|
The Qur'an as a Motivator of Change
Before Islam, the Companions led a miserable, ignorant life. The
change effected by the Qur'an in their life testifies to its
power of change and reformation. Those poor, insignificant,
barefooted desert dwellers were reshaped into new beings; their
ambitions were elevated to sublime goals; and their hearts were
raised and attached to Allah.
Their souls were changed and, therefore, Allah's promise came
true: (Surely
Allah does not change the condition of a people until they
change their own condition) (Ar-Ra`d
13:11). Thus, within a few years, a fresh force emerged from the
desert of Arabia, conquering the strong empires of the time and
seizing leadership from them.
How could the Qur'an bring about such dramatic change? Actually,
what made the Qur'an so effective is the excellent approach
followed by the Prophet's Companions toward it. They understood
the Qur'an and appreciated its value, taking in this regard the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as their best example.
The Prophet Muhammad lived the Qur'an and was imbued by its
spirit, approving what it approved and rejecting what it
rejected. Therefore, it is not strange that his wife `Ai'shah
described him as the "Qur'an walking on the earth."
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the
Qur'an slowly and clearly. Once a night, he would repeat the
following verse in his prayer: (If
You should chastise them, then surely they are Your servants;
and if You should forgive them, then surely You are the Mighty,
the Wise) (Al-Ma'idah
5:118).
The Qur'an had such an overwhelming effect on the Prophet that
he said "(Surat) Hud [Surah 11] and its sisters [related
surahs]have brought me white hairs before their due time." So
the appalling scenes of the Day of Resurrection and the
description of what happened to previous nations, as mentioned
in Surat Hud and its likes, affected not only the Prophet's
spirituality, but even extended to his physical being.
The Prophet's Companions followed in the Prophet's footsteps.
They also savored the sweetness of the Qur'an and were touched
by it. In this regard, the story of `Abbad ibn Bishr is very
indicative. On their way back from one battle, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) appointed `Abbad and `Ammar
ibn Yasir to guard the camp at night. `Abbad took the first turn
and `Ammar went to sleep.
The place seemed safe and, therefore, `Abbad spent his time in
prayer. However, one polytheist was watching the camp and shot
`Abbad with an arrow; `Abbad took the arrow out of his body and
continued his prayers. The polytheist shot another arrow at
`Abbad, and, once again, `Abbad took out the arrow and continued
with his prayers. The polytheist shot `Abbad with a third arrow
and it was only then that he stopped his recitation, made ruku` and sujud,
and woke up `Ammar. When `Ammar asked why he did not wake him up
after he was shot the first time, `Abbad answered,
I was reciting a surah that I didn't want to interrupt. But when
he (the polytheist attacker) kept on shooting me, I awakened
you. By Allah, had not I feared that the task (of guarding the
camp) assigned to me by the Prophet would be jeopardized, I
would not have ceased the recitation of the surah until I had
finished it or until he had finished me off. (Abu Dawud;
authenticated by Al-Albani)
The above example affirms that reciting the Qur'an was not mere
lip service practiced by the Prophet and his Companions.
Actually, the real value of the Qur'an lies in its meanings and
in its ability to effect change in the reader. The Qur'an is
meant to revive believers' hearts and to reform their minds.
This in turn would produce people who know Allah and worship Him
sincerely. However, such a fruit cannot be attained through
thoughtless reading of the Qur'an, even if one were to read the
entire Qur'an thousands of times.
The Companions affirmed this point repeatedly. `A'ishah (may
Allah be pleased with her) was told about some people who used
to read the whole Qur'an two or three times a night. Her comment
was that "they (obviously) read, but as a matter of fact, they
did not read." And she then related how the Prophet would spend
the whole night reading in his prayer just the surahs of
Al-Baqarah, Aal `Imran, and An-Nisa'. While reading, he would
ask Allah for His mercy when he would read a verse that imparted
good news, and he would supplicate and seek refuge in Allah when
he would read a verse that caused fear.
Abu Jamra once said to Ibn `Abbas, "I am quick in reading the
Qur'an and I am used to finishing it in three days." Ibn `Abbas
replied, "As for me, I would prefer to spend a whole night
reading (only) Surat Al-Baqarah with due reflection and careful
recitation."
In his book on the morals of the Qur'an bearers, Al-Aagri said,
Studying a small part of the Qur'an with careful reflection and
due contemplation is better than reading large portions of it
without such contemplation. This is emphasized by the lucid
provisions in the Qur'an, by the Sunnah, and by the sayings of
great Muslim scholars.
Mujahid was asked which of two men who spent similar time in
prayers was better; the duration of theirruku` and sujud was
the same, but one of them recited only Surat Al-Baqarah and the
other recited the surahs of Al-Baqarah and Aal `Imran (but they
spent the same time in reading). Mujahid said, "The one who
reads only Surat Al-Baqarah is better." He supported his view
with the verse (And
it is a Qur'an which We have revealed in portions so that you
may read it to the people by slow degrees) (Al-Israa'
17:106). (Al-Aagri 82-83)
Sources:
Article source: islamonline.net
|
