Article appeared Friday, July 25th, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Reelation !""#$ yousu% &ah'u'ul (sla&, )h*

Throughout the world teachers use a ariety o% teaching+learning &ethods to help their students
learn, -ne approach to teaching %ocuses on the needs o% the learners and progresses through
learner generated .uestions, This approach is classi%ied as /learner+centered0 and includes
)articipatory Teaching {1} and )eer+Teaching {2}, 1earner+centered teaching is de%ined as2
(n learner+centered &ethods, the teacher3instructor is 'oth a teacher and a learner at
the sa&e ti&e, The teacher plays a dual role as a learner as well /so that the classroo&
e4tends rather than constricts his intellectual hori5ons0, (n the process o% teaching, the
teacher also learns new things eery day which he3she didn6t 7now8 {3}
9hat 7ind o% approach &ight the :reator adopt to teach or enlighten hu&an 'eings; For
e4a&ple, how would <e teach3reeal <oly =criptures; 1et us situate or classi%y the approach 'y
which the &ost recent <oly =cripture, the >ur6an, was revealed through )rophet ?uha&&ad
!p'uh$, 'y as7ing a nu&'er o% .uestions, 9e will atte&pt to %ind the answers directly %ro& the
>ur6an itsel%, The %irst .uestion2 who is the Author and what is the =ource o% Reelation;
This >ur@an is not such as can 'e produced 'y anyone other than AllahA on the contrary
it is a con%ir&ation o% !reelations$ that went 'e%ore it and a %uller e4planation o% the Boo7
wherein there is no dou't %ro& the 1ord o% the 9orlds, B10,"#C
Derse 10,"# points out that the Derses present a %uller e4planation o% the Book, i&plying that all
preious Reelations were also %ro& /The Boo70, =o the second .uestion is2 where is The Boo7
and %ro& which part are the Derses 'eing Reealed;
And erily, it is in the ?other Boo7 in -ur )resence high !in dignity$, %ull o% wisdo&,
B4",4C
=o the =ource %ro& which Reelation is sent down is with the :reator <i&sel%, The third
.uestion2 who was )rophet ?uha&&ad !p'uh$ and what were his .uali%ications;
(t is <e who has sent a&ong the unlettered !Ara's$ a ?essenger !chosen$ %ro&
the&seles reciting to the& <is Derses and puri%ying the& and teaching the& the Boo7
and wisdo& E although they were &isguided 'e%ore E and to others of them who have
not yet joined them. BF2,2 E F2,"C
)rophet ?uha&&ad !p'uh$ 'elonged to the sa&e co&&unity, 9ho are the /others0 re%erred to;
- &an7indG There has co&e to you a direction %ro& your 1ord and a healing %or the
!diseases$ in your hearts and %or those who 'eliee Huidance and a ?ercy, B10,5#C
The others are the rest o% hu&anity, (n what &anner or se.uence was the >ur6an sent down;
(t is 9e 9ho hae sent down the >ur@an to you !-, ?uha&&ad$ progressiely in
stages, B#F,2"C
Derses were 'rought down 'y Angel Ha'riel as and when the situation de&anded, i.e., Derses
were Reealed as and when .uestions arose %ro& the situation at hand during the ti&e o%
)rophet ?uha&&ad !p'uh$, i.e., wheneer Huidance %ro& the :reator was needed, *id
)rophet ?uha&&ad !p'uh$ hae any prior 7nowledge o% the Derses 'eing Reealed;
And thus hae 9e 'y -ur co&&and sent inspiration to you !-, ?uha&&ad$2 you did
not 7now 'e%ore what was Reelation and what was FaithA 'ut 9e hae &ade the
!>ur@an$ a 1ight with which 9e guide such o% -ur serants as 9e willA and erily you do
guide !&en$ to the =traight 9ay, B42,52C
The /=traight 9ay0 is one that leads directly to the :reator, without any inter&ediaries,
intercessors or diersions, This is the way taught 'y all preious &essengers,
?an7ind was o% one religion !'e%ore their deiation$, then Allah sent ?essengers with
glad tidings and warningsA and with the& <e sent the Boo7 in truth to Iudge 'etween
people in &atters where they di%%eredA 'ut the )eople o% the Boo7, a%ter the clear =igns
ca&e to the& did not di%%er a&ong the&seles except through Iealous ani&osity, Allah
'y <is Hrace guided the 'elieers to the truth concerning that where they di%%ered, For
Allah guides whom He wills to a path that is straight. B2,21"C
=o, can the &ethod 'y which the >ur6an was Reealed 'e classi%ied as a /learner+centered0
approach; Reisiting the de%inition a'oe and co&paring we see that )rophet ?uha&&ad
!p'uh$ was a learner as well as a trainer hi&sel%, Derses were Reealed %ro& the Boo7 as the
situation de&anded as per need o% the learners or %ollowers o% )rophet ?uha&&ad !p'uh$, =o
instead o% a /lecturing0 approach through a ery learned teacher, the :reator too7 a participatory
approach %or reealing the Derses o% the >ur6an as and when re.uired, The :reator started
Reelation when ?uha&&ad !p'uh$ hi&sel% had .uestions that led hi& to seclusion in the :ae
o% <ira {4}, The %ollowing Derses %ro& :hapter 10 !=ura Junus$ clari%y the &ethod o% Reelation,
enlighten 9ho <e is and outline <is )lan %or &an7ind,
10.1 Alif Lam Ra. These are the Verses of the Book of Wisdom.
To lend authority and authentication, it is &ost li7ely that the letters /Ali%, 1a&, Ra0 in Ara'ic re%er
to the places in The Boo7 with the :reator %ro& where the su'se.uent Derses were reealed as
suggested 'y the adIoining phrase, these are !erses of the Book of "isdom.#
10.2 a!e the "eo"le #ee$ ama%ed that We re!ealed &Re!elatio$' to a man from
among them, &sa(i$)'* War$ ma$ki$d a$d )i!e )ood $e+s to those +ho #elie!e
that the( +ill ha!e a loft( ra$k +ith their Lord. (Whereas) the disbelievers say,
Indeed, this is an obvious magician!,
9ould there 'e a 'etter approach other than that adopted 'y the :reator %or Reelation;
10.3 Veril( (o-r Lord is Allah Who .reated the hea!e$s a$d the earth i$ si/ 0a(s
a$d firml( esta#lished imself o$ the Thro$e &of a-thorit(' re)-lati$) a$d
)o!er$i$) all thi$)s. 1o i$ter.essor &.a$ "lead +ith im' e/.e"t after is
"ermissio$ &has #ee$ o#tai$ed'. This is Allah (o-r Lord2 therefore it is e Who
sho-ld #e +orshi""ed3 +ill (o- $ot .ele#rate is 4raises,
The purpose o% hu&an 'eings is to witness the truth o% the :reator independently utili5ing the
%aculties and %acilities o% 7nowledge and intelligence gien 'y Allah,
There is no god 'ut <e2 that is the witness o% Allah, <is Angels and those endowed with
knowledge standing firm on justice B",1KC
10.4 To im +ill #e the ret-r$ of all of (o- to)ether. The promise of Allah is true
and sure 5t is e Who #e)i$s the "ro.ess of 6reatio$ a$d +ill re"eat it so that e
ma( re+ard +ith 7-sti.e those +ho #elie!e a$d +ork ri)hteo-s$ess #-t those
+ho re7e.t im +ill ha!e $othi$) #-t dri$ks of #oili$) fl-ids a$d a 4e$alt(
)rie!o-s3 #e.a-se the( did re7e.t im.
++++++
{1otes}2
{1} http233www,e.uip12",net3e.uip13&esa3docs3)articipatoryTeaching1earning,pd%
{2} http233www,%and&,edu3uploads3&ediaLite&s3docu&ents+depart&ents+precepting+
goldsch&idteaching+pd%,original,pd%
{3} http233www,n5dl,org3
{4} http233www,&issionisla&,co&3.uran3'eginreelation,ht&