One of the things that amazes me is the beauty, and depth with which the online quran classes for adults talks about itself (the Quran). Here's to one golden nugget from Verse 29 of the "Surah" (chapter) called "Sad", and all Praises are due to Allah: "(It is) a Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful."

I have for long read the Quran for years, marking all verses in which Allah speaks to us about His Holy Book, the greatest miracle gifted to the greatest of all prophets sent by Allah, Muhammad (Peace be upon him). But the task can be overwhelming sometimes, especially if you are reading the Holy Book in the Arabic language in which it was revealed. That project is still on, but as I read the Quran this dawn and listen to its recitation/audio at the beginning of our daily fasting, this Ramadan of the year 2020, a few verses occur to me as if to draw my attention to the task I started some 6 years ago.

Without hesitation, let us consider the very first Pair of verses at the beginning of the chapter that succeeds the one labelled the foundation of the Quran. "Surah Baqarah" (The Cow) which comes immediately after the miraculous "Surah Fatiha" (The Opening) states a very emphatic truth without hesitation or prevarication. In verses 1 and 2 Allah tells us: "Alif Lam Mim. That is the Book, wherein is no doubt, a guidance to the godfearing"

Search through the literature of the world, East to West, North and South and across all generations, you will never find a scripture with such a unique and emphatic opening.

Indeed when I read the biography of American Founding Father and author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson; and did further research about the potential sources of his genius/inspiration, I was not surprised to find out that he kept a copy of the Holy Quran (still kept in the US Library of Congress) and used it as reference for his legal studies and source of inspiration. In the words of Kevin Hayes, an eminent Jefferson scholar: "Wanting to broaden his legal studies as much as possible, Jefferson found the Qur'an well worth his attention."

Surely the Quran will be well worth the attention of any serious scholar for the Muslim Holy Book provides an explanation for everything.

Consider this from the very last verse of "Surah Yusuf", the very Surah in whose beginning Allah, emphatically celebrates the beauty of of His Glorious book thus, in verse 3: "We narrate to you the best of narratives, by Our revealing to you this Quran, though before this you were certainly one of those who did not know."

Here's verse 111 of the Surah about the most handsome human being to have ever trodden planet earth: "There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was the Qur'an a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe."