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Books
Section
> Islam
- My Only
Choice
> Chapter 4: The Object of
Revelation . Chapter
4: The Object of Revelation: Neither the Vedas nor the Bible seem to specify any object of universal interest for their revelation. God no doubt spoke to Moses at Sinai and ordered him to go to Pharaoh with a message demanding freedom for the Israelites. After the Exodus, He again spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments; and Moses when in need of guidance goes to his Lord from time to time and the Lord expresses His will for the guidance of His people. Similarly, whenever the chosen people are in difficulty or in trouble Jehovah sends His angels with words to meet the occasion. On the same lines we find various Mantras (hymns) in the Vedas, revealed to the old Hindu Rishis. The Ten Commandments undoubtedly promulgate the lines of action necessary to form a society. Sociable as we are, we must speak the truth; we must respect the lives, property and womenfolk of our neighbours; we must revere our parents, and, to give rest to our body, we must observe the Sabbath. I think any human society desirous of keeping itself in a healthy condition could have discovered these principles even without the help of any revelation. But the Quranic Revelation is far above these primitive and temporal needs. It comes to raise man to the highest height to which he is able to soar. The first call that came to the Prophet Muhammad in the cave at Hira is a call free from all personal or racial elements. It is a call for the uplifting of man in general. The Holy Prophet Muhammad was not called upon to serve his own nation, nor did the heavenly dove descend from above to choose the Son of God from among his fellow countrymen. The Prophet Muhammad is inspired to raise his fellow-beings, wherever they may be, from the depth of degradation to the zenith of greatness. His first Revelation is as follows: “Read in the name of your Lord Who created. He created man from a clot. Read and your Lord is most Honourable, Who taught (to write), with the pen, taught man what he knew not. Nay! man is most surely inordinate. Because he sees himself free from want.” (The Holy Quran, 96:1-7). Man is ordered through Prophet Muhammad to read, to cultivate the art of writing, for the spread of books and enlightenment, and to discover sciences not known before, thereby bringing humanity to a position most honourable, because his Creator is Himself most honourable and His creation should index the greatness of the Maker. Matter reaches its physical consummation in the form of man, and Nature cannot improve upon it any further. But the same matter evolves a new thing in the human frame - human consciousness - the sum total of the passions, which when refined give rise to intellect, sentiment, sociability, morality, ethics, religion and spirituality. All these divine elements, intended to create a great civilization and to bring man to his real dignity, have been reposed in human nature. But as a full-fledged man on the physical plane evolves from a clot of blood in the womb, so was human consciousness in clot condition at the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad, who was deputed by God in the same verse to show his fellow beings the right path, as revealed to him by God, that will bring forth all that is noble and good in man.
In this connection the Quran further reveals to us that we possess the highest capabilities but as we have arisen from an animal state and carry with us certain carnal cravings, the Book warns us that our way to the goal is beset with difficulties. We are liable to be degraded to the lowest of the low and therefore we need guidance to help us upwards in our evolutionary journey and to save us from falling into pitfalls: “Certainly We created man in the best make. Then We render him the lowest of the low, except those who believe and do good - so theirs is a reward never to be cut off.” (The Holy Quran, 95:4-6). This is another purpose of Quranic revelation. We are in the dark and we need a light, and the Book claims to be that light (The Holy Quran, 14:1). Let St. Paul blackguard human nature; Islam says that we possess an immaculate nature which is inherently free from the taint of sin. In this, Islam differs from Christianity. If hell is the reward of sin and heaven is reserved for those who leave this earth sinless, Islam and Christianity advance two different and contradictory propositions. Christianity says that man is born in sin, while according to Islam he is sinless at his birth. If a child, therefore, dies at his very birth, he must go to heaven, under Islamic teaching, but he is foredoomed to hell according to Christian principles. In other words, heaven is our birthright under Islam. We may lose it by our subsequent misdeeds. But according to Christianity we are born for hell unless reclaimed by our faith in the Blood. Similarly, sin is a heritage according to Church beliefs, but is an after-acquisition under Islam, and can be avoided. Thus the sole object of Christian Revelation is to bring man out of the slough of sin up to the brink of virtue, but Islam finds man already on its banks at his birth and comes to raise him to its highest flight that will bring him near the precincts of Divinity. What a world of difference is here!
The Quran seems to belong to a time when the human mind had developed enough to give precedence to intellect over blind belief. For it also speaks of the above-mentioned truths, but with logic and reason. To bring home its doctrines to its reader’s mind, it makes frequent appeal to our understanding and rational judgment. It draws our attention to various manifestations of nature as evidence of what it enunciates. For instance, there are logical reasons and rational arguments in the Book to prove the existence of God, of the day of resurrection, the necessity of Divine revelation, and many other things. The Muslim Scripture would not ask its readers to accept any of its teachings except on the strength of reasoning. This is perhaps why Islam has not observed any atheistic or sceptical movement or disposition in its ranks; while no sooner did the Church persecution become relaxed and intellect freed from its iron grip than secularizing and free thought flourished apace. In India there has perhaps been no such marked struggle between religion and agnosticism, for the Vedas favoured atheistic and sceptical tendencies equally with other forms of Hindu schism. And here, again, Islam and the other two religions present a most striking contrast. Education has alienated the human mind from the Church religion. It has brought forth a similar revolt against Hinduism, especially in these latter days. But modern science has only served to strengthen Muslim belief in the Quranic truths. We are rational beings. Reason and logic play a prominent part in all our beliefs and persuasions. No other book but the Quran, therefore, will meet the demand of our time.
In Hinduism, want of a definite statement in the Vedas as to what were the articles of faith in the Vedic religion gave rise to innumerable sects that differ from each other even in their fundamental tenets. From such a fate the Quran has saved the Muslims; for it has clearly laid down in various verses the Islamic articles of faith. (2:3-4, 177, 285; 4:136).
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