Islam - The Right Path

Author's note: When one has been working on a short article like this for as many months as I have, he has earned, perhaps, the right to ask readers to observe a simple principle in responding. May I ask that you read the article in its entirety, including the final paragraph, before emailing me at yusuf.toropov@gmail.com ? At that point I would certainly love to hear from you! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authorship clues in the Qur'an Who wrote the Qur'an? The non-Muslim's answer to this important question usually sounds like this: "The Qur'an was authored by a human being; it is not a literal revelation from God. It is a book created by human intelligence, like any other book. It was, as a matter of historical fact, written by Muhammad, in the seventh century A.D." If this is your view, rest assured that you have plenty of company! You should also know, though, that this point of view is no

O you who believe, be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness... (Surah Al 'Imran, 200) Allah has revealed in a verse, "This is a Book We have sent down to you so that you can bring mankind from the darkness to the light, by the permission of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy" (Surah Ibrahim, 1) , thus drawing attention to the Qur'an's attribute of bringing people from darkness to light. The Qur'an defines patience as one of the paths that lead people from darkness to light and as an attribute of morality that is superior to, wide-ranging, and very different from the daily behavior of many people. True patience is a moral characteristic displayed in the face of difficulty and in every moment of life. Moreover, it requires the demonstration of determination and consistency during times of ease and hardship, and is a lifelong endeavor that never goes astray, even for a moment. Allah gives the most striking examples of patience in the lives