In the name of Allah
Quran -e- Majid (the Glorious Quran), is the word of Allah as revealed to His Prophet, Muhammad ( peace be on him and his descendants).
From the time of its revelations, till today, many people have tried to cast doubts about the Divinity of the Holy Quran, but they have not succeeded because of its inherent truth. The Book itself gives guidance and wisdom; it has a lot of good to offer to humanity. Every right-minded reader can derive a lot of benefit from it.
The book of Allah constantly appeals to one to think, ponder and understand and forbids one to drown one’s reason or believe blindly. More than one billion Muslims believe in it, live and die by it.
To every prophet, Allah gave some miracles. The Holy Prophet Muhammad is the last Prophet and Allah gave him an unperishable miracle, and that miracle is the Holy Quran.
The Kalam(word)-o-Allah is a wonderful piece of poetry and Arabic literature, full of wisdom and guidance. On reading it one is at once convinced that it is the Word of Allah, for no man can write such perfect guidance on so many subjects.
The Holy Quran says that no man will be able to forge even a part of it and that no corruption shall touch it from any side. It is a miracle that the Holy Quran remained unchanged and unaltered during all these 1400 years.
The Book of Allah is like an ocean. The less earned, like children, collect pebbles and shells from its shores. The scholars and thinkers, like pearl divers, bring out from it the highest philosophy, wisdom and rules of a perfect way of living.
In order to understand the Glorious Quran, it is necessary to know the lives of Muhammad, Ali1, Fatemah (Fatima)2, Hasan3 and Hosein4, who translated into action every command and order of Allah; Muhammad being the perfect example for men, Ali for youths, Fatemah for women and Hasan and Hosein for children.
Allah is the creator, and he exists whether one believe, or not. The proof of His existence is His creation. The proof of Muhammad ‘Prophethood is the Holy Quran.
For those who want to believe, these proofs are enough, and those who do not want to believe, no-matter what proofs of arguments, however strong they may be, are brought before him.
For easy daily recitation, the Quran is divided into 30 equal parts. One part takes only 24 reading minutes, and the whole Book requires 12 reading hours. There are also 114 chapters. Millions of Muslims read the Quran-e-Majid daily. Imam*Ja’afer Sadiq5 has said, that the minimum daily reading of the Quran should be 50 ayats, about 5 minutes reading.
Islam and Muslim
The word Islam means submission to the Will of Allah and a Muslim is he who submits to the Will of Allah.
Islam is a religion, which can be followed easily by everyone, everywhere, in a day to day life. It is the religion of every Prophet of Allah from Adam to Muhammad, and is as old as humanity.
Allah has sent numerous Prophets to all the nations and races. As the human race progressed, the Prophets were sent with the laws that suited the requirements of that time. Each new Prophet brought a new Divine Law, which abrogated or cancelled the previous Law.
Muhammad is the last Prophet of Allah and he has brought the last and the most perfect Law in the Holy Quran. History shows us, that this Law has suited the requirements of the people for the last 1400 years.
Islam is a way of life. It is a simple and uncomplicated religion, giving one maximum freedom without encroaching on the freedom of others. It enjoins one to believe in one God, and do good; to keep up prayers and pay the poor rate; to fast during the month of Ramazan; to perform the Hajj and to fight for the sake of Allah whenever necessary; to believe in the justice of Allah, in the life after death, in the prophethood of Muhammad and the teachings of the twelve Apostolic Imams6. Islam forbids evil and tyranny, prohibits intoxicants and games of chance, adultery and indecencies, and blood and flesh of swine and dead animals. “There is no compulsion in religion “and there are no harsh and hard rituals or unreasonable dogmas in Islam.
Among many reforms which the Prophet of Islam gave to the world, he taught that human beings whether brown, black, red, white or yellow, are sons of Adam and no man had any superiority over another man because of his color, rank or riches. He taught:
“The most honorable man in the sight of Allah, is he, who is most careful of his duty to Allah and that man has rights only to the extent of the duties, he performs”.
M.H. Shakir
Summarized and edited by Seyed Fazel Teymuri
1- Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) is the successor of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He is also his cousin and his son-in-law. He was martyred in a mosque in 661 A.D. His shrine is in Najaf (Iraq)
2- Hazrat* Fatemah (PBUH), the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is Ali’s Wife. She passed away in 633 A.D. Her shrine is unknown.
3- Hasan (PBUH) is the son of Ali and Fatemah. He is the second Imam. He was martyred in 670 A.D. His shrine is in Medina.
4-Hosein (PBUH) is the third Imam. He is also Ali’s son. He was martyred in 680 A.D. His shrine is in Karbala (Iraq).
5- Imam Ja’afer Sadiq (PBUH) is the son of Imam Muhammad Baqir. He is the sixth Imam. He was martyred in 766A.D. His shrine is in Medina.
6-The twelveth Imam is Mahdi (PBUH), the son of Imam Hasan Askari(PBUH). He was born in Samerra (Iraq) in 869 A.D. Many Muslims (especially Shi’ites) believe that he is still alive and someday will rise, while “The Prophet Jesus Christ” (PBUH) along with 313 pious people accompany him. They will spread peace and justice all over the world. Eventually, Imam Mahdi himself will be martyred.
*Imam: The tittle of a religious leader, especially the successors of the Prophet Muhammad
*Hazrat: His (her holiness)