Malfuzat – Volume I — Page 83
Malfuzat - Volume I The Quran Is for All Eras 83 The task of the Holy Quran was to reform people of all eras. The objective of the Quran was to transform mankind from an animal state to a human state, and thence to make of humans civilised individuals by inculcating good manners, so that a transformation could be brought about by acting within the dictates of the shariah and its injunctions; and finally, so that they could be made into godly people. These words are brief, but they encompass thousands of facets. Since the Jews, naturalists, fire-worshippers and other nations were engrossed in evil prac- tices, it is for this reason that upon the instruction of Allah, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, addressed all the people, saying: قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا Say, 'O mankind! Truly I am a Messenger to you all. ' And so it was necessary for the Holy Quran to gather within itself all those teachings that had been instituted at various points in time and to possess all the truths that were conveyed from heaven to the people of the world in various times through numerous Prophets. The Holy Quran had the whole of humanity in view, not a specific people, country or era. The Gospel, on the other hand, had a specific people in view and this is why the Messiah, on whom be peace, repeat- edly said: 'I have come in search of the lost tribes of Israel. ' The Need for the Holy Quran after the Torah Some assert, what has the Quran brought? Nothing more than what is already contained in the Torah. It is this very misconception which has moved certain Christians to write treatises on the uselessness of the Holy Quran. If only they had partaken of true wisdom and real insight, they would not have gone astray. Such people state that the Torah forbids one to commit adultery and likewise, the Quran too forbids adultery. The Quran teaches the Unity of God and the Torah also teaches a person to worship the One God. So what then is the difference? At face value, this seems like a complicated question. If this question was posed to an uninformed person, he would be flustered. In actual fact, intricate and twisted questions like these can only be resolved by the special grace of Allah Almighty. It is these very Quranic insights, which are revealed at their appropriate time. In 1 al-A'raf, 7:159