Auron ka hai Payaam aur, mera Payaam aur hai, / Ishq key dardmand ka tarz–e–kalaam aur hai! (Iqbal)
And while we do that, let us pick up another miracle along the way: the most wonderful miracle of the divine expression “Subhanahu wa Ta’aala.” You know you find yourself saying it all the time if you are a Muslim, right? Every time you say Allah, you would also tend to say “Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.” Or just say “Ta’ala” as in “Allah Ta’ala.” Right?
You also know that most Muslims in most parts of the world would do that too: say it exactly the way you say it – “Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala” or simply “Allah Ta’ala.”
Ever wonder what an amazing thing this is? Same common expression, being used in precisely the same context, by hundreds of millions of people around the world – a veritable united nations and united colours of humanity: from India to Indonesia; from Japan to Jordan; from Malaysia to Morocco; from America to Australia, Europe, South America and the Caribbean?
How this single common expression unites and binds over a billion and a half people together? Allahu Akbar! If you are looking for miracles, look no more, for, this is a miracle that is staring you right in the face. It is as good or big a miracle you are ever going to find in this world. So grab hold of this miracle. Understand and cherish it and share it with the rest of the world. All this is part of the rope of Allah, about which Allah gave the guarantee that it will never snap – Lan–fisaama lahaa! It is your bridge to Allah, Shbhanahu wa Ta’ala.
And it is, on this earth, 1400 years old – going back to the time of our beloved Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. If it is a miracle you want, look no more. And if it is proof you want whether or not this book is from Allah and if this man Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, is God Almighty’s true and last messenger, then look no farther. You are holding that miracle in your hands and you have that proof right here at your fingertips.
DIRECTLY FROM THE QUR’ĀN
Did you ever wonder where we Muslims got these expressions from: Subhanahu and Ta’ala individually or together? And how we got into the habit of saying them so mechanically and routinely and so uniformly without the slightest variation over the ages or across the globe? Did you ever ask yourself how this level of constancy came about in practice over 1400 years and all over the world, when quite probably there isn’t another expression like that in any other culture, religion, lore, literature or practice?
Well, that is what I am calling a miracle and a proof of the divine origin of the Qur’ān for, that is where those expressions came from: directly from the Qur’ān! Nothing less. They came to us directly out of the pages of the Qur’ān – and in saying them the way we do, we are directly applying the Qur’ān to and in our life. That means one simple and clear thing: Every time we say Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, we are practicing the Qur’ān – yes, practicing the Qur’ān, nothing less – in our daily life. That is what it means.
Did you see the kind of miracles you are swimming in – if only you opened your heart and mind and saw them and accepted and embraced them? Not even Hadith, mind you, but the Qur’ān itself – directly. All this came to you directly from the Qur’ān. Even though Hadith would have been good enough, and it would have been wonderful – like a lot of things that we Muslims do that come from Hadith – and even though these are expressions that Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, used himself and taught his followers whom he called his Companions. So, in that way, they automatically become part of Hadith. But the fact remains that this thing is directly from the Qur’ān. Like a lot of other things that we have been talking about in these pages. That is where we got those expressions from: the Qur’ān.
That means, these expressions are all parts of different Aayats of the Qur’ān, including this one: Subhanahu wa Ta’aala ‘Ammaa Yushrikoon. Therefore, the story of these divine expressions in the Qur’ān is most instructive and exciting. Let us follow it step by step. First, there is “Ta’ala,” all by itself (7:190; 23:92; 27:63). Then, there is “Subhanahu,” all by itself (9:31). And then the two come together in the form of “Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.” Not just once, but twice (10:18; 39:67).
Will someone please check these references and make sure they are all correct. And then will you all tell me if this is not a miracle then just what it is. How in the world could an unlettered man sitting in a cave 1400 years ago have possibly put together such fine and sophisticated piece of editing together? Could you even believe such a thing is possible? Could you tell me that? But clearly, it is not only possible, it is real. It is right there in your hands and you can see it with your own eyes.
Another interesting and to me absolutely overpowering miracle in the Qur’ān. That is exactly what it is. That is what a miracle is: something that you cannot even think is possible becomes real. And that is part of the proof for the Qur’ān and the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
QUR’ĀN IN PRACTICE
And what do the Muslims do? They take those parts of the Aayats of the Qur’ān and put them in practice by repeating those divine expressions every time they mention the name of Allah: Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Ironclad divine guarantee that the Qur’ān will never atrophy and will never suffer from disuse, no matter how much the Muslims may try to neglect it. That is what the Muslims learned from the Qur’ān. And that is part of how the Muslims practice the Qur’ān. That is right: Muslims, thus, put the Qur’ān into practice. Just as Allah’s beloved Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, taught them to do. And the way the entire generation of the noble companions of the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, and their followers put these things into practice. And the way every single great generation after them did thereafter – for the past 1400 years – till it came down to our generation, in our own time and place, wherever we live today – in a firm and unshakable chain of narration, practice, teaching and continuity.
Do you think any other example of this kind exists anywhere? If it does, go find it and embrace it. If it does not, then know that this could only have come from God. And also understand full well that only he could have preserved and safeguarded it, as he promised and undertook he would. So there, that is your evidence; that is your proof; and that is your miracle. You have it all in your hands. What else do you want and what more are you looking or waiting for? The question is not whether the miracle and proof is there, the question is whether you have the mental clarity, personal integrity and moral courage to believe and accept the evidence of your own eyes.
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION
And there is a simple explanation for this phenomenon: That which is from us humans tends to atrophy, wither away, obsolesce and die, whereas that which is from God stays forever. That means man–made things as we call them – human inventions, if you will – become prey to the ravages of time and space. As they must.
They get trampled upon and brushed aside by the winds of change that sweep human societies, since they are flimsy and transient by their very nature. But that which comes down from God Almighty, and is taught and illustrated by his Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, goes on forever. Those things are robust and permanent. And they live on. That is the miracle of the teachings of Islam, better and more powerful than which no miracle can be imagined or found. Islamic teachings last and last and last, while everything else morphs, atrophies and dissolves in the mist of time and the dust of human civilization on the march. Not only does the Qur’ān exist in original form in our age, but it also is read in the original and practiced to this day. What bigger miracle do you want?
Here, take some of these simple but powerful examples. We (Islam) invented Ghusl (bathing as a requirement), it continues.
We (Islam) proposed Wudu (washing up as a requirement), it finds new validation every day.
We (Islam) proposed marriage, and that today is the norm.
We (Islam) suggested divorce, the world swears by it today.
We (Islam) mandated reading, today that is the key that unlocks the doors of success in this world.
The story is endless. Shouldn’t someone somewhere say: Thank You Muslims, and Thank You Islam, for all the wonderful things you have given us!
[Write to the author at [email protected]. Also visit www.IslamicSolutions.Com and Listen to Pasha Hour International.]