Spirit of Islam, Sep-Oct 2024

The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey. YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED What is the Quran? The Quran is the Book of God preserved for all time to come. It is written originally in Arabic and accessible through its translations to the nonArabic knowing world. The Quran is the word of God. It aims to bring about an intellectual revolution within man, called Marifah (realization of God) (5: 83), and make him aware of the Creation Plan of God. The purpose of the Quran is to tell man why God created this world, the purpose of settling man on earth, what is required from man in his pre-death life span, and what he will confront after death. The Quran, thus, serves as a guide for man in this world as well as in the Hereafter. What is the message of the Quran? The message of the Quran is the Creation Plan of God. According to the Creation Plan of God, man is born as an eternal creature, and his life span has been divided into two periods, pre-death period, which is a time of trial, and the post-death period, which is the time for receiving reward or punishment merited by one’s actions during one’s lifetime. Therefore, the secret to man’s success in life is to discover God while He is unseen, understand His creation plan and map out his life accordingly. How should one read the Quran? We should make it a point to read the Quran in the language we understand, instead of just mere recitation of the Arabic text. There are two layers of Quranic learning: one is understanding its literal meaning, and the second is understanding its more profound meaning and its application in daily life. If you want to know the message of the