Navigation
In other projects
Other projects
Indexes
Bahai-library

Qur'án

From Bahai9
(Redirected from Qur'an)

Versions of the Qur'án[edit]

Indexes for the Qur'án[edit]

Audio Versions[edit]

English[edit]

Arabic or English[edit]

Study of the Qur'án (by verse) from a Bahá'í Perspective[edit]

  • [1] organizes Bahá'í references by Qur'ánic verse (and the versions and notes of Sale and Rodwell)
  • [2] (archived) organizes Bahá'í references by Qur'ánic verse
  • [3] compares Shoghi Effendi's translations in the Kitáb-i-Íqán to those of Rodwell
  • See also #Individual Súráhs below.

Aspects of the Qur'án from a Bahá'í Perspective:[edit]

Authenticity of the Qur'án[edit]

"Muhammad, Himself, as the end of His mission drew nigh, spoke these words: "Verily, I leave amongst you My twin weighty testimonies: The Book of God and My Family."...With unswerving vision, with pure heart, and sanctified spirit, consider attentively what God hath established as the testimony of guidance for His people in His Book, which is recognized as authentic by both the high and lowly.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, pars. 222-223)

"They must...approach reverently and with a mind purged from preconceived ideas the study of the Qur'án which, apart from the sacred scriptures of the Bábí and Bahá'í Revelations, constitutes the only Book which can be regarded as an absolutely authenticated Repository of the Word of God."

(Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, p. 49)

"The Qur'án is...more authoritative than any previous religious gospel..."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Lights of Guidance, vol. iii, no. 1670, p. 498)

"In regard to your question concerning the authenticity of the Qur'án. I have referred it to the Guardian for his opinion. He thinks that the Qur'án is, notwithstanding the opinion of certain historians, quite authentic, and that consequently it should be considered in its entirety by every faithful and loyal believer as the sacred scriptures of the Muhammadan Revelation."

(From a letter dated July 6, 1934 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, Letter on Holy Scriptures of previous Dispensations)

"As to the question raised by the Racine Assembly in connection with Bahá'u'lláh's statement in the 'Gleanings' concerning the sacrifice of Ishmael: Although this statement does not agree with that made in the Bible, Genesis 22:9, the friends should unhesitatingly, and for reasons that are only too obvious, give precedence to the sayings of Bahá'u'lláh which, it should be pointed out, are fully corroborated by the Qur'an, which book is more authentic than the Bible including both the New and the Old Testaments. The Bible is not wholly authentic, and in this respect is not to be compared with the Qur'an, and should be wholly subordinated to the authentic writings of Bahá'u'lláh."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, quoted in Lights of Guidance, vol. iii., no. 1688, p. 502)

See also[edit]

Praise of the Qur'án[edit]

"And if thou deniest this, thou hast surely repudiated the truth of the Qur'án, the surest testimony of God unto men."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, par. 160)

"...the Qur'án was an impregnable stronghold unto the people of Muhammad. In His days, whosoever entered therein, was shielded from the devilish assaults, the menacing darts, the soul-devouring doubts, and blasphemous whisperings of the enemy. Upon him was also bestowed a portion of the everlasting and goodly fruits — the fruits of wisdom, from the divine Tree. To him was given to drink the incorruptible waters of the river of knowledge, and to taste the wine of the mysteries of divine Unity.

"All the things that people required in connection with the Revelation of Muhammad and His laws were to be found revealed and manifest in that Ridván of resplendent glory. That Book constitutes an abiding testimony to its people after Muhammad, inasmuch as its decrees are indisputable, and its promise unfailing. All have been enjoined to follow the precepts of that Book until "the year sixty"1 — the year of the advent of God's wondrous Manifestation. That Book is the Book which unfailingly leadeth the seeker unto the Ridván of the divine Presence, and causeth him that hath forsaken his country and is treading the seeker's path to enter the Tabernacle of everlasting reunion. Its guidance can never err, its testimony no other testimony can excel. All other traditions, all other books and records, are bereft of such distinction, inasmuch as both the traditions and they that have spoken them are confirmed and proven solely by the text of that Book. Moreover, the traditions themselves grievously differ, and their obscurities are manifold.

"Muhammad, Himself, as the end of His mission drew nigh, spoke these words: "Verily, I leave amongst you My twin weighty testimonies: The Book of God and My Family." Although many traditions had been revealed by that Source of Prophethood and Mine of divine Guidance, yet He mentioned only that Book, thereby appointing it as the mightiest instrument and surest testimony for the seekers; a guide for the people until the Day of Resurrection."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, pars. 220-222)

"Consider, how He hath appointed and decreed this self-same Book, the Qur'án, as a guidance unto all that are in heaven and on earth. He, the divine Being, and unknowable Essence, hath, Himself, testified that this Book is, beyond all doubt and uncertainty, the guide of all mankind until the Day of Resurrection. And now, We ask, is it fair for this people to view with doubt and misgiving this most weighty Testimony, the divine origin of which God hath proclaimed, and pronounced it to be the embodiment of truth? Is it fair for them to turn away from the thing which He hath appointed as the supreme Instrument of guidance for attainment unto the loftiest summits of knowledge, and to seek aught else but that Book? How can they allow men's absurd and foolish sayings to sow the seeds of distrust in their minds? How can they any longer idly contend that a certain person hath spoken this or that way, or that a certain thing did not come to pass? Had there been anything conceivable besides the Book of God which could prove a more potent instrument and a surer guide to mankind, would He have failed to reveal it in that verse?

"It is incumbent upon us not to depart from God's irresistible injunction and fixed decree, as revealed in the above-mentioned verse. We should acknowledge the holy and wondrous Scriptures, for failing to do this we have failed to acknowledge the truth of this blessed verse. For it is evident that whoso hath failed to acknowledge the truth of the Qur'án hath in reality failed to acknowledge the truth of the preceding Scriptures. This is but the manifest implication of the verse. Were We to expound its inner meanings and unfold its hidden mysteries, eternity would never suffice to exhaust their import, nor would the universe be capable of hearing them! God verily testifieth to the truth of Our saying!"

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, pars. 224-225)

"...the unfailing testimony of God to both the East and the West is none other than the Qur'án. Were it beyond the comprehension of men, how could it have been declared as a universal testimony unto all people?"

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, par. 232)

Importance of studying the Qur'án (though not required to acquire a mastery unless desired)[edit]

"O my friend, were the bird of thy mind to explore the heavens of the Revelation of the Qur'án, were it to contemplate the realm of divine knowledge unfolded therein, thou wouldst assuredly find unnumbered doors of knowledge set open before thee."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán, par. 156)

"The truth is that Western historians have for many centuries distorted the facts to suit their religious and ancestral prejudices. The Baha'is should try to study history anew, and to base all their investigations first and foremost on the written Scriptures of Islam and Christianity."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1664)

“Shoghi Effendi wishes me also to express his deepfelt appreciation of your intention to study the Qur’án. The knowledge of this revealed holy Book is, indeed, indispensable to every Bahá’í who wishes to adequately understand the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. And in view of that the Guardian has been invariably encouraging the friends to make as thorough a study of this Book as possible, particularly in their summer schools.”

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 122)

"The Qur'án should be to some extent studied by the Bahá'ís but they certainly need not seek to acquire a mastery over it, which would take years, unless they really want to."

(On behalf of? Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, pp. 453-454)

Need to unravel mysteries of the Qur'án in teaching[edit]

""Although," Abdu'l-Baha, in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, has written, "in most of the states and cities of the United States, praise be to God, His fragrances are diffused, and souls unnumbered are turning their faces and advancing toward the Kingdom of God, yet in some of the states the Standard of Unity is not yet upraised as it should be, nor are the mysteries of the Holy Books, such as the Bible, the Gospel, and the Qur'an, unraveled. Through the concerted efforts of all the friends the Standard of Unity must needs be unfurled in those states, and the Divine teachings promoted, so that these states may also receive their portion of the heavenly bestowals and a share of the Most Great Guidance.""

(Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 57-58)

Need for Qur'án to be taught in Bahá'í Summer School[edit]

“With regard to the school’s program for the next summer; the Guardian would certainly advise, and even urge the friends to make a thorough study of the Qur’án, as the knowledge of this Sacred Scripture is absolutely indispensable for every believer who wishes to adequately understand, and intelligently read the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. Although there are very few persons among our Western Bahá’ís who are capable of handling such a course in a scholarly way yet, the mere lack of such competent teachers should encourage and stimulate the believers to get better acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures of Islám. In this way, there will gradually appear some distinguished Bahá’ís who will be so well versed in the teachings of Islám as to be able to guide the believers in their study of that religion.”

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 125)

“Shoghi Effendi wishes me also to express his deepfelt appreciation of your intention to study the Qur’án. The knowledge of this revealed holy Book is, indeed, indispensable to every Bahá’í who wishes to adequately understand the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. And in view of that the Guardian has been invariably encouraging the friends to make as thorough a study of this Book as possible, particularly in their summer schools.”

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, no. 122)

"The beloved Guardian stressed that one of the important purposes of Bahá'í summer schools is to deepen the knowledge of the believers in the history and Teachings of the Faith so that they can become better teachers. To this end he emphasized the study of Islám and Qur'án so that the friends would have a background against which to study the Bahá'í Writings..."

(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, in Lights of Guidance, vol. iii, p. 559)

How to Study the Qur'án[edit]

"It is certainly most difficult to thoroughly grasp all the Surihs of the Qur'an, as it requires a detailed knowledge of the social, religious and historical background of Arabia at the time of the appearance of the Prophet. The believers cannot possibly hope, therefore, to understand the Surihs after the first or even second or third reading. They have to study them again and again, ponder over their meaning, with the help of certain commentaries, and explanatory notes as found, for instance in the admirable translation made by Sale, endeavor to acquire as clear and correct understanding of their meaning and import as possible. This is naturally a slow process, but future generations of believers will certainly come to grasp it. For the present, the Guardian agrees, that it would be easier and more helpful to study the book according to subjects, and not verse by verse and also in the light of the Bab's, Bahá'u'lláh's, and Abdu'l-Bahá's interpretations which throw such floods of light on the whole of the Qur'an."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, August 22, 1939: Bahá'í News, No. 134, pp. 2-3, March 1940, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1666)

General terms in the Qur'an[edit]

Meaning of "Jin" or "Genii"[edit]

"Regarding your question as to the meaning of Jin or Genii referred to in the Qur'an, these are not beings or creatures that are actually living, but are symbolic references to the power of men of evil and may be likened to evil spirits. But the point to bear in mind is that these have no positive existence of any kind."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, June 26, 1936: Bahá'í News, No. 105, p. 1, February 1937, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1667)

Individual Súráhs[edit]

Note: Outlines might be adapted from public domain outlines such as those at https://bahai-library.com/quran/quranoutlines.html to put at the page of each Suráh (the latter's verse numbering would need to be adjusted, however, to match those at https://bahai-library.com/writings/quran ).

Note: https://bahai-browser.org/ (currently Chrome only) allows browsing a good number of references in the Writings to specific Qur'ánic verses or suráhs (and would ideally be incorporated here).

Suráh No.: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114

See also[edit]

Retrieved from "https://bahai9.com/index.php?title=Qur%27án&oldid=21859"
Powered by MediaWiki