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Holy Quran’s Power of Attraction
Another aspect of the Quran which serves to indicate its unique and exceptional nature is the remarkable and inexhaustible attraction that it exerts.
Today, more than fourteen centuries after the revelation of the Quran, the captivating sound of the recitation of the Quran can still be heard in all the different parts of the world, leaving its impression on hearts and minds, and transforming the spirits of all who listen to it.
Its appeal overwhelms the soul and brings tears flowing from the eyes and makes the heart tremble.
“Those to whom We gave the Book before this, believe in it, and, when it is recited to them, they say, 'We believe in it; surely it is the Truth from our Lord; even before it we were of those who surrender”. (28:52-53)
This ayah describes a group of people who undergo a state of veneration and awe when the Qur'an is recited before them. They affirm faith in all the contents of the Book, declare everything in it to be nothing but truth and their veneration of it continues to increase.
Then in another verse, a group of Christians who believed and became Muslims on hearing the Qur'an are described in these words:
“And when they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears, because of the truth they recognize. They say, "Our Lord we believe; so do You write us down among the witnesses." (5:83)
In another place, while describing the believers, the Qur'an says:
“God has sent down the fairest discourse as a book, consimilar in its oft repeated parts, whereat shiver the skins of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of God ...” (39:23)
The rays of attraction exerted by the Quran was not confined to Mecca, its birth place, but spread outwards from Mecca together with the movement of the Muslims. To mention some examples: the rays of Quran shone in the heart of King Najjashi, in the Christian court of Ethiopia, thanks to the recitation of Ja’far bin Abitalib, despite the unfavorable situation prevailing there and the pressure brought to bear by the opponents of islam.
Equally they shone in Madina, the base for the formation of a new Society, where the Quran was recited by Mus’ab bin Umayr.
Ibn Hisham writes in his life of the Prophet: “So strong was the heartfelt desire of the people to hear the Quran that even some of the unbelievers of the Quraysh would secretly go near the Prophet’s house at night, remaining there until dawn, in order to listen throughout the night to the pleasing melody of the Quran as recited by the Messenger of God. This happened many times”. (Sirat Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 386)
So that the people would not fall under the influence of Quran’s eloquence and power to attract, the nonbelievers would instruct a group of people to go and make a noise, to whistle and clap their hands, while the Prophet was reciting the verses of Quran.
“The polytheists said: Do not listen to the verses of the Quran, and make a noise while they are being recited, perhaps you will thus triumph”. (41:26)
Holy Quran as a Miracle
To every Prophet, Allah gave some miracles, but gone are the Prophets and their miracles. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) is the last prophet and Allah gave him a timeless miracle, and that miracle is the Holy Quran.
It has often been argued that the Qur'an is not only the first book, and the highest linguistic achievement, of the Arabic language, but that it is also Prophet Muhammad's strongest argument against those who doubted his Message. The question that needs to be addressed here concerns the reason why a holy book, a composition of language, should be hailed as Islam's (and Prophet Muhammad's) strongest miracle and argument. The point has sometimes been made that other prophets had more tangible miracles. In the case of Muhammad, however, the miracle was not comparable to Prophet Mussa’s staff or Prophet Issa’s healing powers, but was more than that.
The Holy Quran is indeed a miracle in many aspects, some of which are described here below:
A) The Exclusive eloquence of the Quran.
B) The Inimitable Quality of the Quran.
C) The Scientific Miracle of the Quran.
D) The Accuracy of the Historical Records in the Quran.
E) The Predictions in the Quran.
F) The Challenge of the Quran.
Since the above points also constitute evidences on the authenticity of the Quran as the word of Allah (swt), they are discussed in detail in the Quran Resource Paper no. 2, under the title of “Authenticity of the Holy Quran”.
The Illustrative Themes of the Holy Quran
Another aspect of the novelty of the Qur'an language has to do with its themes. These themes and topics represent a clear departure from those which had been hitherto familiar to the Arabs. As Taha Husayn explained:
“It does not deal with any such things as ruins, camels, or long journeys in the desert; nor does it describe longing for the beloved, love, or eulogy, topics most familiar to pre-Islamic Arabs. But rather it talks to the Arabs about such things as the oneness of God, His limitless power, His knowledge, which is unattainable, His will, which is unstoppable, and His creation of heaven and earth”.
This passage underscores yet another innovative aspect of the Qur'an, namely the presentation of novel themes through an abundance of examples all aimed at illustration and persuasion. The use of illustration is one of the most effective stylistic techniques of the Qur'an. One can hardly read a verse without experiencing the impact of this technique.
The art of narrative style represents another innovative aspect of the Qur'an. It relates in astounding detail the stories of Prophet Nuh, Ibrahim, Yusuf, Musa, and Issa, among others. It presents the dialogues that took place in such stories and the claims and counter-claims made by each of the opposing parties. Story-telling may not have been totally novel in pre-Islamic Arabia given the significant quantity of parables, epics, and myths that were inherited from that period. What was novel; however, was the type of integrated, elaborate story involving such essential items as theme, plot, well-developed characters, and denouement which are to be found in the Quran, which refers itself to the benefit in telling such stories:
“We do relate unto you the most beautiful stories, in that We reveal unto you this [portion of the] Qur'an. Before this you too were among those who knew it not”. (1:3)
The Central Theme of the Holy Quran
What is the central theme of Quran?
Since the advent of Islam and the revelation of the Qur'an in the early years of the seventh century AD, the Muslim Holy Book has been the subject of many extensive analytical studies. The focus of the great majority of these studies has been the theological and legislative aspects of the Holy Book, for the Qur'an provides Muslims with detailed guidance on their everyday problems. Together with the sayings, actions, and recommendations of Muhammad, the Qur'an has been the ultimate source of legal authority for Muslims over the past fourteen centuries.
Muslim scholars have also painstakingly examined, analyzed and interpreted the various verses of the Holy Book, detailing the requirements the Qur'an imposes on Muslims in order for them to achieve spiritual purity. Thus, in addition to its legislative and theological value, the Qur'an has also served as a source of spiritual guidance for the followers of Islam.
Holy Quran is a complete code of life
However, we can not claim that the Central Theme of the Holy Quran is only legislation and spirituality; as human life is more complex and multi-dimensional. Since Islam is a complete way of human life and Quran being its source of guidance, to ascribe the Quran to be just the book of legislation and spirituality only will be misleading, because the Qur'an has dealt with a vast range of subjects.
Contrary to the opinion of some people who consider the Holy Quran to be of spiritual benefit only, or to be confined to worship, prayers and morals, we should point out that ony one-twelfth (500 verses) relates to problems of Jurisprudence; while the larger part of it deals with matters pertaining to various issues including social, political, administrative, historical, cultural, faith and other related matters.
Among the recurring themes of the Qur'an is about the universe itself and its Creator. Another theme treated by the Qur'an is the purpose of the universe and its creation. Among the other general issues dealt by the Qur'an is the question about human being: Is man a despicable creature, or a personality with nobility and dignity etc.?
The other subject dealt with in the Qur'an is the issue of human society: Is the society considered to be primary and the individual as secondary, or whether it subordinates the society to the individual? Are societies, according to the Qur'an, subject to laws governing their life and death, their rise and decline, or are these conditions applicable to individuals alone?
The Qur'an deals with numerous other issues. One of them is the point of view of the Qur'an about itself. The other issue is related to the Prophet (saww) and its manner of introducing and addressing him. Another issue is its definition of a believer (mu'min) and his characteristics and so on.
Furthermore, each of these general issues possesses various branches and divisions. For example, when discussing mankind and its situation, it is natural to speak about morality. Or, when speaking about society, the problem of human relationships also unavoidably enters the discussion. The same is true of such notions as "enjoining good and forbidding evil," and the problem of social classes.
Now the question is: What is then the Quran’s general theme? If pondered upon the multifaceted contents inside the Quran, one can safely reach to the conclusion that the central theme and aim pursued by the Quran is the ‘training of the human being’ as a being conscious of his duties. The main aim of the Quran is therefore to reinforce and accelerate the spiritual ascension, together with all the qualities of human being, toward a state of true loftiness and the dignity of which the human being is worthy.
In another words, we can say that the main purpose of Quran is to expound truths that are relevant to the ‘life of the human being’ and the exaltation of his being and conducive to his attaining a life of true happiness.
Imam Amirul Mu’miniin Ali bin Abitalib (as) narrated the following dua, from which we can derive very clearly that the Holy Quran is the ‘chart of life for man’. He prayed: “O Allah! expand my breast with Quran, actuate my body with Quran, enlighten my sight with Quran, liberate my tongue by Quran, and help me to mould my life according to Quran, so long as You make me live”.
Methods used by the Holy Quran in Training Human being
As said earlier, the aim pursued by the Quran is the training of the human being as a being conscious of his duties. Now, the emergence of such a being requires a comprehensive reform of the human being, involving various changes such as the negation of false values and meaningless criteria, and fostering of a creative energetic spirit within him. The Quran can thus be said to melt the spirit of human beings and pour them into a new mould, where they acquire a different, richer and more valuable form.
Although this may be said to be the principal aim of the Quran, it summons the human being insistently, at the very same time, to reflect and to ponder, and to acquire a realistic view of the world; it guides him on to the path of thought, of teaching and learning.
The method used by the Quran in training human being is that of ‘Inductive Method’, i.e. the process of deriving general principles of life by using logic, reason and facts. According to Quran, there are four sources of human knowledge through which eternal truth can be derived, and they are:
1) Reason and logic.
2) Experience.
3) Study of Nature.
4) History.
All the other forms of sciences are offshoots of the above four sources, and the principal advances and developments in the natural sciences are all due these premises. Allama Iqbal, the famous Indo-Muslim thinker says: “The birth of Islam, as I hope to be able presently to prove to your satisfaction, is the birth of inductive intellect. ..... The constant appeal to REASON and EXPERIENCE in the Quran, and the emphasis that it lays on NATURE and HISTORY as sources of human knowledge, are all different aspects of the same idea of finality”.
Of course, there are traditions narrated from the Prophet and the Imams of Ahlul-bayt (as) saying for example: "Verily the Qur'an has an exterior and an interior, and its interior has an interior upto seven (or according to a version, seventy) interiors . . . " And the Prophet and the Imams gave importance to its exterior as much as to its interior; they were as much concerned with its revelation as they were with its interpretation. That is why the Quran deserves to be evaluated from different points of view.
Some of the topics which call for examination in the Quran are:
1) The artistic and verbal beauty of the Quran and its style which is neither poetry nor prose.
2) The intellectual and scientific content of the Quran.
3) The reinforcement of the spiritual dimensions of man.
4) The appeal to reflect and ponder.
5) The appeal to the study of nature.
6) The tapping of the historical incidents for evaluation.
7) The expounding of the mysteries of the creation.
8) The mentioning of series of truths and principles that govern the human life, i.e. Sociology, Economics, Government, etc.
Revolutionary Transformation in the Society through the Holy Quran
Another aspect of the miraculousness of the Quran which has had a great effect is the revolutionary transformation it brought about in human civilization. A matter calling for serious attention in the study of Islam is the fact that it received no assistance from factors external to itself when it began to create the nucleus of a universal society out of a scattered and disunited people that lacked all science and free thought and did not even seek to unify its constituent tribes; and when it began, moreover, to found a uniquely, vast and spiritual civilization.
All the factors for changing the world, for putting forward an international law with the slogan of unity among races, peoples, and social classes, for creating a movement for the liberation of thought and the ennobling of knowledge, were derived from the very text of the Quran, from the culture that emerged from the Quran and from the Islamic order. Islam never relied on a government or a power situated outside the society it had itself brought into being.
Even the aggressors, for example the Mongols, who attacked the Islamic lands and triumphed over the Muslims, thanks to their military superiority, lost their dominance in the end when they were confronted with the spiritual power of Islam, and they adopted the religion of the people they had conquered. This history of nations does not record any other example of a victorious aggressor adopting the religion of the people it had defeated.
Holy Quran can shape the destiny of the human race as a whole
Therefore, Quran is specially essential for those scholars who are interested in the study of man and society, since this book has been effectively instrumental not only in moulding the destinies of Islamic societies, but also in shaping the destiny of the human race as a whole.
A brief glance over history would be enough to provide sufficient proof of the claim that there has been no such book that has ever influenced human societies to the magnitude of the Qur'an. It is for the same reason that the Qur'an automatically steps into the precincts of sociological discussions, and becomes the elemental constituent of the subjects of research in this discipline. This means that any deep study and profound research in the field of world history of the last fourteen hundred years, is impossible without the knowledge of the Qur'an.
Smith writes in his - Muhammad and Islam: “The teachings of the Quran, which mentions knowledge and the pen in its opening verses, brought about a tremendous transformation. Islam proclaimed study to be a religious duty, and made the blank ink of the scribe and the scholar to be superior to the red blood of the martyr.
“Thanks to the teachings of the Quran and its emphasis on the cultivation of knowledge, countless scholars made their appearance and wrote innumerable books. Different scientific disciplines were derived from the Quran and spread across the world by Muslim thinkers. The world was illumined with the light of the Quran and culture of Islam”.
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