Page 35 - General Knowledge from the Qur'an

Introduction 33

One God and so that people of intelligence will pay heed.
(Surah Ibrahim, 52)
We have made the Qur'an easy to remember. But is there any re-
memberer there? (Surat al-Qamar, 32)
There is instruction in their stories for people of intelligence.
This is not a narration which has been invented but confirma-
tion of all that came before, a clarification of everything, and a
guidance and a mercy for people who believe. (Surah Yusuf, 111)
That is the Book, without any doubt. It contains guidance for
those who guard against evil. (Surat al-Baqara, 2)
These verses and many others emphasise that the real purpose of the
revelation of the Qur'an is to encourage people to ponder on such cru-
cial issues as the creation and purpose of life, to inform them about
Allah, Who has created them, and to guide them to the right way. The
Qur'an is a book that is needed by people with an open mind and soul.
Therefore, what is needed in the first place is to correct this wrong
point of view about the Qur'an and make people understand that the
Qur'an is not a book which is addressed only to the apostle but to all
people who consider themselves Muslims. Any person who says: "I'm
a Muslim" must read the Qur'an and try to understand the meaning of
the verses. Allah has stated its importance with His verse '…and recite
the Qur'an distinctly.' (Surat al-Muzzammil, 4) Allah especially stated
the importance of reflecting upon verses in the Qur'an as follows:
Will they not ponder the Qur'an?… (Surat an-Nisa', 82)
We have made the Qur'an easy to remember. But is there any re-
memberer there? (Surat al-Qamar, 17)
Because of not doing what is ordered in the Qur'an, and not learning
the religion from its original source, countless prejudices which stem
from traditions, have been introduced into Islam. Of course, learning
the Qur'an is only an introductory step, since application should fol-
low it. Some people think that they fulfil their religious duties by read-
ing the Qur'an. However, it is not only a matter of learning what is in
the Qur'an, but also of putting it into practice and fulfilling the duties
ordered in the Qur'an, in short applying the Qur'an to one's own