The Miraculousness of The Qur'an
"While there is a perpetual miracle
like the Qur'an, searching
for further proof appears to my
mind as superfluous;
"While there is a proof of reality
like the Qur'an, would
silencing those who deny it weigh
heavily on my heaff?"
A REMINDER
[At the start, we intended to write this Word
as Five Lights, but at the end of the First Light, we were
compelled to write extremely fast in order
to print it in the old [Ottoman] script. On some days even we wrote
twenty to thirty pages in two or three hours.
Therefore, writing three Lights in a brief and concise manner, we
have for now abandoned the last two. I hope
that my brothers will look fairly and with tolerance at the faults
and defects, difficulties and mistakes, which
may be attributed to me.]
Most of the verses in this treatise of The Miraculousness of the Qur'an
have either been the cause of criticism by atheists,
or have been objected to by scientists, or have been the subject of
doubt and misgiving by satans among jinn and men. Thus,
this Twenty-Fifth Word has explained the truths and fine points of
those verses in such a way that the points which the
atheists and scientists imagined to be faults have been proved according
to scholarly principles to be flashes of
miraculousness and the sources of the perfections of the Quaur'ans
eloquence. In order not to cause aversion, decisive
answers have been given without mentioning their doubts. Only, in the
first Station of the Twentieth Word, their doubts have
been stated concerning three or four verses, like, And the mountains
[its] pegs[l], and, And the sun runs its course.[2]
[1] Qur¹an, 78:7.
[2] Our'an, 36:38.
Also, although this treatise of The Miraculousness of the Qur'an was
written very concisely and with great speed, with
regard to the science of rhetoric and sciences of Arabic, it is explained
in a way so learned and pro- found and powerful that
it has caused wonder to scholars. Although every- one who studies it
will not understand all the matters discussed, there is a
significant share for everyone in this garden. In spite of the defects
in the phraseology and manner of expression due to its
being written very fast and under confused conditions, it explains
the truth and reality of most important matters.
Said Nursi
The Miraculousness of The Qur'an
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say: If all mankind and all jinn were to come together to produce the
like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the
like of it, even if they were to help and support each other.[3]
[Of the innumerable aspects of the miraculousness
of the All- Wise Qurtan of Miraculous Exposition - the
treasury of miracles and greatest miracle
of Muhammed (Peace and blessings be upon him), I have pointed
out close on forty in my Arabic treatises,
in the Arabic Risale-i Nur, in my Qur'anic commentary called Signs
of Miraculousness, and in the preceding twenty-four
Words. Now I shall explain to a degree only five of those
aspects and include within them briefly the
other aspects, and with an Introduction, give a definition of the
Qur'an and point to its nature.]
[3] Qur'an 17:88
INTRODUCTION
The Introduction consists of Three Parts.
FIRST PART: WHAT IS THE QUR'AN? How is it defined?
Answer: As is explained in the Nineteenth Word and proved in other Words,
THE QUR'AN is the pre-eternal translator of
the mighty Book of the Universe, and the post-eternal interpreter of
the various tongues reciting the verses of creation, and
the commentator of the book of the Worlds of the Seen and the Unseen,
and the revealer of the treasuries of the Divine
Names hidden in the heavens and on the earth, and the key to the truths
concealed beneath the lines of events, and the
tongue of the Unseen World in the Manifest World, and the treasury
of the post-eternal favor of Divine Mercy and of the
pre-eternal addresses of Divine Glory, which come from the World of
the Unseen beyond the veil of this Manifest World; it
is the sun, foundation, and plan of the immaterial world of Islam,
and the sacred map of the worlds of the hereafter, and the
expounding word, lucid exposition, decisive proof, and clear interpreter
of the Divine Essence, Attributes, Names, and
functions; it is the instructor of the world of humanity, and the light
and water of Islam - the macroanthropos, and the true
wisdom of mankind, and the true guide and leader urging humanity to
prosperity and happiness, and it is a both a book of
law, and a book of prayer, and a book of wisdom, and a book of worship,
and a book of command and summons, and a book
of invocation, and a book of thought, and a unique, comprehensive Sacred
Book, comprising many books, to which recourse
may be had for all the needs of all mankind. And it is a Revealed Scripture
like a sacred library offering treatises suitable for
all the various ways and different paths of the all the saints and
the veracious ones and the wise and the learned, which is
appropriate for the illuminations of each way and enlightens it, and
is suitable for the course of each path and depicts it.
SECOND PART and complement to the definition:
As is explained and proved in the Twelfth Word, since THE QUR'AN has
come from the Sublime Throne, and the Greatest
Name, and from the highest degree of each Name, it is God's Word in
regard to the Sustainer of All The Worlds. And it is
God's decree through the title of God of All Beings. And it is an address
in the name of the Creator of the Heavens and the
Earth. And it is a conversation in respect of Absolute Dominicality.
And it is a pre-eternal discourse on account of universal
Divine Sovereignty. And it is a notebook of the favors of the Most
Merciful One in regard to all- embracing,
all-encompassing Divine Mercy. And it is a collection of ad- dresses
at the start of which are certain ciphers in respect of
the tremendous- ness of Divine Majesty. And through its descent from
the comprehensive- ness of the Greatest Name, it is
a Sacred Book full of wisdom which looks to and inspects all sides
of the Sublime Throne.
It is because of this mystery that with complete fitness the title of
The Word of God has been given to the Qur'an, and is
always given. After the Qurtan comes the level of the Books and Scriptures
of the other prophets. But the other
innumerable Divine Words are each in the form of inspiration made manifest
through a special regard, a partial title, a
particular manifestation, a particular Name, a special Dominicality,
a particular sovereignty, a special Mercy. The
inspirations of the angels and man and the animals vary greatly with
regard to universality and particularity.
THIRD PART: THE QUR'AN is a Revealed Scripture which comprises in summary
the Books of al1 the prophets, whose
times were al1 different the writings of all the saints, whose paths
are all different, and the works of all the purified scholars,
whose ways are all different. Its six aspects are all brilliant and
refined of the darkness of doubts and scepticism; its point of
support is certain heavenly revelation and the pre-eternal Word; its
aim and goal is self-evidently eternal happiness; its inner
aspect is clearly pure guidance; its upper aspect is necessarily the
lights of belief; its lower aspect is undeniably evidence
and proof; its right aspect is evidently the surrender of the heart
and conscience; its left aspect is manifestly the subjugation
of the reason and intellect; its fruit is indisputably the Mercy of
the Most Merciful One and the realm of Paradise; and its
rank and desirability are assuredly accepted by the angels and man
and the jinn.
Each of the attributes in these Three Parts concerning the Qurtan's
definition have been proved decisively in other places, or
they will be proved. Our claims are not isolated; each may be proved
with clear Proofs.
FIRST LIGHT
This Light consists of Three Rays.
FIRST RAY: This is the eloquence of the Qurtan, which is at the degree
of miraculousness. Its eloquence is a wonderful
eloquence born of the beauty of its word order, the perfection of its
conciseness, the marvels of its style, its singularity and
pleasantness, the excellence of its expression, its superiority and
clarity, the power and truth of its meanings, and from the
purity and fluency of its language, which for one thousand three hundred
years has challenged the most brilliant men of
letters of mankind, their most celebrated orators, and the most profoundly
learned of them, and invited them to dispute it. It
has provoked them intensely. And although it has invited them to dispute
it, those geniuses, whose heads touch the skies in
their pride and conceit, have been unable to so much as open their
mouths to do so, and have bowed their heads utterly put
down. Thus, we shall point to the miraculousness in its eloquence in
Two Aspects.
First Aspect: It possesses miraculousness and its miraculousness exists
for the following reasons. The great majority of the
people of the Arabian Peninsula at that time were illiterate. Due to
this, in place of in writing, they preserved the sources of
their pride, historical events, and stories which assisted good morality,
by means of poetry and eloquence. Through the at-
traction of poetry and eloquence, meaningful sayings would remain in
people's memories and be passed down the
generations. And so, in consequence of this innate need, the goods
most in demand in the immaterial market of that people
was eloquence. An eloquent literary figure of a tribe, even, was like
its greatest national hero. It was through him that they
gained their greatest pride. Thus, that intelligent people who ruled
the world through their intelligence after the establishment
of Islam were, among the peoples of the world, at the highest and most
advanced degree of eloquence. It was the thing
most in demand among them, was their cause of pride, and the thing
for which they had greatest need. Eloquence had such
high value that two tribes would do battle at the word of a literary
figure, and they would make peace at his word. They
even wrote in gold on the walls of the Ka'ba the seven qasidas of seven
poets called the Muallaqat-i Sebta, and took great
pride in them. Thus, it was at such a time when eloquence was the thing
most sought after that the Qurtan was revealed.
Just as at the time of Moses (Peace be upon him) it was magic that
was most sought after and at the time of Jesus (Peace
be upon him), it was medicine. The most important of their miracles
were in those fields.
And so, the Qur'an invited the Arabian orators of that time to reply
to even one of the shortest of the Suras. It challenged
them with the decree of:
And if you are in doubt about what We have
revealed to Our servant, then produce a Sura resembling
it.[4]
And it also said: "If you do not believe, you shall be damned and shall
go to Hell." It provoked them intensely. It smashed
their pride in a fearsome manner. It was contemptuous of their arrogant
minds. It condemned them firstly to eternal
extinction and then to eternal extinction in Hell, as well as to worldly
extinction. It said: "Either dispute me, or you and your
property shall perish."
4. Qur'an, 2:23.
Thus, if it had been possible to dispute it, is it at all possible that,
while there was an easy solution like disputing the Qur'an
with one or two lines and nullifying the claim, they should have chosen
the most dangerous and most difficult, the way of
war? Yes, is it at al1 possible that that clever people, that politically-minded
nation, who at one time were to govern the
world through politics, should have abandoned the shortest, easiest,
and most light way, and chosen the most dangerous,
which was going to cast their lives and ail their property into peril?
For if their literary figures had been able to dispute it with
a few words, the Qurtan would have given up its claim, and they would
have been saved from material and moral disaster.
Whereas they chose a fearsome and long road like war That means it
was not possible to dispute in by word; it was
impossible. Therefore they were compelled to fight it with the sword.
Furthermore, there are two most compelling reasons for the Qur'an being
imitated. The first is its enemies' ambition to
dispute it, the other, its friends' pleasure at imitating it. Through
these two impelling causes, millions of books in Arabic have
been written, but not one of them resembles the Qur'an. Whether learned
or ignorant, whoever looks at it and at them most
certainly says: "The Qur'an does not resemble these. Not one of them
has been able to imitate it." Therefore, the Qur'an is
either inferior to all of them, and according to the consensus of friend
and foe alike, this is completely non-valid and
impossible, or the Qur'an is superior to all of them.
If you say: "How do you know that no one has tried to dispute it, and
that no one has had sufficient confidence to challenge
it, and that no one's help for anyone else was of any avail?"
The Answer: If it had been possible to dispute it, most certainly it
would have been attempted. For it was a question of
honor and pride, and life and property were at risk. And if it had
been attempted, most certainly there would have been
many to support such an attempt. For those who obstinately oppose the
truth have always been many. And if it had had
many supporters, they surely would have found fame. For insignificant
contests, even, attract the wonder of people and find
fame in stories and tales. So an extraordinary contest and event such
as that could not have remained secret. The most ugly
and infamous things against Islam have been related and become famous.
Whereas, apart from one or two stories about
Museylima the Liar, nothing has been related. Museylima was very eloquent,
but when compared with the exposition of the
Qurtan, which possesses infinite beauty, his words passed in the chronicles
as nonsense. Thus, the miraculousness of the
Qur'an's eloquence exists as certainly as twice two equals four; the
matter is thus.
S e c o n d A s p e c t: We shall now explain in Five Points the wisdom
of the Qur'an's miraculousness contained in its
eloquence.
First Point: There is a wonderful eloquence and purity of style in the
Qur'an's word order. From beginning to end, Signs of
Miraculousness demonstrates this eloquence and conciseness in the word
order. The way the second, minute, and hour
hands of a clock each complete the order of the others, that is the
way the entire work explains the order in each sentence
and passage of the All-Wise Qur'an, and in each of its words, and in
the or- der in the relationships between the sentences.
Whoever wishes may look at that and see this wonderful eloquence in
the word order. Here, we shall mention one or two
examples in order to demonstrate the word order in the parts of a sentence
as a whole. For example:
But if a breath of your Sustainer's punishment touches them.[5]
[5] Our'an. 21:46.
In this sentence, it wants to point out the punishment as terrible through
showing the severity of the least amount. That is to
say, it expresses little- ness or fewness, and all the parts of the
sentence look also to this littleness Or fewness and reinforce
it. Thus, the words, But if signify doubt, and doubt looks to littleness
or fewness. The word touches means to touch lightly
and expresses a small amount. And just as the word a breath is merely
a whiff, so too is it in the singular form.
Grammatically it is a masdar-i merre and signifies once. Also the tenvin
indicating indefiniteness in a breathe expresses
littleness or fewness and means it is so insignificant that it can
scarcely be known. The word of signifies division or a part; it
means a bit and indicates paucity. The word punishment points to a
light sort of punishment in relation to chastisement
(nekal) or penalty (i'qab), and suggests a small amount. And by alluding
to compassion and being used in place of Subduer,
All-Compelling, or Avenger, the word Sustainer indicates to little-
ness or fewness. It says, if the small amount of
punishment suggested in all this paucity has such an effect, you can
compare how dreadful Divine chastisement would be.
How much then do the small parts of this sentence look to one another
and assist one another. How each reinforces the aim
of the whole. This example looks to the words and aim in one degree.
Second Example:
And spend [in God's way] out of what We have
bestowed on them as sustenance.[6]
[6] Qur'an, 2:3.
The parts of this sentence point out five of the conditions which make alms- giving aeceptable.
First Condition: This is to give only so much alms as will not cause
the giver to be in need of receiving alms himself. It
states this condition through the division or parts signified by out
of in the words out of what.
Second Condition: It is not to take from Ali and give to Vali, but to
give out of a person's own property. The words We
have bestowed on them as sustenance express this condition. It means:
"Give out of the sustenance that is yours."
Third Condition: This is not to place an obligation on the recipient.
The word We in We have bestowed on them as
sustenance states this condition. That is to say: "I give you the sustenance.
When you give some of My pro- perty to My
servant, you cannot place them under an obligation."
Fourth Condition: You should give it to a person who will spend it on
his livelihood, for alms given to those who will
squander it idly is-not acceptable. The word spend points to this condition.
Fifth Condition: This is to give in God's name. The words We bestow
on them as sustenance states this. That is to say:
"The property is Mine; you should give it in My name."
These conditions may be extended. That is, what form should almsgiving
take, with what goods. It may be given as learning
and knowledge. It may be given as words, or as acts, or as advice.
The word what in out of what indicates to these various
sorts through its generality. Furthermore, it indicates to them itself
in this sentence, because it is absolute, it expresses
universality. Thus, in this short sentence describing almsgiving it
opens up to the mind a broad sphere with these five
conditions, and grants it to it through its parts. And so, in the sentence
as a whole the word order has many aspects.
In the same way, between words the word order is within a broad sphere
and has many aspects. And between phrases. For
example, in, Say: He is God, the One[7] there are six sentences. Three
of them are positive and three negative. It proves
six degrees of Divine Unity and at the same time refutes six ways of
associating partners with God. Each sentence is both
the proof of the other sentences and the result. For each sentence
has two meanings. Through one meaning it is the result,
and through the other the proof. That is to say, within Sura al-lkhlas
there are thirty suras composed of proofs demonstrating
one another as well-ordered as Sura al-lkhlas. For example:
Say, He is God, because He is One, because He is the Eternally Besought,
because He begets not, because He is not
begotten, because there is none that is equal to Him.
And:
And there is none that is equal to Him, because
He is not begotten, be- cause He begets not, because
He is Eternally Besought, because He is One,
because He is God
And:
He is God, so He is One, so He is the Eternally
Besought, so He be- gets not, so He is not begotten, so
there is none that is equal to Him.
You can continue in the same way.
A further example:
Alif. Lam. Mim. This is the Book about which
there is no doubt, a guidance for those who fear God. [8]
[7]Qur'an. 112:1
[8] Qur'an2:1-2
Each of these four phrases has two meanings. With one meaning it is
a proof of the other phrases, with the other, it is their
result. From the sixteen threads of their relationships, a miraculous
word order embroidery is produced. It is described in that
way in Signs of Miraculousness. Also, as is explained in the Thirteenth
Word, it is as though each of the verses of the
Qur'an has an eye that sees most of the other verses and a face that
looks to them, so that each extends to the others the
immaterial threads of relationship. Each weaves a miraculous embroidery.
Signs of Miraculousness expounds this beauty
and eloquence of the word order from beginning to end.
Second Point:
This is the wonderful eloquence in its meaning. Consider this example,
which is explained in the Thirteenth Word. For
example, if you want to taste the eloquence of the verse,
All that is in the heavens and on the earth
extols and glorifies God, for He is the Tremendous, the
Wise,[9]
imagine yourself in the Age of Ignorance in the deserts of barbarism
before the Light of the Qurtan. Then, at a moment
everything is swathed in the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness
and enveloped in the lifeless veils of nature, you hear
verses from the heavenly tongue of the Qurtan like:
All that is in the heavens and on the earth extols and glorifies God,
or,
The heavens and the earth and all within them extol and glorify Him.[10]
Now look! See how the dead or sleeping creatures in the world are raised
to life in the minds of listeners at the sound of
extols and glorifies Him; how they become conscious, and rise up and
recite God's Names. And how at the cry and light of
extols and glorifies Him the stars, which had been lifeless lumps of
fire in the black skies, each appear in the view of those
who hear it as a wisdom-displaying word in the mouth of the sky and
a truth - pronouncing light, and in place of desolation
the earth is seen to be a head with the land and sea each as tongues
and animals and plants each as words of glorification
and praise.
And now consider this example, which is proved in the Fifteenth Word. Listen to these verses. What do they say?
Oh you company of jinn and men! If you can
pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth,
pass beyond them! But you will not be able
to pass beyond them save with authority [given by God]. *
Which then, of the blessings of your Sustainer
do you deny? * A flash of fire, and smoke, will be sent
on you, and no succour shall you have. * Which
then of the blessings of your Sustainer do you deny?
[11 ]
And We have adorned the skies nearest the
earth with lamps, and made them missiles to drive away the
evil ones. [12]
[9]Qur'an, 57:1; 59:1; 61:1.
[10] Qur'an, 17:44.
[11] Qur'an, 55:33-6.
[12] Our'an. 67:5.
These verses say: "Oh men and jinn, arrogant and refractory in your
impotence and baseness, and rebellious and obstinate in
your weakness and poverty! If you do not obey My commands, pass beyond
the boundaries of My dominions - if it is in your
power to do so! How can you dare to oppose the commands of a Monarch
Whose commands the stars, moons, and suns
obey as though they were soldiers bearing orders? In your rebelliousness
you oppose an All-Wise and Glonous One Who
has obedient soldiers which are thus awesome. Suppose your satans were
to resist, these soldiers could rain down stones on
them like cannonballs. And in your godlessness you revolt in the lands
of an All-Glorious Sovereign Who is such that among
His forces are those who, it is not insignificant powerless creatures
like you, but supposing the impossible you were each
infidel enemies the size of mountains or the globe of the earth, they
could hurl down stars and flaming missiles that size on
you and rout you. And you infringe a law to which beings such as those
are bound; if it was necessary, they could hurl the
globe of the earth in your face and rain down on you stars and heavenly
bodies as though they were missiles, with God's
permission." You can compare the power, eloquence, and elevated manner
of expression of the meanings of other verses
with these.
Third Point: This is the wonderful uniqueness of its style. Indeed,
the Qur'an's style is both strange, and original, and
wonderful, and convincing. It has imitated nothing and no one. And
no one has been able to imitate it. Its style has always
preserved the freshness, youth, and singularity it possessed when first
revealed and continues to preserve it. For instance,
the unique style of the cipher-like muqatta'at, the 'disjointed letters',
like, Alif: Lam. Mim., Alif: Lam. Ra., Ta. Ha., Ya. Sin.,
Ha. Mim. 'Ayn. Sin. Qaf:, at the beginning of some of the Suras. We
have described five or six of the flashes of
miraculousness they comprise in Signs of Miraculousness.
For example, these letters at the start of certain Suras have taken
half of each category of the many well-known categories
of letters, like the emphatic letters (Alif; jim, dal, ta, ba), the
sibilants, the stressed letters, the soft letters, the labiolinguals,
and kalkale letters (qaf; ta, dal, jim, ba). Taking more than half
from the light letters and less than half from the heavy
letters, neither of which are divisible, it has halved every category.
Although the human mind would be capable of it, halving
all those categories overlapping one within the other, hesitant among
two hundred possibilities, in the only way possible,
which was hidden to the human mind and unknown to it, and organizing
all the letters on that way, over that broad distance,
was not the work of the human mind. And chance could not have interfered
in it. Thus, in addition to these letters at the
beginning of the Suras - Divine ciphers - displaying five or six further
flashes of miraculousness like this, scholars versed in
the mysteries of the science of letters and the authorities from among
the saints have deduced many secrets from these
muqe~tta'at. They have discovered such truths that according to them,
on their own these letters form a most brilliant
miracle. Since we are not party to their secrets and also we cannot
provide proofs that all eyes can see, we cannot open
that door. So we shall make do with referring readers to the five or
six flashes of miraculousness explained concerning them
in Signs of Miraculousness.
Now we shall point out the Qur¹anic styles with regard to Sura, aim, verse, phrase, and word.
For example, if the Sura, About what are they disputing?[l3] is studied
carefully, it shows the conditions of the Hereafter,
the Resurrection of the Dead, and Paradise and Hell with such a wonderful
and unique style that it proves the Divine acts
and Dominical works in this world as though looking at each of those
aspects of the Hereafter, and convinces the heart. To
ex- pound the style of this Sura fully would be lengthy, so we shall
just indicate to one or two points. As follows:
At the start of the Sura, to prove the Resurrection, it says: "We have
made the earth a beautifully decked-out cradle for you,
and the mountains masts and poles full of treasure for your house and
your lives. And We have made you as couples, loving
and close to one another. And We have made the night a coverlet for
the sleep of your comfort, the daytime the arena in
which to gain your livelihood, the sun a light-giving, heat-supplying
lamp, and from the clouds We pour down water as though
they were a spring producing the water of life. And We create easily
and quickly from the simple water the various
flower-bearing and fruit-bearing things which bear all your sustenance.
Since this is so, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of
Separating Good and Evil, awaits you. It is not difficult for Us to
bring about that Day." Thus, it points in a veiled way to
proofs that after this at the Resurrection, the mountains will be dispersed,
the skies shattered, Hell readied, and the people of
Paradise given gardens and orchards. It says in effect: "Since He does
these things in regard to the mountains and the earth
in front of your eyes, He shall do things resembling these in the Hereafter
also." That is to say, the 'mountain' at the
beginning of the Sura looks to the state of the mountains at the Resurrection,
and the garden to the gardens and paradises in
the Hereafter. Thus, you may compare other points to this and see what
a beautiful and elevated style it has.
And, for example:
Say: Oh God, Holder of All Power! You grant dominion to whomever You
wish and You remove dominion from whomever
You wish. You exalt whomever You wish and You bring low whomever You
wish. In Your hand is all good. Indeed, You
are Powerful over all things. * You enter the night into the day and
enter the day into the night, and You bring forth the
living from the dead and bring forth the dead from the living, and
You grant sustenance to whomever You wish without
measure. 14
[13] The Great News, Sura 78.
[14] Qur¹an, 3:26-7.
These verses describe the Divine acts in human kind, and the Divine
manifestations in the revolutions of night and day, and
the Dominical acts of disposal in the seasons of the year, and the
Dominical deeds in life and death on the face of the earth
and in the resurrections in this world in a style so elevated that
it captivates the minds of the attentive. As its brilliant,
elevated, and wide-reaching style is clear with little study, we shall
not open that treasury for now.
And for example,
When the sky is rent asunder * Heeding [the
command of,7 its Sustainer, as in truth it must. * And when the
earth is levelled * And casts out what is
within it and becomes empty * And it heeds [the command of] its
Sustainer, as in truth it must.[l5]
This explains the degree of submission and obedience of the skies and
the earth to Almighty God's command in a most
elevated style as follows: just as a commander-in-chief forms and opens
two offices to accommodate the matters necessary
for fighting, like one for strategy and one for the enroll- ment of
soldiers, and when those matters and the fighting are over,
he ad- dresses himself to those two offices in order to transform them
into some- thing else and use them for some other
business, each of those offices says, either through the tongues of
those employed in it or through its own tongues: "Oh
Chief! Give us a short respite so that we can clean up the bits and
pieces of the former business and throw them out, then
you honour us with your presence. There, we have thrown them out, we
await your command. Order what you wish. We
obey your command. Everything you do is true, good, and beneficial."
In the same way, the heavens and the earth were opened as two arenas
of obligation, trial, and examination. After the
allotted period is finished, they will put aside the things pertaining
to the arena of trial and say: "Oh our Sustainer! The
command is Yours, employ us now in whatever You wish. Our right is
to obey You. Everything You do is right." Look at
and consider carefully the majesty of the style in those sentences!
And for example,
Then the word went forth: 'Oh earth, swallow
up your water! And oh sky withhold [your rain]!' And the
water abated and the matter was ended. The
ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word wentforth: 'Away
with all those who do wrong!'[l6]
[15] Qur'an, 84:1-5.
[16] Our'an, 11:44.
In order to point to a mere drop from the sea of eloquence of this verse,
we shall display an aspect of its style in the mirror
of a comparison. On the victory being won in a great war, the commander
says, "Cease fire!' to one firing army and, "Halt!"
to another, assaulting, army. He gives the com- mand, and at that moment
the firing ceases and the assault is halted. He
says: "It is finished, we have beaten them. Our flag is planted at
the top of the high citadel at the enemies' centre. Those
mannerless tyrants have met with their reward and fallen to the lowest
of the low."
In just the same way, the Peerless Sovereign gave the command to the
heavens and the earth to annihilate the people of
Noah. When they had carried out their duty, He decreed: "Drink up your
water, oh earth! Cease from your work, oh skies.
It is finished. Now the waters are receding. The Ark, which is a Divine
official performing its duty as a tent, is settled on the
top of the mountain. The wrongdoers have met with their reward." Thus,
the style here alludes to the fact that the universe
becomes angry at man's rebellion. The heavens and the earth become
incensed. And through this allusion it says: "One
Whose commands the skies and the earth obey like two obedient soldiers
may not be rebelled against", restraining in a most
awesome fashion. Thus, it describes a universal event like the Flood
with all its consequences and truths in a few sentences
in a concise, miraculous, beautiful, and succinct manner. You can compare
this drop with other drops from this ocean. Now
consider the style displayed by the window of the words.
For example, consider the words like an old date-stalk, withered and curved in,
And the moon We have determined mansions for
till it returns like an old date-stalk, withered and
curved;[l7]
see what a subtle style it displays. It is like this: one of the moon's
mansions is in the Pleiades. The Qur'an likens the moon
when it is a crescent to a withered and whitened old date-stalk. It
shows through this simile to the eye of the imagination
that it is as though there is a tree behind the green veil of the skies,
and one of its white, curved, luminous branches has rent
the veil and raised its head, and that the Pleiades are like a bunch
of grapes on the branch and the other stars are each
luminous fruits of that hidden tree of creation. If you have any discernment,
you will understand what an appropriate,
graceful, subtle, and elevated style and manner of expression this
is in the view of the desert-dwellers for whom the
date-palm is the most important means of livelihood.
And for example, as is proven at the end of the Nineteenth Word, the words runs its course in,
And the sun runs its course to a place appointed l[18]
[17] Qur'an, 36:39.
[18] Our'an. 36:38.
opens a window onto an elevated style, as follows: through the words
runs its course, that is, 'the sun revolves', it makes
known the Maker's tremendousness through bringing to mind the well-ordered
disposals of Divine Power in the revolutions
of winter and summer and day and night, and turns the gaze to the letters
of the Eternally Besought One written by the pen
of Power on the pages of the seasons. It proclaims the wisdom of the
All- Glorious Creator.
And through the word lamp in,
And set the sun as a lamp,[l9 ]
it opens a window on the style like this: by making known the Maker's
majesty and Creator's bounty through recalling that
the world is a palace and the things within it are adornments and food
and necessities prepared for man and living creatures
and that the sun also is a subservient candle, it shows that the sun
is an evidence of God's Unity, that the idolators' most
important, most brilliant object of worship is a subservient lamp,
an inanimate creature. That is to say, the word lamp brings
to mind the Creator's Mercy within the grandeur of His Dominicality.
It makes known the Divine favour within the breadth
of Mercy, and in so doing informs of the munificence within the majesty
of His sovereignty, thereby proclaiming Divine
Unity, and in effect saying: "An inanimate and subservient lamp is
in no way fit to be worshipped."
And in the course of runs its course it calls to mind the wondrous orderly
disposals of Divine power in the revolutions of
night and day and winter and summer, and in so doing makes known the
grandeur of a single Maker's Power in His
Dominicality. That is to say, it turns man's mind from the points of
the sun and moon to the pages of night and day and
winter and summer, and draws his attention to the lines of events written
on those pages. Indeed, the Qur'an does not speak
of the sun for the sake of the sun, but for the One Who illuminates
it. Also, it does not speak of the nature of the sun, of
which man is not in need, but of the sun's duty, which is that of a
spring for the order of Dominical art, and a center for the
order of Dominical creativity, and a shuttle for the harmony and order
of Dominical art in the things the Pre-Eternal
Inscriber weaves with the threads of day and night. You can compare
other words of the Qur'an with these. While each is a
simple, ordinary word, it performs the duty of a key to treasuries
of subtle meanings.
Thus, it is because the Qur'an's style is for the greater part elevated
and brilliant in the ways described that on occasion an
Arab nomad was captivated by a single phrase, and without being a Muslim
would prostrate. One nomad prostrated on
hearing the phrase:
Therefore proclaim openly what you are commanded 20
[19]. Qur'an, 71:16.
[20]. Qur'an, 15:94.
When asked: "Have you become a Muslim?", he replied: "No. I am prostrating at the eloquence of these words."
Fourth Point:
This is the wonderful eloquence in its wording, that is, in the words
employed. Indeed, just as the Qur'an is extraordinarily
eloquent in regard to its style and manner of exposition, so too is
there a most fluent eloquence in its wording. Clear
evidence to the existence of this eloquence is the fact that it does
not bore or cause weariness, and the testimony of the
brilliant scholars of the sciences of rhetoric forms a decisive proof
of the wisdom of the eloquence.
Indeed, it does not weary even if repeated thousands of times; it gives
pleasure rather. It is not burdensome for the memory
of a small and simple child; children can memorize it easily. It is
not unpleasant to the ear, pained by the slightest word, of
someone extremely ill; it is easy on it. It is like sherbet to the
palate of one in the throes of death. The recitation of the
Qur¹an gives sweet pleasure to the ear and mind of such a person
just like Zamzam water to his mouth and palate. The
reason for its not causing boredom, and the wisdom of it, is this:
the Qur'an does not cause weariness because it is food and
sustenance for the heart, strength and wealth for the mind, water and
light for the spirit, and the cure and remedy for the
soul. Everyday we eat bread, yet we do not tire of it. But if we eat
the choicest fruit every day, it does cause boredom. That
means it is because the Qur¹an is truth and reality and truthfulness
and guidance and wonderfully eloquent that it does not
cause weariness and preserves its freshness and agreeableness as though
preserving a perpetual youth. One of the
Qurayshi leaders even - an expert orator - was sent by the idolators
to listen to the Qur¹an. He went and listened to it, then
returned and said to them: "These words have such a sweetness and freshness
that they do not resemble those of men. I
know the poets and soothsayers; these words do not resemble theirs.
The best we can do in order to deceive our followers
is to say it is magic." Thus, even the All-Wise Qur'an's most obdurate
enemies were amazed at its eloquence.
It would be most lengthy to explain the sources of the All-Wise Qur'an's
eloquence in its verses and words and sentences,
therefore we shall keep the explanation brief and show by way of example
the fluency and eloquence of the wording in one
sentence obtained through the portion of the letters and a single flash
of miraculousness that shines forth from that
positioning. Take the verse:
Then after the distress He sent down on you a feeling of peace and
drowsiness, which overcame a group of
you....21 [to the end of the verse]
[21]. Qur'an, 3:154.
In this verse, all the letters of the alphabet are present. But, see,
although all the categories of emphatic letters are together,
it has not spoiled the on smoothness of style. Indeed, it has added
a brilliance and harmonious, congruent melody of
eloquence issuing from varied strings. Also, note carefully the following
flash of eloquence: of the letters of the alphabet,
Alif and Ya, since they are the lightest and have been transposed with
one another like sisters, they have each been
repeated twenty-one times. And since Mim and Nun 22 are sisters and
have changed places, they have each been
mentioned thirty-three times. And since Shin, Sin, and Sad are sisters
in regard to articulation, quality, and sound, each has
been mentioned three times. And although 'Ayn and Ghayn are sisters,
since 'Ayn is lighter, it is mentioned six times, while
because Ghayn is harsher, it is mentioned half as many, three times.
And since Zay, Dhal, Za, and Ta are sisters in regard
to articulation, quality, and sound, each is mentioned twice, while
Lam and Alif in the form of LA have united and Alif 's
share in the form of LA is half that of Lam, Lam is mentioned forty-two
times and as a half of it Alif twenty-one times.
Since Hamza and Ha are sisters in regard to articulation, Hamza 23
is mentioned thirteen times and being a degree lighter
Ha is mentioned fourteen times. And Kaf, Fa and Qaf are sisters; since
Qaf has an additional point, it is mentioned ten
times, Fa, nine times, Kaf nine times, Ba nine times, and Ta twelve
times. Since Ta comes third, it is mentioned twelve
times. Ra is Lam's sister, but according to their numerical value,
Ra is two hundred, and Lam thirty. Since it has risen six
times more, it has fallen six. Also, since Ra is repeated on pronunciation,
it becomes emphatic and is only mentioned six
times. And because Dad, Tha, Ha, and Kha are emphatic and possess certain
qualities in connection with other letters, they
have each been mentioned only once. Since Vav is lighter than Ha and
Hamza, and heavier than Ya and Alif, it is mentioned
seventeen times, four t