A Letter to a Dear One — Page 40
40 Letter to a Dear One May 21 The Order in the Qur’ ā n Non-Muslim objectors criticize that the composition of the Qur’ ā n has no apparent order to it. At times, even the Muslims question as to why all the directives pertaining to certain issues were not amassed in one place. Similar other objections are raised due to lack of knowledge and lack of prudence. First of all, it should be understood that the present arrangement of the Holy Qur’ ā n certainly is not according to the order in which it was revealed. However, this order is according to the direction of the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam). When a verse of the Qur’ ā n was revealed, the Holy Prophet would instruct as to where it should be placed in the order. This arrangement is according to the Divine will. At the time of the revelation of the Qur’ ā n, a Muslim organization was not already in existence. A new organization had to be formed. It was fundamental to instill the message of the Qur’ ā n in their hearts, and then gradually steer them towards the practicality of being a Muslim. Therefore, the arrangement that was required to form a new organization and its gradual training is the arrangement in which the Qur’ ā n was revealed. Therefore, the Ayahs and the S ū rahs that deal with faith, signs and prophecies were revealed first. Those relating to detailed directives were revealed later; once the organization was complete, and the faith was established. With the first generation of born-Muslims, another situation arose. In light of that situation, the portion of the Qur’ ā n pertaining to the training of believers was placed beforehand and the arguments, proofs and prophecies in support of faith were placed at the end. This is the apparent order of the Qur’ ā n. Prudence is required to discover its essential order. This is like traveling in a train and glancing at the landscape whizzing by. No real order appears. However, if one is aware of the geography of the land, and is in general interested in the physical features of the earth, then one can certainly deduce an order in the landscape. One can enhance one’s knowledge with this and benefit from it. Then the objection that why each issue, with it’s directives and its supportive arguments, is not arranged separately in the Qur’ ā n. This is indeed due to a lack of prudence. I have said before that the Qur’ ā n is a collection of perfect guidance and contains knowledge and guidance according to each age. This is just as ways and means have been placed