The spring from which the Companions of the Prophet(saw) drank was the Holy Qur’an; only the Qur’an, as the Hadith of the Prophet and his teachings were offspring of this fountainhead. When someone asked the Mother of the Believers, Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her, about the character of the Prophet (saw), she answered, ‘His character was the Qur’an.’........The Holy Qur’an was the only source from which they quenched their thirst, and this was the only mould in which they formed their lives...........In fact, the Messenger of Allah intended to prepare a generation pure in heart, pure in mind, pure in understanding. Their training was to be based on the method prescribed by Allah Almighty who saved the Holy Qur’an, purified from the influence of all other sources.........................This generation, then, drank solely from this spring and thus attained a unique distinction in history. In later times it happened that other sources mingled with it..Other sources used by later generations included Greek philosophy and logic, ancient Persian legends and their ideas, Jewish scriptures and traditions, Christian theology, and, in addition to these, fragments of other religions and civilizations. These mingled with the commentaries on the Holy Qur’an and with scholastic theology, as they were mingled with jurisprudence and its principles. Later generations after this generation obtained their training from this mixed source, and hence the like of this generation never arose again....Thus we can say without any reservations that the main reason for the difference between the first unique and distinguished group of Muslims and later Muslims is that the purity of the first source of Islamic guidance was mixed with various other sources, as we have indicated.There is another basic cause, which has operated in creating this difference. That difference is in the art of learning of this unique generation. They of the first generation did not approach the Qur’an for the purpose of acquiring culture and information, nor for the purpose of taste or enjoyment. None of them came to the Qur’an to increase his sum total of knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself or to solve some scientific or legal problem, or to remove some defect in his understanding. Rather, he turned to the Qur’an to find out what the Almighty Creator had prescribed for him and for the group in which he lived, for his life and for the life of the group. He approached it to act on what he heard immediately, as a soldier on the battlefield reads ‘Todays Bulletin’ so that he may know what is to be done. He did not read many verses of the Qur’an in one session, as he understood that this would lay an unbearable burden of duties and responsibilities on his shoulders. At most he would read ten verses, memorize them, and then act upon them..This understanding, the understanding that instruction is for action, opened the doors to spiritual fulfilment and to knowledge. If they had read the Qur’an only for the sake of discussion, learning and information, these doors would not have opened. Moreover, action became easy, the weight of responsibilities became light, and the Qur’an became a part of their personalities, mingling with their lives and characters so that they became living examples of faith; a faith not hidden in intellects or books, but expressing itself in a dynamic movement, which changed conditions and events and the course of life...Indeed, this Qur’an does not open its treasures except to him who accepts it with this spirit: the spirit of knowing with the intention of acting upon it. It did not come to be a book of intellectual content, or a book of literature, or to be considered as a book of stories or history, although it has all these facets. It came to become a way of life, a way dedicated to Allah Almighty. Thus, Allah Most High imparted it to them in a gradual manner, to be read at intervals. وَقُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَىٰ مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنزِيلًا “And (it is) a Qur’an which We have separated (by intervals) that you might recite it to the people over a long period. And We have sent it down progressively . The Qur’an did not come down all at once; rather it came down according to the needs of the Islamic society in facing new problems, according to the growth of ideas and concepts, according to the progress of general social life and according to new challenges faced by the Muslim community in its practical life. One verse or a few verses would be revealed according to the special circumstances and events, and they would answer questions which arose in the minds of people, would explain the nature of a particular situation, and would prescribe a way of dealing with it. These verses would correct their mistakes, either of understanding or of practice, would bring them closer to Allah, and would explain to them the wisdom of the various aspects of the universe in the light of Allahs attributes. Thus they clearly realized that every moment of their lives was under the continuous guidance and direction of the Almighty Creator and that they were traversing the path of life under the wings of Allahs mercy. Because of this sense of constant relationship with Allah Almighty, their lives were moulded according to that sacred way of life, which was being instructed by Him. Thus, instruction to be translated into action was the method of the first group of Muslims. The method of later generations was instruction for academic discussion and enjoyment. And without doubt this is the second major factor, which made later generations different from the first unique generation of Islam. Excerpts from Milestones(Chapter:THE UNIQUE QUR’ANIC GENERATION) by Syed Qutb(Rahimahullah)
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:52:01 +0000
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