Author: Allama Sayed Abulhasan Nadwi, (May Allah have mercy on him)Translation: Muhammad Qasem
Guidelines and Methods for Interpreting the Holy Quran (Part Four)
Some Other Prophecies of the Holy Quran
In addition to the prediction of the conquest of Rome, the Holy Qur’an also contains many other prophecies, which are difficult to detail here but are elaborated upon in history books.
1. One significant prophecy of the Holy Qur’an is about the establishment of a unified and obedient Muslim government:
(وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَيُكۡنِّنَّ لَهُمۡ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنٗاۚ يَعۡبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ بِي شَيۡٔٗاۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ) [النور: 55] Translation: “Allah, the Most High, has promised those of you who believe and have done good deeds that He will make them successors (khalifah) in the earth as He made those before them, and He will establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them. And He will exchange their fear for security, so that they will worship Me and not associate anything with Me. And whoever disbelieves after that, they are the transgressors.”
The Coming to Power of Muhajireen (Immigrants) and Its Results
(أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ ظُلِمُواْۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصۡرِهِمۡ لَقَدِيرٌ ٣٩ ٱلَّذِينَ أُخۡرِجُواْ مِن دِيَٰرِهِم بِغَيۡرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّآ أَن يَقُولُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُۗ وَلَوۡلَا دَفۡعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعۡضَهُم بِبَعۡضٖ لَّهُدِّمَتۡ صَوَٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٞ وَصَلَوَٰتٞ وَمَسَٰجِدُ يُذۡكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسۡمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرٗاۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ ٤٠ [الحج: 39-40].) “Muslims who are being fought against are given permission to fight because they are oppressed. And surely, Allah is able to help them. They were unjustly evicted from their homes. Their only crime was saying, ‘Our God is Allah.’ And if Allah did not drive people to protect each other, the monasteries of monks, Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Muslim mosques, in which the name of Allah is mentioned in abundance, would have been destroyed. Allah will surely help the one whom He helps. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Mighty.”
(ٱلَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُاْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَمَرُواْ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَنَهَوۡاْ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡأُمُورِ) (Al Haj 41): “These are the people who, if We give them executive power on earth, will establish prayer, give zakat, order good deeds, and forbid evil deeds; ultimately, all matters belong to Allah.”
“O believers! If any of you turns away from your religion, Allah will bring upon them a people whom He loves and who love Him, gentle with the believers and harsh with the disbelievers; they strive in the way of Allah and do not fear the blamers.”
“Tell the Bedouin Arabs who remain behind that you will be called to face a very warlike people, and you will either fight them or they will surrender. If you obey the command of Allah, He will reward you generously; but if you turn away as you did before, you will suffer a painful punishment.”
A Prophecy About the Predominance of the Right Religion
“They want to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, even if it is displeasing to the disbelievers.”
“He is the one who sent His messenger with guidance and the true religion to make that religion prevail over all others, even if the polytheists are unhappy.”
Protection of the Holy Quran
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ٩﴾ [الحجر: 9]. “Indeed, We have sent down the Qur’an, and We will protect it.”
Collecting the Qur’an and Its Publication and Interpretation
“O Muhammad (PBUH), do not hasten with your tongue to memorize this revelation quickly; indeed, it is our duty to collect it and read it. When We read it, follow its recitation. And then, it is our duty to explain it.”
Shah Waliullah Dehlavi states in the interpretation of this verse: (إِنَّ عَلَيۡنَا جَمۡعَهُۥ) “It is necessary for us to promise to compile the Qur’an into manuscripts, and(وَقُرۡءَانَهُۥ) means enabling the reciters of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to recite it so that the chain of repetition is not broken.
Allah (S.W.T) says: do not think that the Qur’an will be forgotten from your heart; avoid the hardship of repeating it. One of the violations of Awaed was that he did not suffer the difficulty of memorizing the Qur’an as Muslim leaders do. He could recite it simply by the revelation of Gabriel without undertaking the efforts that the rest of the community made.
The collection of the Qur’an into manuscripts and the recitation by the community, both privately and publicly, should not occupy you with memorization alone. It is our responsibility to explain the Qur’an in every age; we must designate a group to adequately interpret its complexities and clarify the reasons for its revelations.
The Success of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah and the Prediction of the Conquest of Mecca
إِنَّا فَتَحۡنَا لَكَ فَتۡحٗا مُّبِينٗا ١﴾ [الفتح: 1]) “(O Muhammad PBUH) We have granted you a clear victory.”
Obtaining Future Spoils and Conquests
وَعَدَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةٗ تَأۡخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمۡ هَٰذِهِۦ﴾ [الفتح: 20]) “Allah has promised you abundant spoils that you will take; He hastened to give you this.”
وَأُخۡرَىٰ لَمۡ تَقۡدِرُواْ عَلَيۡهَا قَدۡ أَحَاطَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَا﴾ [الفتح: 21]) “And others that you were not able to attain; Allah has encompassed them.”
Entering the Grand Mosque Triumphal
لَتَدۡخُلُنَّ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ دَامِنِينَ مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمۡ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ﴾ [الفتح: 27]) “By Allah’s will, you will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, having shaved or shortened your hair.”
The Death of the Holy Prophet and the Development of Islam
إِذَا جَآءَ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡفَتۡحُ ١ وَرَأَيۡتَ ٱلنَّاسَ يَدۡخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ ٱللَّهِ أَفۡوَاجٗا ٢﴾ [النصر: 1-2]) “When Allah’s help and victory come, and you see people entering the religion of Allah in multitudes.”
The Lack of Success and Hopelessness of the Enemies of the Holy Prophet
إِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ ٱلۡأَبۡتَرُ ٣﴾ [الکوثر: 3]) “Verily, your enemy is the one who will be cut off [unsuccessful].”
Guidance and Revolution Are Among the Great Miracles of the Holy Quran
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) exemplified the Holy Quran and lived according to its teachings, which were a living interpretation of its words. “His morals were the Qur’an.”
He initiated such a profound transformation and revolution in people’s beliefs, thoughts, morals, and societies that it stands unmatched in human history. This is one of the many miracles of the Holy Quran.
It is important to note that the personalities and groups that emerged from this revolution represent individual miracles themselves. History has recorded no similar human revolution across any region or community.
To appreciate the greatness of this transformation, one must compare the conditions of the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliya) with those of Islam, examining the religious, intellectual, and social states of both periods through various sources.
Remarkably, this widespread revolution occurred without utilizing the resources typically employed by reformers, such as lectures, writings, schools, and mass media.
The Holy Quran itself highlights how this revolution emerged without conventional facilities.
The unity created among fierce enemies—who previously could not reconcile despite immense expenditures—was the work of Allah, as He says:
[الأنفال: 62-63]. “He is the One who supported you with His help and through the believers and created harmony in their hearts. If you had spent everything in the earth, you could not have done so. But Allah united their hearts; indeed, He is Mighty and Wise.”
The Holy Quran attributes this great revolution to itself, affirming that it was the Quran that brought about this transformation.
(هُوَ ٱلَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي ٱلۡأُمِّيِّۧنَ رَسُولٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمۡ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٖ ٢ وَءَاخَرِينَ مِنۡهُمۡ لَمَّا يَلۡحَقُواْ بِهِمۡۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ٣﴾ [الجمعه: 2-3])
“He is the One who raised a messenger among the illiterate from among themselves to recite His verses to them, purify them, and teach them the Book and wisdom, even though they were previously in clear error.”
“Remember the blessing of Allah upon you when you were enemies; then He united your hearts, and by His grace, you became brothers. He saved you from the edge of a pit of fire. Thus, Allah makes His signs clear to you, so that you may be guided.”
“We brought to life someone who was dead and granted him a light to walk among the people.”
In summary, these verses illustrate the dramatic contrast between Jahiliya and Islam: the former is characterized by enmity and spiritual death, while the latter is defined by unity and enlightenment.
The Validity and Protection of the Holy Quran
The heavenly scriptures prior to the Holy Qur’an have been altered and distorted because Allah did not undertake their preservation; instead, He entrusted this responsibility to the scholars. Humanity’s need for the truths of the past was transient.
“Indeed, we sent down the Torah, which contained guidance and light. The obedient prophets, priests, and scholars used it to judge the Jews as guardians of Allah’s Book and witnesses to it.”
This statement underscores a historical fact: the Old Testament was repeatedly subjected to destruction and loss. Jewish historians agree on three significant incidents, the first involving Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC, where he burned the Temple and took the Jews captive to Babylon for fifty years. Afterward, Ezra dictated the Torah from memory, later revised by Nehemiah.
The second notable incident occurred in 168 BC, when Antiochus IV attacked Jerusalem, burning numerous sacred texts and outlawing Jewish religious practices. Later, Judas Maccabeus collected and reorganized the scriptures.
The third incident took place circa 70 AD, when the Roman army captured Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and confiscated religious texts.
These events illustrate a stark contrast between the Muslims’ view of the infallibility and divine protection of the Holy Qur’an and the Jews’ perspective on their sacred texts.
Muslims believe every word of the Holy Qur’an is divine and safeguarded from alteration, whereas Jews acknowledge that their scriptures have undergone changes, indicating that they do not equate these modifications with the divine.
Dear readers, the following adaptations demonstrate the Jewish standpoint regarding their holy books:
“Jews recognize that alterations and additions have occurred in some of the Old Testament texts.”
According to Jewish traditions, Moses is credited with the first five books of the Torah, despite modern scholarship highlighting inconsistencies and contradictions within these texts, which rabbis have sought to reconcile.
Spinoza asserts: “The first five books of the Old Testament are not wholly authored by Moses.”
“Recent research has revealed that the first five books of the Old Testament drew from 28 separate sources.”
But the issue of the four Gospels (which are part of the New Testament) is worse than that of the Old Testament. There are various doubts about its authorship. There are significant distances between Jesus Christ and the writers of the New Testament that extend beyond the scope of historians and researchers, because the aforementioned Bibles have been modified and altered at various times by religious councils, which have led to their current state. In fact, instead of being based on revelation and inspiration, these Bibles are more similar to collections of tazkira and anecdotes, and anyone who examines their historical context with a deep understanding will confirm this claim. In terms of citation and reliability, these Bibles do not even measure up to third-rate books of hadith and Muslim traditions, even if those hadith were considered authentic. The books of Seth, for example, end with a document attributed to Rasulullah (SAW).
An authentic hadith, among Muslims, is one that has been narrated by trustworthy and reliable narrators through a chain of transmission without any defects (causes or anomalies). However, the mentioned Bibles lack credible documentation, with missing links from their authors to Jesus (PBUH). Additionally, the original language in which these scriptures were revealed has evolved, and now only translations exist. For this reason, they can be compared to fourth-rate books of hadith, which lack high standards of research, competence, and accuracy. Therefore, comparing them to the Qur’an is never accurate or justified. The neo-Muslim orientalist “Mosivaitin” has evaluated them as such while discussing the aforementioned Bibles.
Undoubtedly, the Bible that Almighty Allah revealed to Jesus and provided to his people has been lost, and there is no trace or indication of its existence; indeed, that Bible has either been lost or has been destroyed. Christians have substituted four other books whose authenticity is questionable, as these books are in Greek— a language that has no correlation with the Semitic language of Jesus. Consequently, the connection of these Greek texts with Almighty Allah is much weaker than that of the Torah and the Qur’an.
The contents and themes of the Old Testament also demonstrate clear historical mistakes and contradictions. Attributes have been ascribed to Almighty Allah that do not befit His glory and perfection and are contrary to common sense. Furthermore, accusations have been attributed to the prophets that ordinary people would be exempt from, let alone the prophets themselves.
In general, there is ample evidence in the Torah and the Bible that clearly indicates changes and additions to their fundamental content. The very contents of the Old Testament point to historical mistakes and contradictions, making clear that certain things attributed to Allah are inconsistent with the glory and perfection of His Holiness and conflict with common sense. In the Old Testament, accusations have been directed at divine prophets that ordinary individuals would not face. In addition, the internal evidence within the Torah and the Bible indicate that changes and additions have occurred within their texts.
This is the status of the scriptures that two civilized nations (Jews and Christians) have adhered to for many years. Islam and Muslims have conferred such privilege upon the adherents of these scriptures that they have been given the title of People of the Book. However, it is impossible to accurately ascertain the stages they underwent, the events they faced, how much of their original content has been preserved, or precisely when they were created.
A. Barth, a representative of the Society Asiatique of Paris, writes in his book “The Religions of India”: “If we separate the appended material, which is not contentious, the main assertions of this scripture remain, none of which claim to be from Allah. Many distortions and additions have been made in its wording, albeit without bad intent. As for the age of this book, nothing can be stated with certainty; the parts written by Brahme in more recent times are not older than five hundred years. However, the remaining content of ‘Wide’ is so ancient that determining its timeframe is impossible.”
Now, let’s examine what distinguished scholars of Hinduism and opinionated scholars of India say
About these texts. In this regard, please pay attention to the following two interpretations:
“Surish Chandra Chakraborty,” a professor at Calcutta University, writes in his book [Philosophy of the Upanishads]:
In this context, two theories have been presented. The first theory supports “Bal Gangadhar Tilak,” who asserts that the prayers of the Vedas were created 4,500 years before Christ. Conversely, “Max Müller” claims that the age of the Vedas does not exceed 2,200 years. At the same time, he asserts that the Rig Veda constitutes the earliest evidence of Aryan thought. Ultimately, although we cannot provide an in-depth analysis of Rig Veda’s timeline, factual information suggests that the Rig Veda’s hymns were not composed simultaneously and should be viewed as having been compiled over several centuries.
The renowned Indian scientist Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (former President of India) discusses the foundational thoughts of the Vedas in his book “Geometrical Philosophy” [Indian Philosophy]:
“Overall, the ideology of the Vedas lacks clarity, which is why various schools have emerged in this domain. Furthermore, the breadth of the Vedas permits writers to utilize them freely for their interpretations.”
Regarding the truth of the “Avesta,” the holy book of ancient Iranians, we will limit ourselves to the research of a renowned Western scholar. Robert H. Pfeiffer, former dean of Harvard University’s School of Literature, writes in “An Encyclopedia of Religion”:
“The Avesta (in terms of narrative) was a collection of knowledge. Alexander destroyed most of it; subsequently, another book was compiled in the third century containing the remaining parts. A certain portion, or ‘Nask,’ has been preserved under the name of Vendidad. In the 9th century AD, a collection of ceremonial texts was taken to India, which now exists in five parts: the Yasna, the Gatha, the Vespered, the Vendidad, and the Khorda Avesta.”
However, the Holy Qur’an, which is Allah’s final book and serves as a guide for humanity, establishing the relationship between the Creator and creation, and inviting followers to Allah until the Day of Judgment, is distinct from other texts. Almighty Allah Himself has undertaken the responsibility to protect it from any distortion or alteration, as He states:
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَكِتَٰبٌ عَزِيزٞ ٤١ لَّا يَأۡتِيهِ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦۖ تَنزِيلٞ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٖ ٤٢﴾ [فصلت: 41-42]) “This is a high-ranking book; there is no falsehood in it, neither from the front nor from the back; it has been sent down by the Wise and Praiseworthy.”
Almighty Allah has guaranteed the preservation of the Holy Qur’an from any flaws, as He has said:
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ٩﴾ [الحجر: 9]) “Indeed, we revealed the Holy Qur’an, and We will protect it ourselves.”
Indeed, this divine promise encompasses the preservation and survival of the Holy Qur’an, the spread and dissemination of its words, and the comprehension of its meanings at all times. In other words, this divine promise completely negates the potential for the Holy Qur’an to be misunderstood, rendered impractical, or forgotten, as the term ‘Retention’ in the Arabic language carries profound and extensive meanings.
