The Message of the Quran
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
Praise be to God, Lord of Creation; the Compassionate, the Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, and to You alone we pray for help. Guide us to the straight path. The path of those whom You favoured: not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray. (Quran, 1:1-7)
It befits man to commence any task in the name of God, his master. God is the source of all mercy and compassion. His blessings are continually descending upon creation. To commence any undertaking in His name is to pray that God, in His infinite mercy, should come to one’s assistance and bring one’s work to a successful conclusion. This is man’s acknowledgement that he is God’s servant, and also brings divine assurance of success.
The Quran has a special way of expressing a believer’s inner sentiments in the best possible words. The Invocation of God and the opening chapter of the Quran constitute a supplication of this nature. The feelings which are naturally aroused in one after discovering the truth are given the form of words in these lines.
Man’s being is a great gift of God. It is so precious to him that he would never exchange his eyes or hands, or any part of his body, for any kingdom of the world. Even this basic gift of God is more precious to man than a kingdom is to kings. Similarly, when man looks at the world around him, he cannot fail to notice God’s power and mercy in evidence everywhere. With what care God watches over the world! Everything has been made to fit in with man. This observation shows one that the great cosmic machine cannot be in vain. One realizes that there must come a day when the ungrateful will be taken to task and the grateful rewarded. One spontaneously entreats God in words to this effect: “Lord, You are Master of the Day of Judgement. I have submitted to You and humbly seek Your help; have mercy on me. Lord, show us the path that is, to You, the true path. Enable us to tread the path of Your chosen servants. Help us to avoid the path of those who have gone astray, and the path of those who have incurred Your wrath due to their obstinacy.
God requires His servant to live his life with such feelings and emotions. The opening chapter of the Quran is a miniature picture of such a believer, and the rest of the Quran an enlargement of this picture.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL
The Cow
Alif, Lam, Mim. This Book is not to be doubted. It is a guide for the cautious, who have faith in the unseen and observe prayer; who bestow in charity a part of what We have given them; who trust what has been revealed to you and to others before you, and believe in the life to come. These are rightly guided by their Lord; these shall surely triumph. (Quran, 2: 1-5)
There is no doubt that the Quran is a book of guidance. But it only guides those who are sincere in their search and anxious to be guided. The search for truth is inherent in man’s nature; one only has to discover one’s own true nature in order to find the truth. True search and true finding are but initial and advanced stages of the same journey. One who searches for truth unravels the mystery of his own inner self. He becomes one with nature. God helps him in his search; the subconscious yearnings of his nature begin to receive a definite response.
The awakening of sincere yearning within one is an attempt to discern the world of meanings behind the world of forms. When this yearning becomes a discovery, it is transformed into faith in the unseen. That which is initially an urge to submit to some superior power later takes the form of bowing to the Almighty. That which is initially a wish to sacrifice oneself for some greater good later takes the form of spending one’s wealth for the cause of God. That, which is initially a questioning regarding the final outcome of life beyond this world, finds an answer in the form of faith in the life to come.
To discover truth is to raise one’s consciousness to the level of the Supreme Reality. Those who find truth in this way become complex-free souls. They come to see truth as it really is. Wherever truth is, and whoever is proclaiming it, they immediately recognize and accept it. No rigidity, convention or prejudice can come between them and the truth. God has mercy on people of this nature. His universal order embraces them. They are guided on a sure course in this world. Their final destination will be heaven in the life to come.
Only those who seek the truth can find it. Those who seek shall surely find. On this path, there is no division between seeking and finding.
