Allah, the Lord of Majesty, commanded what to read from *Iqra*?
When the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached the age of forty years, it was not just a numerical stage of age, but nature, time and circumstances were all moving towards their perfection, as if the universe itself was preparing for a great event, the signs of fruits ripening and flowers blooming were evident, there was a special moderation and tranquility in the atmosphere, and everything around you ﷺ was inviting peace and dignity, socially too you ﷺ were at a perfect position, were loved in your nation, respected in everyone's hearts because of honesty and trustworthiness, domestic life was happy, and there was no shortage of wealth and possessions, but this is the point where the common man stops, while the quest of the holy souls begins from here, the comforts of the world are not the ultimate destination for these pure souls, therefore, despite an apparently complete life, a strange restlessness began to arise in your ﷺ heart, this restlessness was not due to any personal deprivation, but was the result of a deep concern for the condition of the entire humanity, the mind was wondering that if everything is right, then why is the heart not satisfied? And if the heart is not satisfied, then there must be some fundamental flaw somewhere.
In this state of intellectual contemplation, you ﷺ reflected on your surroundings, when the society was closely observed, the reality came to light that the state in which people are involved is completely false, the belief is distorted, the worship is aimless, the morals are declining, and the society is a victim of oppression and injustice, whether it is villages or cities, rich or poor, all are bound in the same chain of misguidance, from here a very fundamental question arose *If all this is false, then where is the truth? If all the paths are wrong, then which is the straight path?* People were bowing down to idols like Laat and Uzza, although these idols could neither benefit anyone nor harm *Then who is the real owner of benefit and harm? Who is it that gives life, gives death, gives honor and disgrace?* These were the questions that kept your ﷺ blessed heart constantly engaged in contemplation, besides these there were countless thoughts, the depth and breadth of which cannot be fully expressed in words, but these thoughts were becoming the foundation of a great intellectual revolution.
As a result of this continuous intellectual turmoil, solitude became dear to you ﷺ, this solitude was not an escape, but a path to the search for truth, you ﷺ gradually separated yourself from the gatherings of people, became familiar with yourself, and adopted such solitude in which the heart could listen to the voice of truth, free from the noise of the world, initially this solitude was limited to a few hours, then it spread to days, and then it continued for months, during this entire period you ﷺ remained engaged in your contemplation, absorbed in your thought, and focused on the quest for truth, this was the stage where the superficial realities of the external world began to recede and the doors of inner insight began to open, gradually the heart was preparing for the light that was about to change the destiny of humanity, until the moment came *when the divine revelation descended, at that moment your ﷺ heart was filled with light and the world around you ﷺ was no longer just something to be seen but became illuminated with meaning and purpose*
The first word of the revelation was *Iqra*, apparently it seems like a simple command, but in reality it was a declaration of a great intellectual revolution, here immediately the question arises *how could you ﷺ read, while you ﷺ had neither read from any teacher, nor learned from any book, nor written anything through pen? Then what command to read did Allah Almighty bestow?* Now understand that *Iqra* here did not mean the apparent recitation of letters and words, if it were so, this recitation would have limited the thought and confined the sight to a few lines, while the Holy Prophet ﷺ came into existence because of this.
In fact, you ﷺ were commanded to a recitation that was far more sublime and vast than that, it was the recitation of the universe, a recitation in which everything becomes a sign and every sign guides towards the Creator, you ﷺ were taught to look at the vastness of the sky, to look at the brightness of the stars, to look at the expanse of the earth, to read Allah Almighty in the firmness of the mountains and in the depth of the valleys, the flight of the bird, the life of the fish, the coming and going of night and day, the difference of colors and languages, all these are not mere manifestations but the texts of the recognition of the Lord.
Similarly, the heartbeats, the movements of the senses, and the emotions and thoughts of the soul are also part of this recitation, as if the command was to seek Allah Almighty not only in the book but in everything, because whatever is visible, whatever is felt, and whatever comes to mind, all points towards Him.
This recitation was not an ordinary knowledge but a secret that changed the meaning of the world, after this recitation the universe was no longer lifeless, but began to speak, the things that seemed silent and meaningless before, now became a bright proof of the life-giving Lord, you ﷺ read the world anew, and this new recitation gave humanity a new perspective to think, understand and recognize.
*✍️Student of Al-Jamiatul Ashrafia✍️*