Preface

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 Qur’anic 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 Qur’an” 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 Qur’an that the world is not responding to their claims. The Glorious Qur’an 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. John’s 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 Qur’anic 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.

Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi
Bangalore

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