The words of Allah and us — Part 2.

 Imagine stepping out of a refreshing bath, your clothes crisp and clean, the feeling of purity embracing you. The air feels lighter, the soul refreshed. But suddenly, someone carelessly splashes filthy water over you, drenching you in impurity. 
That sudden intrusion—the shock of defilement on what was pristine—feels unbearable. The instinct to cleanse, to restore that purity, is immediate.

Now, picture another moment. Someone with unclean hands grasps your arm, smearing stains on your freshly pressed clothes. Your mind recoils, and instinctively, you seek to wash away that impurity. Before touching food or anything delicate, we rush to cleanse our hands. Purity is our fitrah—an innate need to preserve what is unblemished.

If our physical state demands such care, then what of the sanctity required for something far more sacred? 

The Quran Mushaf— or to further specify the Arabic text are the very words of Allah.

 The pure words of Al-Quddus (The Pure One)—holds a sanctity that transcends worldly cleanliness. 

It is not just ink on paper; it is Kalam ul Allah, the speech of the One who is Perfect in Purity. 

To touch its blessed pages without ablution (wudu) is like smearing dirt upon a pure white garment. 

It disrupts the sanctity of its presence—a presence that deserves more than mere ritual; it deserves reverence.

Just as we instinctively wash our hands before touching food or holding something precious, approaching the Mushaf with both physical and spiritual purity reflects our acknowledgment of its divine nature. It is an act of honoring the purity of the One who revealed it and understanding the sacredness of His words.

'Indeed, it is a noble Quran, in a well-protected Book; none touch it except the purified.'

(Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:77-79)

The Qur'an is being treated more and more like just another book—when it is not merely a book; it is—The Holy Book.

Preserved in the Sacred Tablets upon the Arsh, safeguarded by the Lord of the Throne Himself. Its recitation, by the boundless mercy of the Most Merciful, transcends the limitations of physicality, reaching hearts and souls with divine light. Yet, the act of holding this Holy Scripture demands purity, a sanctity that mirrors its exalted status. For it is not just ink on paper; it is the eternal Word of Allah, safeguarded in the heavens and venerated on the earth.
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#DawahinQuran #personalreflection #generalreflection #Quran #ProtectedBook #HolyBook #SancityofAllah'swords

MashaAllah.!
JazakAllahu Khairan kaseeran for wording such an inspiring knowledge.!

Reflecting on the gift of God's message that has been transmitted to us over deep time; M'ashallah; And of those steadfast people who saw the value and made the effort to preserve God's word, perfectly; to contemplate it with all the cells of their bodies; and pass on this incredible, elaborate, illuminating tradition to us. May Allah accept our efforts and worship, I'm so grateful for this community. Jazak Allah khairan

Ameen. Jazakallahu khair for being a part of our community.

Understanding the interpretation of this verse is crucial in grasping why the Quran is esteemed as the preserved and original word of God in contrast to the Torah and the Bible.

The Torah and the Bible are revered as divine scriptures, yet their transmission throughout history has been marked by selective retention. Followers have often chosen to preserve only those sections of the Torah and the Bible that align with their beliefs or interests, while neglecting or omitting parts that challenge or inconvenience them. This selective preservation introduced a human element into the divine scriptures, leading to alterations and edits over time. Consequently, the Torah and the Bible evolved into edited versions of God's word, influenced by human agendas and preferences. As a result, these scriptures are not in their original form as they were revealed.

In contrast, the Quran has remained safeguarded since its revelation over 1400 years ago. Critics and scholars alike acknowledge that the Quran has been preserved in its original form, identical to how it was during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The meticulous preservation of the Quran is attributed to various factors, including its oral transmission, the written compilation during the Prophet's lifetime, and subsequent efforts to standardize the text. This unwavering preservation ensures that the Quran stands apart as the unaltered and unedited word of God, unaffected by human interference or manipulation.

Clearly, Allah SWT states that He, no one else but Him, He is the one who had bestowed upon us the Quran and that no one else but Him is The Preserver of the Quran.  Allah calls the Quran here as Az-Dhikra - the Reminder.  It is not a book containing reminders but it is in its entirety, a complete reminder. 

The Quran is Allah's word and if Quran is The Reminder, it is no one else but Allah who is reminding us as we read the Quran. Because we are weak and forgetful of the main purpose of our existence, reciting the Quran daily with full understanding will ground us, centre us upon the truth.  So when He remind, we listen. We take heed. We seek refuge in Him and through His words, we will find nothing but doors towards tranquility in the heart. When the heart is calm, the heart LIVES!

Now I get it. When Allah continues the ayah saying that He most certainly is the Preserver of the Reminder. One who preserves something not only maintain its existence in the original state but also keeps it ALIVE! With the Quran, we get a live reminder to keep our hearts soft and alive! Not as hard as rocks, as per the name of this surah, al-Hijr. 

Insha Allah in this month of Quran, our hearts will be soften by beautiful reminders from Allah SWT.

Barakallahufeekum. Allahummarhamna bilQuran. #ramadhanschool

Marz204 Wa-feeki baarak Allah my dear sister! It's so emotional to read your comment.  Alhamdulillah. QuranReflect has a goal of connecting the ummah with the Quran without any distraction. The result is a stronger connection with the Creator of the heavens and the earth! Insha'Allah. Immerse yourself with the words of Allah SWT and reflect away insha'Allah :)

PS Alhamdulillah, I love your transition from a silent reflector to an active one insha'Allah. It's refreshing.

What made Orientalists attest to the preservation of the Quran in it's written form was the fact that they saw consistency across the various manuscripts which date back to the mid 7th century when Uthman RA ordered for the masahif (written copies of the Quran) to be unified. These consistencies exist even in cases where the uninitiated might assume that human intervention would be warranted. For example, in the writing of:
باسم ربك
بسم الله

Bism ('in the name of') is pronounced the same in both ayat, however it is written differently with the inclusion and exclusion of the ا (alif) letter.

If you go through the Quran, you find this to be this to be consistent depending on whether بسم is followed by رب or الله. 

Why didn't the early scribes simply remove the ا when it was there or add it when it wasn't for the sake of consistency, especially when it made no difference to the meaning nor to how the word is pronounced?

It is because they knew everything from the way the Quran is pronounced (tajweed) to how it is written (known as the science of rasm) was divinely in its origin and not left up to the whims of human beings.

Lets compare this with the Bible for a second. When John Mill performed a cross examination of 100  Bible manuscripts in the year 1500, he found there to be over 30,000 variants across these 100 manuscripts. What makes the Quran unique in its preservation? Unlike previous scripture which were meant to be temporary , the Quran had its preservation guaranteed by Allah SWT from above seven heavens.

Indeed, the scribe started with bismillah  .

Imam al-Qurtubi mentions in his Tafseer (10/5-6), from Yahya b. Aktham, that al-Ma’mun (who was the caliph at the time) had an advisory council. A Jewish man who had a beautiful garment, calm face, and pleasant fragrance entered the gathering. He spoke beautifully and eloquently, and when he parted from the group, al-Ma’mun called him over. He asked: 'Are you Jewish?' He replied: 'Yes.' He said: 'Accept Islam so that I may utilize you,' and he made him a promise. He said: 'This is my religion, and that of my ancestors!' and then left. One year later, he returned as a Muslim, speaking about jurisprudential issues very beautifully. 
When he parted from the gathering, al-Ma’mun called him over and asked him: 'Are you not the man who came to us before?' He said: 'Indeed.' He asked: 'What caused you to become Muslim?' He said: 'When I parted from your presence, I decided to investigate these religions. You see, I happen to have excellent penmanship, so I went to the Torah and wrote three copies. I added things to them and deleted things from them, and when I brought them into the temple, they were purchased from me. Then I went to the Bible and made three copies of it, adding and deleting things again. When I brought them into the church, they were purchased from me. I then went to the Qur’an and made three copies of it. I added and deleted things, but when I brought it to the copyists, they skimmed through its pages. When they saw that things had been added and deleted, they threw them out and did not buy them. Then I knew that this was a preserved scripture. That is the reason I became Muslim.' 
Yahya b. Aktham continues to report: 'I made the Hajj pilgrimage that year and met Sufyân b. ‘Uyaynah. I mentioned the story to him, and he said; 'There is an ayah that corresponds to this in the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.' I asked: 'In which place?' He said: 'When Allah, Blessed and Exalted, speaks about the Torah and the Gospels:
… by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah… [5:44]

'He entrusted the preservation to them, so it was squandered. Then Allah says:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. [15:9]

'Allah, Mighty and Majestic, preserved it for us, so it was not lost.' 
#Quran #preservation #scripture

This verse and many others like of it are stressing a point that whoever rule/judge people other than quran, sunnah are Fasiq, kafir, unjust.  Our Ummah should reflect, make tawbah and return from Kufr systems to Islamic system. We should reject Secular way of life and rush towards islamic way of life in politics, Economics, judicial, spiritual aspects

Al-Qadhi ‘Iyâdh reports in al-Madârik that al-Qadhi Ismâ‘eel b. Ishâq b. Hammâd al-Mâliki al-Basri was asked about how changes found their way into the previous scriptures, but the Qur’an was free of them. He answered that Allah entrusted the Rabbis preservation of their scriptures:
… by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah… [5:44]

But that He, the Exalted, undertook the preservation of the Qur’an Himself:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. [15:9]
#Quran #preservation #scripture