The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is Inseperable from the Quran: Part 2

In our tradition we describe the Quran as the pre-eternal divine speech. The text of the Quran is technically speaking called a Mushaf. We can call the written text the Quran, and there are several hadith that indicate this, such as:

نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ يُسَافَرَ بِالْقُرْآنِ إِلَى أَرْضِ الْعَدُوِّ

Related by ‘Abdullah b. ‘Umar: ‘The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade traveling to the lands of the enemy with the Quran.’

This refers to the Mushaf, not the Quran that one may have memorized in its entirety.

The Quran was revealed to the heart of the Messenger of Allah: ‘Send down by the Trustworthy Spirit, upon thy heart…’ Were it not for the descent of the Quran into the blessed heart of the Prophet we would not have received it. This means that his blessed heart is the most powerful of hearts, and is more powerful than mountains. Allah says, ‘Had we revealed this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder by the fear of Allah.’

The Quran is weighty. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was subjected to various forms of intensities when receiving the divine speech. When Allah revealed ‘Recite’ (iqra’) to the Prophet, he returned home and said to Sayyida Khadija ‘I was afraid for myself.’ According to the strongest interpretation, this means he was afraid he would be unable to bear the intensity and heaviness of the divine speech in his heart.

It is because of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that the Quran has been made easy. Were it not for him it would not be easy to recite, memorize, understand, or act upon the Quran. Allah says, ‘We have only made it easy by means of your tongue.’ Innama is as particle used for restriction, meaning ‘only.’ Allah addresses His beloved and says it is only through your tongue, by means of your blessed tongue, that the Quran has been made easy.

Allah also says, ‘Certainly there has come to you, from Allah, a light and a clear book’ The exegetes say this ‘light’ refers to the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). It is impossible to read a book and benefit from it in the dark. You need a light to illuminate the book, and so the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the light that illuminates the meanings and realities of the Quran.