Literary CornerThe Qur’an and the Universe (Part 2) [Archives:2006/922/Culture]

By: Abu Al-Kalmah Al-Tayyibah
Author: Usamah Ali Al-Khadhir

Language: Arabic

Publisher: Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Year Published: 2004

No. of Pages; 833

After reviewing the rationale of the author in seeking to delve into the highly elaborate and constantly evolving fields of science and theology and for delving into the challenging task of bringing both science and religion together, we can look into the effort with more scrutiny.

The book starts of with a general exploration into Islam and the Prophet Mohammed as Chapters I and II (Respectively titled Mohammed the Messenger (P) and A Philosophical Scrutiny Between Science and the Qur'an). In the discussion on the Prophet's life and mission, the author asserts the importance of the task that was assigned to this humble man, who was born in the midst of what Arab historians call the 'Period of Ignorance”. The author sees this discussion on the Prophet Mohammed's life as essential for Moslems to comprehend and understand. Al-Khadir makes it clear from the start that the tragic state of the Moslem World today is due to the lack of real understanding that present day Moslems of their most revered human being and the actual pursuit he was after. He points out that the Prophet Mohammed spent most of the early part of his mission (in Mecca) instilling the essential frameworks of faith and to making faith as indivisible to the mind set as human instinct. Thus it is not the constitution of the Islamic State that the first 13 years of the Post Revelation period in the Prophet's life that consumed all his energy and skill. The significance of the religion of Islam comes in its ability to project that for human beings there is no other conforming dogma that is amicable to human nature than Islam and thus Islam is bound to be accepted by any open minded highly observant human being, who knows that somehow life must have meaning and spiritual legitimacy in the mind set of the believer if it is to be a worthwhile creed that goes beyond a set of worship rites and practices or restrictions and sanctions. That is why all the early verses of the Qur'an repeatedly remind man of his prominence and the large span of bounties that God has put in the universe all so that man can be what he is: the most developed of all lining creatures and the one that has greater limits of discretion than any other of God's unlimited number and types of creatures to whom God breathed into the spirit of life and equipped them with all the dynamism needed to maintain man's supremacy on this planet. According to Al-Khadir, the issue of today's Moslems is not so much the institution of the Islamic State, but more importantly the elaboration of the human believer in terms of doctrine and spiritual ideology. It is senseless then to have a Moslem State when its constituent citizenry is neither equipped with the spiritual wherewithal to grasp its highly refined moral dogma and nor the cemented bond between the human spirit and the Divine, which is why faith is an almost inescapable prerequisite to any meaningful life that one would wish to have during his/her relatively short sojourn on this planet. The author in this part of the book basically sets out to answer the oft repeated philosophical question: Why am I here and where is all this that we face in life supposed to lead to? In order to understand the basic elements of faith and its practical implications on the life of human begins, the author contends that Moslems must be fully aware of the life of the Prophet Mohammed, for it is through this deeper scrutiny into the Prophet's life that they will have a chance to see the magnificence of what they are supposed to believe in and the grace that God has given man. As the greatest and final prophet, the Prophet Mohammed was indeed a unique human phenomenon that has never been equaled and will never be equaled by any man before or after him. It is only logical that the last messenger of God should be in command of all the traits and character that will project him out as the living model of the creed he is propagating for mankind. Without a doubt, this unique amalgamation of all the good that man can potentially be a reflection of is bound to have a lasting impression on anyone who is familiar with the life of the Prophet Mohammed. It is no wonder then that all those early Moslems, who lived in the prophets short span of 63 years are impressed by the uncontested amassment of morality and virtue in one man. In fact, had it not been for Mohammed's insistence that he is no more than a mortal being and insuring that this is instilled in the First Pillar of Islam (There is but One God, Allah and Mohammed is the Prophet of Allah – the proclamation of faith in Islam and the entry password into the creed – surely his followers would have otherwise regarded him as an element of the supernatural. In his time and among his people (even his enemies) he was recognized as free from any deviousness or mischief and his honesty and adherence to telling the truth was unquestioned by any of his people. Thus, it was easy for the Mission to be unloaded on a man who was to be the model and template by which all adherents to the faith can look to for the virtues and morals they need to have the favor of their Creator in this life and in the eternal life that awaits all men, when they are put to account for all their deeds and their misdeeds, their hidden secrets and their exposed moments of life to those they lived with. So the believer must study the life of the prophet well to grasp the fundamentals of the faith and to find answers to many of the questions that people normally conjure up as the trials and tribulations of life seek spiritual comfort and Devine inspiration. The author underscores the significance of this as an important element that will elevate the believer to the highest echelons of spiritual bliss.

1 Actually the Arabic word “insihaq” could also mean “grounding” to a powder, but contrition would be more fitting with the spiritual context of the book, when we all realize that we probably missed the chance to make peace with our Lord.
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