Recognition of Imam Part II - Purpose of the Qur'an
Purpose of the Qur'an
Tags: Qur'an, Heavenly Book, Torah, Gospel
In verse (5:48), God says: “And unto you have We revealed the Book with the truth, confirming whatever Book was before it, and guarding it. So judge between them by that which Allah has revealed”.
Here the question arises: How does the Qur'an confirm the heavenly Books before it and in what sense does it guard them? The answer is that the purpose of the Qur'an is the same as that of the heavenly Books before it, therefore the fundamental subjects and teachings of the Qur'an are the same as those of the Torah and the Gospel, etc. In this sense, the holy Qur'an confirmed the heavenly Books before it in such a practical way that there cannot be a better confirmation than that.
Now we will explain the sense in which the Qur'an is the guardian of the previous heavenly Books. It should be known that the realities and recognitions which were mentioned in the previous heavenly Books are all guarded in the exoteric and esoteric aspects of the Qur'an. It is in this sense that the Qur'an is the guardian of the previous heavenly Books. From the two statements that the Qur'an confirms the previous heavenly Books and is their guardian, it can be concluded that, just as the main subjects of the Torah and the Gospel were guidance and the light, so also they are the main subjects of the wise Qur'an. Reflect on this verse: "Allah guides to His light whom He pleases." (24:35). This means that God makes the one whom He pleases recognise His blessed and holy light through the Qur'an, the Prophet and the Imam of the time (as they are the means of His will and guidance). Thus it is clear that, like the Torah and the Gospel, the main subject and supreme purpose of the Qur'an are also guidance and the light.
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