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In Search of Meaning:
Reflections on Living by the Quran in the Contemporary Times
Raja Raies Ahmad Shah Doctoral Candidate
1
Abstract
he Qur’an, according to the Muslim belief, is the word of God revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 7th
century. The
pertinent question is how the Quranic guidance is important for the
contemporary man. This paper, therefore, seeks to elaborate on the nature of
Quranic guidance for the present day and age. It attempts to understand the absolute
needs of man without which his incomplete. If man misses on certain things, he
ceases to be man and what this paper intends to show the importance of the Quranic
guidance in preserving the essence of man in what it means for him to act upon its
teachings. If he acts according to the Quranic guidance, man achieves emotional,
intellectual and spiritual stability; if he does not, he harms himself and the world
around him. Since this paper is about the meaning and nature of Quranic guidance,
it also tries to elaborate on some of the relevant aspects important for preserving the
meaning and nature of Quranic guidance. The paper thus seeks to contribute certain
important points to the theme of Quranic guidance.
Key Words: Contemporary, Divine, Guidance, Man, Qur’an.
1 Shah-i-Hamdan Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar-190006 Jammu and Kashmir,
India.
Mobile: +91 9797197417, Email:[email protected]
T
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Introduction
The Qur’an is the word of God revealed to His last Prophet of God, Muhammad
(peace be upon him). It was revealed in the 7th
century in order to bring mankind
out of darkness into the light. Darkness and Light symbolize Satan and God
respectively. God is the source of life and in the absence of divine guidance, life
loses its meaning and when it loses the meaning which, in turn, results in man
harming himself and the world around him this happened in the 7th
century and this
continues to happen in the 21st century man cannot transgress the limits of God and
then expect to live a peaceful life. There are consequences of not following the
guidance of God in life on the spiritual level as well as the social level for every
action done by man has its own definitive results among whom consequences only
are appreciable that enrich the individual and the community at large in spiritual,
intellectual and social realms. The present elaborates on this theme in the light of
Quranic guidance and relates it to the contemporary world. This interaction between
these two is a spiritual and intellectual requirement of Muslims and this paper gives
a modest proposal in this direction as discussed below.
God revealed the Quranic guidance to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
in the 7th
century. The important question is: what is the relevance of the Quranic
guidance in the 21st century? The answer to this question is the subject matter of
this paper. A contemporary reader of the Quran can appreciate the importance of
Quranic guidance if and when he practices it. The Quran answers the fundamental
question about the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to engage with the divine.
It is to live by the principles revealed by God in the Qur’an. The answer to this
fundamental question has a bearing on all the activities of the contemporary man
and woman. The divine principle is everywhere. Man becomes godly everywhere in
the presence of the divine principle because it engages all the spiritual and
intellectual faculties of man and directs his life. Man will achieve peace,
contentment and success in the contemporary era if he knows the direction of his
life. He will harm himself and the world around him if he does not know the
meaning of life. This is a sad reality to a large extent in the contemporary era.
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The Quran wishes to preserve the sacred character of man and this applies to all
human beings irrespective of time and space. Man will always be man and man
should remain as man and this is only possible in the light of divine principle.
Accordingly, the Quran tells man what to do and what not to do. The fundamental
contribution of the Quran to the human consciousness is that it brings a balance to it
which helps man to live his life fully and ethically.i
The contemporary problems that are facing humanity in the form of global
warming, war, racism, etc. are essentially human problems. In other words, man is
the creator of these problems. The Quran educates man and thus has an important
bearing on these problems. The Quranic guidance prepares the heart of man for a
godly life. The fundamental importance of the Quran is that it creates a balanced
personality which avoids conflict with fellow human beings and the natural world
in which he lives.ii This has tremendous scope for the contemporary man and the
contemporary situation. The Quranic guidance can thus bring about a fundamental
change in the situation that leads to these problems.
The importance of society to the overall development of man cannot be
overemphasized. Society is disrupted when man does not respect man. This is a
contemporary reality to a very large extent. This harms the concerned individual
and the society at large. The Quran nurtures feelings of love and compassion for all
life.iii
This is the need of the hour. Contemporary life in all its forms desperately
needs love and compassion. The Quran can give such a heart to the contemporary
man. This is the greatest gift to the contemporary man. Man can thus improve
himself and the world around him. If man understands himself, he will know how to
live. He will contribute positively wherever he may be.
Man always needs to be reminded that his actions have a meaning for the world. He
can either benefit the humanity or harm it. The Quran tells man to benefit the
humanity.iv
The Quran condemns acts such as killing, adultery, economic
exploitationv etc. This makes the Qur’an one of the important sources of ethical
transformation of the contemporary world.
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The inspiration of the Quranic guidance has produced a great humane culture in the
past. Muslims can contribute to the contemporary humanity in the light of Quranic
principles. Muslims have to live by the Quranic principles, propagate and practice
them in conjunction with fellow human beings for creating better and integrated
societies. This is especially important where Muslims are living as minorities.
The spirit of the Quran is universal. It teaches us to be good to our parents, relatives
and neighbors. Such teachings are always important irrespective of time and space.
We cease to be human if we sideline our parents, relatives and neighbors.vi
Muslims
have to practice these teachings in their respective societies. This will be a very
positive contribution to the world. The world needs Muslims who live by the
Quranic guidance.
The Quranic guidance is practical. Muslim cannot be Muslim without putting the
Quran into action. The Quran guides the action of man. Man acts in the world. But
actions divorced from divine guidance create havoc upon humanity and nature.vii
Man often forgets that he is the servant of God. This brings harm to himself, fellow
beings and the world at large, as such man continuously needs this reminder about
his reality which is to say that he is the servant and in a sense representative of God
and as such has to act as if he were a blessing. In the words of Prophet Jesus, “God
has made me a blessing wherever I may be”viii
, this is true of all the prophets of God
and this should be true about every Muslim, that is to say, a Muslim should serve
God, his parents, his relatives, his neighbors, his society and the world at large.
Since Muslim as a man is also an intellectual entity he has to bring his spiritual side
to the contemporary knowledge about man and the world so that he can direct the
course of knowledge towards God and the service of humanity. Muslims, in the
light of Quranic guidance can enter into dialogue with people belonging to other
faiths as well as contribute the Quranic worldview in the exploration of man and the
world by entering into a communicative dialogue with scientists, politicians, artists,
and academicians’ etc. This is especially important since Muslims have to be active
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in this world, which is nothing in the absence of action, that is to say, the world is
not just there; rather it is to be created daily and continuously and this is only
possible in the light of knowledge coming from the divine revelation and the
knowledge coming from the effort of humans themselves.
Muslims have to seriously engage with the divine guidance and evaluate their
actions in the light of its principles. This is easy said than done. Muslims have to
start from the beginning by taking into account all the lessons of history and what
Muslim scholars have said about the Quranic guidance, and then implement and
study it in relevant institutions so that a critical culture can nurture in our
institutions in which the implications of the Quranic guidance are delineated and its
importance and relevance and their modalities be emphasized for the contemporary
world.
Muslims need to be intellectually and spiritually able to know the meaning of
living the Quranic guidance in the contemporary world. Our understanding of the
world is being continuously shaped by various events around the world. This
reaches to us in the form of modern media. This has an effect on our relationship
with our family members and the society at large. This is not necessarily a negative
development, but its impact upon the Muslim conscience is to be understood. The
point is to understand the infusion of knowledge in the form of movies, serials,
documentaries etc. and their interaction with the Quranic worldview and how
Muslims should respond to this. On the one level, it is happening naturally. Modern
media is readily available and it naturally enters into the worldview of Muslims,
and Muslims who become conscious of the meaning of Islam, have to see its
positives and negatives and accordingly interact with their fellow human beings in
the light of what they have learned from the modern media and how do they view it
in the light of Quranic guidance and what impact it has upon the concerned
individuals and what it does to the meaning of Islam for the contemporary world.
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There are verses upon verses in the noble Quran that are relevant to the
contemporary man in that they tell him that he should take care of his soul and body
and that he should always respect and care and be just to what is there in his
surrounding in the form of human beings, wild animals and plants. All this is
Quranic guidance and a great number of books have been written to highlight the
ethical orientation of the Quranic discourse. This is a positive development and this
is to be made more systematic and more true to the spirit of the Quran and what
according to the great majority of Muslim scholars distorts the meaning of the
Quran in the form of extremist groups and also those people who may quote the
Quran out of context is to be taken into account so that the new generations of
Muslims are brought up in a pure Quranic atmosphere where they breathe its
sublime teachings.
Muslims on the individual level cannot forget about their responsibility towards the
Quran. They have to read the Quran. They have to understand the Quran and then
have to live by the Quran in their respective spheres in schools, college,
universities, government offices, etc. even in the market place the Quran has
relevance in that it makes its conscientious reader observant of what is going on in
the market place which is not always positive and maybe it is negative most of the
time, and brings to his heart the meaning of the Quran which puts emphasis on
moderation in all the activities of life and in the market place the importance of
moderation cannot be overemphasized. If one could count all the waste that is done
in the market place, the disappearance of money, which could have been spent on
more sublime projects, all this once again brings to the fore the importance of the
Quranic guidance.
This is just one aspect of its guidance. If one could really understand man in all his
depth and also the life in depth, one could only then appreciate the importance and
significance of the Quran, this is not just the statement coming from a believer but
has been observed rationally and spiritually by a great number of human beings
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with strong spiritual and intellectual background around the globe in the past as
well as the present.
Earlier the reference was made to the importance of putting the Quran into action,
this is especially important because a believer in the Quran has to realize in his
consciousness that he is following the Quran and all his activities have some of the
fragrance of the Quran sprinkled upon them. This has to be a realization in word
and deed.
What is happening around the globe can be commented upon in the light of the
Quranic guidance be it war, poverty, racism, Islamophobia, extremism and all sorts
of problems from the perspective of justice as indicated by the Quran which
basically means that every wrong perpetrated by human beings is disliked by God
and Muslims should feel responsibility in dispersing justice in their multifarious
capacities in societies around the world; this is not just an exercise for its own sake
rather it is very basic to the purpose for which human beings were created by God
which is that human beings have to strive for the purification of their souls while
living in this very world and challenging its injustices and difficulties.
The elaboration of Quranic guidance is being done on daily basis in the
commentaries of the Quran, in the talk shows of the Muslim scholars, on the pulpits
of the mosques and many other places. This is very natural and a positive
undertaking by the Muslims. It is not that Muslims are not doing any constructive
work; they are in fact doing it and it is helping many Muslims in leading a life
based upon the Quranic guidance.
In the age of social media, Muslims have the opportunity to disseminate Quranic
guidance to human beings around the world and many Muslims are in fact using
these tools for the propagation of Quranic guidance. This is helping Muslims as
well as non-Muslims in having a better understanding of Islam and Muslims. The
Quranic guidance takes off from the individual who has to live according to it and
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improve himself as much as possible and then and simultaneously he spreads the
Quranic guidance to his parents, siblings, children, relatives, friends and where he
works. This is essential for the Muslim believer for in it lays his success in this
world and the next world.
The Quranic guidance is not just useful in practical terms; in the sense of, directing
the progress of materialism but also that it keeps preserved the essence of man and
does not allow it to get diluted in the difficulties and temptations of the world.
Man takes the Quranic guidance, without man, the Quranic guidance won’t be
there, therefore man is the fundamental addressee of the Quranic guidance. There is
a necessary relationship between man and the Quranic guidance. Man is incomplete
without the Quranic guidance. Man committed very horrible crimes in the 7th
century Arabia in the absence of the Quranic guidance, this situation changed after
the coming of the Quranic guidance; it guided them in the right direction. Man
continues to commit horrible crimes in the present times. This calls for the Quranic
guidance and any positive word or deed said or done by any human being in the
world is appreciated in the light of Quranic guidance because according to the
Quran human beings even if they differ on some points have to support each other
in the propagation of the goodix
and this has become very relevant and important in
the contemporary period when human beings are increasingly getting squeezed in a
global village and have to know how to live with mutual respect with fellow human
beings.
The Quranic guidance is universal in nature because it is intimately linked with the
human soul. Every book has some influence on its reader. The influence of the
Quran is very fundamental because it addresses the heart of man. It tells man who
he is. Why has he come into this world? Since the Quranic guidance addresses these
fundamental questions; its guidance is universal and very much needed since
without knowing answers to these fundamental questions Man will lose himself
resulting in the horrible crimes committed by man against man. Racism, for
instance, is responsible for a great number of human beings killed in history; the
Quranic guidance cuts the root of this problem by proclaiming that every human
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being is sacred, that all human beings are brothers and sisters, that all human beings
have come from the same parents, and that there is only one God.x
This is such an important principle for the welfare of life in all its diversity; imagine
if this principle were really followed by human beings, what would the condition of
the world be? Won’t this principle deal a death blow to all the major problems and
evils found in the world? Why are these problems in the world in the first place? Is
it not because that I have a problem with my fellow human being because he comes
from a different religion, has got a different skin color, so on and so forth? All these
problems are addressed by the Quran in the light of truth revealed by God.
The Quranic guidance essentially deals with moral questions. It has a specific
subject matter, and arguably the most important one: the question of man. Not
taking this into account at times distorts the message of the Quran and is a
disservice to the nature of Quranic guidance.
The moral balance of man is the fundamental purpose of the Quranic guidance
which is the most important purpose that exists for without it man becomes very
evil and since the problem of evil can never be really rooted out; it will be there
more or less, therefore the Quranic guidance is always relevant till the end of times.
The Quranic guidance is not free, man has to strive for it and for that God has given
man faculties to make use of and benefit from the Quranic guidance. This point is
important to emphasize because the Quranic guidance is very precious and every
precious thing deserves our utmost attention and since the heart is the most precious
thing found in a man; the most precious Quranic guidance takes care of the most
precious heart, in other words, the Quran takes care of the center of man and we
know if the centre is working properly everything will fit in its proper place and
there would be overall progress of man.
The Quranic guidance is effective in nature that is to say if it is acted upon then
human actions are oriented towards the right direction and it can lead to the
preservation of the essence of human beings individually as well as collectively.
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Everything that man does or can do becomes more meaningful and beautiful in the
light of the Quranic guidance. According to the Prophetic Tradition, “God is
beautiful and he loves beauty”xi
and the attribute of beauty when it gets absorbed in
the consciousness of a person makes all his actions beautiful. There is dignity
found in the actions of such a person. It is interesting to consider that what would
the attributes of God as found in the Quran mean for the contemporary man since
man becomes what he lives and if he lives in the light of the attributes of God such
as merciful, compassionate and all the other attributes; this would surely bring a
revolution in the life of the contemporary man and make him a source of life for the
world and what is therein.
When man, for instance, lives according to the attribute of mercy, he will surely
help everyone around him and since there are other attributes as well which when
put all together would lead to a balanced personality which is surely the only key to
happiness and blissful life in all time and space; of course there will be human
weakness; man will certainly falter at occasions but the Quranic guidance will
always guide him and will never leave him alone until he meets God.
There are millions of human beings who are not educated in natural sciences but
they cannot exist without being human and it is this their human aspect that is the
most essential aspect to a human being and this is what the guidance of God is
concerned about and wants to keep intact without which man will lose the sense of
his reality and all that makes him human.
The Quran is the source of hope for the contemporary man in that it brings him
back to the source of peace which is God and accepting the nature as it is, living in
it naturally and escaping from the traumas of technology which has disturbed the
internal peace of man and contributed to the present day chaos faced by humanity in
what technology can do to the natural disposition of man and the world.
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There is no end to the Quranic guidance, every verse of the Quran, has some
implication for the contemporary man in spiritual and intellectual terms. They keep
on reminding the spiritual and intellectual responsibilities that man owes towards
God and fellow human beings, for instance that there is only one God is an eternal
guidance of the Quran and embedded in every verse of the Quran and it tells the
contemporary man that nothing great in the contemporary situation in terms of
money, status, profession can take the place of God and man must submit his
everything to God, of course this is particularly relevant for the believers in God,
and the point of responsibility can only be fully realized if the guidance of the
Quran is correctly appreciated, once the spiritual and intellectual entity of the man
thus formed, can man know the meaning and practice of responsibility in every era
including the contemporary era to everything that meets man in life.
The point of emphasis here is that the Muslim scholarship should always clarify the
nature of Quranic guidance, in order for man to live as godly as possible since many
things have been done in the history and in the present that has harmed human
beings because certain things are wrongly attributed to the Quran, for instance, the
actions of Muslim extremists against Muslims and non-Muslims alike and similarly
what distorts the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the reader of the Quran in
trying to interpret the Quran in scientific terms that is not always warranted and
thus is essentially a disservice to the Quran and the reader.
The Quranic guidance is in tune with the call of human heart. It has to do with the
feelings of love, compassion, friendship, sacrifice and all the qualities without
which human being is absolutely shallow, for no human can become human in the
absence of love, compassion, friendship, sacrifice etcetera from fellow human
beings and beyond human beings found in what is called the natural world in the
form of mountains, rivers, flowers, etcetera in the absence of which man cannot
conceptualize the meaning of life meaningfully.
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Take these out from the human experience which are really only practicable in the
presence of divine guidance because qualities such as compassion, love, friendship
etcetera become meaningless in the absence of God.
We are hardwired to follow these natural requirements as human beings but can
nature really exist without the creative energy of God and the answer is in the
negative. Whether we agree with the term “God” or not is a secondary question, the
fundamental question is that the universe and what is found in the world of humans
cannot do without engaging with the source that is behind all that exists and can
exist and as long as that is there the Quranic guidance which according to its own
claim is revealed by the same source, has a legitimate, intellectual and spiritual say
in matters to do with humans.
Conclusion
God revealed the Quranic guidance to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
in the 7th
century. The Qur’anic guidance aims as the purification of the human self.
In order to achieve this aim, the Quran educated man in spiritual dimension and
social dimension of his life, and thus a balanced personality was realized. The
Quranic guidance gave moral direction to the action of man. He lived a good life in
true sense. The same is possible for the contemporary man in the light of Quranic
guidance and the society at large. Being spiritual is always important, more so, in
the present day and age. This is the most important contribution of the Quranic
guidance to the contemporary world. Every problem in the contemporary world
issues from a lack of spiritual discipline and it can be truly attained in the light of
Quranic guidance.
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References
i “Take not with Allah another object of worship; or thou (O man!) wilt sit in disgrace and
destitution. Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to
parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of
contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness,
lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as
they cherished me in childhood." Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts: If ye do
deeds of righteousness, verily He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and
again (in true penitence). And render to the kindred their due rights, as (also) to those in
want, and to the wayfarer: But squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.
Verily spendthrifts are brothers of the Evil Ones; and the Evil One is to his Lord (himself)
ungrateful. And even if thou hast to turn away from them in pursuit of the Mercy from thy
Lord which thou dost expect, yet speak to them a word of easy kindness. Make not thy
hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that thou
become blameworthy and destitute. Verily thy Lord doth provide sustenance in abundance
for whom He pleaseth, and He provideth in a just measure. For He doth know and regard
all His servants. Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance for
them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin. Nor come nigh to adultery:
32
for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils). Nor take life -
which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we
have given his heir authority (to demand qisas or to forgive): but let him nor exceed bounds
in the matter of taking life; for he is helped (by the Law). Come not nigh to the orphan's
property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfil (every)
engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).
Give full measure when ye measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the
most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination. And pursue not that of
which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the
heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning). Nor walk on the earth with
insolence: for thou canst not rend the earth asunder, nor reach the mountains in height. Of
all such things the evil is hateful in the sight of thy Lord. These are among the (precepts of)
wisdom, which thy Lord has revealed to thee. Take not, with Allah, another object of
worship, lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected.” (15: 22-39)
ii “O mankind! Fear Your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single person, created,
out of it, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;-
fear Allah, through Whom Ye demand your mutual (rights), and be heedful of the wombs
(that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you. (4: 1); Behold! in the creation of the
heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships
through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down from the
skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all
kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which
they Trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are Signs for a
people that are wise.(2:164).
iii “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds.” (1:2)
iv “Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids
all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive
admonition.” (16:90).
v “Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made
sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only)
meets punishment.(25:68); Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one
whom the Evil one by his touch Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade
is like usury," but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after
receiving direction from their Lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for
Allah (to judge); but those who repeat (The offence) are companions of the Fire: They will
abide therein (for ever).” (2:275)
vi Neighbors include nations as well in the present day and age.
vii
Examples include the World Wars and the present day global warming.
viii
The Qur’an- 19:31.
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ix
“… Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and
rancour: fear Allah. for Allah is strict in punishment. (The Qur’an 5:2)
x The Quran, 4:1
11
Sahih Muslim
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