Divine chapters and verses in the Qur’an

Certain chapters and verses are said to be more virtuous than others. What does this mean, as all are divine words?

We firstly have to be aware that the degree of perfection for every creature has been determined by God’s will and we do not have even the smallest role or share in this determination. Accordingly, we do accept that which Almighty God teaches us to be superior as superior. No two things are identical to each other in the universe. There are differences and degrees of superiority among them. For instance, the month of Ramadan is superior to other months, and Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) is better than a thousand months. Similarly, Friday is more worthy of reverence than other days of the week, and even within a day, the time just before dawn is superior to other times, and hence the morning prayer, which is performed at this time, is more blessed and more likely to be accepted. The Ka’ba has superiority over all other places in the world. Likewise, not all our conducts are evaluated in the same way and certain behaviors and acts are regarded by God as being more righteous and some pious deeds more worthy of reward.

The four grand angels, Archangel Gabriel, Michael, Israfel and Azrael, the angel of death, are superior to other angels. Prophets are superior to all humankind. The five great prophets – Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Noah, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus, peace be upon them all – whom are distinguished by Muslims as highest in rank, are superior to all other Prophets. And Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is the best of all creation.

Thus, certain chapters and verses are more superior to others. What is most important is that if their superiority has been stated by God, then we have to accept this and act accordingly. The entire Qur’an is the Word of God. All its words and letters have been revealed in Arabic and there is no difference among any of them. However, the fact that certain chapters and verses are superior to others is due to certain divine reasons. In the same way that breathing, eating food and eating fruit are all requirements for human beings, but with different levels of necessity, so too are certain chapters and verses of the Qur’an different. There are certain Qur’anic verses and chapters whose importance in comparison to others is like the importance of breathing compared to other bodily functions. There are also certain Qur’anic verses and chapters whose superiority to others is equal in rank to that of eating food several times a day. And finally, there are certain Qur’anic verses and chapters whose superiority to others is equal in rank to that of our occasional eating of certain luxury fruits.

If, for instance, we examine Sura Ikhlas in this respect, we notice that this chapter is of primary importance, declaring God’s Oneness and Absolute Unity. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, expended great effort to inform the Muslims of the importance of this chapter, encouraging them to read it and teach it to others. This chapter describes tawhid, or the absolute unity of God – the very core of the religion – in a way that instantly establishes the concept of the deity in the human mind.

Throughout the Qur’an, every verse aims to establish and confirm four basic, universal truths, that is, the existence and Oneness of the Maker of the Universe, the Prophethood, the bodily Resurrection, and worship. God’s Messenger describes the short Sura Ikhlas as being equivalent to one-third of the entire Qur’an, as pure tawhid is described in this chapter. Ikhlas means purity of faith, sincerity in religion, and the observation of the principles of Islam for the pleasure of God. This sura is the most precise and meaningful description of tawhid, or Oneness and Unity of God. In just six sentences, three positive and three negative, the sura proves and establishes various aspects of Divine Unity and rejects and negates all forms of association of partners with God. The superiority of this chapter is obvious as the recognition of God and His attributes is, more or less, equal to the importance of respiration for human beings as life would be meaningless without truly recognizing God Almighty.

Another important sura, Sura Fatiha, is recited in all rak’ats, or cycles, of the prayers. Sura Fatiha is the greatest prayer and the most internal supplication to God. A number of facts, such as God deserves to be worshipped, that only God provides help, being guided to the right path or being deviated from the right path is dependent only on God’s will and that goodness and evil are all created only by God are all clearly mentioned in this chapter. The Qur’an has been revealed for the purpose of providing ultimate guidance for humankind and all the basic principles contained in the Qur’an are also outlined in Sura Fatiha. Because, the existence of One God, Who deserves all praise, recognition and worship, Who has Sovereignty over all and on Whom everyone relies and depends, is explained in this sura, and our request to God to be pious, righteous people is stated. Thus, Sura Fatiha has a different status in comparison to the others; it balances praise in its first four verses with petition in the remaining, thus establishing the aforementioned four basic purposes of Qur’anic guidance in a marvelously succinct yet comprehensive way.

 

Akgul, Muhittin (2009). The Quran in 99 Questions (Abdullah Erdemli Trans.). New Jersey: Tughra Books. (Originally published in Turkish as Kur’an İklimine Seyahat)