The book, ‘Quranic Covenants: An Introduction’ which explores the themes of the Quran and is written by eminent international lawyer Ahmer Bilal Soofi was launched at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on Thursday.
The book is a debut work by the author. It is an effort towards summarising the themes and concepts of the divine book, the Holy Quran, by reading and deciphering its covenants.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi pointed out that he undertook this work after coming across observations at a panel of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), wherein the need was felt for a researched collection of covenants of the Quran, to better understand the injunctions of the Almighty and take a retrospective look at all religions and societies.
It was also considered ideal to study the causes of revulsion and de-radicalisation of the society. He said the concept of Jihad (holy war) also talks of intervention in rescuing people, and not, as is often misunderstood, in maiming them. The author noted that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself was a role model and was instrumental as an international lawyer.
His agreements, deeds, and covenants signed were state-of-the-art legislations and are relevant to this day. He talked about believers' thoughts and the modern law and pointed out the need for understanding the Quran from that perspective too. "The Almighty has legislated on selected major issues, while the rest was left upon the consensual adaptation of society," remarked the author.
He further said that the covenant is one of the basic structural features of Quran and is a declaration between the Almighty and His creation. The two distinguishing aspects of covenants are "In Quran and Under Quran." ‘In’ is as ordained by Allah, and ‘Under’ is as proscribed by the Quran."
Under Quran, covenants are a trilateral dealing between Allah and two human parties concerned in any society, and this makes Quran part of our everyday life as it ushers in a social contract under divinity." The author regretted that this connection somehow has been de-emphasised, and that as a result, society has fallen into chaos.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2024.
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