Surah Furqaan, in which Allah describes the Prophet SAW (in another opinion, the Quran also) in the first Aayah as “لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا” ‘For every nation, a warner’
The word Allah uses that I want to highlight is نذير, which comes from the literal meaning of ‘the sound a bow makes after it has shot the arrow.’
Picture the scene, you’re in enemy territory who want to harm you. You hideout somewhere and you think you are safe, then suddenly, from somewhere behind you, you hear the springing sound of a bowstring
At the moment you hear the sound of the arrow leaving its bow, your internal alarm signals are triggered. The danger. The panic. The distress. You need to act fast and get out the way!
What happens if you remain still. What happens if you decide to stay where you are. What happens if you choose to ignore the warning. What happens if you stay seated? You’re a sitting duck. Easy target. Certain death!
What would and should your action be? Capture the fear, warning, distress and urgency the sound of the bowstring creates in a person to get out of the way!
Now look at this part of the Aayah again. “لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا” What does this statement require and demand from us?
Do we have a sense of urgency and fear of our sinful ways? Is there a cause for panic? A situation we need to get out of? To take heed of the warnings. To realise the dangers of our inaction. The harms of not even flinching, when we really need to make a move.
The Quran and our messenger (peace and blessings upon him) came with good news, and he also came with warnings. Warnings are a mercy, it cautions you and saves you, it gives solutions for you to realise the dangers and their consequences of the inevitable. Why? To get you to a safer more peaceful place. Not only in the next life, but also in this life.
The point I intend to make is; do we feel the sense of urgency and heed when we come across the warnings from our messenger, from the warnings of Allah himself through the Quran. Or do we simply turn a blind eye, or do we promise to make a change some time later in life. As if we have that time granted. Remember the sound of the bowstring, remember the warnings. You have to act immediately. Or else you remain in harmful territory. Voluntarily, which is foolish and unwise.
The Quran is the ‘Furqaan’, the distinguisher of what is right and what is wrong. What is good and what is evil.
The Quran and the messenger (Peace & blessings upon him) together were sent to us by Allah as a warning, consequently as a mercy so that we could distinguish the right path from an evil path.
To take heed of the warnings before we can be given the glad tidings and congratulations of eternal happiness.
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