By Dr. Yousuf Al Aufi (yalaufi@hotmail.com)
One of the key characteristics of the Qur’an is the paramount confidence that is prevalent throughout its verses. The reader is repeatedly given a real certainty about the truthfulness of the Qur’an and that it is a divine revelation and all the content it contains is of divine origin. Allah, the creator of the heavens and the earth and all that exists, with His mercy and favour provided guidance to the whole mankind. Here is one such call in the Qur’an;
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (57) قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا
هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ (58)﴾
“O mankind, there has come to you an exhortation from your Lord and cure to what is in your chests and guidance and mercy for the believers. Say; in the bounty of Allah and in His mercy- in that let them rejoice, it is better than what they accumulate.” Verses 57 & 58 of Surah Younus
The call here is not to a particular group or nation but to the whole mankind. It tells them that this Qur’an is an exhortation, an incitement, an admonition, an advice from your Rabb; a word that means Creator, Cherisher and Sustainer. It then goes on to say that the Qur’an, in addition to being an exhortation, it is a cure for all kind of heart diseases; it provides peace, tranquility, true belief, trust and cleanses envy, jealousy, greed, hatred, anxiety, doubts and myth. In addition to that, the Qur’an also provides criteria to distinguish truth from falsehood and indeed it is mercy for the believers.
This is followed by an even more interesting declaration; here Allah tells us that the revelation of the Qur’an is actually a great favor from Him and a sign of His mercy upon us that is worthy not only of our appreciation but actually a source of true rejoice and happiness as it is far better than whatever we can accumulate on this earth from wealth, treasures, power and other worldly gains.
This is a very powerful concept as it truly liberates the human being from servitude to worldly matters, human ideas, self-desires and instead submit to the real creator who prescribes the objective of the life He has given and the guidance for how to live this life.
