Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
16. The Companions of the Prophet
~ 391 ~
muqris
—reciters of the Qur’an. In a modern
environment, this would be nothing extraordinary.
But when one leaves aside the 1400 years of history
that stand between us and the Companions, and
imagines the conditions that prevailed in their time,
their action appears in an entirely new perspective.
At that time it was a mammoth task to stand amongst
the people and recite the Qur’an, one that no group
except for the Companions had ever performed.
The picture that springs to mind with the mention
of the word “Qur’an” today is that of a book that
has, over 1400 years, established its greatness
without the slightest shadow of a doubt. Millions of
people the world over accept it as the Book of God.
It has become a matter of personal pride to express
belief in the Qur’an. At the time of revelation,
however, the Qur’an did not enjoy this status. Many
of the Sahabahs’ contemporaries treated it as an
object of derision. “We have heard them,” said
some speaking of the revelations. “If we wished, we
could speak the like. They are but fables of the
ancients.”
2
“Fables of the ancients he has written,”
they used to say. “They are dictated to him morning
and evening.”
3
