The Guidance of The Qur'an [Part I]

(Zaki Khalid, Lahore)

THE GUIDANCE OF THE QUR'AN
A BRIEF ANALYSIS [Part I]

BISMILLAH HIR-RAHMAAN NIR-RAHEEM (In The Name of Allah. The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful).

The Qur'an is the last and final testament of Almighty Allah that was revealed upon the last and final prophet of God, Muhammad (SAW). For centuries, people have mistaken it to be solely addressing to the Arabs. That is not true. The Qur'an was for the whole of humanity, for all times. Each and every one of its teachings and laws are as validly applicable and qualified as they were back then.

The first surah (interpreted as 'Chapter') of The Qur'an is Al-Fatiha (The Opening). It is quite similar to the Lot's Prayer of the Bible, in the sense that it is a practical supplication and du'a for success in this life and the Hereafter.

After Al-Fatiha comes surah Al-Baqara (The Cow). It is the longest chapter of The Qur'an (containing 286 verses). Firstly, The Qur'an calls upon the reader and directly challenges him/her, that it is a Book wherein there is no doubt (Al-Baqara : V.2). The Qur'an makes it clear that only those people who fear Allah (God-conscious, virtuous people) will be the ones who will really benefit from the Majesty of The Qur'an i.e. The Guidance of The Qur'an. The Arabic word mentioned is 'muttaqeen'. One may ask, fine The Qur'an has set a condition, but how does one become muttaqi (God-fearing)? The answer is simple: It is mentioned in V.42 of Aal-e-Imran that "Obey Allah and His Messenger". To obey the Messenger, one has to follow his sunnah (traditions, customs) and practically implement the teachings of The Hadi'th on himself. Only thus will one actually benefit from The Qur'an's guidance. Otherwise, everybody can read The Qur'an just like that...

So in a sense, the prerequisite to be a muttaqi is a kind of password that one uses to access the main program (hidayah) i.e. guidance. Simply reading The Qur'an otherwise without guidance is simply to read the details of the program.

It is mentioned in The Qur'an, in V.76 of Surah Maryam:

And Allah does advance in guidance those who seek guidance: and the things, Good Deeds, are best in the sight of Your Lord, as rewards, and best in respect of (their) eventual return

The above mentioned verse makes it precisely clear, that one must also have the intention of obtaining guidance... Divine Guidance. Please note: Good deeds are good for their eventual return. This statement (result) points to 3 things:
Thawaab (Reward)
Karam (Forgiveness/Salvation)
Hidayah (Guidance)

That is, the above statement best in respect of (their) eventual return means that a person will be blessed either by one of the 3 things, or maybe all three at once!

Remember, one of the beautiful attributes of Allah is that he is Al-Hadi i.e. the one who shows the Straight Path. One must offer tawba (sincere repentance) both from the tongue and especially from the heart and pray to Allah (SWT) to bless him/her with Divine Guidance. Insha'Allah once that is achieved, a whole new world of meaning, logic, understanding, and purpose will be unfolded unto the one who supplicated. And what will be the definitive result? Allah (SWT) says in The Qur'an in V.55 of Surah Noor:

Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He had chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate anyone with Me'. If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked

Another very straight-forward verse has been stated, for which a layman need not go to an Imam or scholar for interpretation. Allah assures the believer that if he/she does acts of righteousness, he will transfer them from their state of miseries to that of utter mercy. For a poor person, they can be wealthy as well as receive Divine Guidance. Whereas in the case of already blessed wealthy people, they will be granted with that which is unpurchasable... Divine Guidance. The reward for the poor one might seem double, but in their respective states, it all amounts to the same.

TO BE CONTINUED... (InshaAllah)

Zaki Khalid
About the Author: Zaki Khalid Read More Articles by Zaki Khalid: 7 Articles with 17892 views Writer, Orator and Student of Islam & Comparative Religion, International Geopolitics, Defence, Intelligence, sharia-endorsed spiritualism and Pakista.. View More