Revelation of the Qur’an
In Arabic, the word Qur’an means “to read.” The Holy Qur’an is the name of the sacred heavenly book that was revealed to the best of mankind, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him). As is well known, there are four heavenly books: the Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and the Qur’an. The Torah was revealed to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), the Psalms to Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him), the Gospel to Prophet Isa (peace be upon him), and the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him). Regarding the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty states that if this Qur’an had been revealed upon a mountain, it would not have been able to bear the majesty of Allah and would have shattered into pieces out of fear of Allah, and the mountain would have been reduced to dust.
Thus, it was the pure heart of the best of mankind, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), that could bear this heavy burden, and nothing in the world could have endured this great divine blessing. Therefore, among all prophets, our Prophet and Master, the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him), was granted the title of the best of prophets. In the same way, among all books, the Qur’an is regarded as the best of books. No other heavenly book will be revealed in this world until the Day of Judgment. Just as he is the final Messenger of Allah, similarly this Book of Allah is also the final Book. When the Final Prophet (peace be upon him) was departing from this world, he said: O people! I am leaving among you two things: one is my progeny and the other is this Book. If any of my followers hold firmly to these two, follow the path shown by them, and act upon it, no power in the world will be able to lead them astray. They will never be humiliated, and until the end of time they will attain success and honor in both religion and worldly life.
The Holy Qur’an asks this community: when it was sent to the world, what was the divine purpose behind it? Allah Almighty intended to send it among His servants even above the angels, and to show the angels how His servants would honor and preserve it, safeguard it within their hearts, and live their lives morning and evening according to its guidance. Unlike previous nations, they would not adopt the path of misguidance, but would hold firmly to it and walk upon the straight path. They would sincerely accept His commands and have full faith in His messengers, angels, and heavenly books. They would believe firmly in the Hereafter, the Day of Judgment, punishment of the grave, and resurrection after death. They would believe in accountability, the bridge of Sirat, the scales of justice, Paradise and Hell. In short, they would have complete and firm faith in everything mentioned in the Qur’an.
Other communities were not worthy of this responsibility, as they soon deviated from their prophets, denied heavenly books, distanced themselves from them, invented stories of their own, exaggerated them, and altered the scriptures. They abandoned divine law and made principles according to their own desires, and soon divine punishment descended upon them. Sometimes destruction came in the form of earthquakes, sometimes through storms and tempests, and sometimes through widespread diseases that turned thriving lands into ruins. Therefore, the continued existence of the final community until the Day of Judgment is itself an extraordinary matter not granted to other nations. No prophet or book will come after this until the Day of Judgment.
Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Power)
The words “Shab” and “Lail” both mean night, and “Qadr” means honor, greatness, and superiority. In the Qur’an, this blessed night is mentioned as Laylat al-Qadr and also as the Blessed Night.
Many narrations speak about the excellence of this night. One may ask why this particular night has superiority over all other nights. The answer is that Allah grants superiority to certain things over others. Among books, the Qur’an holds the highest rank; among messengers, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) holds the highest rank; among angels, Jibril (peace be upon him) is the greatest; among houses of worship, the Ka‘bah is the most honored; among months, Ramadan is the best; among days, Friday is the most excellent; similarly, among all nights, Laylat al-Qadr is the most blessed and superior.
Allah Almighty states in the Qur’an about this blessed night that indeed the Qur’an was revealed on this night, a night of immense honor and greatness. And what will make you know what blessings are hidden in this night? This night is better than a thousand months. On this night, the greatest of angels, Jibril (peace be upon him), descends with a vast assembly of angels, and by the command of their Lord they spread peace and mercy upon righteous servants until the break of dawn. The greatest reason for its excellence is that on this night Allah revealed the entire Qur’an from the Preserved Tablet to the lowest heaven, and thereafter it was revealed gradually over twenty-three years to the Prophet (peace be upon him), which is a tremendous gift for the Muslim community.
As mentioned earlier, on this night Jibril (peace be upon him) spreads throughout the world with countless angels, delivering greetings of peace to righteous servants. Allah then addresses His angels, saying: Look at My servants who have left sleep and worldly needs and are fully engaged in My worship. What greater pleasure of Allah could there be for a servant, when Allah Himself declares that on this night His mercy flows abundantly and showers continuously upon His servants throughout the night.
Once, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah saying: O Lord, You granted previous nations lifespans of eight hundred or even one thousand years, and they were able to perform abundant worship, but You have given my community shorter lifespans, mostly between fifty and sixty years. Then came the divine reply: O My beloved, I have granted your community a unique and immense gift. In Ramadan, I have kept hidden a night called Laylat al-Qadr, which is better than a thousand months of worship. Whoever finds this night and spends it in worship, remembrance, prayer, and recitation of the Qur’an will receive reward greater than that of worship for a thousand months. A thousand months equal eighty-three years and four months, meaning worship in a single night earns reward equivalent to more than eighty-three years. Thus, by the blessing of this night, we receive reward exceeding that of worship performed over a thousand months. Fortunate are those who find this night, benefit fully from it, and attain the pleasure and satisfaction of Allah Almighty.
Source: Quarterly Rahbar Noor
