Page 6 - Ulum Al Quran An Introduction To The Sciences Of The Quran

whosoever follows My guidance on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve' (Al-Qur'an
2:38)

[I shall use the following two English translations of the Holy Qur'an: A. Yusuf Ali, (Ali, Abdullah Yusuf:
The Glorious Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary. Leicester, 1978) and M. Pickthall (Pickthall,
Mohammad Marmaduke: The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, New York, 1963).]

This message and promise has been communicated by God to all mankind, all children of Adam, as the Qur'an explains:
'O ye children of Adam! Whenever there come to you apostles from amongst you, rehearsing
My signs unto you those who are righteous and mend (their lives) on them shall be no fear
nor shall they grieve' (Al-Qur'an 7:35).

The Messengers

The guidance from God comes through the apostles or messengers, and they bringwith them the scripture from God:

'We sent before time Our apostles with clear signs and sent down with them the book and
the balance (of right and wrong) that men may stand forth in justice ...' (Al-Qur'an 57:25).

The basic message of all prophets from God, and hence of all scriptures they brought, is one and the same message from
God to man:'
'And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and shun
false gods ...' (Al-Qur'an 16:36).
The Names of the Prophets and their Number

The Qur'an mentions the following prophets by name: Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq, Lut, Ya'qub, Yusuf, Musa,
Harun, Dawud, Sulaiman, Ilyas, Al-Yasa', Yunus, Ayyub, Zakariya, Yahya, 'Isa, Idris, Hud, Dhul Kifl, Shu'aib, Salih,
Luqmaan, Dhul Qarnain, 'Uzair, Muhammad.

This does not mean, however, that only these have been God's prophets. Indeed the Qur'an is very clear that the number
of prophets is much larger and that to each community from among mankind God has sent His messenger:

'We did aforetime send apostles before thee: of them there are some whose story We have
related to thee and some whose story We have not related to thee ...' (Al-Qur'an 40:78).
'To every people (was sent) an apostle ...' (Al-Qur'an 10: 47).

The Names of the Scriptures and their Number

Just as there have been numerous prophets so there were numerous written records of their messages. The Qur'an
mentions the following revelations in particular, which are sometimes called sheets or leaves (Suhuf) and sometimes book
or scripture (Kitab):

The 'sheets' of Ibrahim and Musa. The Torah (Taurat) of Musa. The Psalms (Zabur) of Dawud. The Gospel (Injil) of 'Isa.
The Qur'an of Muhammad.

The Contents of the Former Scriptures

All the teachings contained in the former Scriptures that were meant to be of lasting value and importance are included in
the Qur'an. The Qur'an also gives some specific accounts, although selective, of what the pre-Qur'anic scriptures
contained and it is worthwhile to look briefly at this material:

A reference to the 'sheets' (Suhuf) of Ibrahim and Musa:
'But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify the name of their guardian Lord,
and (lift their hearts) in prayer. Nay, behold, ye prefer the life of this world; but the
Hereafter is better and more enduring' (Al-Qur'an 87: 14-17).

[Some say that the whole of Sura 87 is a reference to this first book of revelation, but others hold that
only the few verses quoted here are actually meant. See mukhtasar tafsir Ibn Kathir, Beirut, 1402/1981,