The Holy Quran is the most sacred religious book in Islam. It is considered as the most religious book because Muslims take every verse or even each word as a message given by God (Allah) through the messenger, Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (s.a), to be conveyed to the common people.
About 1450 years ago when these verses came to the Prophet as the voice of God, his companions used to write the same instantly. These were the directions & orders from God. As all this happened in an Arab country, so the language of it was Arabic. That’s why the Holy Quran was first of all compiled in the Arabic language.
As the greatest terrorist attack at the time of the rise of Islam, on Islam was done by a Muslim king on the kith & kin of Prophet Mohammad. Many doubts arose about the Holy Quran even before its compilation. As the people accepted the Prophet as the messenger of God, every verse that came from the Prophet was taken as the voice of God.
There were many persons who were against the Prophet – they weren’t ready to accept that these were the verses sent by God, and they took it as the Quran written by H.Mohammad (s.a). Unfortunately, that criticism and opposition to the Holy Quran is even found today. It can also be said that the increasing terrorist activities in the world and mainly involvement of the Muslims in these activities provides a golden chance to the critics of Islam and the Quran to have an aim to criticise both Islam and the holy Quran.
Today there is a direct accusation that the Quran shows the path that leads to hatred, combat and killing. Let us peep into the path that the Holy book shows:
First of all, the Muslim religious leaders should remove the doubt that the Koran is a holy book of the Muslims only. They should state that the Koran gives a message to humanity and it is a holy book that leads to a path to be followed by all. It is because God is the maker of universe and nurtures all creatures.
All blessings and gifts given – air, water, sunlight & shadow are for everybody; similarly his directions & orders are for all human beings. These are not for a religion or a community. If the religious leaders prove it that God is a Muslim, then the Koran can be taken as a holy book for the Muslims only. If it is not so, then I am unable to understand the monopoly or copyright of the Holy Koran for the Muslims.
The human beings or the society has been divided into three parts in the Holy Quran. One are those who come under ‘*La Ilaha Illallah’* (Oneness of God), are known as the Muslims. It means that they trust in the oneness of God. These have been addressed as the Momins in the Holy Quran.
Second are the persons who believe in oneness of God but have their own holy books. The Jews & the Christians are among them. The third are those who don’t say that God is one and don’t believe in our belief. They have been called non-believers in the Holy Quran. Now the question arises that after such a classification what does the Holy Quran direct for all three groups?
For the first group, the Holy Quran says that all Momins (Muslims) are like brothers in every walk of life. It is a matter of great sorrow that the directions of the Holy Quran are being disobeyed by most of the Momins. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are examples of it.
For the second group, the persons who believe in oneness of God, the Holy Quran says in its ‘Sura-e- Aale Imran’ that when we all believe in oneness of God, we should be together to abolish the wickedness jointly.
Unfortunately, today the conservative groups of the Christians and the Jews accused Islam and the Holy Quran for playing a role in spreading hatred and non-cooperation. But the above message that the Holy Quran gives, clarifies that Islam is in favour of cooperation and co-assistance.
Now there is the third group addressed as ‘Kafir’ or non-believers in the Holy Quran. In this group, there are people who believe in neither oneness of God nor the Prophet nor the Holy Quran. The meaning of the Arabic word ‘Kafir’ is he, who refuses. When Prophet Mohammad was spreading the message of the holy Quran to the common people that God is only one, there were many people who didn’t agree with the words of the Prophet and refused to accept his words.
In the 30th part of the holy Quran, God says to the prophet to ask them that you don’t pray to whom we pray so you are blessed with your religion and we with ours. In this message that has been given for non-believers, there is nothing that shows or orders to crush or show cruelty or kill the non-believers.
It is agreed that some Muslim rulers took support of the wrong translation of the holy Quran to expand or to save or to setup their kingdoms. Even today it is going on. That’s why, these cruel rulers were the cause of the finger that was raised against Islam and even today some custodians of the Muslim religion, the terrorist leaders are there to affront the teachings of the Quran.
Today there is great need for the Muslim religious leaders to make everyone understand about the teachings of the holy Quran. For what and for whom is the holy Quran? What is the meaning of the compiled messages of God? Certainly the Quran has instructons to be harsh to wicked persons.
But these are only for the wicked ones and not for any religion or a community. As if any country or an administration prepares a rule of conduct for its society, undoubtedly there is provision of strictness of punishment for the bad or the wicked persons.
Wicked persons don’t get honour anywhere in the world. Similarly some ways have been expressed in the holy Quran, to deal with bad or the wicked persons. But nowhere has any group or any community been aimed at.
Now it is the need of the hour that literary people and intellectuals among the Muslims who want to save Islam from the insult, should come forward and try to solve the doubts against the holy Quran. If the Muslim religious leaders don’t do this, fingers would be raised against the holy Quran in future and Muslim involvement in the terrorist activities will help in insulting the holy Quran.