قال الله تبارك وتعالى في محكم كتابه المجيد بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ
Allah (S.W.T) tells us about the merits of the Holy month of Ramadhan, that (شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ) that the significance of the Holy month of Ramadhan in comparison to other months is that the last divine Scripture was sent down to the Prophet (S.A.W.W) during this month. And that is the guidance for the whole mankind (هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ). So, here is Allah (S.W.T) ordered us to ponder upon the Quran and made Laylatul Qadr, the night of destiny and measure greater and more valuable the 30,000 months. Because (إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ) Allah (S.W.T) says that the Holy Quran was sent down on the night of Qadr, the night of measure and destiny is in the Holy month of Ramadhan. Let us ponder and focus on the merits of the Quran. First of all, we know that the Quran is the eternal miracle of Allah (S.W.T), it is inimitable, which means that Allah commanded the Prophet (S.A.W.W) to challenge all mankind and Jinn, everybody to match something similar to the Quran. And they failed (وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا) if both mankind and the Jinn work together, put their efforts together, seek assistance from one another still they are unable to produce or bring something to match the Quran. That’s why it is (معجز) it is not possible for anyone to bring similar to that. Allah (S.W.T) commanded the Prophet (S.A.W.W) to challenge all masters of eloquence and poetry to bring something similar to the whole Quran they were not able, the challenge was reduced to 10 Suras, and again they proved themselves unable to meet the challenge. Then it was finally reduced to 1 Sura only, and again they failed. We know that some Suras are as short as Surat Al-Qadr for example. Still they were not able to do something similar to the Quran at all. Some scholars, some Muslim scholars thought that all the merits of the Quran and its inimitable that is because of its eloquence, but we notice that there are more important things other than eloquence. Other than eloquence because the Holy Quran guarantees the guidance both spiritual and physical, worldly and whatever is related to the hereafter and that is unique in the Quran. The second point is that the Holy Quran is usable and can benefit all generations, each one according to the depth of their understanding. It is not only for the scholars or the scientists, it is not only for well-educated even the simple and Lehman can make use of it. The third point is that Allah (S.W.T) tells people about this great (إعجاز) of the Quran that look the Quran is produced and contains and based on Arabic alphabets as simple as that. So, you are familiar with that, if you want to do your best by using the same alphabets in order to challenge and to meet this challenge of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.W).
To cut the short whilst the miracles of the previous Prophets like Musa (A.S), like Isa (A.S) were limited to the time and to their audience, to those people who were contemporary to them, the Quran remains an eternal miracle to the last person survives and lives on earth. How can we make use and benefit from the Quran? Of course, the first one is the recitation of the Quran. In many Ayat of the Quran, this recitation in the best manner is highly approved and recommended. In many Ahadeeth from the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W) and the Imams (A.S), it says that if you want converse with Allah (S.W.T) then recite the Quran. So, reciting the Quran is not as reciting an ordinary text, it is really according to the hadith of the Prophet and the Imams, a way of communication with Allah (S.W.T) making conversation with Allah (S.W.T) and that is great. So, He is omnipresent and by reciting the Holy Quran as if you are talking to Allah (S.W.T). This is one point. The second which is related to it again, is that it is highly recommended that each Muslim, at least the minimum of 50 Ayas from the Quran to be recited by them. The good believers people reciting at least 50 Aya from the Quran each day. In a hadith from Imam Jaffar Al-Sadiq (A.S), we hear that the Imam said that what stops the businessmen? People who are busy with their daily lives, when they go home at night and before they go to bed they recite certain Suras, certain chapters from the Quran and they should know that by reciting each Aya Allah (S.W.T) will record terrible awards and their books, will reward them by that and will erase 10 evil acts from their book of record. So, recitation for itself is highly recommended. The second approach is to memorise the Quran. We know that many scholars, many members of the community spend years and years in memorising the whole Quran, they become hafith of the Quran. And Alhamdulillah nowadays, we see that younger members of our community, whether here in the UK or in the Middle East, in Muslim countries we see that there are many young boys and girls who are memorising the whole Quran to the extent that it is sufficient that you tell them about the page number from the Quran and they start reciting fully and in a very nice way. The third point is the understanding, comprehension and contemplation (تدبّر) contemplation means that not only you stick to the wording and the recitation only, you try to go deep in the meaning and understand it well. Having said that, let’s move to another aspect which is very, very important. That is the scientific facts that were only discovered many centuries later, which means that the Holy Quran discovered them, spoke about them and the Prophet (S.A.W.W) conveyed that many centuries before those scientific facts being discovered. The first one is what Allah (S.W.T) considered the earth as a cradle and this is an Sura number 20, Aya 53, among the unknown facts that were unveiled by the Quran is that the movement of the earth and Allah (S.W.T) says that an sura number 20, Aya 53 “It is Allah who has made the earth as a cradle”, we know that the cradle normally is used for an infant to assist him or her to go to sleep comfortably. And this is the motion of the cradle, the swing helps the child to go to a very peaceful and calm way of sleeping. So Allah (S.W.T) make some kind of similitude between the earth, considering it as a cradle and what we read in the Aya too, implicitly clear that in contrast what people thought that it is still the Earth is moving and that is a chapter for itself we can discuss and talk about it for a full lecture. The second point which we read in the Quran about the scientific facts is pollination. Allah (S.W.T) in sura number 15, Aya 22 says that “We send the winds for pollination” so we know some species of trees and some plants they need this type of pollination and that will happen during the wind blowing in order to blossom. This although (وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ) and in the old days it was difficult for many to understand depth of this meaning, the depth of pollination that was explained in the Quran. However, when we talk about the third point and that is the existence of another continent which is mentioned in the Quran, Sura number of 55, Aya number 17, when Allah (S.W.T) says (رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ) “Allah is the Lord of the two Easts and the Lord of the two Wests”. This is only understandable and can be explained by knowing that there are other continents whilst everybody focused on the area that they lived in the geographical limitation they had to restrict themselves within. Brothers and sisters, these are only a few facts, scientific facts that were mentioned briefly in the Quran and the exegetes later on came to elaborate on them, to explain to us it is not only the book of religion and faith, it is not only the book of ethical and moral values, it gives much wider and greater depth of the information regarding the what we need in religion, regarding what we need in science, regarding what is good and useful for our spiritual enhancements and for every aspect of life.
May Allah (S.W.T) give us the ability and tawfeeq to make the best of the Quran, to make use of the Quran by reciting, by memorising, by pondering upon, by discovering more about the secrets hidden in the Quran and benefit from all that during the Holy month of Ramadhan as the Aya which I started with (شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ).