A196
Surah: 026 - Ayah: 196
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26:196
In this connection if someone says that the heavenly Book is sufficient for the guidance of people, because by religious headship is only meant guidance and nothing else, it can be said that the Holy Qur'an is definitely the final heavenly Book and according to the principles of profound wisdom, it is so unique a book of Divine guidance that jinn and mankind together cannot produce its like and with these attributes it was spiritually in the heavenly Books of the early communities as well, as God says: “Verily it (the Qur'an) is in the scriptures of the early communitie.” (26:196). Those Books were in their own languages, but despite this when their ulama were attempting to understand their realities and recognitions without the luminous guidance of the true guide, their attempt was abortive. Rather, they used to perpetrate the crime of belying the Messengers of God, the reason for which were: “When by their own efforts they could not reach the realities of the heavenly Books, they concluded according to their logic that: these are the only meanings of the heavenly Book and more than those there is nothing beyond them,” or they concluded that “there are many meanings of the heavenly Books, but there is no one to tell us.”
Q172 Was the Qur’an in the previous Books? Are the previous Books in the Qur’an? Please explain with proofs and examples.
A172 Yes, this is true and the proofs and examples are:
- Verse (26:196): “And verily it is in the Scriptures (Books) of the ancients.”
- Verse (5:48): “And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the Book with the truth, confirming what is before it of the Book and a guardian over them.” The Qur’an confirms the previous heavenly Books and guards them in the sense that their meanings and extracts are in it.
- See verse (2:213) that all heavenly Books have a collective name, which is “al-kitab” (the Book), which today is the Qur’an.
- See verse (4:54) concerning the progeny of Abraham(c) and the progeny of Muhammad(s) that God gave them the Book which is the Qur’an.
Q506 What is the supreme miracle of the holy Prophet which clearly shows that he was undoubtedly Allah’s beloved?
A506
- One such miracle of the holy Prophet is the wise Qur’an itself which, according to one calculation contains 6666 miracles.
- Each of its verses is a miracle, not only in meaning but also in action, and its luminosity is at eight places: the Divine Word (Be!), the Pen, the Tablet, Jadd, Fath, Khayal, the light of Prophethood and the light of Imamat.
- The essence or wisdom or luminosity of the Qur’an is also contained in the (heavenly) Scriptures of the ancients (26:196), as well as in the personal world of the arifs.
- Its wisdom is in the stages of the knowledge of certainty, its light is in the azkar (sing. zikr, remembrance), ibadat (sing. ibadat, worship) and tasbihat (sing. tasbih, words or phrases in which He is purified from all attributes) of mu’min men and women. In short, the holy Qur’an is not just a single miracle but a tremendous universe of miracles.
- It has always been people’s habit to consider that if a miracle takes place, it has to be for their benefit. Although true, yet it is necessary to reflect and realise that together with spiritual healing there are countless other benefits as well in Qur’anic miracles.
Allah says that the glorious Qur’an is present in the heavenly books of previous communities (26:196). This does not mean that the wise Qur’an was narrated in the divine books of the previous prophets with respect to its language and exoteric sense. Rather, it was present in the sense of the spirit, spirituality, light and esoteric essence of those heavenly books. Thus, in a similar way the esoteric and inner guidance of the holy Qur’an is present in the sacred commands of the Imam of the time.
This verse has been referred 3 times.