Al-Muqatta’at of Al-Qur’an.

Al-Muqatta’at of Al-Qur’an.

Muhammad Asad

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful ;

All the praise and thanks are due to Allah; May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Messenger.

ABOUT one-quarter of the Qur'anic surahs are preceded by mysterious letter-symbols called muqatta’at ("disjointed letters") or, occasionally, fawatih ("openings") because they appear at the beginning of the relevant surahs. Out of the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet, exactly one-half - that is, fourteen - occur in this position, either singly or in varying combinations of two, three, four or five letters. They are always pronounced singly, by their designations and not as mere sounds - thus: alif lam mim, or ha mim, etc.

The significance of these letter-symbols has perplexed the commentators from the earliest times. There is no evidence of the Prophet’s is having ever referred to them in any of his recorded utterances, nor of any of his Companions having ever asked him for an explanation. None the less, it is established beyond any possibility of doubt that all the Companions - obviously following the example of the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam ) - regarded the muqatta’at as integral parts of the surahs to which they are prefixed, and used to recite them accordingly: a fact which disposes effectively of the suggestion advanced by some Western orientalists that these letters may be no more than the initials of the scribes who wrote down the individual revelations at the Prophet's dictation, or of the Companions who recorded them at the time of the final codification of the Qur'an during the reign of the first three Caliphs.

Some of the Companions as well as some of their immediate successors and later Qur'an-commentators were convinced that these letters are abbreviations of certain words or even phrases relating to Allah and His attributes, and tried to "reconstruct" them with much ingenuity: but since the possible combinations are practically unlimited, all such interpretations are highly arbitrary and, therefore, devoid of any real usefulness. Others have tried to link the muqatta’at to the numerological values of the letters of the Arabic alphabet, and have "derived" by this means all manner of esoteric indications and prophecies.

Yet another, perhaps more plausible interpretation, based on two sets of facts, has been advanced by some of the most outstanding Islamic scholars throughout the centuries: Firstly, all words of the Arabic language, without any exception, are composed of either one letter or a combination of two, three, four or five letters, and never more than five: and, as already mentioned, these are the forms in which the muqatta’at appear.

Secondly, all surahs prefixed by these letter-symbols open, directly or obliquely, with a reference to revelation, either in its generic sense or its specific manifestation, the Qur'an. At first glance it might appear that three surahs (Surah Al-Ankabut, 29, Surah Al-Rum, 30 and Surah Al-Qalam, 68) are exceptions to this rule; but this assumption is misleading. In the opening verse of surah 29 (Al-Ankabut), a reference to revelation is obviously implied in the saying, "We have attained to faith" (amanna), i.e., in Allah and His messages. In surah 30 (Ar-Rum), divine revelation is unmistakably stressed in the prediction of Byzantine victory in verses 2-4. In verse l of surah 68 (Al-Qalam) the phenomenon of revelations is clearly referred to in the evocative mention of "the pen" (see note 2 on the first verse of that surah). Thus, there are no "exceptions" in the surahs prefixed by one or more of the muqatta’at: each of them opens with a reference to divine revelation.

This, taken together with the fact that the muqatta’at mirror, as it were, all word-forms of the Arabic language, has led scholars and thinkers like Al-Mubarrak, Ibn Hazm, Zamakhshari, Razi, Baydawi, Ibn Taimiyyah, Ibn Kathir - to mention only a few of them - to the conclusion that the muqatta’at are meant to illustrate the inimitable, wondrous nature of Qur'anic revelation, which, though originating in a realm beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb), can be and is conveyed to man by means of the very sounds (represented by letters) of ordinary human speech.

However, even this very attractive interpretation is not entirely satisfactory inasmuch as there are many surahs which open with an explicit reference to divine revelation and are nevertheless not preceded by any letter-symbol. Secondly – and this is the most weighty objection – the above explanation too is based on no more than conjecture: and so, in the last resort, we must content ourselves with the finding that a solution of this problem still remains beyond our grasp. This was apparently the view of the four Right-Guided Caliphs summarized in these words of Abu Bakar: "In every divine writ (kitab) there is [an element of] mystery – and the mystery of the Qur'an is [indicated] in the openings of [some of] the surahs."

Symbolism and Allegory in Al-Qur'an

Muhammad Asad

When studying the Qur'an, one frequently encounters what may be described as "key-- phrases" - that is to say, statements which provide a clear, concise indication of the idea underlying a particular passage or passages: for instance, the many references to the creation of man "out of dust" and "out of a drop of sperm", pointing to the lowly biological origin of the human species; or the statement in the ninety-ninth surah (Az-Zalzalah) that on Resurrection Day "he who shall have done an atom's weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have done an atom's weight of evil, shall behold it" - indicating the ineluctable afterlife consequences of, and the responsibility for, all that man consciously does in this world; or the divine declaration (in Surah Sad, 38:27), "We have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning and purpose (baatilan), as is the surmise of those who are bent on denying the truth."

Instances of such Qur'anic key-phrases can be quoted almost ad infinitum, and in many varying formulations. But there is one fundamental statement in the Qur'an which occurs only once, and which may be qualified as "the key-phrase of all its key-phrases" : the statement in Surah Al-'Imran, 3:7 to the effect that the Qur'an "contains messages that are clear in and by themselves (ayat-e-muhkamaat) as well as others that are allegorical (mutashabihaat)". It is this verse which represents, in an absolute sense, a key to the understanding of the Qur'anic message and makes the whole of it accessible to "people who think" (li-qawmin yatafakkarun).

In my notes on the above-mentioned verse I have tried to elucidate the meaning of the expression ayat muhkimaat as well as the general purport of what is termed mutashabih ("allegorical" or "symbolic"). Without a proper grasp of what is implied by this latter term, much of the Qur'an is liable to be - and, in fact, has often been - grossly misunderstood both by believers and by such as refuse to believe in its divinely-inspired origin. However, an appreciation of what is meant by "allegory" or "symbolism" in the context of the Qur'an is, by itself, not enough to make one fully understand its world-view: in order to achieve this we must relate the Qur'anic use of these terms to a concept touched upon almost at the very beginning of the divine writ - namely, the existence of "a realm which is beyond the reach of human perception" (aI-ghayb). It is this concept that constitutes the basic premise for an understanding of the call of the Qur'an, and, indeed, of the principle of religion - every religion - as such: for all truly religious cognition arises from and is based on the fact that only a small segment of reality is open to man's perception and imagination, and that by far the larger part of it escapes his comprehension altogether.

However, side by side with this clear-cut metaphysical concept we have a not less clear-cut finding of a psychological nature: namely, the finding that the human mind (in which term we comprise conscious thinking, imagination, dream-life, intuition, memory, etc.) can operate only on the basis of perceptions previously experienced by that very mind either in their entirety or in some of their constituent elements: that is to say, it cannot visualize, or form an idea of, something that lies entirely outside the realm of previously realized experiences. Hence, whenever we arrive at a seemingly "new" mental image or idea, we find, on closer examination, that even if it is new as a composite entity, it is not really new as regards its component elements, for these are invariably derived from previous - and sometimes quite disparate - mental experiences which are now but brought together in a new combination or series of new combinations.

Now as soon as we realize that the human mind cannot operate otherwise than on the basis of previous experiences - that is to say, on the basis of apperceptions and cognitions already recorded in that mind - we are faced by a weighty question: Since the metaphysical ideas of religion relate, by virtue of their nature, to a realm beyond the reach of human perception or experience - how can they be successfully conveyed too us? How can we he expected to grasp ideas which have no counterpart, not even a fractional one, in any of the apperceptions which we have arrived at empirically?

The answer is self-evident: By means of loan-images derived from our actual - physical or mental - experiences; or, as Zamakhshari phrases it in his commentary on Surah Al-Ra'd, 13:35, "through a parabolic illustration, by means of something which we know from our experience, of something that is beyond the reach of our perception" (tamtheelan li-ma ghaaba anna bi-ma nushaahid). And this is the innermost purport of the term and concept of al-mutashaabihaat as used in the Qur'an.

Thus, the Qur'an tells us clearly that many of its passages and expressions must be understood in an allegorical sense for the simple reason that, being intended for human understanding, they could not have been conveyed to us in any other way. It follows, therefore, that if we were to take every Qur'anic passage, statement or expression in its outward, literal sense and disregard the possibility of its being an allegory, a metaphor or a parable, we would be offending against the very spirit of the divine writ.

Consider, for instance, some of the Qur'anic references to Allah's Being - Being indefinable, infinite in time and space, and utterly beyond any creature's comprehension. Far from being able to imagine Him, we can only realize what He is not: namely, not limited in either time or space, not definable in terms of comparison, and not to be comprised within any category of human thought. Hence, only very generalized metaphors can convey to us, though most inadequately, the idea of His existence and activity.

And so, when the Qur'an speaks of Him as being "in the heavens" or "established on His throne (al-arsh)", we cannot possibly take these phrases in their literal senses, since then they would imply, however vaguely, that Allah is limited in space: and since such a limitation would contradict the concept of an Infinite Being, we know immediately, without the least doubt that the "heavens" and the "throne" and Allah's being "established" on it are but linguistic vehicles meant to convey an idea which is outside all human experience, namely, the idea of God's almightiness and absolute sway over all that exists. Similarly, whenever He is described as "all-seeing", "all-hearing" or "all-aware", we know that these descriptions have nothing to do with the phenomena of physical seeing or hearing hut simply circumscribe, in terms understandable to man, the fact of Allah's eternal Presence in all that is or happens. And since "no human vision can encompass Him" (Surah Al-An'am, 6:103), man is not expected to realize His existence otherwise than through observing the effects of His unceasing activity within and upon the universe created by Him.

But whereas our belief in God's existence does not - and, indeed, could not - depend on our grasping the unfathomable "how" of His Being, the same is not the case with problems connected with man's own existence, and, in particular, with the idea of a life in the hereafter: for, man's psyche is so constituted that it cannot accept any proposition relating to himself without being given a clear exposition of its purport.

The Qur'an tells us that man's life in this world is but the first stage - a very short stage - of a life that continues beyond the hiatus called "death”; and the same Qur'an stresses again and again the principle of man's moral responsibility for all his conscious actions and his behaviour, and of the continuation of this responsibility, in the shape of inescapable consequences, good or bad, in a person's life in the hereafter. But how could man be made to understand the nature of these consequences and, thus, of the quality of the life that awaits him'? - for, obviously, inasmuch as man's resurrection will be the result of what the Qur'an describes as "a new act of creation", the life that will follow upon it must be entirely different from anything that man can and does experience in this world.

This being so, it is not enough for man to be told, "If you behave righteously in this world, you will attain to happiness in the life to come”, or, alternatively, "If you do wrong in this world, you will suffer for it in the hereafter". Such statements would be far too general and abstract to appeal to man's imagination and, thus, to influence his behaviour. What is needed is a more direct appeal to the intellect, resulting in a kind of "visualization" of the consequences of one's conscious acts and omissions: and such an appeal can be effectively produced by means of metaphors, allegories and parables, each of them stressing, on the one hand, the absolute dissimilarity of all that man will experience after resurrection from whatever he did or could experience in this world; and, on the other hand, establishing means of comparison between these two categories of experience.

Thus, explaining the reference to the bliss of paradise in Surah As-Sajdah, 32:17, the Prophet s.a.w indicated the essential difference between man's life in this world and in the hereafter in these words: "God says, 'I have readied for My righteous servants what no eye has ever seen, and no ear has ever heard, and no heart of man has ever conceived"' (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidzi). On the other hand, in Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:25 the Qur'an speaks thus of the blessed in paradise: "Whenever they are granted fruits therefrom as their appointed sustenance, they will say, 'It is this that in days of yore was granted to us as our sustenance' - for they shall be given something which will recall that [past]" : and so we have the image of gardens through which running waters flow, blissful shade, spouses of indescribable beauty, and many other delights infinitely varied and unending, and yet somehow comparable to what may be conceived of as most delightful in this world.

However, this possibility of an intellectual comparison between the two stages of human existence is to a large extent limited by the fact that all our thinking and imagining is indissolubly connected with the concepts of finite time and finite space: in other words, we cannot imagine infinity in either time or space - and therefore cannot imagine a state of existence independent of time and space - or, as the Qur’an phrases it with reference to a state of happiness in afterlife, "a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth" (Surah Al-'Imran, 3:133): which expression is the Qur'anic synonym for the entire created universe. On the other hand, we know that every Qur'anic statement is directed to man's reason and must, therefore, be comprehensible either in its literal sense (as in the case of the ayat muhkamaat) or allegorically (as in the ayat-e-mutashaabihaat); and since, owing to the constitution of the human mind, neither infinity nor eternity are comprehensible to us, it follows that the reference to the infinite "vastness" of paradise cannot relate to anything but the intensity of sensation which it will offer to the blest.

By obvious analogy, the principle of a "comparison through allegory" applied in the Qur’an to all references to paradise - i.e., a state of unimaginable happiness in afterlife - must be extended to all descriptions of otherworldly suffering - i.e., hell - in respect of its utter dissimilarity from all earthly experiences as well as its immeasurable intensity. In both cases the descriptive method of the Qur’an is the same. We are told, as it were: "Imagine the most joyous sensations, bodily as well as emotional, accessible to man: indescribable beauty, love physical and spiritual, conscious-ness of fulfilment, perfect peace and harmony; and imagine these sensations intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world - and at the same time entirely different from anything imaginable: and you have an inkling, however vague, of what is meant by 'paradise'." And, on the other hand: "Imagine the greatest suffering, bodily as well as spiritual, which man may experience: burning by fire, utter loneliness and bitter desolation, the torment of unceasing frustration, a condition of neither living nor dying; and imagine this pain, this darkness and this despair intensified beyond anything imaginable in this world - and at the same time entirely different from anything imaginable: and you will know, however vaguely, what is meant by 'hell'."

Side by side with these allegories relating to man's life after death we find in the Qur’an many symbolical expressions referring to the evidence of God's activity. Owing to the limitations of human language - which, in their turn, arise from the inborn limitations of the human mind - this activity can only be circumscribed and never really described. Just as it is impossible for us to imagine or define God's Being, so the true nature of His creativeness - and, therefore, of His plan of creation - must remain beyond our grasp. But since the Qur'an aims at conveying to us an ethical teaching based, precisely, on the concept of Allah's purposeful creativeness, the latter must be, as it were, "translated" into categories of thought accessible to man. Hence the use of expressions which at first sight have an almost anthropomorphic hue, for instance, God's "wrath" (ghadab) or "condemnation"; His "pleasure" at good deeds or "love" for His creatures; or His being "oblivious" of a sinner who was oblivious of Him; or "asking" a wrongdoer on Resurrection Day about his wrongdoing; and so forth. All such verbal "translations" of God's activity into human terminology are unavoidable as long as we are expected to conform to ethical principles revealed to us by means of a human language; but there can be no greater mistake than to think that these "translations" could ever enable us to define the Indefinable.

And, as the Qur'an makes it clear in the seventh verse of Surah Al-'Imran, only "those whose hearts are given to swerving from the truth go after that part of the divine writ which has been expressed in allegory, seeking out [what is bound to create] confusion, and seeking [to arrive at] its final meaning [in an arbitrary manner]: but none save God knows its final meaning."
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An excerpt from The Message of the Qur’an, by Muhammad Asad

Zaid ibn Thabit r.a

A Scribe for the Prophet s.a.w

It was in the second year of the Hijrah. Madinah the city of the Prophet s.a.w is buzzing with activity as the Muslims prepare for the long march southwards to Badr. The noble Prophet s.a.w made a final inspection of the first army to be mobilized under his leadership to wage Jihad against those who had tormented the Muslims for many years and who were still bent on putting an end to his mission.

A youth, not yet thirteen, walked up to the ranks. He was confident and alert. He held a sword which was as long as or possibly slightly longer than his own height. He went up to the Prophet s.a.w, and said: "I dedicate myself to you, Messenger of Allah. Permit me to be with you and to fight the enemies of Allah under your banner." The noble Prophet s.a.w looked at him with admiration and patted his shoulder with loving tenderness. He commended him for his courage but refused to enlist him because he was still too young.

The youth, Zaid ibn Thabit, turned and walked away, dejected and sad. As he walked, in slow and measured paces, he stuck his sword in the ground as a sign of his disappointment. He was denied the honor of accompanying the Prophet s.a.w on his first campaign. Behind him was his mother, An-Nuwar bint Malik. She felt equally dejected and sad. She had dearly wished to see her young son go with the army of mujahidin and to be with the Prophet s.a.w at this most critical time.

One year later, as preparations were underway for the second encounter with the Quraish which took place at Uhud, a group of Muslim teenagers bearing arms of various kinds - swords, spears, bows and arrows and shields - approached the Prophet s.a.w. They were seeking to be enlisted in any capacity in the Muslim ranks. Some of them, like Rafi ibn Khadij and Samurah ibn Jundub, who were strong and well-built for their age and who demonstrated their ability to wrestle and handle weapons, were granted permission by the Prophet s.a.w to join the Muslim forces. Others like Abdullah ibn Umar and Zaid ibn Thabit were still considered by the Prophet s.aw to be too young and immature to fight. He promised though to consider them for a later campaign. It was only at the Battle of the Ditch when Zaid was about sixteen years old that he was at last allowed to bear arms in defence of the Muslim community.

Although Zaid was keen to participate in battles, it is not as a warrior that he is remembered. After his rejection for the Badr campaign, he accepted the fact then that he was too young to fight in major battles. His alert mind turned to other fields of service, which had no connection with age and which could bring him closer to the Prophet s.a.w. He considered the field of knowledge and in particular of memorizing the Qur'an. He referred to the thought to his mother. She was delighted and immediately made attempts to have his ambition realized. An-Nuwar spoke to some men of the Ansar about the youth's desire and they in turn broached the matter with the Prophet, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, our son Zaid ibn Thabit has memorized seventeen surahs of the Book of Allah and recites them as correctly as they were revealed to you. In addition to that he is good at reading and writing. It is in this field of service that he desires to be close to you. Listen to him if you will."

The Prophet s.a.w listened to Zaid reciting some surahs he had memorized. His recitation was clear and beautiful and his stops and pauses indicated clearly that he understood well what he recited. The Prophet s.a.w was pleased. Indeed he found that Zaid's ability exceeded the commendation he had been given by his relatives. The Prophet s.a.w then set him a task which required intelligence, skill and persistence.

"Zaid, learn the writing of the Jews for me," instructed the Prophet s.a.w. "At your command, Messenger of Allah," replied Zaid who set about learning Hebrew with enthusiasm. He became quite proficient in the language and wrote it for the Prophet s.a.w when he wanted to communicate with the Jews. Zaid also read and translated from Hebrew when the Jews wrote to the Prophet s.a.w. The Prophet s.a.w instructed him to learn Syriac also and this he did. Zaid thus came to perform the important function of an interpreter for the Prophet s.a.w in his dealings with non-Arabic speaking peoples.

Zaid's enthusiasm and skill were obvious. When the Prophet s.a.w felt confident of his faithfulness in the discharge of duties and the care, precision and understanding with which he carried out tasks, he entrusted Zaid with the weighty responsibility of recording the Divine revelation.

When any part of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet s.a.w, he often called for Zaid and instructed him to bring the writing materials, "the parchment, the ink-pot and the scapula", and write the revelation.

Zaid was not the only one who acted as a scribe for the Prophet s.a.w. One source has listed forty-eight persons who used to write for him. Zaid was very prominent among them. He did not only write but during the Prophet's time he collected portions of the Qur’an that were written down by others and arranged these under the supervision of the Prophet s.a.w. He is reported to have said:

"We used to compile the Qur’an from small manuscripts in the presence of the Prophet s.a.w" In this way, Zaid experienced the Qur’an directly from the Prophet s.a.w himself. It could be said that he grew up with the verses of the Qur’an, understanding well the circumstances surrounding each revelation. He thus became well-versed in the secrets of the Shari’ah and at an early age gained the well-deserved reputation as a leading scholar among the companions of the Prophet.

After the death of the Prophet, s.a.w, the task fell on this fortunate young man who specialized in the Qur’an to authenticate the first and most important reference for the ummah of Muhammad. This became an urgent task after the wars of apostasy and the Battle of Yamamah in particular in which a large number of those who had committed the Qur’an to memory perished.

Umar Al-Khattab convinced the Khalifah Abu Bakar As-Siddiq that unless the Qur’an was collected in one manuscript, a large part of it was in danger of being lost. Abu Bakar summoned Zaid ibn Thabit and said to him: "You are an intelligent young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness) and you used to write the Divine revelation for Allah's Messenger. Therefore look for (all parts of) the Qur’an and collect it in one manuscript."

Zaid was immediately aware of the weighty responsibility. He later said: "By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the mountains from its place, it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Qur’an."

Zaid finally accepted the task and, according to him, "started locating the Qur’anic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leafstalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart)".

It was a painstaking task and Zaid was careful that not a single error, however slight or unintentional, should creep into the work. When Zaid had completed his task, he left the prepared suhuf or sheets with Abu Bakar. Before he died, Abu Bakar left the suhuf with Umar who in turn left it with his daughter Hafsah. Hafsah, Umm Salamah and Aishah were wives of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, who memorized the Qur’an.

During the time of Uthman ibn Affan , by which time Islam had spread far and wide, differences in reading the Qur’an became obvious. A group of companions of the Prophet, headed by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, who was then stationed in Iraq, came to Uthman and urged him to "save the Muslim ummah before they differ about the Qur’an".

Uthman obtained the manuscript of the Qur’an from Hafsah and again summoned the leading authority, Zaid ibn Thabit, and some other competent companions to make accurate copies of it. Zaid was put in charge of the operation. He completed the task with the same meticulousness with which he compiled the original suhuf during the time of Abu Bakar.

Zaid and his assistants wrote many copies. One of these Uthman sent to every Muslim province with the order that all other Qur’anic materials whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies be burnt. This was important in order to eliminate any variations or differences from the standard text of the Qur’an. Uthman kept a copy (mushaf) for himself and returned the original manuscript to Hafsah.

Zaid ibn Thabit thus became one of the foremost authorities on the Qur’an. Umar ibn al-Khattab once addressed the Muslims and said: "O people, whoever wants to ask about the Qur’an, let him go to Zaid ibn Thabit."

And so it was that seekers of knowledge from among the companions of the Prophet and the generation who succeeded them, known as the "Tabi’un", came from far and wide to benefit from his knowledge. When Zaid died, Abu Hurayrah said: "Today, the scholar of this ummah has died."

When a Muslim holds the Qur’an and reads it or hears it being recited, surah after surah, ayah after ayah, he should know that he owes a tremendous debt of gratitude and recognition to a truly great companion of the Prophet, Zaid ibn Thabit, for helping to preserve for all time to come the Book of Eternal Wisdom. Truly did Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, say: "Surely We have revealed the Book of Remembrance and We shall certainly preserve it." (Surah al-Hijr, 15:9)


See: Brief History of compilation of Al-Qur'an

The name of Al-Qur’an.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Question: Who named our holy book (Qur'an) as Qur'an? I read from a magazine that said it was named by Abu Baker (R.A.). But I couldn't believe! In Surah Al-Insan verse 23 it says, "We brought (down) to you the Qur'an”. Kindly provide me a clear picture about it.


Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of Al-‘Alameen.

You have rightly said indeed Allah s.w.t who named His Book this name, "Qur’an."

Allah says :

"The month of Ramadaan in which was revealed the Qur’an . . ." [al-Baqarah, 2:185]

"Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully . . .?" [Al-Nisaa’, 4:82]

"So, when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy . . ." [Al-A ‘raf, 7:204]

"Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that their shall be Paradise. They fight in Allah’s Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel) and the Qur’an . . ." [Al-Tawbah, 9:111]

"And this Qur’an is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah, but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it, and a full explanation of the Book wherein there is no doubt from the Lord of the ‘Alameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)" [Yunus, 10:37]

"Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an in order that you might understand" [Yusuf, 12:2]

"We relate unto you [Muhammad] the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Qur’an. And before this, you were among those who knew nothing about it (the Qur’an)." [Yusuf, 12:3]

"And indeed, We have bestowed upon you seven of al-Mathani (the seven repeatedly recited verses, i.e. Surah al-Fatihah) and the Grand Qur’an." [Al-Hijr, 15:87]

"So when you want to recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from Shaytaan, the outcast (the cursed one)." [Al-Nahl, 16:98]

"Verily, this Qur’an guides to that which is most just . . ." [Al-Israa’, 17:9]

"And We send down from the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe, and it increases the zalimun (wrongdoers) nothing but loss." [Al-Israa’, 17:82]

"Say: ‘If mankind and the jinns were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.’" [Al-Israa’, 17:88]

"And (it is) a Qur’an which We have divided) into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it by stages." [Al-Israa’, 17:106]

"We have not sent down the Qur’an unto you [O Muhammad] to cause you distress" [Ta-Ha, 20:2]

"Then High above all be Allah, the True King. And be not in haste (O Muhammad) with the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you, and say: ‘My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.’" [Ta-Ha, 20:114]

"Ta-Seen [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are the Verses of the Qur’an, and (it is) a Book (that makes things) clear" [Al-Naml, 27:1]

"And verily, you (O Muhammad) are receiving the Qur’an from the One, All-Wise, All-Knowing." [Al-Naml, 27:6]

"Verily, He Who has given you (O Muhammad) the Qur’an will surely bring you back to the Ma’aad (place of return, either to Makkah or to Paradise after your death) . . ." [Al-Qasas, 28:85]

"By the Qur’an, full of wisdom" [Yaa-Seen, 36:2]

"And indeed, We have made the Qur’an easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)?" [Al-Qamar, 54:40]

"That (this) is indeed an honourable recital (the Noble Qur’an)." [Al-Waqi’ah, 56:77]

"Had We sent down this Qur’an on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder by the fear of Allah . . ." [Al-Hashr, 59:21]

"Or a little more; and recite the Qur’an (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style." [Al-Muzzammil, 73:4]

"Nay! This is a Glorious Qur’an" [Al-Buruj, 85:21]

There could be any doubt after reading all these ayat that it is Allah - and not Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) or anyone else - Who has given the name "Qur’an" to the Book which He revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?

In Arabic, the word "Qur’an" comes from the word meaning al-qar’, which means "gathering" and "putting things together." It is so called because it is a collection of all the siwar (plural of surah). It was also suggested that it is so called because it combines the fruits of the previously-revealed books, or because it combines all kinds of knowledge.

[See al-Itqan by al-Suyuti, 1/162-163].

Finally, there is a need to be careful and check what you read so that you does not confused by unreliable sources of the books and magazines that may cause you to doubt the truth. May Allah bless you and us with beneficial knowledge and help us to perform righteous deeds.

©Islam Q&A

Qur’an: The Way to Salvation

By Imam Ibnul-Qayyim

The Book of Allah brings forth true life on Earth.

I bear witness that there is no deity besides Allah—alone, who has no partner, no equal; Lord of the Messengers, Creator of the heavens and the earth. I bear witness that Muhammad is His devoted-servant and His Messenger s.a.w sent with a Book that clearly separates guidance from misguidance, deception from righteousness, and conjectures from certainty.

Allah revealed the Qur’an in order for us to read it, and mull over it with care and vigilance; to enrich our souls from its remembrance; to carry it and construe it in the best of manners; to affirm it and strive to establish its commands and prohibitions; pick the fruits of its precious knowledge that is our way to Allah and to glean the wisdom from its gardens and flowers.

For it is His Book, and nothing else, that can guide His seekers to Him. It is the path that leads the traveler to Allah. It is His brilliant Light that illuminates the darkness of uncertainty and disbelief. It is His mercy of guidance and source of happiness for all creation. It is the bridge that connects His devotee to Him when all else fails. It is the great door to Him that remains open, when all else is closed. It is the straight path that is not tainted by the opinions of mortals. It is the remembrance full of wisdom that is not swayed by desires. It is the noble revelation containing wisdom that sages can never fathom. Its wonders never end, nor are its clouds barren, its signs are never exhausted, its agreements never contradict.

The more a soul delves into its depths, the more it increases in insight and guidance. It is the cure for mankind from diseases of the heart. It is life to the hearts and pleasure and brilliance to the souls. It is the harbinger that calls night and day: "O seekers of good, hurry to me"

It is the caller of faith at the head of the straight path, calling:

"O our people responds to the caller of Allah and has faith in Him so He may forgive your sins for you and may save you from a painful chastisement." [Al-Fath, 46: 31]

The Qur’an is Allah's greatest blessing on us. It is the fulfillment of His promise to Adam and his descendants, as Allah Almighty Says:

''…There shall come to you guidance from Me, and whatsoever follows My Guidance no fear shall be on them, nor shall they sorrow'' [Al-Baqarah, 2:38]

It is the only weapon for struggling against the forces of evil and temptation in this world. It is the only means to overpower our fear and anxiety. It is the only Light as we grope in the darkness, with which to find our way to success and salvation. It is the only healing for our inner sickness, as well as the social ills that may surround us. It is the constant reminder of our true nature and destiny, of our station and our duties.

But alas! Desires have put out the lamps of the hearts, and opinions of the mortal humans have shut those doors of Divine guidance and lost the keys. The hearts are laden with the rust of their own earning, so much so that they do not find the realities of the Qur’an opening to them. The burdens of ignorance have so settled upon it that its knowledge does not blossom into righteous actions.
Woe unto you, how have you made the nourishment of your heart those vain opinions that contradict the Qur’an and Sunnah that neither replenish it nor quench its thirst? So now your heart does not accept nourishment of the Word of the Lord of the worlds, and the speech of His eminent Messenger!

For how will you ever find your way through the darkness of conjectures and opinions of mortals to the clear distinction of right and wrong when you have closed your eyes to the light of the Book of Allah and the way of the Messenger?

Woe unto you, how have you adulterated the right opinions with the sick ones, and the accepted ones with the rejected ones, and have managed to incapacitate your souls from receiving the guidance and knowledge from the Book that is immune to falsehood from all directions.

Nay, but it is, by Allah, a trial that has blinded the hearts from the sources of righteousness and has embezzled the minds from their goals.

The Book of Allah is the coolness of eyes for which the competitors compete, the finality to which the contenders contend.

How can you still be in the dark under a rising sun?

How can you lose your way under a bright constellation?

Glory is to Allah, The Exalted!
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Source: Madaarij-us-Salikeen (Ranks of the Seekers), By Imam Ibnul-Qayyim, published in Islam Web 13 March 2005

Relativity of Time in the Qur'an

Is there any reference in the Qur’an to the relativity of time? If so, how can that be related to the findings of modern science?

The conclusion to which we are led by the findings of modern science is that time is not an absolute fact as supposed by materialists, but only a relative perception. What is most interesting is that this fact, undiscovered until the 20th century by science, was revealed to mankind in the Qur’an fourteen centuries ago. In fact, there are various references in the Qur’an to the relativity of time.

It is possible to see in many verses of the Qur’an the scientifically proven fact that time is a psychological perception dependent on events, the setting, and conditions. For instance, a person’s entire life is a very short time as we are informed in the Qur’an in Surah Israa’:

“On the Day when He will call you, and you will answer [His Call] with [words of] His praise and obedience, and you will think that you have stayed [in this world] but a little while!” [Surah Al-Israa’, 17:52]

Then also in Surah Yunus:

“And on the Day when He shall gather them together, [it will seem to them] as if they had not tarried [on earth] longer than an hour of a day: they will recognize each other.” [Surah Yunus, 10: 45]

Some verses indicate that people perceive time differently and that sometimes people can perceive a very short period as a very lengthy one. The following conversation of people held during their judgment in the Hereafter is a good example of this; Surah Al-Mu’minun:

“He will say: “What number of years did you stay on earth?” They will say: “We stayed a day or part of a day, but ask those who keep account.” He will say: “You stayed not but a little, if you had only known!” [Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23: 112 – 114]

In some other verses Allah states that time may flow at different paces in different settings, as in Surah Al-Hajj:

“Yet, they ask you to hasten on the punishment! But Allah will not fail in His Promise. Verily a day in the sight of your Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning.” [Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 47]

Also in Surah Al-Ma’arij:

“The angels and the spirit ascend unto Him in a day the measure whereof is [as] fifty thousand years.” [Surah Al-Ma’arij, 70: 4]

Then, in Surah Sajdah:

“He rules [all] affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end will [all affairs] ascend to Him in a day the measure of which is a thousand years of what you count.” [Surah Sajdah, 32: 5]

These verses are clear expressions of the relativity of time. That this result, which was only recently understood by scientists in the 20th century, was communicated to Man 1,400 years ago in the Qur’an is an indication of the revelation of the Qur’an by Allah, Who encompasses the whole of time and space.

Many other verses of the Qur’an reveal that time are a perception. This is particularly evident in the stories. For instance, Allah has kept the Companions of the Cave, a group of believing people mentioned in the Qur’an, in a deep sleep for more than three centuries. When they awoke, these people thought that they had stayed in that state but a little while, and could not reckon how long they had slept; Surah Kahfi:

“Then We drew [a veil] over their ears, for a number of years, in the cave, [so that they heard not]. Then We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties would best calculate the time that they had tarried.” [Surah Kahfi, 18: 11 – 12]

Again, in the same Surah Kahfi:

Such [being their state], We raised them up [form sleep], that they might question each other. Said one of them: “How long have you stayed [here]?” They said: “We have stayed [perhaps] a day, or part of a day.” [At length] they [all] said: “Allah [alone] knows best how long you have stayed here…” [Surah Kahfi, 18: 19]

The situation told in the verse below – Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 259 - is also evidence that time is in truth a psychological perception:

“Or [take] the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: “How shall Allah bring it [ever] to life, after [this] its death?” But Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up [again]. He said: “How long did your tarry [thus]?” He said: “[Perhaps] a day or part of a day.” He said: “Nay, you have tarried thus a hundred years; but look at your food and your drink; they show no signs of age; and look at your donkey. And that We may make of you a sign unto the people. Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh.” When this was shown clearly to him, he said: “I know that Allah has power over all things.” [Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 259]

In fact, the above verse clearly emphasizes that Allah, Who created time, is unbound by it. Man, on the other hand, is bound by time, which is ordained by Allah. As in the verse, Man is even incapable of knowing how long he slept!

Allah Almighty Knows Best.

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Excerpted with modifications from Islam Online, Asked about Islam, published on 1 February 2003

©Islam Online

Belief in Scriptures

Belief in the Sacred Texts

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Description: Why God revealed His message in the form of scriptures, and a brief description of the two of the Scriptures of God: the Bible, and the Qur'an.


Belief in the scriptures revealed by God is the third article of Islamic faith.

Among the four main reasons for the revelation of scriptures:

(1) The scripture revealed to a prophet is a point of reference to learn the religion and obligations towards God and fellow human beings. God reveals Himself and explains the purpose of human creation through revealed scriptures.

(2) By referring to it, 'disputes and differences between its followers in matter of religious belief and practice or in matters of social practice could be settled.

(3) The scriptures are meant to keep the religion safe from corruption and deterioration, at least for some time after the death of the prophet. At the present time, the Qur'an revealed to our Prophet Muhammad, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him, is the only scripture to remain safe from corruption.

(4) It is God’s proof against human beings. They are not allowed to oppose or overstep it.

A Muslim firmly believes that divinely revealed books were actually revealed by the Compassionate God to His prophets to guide mankind. The Qur'an is not the only spoken Word of God, but God also spoke to prophets before Prophet Muhammad.

“…and to Moses God spoke directly.” (Ani-Nisaa', 4:164)

God describes true believers are those who:

“…believe in what has been sent down to you (Muhammad) and what has been sent down before you…” (Al-Baqarah', 2:4)

The most important and central message of all scriptures was to worship God and God alone.

“And we sent never a prophet before you except that we revealed to him, saying, ‘there is no God but I, so worship Me.’” (Al-Anbiyaa', 21:25)

Islam is more inclusive in the holy revelations it affirms than any other heavenly religion in its present form.

Muslims uphold and respect the following scriptures:

(i) The Qur'an itself, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

(ii) The Torah (Tawrat in Arabic) revealed to the Prophet Moses (different from the Old Testament read today).

(iii) The Gospel (Injeel in Arabic) revealed to Prophet Jesus (different from the New Testament read in churches today).

(iv) The Psalms (Zabur in Arabic) of David.

(v) The Scrolls (Suhuf in Arabic) of Moses and Abraham.

Third, Muslims believe whatever is true in them and has neither been altered or deliberately misconstrued.

Fourth, Islam affirms that God revealed the Qur'an as a witness over the previous scriptures and confirmation of them, because He says therein:

“And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (the Quran) in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (the collection of old scriptures)…” (Al-Maidah, 5:48)

Meaning the Qur'an confirms whatever is true in previous scriptures and rejects whatever alterations and changes human hands have made to them.

Original Scriptures and the Bible

We must distinguish between two matters: the original Torah, Gospel, and Psalms and the present day Bible. The originals were God’s revelation, but the present day Bible does not have the exact original scripture.

No divine scripture exists today in the original language it was revealed in, except the Quran. The Bible was not revealed in English. Different books of today’s Bible are at best tertiary translations and different versions exist. These multiple translations were done by people whose knowledge, skill, or honesty is not known. As a result, some bibles are larger than others and have contradictions and internal inconsistencies! No originals exist. The Qur'an, on the other hand, is the only scripture in existence today in its original language and words. Not one letter of the Qur'an has been changed since its revelation. It is internally consistent with no contradictions. It is today as it was revealed 1400 years ago, transmitted by a rock-solid tradition of memorization and writing. Unlike other sacred texts, the entire Qur'an has been memorized by almost every Islamic scholar and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Muslims, generation after generation!

The previous scriptures essentially consist of:

(i) Stories of man’s creation and earlier nations, prophesies of what was to come like signs before the Judgment Day, appearance of new prophets, and other news.

The stories, prophecies, and news in the Bible read in churches and synagogues today are partly true and partly false. These books consist of some translated fragments of the original scripture revealed by God, words of some prophets, mixed with explanations of scholars, errors of scribes, and outright malicious insertions and deletions. Qur'an, the final and trustworthy scripture, helps us sort out fact from fiction. For a Muslim, it is the criterion to judge the truth from the falsehood in these stories. For example, the Bible still contains some clear passages pointing to God’s unity.[1] Also, some prophecies regarding the Prophet Muhammad are found in the Bible as well.[2] Yet, there are passages, even whole books, almost entirely recognized to be forgeries and the handiwork of men.[3]

(ii) Law and rulings, the allowed and prohibited, like the Law of Moses.

If we were to assume the law, that is the lawful and the prohibited, contained in the previous books did not suffer corruption, the Qur'an still abrogates those rulings, it cancels the old law which was suitable for its time and is no longer applicable today. For example, the old laws pertaining to diet, ritual prayer, fasting, inheritance, marriage and divorce have been cancelled (or, in many cases, reaffirmed) by the Islamic Law.

The Holy Qur'an

The Qur'an is different from other scriptures in the following respects:

(1) The Qur'an is miraculous and inimitable. Nothing similar to it can be produced by human beings.

(2) After the Qur'an, no more scriptures will be revealed by God. Just as the Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet, the Qur'an is the last scripture.

(3) God has taken it upon Himself to protect the Qur'an from alteration, to safeguard it from corruption, and to preserve it from distortion. On the other hand, previous scriptures suffered alteration and distortion and do not remain in their originally revealed form.

(4) The Qur'an, for one, confirms early scriptures and, for another, is a trustworthy witness over them.

(5) The Qur'an abrogates them, meaning it cancels the rulings of the previous scriptures and renders them inapplicable. The Law of the old scriptures is no longer applicable; the previous rulings have been abrogated with the new Law of Islam.

[Excerpted from IslamReligion.com, Published on 16 Jan 2006 ]

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Footnotes:

[1] For example the declaration of Moses: “Hear, O Israel The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4) and the announcement of Jesus: “...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.” (Mark 12:29).

[2] Refer to (Deuteronomy 18:18), (Deuteronomy 33:1-2), (Isaiah 28:11), (Isaiah 42:1-13), (Habakkuk 3:3), (John 16:13), (John 1:19-21), (Matthew 21:42-43), and more.

[3] For example, refer to books of the Apocrypha.


© IslamReligion.com

Scriptures Before the Qur'an

Scriptures Before the Qur'an

Shahul Hameed

As far as I know, there were four holy books so far (The Torah, the Psalms, the Bible and the Qur'an). Can you please tell me if there may have been other books given to other prophets, even if they are no longer valid?

In the Name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful;

All praise and thanks are due to Allāh, May Allāh blessings and peace be upon His Messenger.

Humanity needs Divine Guidance to lead a meaningful life on earth; and so God – Allah Almighty, out of His infinite Mercy has communicated with us in order to guide us. From the very earliest times, people have been in search of answers for eternal questions, and the One Who could give satisfactory an answer is God. So from the earliest times, revelation as a divine guidance has played a significant part in human progress.

Allah promised people that He would send prophets with guidance to help “mend their ways” and “lead righteous lives on the earth” as a salvation in Hereafter. This promise was given by God to all the children of Adam, as Allah Almighty says in the Glorious Qur'an, which means:

“O ye children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My signs unto you, - those who are righteous and mend (their lives), - on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.”

 [Al-A`raf, 7:35].

Accordingly, God sent His Messengers with guidance to people living in different parts of the world in different stages in human history, to help them lead a life of truth and justice:

“We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that mankind may observe right measure ...”

[Al-Hadid, 57:25].

The basic message of all prophets (peace be upon them) from God, and hence of all scriptures they brought, is one and the same message from God to humanity –to worship Allah:

· “We have certainly sent to every nation a Messenger (proclaiming): “Worship Allah, and shun false gods.” [An-Nahl, 16:36].

· “And We have not sent before you any Prophet except that We revealed to him that none has the right to be worshipped in truth but Me so worship Me.”

[Al-Anbiyā', 21:25].

· “And We will not punish a people until We have sent a Messenger.”

[Al-Isrā', 17:15].

All these prophets came to the people who lived in different lands in different periods of history. All the prophets were not given Books; in fact only to a few of them did Allah reveal His Books of Guidance.

Among those who received Books, were the four mentioned in the Glorious Qur'an: Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be on them all). The Books were the Tawrat (Torah) given to Moses (Musa), The Zabur (Psalms) given to David (Dawud), the Injil (Gospel) given to Jesus (`Isa) and the Qur'an given to Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

Apart from these, Abraham (Ibrahim) is mentioned as the recipient of Suhuf or scrolls.

All the teachings contained in the former Scriptures that were meant to be of lasting value and importances are included in the Qur'an. The Qur'an also gives some accounts, although selective, of what the earlier scriptures contained.

The Scrolls (Suhuf) of Abraham:

In two surahs, Al-A`la (87) and An-Najm (53) that belongs to first Makkan period, there is a mention of the "scrolls" (suhuf) of Abraham and Moses, and some reference to some of its contents:

“But those will prosper who purify themselves, And glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer. Day (behold), ye prefer the life of this world; But the Hereafter is better and more enduring. And this is in the Books of the earliest (Revelation), - The Books of Abraham and Moses.” 

[Al-A`la, 87:14-19].

“Seest thou one who turns back, Gives a little, then hardens (his heart)? What! Has he knowledge of the unseen so that he can see? Nay, is he not acquainted with what is in the Books of Moses- And of Abraham who fulfilled his engagements? - Namely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another; That man can have nothing but what he strives for; That (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight: Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete; That to thy Lord is the final Goal…” 

[An-Najm, 53:33-42].


The Torah (Tawrat) of Moses:

The Qur'an mentions the scriptures given to Moses in several places:

“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light”

 [Al-Ma'idah, 5:44].

“We ordained therein for them: life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth and wounds equal for equal, but if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity it is an act of atonement for himself and if any fail to judge by (the light of) what God has revealed they are (no better than) wrongdoers”

[Al-Ma'idah 5:45].

The Psalms (Zabur) of David:

It also mentions the Psalms, called "Zabur":

“And verily We have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder: My righteous slaves will inherit the earth” 

(Al-Anbiyaa', 21:105).

The Gospel (Injil) of Jesus:

The Qur'an refers to the scripture given to Jesus as the "Injil":

“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship) seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah has promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward” 

[Al-Fath, 48:29].

The early scriptures, besides carrying the same basic message about Allah, the Master of the worlds, as well as about His creation, humanity, also brought specific instructions addressed directly to particular communities living in specific periods in history such as the Jews and Christians. Scriptures before the Qur'an were in many of their details situation-oriented and relevant to their particular frameworks.

It is also significant that the earlier scriptures were not meant for all time, as Allah Almighty in His infinite wisdom would reveal His complete Guidance at the right time, when humankind is mature to receive it. That is to say, the Guidance of God would attain its finality, when it would be universally applicable and relevant for all future time. And Allah Almighty sent Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) as the Last Messenger of God to humanity with the Final form of Divine Guidance called the Qur'an.

The basic message of the Glorious Qur'an is the same as the basic message of the previous revelations and books, and the directives and instructions, by which it provides guidance for humanity, are of a universal nature: “Worship Allah, and shun false gods.”. They apply for all times to come and in all situations. This revelation corresponds to humankind's position on earth and in history. Humankind has reached, in its development, the stage when universal principles need to be applied to safeguard his purposeful existence. [See this ]

From the foregoing it is clear that there were prophets other than the ones mentioned by name in the Qur'an; and that some of them have also received Books of Guidance from Allah.

Wallahu`alam

[Excerpted from Islam Online-Ask about Islam, on 18 October 2006]

Abrogation and the Qur'an

Ahmad Saad

As-salamu `alaykum, Sometime ago I started reading the Qur'an. I have both a German and an English translation of its meanings. I started reading and found it very interesting but at one point I just had to stop! In Surah 2-62 it says "Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve."

There is a footnote to this verse and it says that this verse was abrogated by another surah stating that whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter, he will be one of the losers.

Now my question is: As far as I know, there are — besides — other two statements about the Qur'an: Firstly, it is the word of God, every little bit of it and has not been changed since the time that it was revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Unlike the Bible where man added changes, the Qur'an is the unchanged word of God and is valid for all of mankind and for all time. Secondly, there is no contradiction in the Qur'an. So, with these two statements, I do not understand how these two surahs can be found in ONE book. If God decided to change some of his commandments, why was not it erased completely from the Qur'an so that there would be no confusion among the people about it!

Now, we have the eternally valid word of God...but some of it is no longer valid? Thinking about this problem, I always end up with two thoughts: Not everything in the Qur'an is valid for all times. In that case, why keep to it at all since you can say, "Ah, this surah is no longer valid!" Secondly, that the Qur'an is not free of contradictions. In that case, how can it be 100 percent the words of God? I already asked some Muslims about it but they could not give me an answer that satisfied me. I would be very grateful if you could help me to understand this issue.

Thank you very much and keep doing what you're doing! May God bless you! ~~~ Stefanie .

Salam Stefanie,

Let me first thank you for your detailed question and all the thoughts you have presented therein.

Let's first agree on certain points, which I believe you are aware of.

First, no one can offer a correct explanation of the Qur'an except scholars who have mastered all sciences that qualify them to understand its occasions of revelation, linguistic style, structure, and all other imports and aspects. Even with their near-perfect explanation, we can still safely say that their explanations are not totally perfect; rather, they are subject to error just like the product of any human mind.

This is simply God's words are beyond the limitations of a human mind, hence, man can comprehend and grasp only some aspects of those words but not all of them, otherwise God's words will be limited and restricted.

On the issue of abrogation, we need to understand one focal point, which is that Allah Almighty's knowledge covers everything. It is not subject to change because it is not limited by the boundaries of time. This means that when Allah Almighty reveals something in the Qur'an and later on gives a fresh command that adjusts the old one or cancels it, He surely knows already that He is going to reveal something to adjust the old command or cancel it. In other words, the new command is not new to Him; it is new to us because we have no access to His knowledge and we are bound by time limitations.

In the light of this, we can understand that Allah Almighty has already had knowledge that He is going to give a new command at a certain point in the life of people telling them to change their way of life or correct certain concepts in ways that suit the new stage. Behind this, there is surely great divine wisdom, which sometimes we are aware of and sometimes we are not.

To illustrate this, let's think about a father whose five-year-old child asks him about the origin of life; where do males and females come from? At this point of the child's age, the most suitable answer will be something like "We come from Adam and Eve." Later on when the child grows up, the simple answer will be abrogated by telling him about the mechanism of production and fertilization. This example gives a bit of an idea about how this process of abrogation works.

Another example: When a teacher is teaching a certain book for his students, he already knows the contents of what he is teaching. To the students, the information he is giving every time is new but to him it is not. Besides, he may give a certain rule at one time and later on speaks about other things that contradict this rule. When one of the students says, "Excuse me, sir! This contradicts what you said last time," the teacher will simply tell him, "There are exceptions to every rule and this is one of the exceptions. Today's example is meant to make you aware of the exceptions to last time's rule." Of course, the exception is new to the student but it is not new to the teacher who has already known it a long time ago.

As for Allah, His infinite knowledge neither has a beginning nor an end. Yet, here we need to ask, if that is what abrogation is like, what is the benefit or the wisdom of doing that?

In fact, scholars have counted a number of wisdoms behind abrogation. First, abrogation can happen as a way of gradual legislation that aims at making things easy for people.

Sometimes, Allah Almighty commands that a certain strict thing should be observed and then alleviates it to make the life of people easier. An example of this is when Allah Almighty commanded that anyone who wants to speak to the Prophet (peace be upon him) should offer something in charity. Later on, Allah (Glory be to Him) removed this requirement and just encouraged people to establish prayer and do good deeds.

But one may ask, "What is the point of this?" The answer is, there are much wisdom behind it, one of which is to make people aware of the fact that Allah is merciful to them and that He looks after them and cares for their well-being. Another wisdom is to refine the souls of people and train them on how to observe to higher levels of morality.

For instance, if your child is not studying hard and spending much time playing, you can discipline him saying, "You are not allowed to play anymore for the coming month." Later on, you may see that he has complied with the command and became very good in his studies, so what you do is to alleviate the restrictions and allow him to play for a certain number of hours. In this way, you create a balance in his life. In this exact way, Allah Almighty trains us on how to lead a life of balance.

Sometimes, abrogation comes to establish a certain ruling that needs to be established gradually because it is difficult for people to apply it completely. Suppose that you want a drug addict to give up drugs, it would be unpractical to ask him to give up right away. The most practical way will be to train him how to give up bit by bit. The same is applied in the Qur'an when Allah Almighty commanded the believing community to give up wine: He did not do that at one shot. Rather, Allah Almighty first spoke about wine and that it may be beneficial for some people (i.e. traders) but it has some greater harm. Later on, a new instruction came prohibiting any drunken man to engage in prayer and, in fact, that was stage two. Then, when the community was fully prepared to receive a final decision and were able to apply the law, Allah Almighty told them to avoid drinking wine completely and never approach it.

Focusing more on the verse you referred to in your question, I would like to mention one more wisdom of abrogation, which is correcting ideas and removing misunderstandings. For instance, Allah Almighty gives a rule that whoever does a good deed will get a reward for it in this life and in the hereafter. Some people may understand that the hereafter reward is also given to non-believers and therefore Allah Almighty explains this in another place in the Qur'an saying that a condition for reward in the hereafter is to believe in Allah Almighty and adopt Islam. One of the examples that fall into this category is the example you have referred to.

Another important point is that the Qur'an is interlinked which means that verses explain and expound one another. In some places where Allah Almighty says that those Jews, Christians, and Sabians who believe in Allah and the Last Day should fear no harm on the Day of Judgment, He actually refers to a rule that needs further elaboration, mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an. This elaboration exists in the following surah wherein Almighty Allah explains that the accepted way of Allah being Islam is the way that should be followed by anyone who wants to be safe on the Day of Judgment.

“And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers.” [Al-`Imran, 3:85]

Now, we clearly see that there is no contradiction between the two statements because they complement each other. If one says, why doesn't Allah make each one self-explanatory without need to the other statement? We simply tell the asker that because both statements are considered the same word of Allah, and we should take the word of Allah as a total entity wherein no part can stand on its own without referring to the whole. In the light of this, we can also understand the sayings of some scholars who said that the whole Qur'an is treated as one verse.

Allah Almighty Knows best.

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Excerpted with modifications from Islam Online - Asked About Islam - published on 04 Feb 2007