Sa’a sharif Tahir
Nadirah
This is a little of a book in Arabic written by Sr. Mohammed Hussein Ali al-Sagheer published in 1983. As I see it, it is a complete detailed research on the Holy Qura’an; its chronological revelation before and after Prophet Mohammed’s migration from Mecca to Yathrib in 622 A.D, how later it was collected, recited and protected from Israelites’ deforming to serve Jewish ideology. It also includes counting numbers of how many times it has been printed; dates, places and developments done in printing through years. The book which is in the General Library new culture palace in Sana’a classified under 205.74 welcomes readers for further wide information. Down is a brief summary of its 250 pages and the seven chapters it consists of.

Revelation of Qura’an
There is a difference between direct and indirect inspiration. The direct one is sending a mediator. This is the only one, which happened to Prophet Mohammed (P.b.u.h.) through Archangel Gabriel. The inspiration is to be communicated to people without addition or dropping anything of it. The indirect inspiration is either good news inspired to a faithful person through truthful vision, revelation or by direct guiding.
A: Truthful vision is a divine inspiration to Prophets only by which they receive heaven’s orders like the tale of Abraham and his son.
“When he reached the age when he could work with his father, his father said to him: ‘my son I dreamt that I was sacrificing you’… We (God) called out Abraham, “saying”, Abraham you have fulfilled you vision. Thus We reward the righteous.” (37.102-105) and also: “Allah has in all truth fulfilled His apostle’s vision (Mohammed) in which He said: ‘If Allah wills, you shall enter the sacred Mosque and be fearless.’” (48:27).

B:Inspiration: God inspires settling a matter or giving up another as indirect unexpected revelation to those whom He chooses like: “We revealed to Moses’ mother saying “Give him suck.” “We revealed our will to your mother.”(20:38)

C: indirect guiding: God, in certain cases, guides creatures indirectly to obey His orders, guidance and will in a way that we sometimes don’t comprehend accurately. Such as: “Your Lord inspired bees, build your homes in the mountains”.(16.68)

Descending Qura’an
When Prophet Mohammed was forty he was revealed the Qura’an for 23 years (13 years in Mecca and 10 years in Medina). Qura’an was carried to the lower sky at a glorious night in Ramadan called the Night of Qadr: “We revealed the Qur’an on the night of Qadar.” (97.1)

Al-Tabrsii narrated many quotations saying that God lowered the whole Qur’an to the lower sky at the Qadr night and then it was revealed according to certain events in days and months. Qur’an answered the unbelievers:
“The unbelievers asked, why was the Qur’an not revealed to him entire in a single revelation? We have revealed it thus so that We may strengthen your faith. We have imparted it to you by gradual revelation.” (25:32)
It was revealed gradually through twenty-three years so as to be easy to learn by heart, to know the verses that abolished other verses (i.e.) the latter verses which stopped practicing certain rules that previous verses had been made as laws and to answer other questions.
The community to which Mohammed was sent was:
- Jews who were interested in collecting money through treason, usury and monopoly,
- Christians who forged fanatic deformed and disfigured Christianity.
- Sabaeans who were between idolaters and Angels’ worshippers,
- Ahnafs who were the purist,
- Ignorants (pagans) who believed in burying daughters a live, committing adultery, usury, killing their children for fear of poverty, exploiting heritage, loving money and robbing women’s inheritance. Such community was widely described in verses: (4:19), (4:20), (4:21), (4:22), 4:23), (4:38), (4:127), (6:40), (24:33), (89:17), (89:18), (89:19) and (89:20).

Arranging Suras (Chapters) of Qura’an:
Qura’an was revealed in Mecca before Mohammed’s migration to Yethrib. Those Suras were called “Meccaians”. After migration Yathrib was called “Al-Medina Al-Munawara” (the enlightened city). A part of Surat Mohammed (verses 13 on) was revealed half way during migration; therefore, it was neither Meccaians nor Medenians. That was:
“How many cities were mightier than your own city, which has cast you (Mohammed) out! We destroyed them all and there was none to help them”.
-First Sura was Al-Alaq, “the blood clots”.
-The last Sura in Mecca was Al-Mutafiffin, “the unjust”.
-First Sura in Medina was Al-Baqara, “the cow”.
-The last Sura revealed was Al-Nasr, “victory”.

Collecting Qura’an:
As all commentators agreed, Qura’an was copied completely and learnt by heart during Mohammed’s life. Copiers were four only because people illiterate. The caliphs who came after the prophet were called “the guiding caliphs”. They were Abubakr, Omer, Othman and Ali. During their era, the Qura’an was recopied but not re-collected, re-arranged or re-written.
Qura’an is the book of Allah. It is complete. There are 100 verses which prove that the Qura’an is a complete book. Such as:
“This book is not to be doubted. It is a guide for the righteous”.
“It is He who has revealed to you the Qura’an”. Alif Lam ra, these are the verses of the Wise Book”.
Doesn’t this big collection prove that the Qura’an was one complete collected book to be referred to ? Moreover Mohammed saying: “I’ve left among you what you will not go astray as long as you follow them; the book of Allah and my pure descendants”. (ibn il Athree/ Jami il isool). “Even Surat il Fatiha (the exordium) is not an opening to the chronological order of revealing suras but is an approach to compose, arrange and recite it”. (Muqaddamatan fi uloom il Qura’an).
Besides there was no evidence that Muslims learnt it by heart directly when the prophet recited it but the text which was available to them was in common use to learn it by heart.
“You (Mohammed) need not move your tongue too fast to learn this revelation. We ourselves shall see to its collection and recital”.
As conclusion, it is not true that the Qura’an was not collected in one book lest abolishing verses might disturb. That may have led to differentiation.
In his book, Madkhel ila il Qura’an ilKareem (an introduction to the Holy Qura’an) Mohammed Abdullah Draz says on page 38, in spite of the great value of the Qura’an and the great care paid to collect it, keeping it with the first two caliphs showed it, to some extent, as a personal affair. Then it became a document to all mankind after being published during the era of Othman.
Al-Hakim in his book (AL-Mustadrek) declared that the first collection was merely a collection of scriptures without an arrangement. Then added, the scriptures were with Abu Baker till he died then they were transferred to Omer and to his daughter Hafsa after him”. [Assyooti, Al-Itqan 1/165].

5) Reciting Qura’an
First of all, the Qura’an was copied dotsless (i.e.) just figures. Then Imam Ali intimated his student Abu-il-Aswad Al-Dueli (died in 69 A.H) to put dots. Later Al-khalil bin Ahmed Al-Farahidi (died in 170 A.H) put marks on the characters but they didn’t change what the prophet had received e.g. the addition of the letter (Alef) in some words and dropping it in some others. Such special spelling was ordered by the Prophet for certain secrets which humans couldn’t comprehend.

Shape of the Qura’an
The Qura’an was first printed in Venice in 1530 A.D. the Christian church opposed that fiercely and ordered to execute it when it appeared. Then Hinklman printed it in Hamburg in 1694 A.D.Maratchi did so in 1698 in Bado. The first Islamic printing of Quran was in Petersburg in Russia in 1787 A.D. paid by the Ottoman Sultan (Mawlai Ottoman). In Iran there were two stony printings in Tehran in 1828 A.D. and in Tebreez in 1833 A.D. in Egypt Sheikh Radwan bin Mohammed known as Mukhalaluti copied the Qura’an according to the the Ottoman style of calligraphy in Cairo in 1308A.H. 1887 A.D. next Al-Azhar took charge of printing it since 1923 A.D. then printing press increased. Bolaq printed it in 1925 upwards.

Safety of the Qura’an
Israel printed 100.000 deformed copies of the Qura’an in 1960 and distributed it in Morocco, Ghana, Mali and other countries. What Israel did was:
A: dropping verses 8 and 9 from Surat il Mumtahana (she who is Tested), (60).
“Allah doesn’t forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have neither made war on your religion nor driven you from your homes. Allah loves the equitable. But he forbids you to make friends with those who have fought against you on account of your religion and driven you from your homes or abetted others to do so. Those that make friends with them are wrongdoers”
b: dropping the word (ghair) which means other than in (Aal Imrans) (3:85)
“He that chooses a religion other than Islam, will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will be one of the lost”
c: dropping the two words (lais) which is equivalent to miss in Baqara (2:113)
“the Jews says the Christians are misguided and Christians say it is the Jews who are misguided” dropping serves Jews and Christians if not praising them.
D: putting “He is forgiving and merciful” instead of “He is mighty and wise”. (5:38) (Al-Ma’ida)
“As for man or woman who is guilty of theft cut off their hands to punish them for their crime. That is the punishment enjoined by Allah. He is mighty and wise.” (5:38)
Egypt opposed such fabricated lies and buried the lie at their birth. Sudan and Jordan declared legal decisions to oppose the deformed copies. In July 23rd 1961 the Qura’an was recorded on cassettes by late sheikh Mahmood Al-Hussari as a final form and were distributed all over the world to refuse Israeli pretensions.

Deep in the past the Arabs were well-known for composing poetry and poetry was considered as a record of their daily life (love, war, praising, condemning etc.) specially during pre-Islamic era. Poets of that period and later used to hold conferences to compete with each other in big gatherings. The most famous meeting was “Suq Okadh” (Okadh Market) and Marbid where poets showed their talents and abilities. A tribe used to celebrate the appearance of a poet as that of a bridegroom or a national hero because he was the tongue of the tribe that would glorify its men and bravery.
Classical standard Arabic poetry followed certain strict forms (rhythm and rhymes) for more than sixteen centuries. A poet was evaluated according to such rules and fixed theme which should be followed like war, flirtation, bewailing.. etc.
The top seven poems of Umru-il-Qais, Tarafa bin-il-Abd, Thubyani, Antara, Omeru bin Kulthum, Zuhair bin Abi Sulma and Labeed had been written (with gold water) and fixed on the curtains of the Ka’aba (the holiest spot before and after Islam). They were called “The Seven Hanged Poems.”

As life developed, some poets like Umru-il-Qias before Islam and Abu Nuwas during the Abbasid era tried to jump over the traditional forms thinking that starting a poem with an introduction of weeping over beloved’s deserted ruins was an old style which should be changed. They said “We are saying what is repeated.” But classical Arabic verse continued till the World War II when Assayyab burst his great revolution.
Assayyab was an Iraqi poet (born in 1962 in Jeikor village in southern Basrah and died in 1964) who adopted the new style called “The Modern Verse” or “The Free Verse” by which he modernized the classical style. The new poem became rhymeless, having an interior music and dealt with new aspects such as symbolism and legends in addition to illustrating expressions in good word images.
At first he was strongly opposed by those who confined themselves to classical form believing that modernization is a kind of following the European forms and as a result losing the Arabic identity. On the contrary, others supported the new approach considering it a typical shift to modern life because after the World War II new ideas were introduced as human communication became wider at cultural, political, economic and scientific levels.
Nazik il Malaika in Iraq, Nazar Qabbani in Lebanon, Salah Abdul-Saboor in Egypt, Mahmood Darweesh in Palestine, Suleiman il Essa in Syria and Abdul-Aziz Al-Magaleh in Yemen welcomed the new cry and wrote countless poems to enrich modern Arabic literature.
Dr. Al-Magaleh was born in al-Magaleh village in Ibb during the latest period of Imamite era when he and Yemenis suffered from the unjust rulers. That gave him new ideas on life and freedom. As a poet, he completed the march of Assayyab as Assayyab died earlier without completing the new theory of modern Arab verse meanwhile the other poets failed to complete its pillars. If Badr Shakir Assayyab is considered as a personality of the twentieth century on literary level, undoubtedly Abdul-Aziz al-Magaleh will be the second half of it or at least they will be remembered as shining lamps of recent Arab poetry. The following are snaps of “Song of the Rain”:

In the hour before the dawn
Your eyes are two groves of palm-tree or two balconies
Passed over by the moon
When your eyes smile vine flower
And lights dance … like the reflection of the moon in the river,
Disturbed gently by the movement of oars
In the hour before dawn,
As if stars throbbed in their depth
The stars drown in a mist of sorrow
The sea opens its arms
In the warmth of winter, the chill of autumn
Embracing death and birth and darkness and light
The shiver of a sob wakens in my soul.

Snaps from “A song to the awaited horseman” by Dr. A. A. Al-Magaleh

You, the horseman whom I had loved before my eyes glanced or saw
In you I loved our people
What your hands had written and done
I have seen in Mareb
In your temple I attended prayers
You I heard giving speech to the crowd
‘Tomorrow we will declare our return
And wipe sadness and tears of Sana’a’
You, the horseman of dreams and time, do uprise
Let ‘Thu-Yezen’ the vagabond uprise in you
‘Yemen’ which you worship
Is about to surrender again
And the tale of the slaves will return
For the new September will finish.