Al Quran the final testament from Allah

Islam is usually seen as a new religion from the perspective of non-Muslims and even by many Muslims who did not study the historical chronology. In Quran itself Allahﷻ has termed it, as the succession and final testament of already revealed books on prophets before.

The word Muslim according to Quran was suggested by Prophet Ibrahimؑ and approved by Allah ﷻfor his followers.

وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِي هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ النَّصِير

And strive for Allah as He deserves. He has chosen you and has not imposed hardships on you in religion- the faith of your father, Abraham. He named you “Muslims” [submitters] before [in former Books] and in this [revelation], so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witnesses over other human beings. So, perform prayer, and give the purifying alms and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector, and how excellent is this protector, how excellent this helper. (Al Quran Al-Haj 22:78)

Islam reflects the succession of all religions and the final message from Allahﷻ towards humanity. It clearly echoes the message sent through earlier prophets, despite of the historical fact that these earlier books and revelations were changed over period of time by people for their own good and benefits.

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَالَةُ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِين

And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], “Worship Allah and avoid Taghut.” And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how the end of the deniers was. (Al Quran An-Nahl 16:36)

Allahﷻ has been very kind to human beings, from Prophet Adamؑ till the final messenger of Allah Mohammadﷺ, throughout the history whenever the people have swayed from the commands of Allahﷻ and left the straight path, Allahﷻ has sent a messenger for their guidance.

The exact number of prophets sent by Allah ﷻare not known, since it is not mentioned in Quran, and there is no authentic Hadith from the mainstream books. There is a common hadith which terms the total number of prophets to be 124,000, but this is Daif, according to the scholars. However, there are 25 prophets mentioned in Al Quran, Prophet Musaؑ (Moses), Prophet Ibrahimؑ (Abraham), Prophet Nuhؑؑ (Noah), Prophet Lutؑ (Lot), Prophet Yousufؑ (Joseph), Prophet Isaؑ (Jesus), Prophet Adamؑ, Prophet Harunؑ (Aaron), Prophet Sulaymanؑ (Soloman), Prophet Ishaqؑ (Isaac), Prophet Dawoodؑ (David), Prophet Yaqubؑ (Jacob), Prophet Ismailؑ (Ishmael), Prophet Shuaibؑ, Prophet Salihؑ  (Saleh), Prophet Zakariaؑ (Zechariah), Prophet Hudؑ (Eber), Prophet Yahyaؑ (John),  Prophet Yunusؑ (Jonah), Prophet Ayubؑ (Job), Prophet Idrisؑ (Enoch), Prophet Alyasaؑ (Elisha), Prophet Ilyaasؑ (Elijah), Prophet Thul Kifl (Ezekiel), and Prophet Mohammadﷺ.

There are five books which were revealed on prophets, Suhuf of Ibrahimؑ, Psalma of David (Zabur), Torah of Moses (Tawrat), Gospel of Jesus (Injeel), and Al Quran revealed to Prophet Mohammadﷺ as the final one.

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُون

We have revealed to you O Prophet this Book with the truth, as a confirmation of previous Scriptures and a supreme authority on them. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires over the truth that has come to you. To each of you We have ordained a code of law and a way of life. If Allah had willed, He would have made you one community, but His Will is to test you with what He has given each of you. So compete with one another in doing good. To Allah you will all return, then He will inform you of the truth regarding your differences. (Al Quran Al-Maidah 5:48)

The message in all these books despite of their deliberate changes is quite clear

قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُون

Say, [O believers], “We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.” (Al Quran Al-Baqarah 2:136)

نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ بِالۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَاَنۡزَلَ التَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَۙ

He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel. (Al Quran Al-Imran 3:3)

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُون

Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the disbelievers. (Al Quran Al-Maidah 5:44)

وَقَفَّيْنَا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِين

Then in the footsteps of the prophets, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah revealed before him. And We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light and confirming what was revealed in the Torah—a guide and a lesson to the God-fearing. (Al Quran Al Maidah 5:46)

There a number of places in Quran where Allahﷻ has confirmed the messengers sent earlier for the guidance of people. The message essentially was the same, accepting Allahﷻ as the one and only creator of this entire universe and to follow the guidelines sent through the messengers of Allahﷻ from time to time. This divine guidance was eventually completed in Quran through the last and final messenger Mohammadﷺ.

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم

…. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Al Quran Al Maidah 5:3)

There have been revelation about the Prophet Mohammadﷺ in all the previous books. History is evident of many Jews and Christians who accepted Islam, because they believed in the testaments of their own revelation about the last prophet. Yet many others did not, just because of their own benefits. Many of them termed Quran as the personal thinking of Prophet Mohammadﷺ.

وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِين

And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a surah like it and call your helpers other than Allah, if what you say is true. (Al Quran Al Baqarah 2:23)

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرً

Do they not then reflect on the Quran? Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have certainly found in it many inconsistencies. (Al Quran An-Nisa 4:82)

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُون

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian. (Al Quran Al-Hijr 15:9)

The message

The entire message in Quran revolves around 2 basic themes. Haqooq Allahﷻ , which teaches human beings to make indisputable belief that there is only one creator of this universe and all our prayers should be for Allahﷻ only. The second one is Haqooq al Ibaad, our relationship with our parents, family, friends, the entire community and nation and as a human being. There is a perfect harmony between the two, and either one is incomplete without the other. Islam does not emphasize the people to be on the extremes, be it the world or the aakhira. It teaches the basic rules of a family, our relationships, and our reactions to the worldly matters and on the other side a framework of Salat (prayers), Zakat (alms), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage).

Quran is the last and final guideline sent by Allah towards the humanity, it provides comprehensive parameters for living this life and to prepare for the final judgement.

Image by Ziya Alishanli from Pixabay