Ramadhān is the month of the Holy Qur`ān. Tonight, Muslims around the world commemorate the event of Nuzul al Qur`ān (the revelation of the Qur`ān). The Holy Qur`ān is the true word of God, revealed unto the final prophet Muhammad s as the ultimate guide for all mankind until the end of time. Every Muslim, every true believer, from all over the world believe with total certainty (yaqīn) that al Qur`ān is truly the word of God, and that it is the ultimate source of knowledge for Muslims – such that anything that contradicts any of the principles laid out by the Holy Qur`ān will be rejected by true Muslims.
One of the important elements that a true and valid religion must have is a source of reference, a holy scripture that serves to build solid foundation. Without a valid source of reference, a solid foundation cannot possibly be built. That source of reference, that holy scripture, must also come from The Creator, our God, for it to be valid reference. And for the holy scripture to be the ultimate source of reference for mankind, the holy scripture must remain untainted by humans, preserved through times. The word of God must remain as the word of God, and not interpretations of it by humans. Also, it is only logical that the word of God must be declared, confirmed, and guaranteed by God Himself. For there exist none above God, hence a true holy scripture can only be affirmed by itself.
The principles above can all be found in only one holy scripture in existence: the Holy Qur`ān. Within the Holy Qur`ān, we can find solid foundational principles that affirms itself. No other holy scripture in the world have the kind of certainty that the Holy Qur`ān provides, which only proves the truth of the Holy Qur`ān.
First of all, the name of the book which contains this word of God, is called al-Qur`ān (among many other names). The name of this holy scripture is not something Muslims create. The name of this holy scripture is declared explicitly in the Qur`ān itself in several verses, such as in Chapter 73 (al-Muzzammil) verse 20. No other holy scripture in the world names itself (which means that the names of the other so-called holy scriptures are given by men).
The Holy Qur`ān also affirms its own truth, such as in Chapter 5 (al-Mā`idah) verse 48, and in Chapter 6 (al-An‘ām) verse 115. The Holy Qur`ān is the only holy scripture that affirms its own truth, and this is very important because such declaration gives confirmation to its truth and provides reason for humankind to follow the Qur`ān.
The Holy Qur`ān, again, is the only holy scripture in existence that affirms that there are no discrepancies or inconsistencies in it. Refer to Chapter 4 (al-Nisā`) verse 82. There are no different various versions of the Qur`ān – every Muslim in the world reads the same version of the Qur`ān, word by word. There are some non-muslims who claim that they found inconsistencies in the Qur`ān; however, they are mistaken in that they compare “translations” of the Qur`ān, and not the Qur`ān itself. The original language in which the Qur`ān was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is Arabic. How do we know that? Again, the Qur`ān declares that. It is explicitly mentioned that the language for the Qur`ān is Arabic, such as in Chapter 39 (al-Zumar) verse 28, and in Chapter 43 (al-Zukhruf) verse 3. Hence, the authenticity of the Qur`ān can always be preserved as the original language in which it was revealed is specifically declared.
Tonight, the 17th of Ramadhān, Muslims commemorate the event of the start of the revelation of the Qur`ān unto Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Although there are differences of opinions on the exact date of the revelation of the Qur`ān, it does not really matter. The important thing is the meaning of the event, the changes that the revelation of the Qur`ān brought upon this world, and the light that it is showing to help mankind differentiate the rights from the wrongs. However, Muslims celebrate the Nuzul al Qur`ān usually on the 17th of Ramadhān because one thing is very clear: the Qur`ān was first revealed in the month of Ramadhān. How do we know that? Again, because the Qur`ān declares it in Chapter 2 (al-Baqarah) verse 185.
Learn the Qur`ān from qualified scholars, and you will learn the way of truth.
All posts in this blog are my own personal views (unless explicitly mentioned otherwise) and are not to be associated with any organization or institution related to me.