In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
The Most Merciful. ❋ It is He who has taught the Qur’an. ❋ He has created man. ❋ He has taught him [articulate thought and] speech.
We offer Him praise and thanks, and seek His blessings for His Prophet, whom He sent as a mercy to all the worlds, and through its signs and indications made his greatest miracle encompass the universe’s truths, so to remain permanently through the passage of time till the Day of Requital, and for all his Family and Companions.
SO KNOW Firstly that our aim from these indications, is a commentary on a number of the symbols of the Qur’an’s ordering and composition (naẓm), for [one aspect of] its miraculousness is manifested in its composition. Indeed, the embroidery of its composition is its most brilliant [form of] miraculousness.
And know Secondly that the fundamental aims of the Qur’an and its essential elements are fourfold: divine unity (al‑tawḥīd), prophethood (al‑nubūwwa), the resurrection of the dead (al‑ḥashr), and justice (al‑‘adāla).
For when mankind, like a successive caravan and procession, departs from the valleys of the past and its lands, travels in the deserts of existence and life and proceeds towards the heights of the future, facing towards its gardens, events shake men and the universe turns its face towards them. It is as though the government of creation sends natural philosophy [or science] (fann al‑ḥikma) to interrogate and question them, saying:
“O mankind! Where are you from? Where are you going? What are you doing? Who is your ruler? And who is your spokesman?”
At one time during this conversation there stood up one from among mankind – as did those like him of the prophets with authority – the lord of mankind Muhammad al‑Hashimi (UWBP), and said through the tongue of the Qur’an:
“O Philosophy! All of us beings we come forth emerging by the power of the Pre‑Eternal Ruler from the darkness of non-existence to the light of existence, and all of us, we sons of Adam, are sent as officials privileged above our brother creatures in bearing the Trust; we are on our way, journeying on the road of the resurrection towards eternal felicity; and we are busy in this world in preparation of that felicity and the development of the potentialities that are our capital; and I am their master and their spokesman. Here it is before you, my manifesto, which is the word of the Pre-Eternal Ruler on which sparkles the stamp of miraculousness.”
Thus, the answerer of these questions, the correct answer, is none other than the Qur’an, that book – the answer is those four fundamental principles.
Just as the four aims are seen in the whole of the Qur’an, so they are manifested in every sura; indeed, they are hinted at in every phrase or alluded to in every word; because each part is like a mirror to the whole ascending, just as the whole is seen in each part successively. And by this point I mean that by this participation of the part (al‑juz’) in the whole (al‑kull), the Qur’an is made known as a totality (al‑kullī) with constituent parts (al‑juz’iyyāt).
If You Were to Ask: Show me these four aims in Bismillāh – In the Name of Allah and al‑ḥamdulillāh – all praise be to Allah.
You Would Be Told: Since Bismillāh was revealed in order to instruct [the Most High’s] servants, Say! (Qul) is implicit in it and essentially it is implied by [all] the words of the Qur’an. So according to this, there is in Say! (Qul) an indication to prophethood; and in Bismillāh a sign to the Godhead;
and in the prefixing of [the preposition] bi‑ of Bismillāh a sign to divine unity;
and in the Most Merciful (al‑Raḥmān) an allusion to the order [of the universe, and therefore to] justice and beneficence; and in the Most Compassionate (al‑Rahīm) a hint at the resurrection of the dead.
Likewise, in all praise be to Allah (al‑ḥamdulillāh) is a pointer to the Godhead; and in the lām of specification (the li‑ of li‑llāh) a sign to divine unity.
And in Lord and Sustainer of all the worlds (Rabb al‑‘ālamīn) is an allusion to justice, and also to prophethood, for the prophets are the educators of humankind.
And in Master of the Day of Judgement (Mālik yawm al‑dīn) is an explicit statement of resurrection.
Likewise, the shell of Innā a‘ṭaynāka’l‑kawthar contains these pearls [of the Qur’an’s four main aims].
In the name of Allah (Bismillāh) is like the sun, which illumines itself as well as others and is self‑sufficient.
Thus, the In (bi‑) is related to the verb that is implicit in its meaning; that is, I seek help from it; or the meaning usually associated with it; that is, I swear by it. Or it is related to the implicit Say! (Qul), which necessitates a subsequent ‘recite!’ or read! (iqrā’) to denote sincerity and divine unity.
As for name (al‑ism) know that Allah has names pertaining to His essence, and names pertaining to various sorts of action, such as Forgiving, Provider, Giver of Life, and Dealer of Death, and so on.
They are various and numerous because of the multiplicity of the relations of His pre‑eternal power with the different kinds of beings. Therefore, Bismillāh is an invocation, seeking the agency and connection of divine power, that its connection might be a spirit for man and a help for him in his actions.
Allāh: the proper name of Allah is a comprehensive summary of all the attributes of perfection, for it implies the Essence, unlike other proper nouns, in which there is no necessary implication of attributes.
The Most Merciful, the All‑Compassionate:
The positioning (naẓm): just as divine glory (jalāl) and its concomitants are manifested in sequence from the name of “Allāh,” so too divine beauty (jamāl) and its concomitants appear in sequence from “the Most Merciful, the All‑Compassionate (al‑Raḥmān /al‑Raḥīm)." Since Glory and Beauty are two sources, there appear in sequence from them by virtue of their being manifest in every world, branches like command and prohibition, reward and punishment, inducement and threat, glorification and praise, and fear and hope, and so on.
Also, just as the name of Allāh indicates the attributes that are identical with His Essence and indicate His freedom from defect (al‑ṣifāt al-‘ayniyya wa’l-tanzīhiyya), so All‑Compassionate (al-Raḥīm) hints at the attributes that are other than His Essence and pertain to action (al‑ṣifāt al-ghayriyya al-fi‘liyya). As for Most Merciful (al‑Raḥmān), it indicates the seven attributes that are neither identical with nor other than His Essence (lā ‘ayn wa lā ghayr), since it has the meaning of the Provider (al‑Razzāq) and consists of the bestowal of continuance.
For continuance is the repetition of existence;
and existence necessitates a distinguishing attribute,
a specifying attribute,
and an effectuating attribute, and these are Knowledge, Will, and Power. Continuance, which is the result of the bestowal of sustenance, entails the certainty of Sight, Hearing, and Speech, for necessarily the Provider has sight in order to see the need of the recipient of providence if he does not seek it; and He has hearing in order to hear the recipient’s word when he asks; and He has speech in order to speak through intermediaries, when there are some. And these six necessitate the seventh, which is Life.
If You Were to Ask: The precedence of Most Merciful (al‑Raḥmān), which indicates great bounties, over All‑Compassionate (al-Raḥīm), which indicates minute bounties, is the art of descending from great to small (ṣan‘at al‑tadallī). While eloquence (al‑balāgha) requires an ascent from lowest to highest (ṣan‘at al‑taraqqī)?
You Would Be Told: The latter is appended to the former in order to complete it, like eyebrows complete the eyes and the bridle the horse.
Similarly, when the great depends on the minute the minute gains the superiority, like the key to the lock and the tongue to the spirit.
Furthermore, this context (lit. station – al‑maqām) being one of drawing attention to the bounties [rather than enumerating them or evoking gratitude for them], to alert [the reader to this fact since it is] less obvious is more appropriate. So the art of descending from great to small when (lit. in the context of) enumerating bounties and evoking gratitude for them becomes the art of ascending from small to great when alerting [the mind to them] and pointing them out.
If You Were to Ask: Like such concepts as tender‑heartedness, Merciful and Compassionate cannot be used in reference to the Most High. If what is meant by these is their results, which here would be the bestowal of bounty, what is the reason for such figures of speech (al‑majāz)?
You Would Be Told: The reason is that of the allegorical verses (al‑mutashābihāt): it is divine condescension to human intellects; making something familiar to the mind and inducing it to understand, like one speaks to a child in terms he is accustomed to and familiar with. The mass of the people gather their information from their senses and they do not look at sheer truths except in the mirror of what they imagine them to be and from the point of view of that to which they are accustomed. Moreover, the aim of the phrase is to convey the meaning, and this is not achieved except by affecting the heart and emotions, and by clothing the truth in a style familiar to the one addressed; in this way his heart is prepared to accept it.
(All) praise
Its positioning as regards what precedes it: Since the Most Merciful (al‑Raḥmān) and the All‑Compassionate (al-Raḥīm) indicate the [divine] bounties and favours, they necessitate praise.
Furthermore, All praise be to Allah (al‑ḥamduli’llāh) is repeated in four suras in the Qur’an, each repetition referring to one of the principal bounties, which are the first creation and the continuation of it, and the last creation and its ensuing continuation.
Its positioning here: [All praise be to Allah (al‑ḥamduli’llāh)] being put at the opening of the Fātiḥa of the Qur’an is like putting the conception of the Qur’an’s ultimate purpose in the forefront of the brain,
for praise is a concise form of worship, which is the result of creation, and of knowledge of Allah, which is the purpose and aim of the universe. So to mention praise is to conceive of the Qur’an’s ultimate purpose. Indeed, Allah (May He be exalted and glorified) says: I created not the jinn and men except that they might worship.
Furthermore, there is the well‑known meaning of praise: the display of the attributes of perfection.
How this is achieved: Allah created man and made him a comprehensive summary of the universe and an index of the book of the world, which comprises eighteen thousand worlds, and lodged in his essence a sample from each, in which is manifested one of His names. If man spends all of what is bestowed on him in the way of that for which he was created, for the purpose of offering thanks, a sort of praise, and obeying the Shari‘a, which removes the rust of nature, each of those samples becomes a map [illuminating] his world, and a mirror reflecting it and the attribute manifested in it and the name it displays. In this way, with both spirit and body, man becomes a summary of the worlds of the seen and unseen, and manifests what is manifested in them.
Through offering praise he becomes both a place of demonstration and a demonstrator of the attributes of perfection.
This is implied by what Muḥyī al‑Dīn al-‘Arabī said in explanation of the Hadith: I was a hidden treasure, so I created creation that they might know Me. That is, I created creation to be a mirror in which I might observe My beauty.
(Be) to Allah That is, praise (ḥamd) is particular to and fitting only for the Most Pure and Holy Essence, who although specified is described by the concept of the Necessarily Existent One. For sometimes something specific may be thought of in general terms.The letter lām (the li‑ of li‑llāh) here is dependent on the verb implied by its meaning, as though it had absorbed the verb’s meaning. In the lām is also a sign to sincerity and divine unity.
Lord and Sustainer That is, He who raises and sustains the universe with all its component parts, each of which is a world like the greater world, with all its atoms, like its stars dispersed, in motion, in order.
Know that Allah (May His glory be exalted) appointed for everything a point of perfection and deposited in each an inclination towards it, as though commanding it through this inclination to set out for the point of perfection. In its journey each thing stands in need of what will help it and what will repulse the things that hinder it, and this is the sustaining of Allah.
If you study the universe, you will see that it resembles human groups and nations, with each thing individually and collectively employed in the duties its Maker has appointed for it, striving diligently, obeying the laws of its Creator. How surprising therefore is man, in his being an exception!
Of all the worlds The yā and nūn [that is, the two final letters] denote either a grammatical ending as in the numbers twenty and thirty ‘ishrīn, thalāthīn, or the [sound] plural. For the components of the worlds are worlds, or the world is not limited to the solar system. As the poet says: Praise be to Allah, how numerous are His celestial spheres! Among them circulate the stars, and the sun and the moon. The sound plural, [properly used] for rational beings, as in the verse Ra’aytuhum lī sājidīn I saw them prostrate themselves before me, indicates that [the science of] rhetoric conceives of all the components of the world as living and rational, speaking through the tongue of disposition.
For the world (‘ālam) is so‑called because through it the Maker is known (yu‘lam), and it bears witness to Him and points to Him. Thus, the raising and sustaining of beings and their making known their Maker indicate, like the prostration, that they are as though conscious.
The Most Merciful, the All‑Compassionate Their positioning: they point to the two fundamentals in raising and nurturing. For in its meaning of Provider (al‑Razzāq), Most Merciful infers the attraction of benefits, while in its meaning of Oft‑Forgiving (al‑Ghaffār), All‑Compassionate is conformable with the repulsion of harm, and these are the two basic principles of raising and sustaining.
Master of the Day [of Judgement] That is, the day of resurrection and requital. The positioning: it is as though it is the result of what precedes it, for mercy (raḥma) is one of the proofs of resurrection and eternal felicity. For mercy can only be mercy, and bounty can only be bounty when the Resurrection arrives and eternal felicity comes about. Otherwise, on thinking of eternal separation, intelligence, which is one of the greatest bounties, would be a calamity for mankind, and affection and compassion, which are the most refined kinds of mercy, would be transformed into severe pain.
If You Were to Ask: Allah is always the owner of everything, so why is the Day of Requital specified?
You Would Be Told: It is specified in order to indicate that apparent causes, which Allah the Most High has put in the world of change to demonstrate His sublimity – lest the direct functioning of the Hand of Power be seen by the mind’s eye in matters that appear to be lowly in their outward (mulk) aspect, will be raised on that day, and their inner aspect (malakūtiyya) will be manifested clearly and transparently. Then all things will see and know their Lord and Maker without intermediary.
And in the term the Day (al‑yawm) is an allusion to one of the conjectural signs of the resurrection, related to the evident correspondence between a day and a year, and the life of man and the cycle of the earth.
So it is between the hands of a clock that count the seconds, the minutes, the hours, and the days. Thus, the person who sees that one hand has completed its revolution will surmise that the others will complete their revolutions too, even if with delay.
Similarly, the person who sees the repeated resurrections of the species in the examples of the day and the year will surmise that the spring of eternal felicity will be born on the morning of the Day of Resurrection for mankind, one individual of which is like a species.
What is meant by al‑Dīn is either requital, that is, the day of requital for good deeds and bad, or of the truths of religion; that is, the day they will rise and be totally manifested, and the sphere of belief will prevail over the sphere of causes.
For by relating causes to effects, Allah has deposited an order in the universe through His will, and obliged man through his nature, illusions, and imagination, to comply with the order and be bound to it. Moreover, He directed all things towards Himself and is far above the effect of the causes in His dominions (mulk). He charged man in belief and faith, to comply with this sphere with his conscience and his spirit, and be bound to it. For in this world, the sphere of causes predominates over the sphere of belief, while in the next world the truths of belief will be manifested as supreme over the sphere of causes.
Know too that each of the two spheres has its appointed position and particular rules, so each should be given its due. Thus, the person who looks from the position of the causal world with his nature, delusions, and imagination and the criteria of causes towards the sphere of belief is forced to be Mu‘tazilite,
while a person who looks from the position of belief and its criteria with his spirit and conscience towards the sphere of causes will end up displaying a lazy sort of trust and obstinate opposition to the will of the Orderer.
You alone do we worship
Two points may be made concerning the letter kāf [in the detached accusative pronoun iyyāka]:
The First of them is that by reason of the direct form of address [that is, the change to the second person after the use of the third], the pronominal suffix ‑ka – you implies the attributes of perfection mentioned previously. For the previous mention [of the attributes] one after the other stimulates the brain, preparing it, filling it with enthusiasm, and directing the attention to the One described. Thus, You alone (iyyāka) means “O You Who is qualified by these attributes!”
The Second Point: the use of the second person indicates that according to the science of rhetoric the meanings should be dwelt on, for then it will be read as it was revealed, and this will lead the person to make the address naturally and enthusiastically. Hence, You alone do we worship implies compliance with [the Hadith] “Worship your Lord as if you were seeing Him.”
The use of the first person plural in do we worship (na‘budu) has three aspects:
Firstly, we worship, all of us members and atoms of the microcosm that is myself, by offering the thanks expressed by all these members and atoms complying with that which they have been commanded.
Secondly, all of us monotheists, we worship You through obedience to your Shari‘a.
And Thirdly, all of us beings, we submit totally to your Supreme Shari‘a of Creation, and we prostrate in bewilderment and love at the throne of your awesomeness and power.
The positioning: Do we worship (na‘budu) elucidates and expounds praise (al‑ḥamd). [That is, it explains the form praise should take.] It is the result of Master of the Day of Judgement (mālik al‑yawm al-dīn) and necessitates it. [That is, “We worship Him alone because He is the Owner of all things.”]
Know too that the precedence of You alone (iyyāka) infers sincerity, the essence of worship, while the use of the second person indicates the reason for worship, for the One qualified by these attributes, which call for direct address, is worthy of worship.
And from You alone do we seek help In respect of the three groups mentioned above, this is the same as You alone do we worship:
All of us members of man the microcosm, and us monotheists, and us beings, we seek help and assistance from You for all our needs and aims, the most important of which is worship.
The You alone (iyyāka) is repeated;
to increase the pleasure of the address and sense of presence;
and because the station (maqām) of meeting face to face is higher and more exalted than the station of proof [in the absence of the one addressed];
and because presence calls for truthfulness and not for lying;
and because worship and the seeking of help are two different, independent aims.
The positioning of do we seek help and do we worship: you should understand that the relationship between them resembles the relationship of wages with service. For worship is Allah’s right over His bondsman [worship is a form of service], and the help is His bountiful bestowal [or reward].
In the exclusivity implied by the precedence of You alone is an indication to the fact that through the noble relation that is worship and the service of Allah, the bondsman is raised up from subjection to causes and intermediaries; indeed, the causes become his servants, and since he recognizes the One alone, [for him] the sphere of belief and conscience will come to dominate, as mentioned. The person who is not truly Allah’s servant becomes a slave to causes and is abased by intermediaries. However, while in the sphere of causes the bondsman should not neglect causes altogether lest he comes to rebel against the order established by divine wisdom and will, for misplaced reliance on Allah while in the sphere of causes is laziness, as discussed. This is like the relationship of the antecedent and the aim, for help and grace are the preliminaries of worship.
Guide us
The positioning: it is the bondsman’s reply to Allah’s question, as if He asks: “What aim is closest to your heart?” and the bondsman replies: “Guide us!”
Know that because of its several levels of meaning, it is as if Guide us is derived from the four sources [or verbal nouns – maṣdar] of the act of guidance. For its recipients may be divided into those who are guided, those who seek guidance, and those who seek increase in guidance.
So Guide us means: make us firm in guidance if we are a society; increase us in guidance if we are a community; make us successful in guidance if we are a tribe; give us guidance if we are a group.
Also, according to the verse, Who gives unto every thing [that exists] its true nature and form, and thereupon guides it, Allah guided us by giving us external and inner senses; then He guided us by placing evidences in the outside world and in ourselves; then He guided us by sending prophets and revealing books.
And then He guided us with the greatest guidance, which was that by removing the veils from the truth, it appeared as truth and falsehood appeared as falsehood.
O Lord! Show us what is indeed the truth and empower us to follow it, and show us the false for what it is, and enable us to avoid it.
The Straight Path
Know that the Straight Path is justice, consisting of the blending and summary of wisdom (ḥikma), chastity (‘iffa), and courage (shajā‘a), which are the mean or middle way of the three degrees of man’s three powers. To explain:
When Allah (May He be exalted and glorified!) housed spirit (rūḥ) in man’s body, which is changing, needy, and exposed to dangers, He deposited three powers in it to ensure its continued existence.
The First: The power of animal appetites to attract benefits.
The Second: The power of savage anger to repulse harmful and destructive things.
The Third: The power of angelic intellect to distinguish between benefit and harm.
However, since His wisdom necessitated that humanity should achieve perfection through the mystery of competition, Allah placed no innate limitation on these powers, as He did on those of other living beings. He did however limit them through the Shari‘a, for it prohibits excess (ifrāṭ) and deficiency (tafrīṭ) and enjoins the middle way (wasaṭ).
This is what is inferred by the verse Pursue then the right course as you have been bidden. In the absence of any innate limitation, three degrees arise in the three powers: the degree of deficiency, which is negligence; the degree of superabundance, which is excess; and the middle way, which is justice.
Thus, deficiency in the power of intellect is stupidity and foolishness, and its excess, perfidious deception and over‑meticulousness in trivialities, and its middle way is wisdom.
He who has been given wisdom, has been given great good.
Know that just as the power varies in these degrees, so does each of its branches vary. For example, in the question of the creation of actions, the middle way is that of the Sunni School between the Jabriyya and the Mu‘tazila,
and in the question of doctrine, the school of divine unity is the middle way between the denial of the divine attributes (ta‘ṭīl) and anthropomorphism (tashbīh).
The six extremes are thus tyranny and the three middle ways are justice, which is the Straight Path and is to act in act in accordance with Pursue then the right course as you have been bidden. Whoever passes along this way will cross the bridge suspended over the Fire.
The path of those whom You have blessed Consider this:
The positioning of the Qur’an’s words like pearls is not on one string, but in a multiplicity of embroideries resulting from the interweaving of lines of different relationships, close and distant, apparent and hidden. For the basis of the miraculousness after the conciseness is this embroidery.
For example, The way of those whom You have blessed (Ṣirāṭ alladhīna an‘amta ‘alayhim) has a relationship with All praise be to God because bounty (al‑ni‘ma) is the corollary of praise;
• and with Lord and Sustainer of all the worlds because perfect sustaining and raising is through the continual bestowal of bounties (al‑ni‘am);
• and with the Most Merciful, All‑Compassionate, because the recipients of bounty – I mean the prophets, the martyrs who witness to the Truth, and the righteous – are a mercy to the worlds and evident exemplars of mercy;
• and with Owner of the Day of Judgement (mālik al‑yawm ad-dīn), because religion (dīn) is the perfect bounty;
• and with do we worship, because they are foremost in worship;
• and with do we seek help, because they have been graced with success in response to their request for help;
• and with Guide us, because according to the meaning of Follow then their guidance, they are the finest models;
• and with the Straight Path, because clearly the straight path is confined to their way. This is an example, so carry on in the same way.
In the word path (al‑ṣirāṭ) is an indication that their way is passable, and has restricted sides so that those who travel down it will not stray from it.
In those whom (alladhīna) – since it is a relative pronoun and it is the function of the relative pronoun to describe things known to the listener – is an indication to the exaltedness of their rank, and their refulgent shining in the darkness of mankind, as if they are obvious to all listeners even if they do not search or enquire.
While its being plural indicates the possibility of following their way, and corroborated by the constant consensus concerning it, its rightness, since “Allah’s power is with the community.”
In the use of the perfect tense for You have blessed (an‘amta) is a hint to the means of requesting further bounty. And its use of the second person, addressing Allah directly, indicates that it is an intercessor, as though one is saying: “O my God! You are the bestower of bounty and in Your grace have bestowed it before; so bestow it on me again, even though I am not worthy.”
And in on them (‘alayhim) is an indication to the heavy burden that is divine messengership and the bearing of the Trust, and a sign that the Messengers are like high mountains on which pour down torrents of rain so that the plains may be flooded.
As one part of the Qur’an expounds another, how beautifully Those whom You have blessed is expounded by [they] are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah – of the prophets, the veracious, the witnesses, and the righteous!
If You Were to Ask: The outlooks of the prophets are all different and their ways of worship are diverse. What is the reason for this?
You Would Be Told: The prophets are all followed in the principles of belief and fundamental rules, for these are constant and fixed; unlike secondary matters, the nature of which is to change in the course of time. Just as the four seasons and the stages in a person’s life warrant different remedies and clothing – what is a cure at one time may cause illness at another – so the stages of the life of humanity necessitate differences in rules of secondary importance, which are healing for spirits and nourishment for hearts.
Not of those who earn Your anger The positioning:
Know that in being a station of fear and flight, this station has a relationship with those preceding it. For a person looks in bewilderment and terror towards the station of dominicality signified by Glory and Beauty; he looks seeking refuge towards the station of worship in do we worship; in his impotence he looks towards the station of reliance in do we seek help, and seeking consolation he looks towards its constant companion; that is, the station of hope and relief. For what occurs first to the heart of one who sees something terrifying is a sense of bewilderment, then he wants to flee, then having realized his impotence it occurs to him to rely on Allah, and then he receives solace.
If You Were to Ask: Allah (May He be exalted) is All‑Wise and Self-Sufficient, so what is the wisdom in the creation of evil, ugliness, and misguidance in the world?
You Would Be Told: Know that perfection, good, and beauty are essentially what are intended in the universe, and are in the majority. Relatively, defects, evil, and ugliness are in the minority, and are insignificant, secondary, and trivial. Their Creator created them interspersed among good and perfection not for their own sakes, but as preliminaries and units of measurement for the appearance, or existence, of the relative truths of good and perfection.
If You Were to Ask: So what is the importance of the relative truths for the sake of which partial evil is approved?
You Would Be Told: Relative truths are the ties between beings and the threads with which their order is woven. They are the rays from which is reflected each unique being of the species in the universe. Relative truths are thousands of times more numerous than real truths, for if the real attributes of a person were sevenfold, the relative truths would be seven hundred. A lesser evil may therefore be forgiven, approved even, for the sake of the greater good. For to abandon the greater good because it contains some lesser evil, is a greater evil. And in the view of wisdom, if the lesser evil encounters the greater evil, the lesser evil becomes a relative good, as has been established in principle in zakāt and jihād, for example.
As is well known, things are known through their opposites, which means that the existence of a thing’s opposite causes the manifestation and existence of its relative truths. For example, if there were no ugliness and it did not permeate beauty, the existence of beauty with its infinite degrees would not be apparent.
If You Were to Ask: What is the reason for the different forms of the following three words: an‘amta – You have blessed being a verb, al‑maghḍūb – earn [Your] anger being a passive participle, and aḍ‑ḍāllīn – those who go astray being an active participle? Also, what is the reason for the following differences being mentioned: the attribute of the third group, the outcome of the second, which is the result of its attributes, and the exact terms of the first?
You Would Be Told: The term bounty (or blessings) is chosen because bounty is a delight to which the spirit inclines, and it is in the past tense because this intimates that it is the mark of the Absolutely Generous One not to take back what He gives. By drawing attention to this practice of the Bestower of Bounty, it also suggests a way of reaching what is requested, as if one was saying: “Since it is Your practice to bestow bounties and You have bestowed them previously, bestow them on me too.”
As for Not of those who earn Your anger, by it is meant those who exceed the limits of the power of passion, and have committed injustice and depravity by abandoning the rules.
Since there is in the essence of depravity and injustice an evil pleasure and vicious pride that do not sicken the soul, the Qur’an mentions a consequence that does sicken it, and that is the descent of divine wrath.
The fact that a passive participle has been chosen implies continuation and this is an indication that rebelliousness and evil become ineradicable characteristics if they are not halted by repentance and forgiveness.
Nor of those who go astray This refers to those who have strayed from the path because delusion and passion have overridden the intellect and conscience, and they have fallen into hypocrisy through false belief. The Qur’an has chosen to describe it thus because misguidance is itself pain; the soul is sickened by it, and the spirit avoids it even it has not seen its result.
And the active participle has been chosen because misguidance will be misguidance so long as it is not halted.
Know too that all pain lies in misguidance and all pleasure is found in belief.
If you wish, consider the state of a person whom the Hand of Power has taken out of the darkness of non‑existence and flung into the world, that vast and frightening desert. When he opens his eyes seeking compassion, he sees afflictions and calamities besetting him like enemies. Seeking mercy, he looks to the elements and natural causes, and finds them stony-hearted and relentless, baring their teeth at him. Seeking help he raises his gaze to the celestial bodies and sees them awesome and bewildering; threatening him as though they were projectiles of fire issuing from huge mouths and encircling him. In bewilderment he lowers his head, and shielding it, starts to ponder. Then he hears the thousand screams of his needs and the moaning of his wants. Fearfully, he looks to his conscience seeking relief, and is met with thousands of vast and overwhelming hopes which cannot be satisfied in this world.
For God’s sake, what is the state of this person if he does not believe in the first creation and the resurrection of the dead, and in the Creator and Last Judgement? Do you imagine the sufferings of Hell would be severer for him, searing his soul more terribly? For his state is one of compounded anxiety, terror, impotence, trembling, fearfulness, orphanhood, and despair. If he considers his power, he will see himself to be impotent and weak. If he tries to quieten his needs, he will realize that they cannot be quietened. If he shouts and calls for help, he will not be heard and he will not be helped. He supposes everything to be hostile. He imagines everything to be strange, so feels no familiarity. He does not look to the revolutions of the celestial bodies except with fear, bewilderment, and fright, which disturbs his conscience.
Now consider the state of this person if he is on the Straight Path and his conscience and spirit are illuminated with the light of belief:
You will see that when he enters this world, opens his eyes, and beholds the assaults of all the things around him, he discerns a support on which to lean in the face of these onslaughts, and this is recognition of the Creator, so he will find rest.
Then if he examines his innate disposition, potentialities, and hopes, which extend to eternity, he will perceive a source of assistance. He seeks help from it for his hopes, for from it is drawn the water of life, which is knowledge of eternal felicity.
And if he raises his head and looks at the universe, he will feel a familiarity with everything; he will sense familiarity and affection coming from every flower.
He will see in the motions of the heavenly bodies the wisdom of their Creator, and he will receive pleasure from their progress. Gazing on them, he will take a lesson and reflect.
It is as if the sun is beckoning to him, saying: “My brother! Don’t be frightened of me, I welcome your arrival. Both of us are servants of the One Being, obedient to His command.” The moon, the stars, the sea, and their sisters will call each with her particular tongue. Waving to him, they will say: “Welcome! Don’t you know us? We are all busy in the service of your Owner. Do not feel dismay or fright, nor be distressed by the threat of the calamities with their bared teeth, for the reins of all things are in your Creator’s hand.”
Thus, in the first situation, the person feels a terrible distress in the depths of his conscience. He will be compelled to rid himself of it and to soothe and deaden his senses through diversions, feigning unawareness and busying himself with trivia, so to deceive his conscience and numb his spirit. He will otherwise feel an acute pain in the depths of his conscience, and its effect will be apparent to the degree he is distant from the true path.
As for the second situation, there the person feels in the depths of his spirit a great delight and immediate happiness. Whenever his heart awakens and his conscience stirs and his spirit is moved, his happiness will increase and he will receive the good news that the doors of a spiritual paradise are being flung open to him.