Towards Better Understanding of the Qur'an

Introduction

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

All praise is for Allah Who sent down the Qur'an to His servant and messenger Prophet Muhammad (S) so that he may be a warner to the worlds. Blessings be on Prophet Muhammad (S) who was sent as a witness, and a bearer of good news and a warner, and as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving torch through Qur’an. Blessings be on his progeny (Ahlul Bayt), from whom Allah kept away the uncleanliness and whom He purified a thorough purifying, and whom Allah made the true interpreters of the Glorious Qur’an after the Prophet (S).

Holy Qur’an is a complete code of life

The Qur’an-e-Majid is the Word of Allah (swt) as revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (S) for man’s guidance. The Qur'an comprehends the complete code from the Almighty Creator, for the human beings to live a good, chaste, abundant and rewarding life in obedience to the commandments of Allah, in this life and to gain salvation in the next. It is indeed the "chart of life" for every man, and it is the "constitution" of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Qur’an is for mankind, a "compass" in the turbulent voyage of life, as it has explained itself in the following verses:

“. . . Indeed, there has come to you light and a clear book from Allah; With it Allah guides him who fill follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by his will and guides them to the right path.” (5:15-16).

Historically, it is Qur'an which transformed the simple shepherds and wandering Bedouins of Arabia into the founders of empires, the builders of cities, the collectors of libraries. If a system of religious teachings is evaluated by the changes which it introduces into the way of life, the customs and beliefs of its follower, then Qur'an as a code of life is second to none. It is not strange then, that more studies on Qur’anic topics, translations and more commentaries of the Holy Qur'an have been published, than that of any other book claimed to be the Divine Revelation.

What is Qur’an?

However, before dealing with any other topics in the Qur’anic studies, e.g. its authenticity as the word of God, it is of paramount importance to have a glimpse towards better understanding of the book itself: The Glorious Qur’an. What is Qur’an? What is this book about? What are its contents? How is it a miracle? Why millions of believers still take this 14 centuries old book as their source of guide and salvation in their lives? How is it different from any other thousands of books penned by different authors? What is so unique about Qur’an? Is the Qur’an a book of history, or of poetry? Or is it a book about science and natural phenomena? Is it a book about Social manners and spirituality or a book about God’s Creation? Is it a book of Law? What is its general theme?