The Qur'an in Islam, its Impact and Influence on the Life of Muslims

Introduction

We are placing before the reader a book which discusses the profoundest document of the sacred religion of Islam.

Among the themes of this book are the following:

• The position of the Glorious Qur’an in the Islamic world;

• What do we mean when we speak of “the Qur’an”?

• What value does the Holy Qur’an hold for Muslims?

• The Qur’an as a book whose importance is global and eternal;

• The Qur’an as a revelation from the Divine, not a human source;

• The relationship between the Qur’an and the sciences;

• The characteristics and features of the Qur’an.

We are investigating the importance of a book which Muslims have never ceased to respect and venerate and whose validity they have never rejected.

They are able to use it to support any claim made in the name of Islam, despite being troubled by inner conflicts and sectarian splintering, as are the other major world religions.

The purpose of this work is to define the position of the Qur’an in such a way that the Holy Book explains itself, rather than merely giving our own opinions concerning it. There is clearly a great difference between these two ways of approaching the matter.

In other words, the position we attribute to the Holy Qur’an, through reason or lack of it, if found to be contrary to the Qur’anic views, will not be valid. If it is something about which the Qur’an is silent, in view of the existing differences of opinion among the Muslims, a unanimous acceptance of such a view would not be possible. The only position which may be acceptableis what is denoted by the Holy Qur’an itself.

Therefore, in this inquiry and discussion, we must answer the question as to what the Holy Qur’an says in the connection, and not what we, who follow a certain school of Islamic Law, say about the Holy Qur’an.