COMMUNICATING THE WORD OF GOD

COMMUNICATING THE WORD OF GOD Finding Newer Horizons T HE Quran is the final and preserved message of God to humankind. It was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. The Prophet Muhammad is the last messenger in the noble chain of prophets. Now, no new prophet will arrive to guide humankind to the straight path. It is the Quran now that addresses human beings. This status of the Quran is mentioned thus in the Quran: Blessed be He who has revealed the criterion [the Quran] to His servant that he may warn the nations. (25: 1) The Quran also says that it is a ‘reminder for all humankind’ (6: 90). The believers are now given the responsibility to communicate the message from God, i.e. the Quran to all human beings. The Quran says: Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation and reason with them in a way that is best. (16: 125) Since the time the Quran was revealed, believers have continued to communicate the Word of God. The ancient time was an age of traditional communication. Some would read out a portion of the Quran to their addressees. Such people were known as Muqri, i.e. readers or reciters. With the advancement of human knowledge, newer means of communication were invented. After the invention of printing press, copies of the Quran began to be translated and printed in large numbers. The message of the Quran has been continuously broadcast through radio and television in all parts of the world. God’s Plan for the Quran The Prophet said, “There will be no home remaining—big or small—in which God will not have entered the word of Islam.” (Musnad Ahmad) It is the solemn responsibility of the Muslims to engage in and employ those means of communication that would facilitate the Word of God reach every home on planet earth. Achieving this target was not possible in ancient times as the means of communication was still in nascent age. In fact, the true import of the relevant Quranic verses and the sayings of the Prophet was not even realized. When the modern age dawned, it became possible to envision how this task could be accomplished.