Introduction — the Qur’ān and its Impact

All praise is due to Allāh, the One Who revealed the Book as a warner and provider of good news.

It is Allāh’s greatest and final revelation, the seal of His scriptures, revealed to the seal of the Messengers and their chief, Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh (peace and blessings be upon him), through the intermediary of Allāh’s select Angel, on the mightiest night of the chosen month. May Allāh’s peace and blessings be upon His final and exemplary Messenger, the greatest exegete of Allāh’s words, through which his companions were guided to the ideal way of life.

When Saʿd b. Hishām b. ʿĀmir (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) asked the mother of the believers, ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā), about the conduct of the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings be upon him), she knew well that any description would fall short of truly encompassing the superiority of his manners. The reply of our eloquent mother and daughter of the ṣiddīq was simple and powerful. She said:

“Do you not read the Qur’ān?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ She said, ‘The character of the Prophet of Allāh (peace and blessings be upon him) was the Qur’ān.’ Saʿd said, ‘I wanted to get up and not ask about anything else until I died...”¹

The Qur’ān is a spring that never ceases to give. It is a wholesome curriculum which provides its adherents with distinction amidst a world running after unsubstantial and subjective guidance, codes, and legislations. When approaching the Qur’ān, one must perceive it for what it is: a perpetual miracle and an inimitable wonder that, since its revelation, has baffled the brightest minds and overwhelmed the most thorough manmade texts and systems. All other miracles have ceased to exist. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says:

“There was no prophet among the prophets but was given miracles through which people had security or belief, but what I was given was the Divine Inspiration (the Qur’ān) which Allāh revealed to me. As such, I hope that my followers will be more than those of any other prophet on the Day of Resurrection.”²

The Qur’ān is the Muslim’s share of these divine signs and miracles, one that remains fully accessible and available to us today. The Qur’ān was revealed in the age of poetry, during which civilisation experienced the pinnacle of linguistic eloquence. In pre-Islāmic Arabia men and women possessed such rhetoric proficiency that their words and expressions would outdo the hands of artists. They were people of piercing memory and oratory detail. Their powerful linguistic constructs were merged with profound wisdoms and insights. As such, poetry proliferated, catching on to day-to-day discourse, reshaping narratives, changing balances of power, creating reputations and destroying others. The strength of their poetry was such that it stood the test of time, and much of it is still preserved today.

It was precisely then that Allāh revealed His eternal challenge; a provocation specifically for those who

proudly hung their impressive and distinctive literary pieces on the sanctified and oft-frequented Kaʿbah and for the world at large. Allāh’s challenge also extended to the Jinn-kind whose literature was known and documented at the time. Allāh says:

Say, “If both men and Jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could never produce anything like it, even if they backed each other up.”³

The Qur’ān’s unparalleled linguistic style does not come at the expense of its overwhelming depth or power to guide and reform. Its verses penetrated hardened hearts, minds, and consciences. Jubair b. Muṭʿim (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), one of the leaders of the Quraish and a scholar in genealogy, said:

“I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Sūrat al- Ṭūr in the Maghrib prayer, and when he reached the verse, ‘Or were they created out of nothing, or are they the creators? Or did they create the Heavens and the Earth? No, in truth they have no certainty. Or do they possess the treasuries of your Lord or do they have control of them? Or have they been given the authority to do as they like?’⁴ My heart was about to fly out of its place.”⁵

During the early stages of the da‘wah, the Quraish elected one of its leaders, ‘Utbah b. Rabīah, to negotiate with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hopes of bringing an end to what they perceived as a threat to their social and economic fabric. ‘Utbah visited the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said:

“You have put your people in great trouble; you have created divisions among them; you consider them to be fools; you talk ill of their religion and gods ... if by what you are doing, you want wealth, we will give you enough of it so that you will be the richest man among us, if you want power, we will

make you our chief and will never decide a matter without you.”

When he was done with his plea, the attentive and patient Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied with serenity and composure:

“In the name of Allāh, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. Ḥā Mīm. A revelation from the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. A Book whose verses have been demarcated for people who know as an Arabic Qur’ān, bringing good news and giving warning; but most of them have turned away and do not hear. They say, ‘Our hearts are covered up against what you call us to and there is heaviness in our ears. There is a screen between us and you. So, act – we are certainly acting (meaning we will not

change our ways).’”⁶

‘Utbah reclined on his hands listening. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the verse of prostration and prostrated ‘Utbah got up and left without a question or objection. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had recited the pure and unadulterated Qur’ān to a recipient who possessed unquestionable Arabic comprehension and eloquence without adding a word of commentary or analysis. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) knew it was something ‘Utbah had never heard before, for it was directly from Allāh, and it left him bewildered, unsettled and changed.

Although he could not bring himself to admit it, his face and demeanour exposed his sentiments such that, upon seeing him, ‘Utbah’s clansmen asked one another, “What happened? He looks entirely different to when he set off.” Then, in what was to become one of the most articulate and poignant expressions about the Qur’ān, ‘Utbah replied:

“By Allāh I heard what I have never heard the likes of before. By Allāh it is not poetry nor is it sorcery nor is it magic. People of Quraish, listen to me and make me responsible [for my position]. Leave this man be, because by Allāh what he says will have serious effects [in the future]. If the other Arabs overcome him, you will be saved

from having participated in fighting your brother and others will deal with him. But if he prevails over Arabia, his sovereignty will inevitably be your sovereignty and his honour your honour.” They said, “You have been bewitched Abu al-Walīd.”⁷

The Qur’ān’s impact reverberated throughout the world. It shook the hearts of educated Christian clergymen well-versed in divine scripture and expression. For them, it was not only confirmation of what they knew, but it had the familiar hallmark of divine speech that moved them to tears. Allāh says:

When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they recognise of the truth. They say, “Our Lord, we have Īmān! So, write us down among the witnesses.”⁸

Beyond the perceived physical realm, the Qur’ān penetrated the heartlands of the hidden Jinn-kind who

were bewildered by its meanings and presentation and were transformed, embracing Allāh’s final religion. Allāh says:

Say, “It has been revealed to me that a band of the Jinn listened and said, ‘We have heard a most amazing recitation (Qur’ān). It leads to right guidance so we believed in it and will not associate anyone with our Lord.’”

Up until the Jinn said:

“The foolish among us (i.e. Iblīs) used to utter vile slanders against Allāh.”⁹

Its truth was simply irresistible. After a single instance listening to the Prophet’s recitation, whatever obedience and servitude they may have had for their master Iblīs were obliterated and they boldly declared the malice of Iblīs.

Perhaps more extraordinary still is the intense impact the Qur’ān had on the Angels. Despite their closeness to

its source; their knowledge and direct interactions with transcendent realities, and their leader Jibrīl (ʿalayhi al-Salām) being the one to deliver it to the heart of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), they were still taken aback by the magnificence of the Qur’ān.

Usaid b. Ḥuḍair (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) reports that whilst he was reciting Sūrat al-Baqarah at night, his horse tied beside him began to act troubled. When he stopped reciting, his horse settled. When he started reciting again, the horse was startled again. Again, he stopped reciting and the horse settled. Usaid, afraid that his young son Yaḥyā who was sitting beside the horse would be trampled, ended his recitation. The next morning, he informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of his experience. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delighted, exclaiming:

“Recite, Ibn Hudair! Recite, Ibn Hudair!” He said, “Messenger of Allāh! My son Yaḥyā was near the horse and I was afraid that it might trample him. When I looked towards the sky and went to him, I saw something

like a cloud containing what looked like lamps, so I left in order not to see it.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Do you know what that was?” Ibn Hudair replied, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Those were Angels who came near you for your voice and if you had kept on reciting until dawn, it would have remained there until the morning when people would have seen it and it would not have disappeared.”¹⁰

Exposure to the Qur’ān forged the most illustrious scholars, thinkers, and righteous men and women even from those who were otherwise headed for ruin. Imām Al-Dhahabī relates that the esteemed scholar of Islām al-Fuḍayl b. ʿIyād had taken to banditry in his youth, raiding caravans and robbing travellers. It was around this time he fell in love with a young girl and, on one occasion, decided to climb up the wall of her house. As he climbed, he overheard a voice reciting:

“Has the time not arrived for the hearts of those who have Īmān to yield to the remembrance of Allāh and to the truth He has sent down, so they are not like those who were given the Book before for whom the time seemed over long so that their hearts became hard? Many of them are deviators.”¹¹

The verse jolted his heart and rejuvenated his dampened spiritual conscience. In one breath he said, “Yes Allāh, now is the time!” A single verse sparked the beginning of his admired journey of worship and scholarship, leading him to become one of the greatest Imāms of Islām and contributors to its rich heritage.

The Qur’ān not only transforms but distinguishes. The norms of social class, distinction, and recognition became all but redundant. Qur’ānic distinction would eclipse social hierarchies forever.

A man called Nāfiʿ b. ʿAbd al-Hārith met ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) at a place called ʿUsfān. ʿUmar had employed Nāfiʿ as deputy over Makkah. In their meeting,

ʿUmar asked Nafiʿ, “Who did you appoint as deputy over the people of the valley [during your absence]?” Nafiʿ replied, “Ibn Abza.” ʿUmar asked, “Who is Ibn Abza?” Nafiʿ replied, “He is one of our freed slaves.” ʿUmar asked, “So you have appointed a freed slave over them?” Nafiʿ said, “He is well- versed in the Book of Allāh (ʿazza wa jal) and he is well-versed in the commandments and injunctions.” On hearing this, ʿUmar said:

“Indeed, your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Through this Book, Allāh raises some and degrades others.’”¹²

Notice the words ‘your Prophet’ which would immediately dispel any objection that might arise. The one best acquainted with the Qur’ān is worthy of assuming leadership over Islām’s holiest city, even if they once held the social status of a slave! This is but one of many examples in Islām’s elaborate history.

In fact, the Qur’ān revived a civilisation that was virtually dead. The 600-year lull in heavenly revelation since the Abrahamic message of Jesus (ʿalayhi al-Salām) left much of humanity entirely lost for guidance. Just

as the world lurked in darkness and disarray, seemingly destined for Hell, it found itself heading to Paradise. Just as it sunk into depression, misery, misguidance and loneliness, it was reintroduced to its purpose and Lord, for Whose closeness our hearts were created. From darkness, humanity began to see unblemished realities and developed a clear and vibrant picture of exactly where we are going and how to get there. Humanity was thus salvaged by Allāh’s guidance, delivered entirely by His favour and grace (Mann).¹³ Allāh says:

Allāh showed great kindness (manna) to the believers when He sent a Messenger to them from among themselves to recite His Signs to them and purify them and teach them the Book and Wisdom, even though before that they were clearly misguided.¹⁴

Nothing is more worthy of our time than Allāh’s Book, for life is futile and meaningless without it. In the

same way, nothing is worse than our detaching from it because by that we would be detaching our life from its very essence, bringing true death upon ourselves before the defunction of limbs. Undeniably, to throw away the purpose of our existence is to cease to exist at all.

To be gifted the Qur’ān means we are never truly deprived if we are rejected or suffer material loss. In the Qur’ān, after highlighting the rejection of the Makkan pagans, Allāh comforts our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). His is an experience common to previous prophets who sought to guide communities enmeshed in customary misguidance. In the subsequent verse, Allāh goes further still, reminding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of the ultimate relief – that neither the distresses of rejection nor the sweetness of a message accepted compare to the gift of the Qur’ān:

We have given you the Seven Oft-repeated (meaning al-Fātiḥa) and the Magnificent Qur’ān.¹⁵

In the verse that immediately follows, Allāh instructs the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

Do not direct your eyes longingly to what We have given certain of them to enjoy. Do not feel sad concerning them. And take the believers under your wing.¹⁶

Let us embark, then, on our journey through al- Ḥujurāt with the certitude that it will encompass some of the best advice we will ever receive. It is the literal word of Allāh (ʿazza wa jal) to which we should stand to attention and humble ourselves in awe and eager anticipation; it should shape our entire perspective. And all praise and thanks are due to Allāh.