By Prof. Dr Musharraf Hussain
The Quran does more than just give us instructions. It guides the mind, nurtures the heart and shapes our conduct. Like a wise teacher, it explains, challenges, reassures and helps us grow. Its teaching goes beyond what we know to shape who we become. When we are confused, it clarifies. When we lose our way, it redirects us. When we are discouraged, it restores hope.
The Majestic Quran answers life’s great questions: Why am I here? What is right? Where am I going? By awakening our awareness of the Creator, it gives life purpose and direction. I have selected three short surahs to show how this teaching works. Surah Al-Adiyat confronts our ingratitude; Al-Kawthar reassures us of Allah’s generosity; and Al-Maun shows how faith should express itself in kindness.
Al-Adiyat (100): Awakening the conscience
¹By the snorting warhorses, ²their hooves striking sparks, ³charging in dawn raids ⁴scattering dust clouds ⁵then dashing amidst the enemy. ⁶Humankind is most unthankful to His Lord. ⁷He knows it, ⁸and passionately loves wealth. ⁹Doesn’t he know everything in the graves will be thrown out, ¹⁰and the secrets of hearts will be revealed? ¹¹That Day their Lord will be aware of them.
The opening of the chapter arrests our attention. We hear the horses snorting, see sparks flying and feel the urgency of their charge. Then the scene changes abruptly: we are confronted with human ingratitude and our passionate attachment to wealth. This is teaching through vivid imagery and searching questions. The Quran draws us into a scene, then turns our attention towards ourselves. Do we acknowledge the gifts of our generous Lord? Has our love of possessions overshadowed our gratitude?
The closing verses deepen this examination. What we conceal will be revealed; what we bury will be brought out. Accountability reaches into the secrets of the heart. The surah awakens the conscience, asking us to recognise both Allah’s generosity and our responsibility.
Al-Kawthar (108): Reassurance that nurtures gratitude
¹We gave everything in abundance to you, ²so pray to your Lord and make a sacrifice. ³Your enemy will be finished, cut off.
This brief surah offers reassurance in the face of sorrow and hostility. The beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) experienced the pain of losing his sons and the cruelty of enemies who mocked him as abtar, “cut off”. Their taunt suggested that, without a surviving male heir, his mission would end with his death. Allah answers their contempt with a promise of abundance. Their judgement cannot determine his worth or his future. The surah directs his attention towards his Lord’s gifts and calls him to prayer and sacrifice.
Here, the Quran teaches by consoling and strengthening the heart. Its lesson speaks to anyone wounded by loss or belittled by others. Pain can narrow our vision until we see only what is missing. This surah invites us to recognise what Allah has given and to respond through worship and gratitude. Reassurance becomes a source of renewed strength.
Al-Maun (107): Faith expressed through kindness
¹Have you seen him who denies the Divine Judgement? ²He treats the orphan roughly, ³doesn’t encourage the feeding of the needy. ⁴Ruined are the worshippers ⁵who daydream in their prayer, ⁶they show off, ⁷and stop others from doing small kindness.
This surah brings belief, worship and social responsibility together. It exposes a troubling contradiction: a person may display religious devotion while treating vulnerable people harshly and withholding ordinary kindness. The Quran asks us to examine what our worship produces. Does prayer soften our hearts? Does belief in Judgement Day make us fairer and more generous? Are we attentive to people who need food, protection or a helping hand?
Its teaching reaches beneath outward behaviour to our motives. Worship loses its purpose when it becomes a performance for others. Faith should move us to care for the orphan, encourage the feeding of the needy and practise the small kindnesses that make community life humane.
Reading with a willingness to change
Together, these surahs lead us from self-examination to gratitude, and from gratitude to care for others. They show how the Quran educates the whole person: awakening understanding, reshaping attitudes and directing action. When you next read a passage, pause and ask: What does this help me understand? What attitude does it challenge? What action should follow?
