On the spiritual power of the Qur’an

What is the Quran? The Qur’an is the last testament from the Creator of the heavens and earth to humanity.

It is an extremely engaging book which contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters and not less than six thousand, two hundred and thirty-six (6236) Aayat¬ -signs, signifiers, symbols, not verses. The Quran is a book with a beginning without and ending, it has an introduction without a conclusion. It is a book which talks about itself the same way it talks about the world.

What is the Quran? The Quran is the book of Islam, the encyclopedia of all divinely revealed books. Reading it links you up with Prophet Adam; pondering it connects you with Prophet Musa. The Quran incarnates the odyssey of Prophet Musa and the Jews in the Wilderness. It relives the saga of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ, upon him be peace and blessings of Allah) and his people in Palestine. Open the Quran if you desire to reread the history of histories. Read the Quran if you desire to answer the un-answered questions in such fields as theology, philosophy, geography, biology, chemistry and oceanography.

One of the cardinal functions of the Quran in the Muslim life is its ability to serve as shield for the believer against all evils in the world. In other words, aside from deriving guidance for mundane life from its inner recesses, the Muslim who recites the Quran faithfully and with full concentration enters into the canopy of the Almighty where he or she would enjoy constant divine companion.

Brethren, one of the verses of the Quran which is renowned for its special attributes is al-Kursiy. The Ayat reads- The Almighty! There is no god but Him: the Living, the Eternal. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. To Him belongs all that is in the Heavens and the Earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them. They cannot gain access to any thing out of His knowledge except what He pleases. His throne is more vast than the heavens and the earth, and guarding of these does not fatigue Him. He is the Exalted, the Supreme. Quran 2: 255. This Aayat, as is evident above, celebrates divine attributes. It mediates the Creator to the created in such a way that leaves the conscious reader permanently awed by the inimitability of the Most powerful. It informs us, among others, that He neither sleeps nor slumbers; that the protection of the heavens and the earth wearies Him not. Ibn Abbas says thus: Once Bani Israel questioned Prophet Musa (upon him be peace) whether his Lord ever sleeps? Prophet Musa replied: (FEAR HIM!) What kind of question is that? The Almighty then called Prophet Musa (a.s) and said to him: “Hold two bottles in your hands and keep on standing whole night. He followed Almighty’s order and did exactly that, but when half of the night passed he started to slumber and bowed down on his knees, but then he quickly woke up. He did not want to sleep. However in the last part of night he had a deep slumber and both bottles fell from his hands and got broken. Then Almighty, May His name be exalted, said: O Musa! If I sleep then the heavens and the worlds would break into pieces just like these bottles. It is with reference to this that Almighty revealed this ayah to His Prophet (Muhammad – Peace be upon him). Even though “working” with al-Kursiy has been part and parcel of my spiritual life, I thought I should focus on the Aayat today because of its pertinence for the exigencies of these times. These are times when insecurity and death are on the prowl no thanks to the invasion of the polity by agents of the devil who are masquerading as revolutionaries and social reformers. Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet’s companion once said: The Apostle of the Almighty ordered me to guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and said, “I will take you to the messenger of the Almighty!” (Then Abu Huraira described the whole narration and said): That person said (to me), “Please don’t take me to him; I will tell you a few words by which the Almighty will benefit you. When you go to your bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi, for then there will be a guard from the Almighty who will protect you all night long, and Shaytan will not be able to come near you till dawn.”

Abu Hurayrah said that when the Prophet heard about the story, he said to me, “He (who came to you at night) told you the truth although he is a liar; and it was Shaytan.”