An Introduction to the Glorious Quran

Foreword

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

The Great Qur'an is known to be the most authenticated Book in the world. It is also the most widely and most frequently read Book, and has main­tained this worldwide recognition for centuries. As you read through the book in your hand, you shall discover why the Glorious Qur'an is so popu­lar. The reading of the Holy Qur’an is considered a pious duty by Muslims.

They believe that blessings flow even from the sound of its recitation. There is historical evidence indicating that from the very beginning, it made a profound impression on those who came to believe in it by hearing it.

By now, people all over the world have enjoyed this pleasant internal sensation for centuries, and shall continue doing so for the reasons we shall read in this book. Many people, men and women, children or adults, learn the entire Book by heart. Some people read the complete Qur'an several times during the blessed month of Ramadan. Many commit themselves to read it at least once in this month.

Not everybody, however, is familiar with this Holy Book. In fact, those who have not had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Noble Qur'an, may have a completely distorted impression about this unique Divine Scripture, as it has been subjected to ardent misrepresentation by powerful media for centuries.

The deeper one goes into the world of Qur'anic knowledge, the more enjoyable the recitation of this Holy Book becomes. After all it is a part of our instinctive nature; it is the purest Voice of our Loving Creator. Its adoration is beautifully inherent in the heart of humankind. An Introduction To The Glorious Qur’an is intended to give a portrait of the Holy Qur’an in a manner which is easy to follow for those who have not had the chance to become familiar with this Great Book.

The grandeur of this Miraculous Scripture has often put beginners off, but it has also caused scholars to find satisfaction in immersing themselves deeply in the ocean of the Precious Qur'an. Therefore, some of their writings can be found to be too deep and, perhaps, tiresome for the uninitiated.

This book is designed for easy and exciting reading by letting the Great Qur’an talk about Itself. This is why there is no "reference" section at the end of this book; it mainly consists of ayat [^1] of the Glorious Qur'an, com­ments by my humble self, and a few authoritative scholars, as referenced in the text or endnotes.

This writing is meant to take you through a gradual and systematic understanding of the Miraculous Book. Even those who are familiar with the Glorious Qur'an may find this treatise stimulating when they obtain a global overview of this Holy Guidebook for mankind.

The meaning of the Arabic word, Al‑Qur’an, is "The Reading, The Recitation (aloud) and The Collection". The Miraculous Qur’an has suc­cessfully created a new phase of human thought and has greatly affected the lives of millions of people the world over.

While the Great Qur'an strictly prohibits the roots of all evils such as interest (usury), oppression, corruption, adultery, intoxicants, gambling, etc., it constantly reminds us of Divine mercy and compassion. The Glorious Qur'an introduces the Hereafter as the ultimate residence of peace, serenity, security and permanence for those who follow the path of God, but of Hell‑Fire for those who do not. It leaves us totally accountable for our deeds in this world: either we end up in the Garden or in Hell.

The most important feature of the Holy Qur'an is its purity; every word of it is the word of God the Exalted. It is not a book written by Muhammad (SA), but as we shall see, the Glorious Qur'an is a collection of revelations, exactly as revealed to Muhammad (SA). He was specially chosen to be the "means" through which the words were revealed and recited. His own words (collected by his disciples and known as hadith(s) or tradition(s)) are distinctly different from the revealed words of God, as will be dis­cussed later.

The Glorious Qur’an is a distinguished masterpiece of Arabic literature, unmatched throughout the life of humankind. The Great Book Itself chal­lenges humankind to match it, and says "you cannot!" It is a great miracle that the Holy Qur’an has not been successfully challenged for over 1400 years. In fact God has taken it upon Himself to protect it, as it is mentioned in this Glorious Book Itself.

God gave miracles to all His prophets and apostles as proofs of their Divinity: Gone are the apostles, prophets and their‑miracles, except for the miracle of The Last Prophet, Muhammad (SA). God gave him a nonperish­ing miracle, one whose hidden wisdom has been gradually unravelled throughout the past fourteen centuries, and more is yet to be discovered as knowledge improves. These subjects will be briefly dealt with in this writing.

This Great Book repeatedly appeals to us to think, reason, and under­stand why we believe what we believe, and forbids us to believe blindly without pondering and reasoning. For those who wish to open their heart and intellect, there is plenty of evidence in the Holy Qur'an to consolidate their belief. Those who do not want to believe will refuse to believe no matter how sound the proof may be.

[^1]: Please refer to the Glossary