The Glorious Qur'an is a unique encyclopaedic compilation of religious
and materialistic knowledge and sciences. No other book in the world can be comparable to
it. It is a comprehensive guide of beliefs, prayers and all affairs of life that cover the
basic principles of human life. It equally covers all materialistic sciences, issues,
theories and philosophies. It does not merely guide men in Shariah issues but also
shows the right path in philosophical and theoretical matters, thereby saving men from
undergoing mental tensions and deviations. Thus it is a refined and lapidary collection of
nature and Shariah.
Actually the holy Qur'an possesses such of the secrets and facts about
the systems of nature that unravel the mysteries of the providential activities and
creative enigma. It presents irrefutable proofs of these powers of Allah so that man dare
not refute the existence of God. Thus along with verses dealing with Shariah issues,
simultaneously innumerable references to the manifestations of nature have been made out
to provide the rational base for reflection. This reflection has to be carried with
respect to material objects (like animals, plants, minerals and heavenly bodies).
The Glorious Qur'an is a natural scripture which invites mankind to
peruse the Book without overlooking their logical conclusions. A scientific study of the
holy text will establish the Unity of God on the most rational basis as well as vouchsafe
the faith in the Prophethood and the Day of Judgment. This material will provide quite
effective and appealing persuasive means for strengthening faith. In view of all these
purposes this divine scripture has been laced with such material that is in tune with all
times to come. The Word of God must prevail over all times logically.
Thus the purpose of the inclusion of the description of the system of
the universe in the Glorious Qur'an is to provide scientific proofs about the veracity of
the Unity of God, Prophethood and happening of the Doomsday thereby providing means of
satisfying the logical minds. This constitutes one part of the logical system of the holy
Qur'an. If this basic aim is kept in view, many of the misunderstandings prevalent would
get solved. There was, and is, thus need for acquainting the common man the relation
between Qur'an and Science and why the holy Book has argued utilizing the manifestations
of nature and their administrative systems? Further what purpose does this divine
scripture serve in presenting the disciplined system of the nature?
It must be noted that the mysteries and facts of this material universe
related in the Glorious Qur'an do constitute the marvelous expression and proof of the
Book being a Divine Scripture. It has been revealed from One Who is Omniscient. The real
marvel of the Book is that however advanced and progressive be the human scientific and
technical knowledge, it guides mankind to unravel the mysteries of nature and to formulate
theories. These mysteries and revelations thus can be directly associated with the
rhetoric of the holy Book. They would never go out of date in spite of the phenomenal
advances in the field of human arts and sciences. In fact they would be blooming with new
and fresh meaningful revelations as the material knowledge advances. Obviously it is
beyond any human effort to formulate irrevocable principles and theories keeping in view
the future advances in the field of sciences and arts.
It is essential that the Quranic mysteries and facts pertaining
to the material universe be presented before the mankind with full explanations so that
the modern man believes in the truths as revealed divinely. This is the fundamental
characteristic and rhetoric of the divine Book. There is need for taking up this job in
various languages of the world so that the message of the Glorious Qur'an reaches far and
wide fulfilling contemporary needs aptly.
Furqania Academy Trust has formulated a separate unit called
Universal Movement for the Marvel of the holy Quran so that this task is
carried with special attention and devotion. We do endeavour to contact all such
institutions and individuals who are doing such work all over the world so that a
concerted effort is made in this direction. We request such organisations and individuals
to come forward on their own also and join us in this stupendous task. We are also
planning to hold discussions, seminars etc. on the various aspects of this marvellous
work.
As a pointer, it was thought fit to take a lead by presenting certain
selected verses from the holy Book which have rich information about the various systems
operating in the universe and present their explanation, in the light of the modern
developments. And I hope this will mark the beginning of an eventful chapter in the
commentaries of the holy Book and will draw the attention of other workers in the field.
It is also intended that men should come to realise that such a rich document of
mysterious universe is not the work of any human being but of such a great Almighty Being
Who is the Creator and Cherisher of the Universe. And that if this factual knowledge is
presented in a logical and methodical way, the present day man will certainly be
influenced. Since the man is presently wedded to the materialistic values and the call of
old timers does not make any impression, it is very essential to take the help of modern
sciences.
Almighty Allah has laced His Book of Knowledge with all kinds of
implements (weapons) so that Islam meets the demands of all times
and confronts materialism and secularism successfully. This great Book remains up to date
always. In spite of this, if Muslims continue to have reservations for learning modern
sciences, it is their misfortune. It is because of their rigidly conservative attitude and
the failure on their part to understand the real mission of the holy Quran that the
world is not responding to their claims. The Glorious Quran being the Book of
Guidance for all mankind will never lag in fulfilling its great and noble task of guiding
the mankind. It is the followers of Islam who, due to their inability in comprehending the
spirit of the divine Book, are lagging behind in leading the modern man. There is urgent
need to catch the true spirit and realise the real mission of the Divine Guidance and
prepare such literature that would fill the vacuum found in propagation of Islam. Brief
write-ups with relevant material would also be effective to present the concepts of Unity
of God (Allah), Prophethood and the Resurrection Day. When viewed in the light of modern
researches, these concepts cannot be denied by the modern man. In fact such a material
would provide unquestionable proof of these concepts. The Glorious Qur'an does claim that
whoever wants to forsake this world do so after witnessing its rational approach. This
stands equally true in case a person desires to live particularly so because the
Book is not merely a collection of advice and commandments but is the greatest Scripture
which is highly logical and rational in its arguments. It does not appeal the emotions of
the man. It calls for rational thinking and reflection on all the natural systems. It
produces irrefutable proof of the powers and control of the. It is the only Scripture that
calls mankind in such a realistic way. The rest of the scriptures have become out of date.
The Muslims should rise up and present to the ailing humanity this
revolutionary message of revival of religion and divine message. Then only they would be
fulfilling their obligation and duty. They should call the mankind in proper form and work
on right lines for guiding the mankind. Otherwise they would be held as guilty by Allah.
This is the Collective Duty of all the Muslims. If they fail to act collectively in this
regard, all would be charged as sinners. By attaining the status of collective duty, it
becomes obligatory on every one to encourage such of the men and organisations who are
already in the field by extending full support manually and financially. Then only success
will be achieved.
Since the general public is not conversant with the effectiveness and
significance of such Dawah work, it was felt essential to train them mentally
through lectures. In these lectures it was sought to acquaint men the real worth of the
Divine Book in the modern times governed and ruled by sheer rationalism. It was also
sought to present the various ways in which this Great Book can be utilised to show the
Right Path to erring humanity.
A series of monthly lectures were arranged in 1994 at the conference
hall of the Academy which was situated at St. Johns Church Road, Bangalore-5. These
were written lectures presented by me on various topics. They were appreciated much and
became very popular. The well-wishers suggested that these lectures be brought out in the
form of a book so that their lasting utility extends far and wide. The author is engaged
for the last forty years in carrying out research in Quranic studies and has brought
out several books under the banner of Furqania Academy Trust. Although these
lectures were delivered originally in Urdu, there was an equally popular demand for
rendering them in other languages. Presently they have been translated in Arabic and
English and are being published in the book form individually. These three books are being
brought out simultaneously. The author hopes that they would attain, by the grace of
Allah, similar popularity as did the original lectures.
My son, Sayeedur Rahman Nadvi took pains in verifying the English
translation and he prepared the index and the other annextures as well as DTP processed
the book.