WHAT IS THE QURAN?

Posted in Dawah, For Non Muslims, Islam, Teachings of Islam with tags Allah, bible, Dawah, God, Islam, Leicester, Muslim, Quran on December 11, 2009 by Dawud


Do they not then meditate on the Quran? And if it were from any other than Allah, they would have found in it many a discrepancy.

(Quran Translation, verse 82, Chapter An-Nisa)

The Quran, literally means the recitation and was given to the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) by Allah, through the angel Gabriel, a few verses at a time who would recite it to Muhammad and ask him to recite it back to make sure there were no errors.
Later Muhammad would then recite the new verses that Gabriel had delivered and his followers would memorise these and a few would write them down also.

Today approximately one in eighty Muslims has memorised the whole Quran, So the Quran is not just a written book but is also protected by having millions of people hold it in their memory and who then teach it to others.

Over the 1400 years since its revelation the Quran has remained unchanged, protected from corruption and deliberate distortion as has happened to other scriptures.

Every scientific text book must every few years bring out a new revised edition to put in the latest research and ideas, the bible has been changed constantly throughout history.

You should ask yourself why this book has remained timeless and useful throughout history and think about reading it for yourself.

WHAT IS THE PROOF FOR THE QURAN?

You are probably asking yourself, what is so different about the Quran? Is this book which claims to be the word of God, like many other books do, really that different from them?

The difference is, the Quran doesn’t just say it is the word of God and then expects people to believe in it blindly. No, God in the Quran gives certain proofs to show the Quran to the true and from him.

One of these is where God says in the Quran, chapter 2, verse 23,

And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed (the Quran) to Our worshiper, then produce a chapter like it, (English translation of the Quran)
This means in its perfect Arabic grammar and wording, but still thousands of Arab Christians, Jews, Atheists and Pagans have tried and failed over the past fourteen hundred years to produce a chapter like it, even though the shortest chapter of the Quran is only three lines long!

A challenge accessible to the English readers would be where God says in chapter four, verse 82.

Do they not then meditate on the Quran? And if it were from any other than Allah, they would have found in it many a discrepancy.
(English translation of the Quran)

So if you can find one genuine contradiction in the Quran, it would prove Islam false, but if you cannot then you must admit it is a proof of the divine origin of the Quran and that it was not authored by man but by God so a book you should follow yourself.


WHAT IS THE ‘SUNNAH’?

You may have heard some muslims, when referring to the evidences for their beliefs and practices quoting ‘Quran and Sunnah.’

We have already explained what is the Quran and the proofs for it, but what is the ‘sunnah’ and what is the importance of it and proof for following it for the Muslims?

The Sunnah is everything authentically reported about the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and includes what he said, what he did, right down to the smallest detail such as how he used the bathroom.

Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah to you all – (the messenger of) Him unto Whom belongs the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. There is no God save Him. He brings to life and causes to die. So believe in Allah and His messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) you may be guided.”
(Quran Translation, verse 158, Chapter Al-Araf)

This is one of a number of verses in the Quran where almighty God commands the Muslims to follow not just his words, i.e the Quran but also those of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

This is not an optional extra for Muslims, if God says do something we do it, and this includes following and obeying his prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Just as the Quran is timeless, in its guidance so is the Sunnah in its explanation of the Quran. The two together give guidance of every aspect of a Muslims life and beliefs, from morning to night and from the cradle to the grave.

Why the people should follow the teachings of Islam

Many religions claim to be from God, some of them like the Jews and Christians have previous Prophets to follow and have received previous scriptures from God but still Muslim believe Islam is the only path acceptable to God, why is this?

“May parable with the other prophets is like a man who built a house, which was perfect except for one missing brick. People would go around the house, staring in awe of its perfection and saying: “Had it not been for this space!” I am that brick. I am the last of the Prophets.”
Prophet Muhammad (recorded in Bukhari).

The perfection of the way of worshiping and following God is the religion of Islam, a way of life, a law and guidance not just for a particular people or time but for all people for all time. All of those who consider themselves to be believers in God should examine this claim of the Muslims and if they find it to be true, follow it with all their heart and enter into Islam if they are true to our lord and creator.

Want to learn more about Islam?

If you have a question or comment for us or you want to learn more about the teachings of Islam then you can talk to us emailing us on…
askaboutislam.leicester@hotmail.co.uk

Or you can comment here on our blog where we will try our best to answer your questions or find someone who can.

We also have several Islamic information stalls in Leicester City centre for those local to Leicester.