INTRODUCTION:
[31:28]
And if all the trees that are in the earth were pens, and the ocean were ink,
with seven oceans swelling it thereafter, the words of Allah would not be exhausted.
Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise.
The Holy Quran is a fountain-head of all
knowledge. It is the last and perfect message of ALLAH (s.w.t) to the Whole
Mankind revealed some fourteen centuries ago to an unlettered man of Arabia by
the name of Muhammad (sa). The most innocent of the innocents and the purist of
the purified and the most perfect of all that ever walked on this planet, was
chosen to receive the brilliant light of the Quran which, having dispelled all
the traces of darkness, ushered in the era of enlightenment on mankind. In the
words of Holy Quran:
[39:70]
And the earth will shine with the light of her Lord,
The very first verse of this Holy Text revealed
to the Holy Prophet in the dark recesses of Cave Hira speaks volumes on the
great revolution of knowledge and learning that was to be triggered by this
book. And they were:
[96:2] Convey thou in the name of thy Lord Who created, [96:3] Created man from
a clot of blood. [96:4] Convey! And thy Lord is Most Generous, [96:5] Who
taught man by the pen, [96:6] Taught man what he knew not.
EXPLANATION:
The Holy Quran is a comprehensive book of all
sciences, in which all that will happen until the Qiyamah, all the information
about the beginnings and the end of the world and the solution for all problems
of every aspect of life is present. As Allah Ta'ala says in (Surah Anaam-38).
"We
have left out nothing in pre-determining the courses of their lives: then
ultimately they are all gathered to their Lord.”
Allah Ta'ala has mentioned the comprehensiveness
and boundlessness of the sciences in the Holy Quran in Surah Younus-37.
“And this
Qur'an is not a thing that could be composed without Allah's Revelation: nay,
it is the confirmation of what was revealed before it, and full explanation of
`the Book'.There is no doubt about this that it is from the Lord of the
universe.”
The Holy Quran describes every kind of thing.
There are a total of 77450 words in the Holy Quran and from each word, a fountain of
knowledge is gushing forth.
It has been said on the authority of Hadhrat
Imam Suyuti (May Allah shower His mercy on him) that Allama Qazi Abu Bakr Ibn
Arabi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) said: Every letter of the Holy Quran
has 4 dimensions: The outward, the inward, a beginning and an end. Every letter
of the Holy Quran has 4 kinds of knowledge in it with these 4 dimensions. In
light of this, the Holy Quran has 309800 sciences. For this reason, Hadhrat
Abdullah Bin Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:
Even if
the halter (rope) of my camel is lost, I will find it in the Book of Allah.
Allah Ta'ala has granted absolute knowledge
about all the sciences of the Holy Quran, which encompasses all outward and
inward knowledge and all laws and rules to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam) and has made Him a teacher (Muallim) of this great book and has sent to
the whole universe. As Allah Ta'ala says in Surah Rahman 1-4.
“The
most Merciful (ALLAH (s.w.t)) has taught this Qur'an. He it is Who created man
and taught him speech”
If someone says that the Holy Prophet
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) does not know this, then that person is not
raising an objection on the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam), but on the Holy Quran itself that the Holy Quran is imperfect and even
on Allah Ta'ala Himself that He sent someone who does not have complete
knowledge of the Holy Quran and the reality is that the Holy Quran is flawless
and the selection of the Allah Ta'ala is also flawless.
With the knowledge gained from the court of
Allah Ta'ala, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has informed us of
all that will happen until the Day of Judgment, made us aware of Jannah, Hell,
Barzakh (the netherworld between this world and the Aakhirah), Aakhirah,
judgment and everything else. There is a Hadith from Sahih Bukhari:
Translation : The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) came among
us to give a sermon and He described the reality of beginning of the universe
(creation) to when the people of Jannah will go into Jannah and the people of
Hell will go into Hell. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 3192)
here is a Hadith in Sahih Muslim on the
authority of Hadhrat Abu Zaid Amr Bin Akhtab (May Allah be well pleased with
him):
The Holy
Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) led the Salaat Ul Fajr, then graced the
pulpit and spoke to us until the time for Salaat Ul Zuhr came, then He
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) led the Salaat Ul Zuhr, then graced the pulpit
and spoke to us until the time for Salaat Ul Asr came, then He (Sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam) performed Salaat Ul Asr, graced the pulpit and spoke to us
until the sun set. He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) gave us detailed
information about what has happened and what will happen. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith
No. 7449)
The Holy Quran promotes the search for
Knowledge through rationality and reason The Holy Quran not only established
its excellence in terms of the beauty of its style, idiom and composition, but
also by motivating its followers to reflect and ponder over the things around
them and to draw conclusions on the basis of rational thinking. The Holy Quran
manifestly acknowledges the role of rationality for the attainment of truth;
whether that be of a religious or secular nature. This great emphasis on
rational thinking played a vital role in promoting the quest for knowledge in
the realm of religion and science. It was the urge for learning that
subsequently sparked a dynamic movement that helped change the world as we know
it today.
Alas! The great intellectual, economic and
social prosperity that Muslims gained in the early period of Islam by following
the golden principles of the Holy Quran waned out soon due to their rejection
of the same book of wisdom. In fact this too was prophesied in the following
verse of the Holy Quran:
[25:31]
And the Messenger will say, ‘O my Lord, my people indeed treated this Qur’an as
a discarded thing.’
And this resulted in the downfall of the whole
Muslim empire. But the Muslims’ legacy of finding the truth through reasoning
and experimentation was passed on to the Western world which ultimately
culminated in a scientific and industrial revolution of the 17th and 18th
centuries. In this era of great Enlightenment that dawned upon West, Muslims
were engulfed by the pitch darkness of ignorance. The Knowledge of the Holy
Quran is revealed at certain times.
When the West was making great discoveries and
inventions that were laid hidden in the treasure house of the Holy Quran, the
Muslims had unfortunately distanced themselves from its wisdom. They encased it
in elaborate and elegant cloths and placed it on high shelves – far away from
anyone`s reach – limiting themselves to reverence. Even those who knew how to
read its words, albeit without understanding, would recite it merely on the dead
rather than on the living. Some went so far as to declare parts of it abrogated
for the sheer reason of being unable to understand them. However, just like any
other knowledge, the gates to understanding this divine message were to be
opened at a certain time. As it is mentioned in the Holy Quran:
[15:22] And there is not a thing but with Us are the treasures thereof and We
send it not down except in a known measure.
At this time of utter disparity covering the
Muslim world and faithlessness in the so-called enlightened western world.
The verities and fine points which foster
understanding are always disclosed according to need. New corruptions call for
ever fresh meanings, which are full of wisdom. It is obvious that the Holy
Qur’an is a miracle in itself, and the greatness of its miracle is that it is
comprehensive of unlimited verities, but they are manifested at their due time.
As the difficulties of the time demand, those hidden insights are disclosed.
The Holy Qur’an itself is vivid miracle which can
manifest itself to every people and by presenting which we can silent every
non-believer or pagan, is the unlimited treasury of insights, verities and
wisdoms, which are expounded in every age according to its need and stand as
armed soldiers to refute the thinking of every age. If the Holy Qur’an had been
limited in its verities and insights, it would not have amounted to a perfect
miracle.
A necessary sign for the recognition of the
holy and true Word of ALLAH (s.w.t) is that it should be unique in all its
qualities, for we observe that whatever proceeds from ALLAH (s.w.t) Almighty is
unique and matchless even if it is only a grain of barley, and human powers
cannot match it. Being matchless means being unlimited, that is to say, a thing
can be matchless only when its wonders and qualities are unlimited and have no
end. As we have just stated, this characteristic is found in everything created
by ALLAH (s.w.t) Almighty. For instance, if the wonders of a leaf of a tree are
investigated for a thousand years, that period would come to an end, but the
wonders of the leaf will not come to an end. That which has come into being
through unlimited power, must comprise unlimited wonders and qualities. The
verse,
“Say,
‘If every ocean becomes ink for the words of my Lord, surely, the ocean would
be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even though We brought
the like thereof as further help;’” (18:110)
supports this, for the whole of creation in
Words of ALLAH (s.w.t). Thus this verse means that the qualities of creation
are without limit and endless. Now when every created thing possesses unlimited
and endless qualities and comprises numberless wonders then how could the Holy
Qur’an, which is the Holy Word of ALLAH Almighty, be confined to the few meanings
which may be set out in a commentary of forty or fifty or a thousand volumes,
or could have been expounded by our lord and master the Holy Prophet [peace and
blessings of Allah be on him] in a limited period? To say so would almost
amount to disbelief, if it is deliberately persisted in. It is true that
whatever the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has set
forth as the meaning of the Holy Qur’an is true and correct, but it is not true
that the Holy Qur’an contains no more than the insights that have been set
forth by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Such
sayings of our opponents indicate that they do not believe in the unlimited
greatness and qualities of the Holy Qur’an.
Hazrat ALI (r.z) ,gate of all the knowledge, witnesses about the
QURAN as a fountain-head of all knowledge with following words:
1:it’s a sharp instrument whoever basis his
arguments on it.
2:it’s a source of knowledge for whoever has sense and the best narrative for
its transmitters;
3: It is a light whose radiance shall not be extinguished;
4:A lamp whose flame shall not die;
Subhaanallah! This brilliant oration reviews
many important points which call for careful reflection. For instance, by
saying that Al-Quran is 'a lamp whose flame shall not die,' Imam Ali ibn Abi
Talib (as) means, as he does in many other statements in this oration, that
Al-Quran is a book whose signification shall not be exhausted. It will remain
fresh and new until the Day of Resurrection. A verse may have been sent down
regarding a specific occasion or community, yet its relevance is not limited to
that occasion, person, or community; rather, its signification and
applicability are general.
Regarding the verse "For every people there is a guide
(Al-Quran, 13:7)", al-Ayyashi reports the
following discussion with Abu Ja'far [Imam al-Baqir (as)]:
"Imam al-Baqir (as) said, 'Ali is the
guide, and the guide is always one of us.'
I said, 'Then you - for whom may my life be a sacrifice - are now the guide.'
'You are right,' said Imam al-Baqir (as). 'Al-Quran lives and will not die; the
verses live and will not die. If a verse were to die with the death of the
persons concerning whom it came down, then Al-Quran would have definitely died.
Rather, such a verse would continue to apply to those who are alive as it did
to those who died.'"
Another tradition reports that Imam al-Sadiq
(as) said, "Certainly, Al-Quran lives, and has not died; and it
is existent just as the day and the night and the sun and the moon are existent.
And it will exist for the last among us as it has existed for the first."
CONCLUSION:
The HOLY QURAN is undoubtedly a never-ending
treasure of knowledge . Not only the wonders of the Holy Quran and that of the
Natural World are unlimited, but they are also in absolute harmony with each
other. It is impossible to trace any conflict between the work of ALLAH
(s.w.t), i.e., science and the Word of ALLAH (s.w.t), i.e., the Holy Quran.
The Holy Qur’an is a Book so full of wisdom
that it has brought out the accord between the principles of spiritual
medicine, that is to say, the principles of religion which are truly spiritual
medicine, and physical medicine, and this accord is so fine that it opens the
doors of hundreds of insights and eternal truths. Only that person can
interpret the Holy Qur’an truly and perfectly, who ponders the principles laid
down by the HolyQur’an in the light of the system of physical medicine. On one
occasion I was shown in a vision some books of expert physicians which contained
a discussion of the principles of physical medicine, among which was included
the book of the expert Physician Qarshi, and it was indicated to me that these
Books contained a commentary on the Holy Qur’an. This shows that there is a
deep relationship between the science of bodies and the science of religion and
that they confirm each other. When I looked at the Holy Qur’an, keeping in mind
the books that dealt with physical medicine, I discovered that the Holy Qur’an
sets out in an excellent manner the principles of physical medicine
Following this principal and rational we can
rightly conclude that whatever man has discovered or learnt so far in any field
of knowledge help explain the verses of the Holy Quran. In other words all the
books that have been written down to explain the Physical World are, in
reality, the commentaries of the Holy Quran. In some cases the whole branch of
scientific knowledge seems to be devoted to unravel the secrets of a single
verse of Holy Quran. For example all the scientific findings in the field of
Embryology serve as the testimony of the truth of this verse of Quran:
[23:13]
Verily, We created man from an extract of clay; [23:14] Then We placed him as a
drop of sperm in a safe depository; [23:15] Then We fashioned the sperm into a
clot; then We fashioned the clot into a shapeless lump; then We fashioned bones
out of this shapeless lump; then We clothed the bones with flesh; then We
developed it into another creation. So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators.
This kind of Miracle of the Holy Quran has also been
admired by the modern scientists. Dr.
Moore who was a Professor of Anatomy and Chairman of
the Department, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto, commenting
on the above mentioned verse says:
“This verse from the Koran states that
ALLAH (s.w.t) made you from a drop and then changed the drop into a leech-like
structure which soon changed into a chewed like substance that then took the
shape of bone and was clothed with flesh” and said , “I was amazed at the
scientific accuracy of these statements which were made in the 7th century A.D”
There is no doubt whatsoever that the Holy
Quran discusses all such issues that enhance, one way or the other, man’s
understanding of this world or that of other. However, the real objective of
this Holy Book is to guide man to the ultimate and absolute truth that is
unchangeable over the periods of time. And that truth is, “there is none worthy of worship except Allah”.
This is the ultimate conclusion of all
pursuits of gaining knowledge and understanding in this world, if done with the
sincerity of the heart and mind. This is the point where a true believer of the
Quran enters into the realm of absolute certainty.
"May ALLAh advance us with correct
knowledge. Aameen."
