr 59:21] “This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon [the pious] [Quran Al-Baqarah 2:2] We all know from the Quran and the Ahadeeth about the countless rewards and benefits of praying and reciting Quran during the nightly prayers (last one third of the night) As is stated in the hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with them both), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites ten aayaat (verses) in qiyaam will not be recorded as one of the forgetful. Whoever recites a hundred aayaat (verses) in qiyaam will be recorded as one of the devout, and whoever prays a thousand aayaat (verses) in qiyaam will be recorded as one of the muqantareen (those who pile up good deeds).” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ibn Hibbaan. It is a hasan report. Saheeh al-Targheeb, 635).” In a hadeeth, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, relates that the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have TWICE that reward.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] This hadith proves that people who are not well versed in the Arabic languge or have other difficulties in reciting the Quran, get even a higher reward for reciting the Quran in Arabic for their extra effort.
“O Mankind! Worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, happily ye may guard (yourselves from evil)” (Sura Baqarah, Verse 21)
The Prophet said: “The Qur’an is an intercessor, something given permission to intercede, and it is rightfully believed in. Whoever puts it in front of him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever puts it behind him, it will steer him to the Hellfire.” [An authentic hadith found in At-Tabaraanee, on the authority of ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood]”The following are authentic Ahadeeth regarding the benefits of certain Soorahs. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: There is a soorah of the Quran containing thirty verses which have interceded for a man until he was forgiven. It is the soorah Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi’l-mulk. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2891; Ahmad, 7634; Abu Dawood, 1400; Ibn Maajah, 3786. This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi and by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 3/6. Regarding the healing power of The Surah al Fatiha. It is important that a muslimshould remain cautious about fabricated Ahadeeths narrating the benefits of some Quran Soorahs. It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “A group of the companions of Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set out on a journey and traveled until they stopped in (the land of) one of the Arab tribes. They asked them for hospitality but they refused to welcome them. The chief of that tribe was stung by a scorpion and they tried everything but nothing helped them. Some of them said, ‘Why don’t you go to those people who are camped (near us), maybe you will find something with them.’ So they went to them and said, ‘O people, our chief has been stung by a scorpion and we have tried everything but nothing helped him. Can any of you do anything?’ One of them said, ‘Yes, by Allah, I will recite ruqyah for him, but by Allah we asked you for hospitality and you did not welcome us, so I will not recite ruqyah for you until you give us something in return.’ Then they agreed upon a flock of sheep.’ Then he went and spat drily and recited over him Al-hamdu Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen [Soorat al-Faatihah]. (The chief) got up as if he was released from a chain and started walking, and there were no signs of sickness on him. They paid them what they agreed to pay. Some of them (i.e. the companions) then suggested to divide their earnings among themselves, but the one who performed the ruqyah said, ‘Do not divide them until we go to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and tell him what happened, then wait and see what he tells us to do.’ So they went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him what had happened. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked, ‘How did you know that it (al-Faatihah) is a ruqyah?’ Then he added, ‘You have done the right thing. Share out (the flock of sheep) and give me a share too.’ And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) smiled.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2156; Muslim, 2201 Although there are authentic Ahadeeth regarding the rewards and benefits of reciting certain Quranic Soorahs, unfortunately there are even more fabricated Ahadeeth that highlight the benefits of other Soorahs. Therefore, not all Ahadeeth highlighting the benefits of reciting all Soorahs are authentic, even though some of those Ahadeeth mention a chain of narrators. Many scholars have proven the weakness of the narration chain of those Ahadeeth. As quoted at islam-qa.com, “Many ahaadeeth were fabricated about the virtues of various soorahs of the Quran. Their fabricators’ intention was to encourage people to read Quran and devote themselves to that, and they claimed that they were doing good thereby. But their intentions were misguided because that is undoubtedly subject to the stern warning contained in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 10; Muslim, 4. It makes no difference whether the lie is intended for good or for evil.” A Musilm’s status is raised by the Quran – the more he recites, follows its commandments and makes Quran part of his or her life, the more Allah will elevate his or her status in this life and hereafter. Saheeh Muslim mentions a story where some men came to question Umar ibn Al-Khattaab during his khilaafah about the leadership of Makkah, they asked, “Who do you use to govern Makkah?” He said, “Ibn Abzaa.” They asked, “And who is Ibn Abzaa?” Umar replied, “A freed slave from those we freed.” They remarked, “You left a freed slave in charge of the people of the Valley (the noble tribes of the Quraysh)!?!?” So he answered them, “Verily he is a reader of the Book of Allah and is knowledgeable about the obligations of the Muslims. Haven’t you heard the statement of your Messenger: “Verily Allah raises some people by this Book and lowers others by it.” ‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: The best of you are the ones who learn the Qur’an and teach it to others” [Al-Bukhari] Narrated Aisha: The Prophet said, Such a person who recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.” (book #60, Hadith #459) Allah says in the Quran: Quran – Verse 82, Surah Al-Israa, And We send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism and act on it), and it increases the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) nothing but loss” [Quran Al-Isra’ 17:82] Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We and others have tried this on many occasions and we have seen that it works in ways that physical remedies do not. Indeed we now regard physical medicine as the doctors regard folk medicine. This is in accordance with the law of divine wisdom, not contrary to it, but the causes of healing are many and varied.
Quran is a blessing for mankind to be able to live peaceful lives on this earth and has guidance to help mankind prepare for the hereafter as well.
When the heart is in contact with the Lord of the Worlds, the Creator of the disease and the remedy, the Controller of nature Who directs it as He wills, he has other remedies apart from the remedies that are sought by the heart that is far away from Him and that turns away from Him. It is known that when a person’s spirits are high and his body is in good shape, they cooperate in warding off disease and suppressing it, so if a person is in high spirits and physical good shape, finds comfort in being close to his Creator, loving Him, enjoying remembrance of Him (dhikr), devoting all his strength and power for His sake and focusing on Him, seeking His help, putting his trust in Him, how can anyone deny that this is the greatest medicine or that this spiritual power gives him the means to ward off pain and defeat it completely? No one would deny this but the most ignorant of people, those who are furthest away from Allah and the most hard-hearted and unaware of human nature. It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:It is well known in the Shareeah regarding the use of Ruqyah for physical and spiritual healing. “Ruqyah” is an incantation or prayer for healing – usually from the Quran or Dua prescribed by Prophet (SAWS). Ruqyah is one of the greatest remedies that the believer should use regularly. The greatest of Ruqyah are Soorah al-Faatihah and al-Mi’wadhatayn ( the last two surahs of the Quran – Surah Al-Falaq and Surah Al-nas). There is nothing wrong with the Muslim reciting ruqyah for himself. That is permissible; indeed it is a good Sunnah, for the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited ruqyah for himself, and some of his companions recited ruqyah for themselves. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was ill, he would recite al-Mi’wadhatayn over himself and spit drily. When his pain grew intense, I recited over him and wiped him with his own hand, seeking its barakah (blessing).” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4728; Muslim, 2192 (al-Mi’wadhatayn are the last two surahs of the Quran – Surah Al-Falaq and Surah Al-nas) Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet said, The example of a believer who recites the Qur’an is that of a citron (a citrus fruit) which is good in taste and good in smell. And the believer who does not recite the quran is like a date which has a good taste but no smell. And the example of an impious person who recites the Qur’an is that of Ar-Rihana (an aromatic plant) which smells good but is bitter in taste. And the example of an impious person who does not recite the quran is that of a colocynth which is bitter in taste and has no smell.” (Book #93, Hadith # 649) Ibn al-Qayyim summed fifteen ways through which Allah may dispel worries and regret. In describing one of the ways, he mentioned. Letting one’s heart wander in the garden of the Quran, seeking consolation in it from every calamity, seeking healing in it from all diseases of the heart, so that it will bring comfort to his grief and healing for his worries and distress. In holy Quran, it is mentioned the beginning of the creation and also whatever is going to happen till the day of judgment. It contains all information about the heaven and the earth, paradise and hell, and the news of all that has happened and that is going to happen. To conclude, Quran is a blessing for mankind to be able to live peaceful lives on this earth and has guidance to help mankind prepare for the hereafter as well. Allah says: “… And We have sent down to you the Book (the Quran), as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Allah as Muslims).” Quran (Surah An-Nahl, Verse 89). May Allah guide us all towards the true path as mentioned in Holy Quran. (Ameen!)
(The authors write regularly on Islamic topics for “The Kashmir Horizon” exclusively. Views are his own)
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