Gems of the Quran

My fourth toastmaster's speech given on February, 03, 2013*. The objective of the speech was "How you say it". I really hope you enjoy it! =) 

   Have any of you ever thought of delving into the wonders of the Quran? For those of who do not know what the Quran is, it is the Holy book of Muslims- a proclaimed miracle that was sent down to mankind from God in times of need -  like a beacon in a stormy night.

Fellow Toastmasters, honorable guests, good evening.

  I feel  that learning the Quran is like diving in to the ocean; the deeper you go, the more intrigued you become. Just like any other form of literature, the Quran has its own unique literary gems hidden deep inside of it. But to actually extract the wonders of the Quran yourself requires a great deal of knowledge and dedication because of the richness of the Arabic language. Which is why today I am going to show you just a few of the marvels concealed in the words of the Quran that you would otherwise not see if you just skimmed over the surface. 

In Surah Al Mu'minoon, God says: قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ,  Successful indeed are the believers. Aflaha means success and is used in the Arabic language to indicate the highest level of success. Interestingly, the word Aflaha or Falah is also used by Arabs to refer to the farmer or specifically the farmer during the crop season. The work a farmer does is all year long – he tends to his crops in the scorching summer heat – replants them in case of winds or any form of calamity – and at the end of the year, he harvests them. The entire time, the farmer is exerting a great amount of effort but he does not see the fruits of his labor until the very end. Which is exactly like the believer. The believer is constantly striving for God's sake in order to gain that final unseen reward, Paradise.

   In another Surah, Surah Al Ahzab, God says: مَّا جَعَلَ اللَّـهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ Allah has not put for any man two hearts inside his body. What's important to notice is that the word Rajul is used which singles out men in particular. Also, to refer to the place where the hearts are kept, the word body (jowf) is used instead of chest Sadar even though throughout the entire Quran God talks about "the hearts in the chests". Why has this been done?

   Well, you see when a woman is carrying she contains two hearts inside her body, her own and the baby's. In both  these examples precise words were used in order to convey a specific message.

   Another gem can be found in Surah Al Ikhlas, where God says:  اللَّـهُ الصَّمَدُ The Self-Sufficient Master. But the word Al Samad actually has a couple of meanings: As a verb it means to turn attention towards someone or to demand from them a fulfillment or need. The word Masmood is actually what Al Samad implies and it is someone who people turn to in time of need.

   Another verbal meaning is when you make someone your goal, when you aspire to reach them, when you aspire to please them or when you aspire to attain them. When you make someone the goal in your life that is Al Samad.

   Al Samad can also refer to someone who is not in need of anyone else and no one can overpower them in terms status or in any attribute. In Arabic literature it's used for a person who cannot be overcome, meaning he can't be overcome in battle, you can't out do them in business, or in their leadership or in their studies or anything for that matter. That person would be Al Samad.

  Al Samad can also be an adjective and it is used to describe something that is whole, without any blemishes or faults. For example, a pure brick of Gold would be Al Samad, or a boulder without any holes to let water or air inside would be Al Samad. Something absolute, something concrete.

  So now the question arises, which of the meanings applies to this verse? The answer is all of them. That's one of the gems of the Quran, a single word used can have multiple meanings all of which apply to the same verse. 

And finally in Surah Al Mudathir God says:  وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ. Declare the greatness only of your master . The و here actually has many different meanings in Classical Arabic. One of the meanings is to signify the beginning of a sentence just like you have the capital letter in English. If you look at this verse with that in mind you can see that it is actually a palindrome. A palindrome is a word or a phrase that is spelt the same backwards and forwards which as you can see is the case here.

These four were just a few of the many gems buried deep within the very essence of the Quran. Just like the ocean floor, the Quran has a number of gems waiting to be discovered.  The fact is we don't realize the beauty and power concealed behind the words of the Quran because it is one book we take for granted.

In Surah al Ra'ad Allah says:
And if there was any Qur'an by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur'an].   

There is so much more to this book that we are missing and so much that we could gain just by becoming it's Students of Knowledge. All it takes is an enthusiastic spirit with the determination to undertake a fascinating journey into the very depths of it's pages. As William Blake once said: In the universe, there are things that are known and things that are unknown and in between there are the doors.

This speech was inspired by the information that was gained by listening to Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan. You can find his videos on Youtube and find Tafsir (in depth study of the Quran) done by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan and Sheik Abdul Nasir. 

Other Linguistic Miracles can be found here.