The Quran: What It ls and What Is

One's Obligation Toward It

Before delving into the main goal of this work, it was thought best to begin with a
reminder: a reminder of what the Quran truly is and what a Muslim's obligation is toward it.
Probably no Muslim ever forgets that the Quran is the revelation from Allah that He revealed
to His final messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). At the same time, though, a Muslim
may not completely realize the ramifications of that fact. He may forget some of wonderful
aspects that Allah has stated concerning the Quran. He may also be neglectful of what the
Prophet (peace be upon him) has said about the Quran.
The first goal of this chapter, therefore, is simply to remind the reader of what the
Quran is. Undoubtedly, the more a believer knows about the Quran, the more he will yearn to
learn it. The more a person realizes about the Quran, the closer he will want it to be to his
heart and mind. The one who knows the Quran the best is its speaker, Allah. So first there
will be a discussion of selected verses from the Quran that describe the Quran itself.1 The one
who knows the Quran second best is the one who received it as revelation, the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The first aspect that one notes is that Allah refers to the Book with the demonstrative
pronoun dhaalika, which would normally be translated as, "that" instead of "this." However,
the word "that" is used for "this" for particular reasons. Siddiqi noted,
The demonstrative pronoun dJ.) ["that"] indicates remoteness of distance, but at times it
indicates esteem, honour and grandeur of that for which it is used as we find in the case of the
Quran. 2 Second, the phrase is actually more comparable to something like, "This is the
Book." It implies that it is the most complete book and that no other book deserves to be
called a "book" like this book does. It is the real book that encompasses what no other
previous book encompasses. In other words, Allah is pointing to the completeness and
encompassed as well as all the knowledge necessary for mankind. See alRaaghib al-Isfahaani,
Mujam Mufradaat Alfaadh al-Quraan (Beirut: Daar al-Fikr, n.d.), p. 4 1 4.
One will note that in many cases the true or complete ramifications of the original
Arabic of the Quran are very difficult or impossible to capture in a mere translation. Of
course, the English translation cannot be called the Quran. The Quran is only the original
Arabic text. No matter how excellent a translation may be, it can never match the miraculous
nature and

linguistic excellence of the Quran.

Abdul Hameed Siddiqi, The Holy Quran: English

Translation and Explanatory Notes (Lahore, Pakistan: Islamic Book Centre, n.d.), vol. 1 , p. I
0. There are some commentators who understand the demonstrative pronoun phrase here to
mean, "that is the book." They are then forced to explain what is the referent of "that." Fakhar
al-Deen Al-Raazi has given seven possible explanations. [See Fakhar al-Deen al-Raazi, alTafseer alKabeer (Beirut: Daar Ihyaa al-Turaath al-Arabi, n.d.), vol. 2, pp. 12-1 3 .]
However, it is clear from the statements of the Companions that the meaning of the phrase is
"this is the book" and not "that is the book." This controversy is discussed in detail in this
author's lecture series, "Tafseer Soorah al-Baqarah," Lecture #3.
Third, Allah mentions that this is a book concerning which there can be no doubt. It is
the case that many disbelievers and skeptics doubt this book. However, that is not the
meaning of this passage. The meaning is that the proofs and evidence that this is a true and
perfect revelation from Allah are so great and clear that there is in reality no room or reason
for anyone to doubt this book. This applies to the book as a whole and every portion of its
guidance. There should be no doubt concerning anything that Allah has stated in this book.
The absence of doubt, as al-Saadi points out, implies that the believer must be completely
certain and satisfied that everything stated in this book is true.
Fourth, Allah describes this book as "guidance." Commenting on this portion of the
verse, al-Saadi noted, Allah stated the word "guidance" without stating its regimen or
governing word. He did not say, "Guidance for the benefit of so and so," or "for the benefit of
such and such purpose." [Such was not said] so that the concept of guidance may be left in its
generality. It is guidance for all of the needs and benefits of the life of this world and that of
the Hereafter. It is the guide for humans concerning fundamental and secondary aspects. It
distinguishes truth from falsehood and what is sound from what is weak. And it makes clear
for them how to follow the path that is beneficial for them in both their worldly affairs and
their other worldly matters.