GUIDANCE IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES

GUIDANCE IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES

The Qur’an is a book of guidance. It addresses itself to the totality of the human situation, internal as well as external. Its subject-matter is man in relation to this guidance-his beliefs, attitudes and motives, his personality and character, his individual and social life, his role in history.As such, it tries simultaneously to inform, to persuade, to convince, and to motivate and mobilize men and women to fulfil their mission in life. This is what makes the Qur’an different from other books. Its focus is on guidance and it adopts a methodology and a style most suited for this purpose.

(Lord), you alone We do worship and from you alone we do seek assistance. (Lord), guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom You have granted blessings, those who are neither subject to Your anger nor have gone astray (Surah al-Baqarah,1:57)

Although the Qur’an is primarily a book of guidance, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a guidebook for human life, a book that guides man towards the Right Path in the context on the all-embracing struggle between good and evil. The Qur’an is not simply an academic treatise. The function of a prophet is not merely to convey the Divine Message, but also to produce moral and social change. The Muslim as an individual and the Islamic ummah as a community are agents of change. Islam represents a commitment to God on the one hand, and membership in a community of believers as composed of individuals undergoing reform and change and the guidance it provides the key to understanding the Qur’an. [1]

Then High above all be Allah, the True King. And be not in haste (O Muhammad SAW) with the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you, and say: "My Lord! Increase me in knowledge."

(Surah Taha, 20:114)

This becomes all the more clear when we recapitulate the historical fact that the Qur’an was not revealed all at time. It was revealed to the Prophet piecemeal, over a period of twenty-three years. These Revelation came in the form of brief orations, addressed to the Prophet and through him to the whole of mankind. The immediate context is important, as it shows how the Quran guided the steps of the first Islamic community establish with the prophet hood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and led by him. The Qur’an was revealed as a guide to these first followers of the Prophet and through them, to the whole of mankind and it remains so.[2]

Jabir b. Abdullah said: God's Messenger say:" The best message (khayrul hadeeth) is the Book of God, and the best of the guidance is Muhammad's. And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error." [Sahih Muslim Book 004, Number 1885]:

The fact that it was not compiled in its chronological order shows that the Guidance it gave was not limited to that historical context. Its Guidance is universal and for all times to come. The particular context in which it was revealed is only illustrative of the universal condition that is seeks to help. The structural arrangement in which it is available moulds the particular with the universal. Nonetheless, the uniqueness of the Quran lies in being a guidebook; its meaning and message can be understood only if it approached as such.[3]

God has revealed the best message (ahsanal hadeeth) in the form of a Book with similar passages which refer to each other and make the skins of those who fear their Lord shiver. Then their skins and hearts incline to the remembrance of God. This is the guidance of God. He guides whomever He wants. No one can guide those whom God has caused to go astray. (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:23)

CONCLUSION

The central of human life and society, according to Islam, hinges on man’s relationship to Hidayah (Divine Guidance); man is not self-efficient. He needs Divine Guidance to have a correct perception of Reality and to fashion his life, individual as well as collective, in that light. That is why the central quest of man is for guidance and not just for physical survival or economic advancement.

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REFERENCE

1What Everyone Should Know about Islam and Muslim, Suzanne Haneef, Kazi Publication, 1979, 202 pages

[2] Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance, Zaid Shakir, ID Publisher 2008,249 pages

[3]http://islam4mankind.tripod.com/

Haziqah Mohamad 101146