According to the Holy Quran, a guidance for mankind, it was revealed in the month of Ramadan. There are innumerable aspects of its guidance. One of these aspects is the beauty of its order.
We know about the Holy Qur’an that the current order in which we have it, is different from the order in which it was revealed. This arrangement is called a deterministic arrangement (Prophet P.B.U.H. set the order as revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel). One opinion regarding this order is that it is a gradual order established from larger chapters to smaller ones. But this is not correct. The Holy Quran’s first chapter, Surah Fateha, a very short one, refutes the observation. The larger chapters come after that. Even among these longer chapters, the verses in Baqarah (286), Aal Imran (200), Nisa (176) and Maida (120) gradually decrease, but in the next four surahs, i.e. Anam (165), Araaf (206), Anfal (75) and Taubah (129), there is no such order.
In our opinion, the basis for this order is that even though the Holy Quran was revealed during the time of polytheists, it is to remain among the believers till the day of judgment. Believers who will be representatives of Islam and preachers of faith, but will also carry the weaknesses, evils and vices that had befallen the nations before them. Therefore, in the current order of the Holy Quran, the chapters in the beginning describe how nations go astray after receiving the guidance of God. These chapters explain, in the eyes of God, what constitutes guidance regarding thought, action, philosophy and law. What is the attitude that God commands us and what behaviors God dislikes. How the earlier People of the Book i.e. Jews and Christians went astray after being guided. How polytheism and heresy became common among them. How faith and morals were replaced with ostentation. How immoral behavior became common instead of righteous deeds. How nationalism instead of righteousness became the axis and center of thought and action of the nations.
These chapters go on to explain how the disease of hypocrisy embeds in faith like cancer. How those who consider themselves reformers, become the biggest agents of chaos. How hypocrisy becomes common in societies. How nations become astray even after receiving the blessing and reward of God. How wrongful behavior becomes common in nations in the name of ancestors. People claim to follow Ibrahim Khalilullah and Ismail (AS), but invent a new religion with self-made rituals and rules. The claim is to follow Moses and Jesus (AS), but in reality there is a brushwood of nationalism, polytheism and heresy which is presented in the name of religion.
Thus, these early chapters of the Holy Qur’an are placed at the beginning to tell the Muslims that they must avoid the practices of the previous nations. If they do not avoid these practices, their fate will be the same as the fate described in these chapters with regard to previous nations. They will believe themselves to be righteous, but before God they will be astray and incur His wrath. They will consider themselves entitled to heaven, but in the eyes of the Lord, their real abode will be hell. They will call themselves the best nation, but the Lord will decree humiliation, helplessness and disgrace on them. It is the way of God that He will take up the matter of individuals on the Day of Resurrection, but nations will get the result of their deeds in this world.
This is the fundamental lesson of the first chapters of the Holy Quran that every Muslim should learn, who is fortunate to read the Holy Quran thoughtfully with reflection in Ramadan
Translated by Ali Zafar