It is narrated on the authority of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib that he said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah say, "Indeed, there will be a Fitnah." I asked, "What is the way out of it, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "The Book of Allah, which includes the stories of those who were before you, the news of those who will come after you and the judgment on the disputes between you. It is a decisive statement and not an amusement. No tyrant left it but Allah broke him, and whoever seeks guidance in anything else other than it, will be misguided by Allah. It is the strong rope of Allah, and the wise mention. It is the straight path, by virtue of which inclinations never deviate (from the truth), nor are tongues confused, nor are scholars satiated from it, nor is it ever considered old regardless of its being repeated so often, nor do its wonders die out. It is that which prompted the Jinn, when they heard it, to say (what means): {… indeed, we have heard an amazing Quran. It guides to the right course, and we have believed in it. And we will never associate with our Lord anyone.} [Quran 72:1-2] Whoever speaks with it proves truthful, and whoever acts upon it receives reward, and whoever judges by it becomes just, and whoever invites to it will be guided to a straight path." [At-Tirmithi]
This hadith, which includes the characteristics of the Book of Allah Almighty, is of great significance and should be deeply considered. It is a satisfactory answer to the way out of Fitnahs once they occur, i.e. to return to the Book of Allah Almighty, which contains:
1- The stories of those who were before us, i.e. the previous nations, some of whom belied the Messengers, whereupon they were ruined, while others gave trust to the Messengers, whereupon they were rewarded.
2- The news of those who will come after us till the establishment of the Day of Judgment and the Final Hour, like the descent of ‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Mary and others which are known to some and unknown to others.
3- The judgment of the disputes between us, i.e. the rulings of qisas (legal retribution), personal affairs, dealings among individuals and communities at times of prosperity and adversity, war and peace, and so on.
4- It is the decisive statement, i.e. its judgments are incisive and its fundamental rules established and as clear as a sword’s point.
5- It is not amusement; all of it is serious and decisive: either lawful or unlawful, precise or unspecific, narrations or examples.
6- No tyrant abandons it but that Allah breaks him because the Quran enjoins justice and kindness. Justice is the foundation on which dominion is based; and any ruler who abandons justice, Allah punishes him and seizes him with the seizure of One Exalted in Might and Perfect in Ability.
7- Whoever seeks guidance in anything other than it will be misguided by Allah because no guide in any sharia comes but from Allah; and whoever seeks for honor and power, for sure, it has all power and honor; and whoever goes astray from its guidance will be disgraced by Allah in this world, and the punishment of the Hereafter is more grievous.
8- It is Allah’s strong rope, one of whose ends is in the Hand of Allah while the other is in our hands. Whoever adheres to it has indeed grasped the trustworthy handhold which never breaks.
9- It is the wise mention: whoever likes to remember Allah Almighty, there is nothing better than the recitation of His Book, all of which abounds with wisdom.
10- It is the straight path: whoever follows it will not be among those who evoke [Allah’s] anger nor of those who are astray.
11- It is that by virtue of which inclinations never deviate from the truth: whoever seeks to be inclined to its interpretation and rulings, soon his snares will be discovered because Allah Almighty promised to guard it, saying (what means): {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and, indeed, We will be its guardian.} [Quran 15:9]
12- It is that by which the tongues are never confused because it is an Arabic Quran evident in wording and mutawatir in text (collectively contiguous) which no letter has been added to or reduced from.
13- The scholars are never satiated from it because all sharia sciences stem from the Quran and they take what they take from its inexhaustible spring; and whoever likes more will not be able to quench his thirst.
14- It is never considered old regardless of its being repeated so often: every time one recites the Quran, he tastes a fresh sweetness in it, as if he is reciting it for the first time; new meanings appear to him, and the believer understands it with a new understanding; and no one feels it is old except him whose insight is blinded by Allah from the even path. Allah Almighty challenged all people to produce even a single verse like it, and this challenge will be in force till the Day of Judgment, and no human being will ever be able to produce a verse like it.
15- Its wonders never die out: the wonders which emerged after the death of the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, were more numerous than those which appeared during his life, and what will appear in the future is even more.
16- It is that which prompted the Jinn, when they heard it, to say (what means): {… Indeed, we have heard an amazing Quran. It guides to the right course…} [Quran 72:1-2] It is the Book of Allah to guide men and jinn, and what amazed the jinn amazes men more, and what guides the jinn to the right course guides men to a better right course.
17- Whoever speaks with it is truthful because the whole of it is true and nothing else.
18- Whoever acts upon it will be rewarded because if one acts according to its principles and laws, Allah multiplies, for him, one good deed by ten times the like of it, up to what Allah wills.
19- Whoever judges by it will be just, whether with himself, his family, the community or the people. There is nothing but justice in it.
20- Whoever invites to it will be guided to a straight path because it is the guide of the callers to Allah, the truth and the straight path.
Does this hadith not have the most comprehensive, the most accurate and the most wonderful description of the Noble Quran? No doubt, the Messenger of Allah was given the keys of eloquent speech, and about him, Allah says (what means): {Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.} [Quran 53:3-4]