Eloquence and Majesty of a Book

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, Most Merciful

 It is late spring and the weather has been rather cool lately. Today it has been a little warmer. There are approximately 800 people - men, women and children - crammed into a mosque to attend a unique program. So the temperature inside is rising. The program is just about to put a different dimension on the “heat”.  In daily sessions, lasting 3 hours, for the next 13 days the Quran will be translated (into English) to the public word-for-word. Yes, “translations” of the Quran are available in various languages but this program, in the manner of presentation, is unique.

It’s Day 1. Barely an hour into the program, there is a small break. Then there is an announcement. A 19-year old girl, who came as a guest of a friend, declares her shahadah, i.e. she declares her faith and her acceptance of Islam. What did she hear that was so profound? What impact did the atmosphere have? Situations like these are not unique. Situations where people are exposed to Quran and accept Islam is not unique. The part of the Quran this girl would have heard was about Moses (peace be upon him) and the Jews – yet it somehow impacted.

Here was a case recently where someone attended a Islamic exhibition purely out of curiosity. He hears the recitation of Quran (in Arabic) – not understanding a word he is touched by it. He enquires about its meaning and declares his shahadah.

These are but two examples of the effect Quran has on people. There are countless. Those sincere in seeking the truth will no doubt be touched by it. The style and beauty of Quran is without comparison for it is none other than the words of a superior being, the Lord of the worlds, the Creator of us all.

I have recently listened to a lecture where this “pastor” tried to refute Quran, but alas the more he tried the more he confirmed it to be the truth. He questioned the preservation of Quran but he did not count on the fact the Quran is an oral text. He did not consider that Quran was memorised and guarded in the hearts of people from the very first revelation of Quran more than 1400 years ago. How amazing that the majority people (millions of them) who today have memorised Quran are non-Arabs who may not understand Arabic. It’s difficult enough to memorise something in one’s own language let alone 6236 verses in a foreign language. This is the medium the Almighty has chosen to preserve His word. Children from 3-4 years old and older people into their seventies are memorising Quran. No other book has withstood the test of time. No other book has the eloquence that even the pagan Arabs who at the height of their poetic era had to acknowledge that these words are from a superior being. The style and manner in which it was first recited is very much still preserved and taught.

The program continues. Speaker after speaker, people who teach Quran and yet in each one there is still a hint of being mesmerised by this book every time they talk about this Glorious book. The emotions on the faces of the audience is a picture to behold and a reflection of one’s own heart and emotions.

And in the end it, this program, is a reminder of the first five verses revealed by Allaah to Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him – via angel Gabriel –peace be upon him in the cave of Hira on  the Mountain of Light on the outskirts of Mecca more than 1400 years ago:

Read [O Muhammad!] in the name of your Lord who created. (96.1) He created man from a clot. (96.2) Read, and your Lord is the Most Honorable (96.3) who taught with the pen, (96.4) taught man what he did not know. (96.5)

Quran – 96: 1-5

We need to do ourselves this favour and read this book