A Direct Word with the Reader
In this booklet, I
have
given you an idea of the duties
which we as Muslims owe to the Qur’an. In the end, I
must urge you with all the emphasis at my command to make an earnest effort to discharge these duties with utmost care. We are the
most fortunate people in the
world
in the
sense
that
we possess the Book of Allah (SWT) perfectly intact in its original form.
Whereas it is a cause of great honor for us, it also lays upon us a heavy responsibility. Prior to the advent of Islam, the
Israelites were the custodians of Allah’s Book, but when they did not discharge
their
responsibilities
and
proved
unworthy of the
honor conferred upon them, Almighty Allah (SWT) raised a new
Ummah (i.e., the Muslims) and vouchsafed His Book to them
in the
form of the
Qur’an.
In Surah
Al-Jumu‘ah
we have
a
similitude of the people who did not fulfill the
duties that devolved
upon them as custodians of Allah’s Book.
This similitude of those who were charged with the (obligation
of) Torah, but who subsequently failed in this (obligation) is that of a donkey which carries huge volumes... (Al-Jumu‘ah 62:5)
In the subsequent part of the ayah, it has been plainly
stated that
their failure to
discharge their obligations
towards their Holy
Book is tantamount to
their denying its truth:
…How bad is the similitude of people who deny the ayaat of Allah…. (Al-Jumu ‘ah 62:5)
The ayah ends
in the categorical declaration that it is not in Allah’s nature to
grant guidance to
such people:
…and Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers.
(Al-
Jumu‘ah 62:5)
God forbid that you or I
be included among the people who are
guilty of denying and rejecting the Book of Allah (SWT) by their negligence in the discharge of their obligations
towards it and thus incur Allah’s wrath. I most earnestly pray that Allah
(SWT) may make us custodians of the Qur’an in the real sense
of the term, and enable us to
fulfill our duties towards it in the best way, which may enable us to
win
His good
pleasure.
We should remember the time when Allah’s Messenger
(SAW) will appear as a
prosecution witness in the
Court of the
Almighty and charge his people with
forsaking the Qur’an:
And the Messenger will say: “O my Lord! Verily
my
people deserted this Qur’an. (Al-Furqan 25:30)
Although in this ayah the words “my people” refer to the unbelievers who turned a deaf ear to the Qur’an and treated it with disdain, nevertheless it applies with equal cogency to
people like us who
believe in the Qur’an
but have practically rejected
it
as a thing of least moment or consequence.
Let me quote for your what Maulana Shabbir Ahmad
Usmani has to say on this point.
Although the ayah really refers to the conduct of the unbelievers,
yet
(it has a wider application,
and) all those who
do
not confirm the truth of the Qur’an (by actually following its teachings in their life), do not ponder over its meanings, do
not recite it properly, do not
try
to learn its correct reading; but indulge in all sorts of vain and frivolous pursuits turning
their back upon it (also come under its purview
and) would be
considered guilty of abandonment of the Qur’an.18
Note-18: By a strange coincidence that indicates the Maulana’s spiritual and intellectual kinship with the Holy Prophet (SAW), we have a similar
wording in a tradition which runs as follow:
“O people of the Qur’an! Do not make the Qur’an a pillow (that you may sleep over it and put it behind your back). You should rather recite it day
and
night; propagate it (all over the world), read it in a pleasing voice; ponder over its meaning
so
that you may prosper.”
What
a
noble
title
has been conferred upon us!
How succinct the
tradition that so beautifully
sums up the duties that devolve upon us as
“People of the Qur’an”! In fact, this masterpiece of conciseness is
hundred times more expressive
than any number
of
our long, pompous speeches on
the
subject. True was the claim of the Holy Prophet (SAW) that he was gifted with the power of laconic speech.
Let me once again seek Almighty’s protection against our being included among such people, and conclude my discourse with the following prayer which is generally offered
on completing the recitation of the whole Qur’an but which, I
believe, should frequently be offered so
that
Allah (SWT) may grant us strength to
fulfill the duties we owe to
His Book.
O my Lord! Be merciful to us because of (our link) with the Qur’an; make it for us a leader, (and a source of) light, guidance, and mercy, cause us to recall from
it what we have
failed to understand; give us strength to recite it day and night;
and
make it a plea for our salvation,
O Lord of the worlds.
Ameen!
Source:The Obligations Muslims owe to The Quran (Book by Dr. Israr Ahmad)
