Al Shu‘arā’

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الأَمِينُ

عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ

وَإِنَّهُ لَفِي زُبُرِ الأَوَّلِينَ

192. “And verily this (Qur’an) is from the Lord of the Worlds.”
193. “The Faithful Spirit has descended with it.”
194. “Upon your heart that you may be of the warners.”
195. “In the perspicuous Arabic language.”
196. “And verily it is (foretold) in the (heavenly) Books of the ancients.”

Qur’an is Divine revelation, and it is not the Prophet’s own sayings or out of what he has heard. And also the Qur’an has been sent down from the world of unseen to the world of manifest. The One Who has sent revelation is the same One Who manages and cherishes the whole existence. The heavenly laws are in line with the system of creation, therefore, in this verse, after the statement of seven stories of the events of the ancient prophets and the instructive lessons which were found in them, the Qur’an returns again to the same theme with which the Surah began, the theme of the greatness of the Qur’an and legitimacy of this Divine clear word.

The verse says:

In principle, stating the different parts of the life stories of the former prophets with so much care and narrowness that they are free from any superstition, false myths and fables, in a place where was the center of tales and fables of the ancients, and by a person who had not learnt lessons at all, are some reasons that this Book has been sent down from the side of the Lord of the worlds, and this by itself, is the sign of the miracle of the Qur’an.

Then, the Qur’an adds:

If that angel of revelation, that ‘trustful Spirit of Allah’ had not brought it from the side of Allah, it would not have been so illuminating, pure, and free from being polluted with any superstitions and falsehoods. It is worthy noting that the angel of revelation has been qualified here by two titles: the title of Ruh (Spirit) and the title of Faithful (Amin). It means the spirit that is the source of livelihood, and the thing which is the main condition of guidance and leadership.

Yes, this ‘Faithful Spirit’ brings down this Qur’an from the side of Allah to the heart of the Prophet (S) in order that he warns people and makes them aware of the dangerous fate that they will have because of deviation from monotheism. Its aim has not been to explain the history of the ancient people as a hobby and telling stories. Its aim is to create sense of responsibility and awareness. Its aim is to train men. It says:

And, for the fact that there would remain no room for any pretext and excuse for any body, it says:

This Qur’an has been sent down in the eloquent Arabic language and free from any ambiguity so that it could be clean enough for warning and awakening nations, especially in that locality where the people were very obstinate and pretext- seeking. The Arabic language is a rather complete language which is enriched with a vast and full literature. It is necessary to note that one of the meanings of the Arabic word /‘arabi/ (Arabic) is eloquence and rhetoric apart from the quality of tongue, as Raqib says in Mufradat:

“Arabic is called to a clear eloquent speech.”

The same meaning has been mentioned in Lisan-ul-‘Arab, too. In this case, the aim is not to emphasize on the Arabic language, but it is on the eloquence and clearness of the) concepts of its content. The verses which will be discussed later certify this meaning, too. It is also said in Surah Fussilat, No. 41, verse 44:

(Here, the word /’a‘jamiyy/ (foreign) means: ‘not eloquent’.) Then, the verse refers to another one of the reasons of the legitimacy of the Qur’an, indicating that the former Books had announced that it would come into being in future. The verse says:

In Moses’ Book, Turah, in particular, the qualities of this prophet (S) and this Book both have been referred to in such a clear way that the scholars of the Jews were quietly aware of it. It is even said that it was because of prophecies of the Jewish scholars about the advent of this prophet and this Divine Book that ’Aus and Khazraj, two tribes, believed in the Prophet of Islam (S) We must not take the Qur’an insignificant, because: 1- Its origin is Rabb-ul‘Alamin

2- Its intermediary is Ruh-ul-’Amin

3- Its receiver is the pure heart of the Prophet (S)

4- Its aim is to warn and awaken people,

5- Its language is Arabic, the eloquent,

6- Its glad tidings can be found in ancient Divine Books,

A Few Traditions Upon the Qur’an

1. The holy Prophet (S) said:

“The superiority of the Qur’an unto other words is like the superiority of Allah (s.w.t.) unto His creatures.” ²

2. The Messenger of Islam (S) said:

“Be aware of the Qur’an! Verily it is a useful healing, and an auspicious remedy; and it is the protector of the person who holds fast to it, and a rescue for the one who follows it.” ³

3. The holy Prophet (S) said:

“The noble ones of my Ummah are those who carry out the Qur’an, and keep a vigil in the night, too.” ⁴

4. The Prophet (S) said:

“The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” ⁵

Also, Imam Ali-ibn-Abitalib (as) has eloquently pointed out this fact through his very inclusive statement in Nahj-ul- Balaqah, where he says:

“...Therefore, seek cure from it your ailments and seek its assistance in your distresses. It contains a cure for the biggest diseases, namely unbelief hypocrisy, revolt and misguidance...” ⁶

In another occurrence in Nahj-ul-Balaqah, he (as) says:

“Beware that it contains knowledge of what is to come about, stories of the past, cure for your ailments and regulation for whatever is among you.” ⁷

And the same Imam (as), in another place of Nahj-ul-Balaqah, says:

“...You should adhere to the Book of Allah, because it is the strong rope, a clear light, a benefiting cure, a quenching for thirst, a protection for the adherent and deliverance for the attached. It does not curve so as to need straightening and does not deflect so as to be corrected.

Frequency of its repetition and its falling on ears does not make it old. Whoever speaks according to it, speaks truth and whoever acts by it is forward (in action)...” ⁸

These expressive statements, that the like of them can abundantly be found in the teachings of the Prophet (S), and in other words of Hadrat Ali (as) and other Imams (as), clearly prove that the Qur'an is a prescription useful for arranging all disorders, a cure for both individuals and society from the kinds of ethical and social diseases.