In the name of the Almighty, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion… Quran 2: 255.
What is the Quran? The Qur’an is the last testament from the Creator of the heavens and earth to humanity. It is an extremely engaging book that contains one hundred and fourteen (114) chapters. It is a book with a beginning without an ending, it has an introduction without a conclusion. It is a book that talks about itself the same way it talks about the world.
What is the Quran? The Quran is the book of Islam, the encyclopedia of all divinely revealed books. Reading it links you up with Prophet Adam; pondering it connects you with Prophet Musa. The Quran incarnates the odyssey of Prophet Musa and the Jews in the Wilderness. It relives the saga of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ, upon him, be peace and blessings of Allah) and his people in Palestine. Open the Quran if you desire to reread the history of history. Read the Quran if you desire to answer the unanswered questions in such fields as theology, philosophy, geography, biology, chemistry and oceanography.
One of the unique features of the month of Ramadan is that it was in it that the whole revelatory experience of the Quran started for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). The Quran made the month of Ramadan unique; Ramadan makes the Quran unique. It is during this month Muslims constantly return to the book, all the day, all the night. Unlike other scriptures, reading and pondering the last testament, the Quran, is an obligation for the Muslim faithful. A fasting Muslim who does not read the Quran is like a date, sweet to taste but bereft of any odour.
Now, kindly bear in mind that one of the cardinal functions of the Quran in Muslim life is its ability to serve as a shield for the believer against all evils in the world. In other words, aside from deriving guidance for mundane life from its inner recesses, the Muslim who recites the Quran faithfully and with full concentration enters into the canopy of the Almighty; she enjoys divine companionship at all times.
In this season of insecurity and the insecure, remember Ayat al-Kursiy – Quran 2:256. Ubay bn K’ab once reported that he used to have a field of dates and he used to guard it but as time passed by he kept less watch over it. One night he planned to guard it, but he saw an (animal) in the shape of a young boy. Ubay Ibn Ka’b offered him greetings and he replied back. Ibn Ka’b asked him whether he was a human or Jinn? He replied: He was Jinn! Ubayy asked him to show his hand, Ubayy saw that his hand was like that of a dog and it had hair on it as dog does. Ubayy asked: Are Jinns created in this fashion? He replied: Some Jinns are stranger than me. Ubayy asked: Who compelled you to do this (i.e. steal from my field). He replied: I have heard that you love to give Sadaqa so I thought of taking (stealing) something from you. Ubayy asked: What is it that can protect us from you? The Jinn replied: “Ayat al Kursi” which is in Surah al-Baqarah, whosoever recites it in the evening will be safe from our evil till the morning, and whosoever recites it in the morning will be safe from us till evening. On next morning Ibn Ka’b went to the Prophet and told him about this. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The “Khabeeth told the truth”.
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Afis Ayinde Oladosu Ph.D is a professor of Middle Eastern, North African and Cultural Studies. Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
