EUROPE -REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE ISSN: A Comparison of Quran and Previous Celestial Scriptures

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1 EUROPE -REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE ISSN: EUROPE 2016 A Comparison of Quran and Previous Celestial Scriptures Roshanak Hoshyargar a a Level 3 seminary, Islamic Azad University Abstract In this age, we are faced with many celestial religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Shi ite and Sunni faiths, Catholic and Protestant sects, Confucianism, etc., and we have to have an outlook regarding the multitude of these views, and judge their legitimacy, guidance, fallacy or deviation. When faced with most religions, many questions are posed such as: How do different religions benefit from their truths? What are the grounds for their legitimacy? In this study, we have attempted to analyze the similarities and differences between Quran and other holy scriptures, which is interesting. When the similarities and differences are spelled out, their legitimacy is also clarified. Furthermore, it is determined that all of them have been sent from God for the guidance of mankind, and that the most important scripture available to mankind without any shortages or insufficiencies is the Holy Quran--the final scripture. Keywords: Quran, Religions, Legitimacy, Scriptures, Guidance, and Deviation. Introduction It is necessary to first explain the essence of Quran and other holy scriptures, and then show their similarities and differences. The essence and substance of the Quran: The word Quran (قرآن) is an infinitive from the root (قرأ) meaning readable book or reading. It is the name that God, Himself, has placed on the Muslim holy book, the eternal miracle of the prophet (pbuh). This name has been mentioned 68 times, often with و الم),(الف and sometimes without it, and in the form of ( 10 ( قرآنأ( times) in the Quran. Among these, the word Quran has been used 10 times to refer to prayers, and 2 times as a continuous infinitive. The Quran contains Heavenly words which have been sent down to the prophet through revelations in the form of 114 Suras and 6236 verses. This scripture, despite the requests of a group of people who protested How come the Quran isn t revealed at once?, it was revealed over a period of 20 or 23 years pertaining to events and the needs of mankind at that time. After revelation to the prophet, these verses were saved by Muslims, as emphasized by the prophet. In addition, many Muslims memorized these verses, and soon thousands of people memorized and propagated these verses. With the beginning of Islamic conquests, the Quran was the first mental masterpiece brought to new Muslims. Some missionaries came to these lands to teach, and spread Quran around the world. And

2 EUROPE-REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE, ISSN: (2016) so, the Quran was saved as a pleasant prose, and was passed hand to hand through the ages to reach us. As such, and due to its miraculous and rival-seeking nature, the finality and legitimacy of our present copy is proven. Although there are some disagreements about the sequencing of the verses of the Quran and some believe it to be an achievement of the followers, historical and reliable Qurans show that the sequencing of the verses in the present copy is based on revelation and with the supervision of the prophet. However, beyond this extern introduction, the Quran has another aspect which is out of reach, and discussing it is very difficult too. The Quran s perpetuity and universal nature (which is shown especially in transition from the second millennium to the third), its responsiveness to the most substantial questions (Theological, ontological, anthropological ), its being a pioneer in comparison with science and civilization, and the solidity of its teachings even though 15 centuries have passed, in other words its being beyond time and space, all indicate the presence of a huge secret in this apparently small book. A secret which can be explained only by connecting it to God, and regarding it as the word of God. The essence of the Holy Book: The holy book is a set of 66 or 73 holy writings respected by Christians, which has been revealed to a multitude of prophets, in the form of inspirations or dictations, over a period of 1500 years. The first sections of the Holy Book, called The Old Testament, forms most of the Holy Book, and pertains to Jewish people. This section consists of three basic parts which are: 1) The Torah, 2) The Book of Prophets and 3) Letters. Considering the disagreement between Catholics and Protestants regarding importance of the early and original copies of the Holy Book (which was put together in Greek), the number of these copies is uncertain. Catholics believe it to contain 73 books, while Protestants regard it to contain 66. The discrepancy (7 books) are referred to as Apocrypha (hidden). The second section of the Holy Book (called The New Testament ) includes 27 books, as follows: 1) Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John; 2) Acts of Apostles (1 book); 3) Paul s letters (13 books); 4) Other letters (8 books); 5) Revelations (1 book). The first section of the Holy Book, The Old Testament is the Jewish religious book. Christians accept Moses and legitimacy of the Jewish religion, but Jews do not accept Jesus Christ and the second section of the Holy book ( The New Testament ). It is fascinating that Christians consider The Old Testament as part of their Holy Book, although they consider Jewish religion (and naturally, their scripture) outdated. Analysis of the views of Christian experts regarding the meaning of the Holy Book, show that there has been a basic disagreement about the limitations of the Holy Book throughout time. This disagreement includes both sections of the book. There is still a discrepancy between Protestants and Catholics regarding the number of books in The Old Testament, although Christians agreed on the number of books and letters in The New Testament. Similarities and differences of scriptures With the brief knowledge we gained about the Quran and the Holy Book, whether these religions differ in their essence, or just in their appearance (and their guidelines and instructions). According to some verses of the Quran, the essence and nature of religions are the same, and the basis and principles of all celestial religions are the same. All religions are based on 3 general, common principles: 1) Belief in God; 2) Belief in resurrection; and 3) Belief that prophets are envoys from God.

3 ه ی EUROPE-REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE, ISSN: (2016) The first prophet, Adam, and the final prophet, acted on the same basis and pursued the same goal. Celestial religions were like seeds, which, with the passage of time and evolution of mankind and their intellects and civilizations, grew into a sturdy and fruitful tree. Our evidence, that all religions have the same essence and basis, are the following verses: ل ک م م ن الد ی ن ما و صی ب ه ن وحا و ال ذی أ و ح ینا إ ل ک و ما و ص ینا ب ه إ ب راهی م و م وسی و عیسی أ ن أ قیم وا» -1 : The same religion has He الد ی ن و ال ت ت ف ر ق وا فی ک ب ر ع ل ی ال م ش ر کی ن ما ت د ع وه م إ ل للا ی ج ت بی إ ل م ن ی شا ء و ی ه دی إ ل م ن ینی ب established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah«This shows that the basis and principles of your religion is the same as Noah s. : Verily, religion with Allah is Islam «This shows that divine religion in all periods (past إ ن الدی ن ع ن د للا ا ل س الم». 2- and future) is Islam, and the essence of all celestial religions is the same. Especially since in the verse is used as.(ادیان ( plural not,(دین) singular 3- In response to the Jews and the Christians that identified Abraham as being Jewish or Christian, the Quran says:» : Abraham was neither Jewish nor Christian, but he ی ه و دیا و ال ن ص ران یا و لک ن کان حنی فا م س ل ما و ما کان م ن ا ل م ش ر کی ن ما کان إ ب را هی م was a believer and a Muslim and never was he a polytheist.«regarding the differences between the Quran and other scriptures, it should be noted that the Quran has some specific and unique qualities missing in other scriptures. Some of these qualities are: 1- The Quran is a miracle: Unlike other scriptures, the Quran is a miracle. Although other scriptures are also celestial, the marvel of non-distortion is not present in them. Quran, which is the complete and everlasting embodiment of divine revelation, has linguistic qualities that make it impossible to be duplicated. Those who don t know Arabic find this fascinating, but those who are proficient in Arabic realize that the wording and linguistics of Quran are not ordinary, such that Arabs also rely on interpretations to completely understand it. 2- The Quran is a complete document confirming all religions: The Quran has mentioned all religions and their prophets and views them as legitimate according to the necessities of their time. And Muslims are required to believe in all prophets and scriptures as ordered by the Quran. In the Quran, the history of religions and their attribute are mentioned, such that no Muslim can say that they do not believe in the Torah or the Bible. The Holy Books are valued by Muslims. The Quran does not regard previous religions as void, but it describes them as legitimate and celestial religions for their period. Later, according to circumstances some of their commands became obsolete. On the contrary, what was mentioned about the Quran in the Torah and the Bible were discarded by the devotees of these religions. A complete book is one that shows the beginning and end of all religions, and does not deny other religions. 3- The Quran s immunity to distortion: As mentioned before, this book was saved in the hearts; and they are all the same. But other scriptures cannot claim to have this attribute, and are unfortunately distorted, as shown in [Nesa, Verse 46] and [Baghara, Verses 75 and 1759]. By studying and observing different copies of these books, we can understand that these books are different in various places and times. They have been written by followers during hard times. 4- Comprehensiveness of the Quran: The Quran, which is the final scripture, is complete. It contains all plans required by mankind from all aspects, including faiths, decrees, rules, and moralities. It is accountable for

4 EUROPE-REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE, ISSN: (2016) guiding humans until the extinction of mankind. This is unlike other scriptures that: are not permanent and eternal, pertain to a specific time period and condition, and have a specific message. And today, the followers of these religions note only the moral and the essence of these scriptures. They do not contain any consistent rules based on revelations pertaining to living in the current era. However, this does not mean that they do not contain religious decrees and facts; our point is that their substance is historical. The Torah expresses history all the way from the creation of Adam to the death of Moses, The main contents of the Bible are moral issues. Although the Bible narrates the life of Jesus, the issues mentioned in it are moral. The Quran is a comprehensive manuscript for shaping human beings. In the Quran any subject beneficial to the education of mankind is mentioned. 5- The revelation of the Quran in two stages: The other difference between the Quran and other celestial scriptures is its two-stage revelation. It was sent down from God almighty to the prophet s heart at once, and later over a period of 23 years, it was sent verse by verse, according to the situation. But the Torah and the Bible came in only one sudden revelation, and their decrees and knowledge were simple enough to be understood by people of that time. Certainly there are other differences, but these were the most foundational ones. Once we analyze these differences, we realize that the Quran classifies mankind s objectives in orderly categories (Basic, Medium, Superior, and Ultimate), with a realistic point of view and in tune with his nature. So all his innate potentials are developed and his wants and needs are satisfied in a mild and harmonious fashion. Conclusion: From the mentioned material we can conclude that the principles and basis of all religions are consistent and they all pursue one objective. However they are different in canonization of rules and marginal issues, and these differences are caused by social, geographical situation. As mankind excelled further, the plans became more extensive, and new orders were added to celestial guidelines. Until Islam, and God sent His final prophet, and completed religion. And his followers did not need any other prophets or religions. In fact, the difference between religions is like the succession of school-books from primaryschool to university books. The Quran points to this difference where it says:»: ل ج علنا م نتک م شرعه و منهاجا «(We declared a clear path for each of you,) Hence, the Quran is an organizational book of life, and contains various mental and devotional subjects based on basic views, including behavioral system, individual and social, material and spiritual, pertaining to life and afterlife, that is in harmony with mankind s nature, and is uniquely complete. The teachings of Islam are based on fighting ignorance, emphasizing the use of intellect, clearing imitation, empowering personal questioning, notfollowing thought but knowledge. References 1- The Holy Quran 2- The Holy Book, John, Chapter one, Nos. 2 & The Torah, Exodus, Chapter Bukay, M. (2014), The Torah and the Bible Quran and Science, translated by Z. Dabir, Islamic Cultural Publications

5 EUROPE-REVUE LITTERAIRE MENSUELLE, ISSN: (2016) Jadid-ol-eslam, A. (2009), Analysis of the Creation Book of Torah, translated by R. Jafarian, Ansarian Publications. 6- Sobhani, J. (1990), Finality, translated by R.Ostadi, Qom Publications, Seyyed-o-shohada Institute. 7- Saidi-Roshan, M. (1998), Quran s Sciences, Qom, Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute. 8- Soleimani-Ardestani, A. (2005), Introduction to Religions, Ayat-e-eshgh Publications, Vols. 1&2. 9- Mason, D. (2007), The Quran and the Holy Book, translated by F. Sadat-tahami, Sohrevardi Research and Publications 10- Mesbah, M. (1999), Teaching opinions, Tehran, Islamic Advertisement Organization, 3rd edition. 11- Makarem-Shirazi, N. (1991), Tafsir-e Nemoone, Tehran, Islamic Dar-ol-kotob, 14th edition.

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