There is no religion more organized and complete than Islam. Allah (S.W.T) bestowed over us The Holy Quran, which provides the complete code of conduct for our lives in this world and the hereafter, not only this, Allah also sent his beloved Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) into this world as a living example among his fellowmen who served as the beacon of light for all the Muslim on this Earth.
The Quran was verbally revealed to Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) from Allah through Hazrat Jibril (A.S). The first revelation of the Holy Quran took place in the Cave of Hira which is located on the mountain Jabal-al-Noor, on the blissful night of Ramadan known as “Lailat-ul-Qadar”.
According to the book of Hadith (Bukhari 4953), while on retreat in the Cave of Hira, Hazrat Jibril (A.S) appeared before him (The Prophet) and commanded him to “Read!”. He responded, “But I cannot read!” Then Hazrat Jibril (A.S) embraced him tightly and then revealed to him the first lines of Surah Al-Alaq, which reads “Read: In the name of your Lord Who created, (1) Created man from a clot. (2) Read: And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who taught by the pen, (4) Taught man that which he knew not.” (96.1-5)
Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) was 40 years old when the first revelation took place and it was gradually revealed over a period of approximately 23 years. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was “The Chosen One” from Allah (S.W.T) to spread the noble teachings of The Holy Quran and in that period Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) faced a lot of criticism from a rich profusion of people in Makkah when he traveled to Taif to preach Islam but proved to be a majorly fruitless visit as he was beaten with stones. So the questions that arise here are: “Why was the Quran revealed? Why Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) went through all that trouble?” The answer lies deep into the core of Islamic values, the principles on which the entire Islamic history is written. Allah revealed the Holy Book (Quran) for us, the Prophet devoted his entire life just to preach the divinely ordained book to us and instructed the Muslims to do the same and since then the expansion of Islamic rule began through different Islamic dynasties which include the Rashidun Caliphate and Umayyad Dynasty to name a few.
We should be eternally thankful to Almighty Allah for revealing the Holy Quran to our beloved Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W) as it has beautifully encapsulated every aspect of life and if we vow to live our lives according to its principles, there is no way we can ever be distracted from the path to attain the bounties of Paradise where only the righteous would live after death.
May Allah (S.W.T) enable us to live our lives according to the teachings of The Holy Quran. Ameen
Written By: Sir Osama Jamal