Talim-ul-Quran — Page 175
physical, social, moral and spiritual development. Further, He made a provision that man's strivings and endeavors should be amply rewarded. The Surah goes on to say that man has been created for 'Ibadah, i. e. , the worship of God and the attainment of His nearness and that he constantly needs His help for the fulfillment of this supreme object. The mention of the four Divine attributes is followed by a comprehensive prayer in which all the urges of the human soul find full expression. The prayer teaches that man should always seek and invoke the assistance of God that He may provide him with the means required for success in this life and in the life to come. But as man is apt to derive strength and inspiration from the good example of those noble and great souls of the past, who achieved the object of their life, he is taught to pray that like them God should open up for him also avenues of unlimited moral and spiritual progress. Finally, the prayer contains a warning lest after having been led to the right path he should stray away from it, lose sight of his goal and become estranged from his Creator. He is taught to remain always on his guard and constantly to seek God's protection against any possible estrangement from Him. This is the subject, which is put in a nutshell in Al-Fatihah and this is the subject with which the Qur'an deals fully and comprehensively, citing numerous examples for the guidance of the reader. . Believers are enjoined that before reading the Qur'an they should solicit God's protection against Satan: When thou recites the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from. Satan, the rejected (16:99). Now, refuge or protection implies; (I) that no evil should befall us; (2) that no good should escape us; and (3) that after we have attained goodness, we may not again relapse into evil. The prescribed words of the prayer are: "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the rejected," which must precede every recitation of the Qur'ān. . A Chapter of the Qur'an --- and there are 114 of them is called a Sūrah. This word, rendered into English as 'Chapter,' means, (1) rank and eminence; (2) a mark or sign; (3) an elevated and beautiful edifice; and (4) something full and complete (‘Aqrab &. Qurtubi). The Chapters of the Qur'an are called Surahs because (a) one is exalted in rank by reading them and attains to eminence through them; (b) they serve as marks for the beginning and the end of the different subjects dealt with in the Qur'ān; (c) they are each like a noble spiritual edifice and (d) each one of them contains a complete theme. The name Surah for such a division has been used in the Qur'an itself (2:24 and 24:2). It has been used in the Hadith also. Says the Holy Prophet: "Just now a Surah has been revealed to me and it runs as follows" (Muslim). From this it is clear that the name Surah for a division of the Qur'an has been in use from the very beginning of Islām and is not a later innovation 175