The Qur'an Through its Three aspects: Religious, Moral and Literary

THE QUR'AN

THROUGH ITS THREE ASPECTS:

RELIGIOUS, MORAL AND LITERARY

If the Qur’an has always made its admirable impression on various minds, it must have presented itself to people

• as being adapted to their true manner of thinking and feeling,

• as meeting their requirements for belief and behaviour, 

• as bringing solutions for problems which preoccupy them.

In other words, the Qur’an must have satisfied human being need for Truth, for Good and for Beauty through a religious, a moral and a literary work.

CHAPTER 1

THE TRUTH OR THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT

The first feature of the driving force of Islamic preaching resides - in our opinion - in the manner in which it presented the religious truth and tried to cease the disputes about its subject.

The two main theoretical questions, which divided and subdivided philosophical thought are: “From where does the world come?” and “To where does it go?” We know how revealed religions, after giving a precise response to that, founded a system of dogmas and of cults which varied from one epoch to the other and from one community to the other. They are still varying before our eyes, not only in their form but also in their fundamental principles.

The Qur’an insists with much force and tenacity and affirms categorically that all the Prophets constitute one indivisible religious community under the aegis of their Lord,

“Truly! This, your Ummah [Shari‘ah or religion (Islâmic Monotheism)] is one religion and I am your Lord, therefore worship Me (Alone).” (XXI, 92),

“And verily this your religion (of Islâmic Monotheism) is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty to Me.” (XXIII, 52).

It also insists that this unity was originally that of all people and it has been the successors who were disunited,

“Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others: to some of them Allâh spoke (directly): others He raised to degrees (of honour), and to ‘Îsa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), we gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Rûhul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. If Allâh had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allâh had come to them, but they differed - some of them believed and others disbelieved - If Allâh had willed they would not have fought against one another, but Allâh does what He likes.” (II, 253);

“Mankind were but one community (i.e. on one religion -Islâmic Monotheism), then they differed (later); and had not it been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord, it would have been settled between them regarding what they differed.” (X, 19).