The opening chapter of the Quran | The Sunday Guardian | June 5th, 2011 | Page 15
The opening chapter, Al-Fatihah (The Opening), of the Quran serves as a preface. It comprises only six short verses.
The first verse is: "All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe." This is the gist of the Quran. The basic message of the Quran is that man must be grateful to God.
Conscience serves as a corrective to ego | The Sunday Guardian | May 29th, 2011 | Page 15
According to the Quran, all human beings, both men and women, are born with two opposite moral constituents. The first is mentioned in the chapter entitled Yusuf (Joseph) as al nafs al amara (12:53) and the second is mentioned in the chapter entitled Al-Qiyamah (The Day of Resurrection) as al nafs al lauwama (75:2).
Political power is a responsibility | The Sunday Guardian | May 22, 2011 | Page 15 Solomon, an Israelite Prophet as well as a King, was the ruler of Palestine and Syria. While engaged in trying to win over the Queen of Sheba in both the political and religious sense, he asked for the throne of the Queen of Sheba to be brought to him. The queen and her throne were hundreds of miles away at that time, but because he had been endowed with special powers, he expected his order to have immediate effect.
Needed, a mixture of opposites | The Sunday Guardian | May 15, 2011 | Page 15
A true believer has one very special quality: he is able to develop a personality that is a blend of opposites. This quality in a believer is outlined in the Quran in the chapter entitled Al-Fath (Victory).
The relevant verse is as follows: "Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those who are with him are firm and unyielding towards those who deny the truth, but compassionate towards one another." (48:29)
A believer is compelled to live among different kinds of people.
