QUR’AN: Appreciating the Great Sign of God

QUR’AN: Appreciating the Great Sign of God

The Quran is the ultimate divine guidance, the climax of knowledge (ilm) which humans have received or perceived. The Quran is guidance till eternity and its message is universalised in such a way that it is compatible with every civilisation. The divine message of Quran is so harmonious that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said:
“The wonders of the Quran will never come to an end.”
Every time anyone who dives deep into its meanings and ponders over it, he will come up with a new pearl. The beauty of the Quran is unique not only in its message but also in its structure, composition, order, and presentation. But all this can be appreciated only when the message is perceived first. Same has been the case with every sign which Allah revealed through his prophets, i.e, only those who have appreciated the beauty of the signs have perceived them first. This can be understood by citing an example from the Quran itself, that of the famous miracle of the stick turning into a serpent.
The same miracle was shown to two different people – the turning of the stick into a serpent. It was denied by the Pharaoh as a mere trick but the same sign became the reason for the magicians to believe in the Lord of the Worlds. The magicians had the knowledge of magic, hence they easily deduced the contrast between what they performed and what they witnessed. It was an awe-inspiring experience for the magicians, and it was because of the knowledge (of magic) that they appreciated the sign of Allah, and that too with prostration. In this respect the Quran is the sign of signs and to perceive this great sign one should keep in mind different aspects, circumstances, the way it was revealed, the nature of society, the language, etc. One should strive to gain knowledge regarding various fields which help in this cause so that the infallibility of the Quran could be understood and appreciated. This is the level of a believer which is referred in Surah Al Imran:
“…. And those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding.”
The first and foremost to appreciate the signs of Allah were the prophets and as a result they do more prostrations than anyone else among humans as mentioned in Sura Maryam:
“These are they whom Allah bestowed favours from among the prophets of the seed of Adam and those whom we carried with Noah and of the seed of Ibrahim and Israel (Yaqub) and of those whom we guided and chose, when the communications of the Beneficent Allah were recited to them, they fell down making obeisance and weeping.”
A similar message is repeated in Sura Anfal: “The believers are only those who, when name of Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble with fear and when they hear his signs rehearsed their faith strengthens. In Allah alone do they trust.”
The next verse shows the result of the experience they feel and it is prostration in the form of Salah: “… those who keep up prayer….”
The great sign of Allah, i.e., the Quran, is also appreciated by a believer through prostrations and the appreciation can be done only when one has the knowledge to perceive its beauty. It is the reason the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim”, because it is knowledge which helps a believer appreciate this great sign of Allah and strengthen his faith.

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