Quran Lessons

THE MAGIC OF THE QURAN

From the first moment they heard it, the Quran infatuated Arabs whether from those who believed in it or denied it. If we were to exclude the few of which were impressed by the personality of the Prophet pbuh and that was the result for their believing in the beginning like his wife Khadijah, his friend Abu Bakr, his cousin Ali and his servant Zaid�etc.

We find that the Quran was the conclusive factor or one of the decisive factors in the belief of those who were among the early believers in the days where Islam had no strength or power.

The story of the belief of Omar Ibn Al-Khatab and the denial of Al-Waleed Ibn Al-Mughirah are two models of the many stories of belief and denial and they both reveal the magic of the Quran that overwhelmed Arabs from the start.

This magic that both believers and disbeliever recognize and accept.

The story of the belief of Omar:
Omar told the story by saying: I was away from Islam and in the days of ignorance I liked to drink a lot. We used to meet in a place with the other men of Quraysh so one day I went to meet my buddies but couldn�t find any of them. So I said to myself why not go look for the wine seller? And so I did but I couldn�t find him. I then decided to go to Al-Kaaba and circle around it for sometime and so I did.

I found the Prophet pbuh standing their praying in a place between the two pillars of the House and it occurred to me that I get under the clothing of Al-Kabaa from the other side and then terrify the Prophet and so I did but when I got close to him I heard him reciting the Quran so I cried and Islam entered my heart.

In another narration about the story of Omar that Omar went one day wanting to kill the Prophet pbuh and a group of his friend who were gathering in a house near Al-Safa and they were about 40 men and women.

In the way he met a man called Naeem Bin Abdullah who asked Omar about his destination and Omar told him. The man warned Omar of the Prophet�s clan and asked him to go and deal with his relatives who denied their religion and accepted Islam �Omar�s sister (Fatima) and her husband.�

Omar went to his sister�s house and when he came near he heard a man called Khabab in their house reading the Quran. Omar broke the door and hit his sister and her husband�then after debating with them he took the paper and in it was �Surat Taha�:
Taha (Muhammad). We have not sent down the Quran to thee to be (an occasion) for thy distress, But only as an admonition to those who fear Allah. A revelation from Him who created the earth and the heavens on high. Allah most gracious is firmly established on the throne of authority. To him belongs what is in the heavens and on earth, and all beneath the soil. If thou pronounce the word aloud, it is no matter For verily he knows what is secret and what is yet more hidden�.

And when he read part of it he said, �these words are of the best and most honored I ever heard.� He then went to the Prophet pbuh and declared his Islam. The Prophet said Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest) so loud that the people of the house knew that Omar declard his Islam.

All the narrations agree that Omar heard part of the Quran that led to his Islam.

As for the story of the Denial of Al-Waleed Ibn Al-Mughirah it can be summarized with the following:
This man heard some of the Quran and he became a little lenient towards it so Quraysh accused him of leaving his religion and following Islam and they were afraid that the whole of Quraysh follows so they sent Abu Jahel in order to rise his arrogance and prides in his money and family and to ask him to talk badly about the Quran so his people would know that he hates it. He said, �what can I say about it? I swear by Allah that there is no man amongst you who knows poetry more than I do. I swear what Muhammad says has no resemblance what so ever with that. I swear that his speech has sweetness and that it destroys what ever is beneath it and that it is elevated and nothing can be higher than it.� Abu Jahel said: Your people would not satisfy until you say something bad about it. Al-Waleed asked for time to think and then said, �I would only say that it is a powerful magic, couldn�t you see how it separates between a man and his family and kins?�

About this the Quran said in Surat Al-Muddather:
Leave Me alone to deal with the creature whom I created bare and alone! To whom I granted resources in abundance, And sons by his side! To whom I made life smooth and comfortable Yet he is greedy, that I should add yet more; By no means! For to our signs he has been refractory! Soon I will visit him with a mount of calamities! For he thought and he plotted; And woe to him! How he plotted! Yeah woe to him how he plotted! Then he looked around; then he frowned and scowled; then he turned back and was haughty; Then he said, �This is nothing but magic, derived from of old; This is nothing but the word of a mortal!� Soon I will cast him into Hell-Fire�.

Magic derived from the old that separates between a man and his family, children and clan� these are the words of a man who denied Islam and is so arrogant to announce his Islam to Muhammad. A man who takes pride in his relatives, money and children not words of a man who has faith. He finds an explanation to this belief he had of being bewitched.

It is here where the story of belief meets the story of disbelief in recognizing the magic of this Quran by two of the strongest personalities though they are so different. Piety opens the heart of Omar for Islam and pride stands in the way of Al-Waleed from that and they both go in different directions after meeting in one point: the point of agreeing on the magic of the Quran.

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