G. H. Moon
The present day religious scholars of West erred in their averment that the earliest most religious taught Polytheism and with the lapse of time its place was taken over by Monotheism. This was because of a flawed concept of development from one concept to another one, i.e, Monotheism as the last resting spot of revolutionary process. However, after in-depth research it dawned upon the Western philosophers that the basic teachings of all religions was Monotheism, i.e, unity in one God. Let me quote here the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1984): “There is no valid reason to assume that Monotheism is a later development in the history of religions than Polytheism. There exists no historical material to prove that one system of belief is older than the other, although many scholars hold that Monotheism is a higher form of religion and, therefore, must be a later development, assuming what is higher came later” (12/381). However, the fact of the matter is that Monotheism is the original form of religion and the Polytheism is the adulterated form thereof. The cardinal idea of Islam is a principle, not a personality, country or community. Islam literally means submission to God. To call it Mohammadanism or a Semitic religion is only to misunderstand its characteristic. In nut-shell, it is a universal religion of mankind. Therefore, all those Prophets who preceded the Seal of Prophets i.e. Hazrat Mohammad (S.A.W.) were the Prophets of Islam as their call was uniform i.e. to submit to Allah in worship and obedience and associate nothing with Him. Hazrat Muhammad Rasoolallah (S.A.W.) is the last stone in the edifice of Prophet Hood. Let us discuss the aspect of language in a broader way.
During Roman Empire the language— both spoken and written was Latin. However, there was no proof of unanimity in the matter of pronunciation. There was no mechanism in force then with a view to ensure uniformity of accent/ vocabulary, therefore, fissures in accent became wider with every passing age. Ultimately this gave birth to carving out of numberless languages from out of single/basic one. These languages were named as Occitan, Catalan, Sardinian, Rhaetian, Creoles. On the other hand such an eventuality was guarded against mainly because of the Koranic Arabic language as explained hereunder. Immediately after came down a Koranic Revelation through archangel – Gabreil upon our Beloved Prophet, It was rehearsed with the Archangel by the Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.) and without brooking delay it was rehearsed with companion well-versed in reading and writing and noted down on bones/hides etc. As paper was not explored till then. The revelation period extended to about twenty-three years or more.
“Monotheism is not a modern evolution from Polytheism, but the original state of human religion. While Western scholars previously viewed Monotheism as a “later development,” the text asserts that all true Prophets taught a singular message of submission to God (Islam), which has been frequently “adulterated” into Polytheism by man over time.”
As a measure of foolproof accuracy, the revealed text in the course of a year was once again rehearsed between the Archangel and Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). As to unanimity of accent/calligraphy bound/united the Muslim Ummah on a single accent/syllable i.e. Khat Kofi. Because of above narrated measures, the Arabic language said complete bye to the fragmentation as was met with by the Latin and Roman languages. It also needs to be elucidated here that though the influence of change in pronunciation is vogue in different regions of Arabia, it is a fact but insofar as reading and writing is concerned the entire Ummah is well-tied by Koranic language. Before advent of Islam the art of poetry was ruling the roost in the entire length of Arabian land thus barring the doors of prose. The poets used to participate in festivals inaugurated in every nook and corner of Arabia with a view to enthrall large gathering from far-off places but with the revelation of Al-Quran, there was sharp decline in such festivities.
The most renowned Arabic poet namely Lubeed said bye to composing poetry and when questioned for giving up his pet profession, he vehemently quipped that in the existence of Koranic verses loaded with mesmerizing influence such thus the composing of poetry was relegated to back-seat and closed for good. There is one more aspect worth mentioning before revelation of Al-Quran, two revelations namely Torah and Injil (Bible) were sent down by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. But due to handwork of mischievous men, their texts did not remain free from interpolation, thereby relegating them to mere codes full of contradictions. However, in contradistinction to the fate meted out to the said revelations, the message of Al-Quran abounds and pollinate with latest important scientific researches and acts as a harbinger in the appreciation of Koranic verses. Therefore verses of Al-Koran Are Hand In Glove with the Science with Little Room for Contradiction. However before concluding the write-up, it seems essential to refer to the write-up of Prof. K. H. Itti as contained in his notable work “History of Arabs” (London 1970, page no. 127). While elaborating his views he lays emphasis on the incredible influence exerted by Al-Koran over the ethical philosophy of Arabic language to act as a barricade against disintegration. Let me close this draft by reproducing here-under a famous Persian couplet in English italics:
gr na bened ba roz sharaq chishm
Chasma aftab ra chi gunah
Let me put the simple meaning of said verses as under:
If a blind man cannot see the sun in bloom,
howcome sun can be made blame-worthy.
India’s Scholars On Edge
(The author is a freelancer. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
