There are primary and secondary sources of history. The Quran, which is very much history-oriented, can be categorized as neither. Rather, it is the ultimate historical source. This article explains why.
The Final Guidance
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the final messenger of Allah to mankind. His honorary and operative title was the Seal of the Prophets. The Quran, which was given to him, was likewise the final revealed guidance of Allah to people.
As such, the Quran looks as much to the present and the future, as to the past. While it aims to diagnose the present, providing answers for it and paving the way for the future, it also, in equal measure, amends and remedies the past.
This is so on account of the principle that one has to know his past in order to understand his present and to be able to build up his future.
The past is the foundation of the future. The present brings the two poles together and gives each one a life as well as a sense of purpose.
The Quran speaks not only about some of the critical episodes of mankind’s history, but also about the history of life in general, and even about some aspects of the history of the universe.
It intends to provide man with a complete spiritual, together with intellectual, framework concerning existence as a whole. It knows that only such can give man a firm foothold to deal with the present and confidently look forward to the future.
The Author of the Quran
What is special about the Quran is that its author is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and life in it. Allah vows in addition that He will preserve its integrity and authenticity until the end.
It follows that everything in the Quran is accurate, trustworthy, indisputable and normative.
Hence, a historical dimension is one of the many dimensions of the Qur’an as the permanent miracle. It was given to the unlettered Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), who in no way could have been familiar beforehand with the Quran’s content.
For example, in various contexts and with diverse degrees of attention, the Quran speaks about the creation of the universe and life, the creation of man, the commencement and earliest episodes of man’s vicegerency mission on the earth, various Prophets and their holy missions, various nations and their civilizational successes and failures, etc.
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