Abdur Raheem Kidwai - 365 Sayings of the Quran

365
SAYINGS
of the
QURAN

ABDUR RAHE E M KIDWAI

JAICO PUBLISHING HOUSE

Ahmedabad Bangalore Bhopal Bhubaneswar Chennai
Delhi Hyderabad Kolkata Lucknow Mumbai

Published by Jaico Publishing House
A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road
Fort, Mumbai - 400 001
www.jaicobooks.com

Abdur Raheem Kidwai

365 SAYINGS OF THE QURAN
ISBN 978-81-8495-611-5

First Jaico Impression: 2014

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical including photocopying, recording or by
any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.

Preface

Although many complete English translations of the Quran are easily available, this anthology of the select passages from the Quran, with occasional annotations, has been brought out for meeting many needs, including these:

• As this anthology presents a conspectus of the message of the Quran, it may prepare readers better to embark upon their study of a complete English translation of the Quran.
• It may give a fair idea of the Qurans worldview to those readers who are unable to study the entire Quran translation owing to the constraint of time.
• It may serve as readers guide or companion volume for learning about the main thematic concerns of the Quran.
• It may acquaint readers with the content and context of the Quran its articles of faith, its socio-moral code of conduct and its outlook on life and the Afterlife.
• Those new to the Quran/Islam may find it as a user friendly, handy reference work elucidating the major Quranic themes, concepts, terms and personalities.
• Its extensive Subject Index may enable readers to ascertain the stance of the Quran/Islam on a variety of issues, ranging from terrorism to charity.

This anthology seeks to introduce briefly the core contents of the Quran its doctrines about the One True God, Prophets and the Next Life; its account of the marvels of Gods creation; its life-giving, universal and timeless message to mankind cutting across all the barriers of time, place, and ethnicity; its life-ennobling directives about being kind to parents, orphans and the poor, and the weak, and its radical, egalitarian teachings which went a long way in alleviating, in particular, the plight of the seventh century women.

This anthology is thus an attempt to familiarize readers with the basic meaning and message of the Quran. Short, mostly self explanatory Quranic passages, supplemented occasionally with brief notes, appear in this volume. The translation is in simple, easy to grasp English, taken from my What is in the Quran? Message of the Quran in Simple English. While I have tried my level best to remain faithful to the Quranic text in Arabic, yet my version is essentially explanatory and paraphrastic, not strictly a translation. Accordingly, referring and ellipted expressions have been inserted wherever needed for providing readers with a clear idea of the message of the Quran. While the present work, compiled especially as part of Jaicos prestigious reference series covering major religions, some overlapping with my earlier works on the subject could not be altogether avoided. Some of its material features also in my earlier publications, The Quran: Essential Teachings, and Daily Wisdom: Selections from the Holy Quran.

I must thank the Jaico team Ms Sandhya Iyer and Ms Disha Jayadeep for overseeing this publication. Thanks are due also to Mr Abrar Khan for his technical assistance.

Readers are requested to favour me with their valuable suggestions which will be incorporated in the next edition.

In the name of God, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful

Introduction

This work contains 365 selected passages from the Quran. Let us first note how the Quran introduces itself:

God has sent this Book to you (O Prophet Muhammad) so that you may lead with Gods permission people out of darkness into light.

(14:1)

God has sent this Book to you (O Prophet Muhammad) so that you may explain to people things about which they differ. This Book is the guide and mercy for the believers.

(16:64)

The following salient points emerge from the above:

• The Quran is the Word of God sent down, through the agency of the archangel, Gabriel, to Prophet Muhammad (570-633). It is the last Book in the series of the earlier divine Books, such as the Torah and the Gospel, which were sent down to Prophets Moses (12th century BC) and Jesus (6 BC 27 CE) respectively.
• The Quran was revealed piecemeal from 610 to 633 to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Gods Final Prophet for the guidance of entire mankind. Apart from receiving the Quran, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught and interpreted the Quran. He demonstrated in practice all that the Quran teaches in theory. However, he had no role at all in the composition of the Quran.
• The Quran is essentially the book of guidance par excellence for all time and place.

Since the Quran is the most widely read book in the world and influences the beliefs, practices and conduct of more than one billion Muslims the world over, its essential message is and should be of some interest to even those who are new to Islam and the Quran. The present anthology affords readers an opportunity to gain or renew their acquaintance with the Qurans worldview. Since the Quran is the Word of God, it is the main source of all Islamic commands and teachings. Amid all the holy books, the Quran alone holds the distinction of being the unaltered Word of God. It has maintained its pristine purity since the day it was first revealed to this day. As it was revealed and compiled in full in Prophet Muhammads life and as it was regularly and frequently recited everyday under his supervision, it has retained its original form and contents. Furthermore, in the Prophets day, it had been memorized by many and this religious tradition has flourished to this day. Thousands of Muslim children learn it by heart every year. Known as huffaz (memorizers of the Quran) they are held in esteem in the Muslim society. Since every Muslim recites Quranic passages everyday as part of the five obligatory prayers, its preservation and circulation on a very wide scale is beyond any shadow of doubt. Moreover, since the Quran is the source of Islamic law, recourse to its text is routinely taken by both jurists and ordinary Muslims. As the ultimate Book of divine guidance instructing man in all spheres of life doctrinal, devotional, spiritual, socio-cultural, politico-economic and community life, it has been widely consulted, and more importantly, religiously followed by millions of Muslims across the world since its revelation 1450 years ago to this day. This explains the rich flourishing scholarly tradition of the translation and tafsir (the Quran interpretation) in all major world languages. In English alone there have appeared around 100 complete English translations, with their millions of copies avidly read by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This presses home the unmistakable truth that the Quran stands out probably not only as the most widely read book but also as the most influential book that transformed both the collective and individual lives, and continues to perform the same role in our day.