THE WORD OF GOD

THE WORD OF GOD From The Scriptures The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between AD 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level. Translated from Arabic and commentary by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful When the sun is folded up, and when the stars lose their light, and when the mountains are moved, when ten-month pregnant camels are left untended, and when all beasts are gathered together, and when the seas are set on fire, when the souls are divided into different classes, and when the female infant buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed, when the records of men’s deeds are laid open, when the sky is unveiled, and when Hell is set ablaze, when Paradise is brought close: [then] each soul shall know what it has put forward. (81: 1-14) The scenes of Doomsday, or the Day of Judgement, have been described at various points in the Quran. When Doomsday arrives, the present balance of the world will break down, and man will feel himself helpless. On that Day, all things except good deeds will lose their value. Then the oppressed person will have the right to take his revenge upon his oppressor. I swear by the receding stars, the planets that run their course and set, and the night that falls, and the first breath of morning. Truly, this is the word brought by a noble messenger, endowed with power and held in honour by the Lord of the Throne who is obeyed there and is worthy of trust. Your companion is not one possessed: he truly beheld him [the angel1] on the clear horizon. He is not a withholder of the knowledge of the Unseen. Nor is this the word of an outcast devil. 1 Angel—messenger, who brings divine revelation to man.