100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 17): Hearts Transformed by Hearing the Qur'an
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
In Part 15 we saw the beauty of the Qur'an's language. But beauty only charms; it does not change lives. The wonder of the Qur'an is that it does not only please the ear; it enters the heart and transforms a person completely. Today we will learn about some people whose lives took a new direction after hearing a few verses of the Qur'an.
The Qur'an itself speaks of this effect: "Allah has sent down the best of speech... The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it. Then their skins and their hearts soften to the remembrance of Allah." (Surah az-Zumar 39:23)
1. The Poet With Cotton in His Ears
Tufayl ibn Amr al-Dawsi was a leader of the tribe of Daws and a famous poet. When he came to Makkah, the leaders of Quraysh surrounded him and said: do not listen to this man (the Prophet); his words are like magic, and they divide families. They frightened him so much that when Tufayl went to the Ka'bah, he stuffed cotton in his ears so that not a single word would enter.
But the Prophet was reciting in prayer near the Ka'bah, and some words reached his ears even through the cotton. Tufayl said to himself: I am an intelligent poet; I know good from bad. Why not listen? If it is good, I will accept it; if it is bad, I will leave it. He removed the cotton, followed the Prophet to his house, listened to the Qur'an, and accepted faith right there. Later he returned to his tribe and called them, and gradually the whole tribe of Daws became Muslim. (Sirah Ibn Hisham)
The enemies tried so hard to keep people away from the Qur'an, yet a few words that came through the cotton defeated all their efforts.
2. Two Chiefs Who Came With Spears
Before the migration, the Prophet sent Mus'ab ibn Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) to Madinah to call people to Islam. Usayd ibn Hudayr, a chief of the tribe of Abd al-Ashhal, heard of this and came angrily with a spear in his hand. He said: have you come to fool our weak people? If you want to save your life, leave this place.
Mus'ab calmly said: will you sit and listen for a little while? If you like it, accept it; if you dislike it, we will leave. Usayd planted his spear in the ground and sat down. Mus'ab recited the Qur'an. The narrators say that even before Usayd spoke, the light of Islam appeared on his face. He said: how beautiful these words are! What must one do to enter this religion?
He then sent Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, the main chief of the tribe. Sa'd also came angrily, and in the same way, he listened to the Qur'an and accepted faith. Then he said to his tribe: what do you think of me? They said: you are our leader, the wisest among us. He said: I will not speak to any man or woman among you until you believe in Allah and His Messenger. Before evening that day, everyone in the tribe of Abd al-Ashhal had become Muslim. (Sirah Ibn Hisham)
The chiefs of a tribe came in the morning with spears in hand, and by evening the whole tribe had accepted faith. Between the two there were only a few verses of the Qur'an.
3. The Robber on the Wall
Fudayl ibn Iyad was a highway robber in his youth. One night he was climbing a wall with a wrongful intention. At that moment, someone nearby was reciting: "Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should humble themselves at the remembrance of Allah?" (Surah al-Hadid 57:16)
Hearing this verse, Fudayl froze on top of the wall. He said: "Yes, my Lord, the time has come." That very night he repented. (Imam al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala)
The man who had been the terror of night travelers later became one of the greatest worshippers of the Sacred Mosque in Makkah and a master of hadith, to whom even great scholars like Imam al-Shafi'i came to learn. One verse transformed a robber into an imam.
4. Even the Jinn Listened
The effect of the Qur'an is not limited to human beings. Allah says: "Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened, and they said: we have heard a wondrous Qur'an that guides to the right way, so we have believed in it." (Surah al-Jinn 72:1-2)
In Surah al-Ahqaf, it is mentioned that after hearing the Qur'an, the jinn returned to their people as warners and called them. (Surah al-Ahqaf 46:29-31)
5. The Tears of Christians
Allah speaks of a group of Christians: "When they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they recognize. They say: our Lord, we have believed, so record us among the witnesses." (Surah al-Ma'idah 5:83)
The scholars of Qur'anic commentary say that this verse was revealed concerning the Najashi, the king of Abyssinia, and the Christian scholars of his court, who wept when they heard the Qur'an. We saw his story in Part 13.
6. The One Who Received It Also Wept
Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to his companion Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): recite the Qur'an to me. Ibn Mas'ud said in surprise: shall I recite to you, when it was revealed to you? The Prophet said: I love to hear it from others. He began reciting Surah an-Nisa. When he reached the verse, "How will it be when We bring from every nation a witness, and bring you as a witness over these?" (Surah an-Nisa 4:41), the Prophet said: enough. Ibn Mas'ud looked and saw tears flowing from the Prophet's eyes. (Sahih al-Bukhari)
This is worth deep reflection. No author weeps when he hears his own writing read by someone else. The Prophet wept when he heard the Qur'an because he knew it was not his own words, but the word of his Lord.
7. In Our Own Age
This transformation is not just a story from history. Even today, in many parts of the world, countless people, many of whom do not know Arabic, are accepting Islam after reading a translation of the Qur'an or hearing its recitation. For example, the world-famous British singer Cat Stevens, who later took the name Yusuf Islam, has said himself that reading a copy of the Qur'an given to him by his brother changed his life.
Why Is This a Proof?
The influence of human words fades with time. A famous poet's poems move people in his own age, but a few generations later they become just a subject in textbooks. In translation, their magic is lost even more. Yet even after fourteen hundred years, in different languages, in different cultures, and even through translation, the Qur'an is changing human hearts in the same way. From poet to robber, from tribal chief to modern singer, the same key has opened the locks of all their hearts.
The reason is that the Qur'an is the word of the One who created the human heart. He knows which words reach which door of the heart.
Conclusion
Allah says: "If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and split apart out of fear of Allah." (Surah al-Hashr 59:21) If even a mountain would bow before these words, what wonder is it that they change human hearts? There is only one question: are we opening the doors of our hearts to hear these words?
Previous part (Part 16): Why Is the Qur'an So Easy to Memorize?
In the next part: The Stages of Human Creation in the Womb. In sha Allah.
