Page 34 - General Knowledge from the Qur'an

INTRODUCTION

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE QUR'AN?

Most people would answer this question as follows: 'The Qur'an is
the holy book of Islam.' This is certainly true but in the essence it is a
book which Allah has revealed to people and made them responsible
with. So, people need to know everything about the content, com-
mands, advices and decrees of the Qur'an. Yet, we encounter an im-
portant deficiency at this point. A great many of people do not have
much idea about the content of the Qur'an.
There are many superstitions about the Qur'an that are prevalent
among people. It is usually hung on the walls of houses within a deco-
rative cover and read usually by older people from time to time. Peo-
ple read it in Arabic, but as they only know how to read Arabic letters
without understanding the meaning, most of the time they have no
idea of what they have been reading about, and so have no grasp of the
content of the Qur'an.
According to these superstitions, the Qur'an is also supposed to af-
ford some very interesting benefits to people. After reading it and per-
forming some strange rituals like breathing hard on another person's
face, the reader and his close relatives are believed to be protected
from a possible future 'accident or calamity'. The Qur'an is credited
with being some sort of amulet that includes talismanic words which
protect people.
Some people believe some traditions to have their origin in the
Qur'an, although they may be contradictory to the very nature of the
Qur'anic message.
Then what is the true nature of the Qur'an? The answer must be de-
rived from the Qur'an itself, as that is where the truth is to be found.
This is a communication to be transmitted to mankind so that
they may be warned by it and so that they will know that He is