Introduction

The Qur’an contains a set of stories that relates to ordinary people – men, women and youths. Our Creator has given us snapshots of different individuals from different eras in time. Not Messengers and Prophets, but mere human beings like you and I, of normal flesh, blood and parentage.

For the vast majority of us, following in the footsteps of the Prophets and Messengers is so daunting that we are inclined to be discouraged from even trying. The ordinary human being does not have interaction with the angels, nor have the same level of communication with or protection from the Creator as were afforded to Prophets and Messengers. We are not recipients of Allah’s revelations nor were we endowed with the qualities, strength and miracles of the Prophets and the Messengers.

Allah SWT created us in His ultimate wisdom - male and female, of different nations and tribes, and He knows our individual weaknesses and abilities. Hence through the Qur’an, He gave us stories, where we can aspire to be like some or all of the people mentioned. Ordinary people whose deeds, faith, trust in the Creator and the perseverance of their goal, which is to live the Message of Allah, transformed them into extraordinary legends. Through these stories, Allah has shown us what individuals are capable of, and when we read their stories, our heart should cry out ; “We can do this! We can be like them too!”

All these stories have lessons to be learnt, wisdom to be taken from it, and examples to us, as individuals, as a collective and as a nation. We cannot but be inspired by what happened to those who obeyed, tried and struggled, and the kind of support and victory Allah granted them. Their legacy will remain until the end of time, and even though some of them are not even named, their actions have been immortalized in the pages of the Qur’an until the end of time.

On a more somber side, we can also learnt of the fate of those who disobeyed Allah, and the retribution that was granted to them by Allah. So too, were these people immortalized in the Qur’an, as a reminder and warning for us.

In the articles that follow, we will try to emphasise the Message, the lessons to be learnt and how we, as ordinary individuals, can benefit from them.

May Allah SWT make us among those who listen, hear, obey and benefit from the wisdom and knowledge that Allah shared with us.