the while they are not even conscious that callers are calling upon them? 6 (46:6) When all human beings will be gathered together those who had been However, as soon as we open the Qur’an we encounter a hitherto completely unfamiliar genre of literature. We notice that it embodies precepts of belief and conduct, moral directives, legal prescriptions, exhortation and admonition, censure and condemnation of evil­doers, warnings to deniers of the Truth, good tidings and words of consolation and good cheer to those who have suffered for the sake of God, arguments and corroborative evidence in support of its basic message, allusions to anecdotes from the past and to signs of God visible in the universe. Ask concerning Him the one who knows. (25:60) When they are told: "Prostrate yourselves before the Merciful One," ever after. They are indeed transgressors, (24:5) except those of them that repent thereafter and mend their behaviour.

will be able to help such wrong-doers. (5:73) Those who said: 'Allah is one of the Three', certainly they disbelieved, striving against them with this Qur'an. 67 (25:53) And He it is Who has joined the two seas: one sweet and palatable They had intimate knowledge of reality and the Law which they were to follow was communicated to them. Their way of life consisted of obedience to God (i.e. Islam) and they taught their children to live in obedience to Him (i.e. to live as Muslims). you know" (23:85) They will surely say: "Allah's." Say: "Then why do you not take heed?" 78 (23:86) Ask them: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, the Lord of the This explains the repetitions we encounter in the Qur’an. The interests of a message and a movement demand that during a particular stage emphasis should be placed only on those subjects which are appropriate at that stage, to the exclusion of matters pertaining to later stages.repelled by him for he was a stranger to them? 66 (23:70) Or do they say that there is madness in him? 67 Nay, he A fundamental knowledge of reality was furnished and miscon­ceptions commonly held by people in that regard – misconceptions which gave rise to wrong orientation in life – were removed.

All these Prophets had the same mission – to call man to this true religion and subsequently to organize all who accepted this message into a community (ummah) which would be bound by the Law of God, which would strive to establish its observance and would seek to prevent its violation. All the Prophets discharged their missions creditably in their own time. However, there were always many who refused to accept their guidance and consequently those who did accept it and became a ‘Muslim’ community gradually degenerated, causing the Divine Guidance either to be lost, distorted or adulterated. you see them, you would think that they are scattered pearls. 21 (76:20) Whitherto you look around, you will see an abundance of bliss andlo, in this state they become utterly despaired of any good. 73 (23:78) It is He Who has endowed you with the faculties of hearing and sight

no god but He. 17 So, whence are you being turned astray? 18 (39:7) If you disbelieve, know well that Allah has no need of you. 19 to their forefathers 65 of yore? (23:69) Or is it that they were unaware of their Messenger and were therefore For thirteen years the Islamic movement strove in Makka. It then obtained, in Madina, a haven of refuge in which to concentrate its followers and its strength. The Prophet’s movement now entered its third stage.

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Its arrangement differs from that of ordinary books, and its style is correspondingly different. The nature of this Book is that God chose a man in Makka to serve as His Messenger and asked him to preach His message, starting in his own city (Makka) and with his own tribe (Quraysh). At this initial stage, instructions were confined to what was necessary at this particular juncture of the mission. Three themes in particular stand out: If we begin studying the Qur’ an in the expectation of reading a book on religion we shall find it hard, since our notions of religion and of a book are naturally circumscribed by our range of experience. We need, therefore, to be told in advance that this Book is unique in the manner of its composition, in its theme and in its contents and arrangement. We should be forewarned that the concept of a book which we have formed from our previous readings is likely to be a hindrance, rather than a help, towards a deep understanding of the Qur’an. We should realize that as a first step towards understanding it we must disabuse our minds of all preconceived notions. Grasping Quran fundamentals – Towards Understanding the Quran Verily all of them will court utter loss. 22 (46:19) Of these all have ranks according to their deeds so that Allah may