Islamic Definitions 1
The Quran:
The Quran is the eternal miracle. It is the last Book of Allah
sent for the guidance of humanity through the last Prophet, Muhammad 
.
Revelation of the Quran
The Quran was revealed piecemeal throughout a period of about 23 years. The Prophet received the first revelation in 610CE, in the Cave of Hira in the Mountain of Light (Jabale-Noor), two and a half miles away from the House of Allah in the city of Makkah in Arabia.
The first revelation was the first five verses of Surah (chapter) Al-Alaq: "Iqra bismi rabbikalla dhi khalaq. Khalaqal insana min alaq. Iqra wa rabtukal alrram. Alladhi 'allama bil qalam. 'Allamal insana malam ya’lam, " which means "Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most Generous, Who teaches by means of the pen, teaches man what he does not know." (96: 1-5)
The last revelation was the third verse of Surah Al-Maidah, which was sent down to the Prophet in 632 C.E. : "Al yawma akmaltu lakum dinakam wa atmamtu alaikam ni'mati wa raditu' lakumul islama dinan''," which means "Today I perfected your religion for you and completed my favor to you and have chosen for you Al-Islam as your religion." (5:3)
Surah Al-Fatiha (The Opening Chapter) was the first complete chapter to be revealed and Surah An-Nasr was the last.
Divisions of the Quran
Al- Quran is divided into thirty equal divisions, which are called juz in Arabic. There are 114 chapters, of varying length. The longest chapter is Al-Baqarah consisting of 286 verses and the shortest chapter is AlKawthar consisting of three verses only. The whole Quran has 6,666 verses containing 336,233 letters.
The chapters revealed before the migration of the Prophet to Madina are called Makkan, whereas those sent down after the migration are called Madinan.
Topics of the Chapters
Makkan chapters generally consist of brief sentences which are
full of enthusiasm, poetical, lofty and brilliant. They stress the Unity and
Majesty of Allah, the Most Exalted, Most High, denounce idle worship, promise
paradise for the righteous and warn wrongdoers of their punishment in Hellfire,
confirm the prophet hood of Muhammad ,
and remind humanity of the past prophets and events of their time.
On the other hand, the Madinan chapters are lengthy and the
verses are more prosaic. They outline ritualistic aspects of Islam such as
Zakah, Fasting, and Hajj, lay down moral and ethical codes, criminal laws,
social, economic, and state policies, give guidelines for foreign relations,
rules and regulations for battle and the captives of war. They also contain
descriptions of some of the early battles of Islam, condemnation of hypocrites,
emphasis on the unified basic message of all the past prophets, and confirmation
that the process of prophet hood and revelation is complete, so that no Prophet
will come after Muhammad ,
no new book will be revealed, and Allah's religion is complete through Al- Quran.
So here Allah exhorted the followers of truth to make Al- Quran as their only
guide.
The Importance of the Quran
The Quran is considered the eternal miracle of Islam. It is the complete and best guide for living one's life and seeking Allah's pleasure The teachings of the Quran are universal, addressed to all people throughout the world regardless of their creed and color. They enlighten man's soul, purify his morals, condemn all wrongs, order good deeds and call for the establishment of justice and fraternity through obeying Allah as the supreme authority. The Quran provides the regulations that create the proper relations between man and Allah and man and man. It leads man to understand his role in this world, encourages him to think and ponder, and guides him in the usage of natural resources. In short, the Quran provides all the guidance that humanity needs. Without the guidance of the Quran, humanity would still be groping in the darkness of ignorance.
Compilation of the Quran
The Quran was revealed piecemeal, according to the needs of the time. Angel Jibrail brought it to the Prophet who would memorize it. Afterwards, it was preserved in two ways.
First, through memorization, there were a number of early Muslims who would memorize each revelation as soon as it was revealed and thus had the whole Quran memorized at the time of the final revelation. The tradition of memorizing the entire Quran still continues, and a person who does so is called a Hafize Quran.
Second, the Quran was preserved through writing. Whenever any revelation took place, it was written at once on tablets, palm branches, shorn of leaves, or animal skin. This was done primarily by Zaid bin Thabit, who was the main scribe out of the 42 scribes of the revelation. The Prophet set the order of the chapters under the guidance of Angel Jibrail and ordered his companions to maintain that order. Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam, compiled the Quran, and Uthman, the third caliph, made numerous copies and sent one copy to each state capital.
Eternal Miracle
Al- Quran is the only ever living miracle. Today no other miracle of any prophet exists. According to a survey, the number of Huffaz (persons who have memorized the whole Quran) today is more than 10 million.
Millions of copies were printed and handwritten in almost every part of the world. Their meaning was also translated into most of the languages of mankind. During the period of over 1400 years since the Quran was revealed, not a single letter was changed. This is one of the greatest miracles of the Quran.
For more information about the Quran check out:
Muhammad
In the year 570 A.D. the Prophet Muhammad
was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. While still very young, Muhammad had lots of
very heart-breaking shocks. Abdullah, his father, died before Muhammad was born,
and his mother Aminah died when Muhammad was only six years old. His grandfather
Abdul-Muttalib then looked after Muhammad, but he died when Muhammad was only
eight. From then on, Muhammad was looked after by one of his uncles, Abu Talib.
As time passed, Muhammad used to go to a cave called Hira in Mount Nur. There he would think hard and could be alone. One day when Muhammad was in his cave, Angel Jibra'il appeared to him. The angel told Muhammad to read, but Muhammad replied, "I am not a reader." The angel squeezed him and told him again to read. Muhammad said again, "I am not a reader." The angel squeezed him harder, then he released him and said: "Read in the Name of your Lord Who created!" Muhammad was given the message from Allah that he was to be a prophet from that time onwards. This happened in the year 610 A.D. when Muhammad was 40 years old.
When Muhammad
died at the age of 63, the whole of the Arabian Peninsula had changes from
paganism and idol worship to the worship of One God; from tribal quarrels and
wars to national solidarity and cohesion; from drunkenness and debauchery to
sobriety and piety; from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living; from
utter moral bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human
history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place
before or since.
He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numberless social and political reforms, established a dynamic and powerful society to practice and represent his teachings, and he revolutionized the worlds of human thought and human action for all time.
The Encyclopedia Britannica calls him "the most
successful of all religious personalities of the world." Bernard Shaw said,
"if Muhammad
were alive today, he would succeed in solving all those problems which threaten
to destroy human civilization in our times." Thomas Carlysle was amazed as
to how one man, single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering
Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades.
Napoleon and Gandhi never tired of dreaming of a society along the lines
established by this man in Arabia fourteen centuries ago.
Indeed no other human being ever accomplished so much, in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior, in so limited a space of time, as did Muhammad
In spite of the phenomenal success which crowned his efforts, he did not for a moment claim to be God or God's incarnation or Son - but only a human being who was chosen and ordained by the Creator to be a teacher of truth to mankind and a complete model and pattern for their actions.
He was a man with a noble and exalted mission - and his unique mission was to unite humanity in the worship of the One and only God and to teach them the way to honest and upright living in accordance with the laws and commands of God. He always described himself as a Messenger and servant of God, as indeed every single action and movement of his proclaimed him to be.
Today, after the lapse of some 1400 years, the life and
teachings of Prophet Muhammad
, have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. Today
they offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills which they did
when Prophet Muhammad
was alive. This is our honest claim and this is the inescapable conclusion
forced upon us by a critical and unbiased study of history.
The Simple Life of Muhammad
If we compare the life of Muhammad
before his mission as prophet and his life after he began his mission as a
prophet, we will conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad
was a false prophet, who claimed prophet hood to attain material gains,
greatness, glory, or power.
Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad
had no financial worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad
drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and
because of it, he became worse off materially. To clarify this more let us
browse the following sayings on his life:
Muhammad
lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim treasury was under his
disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he died,
and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen years of his mission.
Is it possible that Muhammad
might have claimed prophet hood in order to attain status, greatness, and power?
The desire to enjoy status and power is usually associated with good food, fancy
clothing, monumental palaces, colorful guards, and indisputable authority. Do
any of these indicators apply to Muhammad ?
A few glimpses of his life that may help answer this question follow.
Despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a
statesman, and a judge, Muhammad
used to milk his goat, mend his clothes, repair his shoes, help with the
household work, and visit poor people when they got sick. He also helped his
companions in digging a trench by moving sand with them. His life was an amazing
model of simplicity and humbleness.
Muhammad's followers
loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an amazing extent. Yet he continued
to emphasize that deification should be directed to Allah and not to him
personally. Anas, one of Muhammad's
companions, said that there was no person whom they loved more than the Prophet
Muhammad , yet when he
came to them they did not stand up for him because he hated that they should
stand up for him, as other people do with their great people.
Long before there was any prospect of success for Islam, and
at outset of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and persecution of
Muhammad and his
followers, he received an interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba,
came to him saying, "... if you want money, we will collect enough money for
you so that you will be the richest one of us.If you want leadership we will
take you as our leader and never decide on any matter without your approval. If
you want a kingdom we will crown you king over us..." Only one concession
was required from Muhammad
in return for that, to give up calling people to Islam and worshipping Allah
alone without any partner. Wouldn't this offer be tempting to one pursuing
worldly benefit? Was Muhammad
hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it down as a bargaining strategy
leaving the door open for a better offer? The following was his answer: "In
the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" And he recited to
Otba the verses of the Quran 41:1-38. The Following are some of these verses:
"A revelation from (Allah), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in detail; a Quran in Arabic, for people who know, giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn away, so they do not listen." ( Quran, 41:2-4)
On another occasion and in response to his uncle's plea to
stop calling people to Islam, Muhammad's answer
was as decisive and sincere: "I swear by the name of Allah, O Uncle!, that if
they place the sun in my right-hand and the moon in my left-hand in return for
giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will never desist until
either Allah makes it triumph or I would perish defending it."
Muhammad
and his few followers did not only suffer many kinds of torture and sacrifice
for thirteen years, but also the unbelievers tried to kill Muhammad
several times. Once they tried to break his head and kill him with a very big
rock that could hardly be lifted. Another time they tried to kill him by putting
poison in his food. Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or a
self-centered man? What could justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice
even after he was fully triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the
humbleness and nobility which he demonstrated in his most glorious moments when
he insisted that success is due only to Allah's help and not to his own genius?
For more information about the Prophet Muhammad
check out:
Definitions:
Kursi
Literally a footstool or chair, and sometimes wrongly
translated as Throne. The Kursi mentioned in the Verse 2:255
should be distinguished from the 'Arsh (Throne) mentioned in Verses 7:58, 10:3,
85:15 and elsewhere. Prophet Muhammad
said: "The Kursi compared to the 'Arsh is nothing but like a ring thrown
out upon open space of the desert." If the Kursi extends over the entire
universe, then how much greater is the 'Arsh. Indeed Allah, the Creator of both
the Kursi and the 'Arsh, is the Most Great.