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 non-Arabic knowing world. English is truly an international language. The Quran Complex, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, in a research on the English translations of the Quran, concluded: “Despite 47 English Quran translations, none has received the acceptance of the modern world.” [Bibliography of the Translations and the Meanings of the Quran in English (1649–2002)] To fill this gap, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan worked tirelessly to translate the Quran into English, published in 2008 under the title The Quran. Edited by Professor Farida Khanam, the translation is in contemporary English, lucid, easy to understand, and has received universal acceptance. In its introduction, the Maulana explains that the Quran aims to bring about an intellectual revolution within man, called maarifah (realisation of truth) (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 the man in this world as well as in the Hereafter.
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According to the Quran, the deeper meaning of the Quran can be understood through contemplation (tadabbur) and such reading should be done with an open mind, not with a conditioned mind. Only if a person reflects objectively, he would be able to reach the deeper meaning of the verses of the Quran.
Source: Discovering the Quran
It is often believed that the Quran is a book only for the Muslims. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The Quran, which literally means, ‘to be read’, is in fact a book for the entire mankind. In its 114 chapters, the Quran addresses all of humanity. For example, the Quran says, “O Man, it is your Lord who is addressing you, listen to His words and follow Him.” It is as if God was addressing us directly. This compels man to take the Quran seriously.
Now where in the Quran, it refers that it is a book for Muslims. About the Prophet of Islam, the Quran says: ‘He has been sent as a mercy to all mankind.’ (21:107). So, both the Quran and the Prophet of Islam were sent for mankind and not one community as it is erroneously believed.
Secondly, Arabic understanding or reading is not necessary to understand the message and wisdom of the Quran. The same can be understood from different translations of the Quran.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Every book has its objective and the objective of the Quran is to make man aware of the Creation plan of God. That is, to tell man why God created this world; what the purpose is of settling man on earth; what is required from man in his pre-death life span, and what he is going to confront after death. Man is born as an eternal creature. When God created man as such, He divided his life span into two periods, the pre-death period, which is a time of trial, and the post-death period, which is the time for receiving the rewards or punishment merited by one’s actions during one’s lifetime. These take the form of eternal paradise or eternal hell. The purpose of the Quran is to make man aware of this reality. This is the theme of this divine Book, which serves to guide man through his entire journey through life into the after-life.
It would be correct to say that man is a seeker by birth. The Quran is the answer to man’s quest. It presents this world as a testing ground, and the Hereafter as the place where the result of the test will be taken into account by the Almighty and whatever man receives in the life after death, by way of reward or punishment, will be commensurate with his deeds in this world. The secret of man’s success in this life is to understand God’s creation plan as given in the Quran, and map out his life accordingly.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The Quran is the book of God. The Quran, having been preserved in its original form, is a completely reliable source of divine guidance.
There are 114 chapters in the Quran. Everything that has been laid down in the Quran can be summed up thus: an individual should believe in the one God, and hold himself accountable to Him alone. He should discover that the Prophet Muhammad was a messenger who conveyed God’s guidance to humanity.
The position of the Quran is not just that it is one of the many revealed scriptures but that it is the only authentic heavenly book, as all other books, due to human additions and deletions, have been rendered historically unreliable. When a believer in the previous revealed scripture turns to the Quran, it does not mean that he is rejecting his own belief, but rather amounts to his having re-discovered his own faith in an authentic form.
The Quran is a sacred book sent by God for everyone. It is a book for all because it has been sent by God, Who is the Creator of all mankind.
The Quran is not a new holy book. It is, in effect, a preserved version of the previous divine books. In this sense, the Quran is a book for all human beings and for all nations. The Quran manifests God’s mercy for all. It is the message of God sent by Him for everyone. The Quran is a light of guidance for the whole world, just as the sun is a source of light and heat for the whole world.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
