QURAN- THE WORD OF ALLAH AND THE WORD OF TRUTH, TRANSMITTED BY THOUSANDS FROM THOUSANDS DOWN THROUGHOUT HISTORY (SURAH AL-BAQARAH AYAH 98-100)

 

The belief in all the messengers is part of our faith and the disbelief in any one of them will lead to kufr. Angel Gabriel and Mika’el, have been specifically mentioned here. It is because this ayah was meant to support Gabriel- the emissary between Allah and His Prophets. Allah also mentioned Mika’el here, because the Jews claimed that Gabriel was their enemy. This was for three reasons: firstly, all the prophecies of the misfortune which was to befall the Jews in the course of their early history were said to have been transmitted to them by Gabriel, who thus became in their eyes a "harbinger of evil”. Secondly, because the Qur'an states repeatedly that it was Gabriel who conveyed its message to Muhammad (pbuh), whereas the Jews were of the opinion that only a descendant of Israel could legitimately claim divine revelation. Thirdly, because the Qur'an - revealed through Gabriel abounds in criticism of certain Jewish beliefs and attitudes and describes them as opposed to the genuine message of Moses. Mika’el whom they regarded as a bearer of happy predictions and, therefore, as their "friend”. Allah informed them that whoever is an enemy of either of them, then he is also an enemy of the other as well as Allah’. "Whosoever is an enemy of Allah and His angels and His message-bearers, including Gabriel and Mika’el, (should know that) verily, Allah is the enemy of all who deny the truth."(Quran 2:98). Allah says that He has sent clear signs that testify to Muhammad’s (pbuh) prophet hood which he did not learn or acquire from mankind. The Qur’an contains the knowledge that the people (Rabbis and scholars) of the Book hide. They know the sections of the Torah that they have altered and rulings that they have changed. All the signs testify to the truth of Muhammad (pbuh) and the stories of the earlier generations. “For, clear messages indeed have We bestowed upon thee from on high; and none denies their truth save the iniquitous” (Quran 2:99). Allah has sent clear verses that elucidate the Truth, which the transgressors take as false and reject them. “Is it not so that every time they made a promise (with Allah), some of them cast it aside? Nay, indeed: most of them do not believe” (Quran 2:100). The truth is that most of them do not truly believe. There is not a promise that they make, but they break it and abandon it.

       There are many aspects of this life, the reality of which is kept hidden from man, these include the mysteries of hereafter, the angels, the actual nature of God. It is that knowledge of Al-Ghaib that rests with Allah, and one needs to have a firm faith in this. Among these, the angels are the spiritual beings or forces belonging to the realm of the invisible, serving as an intermediary between Allah and us. They are that reality which is beyond the reach of human perception, that Allah reveals His will to the prophets and, thus, to mankind at large. They have no free will and cannot act independently. They have never chosen the missions by themselves, they do all by His command. They have a knowledge that is confined to their own sphere of competence. They are keeping the functioning of the universe in order, all in perfect obedience to Allah and in the same capacity, their supernatural powers keep our lives in this world in order- all by His leave. They have served to be a mode of transmission of the divine knowledge, that reaches a man as an inspiration, dream, a message, with its highest form being the revelations sent to Prophets. They have helped man attain a spiritual perfection, blissing his life and the lives of others. It is this trust in the truth of the message conveyed and the belief in the Unseen, that grants one superiority over the others.

   All the previous scriptures are the Words of Allah and were for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training the righteousness, however the final revelation of fundamental facts that is the Quran from Allah supersedes them all. It is the path of eternal prosperity that can be discovered by adopting the path of the Holy prophet to whom Allah spoke through divine revelations. So those who can reflect upon the Quran with mind and heart will be able to get the beneficial guidance for life. This makes the hearts awakened, gets the faith strengthened and lead one to the zenith of perfection in terms of the spiritual growth.

      We better learn what is gold and what is gold plated. The Quran has challenged its critics of all times that it’s the word of Allah and the word of truth. Every letter of it, transmitted by thousands from thousands down throughout history, has stood the test of times. If it were not the word of Allah, there would be some contradictions and shortcomings in it. The protected nature of this divine writ has proven its authenticity (Hayat, 2017). Now it’s on us as Muslims to live the lives with the forward look of promises, as at the back we have the faith to hold us. If our lives got the light of faith, the water of sincerity and the air of passion for religion, then we will bloom as flowers. The promise of such a life will be like one debt, the price of which will be paid by our morals.