In
the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Short
answers from The Holy Qur'an
What the Quran says about
THE HOLY QUR'AN
"This is the Book; in it is guidance
sure, without doubt, to those who fear God." 2:2 "Do they not ponder
on the Qur'an? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found
therein much discrepancy." 4:82 "(This is) the revelation of the Book
in which there is no doubt - from the Lord of the Worlds. Or do they say, 'He
has forged it?' Nay, it is the Truth from thy Lord." 32:2-3
GOD
"Whatever is in the heavens and on
earth, doth declare the Praises and Glory of God - the Sovereign, the Holy One,
the Exalted in Might, the Wise. It is He Who has sent amongst the Unlettered a
messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His Signs, to purify them,
and to instruct them in The Book and Wisdom,- although they had been, before, in
manifest error." 62:1-2 "To God do belong the unseen (secrets) of the
heavens and the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for decision): so
worship Him, and put thy trust in Him: and thy Lord is not unmindful of aught
that ye do." 11:123 "God! There is no god but He - the Living, the
Self-subsisting, Supporter of all. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are
all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is thee can intercede in His
presence except as He permitteth?" 2:255 "Put thy trust in God. For
God loves those who put their trust (in Him). If God helps you, none can
overcome you: if He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you?
In God, then, let Believers put their trust." 3:159-160 "God is He,
than Whom there is no other god - the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of
Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the
Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the justly Proud. Glory to God! (High is
He) above the partners they attribute to Him." 59:23 "Say: He is God,
the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He
begotten; and there is none like unto Him." 112:1-4
JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
"And dispute ye not with the People of
the Book [Jews and Christians], except with means better (than mere
disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury);
but say, 'We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that
which came down to you; our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit
(in Islam).'" 29:46 "O People of the Book! Exceed not in your
religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor
follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by - who misled
many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way." 5:77
THE PROPHETS
"Muhammad is no more than a messenger;
many were the messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain,
will ye then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not
the least harm will he do to God; but God (on the other hand) will swiftly
reward those who (serve him) with gratitude." 3:144 "Behold! the
angels said: 'O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name
will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter
and of (the company of) those nearest to God; he shall speak to the people in
childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous.'
She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?' He
said: 'Even so; God createth what He willeth: when He hath decreed a matter, He
but saith to it, 'Be', and it is! And God will teach him the Book and Wisdom,
The Torah and the Gospel." 3:45-48 "O Moses! I have chosen thee above
(other) men, by the messages I (have given thee) and the words I (have spoken
to thee); take then the (revelation) which I give thee, and be of those who
give thanks." 7:144 "Abraham: he was a man of Truth, a prophet.
Behold, he said to his father: 'O my father! why worship that which heareth not
and seeth not, and can profit thee nothing? O my father! to me hath come
knowledge which hath not reached thee: So follow me: I will guide thee to a way
that is even and straight. O my father! serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel
against (God) Most Gracious.'" 19:41-44
THE HOLY SPIRIT
"Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the
revelation from thy Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe,
and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims." 16:102 "...Gabriel - for
he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by God's will, a confirmation of
what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe."
2:97
SATAN
"Behold! We said to the angels, 'Bow
down to Adam': they bowed down except Iblis [Satan]. He was one of the Jinns
[spirits with a free-will], and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then
take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to
you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrongdoers!" 18:50 "Satan's
plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and
gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will ye
not then abstain?" 5:91 "And Satan will say when the matter is
decided: 'It was God Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but failed
in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you, but ye
listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot
listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in
associating me with God. For wrongdoers there must be a Grievous
Penalty.'" 14:22
SIGNS IN NATURE AND CREATION
"It is He Who sends down rain from the
sky. From it ye drink, and out of it (grows) the vegetation on which ye feed
your cattle. With it He produces for you corn, olives, date-palms, grapes, and
every kind of fruit: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought. He
has made subject to you the Night and the Day; the Sun and the Moon; and the
Stars are in subjection by His Command: verily in this are Signs for those who
are wise. And the things on this earth which He has multiplied in varying
colours (and qualities); verily in this is a Sign for those who are mindful. It
is He Who has made the sea subject, that ye may eat thereof flesh that is fresh
and tender, and that ye may extract therefrom ornaments to wear; and thou seest
the ships therein that plough the waves, that ye may seek (thus) of the bounty
of God and that ye may be grateful. And He has set up on the earth mountains
standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and rivers and ways: that ye may
guide yourselves; and marks and sign-posts; and by the stars (humans) guide
themselves. Is then He Who creates like one that creates not? Will ye not
receive admonition? If ye would count up the favours of God, never would ye be
able to number them: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And God doth know
what ye conceal, and what ye reveal. Those whom they invoke besides God create
nothing and are themselves created. (They are things) dead, lifeless: nor do they
know when they will be raised up." 16:10-21 "Seest thou not that God
sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? Then
He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colours: then it withers; thou
wilt see it grow yellow; then He makes it dry up and crumble away. Truly, in
this, is a Message of remembrance to Men of understanding." 39:21 "Do
they not reflect in their own minds? Not but for just ends and for a term
appointed, did God create the heavens and the earth, and all between them: yet
are there truly many among men who deny their meeting with their Lord (at the
Resurrection)! Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the End
of those before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the
soil and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came to
them their messengers with Clear (Signs), (which they rejected, to their own
destruction): it was not God who wronged them, but they wronged their own
souls. In the long run Evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do
evil; for that they rejected the Signs of God, and held them up to
ridicule". 30:8-10 "Among His Signs is this, that He created you from
dust; and then - behold, ye are men scattered (far and wide)! And among His Signs
is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell
in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts):
verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. And among His Signs is the
creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and
your colours: verily in that are Signs for those who know. And among His Signs
is the sleep that ye take by night and by day, and the quest that ye (make for
livelihood) out of His Bounty: verily in that are Signs for those who hearken.
And among His Signs, He shows you the lightning, by way both of fear and of
hope, and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth
after it is dead: verily in that are Signs for those who are wise."
30:20-24
JUDGMENT DAY AND THE HEREAFTER
"Man says: 'What! When I am dead, shall
I then be raised up alive?' But does not man call to mind that We created him
before out of nothing?" 19:66-67 "And ye devour Inheritance - all
with greed, and ye love wealth with inordinate love! Nay! When the earth is
pounded to powder, and thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank, and
Hell, that Day, is brought (face to face)- on that Day will man remember, but
how will that remembrance profit him? He will say: 'Ah! Would that I had sent
forth (Good Deeds) for (this) my (Future) Life!' For, that Day, his
Chastisement will be such as none (else) can inflict, and His bonds will be
such as none (other) can bind. (To the righteous soul will be said:) 'O (thou)
soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back thou to thy Lord - well
pleased (thyself), and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter thou, then, among my
Devotees! Yea, enter thou My Heaven!'" 89:19-30 "God hath promised to
Believers - men and women - Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein,
and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss
is the Good Pleasure of God: that is the supreme felicity." 9:72 "It
is God Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all between them, in six
Days, then He established Himself on the Throne (of authority); ye have none,
besides Him, to protect or intercede (for you): will ye not then receive
admonition? He rules (all) affairs from the heavens to the earth: in the end
will (all affairs) go up to Him, on a Day, the space whereof will be (as) a
thousand years of your reckoning. Such is He, the Knower of all things, hidden
and open, the Exalted (in power), the Merciful - He Who has made everything
which He has created Most Good: He began the creation of man with (nothing more
than) clay, and made his progeny from a quintessence of the nature of a fluid
despised: But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him
something of His spirit. And He gave you (the facilities of) hearing and sight
and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give! And they say: 'What!
When we lie, hidden and lost, in the earth, shall we indeed be in a Creation
renewed?' Nay, they deny the Meeting with their Lord! Say: 'The Angel of Death,
put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls, then shall ye be brought
back to your Lord." 32:4-11 "The (Judgment) ever approaching draws
nigh: no (soul) but God can lay it bare. Do ye then wonder at this recital? And
will ye laugh and not weep - wasting your time in vanities? But fall ye down in
prostration to God and adore (Him)!" 53:57-62 "As to those who
believe not in the Hereafter, their hearts refuse to know, and they are
arrogant. Undoubtedly, God doth know what they conceal, and what they reveal:
verily He loveth not the arrogant. When it is said to them, 'What is it that
your Lord has revealed?' they say, 'Tales of the ancients!' Let them bear, on
the Day of Judgment, their own burdens in full, and also (something) of the
burdens of those without knowledge, whom they misled. Alas, how grievous the burdens
they will bear!" 16:22-25 "Do they not think that they will be called
to account?- on a Mighty Day, a Day when (all) mankind will stand before the
Lord of the Worlds?" 83:4-6
WHAT DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE?
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable
God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets: through whom His
revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgment and individual
accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and
in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam
and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron,
David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them.
But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a
summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH).
Beside many other verses in the Quran, this
verse teaches the main beliefs all Muslims have to accept:
"It is not righteousness that ye turn
your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and
the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of
your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy,
for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be
steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts
which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and
adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth,
the God-fearing." The Holy Quran 2.177.
RACISM AND COLOR, WHO IS THE BEST?
"O mankind! We created you from a single
(pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye
may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most
honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you.
And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). The holy
Quran 49:13
Some of us may wonder why does God choose
to speak in plural like "We created". If we lookup the word
"we" in the dictionary, we will find out that it can be used for
"I" when the speaker is a king, an emperor or a president. Also, an
author who is speaking of his publication can use the word "we".