Gems from the Holy Quran (Part 1)
Chapter 112 of the Holy Quran
by Mr. Mirza Abdur-Rahman Baig
The Light & Islamic Review (US), July/August 1992 Issue (Vol. 69, No. 4, pp. 11–12)
Editor’s note: The author, an engineer by training, a retired diplomat, and son of the late Dr. Mirza Yaqub Baig, sent this article specially for `The Light’.
- Say: He, Allah, is one.
- Allah is He, on Whom all depend.
- He begets not, nor is He begotten.
- And none is like Him.
(The Holy Quran, Chapter 112, The Unity)
All Muslims repeat these important verses several times daily in the five prayers, along with the seven verses of chapter 1. You might say that these two chapters are the gist of the teachings of the Quran, and the four verses quoted above are the complete answer to the doctrines of Christianity.
We take pride in the fact that the whole of the Holy Quran is complete and entirely intact, exactly as it was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad [pbuh], some 1400 years ago. No other religion can claim the same about its scripture.
Many in the West say “God is dead”; but we Muslims believe He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and fully in command and control of the universe. He listens to the prayer of the one in distress and comes to his or her help. He says that He is nearer to us than our jugular vein, and that He knows the secrets of our hearts.
As clarified in the verses quoted above, He needs no help. He gives the order “Be” and it happens! No one can fathom how His power is mechanised. The world’s greatest scientists do not know what makes the human body tick. They do not even know, to this day, what are the functions of all the parts of the human brain? How do the various chemical and electrical impulses go to work in the human body? Where are all the facts and figures stored in our computer, the brain, for future reference as necessary? How can it produce the complete picture on the screen of our brain? We merely have to think of Time Square, New York, Piccadilly Circus, London, or your favourite haunt in your hometown, and the complete picture appears in your head!
It was only recently that our scientists learnt about the genes, the carriers of heredity functions. Yet the modern scientists, instead of accepting the control of the Supreme Being over everything, have become naturalists or atheists. However, we are hopeful that one day, possibly soon, all will accept the inescapable beauties and wisdom contained in the Holy Book of the Muslims, the last Book revealed by God for the benefit of the whole world.
Islam is the religion of peace, and the word Muslim means ‘absolute submission to the will of God’.