Quran - Koran: Qur'an Revealed During Ramzan

By SANIYASNAIN KHAN

Qur'an Revealed During Ramzan

Prophet Muhammad would often sit alone in the cave of Hira, near Mecca, to pray and meditate, asking the Creator of the Heavens and earth for answers to the questions that surged through his mind. What is man's true role in life?

What does the Lord require of us? From where does man come, and where will he go after death? The Prophet would meditate alone, surrounded by nature, seeking answers to all these profound questions.

On one of the nights of Ramzan, as usual, the Prophet was sitting all alone in the cave. Suddenly, the Archangel Gabriel appeared before him in human form and taught him the very first verses of the Qur'an. The Prophet felt that the verses had actually been written on his heart. In this manner the Qur'an began to be revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad through the angel. It look 23 long years to complete the revelations of the Holy Book.

Being the true word of Allah in human language, the Qur'an is the eternal book of instruction for all mankind. It provides correct and understandable answers to all the central questions which arise in an inquisitive mind. It serves as a guiding light, inspiring and leading the devout on the right path.

The guidance given in the Qur'an is a unique blessing to mankind from God, because it shows man the path to ultimate success. It tells man how to conduct himself, so that in his eternal life he may gain entry into Paradise, which is the ultimate goal. Fasting is the path to it.

The month of Ramzan, therefore, is an annual reminder of this unique blessing. The celebration of the revelation of the Qur'an is not observed in the usual way, but is marked by abstinence, and by being grateful to the Almighty, expressing this in various forms of charity. Fasting in this month is acknowledgement of the divine blessing.

This month is eminently appropriate for reading and understanding the Qur'an. Special recitations of the Qur'an are held; it is also recited during the tarawih prayer. The tarawih is actually the tahajjud prayer, which instead of being offered before dawn is offered after the isha prayer during this month for the convenience of the devout.

The Qur'an introduces the Creator and explains the relationship between the Creator and His creations. A major portion of the Qur'an deals with the stories of the prophets, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jesus and many more. These stories enshrine a moral code of conduct for believers of all time. A sizeable portion of the Qur'an talks about the Hereafter - which mainly covers the gra-phic description of the delights of Paradise and the agony of Hell. Historical events, faith and religion, religious commandments, divine promises, prayers and matters of civil law are also dealt with.

When the Qur'an is read during the month of its revelation, Ramzan, it creates an atmosphere which reminds us of the time when the divine light from heaven fell upon the earth. The Qur'an is a guiding force in man's life. He earns his livelihood according to its dictates. He bathes in the ocean of its life to cleanse his soul.

The Qur'an is a reward to His servants from God. And fasting is acknowledgement of the reward. Through fasting man makes himself worthy of being thankful to God. He obeys the command of God and thus gains a keen awareness of the supremacy of God. Having gone through a month's fasting, he creates the ability in himself to lead a life of piety as ordained in the Qur'an.