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| Prophet Muhammad |
Understanding the Holy Qur'an
"He it is Who has sent
down to thee the book: In it are verses basic or fundamental Clear(in
meaning); They are the foundation of the Book: Others are not entirely clear. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the
part thereof that is not entirely clear." (3:7)
In the above words ALLAH gives divine
instructions in the proper method of approaching his divine word in the Holy Qur'an.
In the footnote to the Yusuf Ali translation of The Holy Qur'an,
3:7 ,we learn more about the wisdom of the above
verses,
"This passage gives us an
important clue to the interpretation of The Holy Qur'an.
Broadly speaking it may be divided into two portions, not given separately, but
intermingled: viz. (1) the nucleus or foundation of The Book, literally
"The mother of the Book". (2) the part which is not entirely clear,
it is fascinating to take up the latter, and exercise our ingenuity about its
meaning, but it refers to such profound matters that are beyond human language
and though people of wisdom may get some light, no one should be dogmatic, as
the final meaning is known to ALLAH alone. The commentators usually understand
the verses "Of established meaning" (muhkam)
to refer to the categorical orders of the Shari'at(or the law), which are plain to everyone's understanding.
But perhaps the meaning is wider: the "mother of the book" must
include the very foundation on which all Law rests,
the essence of ALLAH's message, as distinguished from
the various illustrative parables, allegories, and ordinances."
Reading the above Sura and the
accompanying commentary it is clear that the full interpretation of The Holy Qur'an has not been realized yet.
As we saw in part oneof this article Muhammad ibn Abdullah(PBUH) was an embodiment of The Holy Qur'an, so if the Holy Qur'an
hasn't been fully understood then perhaps the man who was a walking Qur'an hasn't been as understood as deep as possible.
The interpretation of The Holy Qur'an has been a source of strife among Muslims for
hundreds of years. The slightest difference in understanding of The Holy Qur'an is enough to get that person mocked, condemned or
killed. Once upon a time Umar(The second caliph of
Islam) was traveling and he heard a man reciting The Qur'an
differently than what The Prophet taught, so Umar
immediately dragged the man to Muhammad and made charges against him. The Holy
Prophet heard the man's case then heard Umar's
recitation of the Holy Qur'an. The Prophet replied: "Both
of you are right." This helps us to understand that it(The
Qur'an) has many different meanings than we in our
egomania like to limit ALLAh's word to.
To re quote the above footnote
[of the Yusuf Ali's translation of The Qur'an] he reminds us that ALLAH alone knows the final
meaning.
"But it refers to such
profound matters that are beyond human language and though people of wisdom may
get some light, no one should be dogmatic, as the final meaning is known to
ALLAH alone."
He didn't say the scholars would
know the meaning, but that ALLAH has the final meaning. Many Muslims believe
that the door to revelation was closed with the Prophet hood of Muhammad ibn Abdullah(PBUH). However, The Qur'an and Hadith give hope that ALLAH will continue to
speak through human beings.
According to a Hadith the Prophet
is reported to have said,
"ALLAH will speak to the
righteous in this community though they are not Prophets."
Also Almighty ALLAH says in The
Holy Qur'an,
"He alone knows the unseen, nor does he make anyone acquainted with
his secrets. Except a messenger whom he has chosen." (Sura 69)
I believe the above[words]
give hope that ALLAH will give deeper understanding of The Qur'an
through specially purified men, not prophets, but men whom ALLAH touches
through the heart.
Mahdi and Masih
As recorded in hadith Muhammad spoke of the coming of two men at the end
of "This world". Speaking of the man Mahdi,
Muhammad said: "ALLAH will conclude his religion through him as he
reestablished it through us." Also of the Masih
he said: "He will break the cross, kill the swine, destroy the Dajjal and set justice in the Earth."
These are very special men
through whom ALLAH will manifest great glory to the downtrodden and oppressed.
When these two men enter the world they will be entering a world like never
before. Never before has so much evil, killing, rape, and drunkenness gone on
in the world. Everything ALLAH's says: "Thou
shall not do" this world says: "Thou shall do". This opposition
to ALLAH's will makes this
world a "Devil world" where opposition to God is the reality. It will
take the intervention of these two "men" to deliver human beings from
a system that has made a joke of humanity. Man and woman are not living up to their
full potential that ALLAH created us for. Our lives are cut short on the
Physical, mental and spiritual planes, because this world didn't properly teach
us "How to eat to live".
The great Caller to Islam
In the book "World's great
men of color" the author J.A. Rogers reminds of the importance of Bilal ibn Rabah
to the Prophet, Muhammad. He says:
"Mohammed thought so much
of Bilal's loyalty that he granted him precedence in
heaven. "What shoes were those you wore last
night?" he once asked Bilal. "Verily , as I journeyed in paradise and was mounting the
stairs of God I heard your footsteps before me though I could not see
them."
Some Muslims have interpreted
these words to mean that Bilal ibn
Rabah doesn't precede the Prophet in their historical
time. However, in the latter days the people of Muhammad(The
Arab nation) would deviate from the path of ALLAH, and the people of Bilal(The Black people) would be the ones leading the Arab
back to the path of Islam. Some Muslims who may be Arabs may be offended by
these words, but they must remember these words by Prophet Muhammad himself as
recorded in Hadith,
"You will follow the
precepts of those who have gone before, step by step." They asked: "O
Messenger of ALLAH, the Jews and Christians?" He said: "Who else?"(Bukhari,
Kitab al-anbiya)
Thank you for reading!
Coming next part 3 of this
article: What is Orthodox Islam? Is it from the Prophet or men?
Copyright2008Mustafaa Muhammad http://brothermustafaa.com/
Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African
American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent
religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the
people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in
the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is
in the Mosque.
He has been featured on the
Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at
Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty
God's plan for salvation.
Mustafaa is involved in community activity. He
believes that our faith must inspire us to greater service to humanity or we
may be making a mockery of the purpose of faith. Contact him @
[http://brothermustafaa.com]
By Mustafaa Muhammad
By Mustafaa Muhammad
.jpg "Who is Muhammad?")
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