وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا   

(O Prophet!) We have sent down this (Quran) with truth, and it has come (to you) with truth.

We did not send you (O' Muhammad) except

as a giver of glad tidings and to warn (of the aftermath).

     The Holy Quran is Allah's book as revealed to Muhammad, His Messenger.  The Quran is a book of guidance—to direct people to what is best.  It is a book which regulates the affairs of humanity in such a manner that if applied well it will lead to righteousness and virtue.

Ø  If applied well the Quran transforms individuals and societies to the better.  The phenomenal transformation of Arab people, once they converted to Islam, was miraculous indeed.  It was this Muslim nation of Arabia that carried the Message of Islam to the four corners of the world.

Ø  As Allah Almighty has endowed the earth with the laws of nature, so has He endowed us with His guidance, the Quran.  The truth, embodied in the Holy Quran, has triumphed over falsehood whenever the Quran was genuinely applied.  Thus in truth the Quran was revealed, and for the lovers of the truth its attraction will continue to be magnetic.

Ø  It was Allah's Will to choose Muhammad (pbuh) to deliver the striking Message of His Guidance, which is the Quran.  Allah Almighty directed Prophet Muhammad that he was to give the glad tidings to the people.  Muhammad (pbuh) was to be the bearer of Allah's Message, to:

1. inform the people about it,

2. teach them its details, and

3. let them learn how to apply it.

     What really counts is applying Islam, not paying lip service to it.

Ø  But Muhammad (pbuh) also came to warn, to warn the adherents of Islam that:

1. man is strictly accountable for his faith and deeds during his earthly life,

2. justice will be exercised in its strictest sense,

3. there will be the reward (Paradise) for the ones who obey Allah and apply Islam, and

4. there will be punishment (Hell) for the ones who disobey Allah and ignore or reject the Islamic Directives.

وَقُرْآناً فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنزِيلاً   

And it is a Quran which We sent in parts,

that you may recite it to the people at intervals,

and We have sent it down in stages.

Ø  The Quran was revealed steadily and in parts, and as its Commands and Directives grew so did the improvement in the attitude and behavior of the early Muslims.

1. The Quran improves individuals and uplifts nations, it deals with the affairs of men in a realistic, moralistic, and compassionate manner and shows the proper course for humanity.

2. The Quran discourages from and prohibits what is evil and bad, and in a compelling way it converts people from the improper to the proper, from the unfit to the fit, from the evil to the good.

3. The Quran brought a realistic and practical program for humanity.

4. The Quran is for both the simple and the intellectual.  It often happens, that when the intellectuals sit and read the Quran and ponder the ideas contained within it, they become Muslims.

5. The Quran is not like any book of thoughts or ideas for some intellectual enjoyment.

6. The Quran is Allah's Commands and Directives, its commands are to be applied and put to work, since only through such an endeavor individuals and communities become righteous.

Ø  You may wonder why Allah (swt) did not reveal the whole Quran at one time, all at once, and why He elected to reveal it piece by piece.  The reason is:  if the Quran was revealed all at once it would have overwhelmed the individuals.  In other words, the changes required from new Muslims would have been too many and too rapid to be bearable or realistic.  Human nature is such that it needs time to learn and assimilate experiences, and that is why the Quran took many years to be completed.

Ø  The Quran was revealed in a very realistic manner, most fitting for the society in Arabia.  The Quran's eloquence and literary style were of such magnitude that no one has ever been able to duplicate it.  This is one secret of its compelling beauty and why it is called the Miracle of Allah that transcends all miracles.

Ø  The Quran proves itself to you when you try to understand it, and as many times as you read it you will continue to learn from it.  The Quran is called Al-Quran Al-Kareem meaning the Generous Book, because it gives Guidance perpetually no matter how many times a person reads it.

Ø  Through the Quran, people underwent a tremendous change for the better.  They experienced the change in their hearts, manners, and mode of behavior.  The Quran reformed people, making them people of quality and integrity, be it at home, in the community, or society.

Ø  The Quran came with the eternal truth.  This Truth is firm, unyielding, magnetic, and permanent, for it is the work of the Almighty.

Ø  When after 23 years the Revelations came to an end, it was evident that the Holy Quran was a truly magnificent masterpiece.

قُلْ آمِنُواْ بِهِ أَوْ لاَ تُؤْمِنُواْ  

Say (to the disbelievers):  "Believe it or believe it not!

     Allah commands Muhammad (pbuh) to declare to the people the freedom of choice.  It does not dictate on people to accept the Guidance of Allah (Islam), but people are to choose freely without any compulsion or coercion.  They are to choose to believe in Islam or disbelieve in it, and to accept it or reject it.

     The power of the Quran is so great, and its contents are so impressive, that it stands on its own merit to attract people to Islam.  To choose it a believer will help himself and a disbeliever will hurt no one but himself.

     The Quran has stood on its own as the captivating magnate, and it has done so for fourteen centuries and will continue to do so until the end of time.

 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ   

verily when it is recited to those given the knowledge beforehand, they will prostrate in humility and say:

     The Quran gives an example of some people of the Scriptures.  They were the knowledgeable Christians and Jews who at the time of Muhammad (pbuh) set good example for the disbelievers.

     It was a touching scene when the Quran was recited to them, expressions of awe, admiration, and humility filled their faces.  Theirs was a feeling of great respect and understanding, they wept with emotion.  They appreciated the Quran and gave it its due respect.

     The Quran describes them as good example to the disbelievers who were very troublesome to Muhammad (pbuh) and the Muslims.  Similarly the good Muslims of today are the treasured example to those who give only lip service to Islam and do not practice it.

َ   سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِن كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولاً

Glory be to our Lord!  Verily the promise of our

Lord is fulfilled.

     The Quran continues to describe the knowledgeable people of the Scriptures as praying with a feeling of awe and veneration.  They glorify Allah Almighty and remember His promise, the promise of the completion of His religion, with its wonderful guidance to humanity, at the hands of His Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh).

وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا   

And they prostrate in tears, and it (the Quran) increases their humility

     This is a further description of the Knowledgeable people of the Scriptures who were contemporaries of Muhammad (pbuh).  Not only were they very touched when the Quran was read to them, but they prostrated in veneration to Allah, with tears rolling down their cheeks.  Such was the intensity of their faith, and such were they.

قُلِ ادْعُواْ اللّهَ أَوِ ادْعُواْ الرَّحْمَـنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُواْ فَلَهُ الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى  

And say (to the disbelievers):  "Call upon Allah or call upon Al-Rahman, by whichever (name) you call (upon Him), His are the Most Distinguished Names.

     The disbelievers at the time of Muhammad (pbuh) used to name Allah without using the word Al-Rahman (the Compassionate).  In this Ayah, Allah says many names can be used to call upon Him.  They are the same as far as Allah is concerned and as long as they fall within their proper bounds.

     In essence, what Allah (swt) is saying is that:

1. the Quran came down with the truth since it is the word of Allah,

2. Allah gave people the freedom of choice for His religion,

3. Allah set an example of the people of the Scriptures to the disbelievers, and finally

4. Allah says that to Him belong the most distinguished names.

    The Quran mentions ninety-nine Distinguished Names attributed to Allah, some of them are the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the Omnipotent, the Exalted, the One, the Almighty, the Capable, the Perceiver, the Hearer, the Forgiver, the Most Great, and the Most High.

وَلاَ تَجْهَرْ بِصَلاَتِكَ وَلاَ تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاً   

And be not loud in your Salat nor say it in a whisper, but seek a middle course between the two

     Allah commands His Messenger Muhammad to say the Salat not loudly nor in a whisper, but in a low voice, for the reason that it is more becoming and proper, since he is standing in reverence to worship Allah and be in His presence.

    Another reason was that the disbelievers, out of ignorance and rudeness, used to be sarcastic of Muhammad (pbuh) and they used to mock him when they heard him pray loud.

    One way to offend the Prophet (pbuh) was to make fun of his Salat or be sarcastic of it.  Muhammad (pbuh) found this mockery very hard to take, because it was a mockery of the Salat to Allah (swt).

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ  

And pray:  Praise be to Allah, who has not taken a son (to Himself), nor has He a partner in His dominion,

     "Praise be to Allah Almighty," Muhammad is ordered to say, so glory be to Allah and blessed is His name.

     This Ayah specifies, as many others have, that:

§ Allah does not have a son.

§ Allah is One, without a father, a mother or a son.

§ Allah's Oneness is absolute and eternal, therefore

§ Allah has no partners.

    In His dominion Allah (swt) is the only One, and to Him we belong and it is only He, the One, that we worship.

 وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا  

nor has He (a need of) a helper out of weakness (in Him),

and magnify Him in His greatness and Majesty."

    Allah informs us that He needs no one to support Him or uphold Him.  Allah is in need of no one, yet everyone and everything needs Him.  Allah depends on no one, yet everyone depends on Him and His constant support.  Allah is our maintainer and His active role is essential for the continuation of the universe.

     Allah's dominion comprises everything in the universe, in its totality, and His is the praise.  So glory be to Him and Exalted is His Name.