ASK MAULANA

Why should the Quran be distributed to the whole of humanity? The Quran is not a religious book in the ordinary sense of the word. When one reads it one can find out that it speaks of the law of nature and tells us about God’s scheme of things. The Quran is not a book which solely commands us to pray and fast, neither is it just a book of jurisprudence. It informs us of the creation plan of God. It talks about universal laws of human nature. According to Islam the Quran is the book given to us by the Creator of the universe. It is preserved in its entirety for all time to come. For the above reasons, the Quran is not merely the book of a certain religion. For instance, a verse in the Quran states: “Surely, with every hardship there is ease.” (94: 5) This means if we face a difficulty or problem, we must not begin to fight or clash with others. The difficulty we are encountering will remain only for a temporary period. So, one must peacefully make one’s plan of work rather than react or become provocative. This principle is meant for all human beings. We have an example of this principle in the histories of Germany and Japan. Germany lost one-third of its land after WWII. It then began its economic planning on the basis of the land that had remained with it and later on emerged very successful. This line of action adopted by Germany was very much an Islamic principle similar to the one stated in the above Quranic verse. The Prophet Muhammad too in his lifetime had to let go of his hometown Makkah and had to migrate to Madinah. Though he had lost Makkah, he still had Madinah as a place to carry forward his mission. The Prophet then planned on the basis of Madinah and not of Makkah. These principles of success are mentioned in the Quran. The universal approach of the Quran wherein the laws of nature are mentioned is the factor which justifies the work of making it accessible to entire mankind. Can you please say a prayer to unite us all? I’ll recite a prayer of the Prophet. He used to pray thus: Allahumma antas-salam wa minkas-salam ilayka yarjius salam hayyana rabbana bis-salam wa adkhilna daraka daras-salam tabarakta rabbana wa talaita ya dhal jalale wal ikram It means, ‘O God, You are peace, peace comes from You, peace returns to You. O God, bless us to live in peace with all. O God, grant us entry into Your Home of Peace. O God, You are great, glory be to You!’ o