Second Revelation - Ayah 1 to 7 of Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen)

 

 F I R 

Five Initial Revelations Of Qur'an

 Pehli Paanch Wahi

 

Period of second Revelation

This too is one of the earliest surahs to be revealed at Makkah, but its subject matter shows that it was sent down at the time when opposition to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) had grown very harsh and tyrannical.

 

 

 

Theme of second Revelation   

•A Wide Gulf- Islamic revelations started with the order to read. This instruction was given to the unlettered Prophet, whom God in His infinite wisdom willed  to be unable to read and write. Yet the revelations vouchsafed to him began with such emphasis on learning through reading and writing with the pen. This importance is  reiterated here by the oath using the letter nun, the pen and the writing. All this should be seen as part of the divine system of cultivating the Muslim community and preparing it for the universal role God assigned to it.

•Issues Spelled Out- This never-ending reward is  granted by your Lord who has bestowed on you the honour of prophethood. This gives solace and abundant compensation  for any type of isolation  or allegation  the unbelievers may hurl at him. What loss could be incurred by the one whose Lord kindly and benevolently assures him of a continuing reward, one that never ends?

•A Testimony by God- This is followed by a great testimony and abundant honour: "Most certainly, yours is a sublime character." (Verse 4) The whole universe echoes this unique praise of the Prophet. No writer can describe the value of this great testimony by the Creator of the universe; no imagination can give it its worth. It is  a testimony by God, according to His own measure, given to His servant, in His own words: "Most certainly, yours is a sublime character." A sublime character has, according to God's measure, its own unique value which no other creature can imagine.

•Emphasis on Morality- Islamic morality is  not a  set of individual values,  such as  truthfulness,  honesty,  justice,  mercy,  kindness,  etc.  Rather,  it  is  a complete system in which personal education collaborates with the legal code; a system that deals with life as a whole and defines its direction. It ultimately seeks God's pleasure, and nothing else. This morality, in its perfection, beauty, balance, consistency, straightforwardness and unity was  reflected in the person of Muhammad, (peace be upon him), as he deservedly earned the praise granted by none other than God Almighty

•Reassurance About the Future- God then reassures His Messenger about the immediate future and how things will  develop with those unbelievers who hurled such lies at him.  He warns them that their true situation will be publicized and their falsehood be made public. It is  his Lord who gave him his revelations. He indeed knows that he and his followers  are rightly guided. This is  enough to reassure  the Prophet and set  his  enemies worrying about what the future will bring.

 

 to be continued . . . .

Forty Hadith Qudsi

What is Hadith Qudsi

Imam Nawawi’s Forty Hadith and Forty Hadith Qudsi are widely regarded as the most popular anthology and the best introduction to the study of the Prophet’s Sayings in the English language.

The hadith summarize the essential teachings of Islam, concentrating on the following areas: affirmation of the doctrine of tawhid and understanding Allah [The Most High] in all His attributes, the significance of the five pillars of Islam, attainment of virtue, self-sacrifice for the cause of Allah [The Most High] and preparation for the day of judgement.

The Hadith Qudsi, or sacred hadith, have a particularly important status because their meaning is entirely from Allah [The Most High] while the wording is that of the Prophet Muhammad (s) himself. For each of the eighty hadith presented, the Arabic original has been printed alongside the English translation, which has earned a reputation for its scholastic accuracy and readability

Among the many definitions given by the early scholars to Sacred Hadith is that of as-Sayyid ash-Sharif al-Jurjani (died in 816 A.H.) in his lexicon At-Tarifat where he says: “A Sacred Hadith is, as to the meaning, from Allah [The Most High] the Almighty; as to the wording, it is from the messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah [The Most High] be upon him). It is that which Allah the Almighty has communicated to His Prophet through revelation or in dream, and he, peace be upon him, has communicated it in his own words.”

The hadith qudsi are the sayings of the Prophet divinely communicated to him. The present collection has been compiled from all the available books of hadith. The forty chosen here are all well authenticated and present many of the doctrinal, devotional and ethical elements of Islam.

[The Above taken from : An introduction to the subject and select sample texts, see e.g. Ibrahim Izzuddin and Denis Johnson-Davies: Forty Hadith Qudsi, Beirut, Damascus, 1980.]

While the common factor between hadith qudsi and the Qur’an is that both contain words from Allah [The Most High] which have been revealed to Muhammad, the main points of difference between Qur’an and hadith qudsi are as follows:

• In the Qur’an the precise wording is from Allah, while in the hadith qudsi the wording is given by the Prophet Muhammad.

• The Qur’an has been brought to Muhammad only by the Angel Gabriel, while hadith qudsi may also have been inspired otherwise, such as e.g. in a dream.

• The Qur’an is inimitable and unique, but not so the hadith qudsi.

• The Qur’an has been transmitted by numerous persons, (tawatur) but the hadith and hadith qudsi often only by a few or even one individual. There are hadith qudsi which are sahih, but also others hasan, or even da’if, while there is no doubt at all about any ayah from the Qur’an. Another point is that a hadith qudsi cannot be recited in prayer.

http://islamicweb.com/quran/hadith_qudsi.htm

Source

To Be Continued....