Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

An Introduction to the Glorious Quran

Author(s): Bahram Samii

Translator(s): John Cooper

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Dedication 4

Notes 4

Abbreviations and Qur’anic Names Used in this Book 5

Abbreviation Table 5

English Equivalent of Quranic Names 5

About the Author 6

Acknowledgements 8

Preface 10

Foreword 12

Note 13

Physical Aspects of the Noble Qur'an 14

Notes 15

The Glorious Qur’an, Self-Illuminating: Important Questions Answered By the Munificent Qura’an 16

1. Who revealed the Book? 16

2. How does the Precious Qur'an describe God the Exalted? 16

3. To whom was the Noble Qur'an revealed? 18

4. Who is Muhammad (SA)? 18

5. Does the Rasul (apostle of God) have Divine authority? 20

6. How was the Glorious Qur'an revealed? 20

7. What is the Mother of the Book (or the Mother Book)? 21

8-10 – The Qura’n’s Structure, Interpretation and Selective belief? 22

11. Is the Miraculous Qur'an consistent? 23

12. What is the purpose of the Noble Qur'an? 24

13. Then what does the Glorious Qur'an clarify? 24

13.1 The Oneness of God the Exalted and His Divine system (tawhid) 24

13.2 The unity of all Divine religions; Islam as a concept 25

13.3 Islam as a religion 26

13.4 Islam as a single ummah 26

13.5 The universality of Islam 27

13.6 Confirmation of previous revelations 27

13.7 Correction of people's misunderstanding and misbelief 27

14. Does the Great Qur'an identify previous Divine Books and Prophets? 28

15. Does Almighty God's Final Message have a fixed duration? 30

16. Does God the Exalted abrogate His Final Testament? 30

17. Is Islam (the din of God, the Exalted) difficult? 31

18. What is the difference between the Great Qur'an and books of dua'? 32

19. What was the first revelation to Mubammad (SA)? 33

20. What were the last words revealed to Muhammad (SA)? 34

21. Who decided to re-arrange the order of this Miraculous Book? 35

22. More on the process of revelation to Muhammad (SA) 35

23. What is the most emphasised subject in the Glorious Qur'an? 36

24. Is the Glorious Qur'an a book of science, law, history, or art? 38

Notes 38

What are the Signs of a Pure Divine Scripture? 40

A. The Commanding And Authoritative Language 40

B. The interrogative supremacy 41

C. The language of peace, serenity and security 41

D. The mystic elements 42

E. Perfect two-way communication and reflection 44

F. The telegraphic style of Almighty Allah's sentences 45

G. Delightfully easy and uncomplicated vocabulary 45

H. The repetitive style 46

I. Long-term readership, preservation and maintenance 46

J. The amalgamative style 46

K. The historical events 47

I. The language of Absolute Knowledge about everything 48

About the earth 49

Is the earth truly a sphere? 49

In the field of oceanography, we find: 49

In the field of geology: 50

In medical science: 50

M. The eloquent voice of the Noble Qur'an 51

Notes 52

The Glorious Qur’an as a Miracle 53

82nd and 83rd revelations,33 9 years B.H 53

118th revelation, 4 years B.H 53

121st revelation in the same year 53

131st revelation, 2 years B.H 53

160th and 161st revelations, in the 4th year A.H 54

164th and 165th revelations, in the 5th year A.H 54

Is there any Parallel to The Miraculous Qur’an? 55

Notes 56

A Few Words about Islam 58

Conclusions 61

Note 62

Selected Phrases about the Qur’an in the Glorious Qur’an 63

Note 64

Surahs of the Glorious Qur’an 65

Glossary 68

Note 70

Dedication

To

My beloved mother

Homa Samii

My life is barren without your love

Enlighten your homes by recitation of the Glorious Qur'an...Goodness prevails and blessing spreads in a house where the Noble Qur’an is read very often. Such a house illuminates for the celestial inhabitants as the stars shine for the terrestrial beings.1

A house in which the Glorious Qur’an is recited and the name of God the Exalted is frequently mentioned shall be a very blessed home. Angels will be present in it and satans shall be far from it. Such houses radiate for the divine residents as stars shine for the inhabitants of the earth. And the house in which the Noble Qur’an is not read and the name and remembrance of the Almighty God is not uttered, is desecrated. Angels keep away from and satans keep presence in these homes.2

Notes

1. A hadith from The Prophet Muhammad (SA), al-Usul of al-Kafi chapter "Homes in which the Glorious Qur'an is read".

2. A hadith from Hadrat ‘Ali (PBUH), al-Usul of al-Kafi, chapter "Homes in which the Glorious Qur'an is read"

Abbreviations and Qur’anic Names Used in this Book

Abbreviation Table

A) From expressions in English

* (PBUH) is an abbreviation for "peace be upon him or her"

* (PBUT) is an abbreviation for "peace be upon them"

* (A.H.) for After Hijrah (the Migration from Makkah to Madinah)

* (B.H.) for Before Hijrah

* (L.H.C.) for Lunar Hijri Calendar

* (S.H.C.) for Solar Hijri Calendar

B) From expressions in Arabic

* (SA) is an abbreviation of an Arabic expression, meaning: Allah's peace and blessing be upon him and his kinsfolk

* (A.S.) means: peace (salam) be upon him or her

* (R.A.) means may Allah be pleased with him

* (A.ft) means may Allah accelerate his Noble Manifestation (Relief)

English Equivalent of Quranic Names

Hadrat Ibrahim, A.S. - Prophet Abraham, PBUH

Hadrat Idris, A.S. - Prophet Enoch, PBUH

Hadrat Ishaq, A.S. - Prophet Isaac, PBUH

Hadrat Isma’il, A.S. - Prophet Ishmael, PBUH

IIadrat ‘Isa Masih, A.S. - Prophet Jesus Christ, PBUH

Hadrat Adam, A.S. - Prophet Adam, PBUH

Hadrat al-Yasa’, A.S. - Prophet Elisha, PBUH

Hadrat Ayyub, A.S. - Prophet Job, PBUH

Hadrat Dawad, A.S. - Prophet David, PBUH

Hadrat Hud, A.S. - Prophet Had, PBUH

Hadrat Jibril, A.S. - Angel Gabriel, PBUH

Hadrat Musa, A.S. - Prophet Moses, PBUH

Hadrat Nuh, A.S. - Prophet Noah, PBUH

Hadrat Salih, A.S. - Prophet Salih, PBUH

Hadrat Shu’ayb, A.S. - Prophet Jethro, PBUH

Hadrat Sulayman, A.S. - Prophet Solomon, PBUH

Hadrat Ya’qub, A.S. - Prophet Jacob, PBUH

Hadrat Yahya. A.S. - Prophet John the Baptist, PBUH

Hadrat Yunus, A.S. - Prophet Jonah, PBUH

Hadrat Yusuf, A.S. - Prophet Joseph, PBUH

About the Author

Bahram Samii was born in the city of Shiraz, in 1939. Upon completion of his Petroleum Engineering degree from the University of Tehran, he left Iran to continue his education in the United States of America, in 1962. He started his career with Standard Oil Company of California (now Chevron) as soon as he received his Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 1969, he joined the Iranian oil industry, and served in various engi­neering departments until he joined the rapidly expanding operations of the North Sea oil industry in Aberdeen, Scotland. Incidentally, this move was made in mid-October, 1978, only about four months before the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. His employer, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, transferred Bahram from Scotland to California, in 1983, to join the corporation's headquarters of its worldwide engineering activities.

His job was the task of facilitating the Director of Europe and Middle East Petroleum Engineering with economic studies for project ranking and strategic decision making. 1986 was a critical year for the oil industry in which many lost their jobs; Bahram was no exception. While many were sad, Bahram kept saying: "Thank God Who may have planned something better for me". This refers to the essence of a beautiful Iranian poem, which says: "If God closes a door out of His Wisdom, He opens another, out of His Grace."

A significant turning point was forming in Bahram's life. God's will was to subdue his earthly matters and to compensate for this by arousing his spiritual life. Initially, he himself, his colleagues, and his lovely wife tried hard to set up various oil (and non-oil) related businesses. But it was obvi­ous to those around him that God had something else in store for him. A variety of irresistible forces induced him more and more toward the study of the Glorious Qur'an and the omnipotent Islamic belief. All glory and thanks belong to God.

The most effective one of these forces were the love of his family and the occurrence of certain grave events. This created the main driving force pulling him closer to the spiritual aspect of life, and a desire to learn about God and His recommended way of life. He found the Glorious Qur'an the best guide to inspire him. The second important feature was the charisma of a great man, Hadrat 'Imam Khomeini (R.A.).

Without having met him, and with miles of physical distance between them, the radiant character of this great leader had a striking impact on Bahram. Interestingly enough, misinformed Bahram was initially somewhat suspicious of Ayatullah Khomeini's mission! However, his words and deeds gradually convinced Bahram about the Great Ayatullah's spiritual character, strength and wisdom (R.A.).

This generated curiosity to read first, his biography, then, about the system that built his character (i.e. Islam) and finally the Glorious Qur'an as the basis and foundation of Islam. The third great force was the effect of certain spectacular dreams, dramatic visions, and prayer sessions at the beginning of this drive.

Bahram is devastated by the extent to which the enemies of Islam, from both within and without, have collectively managed to change the real pic­ture of Islam, and that of Muslims into an ugly and unbecoming one. No matter how divided they may be in their own beliefs, they become united allies when they face Islam.

Bahram is deeply disturbed when he sees that they have managed to deceive a worldful of people by manipulating and falsifying the rule of God in order to justify their own illegitimate earthly desires or practices. He is greatly concerned about the innocent young peo­ple who could easily fall into their traps under various great-sounding but deluding and unpalatable banners.

With this brief background, the motivation for this work - and hopefully others in future - becomes overwhelming and overpowering. He himself was the victim of a lengthy period of unawareness, and he hopes to com­pensate for this setback by raising the sense of awareness of others of the Reality, and in particular, that of the innocent, lovely young people living under the subduing and often misleading influence of Western culture.

Acknowledgements

Unending glory to God, The Exalted, Who granted me the primary inspira­tion and stamina all along to complete this humble work. This small contribution, if just and correct, is only a drop of appreciation for His ocean of munificence.

Every individual member of my family was a source of motivation and stimulation for the production of this modest contribution, possibly with­out being aware of this influence. This work would never have been initiated, pursued, or completed had it not been for their love, next to the reverence and the cause of Almighty God. I felt their inspiration behind every letter, word and keystroke, all along. May God bless them with Great reward for their mysterious hidden inducement. They have gracefully sacrificed the time, attention and other resources that would have been available to them had I not diverted my attention to this effort. May God always protect them from all devils and guide them in the right direction.

I am greatly indebted to Muhsin Jahangiri, professor of philosophy at the Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences of the University of Tehran. He generously donated his time, in Oxford, to examine this very humble contribution in detail from an ideological viewpoint. I am very grateful for his valuable contribution and encouragement.

I am greatly indebted to the late Charles L. Janssens, retired professor of French, German and English at various institutions (including the University of Arizona, San Jose State University, California, and the University of Houston, Texas) and ex-Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature at Jundi Shapur University, Iran.

He has kindly and sincerely donated much of his valuable time to scrutinize this work from the English-language point of view. It is regrettable that Janssens passed away on 27th of November 1995, only a few months after his lasting contribution in this work. May God bless him for his sincere assistance.

Last, but definitely not least, I am also greatly indebted to 'Tahereh Saffarzadeh, popular and prominent poet, whose thought-provoking message has reached all corners of the world. This dynamic pious lady studied in Iran, England and America in contemporary literature with special focus on major poets, practical literary criticism and translation.

On returning home, she felt mostly concerned about the anti-traditional and "westernized intellectuals" who lose their identity and become disloyal and insincere toward their own countries, nations, and genuine culture and heritage. Her sincerity toward the oppressed is obvious in her wide-ranging work. She has written eight volumes of poems in addition to other valuable publications. She adores the Glorious Qur'an incessantly and looks for her poetic expressions in this Noble Book and the rich Islamic traditions, in a world governed by laic and vulnerable minds.

Saffarzadeh, the most distin­guished poet of Islamic thoughts, has also served as a university teacher, and in several reforming and constructive cultural and educational projects. Currently she is in charge of reviewing, composing and producing high standard university books in English, in addition to other activities, including translation of the Glorious Qur'an into English. She has helped me tremendously to finalize this book.

Preface

By John Cooper

The Holy Qur'an, the scripture of the Islamic religion, was first translated into English by Alexander Ross in 1649, after a French version by Andre du Ryer. After three and a half centuries, and many subsequent transla­tions, however, it still remains a closed text to most English readers.

Many reasons can no doubt be found for the apparent difficulties encountered in efforts to engage with the Qur'an in English; some of these will be to do with problems of language, others with more complex matters of religious, social, and political history and their influence on a particular translator's motivation and the individual's response to the Book, as the Qur'an calls itself.

It is rarely a comfort for the reader to be told that there exists a vast learned literature, composed by Muslim scholars down through the centuries, devoted to the genre of tafsir, or commentary on the Qur'an; this can be rather more intimidating than comforting. Moreover, the twentieth century has witnessed a growing literature in English on the Qur'an, written both by Muslims and non-Muslims, but which is also more often than not directed at the scholarly reader, and can leave someone wishing a simple introduction in a state of frustration.

What is very often needed by a person coming to this scripture for the first time with a sincere desire to penetrate its meaning is some guide as to how it influences the ordinary believer, how it exerts its effect on his or her life, and how it penetrates the deepest layers of a Muslim's conscience. This work by Bahram Samii marks a significant effort to give just such an introduction.

The author has avoided an academic style, and has instead concentrated on a simple exposition of the way in which the Qur'an presents itself in its own terms and how this can be disclosed through a careful reading of the text. It cannot, of course, be done without some knowledge of the Arabic in which the Qur'an was revealed to The Prophet Muhammad (SA) over four­teen centuries ago, and this terminology has been explained to a sufficient degree for the non-expert to understand the sometimes very different meanings which such a vocabulary has when compared to its contempo­rary English translations.

Naturally, the meaning of the Qur'anic text has been the subject of the profoundest meditations and discussions throughout the history of Islamic scholarship, and the author has incorporated some of this material, especially through the comments of contemporary Muslim translators and scholars; but this has been kept to a minimum so as to avoid overburdening the reader with unnecessary complexities.

Whoever is beginning to read the Qur'an in English will be able to use this work to understand how the book is not an impenetrable text but a living guide for the life of the ordinary, thinking Muslim, the key to the understanding of the Islamic view of the world and how the Muslim relates to other views of the world in our times.

The author has not, however, made any compromises in order to present his ideas, and what will strike the reader is the straightforward manner in which he has managed to com­municate his own deeply committed reflections on the Qur'an, reflections with which the reader will easily be able to sympathize. This book will surely serve as an invaluable companion for those setting out on the stimu­lating journey to discover the message that the Qur'an extends to everyone who is prepared to listen to what it has to say.

John Cooper,

Cambridge 1997.

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 ayat1 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.

Note

1. Please refer to the Glossary

Physical Aspects of the Noble Qur'an

The Precious Qur'an consists of 114 surahs1 and 6256 ayat, some 77,436 words and about 320,211 letters.2 These numbers may be reported differ­ently from scholar to scholar depending on the method of counting the Arabic words and letters, and sometimes depending on the division or grouping of certain ayat. The entire Book was revealed in 23 years through 194 revelations with the last revelation in the 11th year after the Hijrah (the migration from Makkah to Madinah). On an average basis, one ayah, of about 12 words was revealed per day (but not, of course, every day in practice).

The longest surah in the Noble Qur'an is surah al-Baqarah with 286 ayat and in it occurs the longest ayah (2:282). The shortest surah is surah al-Kawthar (108) with only three short ayat. A total of 92 surahs were revealed in Makkah before Muhammad (SA), migrated to Madinah (begin­ning of the Hijri calendar), and the other 22 surahs were revealed in Madinah.

The first surah of the Glorious Qur'an is al-Fatihah (The Opening). Each surah is named after some striking incident or purpose, or after a key word in that surah. To emphasise the deserving importance of the entire being, and the environment in which the human being lives, Almighty God has granted many environmental names to the surahs of the Holy Qur'an, such as The Night, The Day, The Spider, The Honeybee, The Dawn, The Time, The Sun, The Moon, etc.

All the surahs of the Holy Qur'an begin with Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raham (in the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate) to keep reminding us of His endless Mercy and His all-encompassing Compassion, except for surah at-Tawbah (9), meaning Repentance. This may indicate the degree of God's anger with those who insist on disobeying Him. In contrast, this key word for the Grace, Blessing and Mercy of God has been effectively used twice in the Opening surah (al-Fatihah).

For the convenience of those who wish to read all the surahs of this great book over a fixed period, the Glorious Qur'an is divided into 30 equal parts, each called one juz' (plural, ajza' meaning parts), or into seven equal segments, each called a manzil. Each juz' is subdivided into two hizbs (sections) which are further divided in four rubs (quarters). Therefore, if one reads one rub every night, the entire Qur'an will be read in about eight months. Similarly, if one wishes to read the complete Qur'an in one week, one must read one manzil a day. Large surahs of the Glorious Qur'an are also divided into rukuc according to the meaning of the passage.

The Noble Qur'an has been well preserved in its original form through­out fourteen centuries in two ways: 1) in writing, and 2) by memorising and passing the words from the heart of one generation into that of another. Two copies of the original standard Qur'an still exist today, one in Istanbul3 (Turkey) and one in Tashkent4 (Uzbekistan).

The Glorious Qur'an is considered to be so Holy that Muslims treat it with enormous respect.

While It is being read:

• You must not speak

• You must not eat or drink

• You must concentrate quietly.

It is not to be touched unnecessarily. Before reading it or touching it:

• You must wash thoroughly

• You must be in the right frame of mind and have good intentions

• You must seek refuge in God from satan's wicked intentions

• Women should be clear from menstruation.

Upon completion of its recitation one should conclude the session with certain phrases, at least stating that the Exalted God speaks the Truth, His Blessings be upon Muhammad (SA) and his kinsfolk. But normally, a longer prayer is recited.

When not being recited, it should be:

• Placed high up, so that nothing is put on top of it

• Kept covered with a light cloth to shield it from dust.

I shall refrain from describing this unique Book of Divine Guidance in my own humble words and examine how the Great Qur'an Itself defines Its own aspects.

Notes

1. Please refer to the Glossary.

2. "The history of the collection of the Glorious Qur'an", Sayyid Muhammad Rida Jalali Na'ini (Farsi), 1365 (1986), p 148.

3. Istanbul is a corrupted name for the city of Islambul. The old Constantinople (during the Byzantine Empire) was re-named Islambul by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. Islambul is a Turkish expression meaning "where Muslims are plentiful". Istanbul has no relevant meaning. The closest expression is a Greek one, Eistanpolin, meaning "toward the city!"

4. This is known as the Tashkent Qur'an. It is related to the time of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, and was kept in Khaji 'Ubeydullah Ahrar mosque in Samarqand. Later, It was moved to Petersburg museum during the Tzars' rule in Russia. Late in 1918 It was brought back to Samarqand ceremonially. This Valuable Qur'an was later moved to Tashkent museum (reference: Tarikh al-Mushaf al-‘Uthmani by Shiykh 'Ismai’l Makhdum).