Quran and Tadabbur: The Key to Guidance
✍ Jaleel al-Qasmi
Naib Qazi and Professor Madrasa
Badar-ul-Islam, Begusarai, Bihar
The Holy Quran is the eternal word of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, which is the only authentic source of guidance, leadership, and salvation for mankind until the Day of Judgment. Every letter of it is light, every verse is a guiding torch, and every command is a code that refines life. This book was not revealed merely for recitation but for understanding, contemplation, and action. That is why the Quran declares about itself: "هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ" meaning guidance for all mankind.
The greatness of the Holy Quran is also evident from the fact that Allah Almighty Himself has taken the responsibility of protecting its words, and He sent the Holy Prophet ﷺ to explain and interpret its meanings. The life of the Prophet ﷺ was a practical interpretation of how to live the Quran; that is why Umm al-Mu'minin Hazrat Aisha (RA) said: "کان خلقہ القرآن" His character was the Quran. So, understanding the Quran is actually understanding the excellent example of the Messenger of Allah.
The words of the Quran are the mold, and the meanings are its soul. The appearance of meanings is not possible without words, and without meanings, the words are like a lifeless body. Although reciting without understanding also brings reward, as there is a promise of ten good deeds for one letter; but the real purpose of the revelation of the Quran is not just reward but guidance.
That is why the Quran repeatedly calls itself guidance, light, mercy, insights, Furqan, and spirit. All these qualities testify that the Quran has come to bring man out of darkness and into light.
Obtaining guidance is not possible without contemplation. Allah Almighty has said in clear words: "أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ" Do they not then contemplate the Quran? About those who do not contemplate, He said that their hearts are locked. That is, lack of contemplation causes the heart to be closed, deprivation of understanding, and distance from guidance. This is the place where recitation remains only a voice and its effect does not appear in life.
The condition of the Salaf-e-Saliheen was that they would read the Quran slowly, understanding it, stopping at each verse and thinking about it, and weighing themselves against it. Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) said that the Quran benefits only when it enters the heart. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would repeat the same verse all night, a feeling of longing would overcome him on the verses of Paradise, and fear on the verses of Hell, until tears would flow from his eyes. This state is not created merely by uttering words but by entering into the depth of meanings.
The biggest loss of lack of contemplation is that a person remains deprived of the Quran even while reading it. He memorizes the letters but violates the limits. Hazrat Hasan Basri (RA) regretted such people and said that some people proudly say that we have finished the entire Quran, while no glimpse of the Quran is visible in their morals and character. This is the tragedy that the Quran has described as "Mahjoor" - the forsaken Quran.
Five rights of the Quran have been mentioned: belief in it, recitation of it, understanding it, acting upon it, and conveying it forward. Neglecting any one of these rights is actually a detachment from the Quran. That is why the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) will cry out on the Day of Resurrection: "اِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا". Allama Iqbal (RA) has expressed this reality in this way:
They were respected in the world by being Muslims
And you became disgraced by abandoning the Quran
The door of contemplation is still open today. Understanding the Quran is not limited to any particular class. Authentic translations and commentaries are available in every language. Only intention, continuity, and seriousness are needed. Contemplating the meaning with a little recitation every day, asking questions, evaluating one's actions—these are all practical manifestations of contemplation.
Two Basic Causes of the Decline of the Ummah
Sheikh al-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan Deobandi (RA) identified two basic causes after deep contemplation on the decline of the Muslim Ummah during his imprisonment in Malta:
First, practical and intellectual distance from the Holy Quran;
Second, mutual differences and civil war among Muslims.
According to the statement of Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani (RA), Sheikh al-Hind (RA) said after his release that the root of the religious and worldly destruction of the Ummah is these two evils. With this feeling, he resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to making the Quran common in word and meaning, promoting Maktabs for children and Dars-e-Quran for adults, and establishing unity and brotherhood in the Ummah. Therefore, despite weakness and illness, this pulse of the Ummah strived throughout his life to act on this diagnosis and prescription.
In conclusion, the Holy Quran is not just a book to be read, but to be understood, thought about, and lived. Guidance, mercy, and honor are received from it only when we hold it with consciousness. Recitation without contemplation is a lamp but without oil, and recitation with contemplation is the light that changes the heart, refines life, and brings man closer to his Lord.
May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to contemplate the Holy Quran and fulfill all its rights according to our ability. Amen