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We are a witness and testify before the whole world that we have found in the Holy Qur’an the reality that leads to God. We have heard the voice of God and have witnessed the signs of the mighty arm of Him Who has revealed the Qur’an. We believe that He is the True God and is the Master of the worlds. Our heart is filled with this certainty as the ocean is filled with water. We, therefore, invite everyone to this faith and to this light on the basis of enlightened perception. We have found the true light which dispels all darkness and which really renders the heart cold to all that is beside God. This is the only way by following which a person emerges from the grip of passion and the darkness of the ego as a snake sloughs off its skin.

It is an obvious fact that the great merit of anything lies in its fulfilling the purpose for which it has been made. For instance, if a bullock is purchased for ploughing land its merit will be judged by the degree to which it is able to discharge its function of ploughing. In the same way, it is obvious that the true purpose of a heavenly Book is that it should rescue its followers from every sin and the sinful life through its teaching and influence, and its power of reform and spiritual qualities, and should bestow a pure life upon them, and after purifying them, should bestow upon them full insight for the recognition of God and should establish a relationship of love and devotion between them and the Peerless Being, Who is the Fountainhead of all joys. In truth, this love is the root of salvation and this is the paradise on entering which all fatigue, bitterness, pain and torment are removed. Without doubt, the living and perfect revealed Book is the one which should lead a seeker after God to his goal and, rescuing him from a low life, should lead him to the True Beloved, meeting Whom is salvation itself. It should rescue him from all doubts and should bestow such perfect understanding upon him as if he can see God. It should establish such strong relationship between God and him that he should become a faithful servant of God and God should be so benevolent towards him that He should make a distinction between him and those beside him with diverse types of His help and support and should open the gates of His understanding to him.

If a book fails to discharge this duty, which is its real purpose, and seeks to establish its merit by making other irrelevant claims, it would be like a person who claims to be an expert physician, but when a patient is brought to him and he is asked to heal him, he replies that he is unable to heal him, but that he knows how to wrestle, or that he is an expert in astronomy or philosophy. It is obvious that such a person would be called a jester and would deserve the condemnation of all reasonable people. The chief purpose of a Book of God and a Messenger of God is to rescue the world from a life of sin and to establish a holy relationship between God and the world. It is not their purpose to teach people subjects of secular study and to instruct them in worldly inventions.

It is not difficult for a reasonable and just person to understand that the purpose of a Book of God is to lead people to God, and to make them believe in Him as a certainty, and to stop them from committing sin by impressing the majesty and awe of God upon their hearts. Of what use is a book which cannot cleanse a heart, nor can bestow such pure and perfect understanding as should make one hate sin? The attraction of sin is a dangerous leprosy which cannot be healed till the manifestations of the living understanding of God, and the signs of His awe, greatness and power, descend like rain and till a person perceives God with His aweinspiring powers as a goat perceives a tiger which is only two steps away from it. Man needs to be freed from the fatal passion of sin. The greatness of God should so occupy his heart that it should rid him of the overpowering desire of passion which falls upon him like lightning and instantly consumes his store of righteousness.

Can such impure passions as attack repeatedly like epilepsy and destroy all sense of piety be wiped out by any self-conceived concept of God? Or can they be suppressed by one’s own thinking, or be blocked by an atonement whose suffering has not been personally experienced? Certainly not. This is not a matter of indifference but in the estimation of a wise person it is worthy of consideration above all else as to how he might safeguard himself against the ruin which confronts him on account of his daring and his lack of relationship with God, the root of which is sin and disobedience. It is obvious, that a person cannot give up a certain pleasure for the sake of a conjecture. It is only a certainty that can rescue one from another certainty. For instance, if we are certain that there are a number of deer in a forest whom we can easily catch, we are incited by that certainty to enter the forest for that purpose; but if we are also certain that there are half a hundred lions in the forest and thousands of blood-thirsty pythons, we would be dissuaded from making the attempt. Thus, sin cannot be avoided without this degree of certainty. It is only iron that can break iron. There should be that certainty of the greatness and awe of God which should tear up the curtains of heedlessness, and should make the body tremble, and should make death appear near. The heart should be so overcome by fear that all relationship with the sinful ego should be cut asunder and one should be drawn by hidden hands towards God and the heart should be filled with certainty that God Who is truly present does not leave a daring offender without punishment. What shall a seeker after true purity do with a book which does not fill this need?

Supremacy of the Holy Qur’an

Holy Qur’an Fulfils the Purpose of the Scriptures

I wish to convey it to everyone that the Holy Qur’an is the Book which fulfils all these needs. Through it, a person is drawn to God and his heart grows cold to the love of the world. For those who follow it, God, Who is hidden beyond the hidden, in the end manifests Himself and displays those powers of which outsiders have no notion, and informs of His existence by the affirmation: I am present.

But the Vedas certainly do not possess this quality. They are like a worn out bundle whose owner is dead or is not traceable. The Permeshwar towards whom the Vedas call is not proved to be living. Indeed, the Vedas put forward no proof that their Permeshwar exists. The misleading teaching of the Vedas has rendered it doubtful that one could find the Creator through His creation; inasmuch as, according to the teachings of the Vedas, souls and particles are all eternal and uncreated, then how can one discover the Creator through that which is uncreated? Also, the Vedas shut the door of Divine revelation and deny the fresh Signs of God. According to the Vedas, Permeshwar cannot display a Sign in support of His special servants which should be beyond the knowledge or experience of the average person. The utmost that can be said about the Vedas is that they affirm the existence of God like an average being, and do not put forward any certain proof in support of the existence of God.

In short, the Vedas cannot bestow that understanding which comes fresh from God and conveys a person from earth to heaven. However our observation and experience, and of those who have passed before us, is witness that the Holy Qur’an draws its true follower to itself through its spiritual effect and its inherent light and illumines his heart, and then, by displaying great signs, creates such a strong relationship with God as cannot be cut asunder by a sharp sword. It opens the eye of the heart, banks up the dirty spring of sin, honours one with the delicious converse of God, discloses that which is hidden and helps acceptance of prayer and gives information of it. God Almighty, through His awe-inspiring signs, makes it manifest to everyone who opposes a true follower of the Holy Qur’an that He is with that servant of His who follows His Word.

God, in whose meeting is man’s salvation and eternal happiness, cannot be found without following the Holy Qur’an. Would that people could see that which I have seen and they could hear that which I have heard and give up following stories and run towards reality. The means of obtaining perfect knowledge through which one can see God, the cleansing water which removes all doubts, and the mirror through which one can behold that High Being, is the converse with God which I have just mentioned. He whose soul seeks the truth should arise and search for it.

I say truly that if souls were inspired by true search and hearts felt true thirst, people would look for this way and would search for it. I assure the seekers that Islam alone gives the good news of this way, for other people have since long sealed up the possibility of revelation. Be sure that this seal is not set by God, but as man has deprived himself of this favour, he seeks excuses for its absence. As it is not possible that we should be able to see without eyes, hear without ears, or speak without a tongue, in the same way, it is not possible that we should be able to behold the countenance of the sweet Beloved without the Holy Qur’an. I was young and am now old, but I have found no one who might have drunk of this clear understanding without this holy fountain.

The straight path and the principal means which is full of the light of certainty and constant experience, and is the perfect guide for our spiritual welfare and our intellectual progress, is the Holy Qur’an which is charged with the settlement of all the religious contests of the world. Each and every word of it consistently carries thousands of repeated confirmations and it contains a large quantity of the waters of life for us and comprises many rare and priceless jewels which are hidden in it and are being displayed every day. It is an excellent touchstone whereby we can distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is the one bright lamp which shows the way of truth. Without doubt, the hearts of those who have a relationship with the straight path are drawn to the Holy Qur’an. Gracious God has so fashioned their hearts that they are drawn towards this beloved like a lover and find no rest elsewhere, and hearing a plain and clear directive from it, they listen to nothing else. They accept joyfully and eagerly every verity contained in it. In the end, it becomes the means of illumination of the heart and lighting up the conscience and of wonderful disclosures. It leads everyone to the heights of progress according to their capacities. The righteous have always been in need of walking in the light of the Holy Qur’an.

Whenever Islam has been confronted with any other religion in consequence of some new condition of the age, the sharp and effective instrument that has immediately come to hand is the Holy Qur’an. In the same way, whenever philosophic thought has been given publicity in opposition to it, the Holy Qur’an has destroyed that poisonous plant and has so humiliated it as to provide a mirror to its students which shows up the true philosophy which is contained in the Holy Qur’an alone and nowhere else.

In the modern age, when Christian missionaries started their propaganda and made an attempt to draw away unintelligent and ignorant people from the Unity of God and to make them worship a humble creature and employed every kind of sophistry for dressing up their doubtful ideas and thus created a storm in India, it was the Holy Qur’an which repelled them so that they are not now able to face a well-informed person and their extensive apologetics have been folded up like a piece of paper.

Beauty and Perfection of the Holy Qur’an

I call Allah to witness that the Holy Qur’an is a rare pearl. Its outside is light and its inside is light and its above is light and its below is light and there is light in every word of it. It is a spiritual garden whose clustered fruits are within easy reach and through which streams flow. Every fruit of good fortune is found in it and every torch is lit from it. Its light has penetrated to my heart and I could not have acquired it by any other means. And Allah is my Witness that if there had been no Qur’an I would have found no delight in life. I find that its beauty exceeds that of a hundred thousand Josephs. I incline towards it with a great inclination and drink it into my heart. It has nurtured me as an embryo is nurtured and it has a wonderful effect on my heart. My self is lost in its beauty. It has been disclosed to me in a vision that the garden of holiness is irrigated by the water of the Qur’an, which is a surging ocean of the water of life. He who drinks from it, comes to life; indeed, he brings others to life.

The expression Khatam-un-Nabiyyin which has been applied to the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] demands that the Book that was revealed to him, should be the most perfect of all books and should comprise all excellences; and indeed so it is. The rule is that whatever degree of spiritual power and inner perfection is possessed by the person upon whom the word of God descends, the same degree of power and majesty is possessed by that word. As the spiritual power and inner perfection of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] were of the highest degree, which no one exceeded or will exceed, therefore the Holy Qur’an occupies that high station and rank which has not been reached by any of the previous books or scriptures. The capacity and spiritual power of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] were the highest of all, and all excellences had reached their climax in him. Therefore, the Holy Qur’an that was revealed to him is also perfect and as the excellences of Prophethood reached their climax in him, the excellences of the miracle of the word reached their climax in the Holy Qur’an. Thus he was the Khatam-un-Nabiyyin and his Book was the Khatam-ul-Kutub. From the point of view of every aspect of a miraculous word, the Holy Qur’an is at the highest stage.

The perfection of the Holy Qur’an is seen and its miraculous character is proved from every point of view, that is to say, from the points of view of excellence of composition, of the sequence of its subjects, of its teaching and its perfection and of the fruits of its teaching. That is why the Holy Qur’an has not demanded its match from any particular point of view, but has issued a general challenge demanding a match from any point of view. From whichever point of view it is looked at, it is a miracle.

The Holy Qur’an is a miracle the like of which never was and never will be. The door of its graces and blessings is always open, and it is bright and manifest in every age as it was in the time of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. It should also be borne in mind that the speech of everyone corresponds to his high resolve. The higher the resolve and determination and the purpose of the speaker, the same will be the case with his speech. Divine revelation also follows the same rule. The higher the resolve of the person to whom Divine revelation is vouchsafed, the higher will be the character of the revelation. As the circle of the resolve, capacity and determination of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was very wide, the revelation that came to him had the same high rank. No one else will ever attain the same degree of resolve and courage inasmuch as his message was not for any limited time or for any particular people, as was the case with the Prophets before him. It was said about him:

Who can match him, the range and scope of whose Prophethood is so vast! It is an article of faith with us that if any verse of the Holy Qur’an is again revealed to anyone else, the scope of his revelation will never be as vast as that of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

The fine verities pertaining to religion, and all the learning pertaining to the subject of Divinity, and conclusive arguments in support of the truth together with the mysteries and insights that are set out in the Holy Qur’an, are such that human faculties collectively are not able to discover them nor can the intelligence of an intelligent person alight on them on its own. A consideration of past ages has shown that no philosopher or wise man was able to discover all that knowledge. But in this case, there is a wonder upon wonders, that is to say, that knowledge and insight were bestowed upon one who was entirely unlearned. He had never seen a school nor read a book nor kept company with any learned or wise person. He lived his life among wild people, was born and brought up among them and kept company with them. The Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] being unlettered is a matter so patent that no historian of Islam is unaware of it.

Matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an

Whatever comes into being by the exercise of God’s perfect power, whether it is a part of creation, or it is a Holy Book literally revealed by Him, it is necessary that it should possess the quality that no one out of creation should have the power to produce its like. This is proved in two ways; one is by way of deduction. God is One and without associate in His Being, attributes and works, and this does not admit of any partnership with Him in any of His creations, words or actions. If such partnership were permissible in respect of any of His creations, words or actions, then it would be permissible in all His attributes and actions, and as such it would be permissible that there should be another God. That which possesses all Divine attributes would be God and that which possesses some of the attributes of the Divine, would be a partner of God in respect of those attributes, and this is contrary to reason. It follows that it is necessary that God should be One without associate in all His attributes and words and actions, and His Being should be free from all those inconsistencies which would lead to someone being His partner.

Secondly, it is proved by observation of all those things which have been created by God that none of them could be created by man, not even the least of them like a fly, a mosquito or a spider. On observing their shape and formation, one sees such wonders that furnish conclusive proof of the existence of the Creator of the universe. Besides all these arguments, it is clear to every wise person that were it permissible that someone other than God could have the power to create that which God has created by His power, then no part of creation could be cited as proof of the existence of the True Creator and the matter of His recognition as the Creator would become doubtful; for if some of those things that have been created by God Almighty could be created by someone else, then there is no reason why someone else cannot create everything that God has created.

Now that it is established that it is necessary that that which God has created should be matchless and its matchlessness is conclusive proof of its being from God, this is a complete refutation of the proposition that it is not necessary that the Divine word should be matchless, or that its being matchless is no proof of its being from God … Matchlessness is a speciality of the work and word of God. Every wise person knows that the principal means that reason has for establishing the Godhead of the Divine is that everything that proceeds from God is so matchless that it is conclusive proof of the Unity of the Creator. Had this means not been available, the way of reason reaching God would have been closed.

The Holy Qur’an is a Book which has proclaimed its own matchlessness and has claimed its own greatness, its wisdom, its truth, the beauty of its composition and its spiritual lights. It is not true that the Muslims have themselves put forward these excellences on behalf of the Qur’an. It sets out its own merits and excellences and puts forward its matchlessness and peerlessness as a challenge to the whole of creation and calls out loudly: Is there any contestant? Its verities and fine points are not confined to two or three which would leave room for doubt on the part of an ignorant person, but are like the surging ocean and are visible in every direction like the stars of heaven. There is no truth that lies outside it. There is no wisdom that is not comprised in it. There is no light that is not obtainable through following it. These things are not without proof and are not mere words. It is an established and clearly proved verity which has been shining through 1,300 years. We have set out this verity in great detail in this book and have expounded the fine points of the Qur’an at such length as to constitute a surging ocean for the satisfaction of a seeker after truth.

The Holy Qur’an’s Lofty Station—Acknowledged by the Holy Qur’an Itself

One of the principal causes of people going astray in this age is that in the eyes of most people the greatness of the Holy Qur’an no longer prevails. One group of Muslims has become the follower of misleading philosophy. They seek to decide every matter by reason. They claim that the highest arbiter available to man for the settlement of disputes is reason. When they find that the existence of Gabriel, Azrael and other angels that are mentioned in religious books, and the existence of heaven and hell as is established in the Holy Qur’an, cannot be proved by reason, they immediately reject them and begin to have recourse to flimsy explanations. They interpret angels as meaning powers, revelation only as a faculty, and heaven and hell as meaning merely spiritual comfort or pain. They do not seem to realize that reason alone is not the instrument for discovery of the unknown. Indeed high verities and extreme insights are far above the reach of reason and are established only through true visions. If the touchstone for verities were to be reason alone, the great wonders of Godhead would remain hidden and man’s understanding would remain incomplete and imperfect and he would not be rid of doubts and suspicions. The end of this one-sided understanding would be that in the absence of guidance from above and without any knowledge of the lines of thought that are set in motion by the Power on High, all sorts of doubts would arise with regard to the existence of the Creator Himself. Therefore, the idea that reason alone is sufficient for unravelling all the intricate mysteries of the True Creator, is wholly unsupportable.

The second group has discarded reason altogether and has also left aside the Holy Qur’an which is the fountainhead of all knowledge of things Divine and has taken firm hold of stories and meaningless sayings. We desire to draw the attention of both these groups to the Holy Qur’an and to urge them to value its greatness and its light, and to make use of reason in receiving the guidance of its light. They should leave aside the sayings of other people, and even if they should find a Hadith which contradicts the Holy Qur’an, they should discard it immediately, as God Almighty has said in the Holy Qur’an:

It is obvious that, for us Muslims, the Holy Qur’an is an authority of the highest grade which is absolute and certain. Most Ahadith, even when authentic, are at best useful probabilities.

Study the following verses carefully and then consider whether it is proper to leave aside the Word of God and to set up some other guide or arbiter. These verses are:

To those who are righteous, it is a reminder of the excellences of righteousness;

He has revealed the Book which is the truth and is a balance for weighing the truth.

It is guidance for mankind and contains the exposition of guidance. It discriminates between truth and falsehood by its reasoning.

We have revealed it to thee so that it might decide matters concerning which there is difference and so that believers may be provided with guidance and mercy.

It comprises all the verities which were contained in the previous books in a scattered form.

It comprises clear proof for people and is a guidance and a mercy for those who have faith.

It follows that if a Hadith is contradictory of the Holy Qur’an, it must be rejected. If it can be interpreted as being in accord with the Holy Qur’an, it might be accepted. The meanings of the remaining verses is:

Tell them that by the Grace and Mercy of Allah this Qur’an is a precious possession which you should accept with joy. It is better than the properties which you gather together.

Knowledge of Holy Qur’an and Promised Messiah

This is the wealth concerning which it had been prophesied that the Messiah would distribute it so much that people will have their fill of it. The prophecy does not mean that the Messiah would collect together material wealth concerning which it has been said:

And that he would deliberately put people on trial by distributing wealth among them. In his first advent also, the Messiah felt no attraction towards worldly wealth. He has stated in the Gospel that the property of a believer are not gold and silver, but are the jewels of verities and understanding. This is the property that is bestowed by God Almighty on the Prophets, which they distribute. It is concerning this property that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] said:

It is stated clearly in the Ahadith that the Promised Messiah would come into the world when knowledge of the Qur’an will be lost and ignorance will prevail. That is the time which is referred to in the Hadith:

It has been revealed to me in a vision that the climax of that age will begin in the Hijri year which corresponds to the value of the letters of the verse:

Consider this well and do not pass over it in haste and supplicate God that He should open your minds to it. A little reflection will make you understand the prophecy contained in the Hadith that in the latter days the Qur’an will be taken away from the world, its knowledge will be lost, ignorance will prevail and the eagerness and sweetness of faith will depart from the hearts. Among them is the Hadith that if faith will ascend to the Pleiades and will disappear from the earth, a man of the Persians will extend his hand and will bring it down. This Hadith shows clearly that when ignorance, faithlessness and error, which are described as smoke in the other Ahadith, will become widespread and true faith will become so rare as if it had been drawn up to the skies, and the Holy Qur’an will be abandoned as if it had been raised towards God Almighty, at that time, a man of Persia will take hold of the faith from the Pleiades and will descend with it to the earth. Be sure, therefore, that he is the son of Mary who was to descend.

Verities of the Holy Qur’an in This Age

I was young and am now old and people can bear witness that I never concerned myself with worldly affairs and was always interested in matters of the faith. I have found the Word which is called the Qur’an of the utmost holiness and full of spiritual wisdom. It does not deify any man and does not bring God into contempt by excluding souls and bodies from His creation. The Holy Qur’an in the end brings down that blessing on the heart of man for which a religion is embraced and makes him the heir of Divine grace. Then having found a light, how shall we revert to darkness and having eyes how shall we become blind?

It is well established that the Holy Qur’an has duly perfected the faith, as it affirms itself:

This day have I perfected your religion for you and have completed My favour unto you, and am pleased to choose Islam as your faith.

Thus there is no need for any other book after the Holy Qur’an, for it sets out all that is needed by man. Now only the door of converse with God is open, but not automatically. True and holy words which are obviously charged with Divine help and comprise many hidden matters, are acquired after the purification of the soul only through following the Holy Qur’an and obeying the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

For every revelation the way of Allah which is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, is the guide, guardian and leader. It is not possible that any revelation should be vouchsafed contrary to this way, for that would amount to falsifying Holy Scriptures.

The clear miracle of the Holy Qur’an which can manifest itself to every people and by presenting which we can silence everyone, whether an Indian, Persian, European or American, is the unlimited treasury of insights, verities and wisdoms, which are expounded in every age according to its need and stand as armed soldiers to refute the thinking of every age. If the Holy Qur’an had been limited in its verities and insights, it would not have amounted to a perfect miracle. Beauty of composition is not a matter the miraculous nature of which can be appreciated by every literate and illiterate person. The clear miracle of the Holy Qur’an is the unlimited insights and fine points which it comprises. A person who does not admit this miracle of the Holy Qur’an is altogether deprived of the knowledge of the Qur’an. He who does not believe in this miracle does not estimate the Qur’an as highly as it should be estimated, and does not recognize God as He should be recognized, and does not honour the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] as he should be honoured.

Bear it in mind that the miracle of unlimited insights and verities which are contained in the Holy Qur’an has accomplished more in every age than has the sword. All the doubts that every age raises according to its circumstances, and all the claims of superior insights that are put forward, are completely refuted by the Holy Qur’an. No Brahmu Samajist, Buddhist, Arya or any other philosopher can put forward a Divine verity which is not already comprised in the Holy Qur’an. The wonders of the Qur’an will never cease. As the wonderful qualities of the book of nature have never come to an end in any previous age, but appear ever fresh and new, the same is the case with this Holy Book, so that the word of God and the work of God should be proved to be in accord.

As I have written before, very often the wonders of the Holy Qur’an are revealed to me and are such that they are not to be found in the commentaries. For instance, it has been revealed to me that the period that elapsed between the creation of Adam and the advent of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] is mentioned in Surah al-‘Asr in the value of its letters and amounts to 4,740 lunar years. This fine point which discloses the miracle of the Holy Qur’an is not mentioned in any commentary. In the same way, God Almighty has disclosed to me that the meaning of:

Is not only that the Qur’an was revealed in a blessed night, but that it also has another meaning which I have set out in my booklet Fath-e-Islam. Which commentary mentions all these verities? It should be borne in mind that a multiplicity of meanings of the Holy Qur’an does not create any contradiction, nor import any defect in the guidance of the Qur’an. Indeed the light of the greatness of the Qur’an is enhanced by the addition of one light to another. Since time on account of limitless changes gives rise to limitless ideas, as a matter of course, it is necessary for the Holy Qur’an to manifest itself in ever new forms, to disclose ever new knowledge, and to refute all innovations and novelties. In these circumstances, if a Book which claims to be Khatam-ul-Kutub were not to meet new contingencies, it would not establish its claim. If this Book comprises everything that is needed in every age, we would have to confess that it comprehends unlimited insights, and that it takes care of the needs of every age.

It should also be remembered that the way of Allah with every perfect recipient of revelation has been that the hidden wonders of the Qur’an are revealed to him. It often happens that a verse of the Holy Qur’an is conveyed to the mind of a recipient of revelation and its purpose is something different from its original meaning. Maulavi ‘Abdullah Ghaznavi has written in a letter that on one occasion he received the revelation:

This is an age in which thousands of objections and doubts have been raised and Islam has been attacked from many directions. God Almighty has said:

There is not a thing but We have unlimited treasures thereof, and We send them down in regulated and known quantities.

Thus, this was the age of the disclosure of spiritual and temporal verities that are hidden in the Qur’an which refute and reject every kind of philosophical and unphilosophical faith, for they could not be disclosed without their need having arisen. Now that attacks were made by the new philosophy, the time came for the manifestation of those insights. It was not possible that without the manifestation of those insights, Islam could be victorious against all false religions. A victory by the sword means nothing and is wiped out by the decline of temporary power. True and real victory is that which is achieved with an army of insights and verities. This is the victory that Islam is now achieving. This prophecy related to this age and it was so understood in the past. This is an age that demands that the Holy Qur’an should disclose all the meanings which are hidden in it …

An intelligent person can easily understand that no creation of God the Glorious is without fine and wonderful qualities. If one carries out a research till the Day of Judgement into the qualities and wonders of a fly, they would not come to an end. Then are not the wonders and qualities of the Holy Qur’an even as many as those of a fly? Without doubt, those wonders are in excess of the total wonders of the whole of creation and to deny them would be to deny the Divine origin of the Holy Qur’an for there is nothing in the world which proceeds from God Almighty and does not comprise unlimited wonders …

The verities and fine points which foster understanding are always disclosed according to need. New corruptions call for ever fresh meanings, which are full of wisdom. It is obvious that the Holy Qur’an is a miracle in itself, and the greatness of its miracle is that it is comprehensive of unlimited verities, but they are manifested at their due time. As the difficulties of the time demand, those hidden insights are disclosed. Look! secular knowledge, most of which is opposed to the Holy Qur’an and is so misleading, is spreading rapidly. Currently, wonderful changes are being brought about in mathematics, physics and philosophy. Was it not necessary that at such a time the door to progress in faith and understanding should also have been opened, so that facilities might become available for repelling every new mischief? Know it for certain then that the door has been opened and God Almighty has determined to disclose the hidden wonders of the Holy Qur’an to the arrogant philosophers of the world. Half-baked Mullahs, who are the enemies of Islam, cannot frustrate this design. If they do not desist form mischief, they will be destroyed and visited by such Divine wrath that will grind them to dust. These fools do not apprehend the prevailing circumstances. They desire that the Holy Qur’an should appear as defeated, weak, small and insignificant, but it will now march forward like a champion. It will roar like a lion and devour the entire worldly philosophy and shall demonstrate its own supremacy and fulfil the prophecy:

It is not possible to establish faith in the world to its perfection by means of compulsion. Faith is established upon the earth when no other faith remains standing in opposition to it and all opponents lay down their arms. That time has now arrived and cannot be blocked by the ignorant Mullahs. Now the son of Mary, whose spiritual father is none other than the True Teacher, who also resembles Adam on this account, will distribute Qur’anic treasures among the people, so much so, that the people will become satiated and will be unable to accept more, and everyone will have had his fill according to his capacity.

Comprehensiveness of the Holy Qur’an

The holy and perfect teaching is that of the Holy Qur’an which nourishes every branch of the human tree. The Qur’an does not stress only one side. Sometimes it urges forgiveness and forbearance on condition that they should be appropriate, and sometimes on proper occasions, it directs the punishment of an offender. In truth the Holy Qur’an is a picture of the Divine law of nature, which is visible everywhere. It is perfectly reasonable that the word of God and the work of God should be in accord with each other, that is to say, as the work of God Almighty appears in the world, the true Book of God should teach in accordance with that work, and not that His work should manifest one thing and His word should manifest something else. We observe in God’s work that there is not always forgiveness and forbearance but that He punishes offenders with diverse types of chastisement. Such punishment is mentioned in the previous Books also. Our God is not only Compassionate but is also Wise and His torment is great. The True Book is the one which is in accord with this law of nature, and the True Word of God is that which is not inconsistent with His work. We do not find that God has treated His creation always with compassion and forbearance and that there is no chastisement. Even today, God Almighty has, for the chastisement of the wicked, prophesied through me the occurrence of a great and terrible earthquake which will destroy them.

We had raised an objection to the current Gospels that the Gospels do not provide for the development of all man’s faculties and that even the portions of them relating to moral qualities are taken from the Torah. This caused great humiliation to the Christian priests. To this some Christians replied that:

Divine Books are concerned only with morals and that the punishment of offences is not appropriate for a Book of God, inasmuch as offences should be punished according to changing circumstances which are unlimited and it is not proper that there should be a fixed law laying down penalties. Every penalty should be such as is in accord with the times and is helpful for the warning and restraint of offenders. Fixed penalties are not beneficial for the reform of people. In the same way, civil, criminal and revenue laws should not be fixed and rigid, as they would create difficulties under changing circumstances. For instance, they might adversely affect commercial conditions which have become current and cannot be avoided, or a penal law might not be helpful where offenders have become accustomed to one kind of punishment, or may not be amenable to it.

I would say that this type of thinking proceeds from people who have not studied the Holy Qur’an with care. The directions contained in the Holy Qur’an with regard to civil, criminal and revenue matters are of two types. One, which lays down the details of punishment or of procedure, and the other which only prescribes the principle and does not lay down any specific direction. The purpose of the latter is to provide guidance for the meeting of new circumstances. For instance, at one place the Holy Qur’an lays down the rule of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. This is a detail. In another place, the principle is set forth:

On reflection we find that this principle is laid down for the widening of the law in cases where the specific law cannot be carried into effect. For instance, if a person who has lost his own teeth breaks the tooth of another, he ceases to be amenable to the rule of a tooth for a tooth, for he has no teeth himself. In the same way, if a blind person should destroy the eye of another person, he cannot be deprived of his own eye, for he has none. The Holy Qur’an lays down general principles to meet such cases and by doing so encourages everyone to deduce rules suitable to every case. It is a pity that the Torah does not follow this method and the Gospel is wholly deprived of this teaching. It only lays down a few moral exhortations, but they are not part of any code or system of law. The statement of the Christians that the Gospel has left legal matters to the intelligence of people is not a matter of pride, but one of remorse and shame, for whatever is not laid down as universal law and is not spelled out in terms of any regulatory principles, is liable to be misused and become an evil, however good its purpose might be.

God Almighty, Who knows the secrets of the hearts, is witness that if anyone is able to point out a defect in the teaching of the Holy Qur’an to the extent of a thousandth part of a particle, or is able to point out an excellence in his own book, which is opposed to the teaching of the Qur’an and excels it, we would be prepared to submit ourselves to the penalty of death.

Holy Qur’an Accords With Human Nature

Of all the current revealed Books on earth, the Holy Qur’an is the only Book which is conclusively proven to be the Word of God. Its teachings for salvation are based entirely on truth and are in accordance with human nature. Its doctrines are so perfect and firm that strong proofs bear witness to their truth. Its commandments are based upon truth. Its teachings are free from every type of polytheism, innovation and worship of creatures. It is full of eagerness for the manifestation of the Unity of God and of Divine greatness and of the perfection of the Lord of Honour. It is replete throughout with the Unity of the Divine and does not tolerate any kind of deficiency or defect or unworthy attributes in the case of the Creator. It does not impose any doctrine by mere authority, but sets down reasons for the truth of that which it teaches. It establishes every purpose with proofs and arguments. It sets forth reasons for the truth of every principle and carries the mind to perfect certainty and full understanding. It repels all evils that afflict people’s doctrines, actions and words, and works with bright reasoning. It teaches good manners, the knowledge of which is necessary for every human being. It repels every corruption with as much force as that which inspires the corruption. Its teaching is straightforward and strong and secure, as if it were a mirror of the law of nature and is a true reflection of it. It is an enlightening sun for the insight of the heart. It expounds the details of the principles of reason and corrects its deficiencies.

Other books that are called revealed are in their present condition deprived of all these perfect qualities and contain many wrong conceptions with regard to the Being and attributes of the Divine. The followers of these books profess strange doctrines. Some of them deny God being the Creator and All-Powerful and set themselves up as His partners in being eternal and self-existent. Some set up idols and images and deities as partners with the Divine and managers of His kingdom. Some fashion sons and daughters and grandsons and grand-daughters for Him. Some worship Him in the form of an alligator or tortoise. In short, they run ahead of each other as if the Perfect Being is most unfortunate that He has not been able to attain the perfection which reason demanded for Him. When I discovered people involved in such false doctrines and afflicted with so much error my heart trembled and melted and I felt it a bounden duty and obligation to write this book for their guidance, which I shall fully discharge.

Evidences of Truth and Superiority of the Holy Qur’an

The external evidence of the truth and superiority of the Holy Qur’an is of four types. One, that is derived from those matters which need to be reformed; and second, that is derived from those matters which need to be perfected; and third, which is derived from matters which manifest the power of God; and fourth, which is derived from matters relating to the unseen. The internal evidence of the truth and superiority of the Holy Qur’an is all derived from matters manifesting the Power of God.

Matters that need to be reformed are false doctrines which people have adopted in place of true doctrines and righteous action, and which have become so widespread that Divine favour should address itself to their reform.

Matters that need to be perfected relate to the teachings which are found in a defective condition in all revealed books, and whose defectiveness and imperfection are manifested by comparison with perfect teachings and which, therefore, demand a revealed Book which should perfect them.

Matters which Manifest the Power of God are of two kinds. One, external, by which are meant matters which are created by God without any human planning and which invest every particle with that majesty, dignity and greatness, the acquisition of which is impossible according to reason and the like of which is not to be found anywhere in the world.

Secondly, internal. By these are meant those beauties of form and meaning of the revealed Book which cannot be matched by human faculties and which, by being in fact matchless and peerless, point to a Unique and All-Powerful One and are thus a mirror pointing to God.

By matters relating to the unseen are meant matters which proceed from the tongue of a person with regard to whom it is certain that their exposition is beyond his power. That is to say, by comparing them with the circumstances of that person it becomes obvious that they are neither natural to him nor could have been acquired by observation or reflection; nor should it be possible to imagine that he could have obtained knowledge of them from one who was familiar with them. They may not be matters which are beyond the power of another person. Thus they are relative matters, that is to say, when they are attributed to some particular person they can be considered as relating to unseen and when they are attributed to some other persons they have not this quality.

Miracles of the Holy Qur’an

Some of the miracles and prophecies of the Holy Qur’an are such that they can be witnessed and experienced by us even in this age and no one can deny them.

The miracle of the sign of chastisement which was shown to the disbelievers of that time is a sign to which we are also witness, the reason being that it is the necessary consequence of premises that are certain and which cannot be denied by anyone. The first premise is that this sign was demanded when the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and his few companions were being persecuted in diverse ways in Mecca.

That was a time of such weakness for Islam that the disbelievers of Mecca mocked at the Muslims and said: If you are right, then how is it that you are suffering so much at our hands and God, upon Whom you rely, does not help you and why are you so small in numbers that you will be soon destroyed? If you are in the right why are we not chastised? What was said to the disbelievers in reply is set out in the Holy Qur’an at diverse places and that constitutes the second premise for the appreciation of the grandeur of this prophecy. That was a time when the lives of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and his companions were always in danger and failure stared them in the face in all directions. At such a time, in answer to the demand of the disbelievers for a sign of chastisement, it was stated plainly that they would soon be shown the sign of the victory of Islam and their own punishment. It was said that Islam, which appeared as a seed at the time, would one day manifest itself as a large tree and that those who demand a sign of chastisement will one day be put to the sword and the whole of Arabia would be cleared of disbelievers. The sovereignty over Arabia would pass to the Muslims and God Almighty would so firmly establish Islam in Arabia that idol worship would be abolished forever and the state of fear of the Muslims would be replaced by security. Islam would grow strong and would become supreme till other countries would fall under the shadow of its victory which would extend to far regions and a great kingdom would be established which would endure till the end of the world.

If a person considers both these premises and finds out that the time when this prophecy was made was a time of great distress for Islam, and the prophecy that was made was altogether opposed to the prevailing circumstances and appeared wholly impossible, and then looks at the history of Islam, which is well known to enemies and friends, and sees how clearly it was fulfilled and how its fulfilment awed the hearts and how it was manifested with full power and strength in the east and the west, he would appreciate it as a miracle witnessed by himself regarding which he would have no doubt whatever left.

The second miracle of the Holy Qur’an which we can appreciate as eye witnesses, is the wonderful changes that were manifested in the companions of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] through the blessing of the following of the Holy Qur’an and the effect of the company of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. When we see what kind of people they were before they embraced Islam and what were their ways and habits, and then in consequence of keeping company with the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and following the Holy Qur’an, how they changed from their low condition into a clean and pure condition in their beliefs, their morals, their conduct, their conversation, their behaviour and all their ways, we would have to confess that this great change, which invested their rusted personalities with a wonderful freshness and bestowed upon them light and brightness, was an extraordinary transformation brought about by the hand of God Almighty....This transformation was so extraordinary as to deserve being called a miracle.

A third miracle of the Holy Qur’an which is present before our eyes is its verities, insights and fine points with which its eloquent composition is replete. This miracle has been set forth very forcefully in the Holy Qur’an. It is said that, if all men, high and low, were to combine together to produce its like, it would not be possible for them to do so.37 This miracle is proved by the fact that during the last 1,300 years, although the Holy Qur’an has been very widely published and challenges are being hurled right and left, yet no one has ever dared to take up the challenge. This proves clearly that all human faculties are unable to compete with the Holy Qur’an.

Even if out of the hundreds of excellences of the Holy Qur’an, only one is put forward and its match is demanded, it is impossible for any human being to put forward the like of it. For instance, one of the excellences of the Holy Qur’an is that it comprises all religious insights and there is no religious verity related to truth and wisdom which is not found in the Holy Qur’an. Is there anyone who can put forward any other book which has this quality? If anyone doubts the fact that the Holy Qur’an is comprehensive of all religious verities, then such a doubter, whether Christian, Arya, Brahmu or atheist, can satisfy himself by examining the matter in his own way and we take the responsibility of satisfying him, provided he turns to us as a seeker after truth. All the holy verities that are contained in the Bible, or the words of truth and wisdom which we have seen in the books of philosophers, or the verities that have found place by chance in the Vedas or are still to be found in them which we have seen, or the wisdom and understanding which are set out in the hundreds of books of the Sufis, which we have come to know, are all found in the Holy Qur’an.

This perfect research which we have carried out in depth during thirty years has disclosed to us conclusively and certainly, that there is no spiritual verity which is helpful for the perfection of the soul and for the training of intellect and the heart which is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. This is not only our experience, but is the claim of the Holy Qur’an, which has been tested not only by me, but by thousands of divines from the very beginning who have borne witness to its truth.

A fourth miracle of the Holy Qur’an is its spiritual effects which have been inherent in it from the beginning. This means that its followers are accepted of the Divine and are honoured with the converse of God. Their supplications are accepted by God Almighty, and He responds to them with love and mercy, and He informs them of some hidden mysteries as He informs the Prophets and distinguishes them from other people by bestowing upon them signs of His support and help. This is also a sign which will continue till the Day of Judgement among the Muslims. It has been manifested throughout and is present even today. There are today among the Muslims people whom God the Glorious, through His special support, honours with true revelation and visions relating to hidden matters.

O ye who are seekers after truth! and O ye who are hungry and thirsty for true signs!! consider justly and with a pure vision of what high degree are the signs which God Almighty has set forth in the Holy Qur’an and how they are present and perceptible in every age. The miracles of previous Prophets are now mere stories and we do not know to what degree they are true.

The miracles and extraordinary signs of the Holy Qur’an are of four types; (1) miracles relating to the intellect; (2) miracles relating to knowledge; (3) miracles relating to spiritual blessings; and (4) miracles relating to external causes.

The first three are miracles of the inherent qualities of the Holy Qur’an. They are very grand and are susceptible of obvious proof. They can be witnessed in every age like visible realities, but the fourth kind are external matters which are not inherent in the Holy Qur’an. Of these is the miracle of the splitting of the moon. The true excellence and beauty of the Holy Qur’an are exhibited in the first three kinds of miracles. Indeed, this is the great sign of all Divine words that these three kinds of miracles should be found in them. In the Holy Qur’an all three are found in a high and perfect and complete degree, and they are put forward by the Holy Qur’an repeatedly as proof of its being matchless and peerless, as it is said:

Proclaim to these disbelievers that if all humans and genii, that is, the entire creation, were to agree to produce the like of this Qur’an, they would not be able to produce a book which combines the internal and external qualities of the Holy Qur’an even though they all help each other in the effort.

We have revealed this Qur’an to you; had it been sent down on a mountain, it would have been rent asunder in fear and awe of Allah. We narrate these illustrations so that people reflect upon the grandeur of the Word of God.

… Besides this, large numbers of miracles of external changes are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Miracles of this kind are like ornaments for the beauty of the Qur’an with which handsome people are bedecked. It is obvious that what is beautiful in itself does not need any ornament though an ornament enhances its beauty to some degree.

These miracles that are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an are of diverse types. One is that through the prayer of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] God Almighty manifested His powerful control over the heavens and split the moon into two pieces. Secondly, the change that God Almighty brought about on earth through the prayers of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] which appeared in the form of a famine that lasted for seven years, whereby people were so overcome that they ground down bones and swallowed them. Thirdly, the miraculous control that was exercised on the day of the migration of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] to safeguard him against the mischief of the disbelievers. When the disbelievers of Mecca resolved to kill him, God, the Glorious, informed the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] of their design and commanded him to migrate from Mecca to Medina and gave him the good news of his victorious return. It was a Wednesday, the time was around midday, and the day was very hot, when this trial was manifested by God. In this situation of distress when the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was about to leave his home town suddenly, and his enemies had surrounded his house with the design of killing him, a close relative whose being was compounded of love and faith laid himself down, under the direction of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] on his bed, covering his face so that the spies of the enemies should not investigate the departure of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and deeming the substitute to be the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] himself should continue to wait for killing him.

After the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] had left, leaving his faithful relative in his place, and his enemies discovered his departure, these wicked people pursued him with the intention of killing him somewhere on the way. At that time of distress, the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was accompanied only by one sincere and faithful friend. But as ever, and also in the course of that dangerous journey, his Lord was with him, Who had sent this perfect and faithful servant of His into the world for carrying out a grand reform. In order to safeguard this dear servant of His, He exercised wonderful control in many ways which are mentioned briefly in the Holy Qur’an. One of them was that none of his enemies noticed his departure though it was morning time and his enemies were surrounding his house. As is mentioned in Surah Yasin, God Almighty put a covering on the eyes of all those wretches and the Holy Prophet (sas) left unnoticed.

Another extraordinary manifestation that God, the Glorious, exhibited for safeguarding His immaculate Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was that, though his enemies arrived outside the cave in which the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was hidden with his companion, they could not see him for God Almighty had sent a pair of pigeons which built a nest the same night at the entrance to the cave and also laid their eggs there and by Divine command a spider also wove its web at the place, whereby the enemies of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] were misled and returned frustrated. Another miracle that occurred was that an opponent of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] who was riding a horse on the way to Medina, tried to approach the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and through the latter’s prayer the hooves of his horse sank into the earth and he fell down, whereupon he asked for forgiveness of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and turned away. Another miraculous event that occurred was that when being provoked by their failure, his enemies advanced against the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] with a large army so that they might destroy the Muslims, who were small in number, and thus root out Islam, God, the Glorious, created confusion among the enemy forces at Badr in consequence of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] throwing a handful of gravel at his enemies, and thus brought about their defeat. God Almighty caused this handful of gravel to make the enemy leaders blind and confused them and rooted them to the earth and made them fall down dead at the spots which the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] had specified in advance.

The Holy Qur’an mentions several other instances of Divine intervention and succour, that were miraculous in nature. The sum and substance of this is that God Almighty raised the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] at a time when he was poor, an orphan, alone and helpless and then within a short period of time, which was even less than thirty years, made him victorious over a large part of the world and made him supreme over the Byzantine emperor and the kings of Syria, Egypt, and the countries between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Similarly, within a short period of time, He spread the Muslim victories as far as the Oxus river. The Holy Qur’an had foretold the spread of Islam in these countries. Considering the Muslims’ lack of resources and their wonderful victories, wise and learned Europeans have testified that there is no other instance in the history of the world of such rapid advance as that of Islam and the Islamic kingdom. It is obvious that what is matchless is also called miraculous. In short, many external changes of a miraculous nature are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Indeed, every part of this holy word announces aloud instances of Divine support.

Doors to Divine Understanding Opened by the Holy Qur’an

The Holy Qur’an opens three doors for bestowing the understanding of truth. One is the door of reason. The way of reasoning has been perfectly employed for the recognition of the existence of God and His attributes of Creation, Unity, Power, Compassion and Self-Subsistence. In the course of this reasoning logic and eloquence, physics and medicine, astronomy and mathematics, philosophy and the method of debate, have all been brought into play most appropriately whereby difficult problems have been resolved. This method is extraordinary and is a miracle of reasoning. Great philosophers who invented logic and laid down the rules of philosophy and occupied themselves much with physics and astronomy were not able, on account of the deficiency of their reason, to employ this learning in support of their faith. Nor were they able to correct their own mistakes or to confer any religious benefit upon others. Indeed most of them remained atheists or heretics or weak of faith, and those of them who believed in God Almighty to some degree mixed up error and truth and compounded the impure with the pure and thus went astray. It is thus miraculous that this Divine reasoning commits no mistake and has employed the learnings that we have mentioned for such a high purpose as no human being has attempted. It is enough proof that the statements of the Holy Qur’an with regard to the existence of the Divine and His attributes of Unity and Creation and other perfect attributes, are so comprehensive that they cannot be exceeded, nor is it possible for any man to put forth a new argument. If anyone doubts this, let him put forward some intellectual reasoning in support of the existence or the Unity or Creativeness or any other Divine attribute, so that we might point out from the Holy Qur’an the same arguments or even better ones for which we make ourselves responsible. This claim and this praise of the Qur’an are not mere words, but are true in fact, and no one can put forward an argument in support of the true doctrine which the Holy Qur’an has not put forward. The Holy Qur’an at many places loudly claims perfect comprehensiveness for itself …

The second door of Divine understanding which the Holy Qur’an has opened wide, is intellectual fine points which on account of their extraordinary nature could be called intellectual miracles. They are of many types. First, the knowledge of the insights of the faith, that is to say, all high insights in the matter of faith and all its holy verities and all the fine points of the knowledge of the Divine which are needed in this world for the perfection of the soul are fully set out in the Holy Qur’an; so also, all the illnesses of the self that incite to sin and its passions and all the remedies and requirements that are needed and all the ways of the purification of the soul and all the signs and characteristics and essentials and high moral qualities are fully dealt with. No one can set forth a verity or Divine point or a way of reaching God or a rare or holy discipline or form of Divine worship which is not mentioned in the Qur’an. Secondly, there is knowledge of the qualities of the soul and of psychology which is found in such a comprehensive way in this miraculous Word that those who reflect can appreciate that this is not the work of any except the All-Powerful. Thirdly, there is the knowledge of the beginning, of the hereafter, and other hidden matters which are an essential part of the word of the Knower of the hidden, which comforts the hearts and proves the knowledge of the hidden possessed by the All-Powerful God. This knowledge is found in such detail and abundance in the Holy Qur’an that no other book can compare with it in this respect. Besides this, the Holy Qur’an has also pressed into the service of the faith knowledge of other subjects, in a miraculous manner. In this respect it has kept in mind logic, physics, philosophy, astronomy, psychology, medicine, mathematics, and the knowledge of composition, and has used them for expounding and explaining the knowledge of the faith, or facilitating its understanding, or for drawing any conclusion from it or repelling the objection of some ignorant person. In short, all these subjects are set out in the Holy Qur’an for the service of the faith in such an extraordinary manner that every type of intellect can derive benefit from them …

The third door of the understanding of the Divine which the Holy Qur’an has opened is the door of spiritual blessings which can be called its miracle of effect. Every intelligent person knows that the country of the birth of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was a limited peninsula called Arabia, which was cut off from all other countries. Even a bigoted opponent, who has some knowledge, cannot deny that before the advent of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] the people of this country led a wild and animal existence and were entirely unaware of religion, or faith, or the rights of God, or the rights of man, and that through the centuries they had been steeped in idol worship and other impure notions, and had reached the extremes of debauchery, drinking, gambling and other vices, and did not regard theft, robbery, murder, infanticide, devouring the substance of orphans or trespassing against the rights of others as a sin. In short, every vicious condition and every type of darkness and heedlessness enveloped the hearts of the Arabs. Then, it is also known that the same ignorant and wild and impious people embraced Islam and accepted the Holy Qur’an and were completely changed. The effectiveness of the Divine Word and the companionship of the Immaculate Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] so changed their hearts suddenly within a short time, that after their period of ignorance they were enriched with the insights of faith, and abandoning the love of the world, they were so lost in the love of God that they abandoned their homes and dear ones, and their honour and comforts for the sake of winning the pleasure of Allah, the Glorious.

Both these pictures of their original condition and of the new life, which they acquired after their embracing Islam, are set out so clearly in the Holy Qur’an that a righteous and good-hearted person’s eyes are filled with tears at reading the account. What was it then which pulled them away from one world into another so rapidly? There were two things; one was that that immaculate Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was most effective in his holy power such as never was nor will be. Secondly, it was the mighty and wonderful effect of the Holy Word of the absolutely Powerful, Ever-Living and Self-Subsisting God, which pulled a large population out of thousands of darknesses into the light. Without doubt, this effect of the Holy Qur’an is miraculous for no one can cite another instance in the world that a book had proved so effective. Who can give proof that another book brought about such a change and such reform as was brought about by the Holy Qur’an?…

Hundreds of thousands of the holy ones testify that by following the Holy Qur’an, Divine blessings descend upon the heart and a wonderful relationship is established with the Divine. Divine lights and revelation descend upon the hearts, and insights and fine points issue from mouths. They are bestowed a strong trust and a firm certainty and the delicious love of God, which is nurtured by the delight of meeting, is generated in their hearts. If their beings are ground down in the mortar of calamities and are squeezed in powerful presses, their essence would be found only to be the love of God. The world is unaware of them and they are far above and higher than the world. The treatment accorded to them by God is miraculous. It has been disclosed to them that God does exist; and that He is One. When they pray to Him, He hears them; and when they call on Him, He responds to them. When they seek refuge with Him, He runs to them. He loves them more than a father. He rains down blessings on their homes. They are recognized by His overt and covert and spiritual and material support. He helps them in every field for they are His and He is theirs. These things are not without proof.

Guidance for the Righteous

Some Brahmu Samajists object that if perfect understanding depends upon the Qur’an, then why did God not publish it in all countries and in all places of population, ancient and modern, and why did He deprive millions of His creatures of His perfect understanding and of true doctrine?

The reply is that this objection derives from shortsightedness If the light of the sun does not reach certain dark places or if some people shut their eyes like an owl on beholding the sun, would this mean that the sun has not been created by God? If the rain does not fall on some dry land or a saline area does not get the benefit of it, then would it follow that rain is the work of man? To meet such doubts God Almighty has made it clear in the Holy Qur’an that the guidance of Divine revelation is not meant for every temperament, but is meant for those pure temperaments that possess the quality of righteousness. It is only such people who take advantage of the perfect guidance of revelation and are benefited by it. Divine revelation reaches them in any case. In this context, we draw attention to the following verses of the Holy Qur’an:

It will be observed how nicely, beautifully and succinctly God Almighty has furnished the answer to the objection raised. First reference is made to the Author of the Holy Qur’an and His Grandeur and Majesty are indicated. It is said:

I am Allah, Who knows best. That is to say, I, Who Am All-Knowing and All-Wise, Whose knowledge is not matched by the knowledge of anyone else, am revealing this Book.

This is that Book. That is to say, a grand and sublime Book which derives from Divine knowledge. It is established with regard to it that its source and spring is the Eternal Being of the All-Wise.

By using the word “that”, which denotes distance, God Almighty has indicated that this Book derives from the knowledge of that Being with high attributes, Who is Matchless and Peerless and Whose perfect knowledge and profound mysteries are very far from the limits of human sight.

The body of the Qur’an is so well reasoned that there is no room left in it for any kind of doubt;

meaning that, unlike other books, it is not a mere tale or story, but is comprehensive of conclusive arguments and reasoning, and sets forth clear proofs of its objects and purposes, and is in itself a miracle which operates like a sharp sword for the removal of doubts and suspicions, and does not leave the matter of the recognition of God at the conjectural stage of He should be, but carries the matter to the certainty of, He is.

Despite the grandeur of these purposes which are greatly concerned with effect and reform, it proceeds to define the fourth purpose which is its ultimate object, which is the provision of guidance for the righteous. It announces that it is:

This Book has been revealed for the guidance of those who, on account of their pure interiors, sane reason, firm intelligence, eagerness for search of truth, right motives, would, in the end, arrive at a high degree of faith and recognition of God and perfect righteousness.

In other words, those about whom God knows that their nature is suited to this guidance and they can make progress in true insights, will in the end be guided by this Book; and this Book would reach them and God would enable them to follow the right path before their death. Thus, God Almighty has clearly stated that those who in the knowledge of God are worthy of being guided and possess the quality of righteousness by their nature will surely be guided through the Holy Qur’an.

Those who in the knowledge of God are likely to believe will all gradually believe, and only those will be left outside concerning whom God knows that they will not embrace Islam and, whether they are warned or not, they will not believe, or will not arrive at the perfect stage of righteousness and understanding.50

Thus in these verses God Almighty has made it clear that only those can derive benefit from the guidance of the Qur’an who are righteous and whose true nature is not overcome by any darkness of their ego …

If it is asked what about the salvation of those who have had no access to a revealed Book, the answer is that if they are wholly wild and are deprived of human intelligence, they will not be called to account in any way. They are in the category of the insane. But those who possess some degree of intelligence, will be called to account according to the degree of their intelligence.

The seed of the Unity of God which the Holy Qur’an has sown in Arabia, Persia, Egypt, Syria, India, China, Afghanistan, Kashmir and other regions, and the manner in which it has rooted out from most places idol worship and the worship of creatures, is a matter which is not matched in any age. As a contrast, when we look at the Vedas, we find that they were not able to reform even Aryavart itself.

Be alert all the time and do not take a single step contrary to Divine teaching and the guidance of the Qur’an. I tell you truly that anyone who evades the least one of the 700 commandments of the Qur’an, shuts upon himself the door of salvation. The ways of true and perfect salvation have been opened by the Qur’an and all the rest is its reflection. Therefore, study the Qur’an with care and hold it very dear with a love that you have not for anything else. As God has said to me:

This is wholly true. Those people are to be pitied who prefer anything else to it. The fountainhead of all your prosperity and salvation is the Holy Qur’an. There is no religious need of yours which is not filled by the Qur’an. On the Day of Judgement, the Qur’an will confirm or deny your faith. There is no other book under heaven beside the Qur’an which can furnish you with salvation. God has been very Beneficent towards you that He has bestowed a Book like the Qur’an upon you. I tell you truly that if the Book that is recited to you had been recited to the Christians, they would not have perished. If this bounty of guidance which has been bestowed upon you had been bestowed upon the Jews in place of the Torah, some of their sects would not have denied the Day of Judgement. Then value this favour that has been bestowed upon you. It is a very dear favour; it is great wealth. If the Qur’an had not been revealed the whole world would have been left like a dirty lump of flesh. The Qur’an is the Book in contrast with which all other guidance amounts to nothing.

In addition to all the excellences and beauties of style and idiom, the Holy Qur’an is the compendium of wisdom and knowledge, and possesses such a spiritual effect that following it truly a person achieves prosperity, inner light and expansion of mind, and becomes accepted of God and worthy of being addressed by Him. The Holy Qur’an creates in its follower those lights and hidden graces and provides him with such certain supports that are not found in others. He receives from God that delicious and comforting word in consequence of which he realizes more and more every moment that by the true following of the Holy Qur’an and true obedience to the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] he has arrived at a stage which is special for those whom God loves, and that he has been bestowed such Divine pleasure and kindness, which had been bestowed upon all those of perfect faith who have passed on before him. He perceives not only in words, but as actual fact, a pure spring of all these loves flowing through his heart and observes such a condition of relationship with God in his open breast which he cannot describe in words or by means of any illustration. He observes Divine lights descending like rain upon his soul.

Those lights cast their reflection upon him sometimes in the form of the disclosure of hidden matters, sometimes in the form of knowledge and insights, and at other times in the form of high moral qualities. These effects of the Holy Qur’an have been continuous. Ever since the sun of truth appeared in the world in the blessed person of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him], thousands of people who possessed the capacity and the ability have arrived and continue to arrive at those high stages by following the Divine Word and obeying the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] that we have mentioned above. God Almighty bestows continuously such favours and exaltations on them and manifests such support and bounties for them, that those with clear eyesight recognize that they are accepted of God and that they are under a grand shadow of Divine kindness and enjoy a majestic Divine grace. Observers can see clearly that they are honoured with extraordinary bounties, distinguished with wonderful miracles, scented with the perfume of the love of God, and are invested with the pride of being accepted of God. The light of the All-Powerful so fills their company, their attention, their resolve, their prayer, their eyesight, their moral qualities, their way of living, their pleasure and their anger, their liking and their dislike, their movement and their rest, their speech and their silence, and their exterior and their interior as a precious perfume fills a phial of transparent glass.

Those things are acquired through the grace of their companionship, attention and love, which cannot be acquired through the severest discipline. By entertaining goodwill and good faith for them, faith takes on another aspect, a new strength is gained for the display of good moral qualities, self-will and inclination towards disobedience begin to decline, and a satisfaction and a sweetness is gained. According to one’s capacity and the degree of one’s relationship, faith surges up, and affection and fondness manifest themselves, and delight in the remembrance of God increases.

By keeping company with them over a long period, one is brought to confess that in their strength of faith, and their moral conditions, their renunciation of the world, inclination towards God, love for God and kindness towards His creatures, and in their fidelity and steadfastness, they occupy such a high place as has no equal in the world. Sane reason immediately perceives that the shackles and chains which bind other people have been removed from their feet and their minds have been cleansed of the narrowness and constraint through which the minds of other people are constrained and fatigued. They are honoured by the frequency of converse with God and are considered worthy of being continuously addressed. They are considered a means of direction and guidance between God, the Glorious and High, and His eager servants. Their own brightness illumines other hearts. As by the advent of spring there is an upsurge in vegetation, in the same way, by their advent, natural light upsurges in obedient temperaments and every fortunate heart desires to make every effort to bring into manifestation its capacities for good fortune, and to be rid of heedlessness, and to be rescued from the darkness of sinfulness, disobedience, vice, ignorance and unawareness. During their blessed time, there is such spread of light that every believer and seeker after truth, according to the degree of his faith, discovers an expansion and fondness for religiosity without any apparent reason and perceives an increase and strengthening of resolve. In short, from their delicate perfume, which they acquire through the blessing of perfect obedience, every sincere person is benefited according to the degree of his sincerity.

It is true, however, that those who are eternally unfortunate, do not partake of it, but advance in rancour and envy and ill fortune and thus fall into hell. This refers to what God says:

[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1 pp. 528-532, sub-footnote 3]

Bounties Received by Followers of Holy Qur’an

The bounties that are bestowed upon the followers of the Holy Qur’an and the special gifts that they receive are not capable of being expressed in words, but some of them are of such great magnitude that it would be proper to mention them in some detail for the guidance of seekers.

Of these are the knowledge and insights which are bestowed on perfect followers. When a person adopts true obedience to the Holy Qur’an, commits himself wholly to its commandments, reflects upon its guidance with perfect love and sincerity, and does not hold back in any respect, then his observation and reflection are bestowed a light, and he is equipped with a delicate sense of reason whereby he is informed of wonderful fine points of Divine knowledge, which are hidden in the Word of God. Fine insights descend upon his heart like heavy rain. These fine insights are given the name of wisdom in the Holy Qur’an as is said:

God grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good. That is, wisdom comprises abundant good; he who is granted wisdom, attains abundant good.

This knowledge and understanding, which are called wisdom, being comprehensive of abundant good, are like a vast ocean which is bestowed upon the followers of the Divine word. Their observation and reflection are so blessed that high verities are reflected in their souls, as in a mirror, and perfect truths are disclosed to them. Divine support furnishes them with such means at the time of every research that what they set forth does not remain incomplete or defective and contains no error. So the knowledge and insights and verities and fine points and arguments and proofs that occur to them are so perfect and complete that it is a matter above the ordinary and other people cannot match them. They do not arise of themselves in their minds, but they are guided to them by a hidden understanding and Divine support, and it is through the strength of that understanding that they alight upon the mysteries and lights of the Qur’an, which cannot be acquired in the smoky light of reason alone. This knowledge and these insights that are bestowed upon them, and the fine points and deep insights relating to the Being and attributes of the Divine and to the life after death which are disclosed to them, are in their nature spiritual which in the estimation of the wise are higher and finer than material wonders.

In the estimation of the wise the value and rank of the men of God are determined by these extraordinary gifts. These are the ornaments of their high rank and are the beauty of their countenance. It is a part of human nature that the awe of knowledge and true insights affects it most, and truth and understanding are dearer to it than everything else. If it were supposed that a pious person is granted visions, is given knowledge of hidden matters, subjects himself to severe disciplines, and many extraordinary things are manifested by him, but that he is ignorant of the knowledge of the Divine so much so that he cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, is caught in wrong thinking and incorrect doctrine, and is weak and liable to error in every matter, he would appear as base and contemptible in the estimation of every sane person. A person who smacks of ignorance in the estimation of a wise one, and is disliked by those who hear him utter stupid things, cannot be respected by a wise one and appears contemptible, however pious and devoted he might be. This shows that spiritual wonders, that is to say, knowledge of the Divine and insights, are a necessary characteristic of the men of God and are special conditions for the recognition of the great wonders of the faith.

These conditions are bestowed in a complete and perfect manner upon those who follow the Holy Qur’an to the full. Despite the fact that many of them are not learned and are not well versed in current subjects, they are so much in advance of their contemporaries in fine points and knowledge of the Divine that very often their opponents are surprised on hearing their speeches, or on reading their writings, and are forced to confess that their knowledge and insights belong to another world and bear the colour of Divine support. One proof of this is that if anyone, who is opposed to them, seeks to compare their speeches on subjects relating to the Divine with anyone else’s speech, he is forced to confess, provided he is just and honest, that truth resided in their speeches. As the discussion proceeds and becomes deeper, many fine arguments emerge which would establish their being in the right, like a bright day. We are ready ourselves to furnish proof of this to every seeker after truth.

Another of these bounties is sinlessness, which is also termed Divine protection. This is also bestowed on the perfect followers of the Holy Qur’an as an extraordinary gift. By sinlessness, we mean that they are safeguarded against undesirable habits, thoughts, morals and actions in which other people are involved day and night. If they happen to make a slip Divine mercy soon sets them right. It is obvious that the station of sinlessness is very delicate and is altogether at a distance from the demands of the self that incites to evil, and that its acquisition is not possible without special Divine attention. For instance, if an average person is asked that he should absolutely avoid telling a lie in every one of his affairs, statements, professions and occupations, it becomes difficult and impossible for him. Even if he makes every effort towards this, he is met with so many obstructions that in the end it becomes his principle that in the affairs of the world it is impossible to avoid falsehood. But for those fortunate ones, who seek to follow the guidance of the Holy Qur’an with true love and eager determination, not only is it made easy that they should avoid telling lies, but they are also granted strength to give up everything undesirable. God Almighty, by His perfect mercy, safeguards them on all ill occasions that would lead them to ruin, for they are the light of the world and in their security lies the security of the world, and their ruin means the ruin of the world. For this reason they are safeguarded in respect of every thought, knowledge and understanding, wrath and passion, fear and greed, constriction and prosperity, joy and sorrow, and hardship and ease, from all unworthy actions, corrupt thoughts, wrong knowledge, improper conduct, misguided reflections and every excess of their ego. They do not take their stand on anything undesirable, for God Almighty makes Himself responsible for their training and whenever He observes a dry branch in their pure tree, He cuts it off with His benevolent hand. Divine support watches over them every moment. This bounty of protection which is bestowed upon them is also not without proof. An intelligent person can satisfy himself in respect of it after keeping company with them for a short while.

Another great bounty is trust in God on which they are firmly established. This pure spring is not available to anyone besides them, but is made pleasant and agreeable for them. The light of understanding lends them such support that very often without there being any resources and finding themselves far away from normal means, they lead such cheerful lives and pass their days in such prosperity as if they possessed thousands of treasures. Their countenances display the freshness of wealth and the steadfastness of the rich. They have perfect trust in their Lord in times of hardship, with cheerful heart and complete certainty. They are given to sacrifice and the service of people is their habit. Even if the whole world were to become members of their family, they would feel no constraint. They are grateful to God Almighty, Who covers up their shortcomings on every occasion. They are taken into the protection of the Divine before an unbearable calamity descends upon them, for God is their Guardian in all circumstances, as He has said Himself:

Others are left to face the painful pursuit of worldly objects, and the extraordinary treatment that is accorded to these people is not accorded to anyone else. This characteristic of theirs can also be proved very soon by keeping company with them.

Another bounty is the personal love of God on which the perfect followers of the Holy Qur’an are established. Love of God so saturates every particle of their existence that it becomes the essence of their being and the reality of their life. A wonderful love of the True Beloved surges up in their hearts and an extraordinary affection and eagerness take possession of their pure hearts, which cuts them off altogether from all others; and the fire of Divine love is so lit up in them that on special occasions it becomes palpably perceptible to those who keep company with them. It becomes impossible for them to adopt any design or strategy to keep it hidden, just as it is impossible for worldly lovers to hide their love for their beloved from their companions and associates whom they yearn to see day and night. The love that penetrates their talk, and their looks, and their eyes, and their appearance, and their nature, and is manifested in every particle of their being, cannot be kept secret. Whatever they might do, some sign of it is betrayed.

The greatest sign of their sincerity is that they prefer their Beloved to everything else, and if they experience any hardships, they view them as bounties on account of their overpowering love, and torment becomes for them a sweet drink. No sharp sword can bring about separation between them and their Beloved and no great calamity can restrain them from His remembrance. They regard it as their very life, and find all their joy in it, and deem its existence as their own existence and consider it as the purpose of their lives. They are fond only of Him and find comfort only in Him. They have only Him in the world and become wholly His. They live for Him and die for Him. They are in the world but are outside the world; and possessing self, they are selfless. They have no concern with honour, name, life or comfort. They lose everything for the sake of the One and give up everything to find Him. They are consumed by an unperceived fire and cannot explain why they are consumed. They are deaf and dumb to every admonition, and are ready to endure every hardship and disgrace, and find their delight therein.

Another bounty is high moral qualities like generosity, bravery, sacrifice, high resolve, compassion, forbearance, modesty and friendship. All these qualities are displayed by them in the best manner, and through the blessing of the following of the Holy Qur’an they manifest them with fidelity till the end of their lives, and no constraint can restrain them from exhibiting these qualities. The truth is that every good quality, whether intellectual or relating to conduct or morals, which is manifested by man, is not manifested by human power. The true cause of its manifestation is the grace of God. As these people are the recipients of the grace of God more than anyone else, God Almighty bestows all good qualities upon them through His endless grace. In other words, no one is truly good except God Almighty and all high moral qualities and all virtues centre in Him. Then to the degree to which a person, discarding his self and his will, acquires nearness to the Being Who is All Good, to that degree Divine qualities are reflected in his soul. Thus, all the good qualities and true culture that a person acquires proceed from his nearness to God. That is as it should be, for creatures are nothing in themselves. Thus, the reflection of Divine moral qualities is manifested in the hearts of those who follow the Holy Qur’an perfectly. Experience can show that the pure behaviour, and the spiritual eagerness, and the upsurge of love with which high moral qualities are manifested by them, are not equalled anywhere in the world. Everyone can make a claim and can boast of himself, but these are the only people who can pass safely through the narrow door of experience.

Such good qualities as are manifested by other people are shown artificially by hiding their deficiencies and their diseases. They display a false culture and their reality is exposed on the occasion of every little test. They import artificiality and make believe in the exercise of moral qualities in order to maintain good order in their way of life; if they were to follow on all occasions their inner deficiencies, their way of life would be upset. Though they carry a seed of good qualities according to their natural capacity, it is suppressed under the thorns of the desires of their ego. It is not manifested purely for the sake of God and is mixed up with selfish desires and cannot attain to perfection.

This seed develops into perfection purely for the sake of God only in those people who are devoted wholly to God and whose souls are filled by God with His own pure qualities, as they are empty of everything beside God. He makes those high qualities as dear to their hearts as they are dear to Him. Through their devotion, they acquire such a high rank of adorning themselves with Divine qualities that they become an instrument in the hands of God through which He manifests His own qualities. Finding them hungry and thirsty, He gives them to drink of pure water from His special spring in which no creature, in its own right, is His partner.

Another great bounty that is bestowed on the perfect followers of the Holy Qur’an is the state of complete submission to God. Despite their own excellences, they keep an eye on their deficiencies and, in the presence of the greatness of God Almighty, pass all their time in humility, nothingness and meekness. They appreciate as their true reality humility and poverty and indigence, and being full of faults and mistakes. They deem the excellences that are bestowed on them like the temporary light which the sun casts upon a wall, and which has no real relationship with the wall, and is subject to decline like a borrowed garment. They confine all good and excellence in God, and deem His Perfect Being as the fountainhead of all good. By the observation of Divine qualities, their hearts are filled with the certainty that they themselves are nothing, so that they are wholly lost to their own existence, desires and designs. The surging ocean of the majesty of the Divine so envelops their hearts that they experience a thousand types of nothingness, and they are wholly cleansed and purified of the least suspicion of associating anything with God.

Another bounty is that their understanding and recognition of God are carried to completion and perfection through true visions, inner knowledge, clear revelation, converse with God and other supernatural experiences, so much so that between them and the second world is left only a thin and transparent veil across which they behold the facts of the other life in this very world. Other people cannot arrive at this perfect stage because their books are full of darkness and pile up hundreds of other veils on top of their own veils and cause their disease to grow till they arrive at death. Even the philosophers, who are in these days followed by the Brahmu Samajists and the whole of whose religion depends upon reason, are deficient in their way. Their deficiency is disclosed by the fact that their understanding, because of a hundred types of mistakes, does not travel beyond perceptible reason and conjectures.

It is obvious that a person whose understanding is confined to the visible and is subject to many mistakes, occupies a very low intellectual position in contrast with one whose understanding has arrived at the stage of the self-obvious. It is quite clear that beyond the stage of observation and reflection, there is the stage of self-evidence and certainty. Matters that are discovered through observation and reflection may become self-obvious and self-displaying through some other means. Thus, the stage of self-obviousness is possible according to reason, and though Brahmu Samajists deny its existence they admit that if it is found externally it would doubtless be higher and more perfect, and that the deficiencies that are left in observation and reflection would be filled only at that stage.

Everyone can understand that a matter being established as self-obvious is a higher and more perfect stage than the stage of reflection. For instance, though by observation of the creation a wise and good-natured person can think that all this should have a Creator, yet the obvious and bright way of Divine understanding, which is a strong argument in support of His existence, is that His creatures receive revelation, and before the end of the reality of things is disclosed they are made aware of it, and God responds to their supplications. God holds converse with them, the facts of the after-life are revealed to them in visions, they are informed of the true reality of reward and punishment, and many other types of mysteries relating to the life after death are disclosed to them. There is no doubt that all these matters carry certainty to a perfect and complete stage and carry one from the low-lying areas of reflection to the high minaret of obviousness. Converse with the Divine is the highest experience of this type, for through it not only does a person discover hidden matters, but he is also informed of all the favours that God bestows upon that humble servant, and he is afforded such satisfaction through a delicious and blessed converse and is informed of the pleasure of God Almighty in consequence of which he is bestowed great strength for combating the evil attractions of the world. He is bestowed mountains of endurance and steadfastness. In the same manner, he is taught high degrees of knowledge and understanding and hidden mysteries, and deep fine points are communicated to him which cannot be discovered without special Divine teaching. If someone asks how can all these matters, concerning which it is said that they are acquired by perfect obedience to the Holy Qur’an, be established as existing in effect in Islam; the answer is that such knowledge can be gained by keeping company with those who have this experience.

We have stated it several times, and repeat briefly in order to disclose it to every opponent, that this great wealth is found in Islam and is not found in any other religion. For a seeker after truth we make ourselves responsible for furnishing proof of it. If a person who is inspired by goodwill desires to carry out a research with patience and steadfastness, these matters can be disclosed to him according to his capacity and ability, if he will keep company with us.

[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in Vol. 1, pp. 532-545, sub-footnote 3]

The Holy Qur’an, on which depends obedience to the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him], is a Book by following which signs of salvation are manifested in this very world. That is the only Book which, through overt and covert means, perfects defective souls and delivers them from doubts and suspicions.

The overt way is that its statements are so comprehensive of verities and fine points that it refutes, through reasonable arguments, all the doubts which prevent people from reaching God, and being involved in which, hundreds of false sects are flourishing and hundreds of false doctrines are occupying the hearts of misguided people. All the light of the true and perfect teaching, which is needed for the darkness of the present age, shines forth in it like the sun, and the remedy for all the ills of the soul is set out in it and the exposition of all true insights is contained in it. There is no point of the knowledge of the Divine which might be disclosed at any time in the future, which has been left out of it.

The covert way is that following it truly, man, being purified wholly of inner vices, establishes a relationship with the Lord on High and the lights of his acceptance by God begin to descend upon him. He is so encircled by Divine favours that when he supplicates God in times of difficulty, God Almighty responds to him through His perfect mercy and compassion. Sometimes it happens that, when he is surrounded by his difficulties and sorrows, even if he supplicates a thousand times, he receives a loving response from his Gracious Lord every time in eloquent, delicious and blessed words. Divine revelation descends upon him like rain and he finds his heart so filled with the love of God as a transparent glass phial is filled with a delicate perfume. He is bestowed such pure delight of affection and eagerness which, breaking the strong chains of his ego, pulls him out of this smoky condition and bestows new life upon him every moment with the cool and comforting breezes of the True Beloved. Even before his death, he witnesses the Divine favours for witnessing which other people set their hopes on the life after death.

All these bounties do not depend upon any monastic exercises or discipline, but are bestowed in consequence of following the Holy Qur’an and every true seeker can achieve them. For their achievement, however, perfect love of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] is a condition. In consequence of the love of Allah’s Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him], a person partakes of these lights according to his capacity which have been bestowed in their perfection on the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Thus, there is no better way for a seeker after truth than to embrace this faith through someone possessing insight and understanding and, by following the Divine Word and developing love of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him], to witness the truth of our statements with his own eyes. If he turns to us with a sincere heart for the achievement of this purpose, we would be ready, trusting in the grace and bounty of God, to point out the way to him, but both the grace of God and personal capacity would be needed.

It should be borne in mind that true salvation is like good health. As good health is a condition in which all the signs of health should be apparent and there should be no disorder affecting health, in the same way, true salvation is that which shows the signs of the attainment of salvation. That which is proved to exist should exhibit the effects and conditions of such existence, for without these effects and conditions its existence cannot be established. As we have pointed out several times, for the establishment of salvation the conditions are that withdrawal towards God and the supremacy of the love of God should reach such a perfect stage that, through the company and attention and prayers of that person, these qualities should be produced in other persons also who possess the capacity. In his own personal condition, his insight should be so illumined that his blessings should be self-obvious in the sight of a seeker after truth; and he should possess all the specialities and be honoured with the converse of the Divine which are the signs of those who are close to God.

No one should be misled by the prophecies of astrologers and soothsayers, and it should be remembered that these people have no relationship with the lights and blessings of the men of God. We have written before that human instruments have no relationship with powerful prophecies and benevolent promises which are the very truth and which convey the good news of victory and help and majesty and honour. God Almighty has bestowed such natures upon men of God that their looks, company, attention and prayers possess the qualities of a sovereign remedy provided that the beneficiary should possess the requisite ability. Such people are not recognized only through their prophecies, but through their treasures of understanding, their extraordinary trust, their perfect sincerity, their steadfastness, their love of God, their eagerness, their extreme humility, the purity of their souls, their discarding the love of the world, the numberless blessings which descend upon them like rain, their having the support of God, their matchless steadfastness, their fidelity of a high degree, their peerless righteousness and purity, their grand resolve and the expansion of their minds.

Prophecies are not their true purpose. The purpose of their prophecies is that by mentioning in advance the blessings that are about to descend upon them, and upon those connected with them, they should assure people that they are the objects of special attention from God. The communications that they receive from God are intended as a conclusive and certain proof of their truth and their being from God. Those people on whom these holy blessings are bestowed in abundance are such concerning whom the law of Divine power of eternal wisdom has determined that their doctrines should be true and pure, and that they should be established in the true faith, and should have a strong relationship with God, and should be completely withdrawn from the world and all that it contains.

Their nature leans towards Divine lights and the true faith. It would be the height of stupidity to compare their highly qualified selves, which comprise all blessings, with unfortunate astrologers and soothsayers, for they have no relationship with contemptible worldly people. On the contrary, they are heavenly lights like the sun and the moon and the eternal light of Divine wisdom has created them so that by coming into the world they should illumine it. It should be borne in mind that as God has created certain remedies for physical illnesses and has brought into the world excellent things like antidotes, etc. for diverse types of pains and disorders and has invested these remedies from the beginning with the characteristic that when a diseased person, whose illness has not gone beyond remedy, uses these medicines with proper care, the Absolute Healer bestows to some degree health and strength upon the patient according to his capacity and ability, or restores him fully to health; in the same way, God Almighty has, from eternity, invested the pure spirits of these accepted ones with the characteristic that their attention, prayers, companionship and high resolve are the remedy for spiritual ills. Their souls become the recipients of diverse types of grace through visions and converse with the Divine, and that grace manifests a grand effect for the guidance of mankind. In short, these men of God are a mercy for the creatures of God.

As it is the Divine law of nature in this world of causes and effects that a thirsty one slakes his thirst by drinking water, and a hungry one satisfies the pangs of hunger by eating food, in the same way, by Divine law Prophets and their perfect followers become the means of the healing of spiritual ills. Hearts obtain satisfaction in their company, defects of humanness are reduced, darknesses of the ego are dissipated, eagerness of love for the Divine surges up, and heavenly blessings are manifested. Without them, none of this can be achieved and these are their special signs by which they are recognized. So ponder over this matter and be not heedless.

[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1 pp. 345-356, sub-footnote 2]

Matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an Illustrated With Surah Fatihah

For the general benefit, we proceed to set out the quality by possessing which a writing or a speech qualifies for being held matchless and from God. Then we shall select a Surah of the Holy Qur’an and shall prove that it possesses, in perfection and in completeness, all those qualities of matchlessness which have been set forth in the rule. Then if someone still refuses to accept those qualities of matchlessness the burden would lie upon him to produce some other writing or speech which should possess all those qualities of matchlessness.

If a writing or speech fully resembles something which has proceeded from God and is His handiwork, that is to say, it is comprehensive of the external and internal wonders which exist in something that has been fashioned by God, it would be said that that writing or speech is of a rank which cannot be matched by human powers, for if a thing is admittedly matchless and has proceeded from God, then anything else sharing fully its qualities of matchlessness would itself be matchless. For instance, if something is in complete accord with that which is ten yards in length, then it would be established as a certainty that that thing also is ten yards in length.

Rose: A Wonder of Allah’s Creation

Now we shall select out of the creations of God a delicate creation, that is to say, a rose, and we shall set out the external and internal wonders by virtue of which it is admitted that it is beyond human power to create its match. We shall then prove that the wonders and excellences of the Surah Fatihah not only match the wonders of the rose, but also exceed them. The reason why I select this illustration is that on one occasion I saw in a vision that I was holding in my hand the Surah Fatihah inscribed on a leaf and it was so beautiful and attractive that it appeared that the paper on which it was inscribed was loaded with soft red roses which were beyond count. When I recited any verse of the Surah, many of the roses flew upwards emitting an attractive sound. Those roses were very large, delicate, beautiful, fresh, and fragrant; and by their ascending upwards the heart and brain were perfumed, overpowered, and drawn away from the world and its contents, on account of the matchless delights of the roses. From this vision, I gathered that the rose has a spiritual relationship with the Surah Fatihah and that is why I have selected this illustration. I shall first set out as an illustration the wonders, external and internal, that are found in the rose and shall then describe as a contrast the external and internal wonders of the Surah Fatihah so that a just reader should appreciate that the qualities, external and internal, that are found in the rose by virtue of which it is impossible to create its match, are found in the Surah Fatihah to a higher degree. Thus, I would also fulfil the indication that was conveyed to me in my vision.

It will be admitted without hesitation that a rose, like other creations of God, possesses such qualities that a man has not the power to create its match. These qualities are of two types. First, those that are manifested in its appearance. They are that its colour is most attractive, and its smell pleases the heart, and its body is soft, fresh, delicate and clean. Secondly, there are the inner qualities with which it is invested by God, that is to say, the qualities that are inherent in it. These are that it pleases and strengthens the heart, upholds all the faculties and spirits, operates as a laxative, and strengthens the stomach, liver, kidneys, arteries, the womb, and lungs. It is very helpful in a coma and in weakness of the heart, and is useful in many other physical ailments.

On account of these two types of qualities, it is believed that the rose is so perfect that it is not possible for any human being to make a flower which should be attractive in colour and in fragrance, and should be fresh and soft and delicate and clear like the rose and in addition should possess all those qualities that are possessed by the rose. If it is asked why is it believed that human power is not able to create its match and why is it not possible that man should be able to produce in an artificial flower all the qualities, external and internal, that are found in the rose, the answer is that this has been proved in practice, and that no philosopher or physician has been able to compound any medicines, or to devise a recipe, that would produce a flower possessing the appearance and qualities of the rose.

Qualities of Surah Fatihah Compared With the Rose

It should now be understood that these elements of matchlessness are to be found in the Surah Fatihah, and indeed in the briefest portions of the Holy Qur’an. First observe its external form and appreciate its colourful diction and beautiful exposition and sequence and other qualities which are essential for a good composition and which manifest themselves throughout the Surah Fatihah, a manifestation that cannot be exceeded and which is free from every type of coarseness and wildness of idiom. Every phrase is most eloquent, every form of expression has its proper place, and every type of quality which enhances the beauty of its composition is found in it. The highest grade of eloquence that can be imagined is found in it in perfection and all that is needed to make its meaning clear is present. With all these good qualities, it is filled with the fragrance of truth and there is no exaggeration in it, which might have the slightest trace of falsehood. Its colourfulness is not like that of the poets which smacks of falsehood and is full of idle boasts. As the compositions of poets smell of falsehood and vain verbiage, this composition is full of the delicate fragrance of truth. This fragrance is accompanied by a beauty of exposition, propriety of diction, colourfulness, smoothness and, as in the rose, its fragrance is accompanied by the beauty of its colour and clearness. These are its external qualities.

From the point of view of its internal qualities, the Surah Fatihah comprises remedies for great spiritual illnesses, and makes provision for the perfection of intellectual power and the power of action. It reforms great disorders and sets forth great insights and fine points which have been hidden from the eyes of thinkers and philosophers. The heart of a seeker is strengthened by its perusal and is healed of the ills of doubt and suspicion and error. Many high verities and fine realities which are needed for the perfection of the soul are furnished by its contents. Obviously, these excellences are such that they cannot be combined in the writing or speech of any human being. This impossibility is not mere inference, but is obvious. God Almighty has manifested the perfection of its external and internal qualities by setting out, in eloquent words, the fine points and high insights at the time of their need and in accordance with the requirements of truth. He has carried both sides, the external and the internal, to the highest grades of perfection. First, it sets out those necessary high insights the signs of which had disappeared from previous teachings, and no thinker or philosopher had set them forth. These have not been set out without need and in vain, but they have been set out at a time when they were absolutely necessary for the reform of the conditions of the age and without their being set out the age would have faced ruin and destruction. They have not been set out imperfectly or incompletely, and are perfect in themselves. The wisdom of a wise person cannot cite a religious verity which has been left out of them. Nor is there any doubt which troubles the mind of a worshipper of falsehood that has not been set at rest. To express all these verities and fine points, of which there was great need, at the highest level of eloquence, is a great undertaking which is obviously above the capacity of human faculties.

Man is so bereft of merit that it is not possible for him to express truthfully average matters, which are not connected with high verities, in colourful and eloquent words, adhering all the time to truth and accuracy of statement. For instance, it is impossible for a shopkeeper, who is a high-grade poet and writer, to carry on his conversation with diverse types of customers eloquently and in colourful words, confining himself to whatever is appropriate on every occasion. Where economy of words is needed, he should speak less and where long speeches are appropriate, he should hold forth at length. When a discussion should ensue between him and his customer, he should adopt a method which should support his thesis. Or take the case of a magistrate whose duty it is to take down accurately the statements of parties and witnesses and to make appropriate comments on them and to put questions and to record answers which are appropriate for the investigation of the matter in dispute, and to set down legal arguments accurately according to the law, and to set forth the facts in their proper order and to record his opinion and the reasons in support thereof accurately. He would find it impossible to do all this at a level of eloquence which it would not be possible for another human being to exceed. The case of human compositions is such that without vain, unnecessary and irrelevant matters, their authors cannot take a step and cannot set out anything without falsehood and idle statements. If they make an attempt it is defective like a picture which if it depicts a nose, it leaves out ears and if it depicts ears, it leaves out eyes. If truth is adhered to, eloquence has to be sacrificed, and if eloquence has to be pursued, falsehood and idle statements are piled up like an onion which is all leaves and has no substance.

Thus, sane reason determines that it is impossible to set out average matters in colourful and eloquent words while adhering to truth and the requirements of the occasion. Then it is easy to understand that to set out high insights according to the requirements of truth in colourful and eloquent language, better than which cannot be imagined, is a supernatural task which is beyond human power and is as impossible of achievement as it is impossible to create a flower which should completely resemble a rose in its external and internal qualities. Experience testifies and sane nature accepts that in ordinary matters it becomes impossible for a person to set forth something which is necessary and true, whether it relates to a matter of buying and selling or relates to judicial procedure, and it is desired to perform this task in the best manner, in the most appropriate and suitable language at the highest degree of eloquence. Then how is it possible for a human being to set forth in a writing truthfully and accurately insights and high verities according to need, comprising Divine truths, without omitting anything that is needed for the reform of the times and for conclusive argument and for repelling the objections of opponents while observing all the rules of debate and discussion, and comprising all necessary arguments, proofs of teachings, and the requisite questions and answers? The difficulties would be multiplied a hundredfold beyond those that we have set out in the first case, and yet it would be necessary that the beauty of the composition should be matchless and peerless, and that it should not be possible to express the subject matter in more eloquent language.

These are the qualities which are found in the Surah Fatihah and in the Holy Qur’an, which are in accord with the qualities of matchlessness of a rose. But another great quality is found in the Surah Fatihah and the Holy Qur’an, which is peculiar to them, and that is that to read them with attention and sincerity purifies the heart, and removes the veils of darkness, and expands the mind, and drawing the seeker after truth to God, manifests such lights and effects in him which are found only in those who are close to God and which cannot be acquired by any other means. We have given proof in this book of this spiritual effect, and if a seeker after truth should so desire we can satisfy him and furnish fresh proof.

Internal and External Qualities of Surah Fatihah

It should also be remembered that the matchlessness and peerlessness of the Holy Qur’an has not only arguments of reason to establish it, but is confirmed by experience over a long period. For 1,300 years the Holy Qur’an has been putting forward its qualities as a challenge to the whole world that in its external and internal qualities it is matchless and peerless and that no man can produce its equal, and yet no one has come forward to take up the challenge, not even with regard to one Surah, for instance the Surah Fatihah. Now what could be a clearer miracle than that not only this Holy Word is beyond the reach of human faculties on the basis of reason, but experience over a long period also testifies to its miraculous nature.

If someone should be dissatisfied with both these types of testimony and should take pride in his knowledge and ability, or should believe that some other writer can compose something like the Holy Qur’an, we shall proceed, as we have promised, to set forth a sample of the verities and fine points comprehended in the Surah Fatihah. Such a person should put forth some composition of his own as a rival to the external and internal qualities of the Surah Fatihah.

Like the Holy Qur’an, the Surah Fatihah comprises two types of qualities which are matchless, one external and the other internal. As we have repeatedly set forth, its external quality is that its text is so colourful, bright, fine, delicate, eloquent, sweet and smooth, and its statements and sequence are so beautiful that it is not possible to set forth its meaning in an equal or more eloquent composition. If the writers and poets of the whole world should seek to expound its subject matter on their own in another text, which should be equal to or better than the text of the Surah Fatihah, they would find it impossible to do so, as the Holy Qur’an has put forward its claim of matchlessness before the whole world over a period of 1,300 years without a response .... The silence of its opponents over the centuries has furnished the Holy Qur’an with a degree of proof of matchlessness which is not possessed by the rose, for the thinkers and artisans of the world have never been invited to match anything else in this manner, nor have they been warned that in the case of their inability to do so they would be subjected to diverse types of ruin and destruction …

Now we repeat the inner qualities of the Surah Fatihah so that they are duly appreciated by those who reflect. Be it known, therefore, that as the All-Wise has placed diverse types of benefits for the human body in the rose, such as that it strengthens the heart and faculties and souls, and is helpful in the case of several diseases, in the same way, God Almighty has placed in the Surah Fatihah, and indeed in the whole of the Holy Qur’an, healing for spiritual ills and a cure for inner diseases, which is not to be found anywhere else, inasmuch as it is filled with those verities which had disappeared from the world without leaving any trace …

It was in truth a rain of mercy which descended from heaven to save the lives of the extremely thirsty. The spiritual life of the world depends upon the descent from heaven of that life-giving water and not a drop of it is such that it is not a remedy for some ill. The condition of the world through centuries had proved that it could not remedy these diseases on its own, without the descent of this light, and could remove its darkness without a heavenly light which should illumine the world with its rays of truth, and should cause those to see who had never seen, and should cause those to understand who had never understood. This heavenly light not only presented such true insights as had disappeared from the world, but filled many minds with these jewels of truth and wisdom, and drew many hearts to its beauteous countenance, and carried many to high stages of knowledge and action through its powerful effect. Both these types of qualities which are found in the Surah Fatihah and in the Holy Qur’an are such bright arguments for proving the matchlessness of the Word of God, as the qualities of the rose are admitted by everybody to be beyond human power. Indeed the truth is that as these qualities of the Holy Qur’an are obviously extraordinary and beyond the reach of human power, such qualities are not to be found in the rose.

The greatness and glory and matchlessness of these qualities is fully appreciated when they are considered together collectively. First, it should be considered that the text should be so eloquent, sweet, pure, attractive and colourful that if any human being should desire to compose such a text, which should be comprehensive of all the meanings which are to be found in this eloquent text, he would find it impossible to do so. Secondly, it should be considered that the subject matter of this text should be comprehensive of such verities and fine points which should be of a very high order and no phrase or word or letter should lack wisdom. Thirdly, it should be considered that those verities should be such as are sorely needed by this age. Fourthly, it should be considered that those verities should be so matchless that no thinker or philosopher should have discovered them by his own observation or reflection. Fifthly, it should be considered that those verities should have appeared as a fresh bounty and that before their appearance the people of that age should have been wholly unaware of them. Sixthly it should be considered that the text should possess a heavenly blessing in that, by following it, a seeker after truth should be able to establish a true relationship with God Almighty, and a true affection for Him; and that such lights should begin to shine in him as ought to shine in men of God.

When they are considered collectively, sane reason unhesitatingly confirms that it is impossible and beyond the power of a human being to produce a text which should comprise all these perfect qualities. One is filled with awe by the contemplation at one time of all these overt and covert excellences, and a wise person is assured that it is beyond human reason and imagination to produce such a combination. A rose does not inspire such awe. The Holy Qur’an possesses this speciality that its qualities that have been mentioned as proof of its matchlessness are self-obvious. When an opponent finds that not one letter of it is out of place and not in accord with wisdom and appropriateness, and that not a single phrase of it is such as is not sorely needed for the reform of the age together with such perfection of eloquence that it is not possible to replace one line of its text with another, his heart is overcome by a great awe.

An ignorant person who has never considered these matters might perhaps ask what is the proof that all these qualities are to be found in the Surah Fatihah, and indeed in the whole of the Holy Qur’an. The proof is that those who considered the matchless excellences of the Holy Qur’an and found its text possessing such eloquence that they failed utterly to produce its like, and found its verities and fine points of such high degree that they did not find their match in the whole world, and observed such wonderful effects in it as are not to be found in human words, and observed this holy quality in it that it was not revealed without purpose, but descended at a time of true need, they at once admitted its matchless greatness. Those who on account of their eternal misfortune were deprived of the bounty of faith were yet so overawed by this matchless composition that in their confusion they announced that it was plain magic. A just person finds it a strong argument in support of the matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an and a bright proof, that despite the fact that for 1,300 years the Holy Qur’an has incited its opponents to produce its match and called those who failed to do so, and yet continued in their opposition, wicked, contaminated, cursed and condemned to hell; yet the opponents chose all the humiliation and dishonour and disgrace for themselves and submitted to being called false, contemptible, shameless, wicked, mischievous, faithless and condemned to hell, but could not produce even a short Surah for comparison with the Holy Qur’an. Nor were they able to find fault with the merits, qualities, greatnesses and verities which the Word of God presents. They were under challenge, and still are, that if they do not wish to give up their disbelief and lack of faith, they should produce the like of one Surah of the Holy Qur’an and should confront us with a text which comprises all those external and internal qualities which are to be found in the briefest Surah of the Holy Qur’an.

To bring our argument to its completion, we will set forth some fine points and verities of Surah al-Fatihah. First we will write Surah al-Fatihah and then write about its profound verities. The Surah Fatihah runs as follows:

Given below are a few points of wisdom and verities in the commentary of this Surah by way of illustration.

Is the first verse of this Surah and of all other Surahs of the Holy Qur’an and also occurs in the Holy Qur’an at another place. It is repeated in the Holy Qur’an more often than any other verse. It has become a practice among the Muslims that at the beginning of every action in which good and blessing is sought, this verse is recited as a sign of blessing and as a supplication for help. Thus it has become well known among enemies and friends and among old and young, so much so that even if a person is entirely unaware of all other verses of the Qur’an, there is a strong hope that he would not be unaware of this verse.

Of the perfect verities that this verse comprises, one is that the purpose of this verse is to teach the humble and unaware servants of God that there are many attributes of the Great name of God which is Allah, and which in the Divine idiom of the Qur’an is comprehensive of all perfect qualities, and is free from all defects, and is used for the True God, One without associate, and is the fountainhead of all grace, and that two of those attributes which are set out in the verse Bismillah, namely Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat, demand the revelation of the Word of God and the spread of its lights and blessings.

The descent of the Holy Word of God into the world and its being made known to God’s creatures is the demand of the attribute of Rahmaniyyat. The attribute of Rahmaniyyat is manifested without being preceded by the action of any person and merely by the beneficence and bounty of God. God has created the sun and the moon and water and air, etc. for the welfare of His creatures and all this beneficence and bounty is by virtue of the attribute of Rahmaniyyat. No one can claim that these things have been created as a reward of any action of his. In the same way, the word of God which has descended for the reform and guidance of mankind, has descended by virtue of this attribute. There is no animate who can claim that the Holy Word of God which comprehends His law has been revealed in consequence of any action or effort of his or as the reward of his virtue. This is the reason why despite the fact that there have been thousands who claim to be pure and virtuous and who have spent their lives in piety and worship, yet the Holy and Perfect Word of God which brought into the world His commandments and informed men of His designs, was revealed only at such time when it was needed.

It is, however, necessary that the Holy Word of God should be revealed only to those who occupy a high place in holiness and purity of soul, inasmuch as holiness has no relationship with impurity. But it is not necessary that in every case of holiness and virtue there should be a revelation of the Word of God. The revelation of the true law and teaching of God Almighty depends upon true need. Whenever the need arose and it appeared that the Divine Word should be revealed for the reform of the age in that time, God Almighty, Who is All-Wise, revealed the word. At no other time is the perfect Word of God, which comprises Divine law, revealed, though there might be present millions of people who are righteous and pure and possess a high degree of holiness and virtue. It is true that God holds converse with some pure people but that also happens when according to Divine Wisdom true need arises for such converse. The difference between the two needs is that Divine law is revealed at the time of such need when the people of the world, through misguidance and error, have turned away from the right path and a new law is needed to bring them back to it, which should remove their afflictions and lift their darkness totally by the light of its perfect and healing statements, and should provide with its forceful pronouncements the remedy which is needed by the corrupt condition of the world.

But the converse that is held with the Auliya’ is not preceded by this great need. Very often, the purpose of such converse is to invest the soul of a saint with steadfastness at a time of distress, or to convey some piece of good news to him at a time when he is overcome by sorrow and grief. But the perfect and Holy Word of God Almighty that descends upon Prophets and Messengers is revealed, as we have just stated, when a true need for it arises and when mankind is in dire need of its revelation. Thus the true cause of the descent of the Word of God is its proper need. When the whole night becomes dark and no light is left you realize that the appearance of the new moon is near. In the same way, when the darkness of misguidance overcomes the world, sane reason appreciates that the appearance of the spiritual moon is near. In the same way, when people are afflicted with a drought, the wise among them consider the descent of the rain of mercy very near.

In His physical law also God has appointed some seasons for rain during which God’s creatures are truly in need of rain. From the rain that descends during those seasons, it cannot be concluded that at that time people do more good and at other times they are involved in vice. Those are seasons when cultivators are in need of rain and the descent of rain at that time becomes the cause of the growth of vegetation throughout the year. In the same way, the descent of the Word of God is not on account of the piety and righteousness of a particular person, that is to say, the cause of the descent of such word is not that a particular person was very holy and virtuous, or was hungry and thirsty for the truth. As we have written so often, the true cause of the revelation of heavenly Books is their need, that is to say, that gloom and darkness which spread over the world and demand a heavenly light which should dispel the darkness. This is indicated in the Divine Word in the verse:

This Night, according to its common interpretation, is a Blessed Night, but some of the verses of the Holy Qur’an indicate that the condition of the darkness of the world is also a Night of Decree on account of its hidden qualities. In that condition of darkness, sincerity and steadfastness, and piety and worship, have great value in the estimation of God. It was because of that condition of darkness which at the time of the advent of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] had arrived at its climax and demanded the descent of a Grand Light, that observing this dark condition and having mercy on the creatures afflicted with darkness, there was an upsurge in the attribute of Rahmaniyyat and heavenly blessings addressed themselves to the earth. That dark condition became blessed for the world and the world thereby received a grand mercy so that the Perfect Man and the Chief of the Prophets, like whom there had been no one, nor ever will be, came for the guidance of the world and brought that bright Book for the world whose match no eye has beheld. It was a great manifestation of spiritual perfection of God that, at a time of gloom and darkness, He sent down a Grand Light which is named the Furqan and which distinguishes between truth and falsehood and which demonstrated the coming of truth and the disappearance of falsehood. It descended upon the earth when the earth had become spiritually dead and land and sea had been greatly corrupted. By its descent it accomplished that to which God Almighty has pointed in the verse:

It should be remembered that the descent of the Holy Qur’an which took place for the purpose of reviving the earth came about through the upsurge of the attribute of Rahmaniyyat. This is the attribute which sometimes manifests itself in a material way and causes the rain of mercy to descend upon dry land and thus makes provision for those who are afflicted with famine. The same attribute sometimes surges up spiritually and has mercy on the condition of those who are hungry and thirsty and near unto death on account of misguidance and error, and lack the nourishment of truth and righteousness which is the source of spiritual life. Thus the Gracious One, as He bestows nourishment upon the body at the time of need, so of His Perfect Mercy He provides spiritual nourishment also at the time of need.

It is true, however, that the Word of God descends only upon those of the elect with whom God is pleased, but it is not true that without any true need a heavenly Book is revealed to anyone with whom God is pleased, or that without any such need He necessarily and continuously holds converse with such a one. The Book of God is revealed only when its need arises. The true cause of Divine revelation is the Rahmaniyyat of God Almighty and not anyone’s action. This is a great verity of which our opponents the Brahmu Samajists and others are unaware.

Then it should be understood that for anyone to become the recipient of the Grace of Divine revelation, and to arrive at his goal through its blessings and lights and to obtain the fruits of his effort, comes about by the support of the attribute of Rahimiyyat. This is why, after the attribute of Rahmaniyyat, Allah the Exalted cites the attribute of Rahimiyyat, so that it should become known that the effects of Divine revelation which manifest themselves in the souls of people derive from the attribute of Rahimiyyat. To the degree to which a person turns to God, and sincerity and faith take possession of his heart, and he adopts obedience by putting forth appropriate effort, to that degree his heart is affected by Divine revelation and he derives benefit from its lights and the signs of those who are accepted by God are manifested in him.

Is that this verse has been revealed for the commencement of the Holy Qur’an and the purpose of its recitation is to seek help from the Being Who comprehends in Himself all perfect attributes, one of which is that He is Rahman and out of His pure Benevolence He provides the means of cultivating good and blessing and guidance for a seeker after truth; and another of Whose attributes is that He is Rahim, Who does not let go waste anyone’s effort and blesses it with good results and bestows the fruit of his diligence upon him. These two attributes are such that without their help no design, whether secular or religious, can be carried to its goal.

Reflection would show that these two attributes are in operation all the time to bring about the fulfilment of all designs. The Rahmaniyyat of God began to manifest itself before man came into being, and it provides such resources for man as are beyond his power and which he cannot acquire through any design or planning. These resources are not bestowed as a consequence of any action but only out of Grace and Benevolence, as, for instance, the advent of Prophets, the revelation of Books, the provision of rain, the performance of their functions by the sun and the moon and air and clouds, and the appearance in the world of man himself equipped with diverse types of faculties and capacities and his being granted a term of life in health, peace and leisure. All these are matters that manifest themselves in consequence of the attribute of Rahmaniyyat. In the same way, the Rahimiyyat of God is manifested when, possessing all faculties, man employs those God-given faculties to accomplish something and puts forth his strength and effort, then it is the way of the Divine that He does not let his effort go waste and blesses it with good results. It is His Rahimiyyat which quickens his dead effort.

The purpose of the verse is that when beginning the study of the Holy Qur’an, help and blessing should be sought from the Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat of God Almighty Who comprehends all perfect attributes. The object of seeking blessings from Rahmaniyyat is that God, of His Bounty and Beneficence, might provide all those means which are needed before an effort is put forth in following Divine revelation. For instance, the grant of life and leisure and appropriate opportunity, and the possession of faculties and strength, and the prevention of anything that might disturb comfort and peace or might prevent the heart from paying full attention, and to be bestowed the needed capacity; all these are achieved through the attribute of Rahmaniyyat. The purpose of seeking blessings through Rahimiyyat is that the Perfect Being should bless one’s efforts with good results, and should safeguard one’s hard work against being wasted and should bless it in consequence of the struggle and effort put forth. Thus when beginning the study of the Divine Word, and indeed at the beginning of every great effort, it is a high verity to seek blessings and help from the Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat of God Almighty. In this way, man learns the reality of the Unity of God, and becoming certain of his own ignorance and unawareness, stupidity and error, and helplessness and contemptibility, his mind is fixed upon the Greatness and Glory of the Source of all grace. Considering himself wholly poor and indigent and as nothing, man seeks the blessings of Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat from the All-Powerful. These Divine attributes are in operation of themselves but the All-Wise has made it a law of nature from the beginning that man’s prayer and seeking help have a great share in success. Divine grace addresses itself to resolving the difficulties of those who supplicate earnestly for success in their undertakings and whose supplications arrive at the full degree of sincerity. A person who considers his own weaknesses and observes his own defaults does not commence any enterprise freely and optimistically because his condition of servitude instructs him that he should seek the help of God Almighty Who is the Absolute Controller. This eagerness of true servitude is found in every heart which retains its natural simplicity and is aware of its weakness. A sincere person whose soul is not afflicted with any pride or arrogance and who is well aware of his weakness and nothingness, and does not find himself competent to perform anything successfully, and finds no power or strength in himself when he begins an enterprise, naturally supplicates for heavenly strength. He beholds the Powerful Being of God in His Perfection and Glory all the time and he perceives that success in any endeavour depends upon Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat. Then forthwith before putting forth his defective and worthless effort, he seeks Divine help through the supplication:

Through such humility he becomes worthy to be bestowed power out of God’s power, and strength out of His strength, and knowledge out of His knowledge, and to be successful in his designs. For proof of this no arguments of logic or philosophy are needed, for the soul of every person possesses the capacity to realize this and the personal experiences of a true man of understanding constantly bear witness to its truth. There is nothing artificial about a creature seeking help from God, nor is it the result of idle thinking, nor is it without substantial result. This verity has been established by the eternal way of God Almighty, Who is truly the support of the world and with Whose support the ark of this universe constantly moves, that He lends His support to those who, deeming themselves low and contemptible, seek His support and begin their enterprise with His name. When they turn to God truly out of their humility and servitude, they are helped by His support. To seek the help of the name of that Fountainhead of Grace, Who is Rahman and Rahim, before commencing any substantial enterprise, is a way of respect and servitude and nothingness and indigence. This is the way which is the first step towards the acknowledgement of the Unity of God in one’s actions. By adopting it, a person takes on the humility of children and is purified of the arrogance which fills the hearts of the proud people of the world. By being convinced of his own weakness and the effectiveness of Divine help, he partakes of that understanding which is bestowed on the special men of God.

Without doubt, to the degree to which a person adopts this way, and makes it his duty to act upon it, and perceives his ruin in leaving it out, to that degree his faith in the Unity of God is established, and to that degree he is cleansed of arrogance and self-importance, and to that degree the darkness of artificiality is removed from his countenance, and the light of sincerity begins to shine on his face. This is the verity which gradually leads a person to the stage of his losing himself in God, till he realizes that he receives everything from God and nothing is his own. Whenever anyone adopts this way, the fragrance of the Unity of God begins to reach him at once, and his heart and brain are perfumed thereby, provided his sense of smell is not corrupted. In adopting this verity a seeker after truth has to confess his own nothingness, and has to testify to God the Glorious being the Absolute Controller and the Fountainhead of grace. These two are the goal of the seekers after truth and are a necessary condition for the acquisition of the stage of being lost in God. To understand this necessary condition it is enough to know that even when there is widespread rain it falls only on the one who takes his stand at the place where rain is falling. Only those find who seek, and those are bestowed who ask.

Those, who at the beginning of an enterprise, rely upon their skill, intelligence or strength, and do not put their trust in God Almighty, do not value properly the All-Powerful Who comprehends the whole world in His support. Their faith is like the dry branch which has no longer any relationship with its flourishing and green parent tree, and which has no part in its freshness and its flowers and its fruits. It has only an apparent connection with the tree which can be disrupted by the slightest stir of the wind, or by being shaken by someone. Such is the faith of the dry philosophers who do not rely on the Supporter of the universe and do not realize their dependence during every moment upon Allah Who is the Fountainhead of all grace. These people are as far from the Unity of God as darkness is from light. They do not understand that to submit oneself to the great power of the All-Powerful, realizing one’s own nothingness, is the last stage of servitude and is the extreme point of the Unity of God, which makes the spring of total annihilation gush forth, and in which one is lost altogether to one’s ego and its designs, and believes truly in the complete control of God. One should disregard the argument of the philosophers that there is no need to seek Divine help in beginning an enterprise, inasmuch as God has already invested our nature with appropriate powers and it would be an act of supererogation to supplicate Him again for those powers. It is true that God Almighty has invested us with some powers for the doing of certain acts, but this does not mean that we are thereby freed from the governance of the Supporter of the universe and that He has separated Himself from us and has drawn away His support and has deprived us of His limitless grace. Whatever He has bestowed on us is limited, and what we demand from Him is without limit. Besides, we have not been given any power to accomplish that which is beyond our strength. Indeed reflection would show that we have not been given any power in its perfection. For instance, our physical powers depend upon our health, and our health depends on causes, some of which are heavenly and some are earthly, and all of which are beyond our power. In truth, the Supporter of the universe, by virtue of His being the Cause of causes, so comprehends our external conditions and our internal conditions and our first and our last, and our above and our below, and our right and our left, and our hearts and our souls, and all the faculties of our souls, that it is a very fine problem, which is beyond the reach of human reason. It is not necessary to go further into the matter, for what we have said so far is enough to refute the objection of our opponents.

The only way of obtaining the grace of the Supporter of the universe is to supplicate with all one’s faculties and force and strength. This is not a new way but has been inherent from the beginning in man’s nature. A person who desires to tread along the path of servitude adopts this way, and the person who seeks the grace of God follows this path, and the person who seeks Divine mercy obeys these eternal laws. These laws are not new like the god of the Christians, but are firm laws which are eternal and are the practice of Allah which has been in operation all the time, the truth of which is apparent to every sincere seeker on account of the multiplicity of his experience.… Every blessing proceeds in this way that the Being Who is the Absolute Controller and the Cause of causes and is the Fountainhead of all grace, whose name in the idiom of the Qur’an is Allah, first displays His attribute of Rahmaniyyat and brings into existence whatever is needed, before one’s own effort, out of His pure grace and beneficence without the intervention of any action on our part. When the attribute of Rahmaniyyat has done this work to perfection, and man having been bestowed the power exerts himself to the limit, then it is for God Almighty to display His attribute of Rahimiyyat, and to bring about a good result from the effort and diligence of His servant and safeguarding his industry from going waste, to bestow his object upon him. It is on account of this second attribute that it is said that he who seeks finds and he who asks is given, and he who knocks it is opened for him …

It is a misunderstanding of a verity to think that sometimes this seeking of help proves of no avail and the Rahmaniyyat and Rahimiyyat of God do not make themselves manifest on all occasions. Indeed God Almighty hears the supplications which are made in sincerity, and helps in an appropriate manner those who seek His help. Sometimes it happens that a person’s prayer seeking help is not inspired by sincerity and humility, nor is his spiritual condition in order so that while his lips utter the prayer, his heart is heedless, or only makes a show. Sometimes it happens that God hears the prayer and bestows whatever He considers appropriate and best in His Perfect Wisdom, but an ignorant person does not recognize the hidden beneficence of God and on account of his ignorance and unawareness begins to complain, ignoring the subject matter of the verse:

It may be that you dislike a thing and it is in reality better for you, and it may be that you like a thing and it is in fact harmful for you. Allah knows the true reality of things and you know it not.

comprehends the grand verity which comprises the excellent means of making progress in faith in the Unity of God and in servitude and sincerity, which is not matched in any other book. If anyone claims that it is so matched elsewhere, let him set forth this verity along with the other verities which we shall expound below.

Some short-sighted and ignorant opponents of Islam have raised an objection to the proper composition of Bismillah. One of them is the Rev. Mr. ‘Imad-ud-Din, who has set forth the objection in his book Hidayat-ul-Muslimin. Another one is Bawa Narayan Singh, a lawyer of Amritsar, who deeming the objection of the reverend gentleman as having substance, has, out of the rancour of his heart, repeated it in his journal Viddya Parkashak. We now proceed to set forth the objection together with its answer so that every just person should realize to what degree of inner blindness bigotry has driven our opponents so that bright light appears darkness to them and excellent perfume smells vile in their nostrils. The objection by these critics raised against the profound and deeper meaning of the verse:

Is that the sequence of Rahman and Rahim in this verse is not proper and that the proper sequence should have been Rahim and Rahman, inasmuch as Rahman signifies that mercy of the Divine which is general and comprehensive and Rahim signifies the mercy of the Divine which is limited and special, and the rules of composition require that that which is limited should precede that which is general and unlimited and not vice versa.

This is the objection which these two gentlemen have raised with their eyes shut against a text the excellence of which has been admitted by all the learned of Arabia despite their opposition to Islam, among whom were included great poets. Great enemies of Islam were wonder-struck by the high grade of this text and many of them who were well-versed in judging the merits of a composition and were men of justice, finding the Qur’anic composition beyond the reach of human power and esteeming it a great miracle, believed in it. Their testimonies are referred to at various places in the Holy Qur’an … This ignorant Christian does not appear to be aware that true eloquence does not demand that the small should always precede the large, and that the true rule is that a text should be the mirror of reality. Here also by making Rahman take precedence over Rahim, the verse has become a mirror of reality. A detailed account of this natural sequence will be set forth in the course of the discussion of the other verses of the Surah Fatihah.

Spiritual Characteristics of Surah Fatihah

A spiritual characteristic of the Surah Fatihah is that to recite it in one’s prayers with full attention and to establish its teaching in one’s heart, believing it to be true, brings about the illumination of one’s soul. One’s mind is expanded thereby and the darkness of humanness is dispelled and the worshipper begins to experience the grace of the Fountainhead of grace. He is encircled by the lights of being accepted by the Divine and progresses towards being honoured by the converse of God and derives benefit from true visions and express revelations. He is counted among those who are close to the Divine and such wonders of inspiration and acceptance of prayers and the disclosure of hidden matters and Divine support proceed from him the like of which is not found among others. For such of our opponents who deny this, the proof has been set out in this book.

Invitation to All Seekers after Truth

This humble one is ready to satisfy every seeker after truth not only from among our opponents but even to those who agree with us nominally and who are Muslims on the outside, whose faith is veiled and whose bodies are without life. In this dark age they do not believe in heavenly signs and consider revelation impossible and describe it as illusion and imagination. They have a very narrow concept of human progress which is confined to intellectual problems and conjectures. Their concept of God Almighty is that of someone extremely weak and lacking strength. This humble one submits respectfully to all these people that if they deny the effectiveness of the Holy Qur’an and adhere to their old ignorance, they should take advantage of the opportunity that this humble servant is prepared to satisfy everyone from his own experiences. It is proper, therefore, that as seekers after truth they should turn to me and should observe for themselves the characteristics of the Divine Word which have been mentioned above, and emerging out of gloom and darkness should enter true light.

So far this humble one is alive, but life is uncertain. It is proper, therefore, that on hearing this announcement attention should be paid to the establishment of truth and the removal of falsehood so that if my claim should not be established a reason may become available for denial; but if my claim is established then the opponents should give up their false notions and should embrace Islam so as to escape humiliation and disgrace in this life and chastisement and torment in the next. Observe, therefore, brethren and dear ones and philosophers and pundits and Christian ministers and Aryas and followers of nature and Brahmu Samajists, that I proclaim openly that if anyone doubts the characteristics of the Holy Qur’an that I have mentioned and has any hesitation in accepting them, he should turn to me without delay and by keeping company with me for some time steadfastly and sincerely, should witness the accuracy of the above statements with his own eyes, lest after my passing away someone might assert unjustly that he was not invited openly and had not become aware of my claim so that he could have followed it up and asked me for its proof. So, brethren and seekers after truth, please observe that I say it openly and, trusting in God, Whose lights I see day and night, I assume the responsibility that if you will seek the truth with sincerity of heart and will keep company with me for some time steadfastly and in good faith, it will become obvious to you that the spiritual qualities that have been mentioned are truly to be found in the Surah Fatihah and the Holy Qur’an. How blessed then is the person who, emptying his heart of bigotry and rancour and being eager to embrace Islam, should pay attention to my invitation in sincerity and good faith for achieving the purpose in view, and how unfortunate is the man who should pay no attention to this open invitation and should become deliberately an object of the curse and wrath of God Almighty. Death is near and the termination of life is at the door.

Surah Fatihah Comprehends the Purposes of the Holy Qur’an

The Surah Fatihah briefly comprehends all the purposes of the Holy Qur’an. This is referred to in the verse:

This means that: O Prophet! We have bestowed upon thee the seven verses of the Surah Fatihah which briefly comprehend all the purposes of the Holy Qur’an and, in contrast with them, there is the Great Qur’an which sets out religious purposes in detail.

For this reason, this Surah is known as the Mother of the Book and the Comprehensive Surah. It is the Mother of the Book because all purposes of the Holy Qur’an can be derived from it, and it is called the Comprehensive Surah as it briefly comprehends all types of learning contained in the Qur’an. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has said that reciting Surah Fatihah, is like reciting the whole Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith show that the Surah Fatihah is a mirror that displays the Qur’an. For instance, it is one of the purposes of the Holy Qur’an that it sets out all the perfect praise of God Almighty and states clearly the complete perfection that He possesses. This is briefly set forth in the Surah Fatihah in the verse:

which means that all types of perfect praise are established for Allah Who is comprehensive of all excellences and is worthy of every type of worship.

The second purpose of the Holy Qur’an is that it manifests God’s being the Perfect Fashioner and the Creator of the universe, and sets forth the beginning of the universe, and describes as a creation of God all that is part of the universe and proves the falsehood of those who are opposed to this. This purpose is set forth briefly in the phrase:

The third purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish the unearned grace of God and to set forth His general Mercy. This purpose is conveyed briefly in:

The fourth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish that grace of God which follows upon effort and diligence. This is set forth in:

The fifth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the true condition of the hereafter. This is comprehended in the phrase:

The sixth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the sincerity and servitude and purification of the soul from that which is beside Allah, and the remedy of spiritual ills and the reform of moral qualities and the upholding of the Unity of God in worship. This is included briefly in the affirmation:

The seventh purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to establish God as the true source of all action, and of all strength and benevolence, and help and steadfastness, and obedience and freedom from sin, and the acquisition of all the means of doing good, and the reform of the here and the hereafter, and to emphasise the need of seeking His help in all matters. This purpose is set forth briefly in the affirmation:

The eighth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the fine points of the straight path and to emphasise the need of seeking it through prayer and supplication. This is briefly included in supplication:

The ninth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the way and manner of those who become the recipients of God’s bounty and grace so that the hearts of the seeker after truth might be comforted. This purpose is included in:

The tenth purpose of the Holy Qur’an is to set forth the qualities and way of those with whom God was displeased and of those who lost the way and fell into all sorts of innovations so that the seekers after truth should be warned of their ways. This purpose is included in:

These are the ten purposes that are set out in the Holy Qur’an and that are the roots of all verities. So they are all briefly mentioned in the Surah Fatihah.

Perfection in Conduct by Following the Holy Qur’an

Those who put their trust in reason alone are as defective and deficient in action, faithfulness and sincerity of conduct, as they are deficient in knowledge, understanding and certainty. Their group has not set up an example which should prove that they are included among millions of holy people who are the faithful servants of God and are acceptable to Him. The blessings of these were so manifested that through their preaching and admonition with prayer and attention, and the influence of their company, hundreds of people began to tread the straight path and, becoming the men of God, turned wholly to their Lord. They paid no attention to the world and its contents, and cut off altogether from the delights, comforts, joys, renowns, prides, properties, and kingdoms of this world. They followed the path of righteousness whereby hundreds of them lost their lives, and thousands of heads were cut off, and the earth became wet with the blood of hundreds of thousands of holy ones. Despite all these calamities, they exhibited such fidelity that like devoted lovers they laughed while their feet were shackled, were joyful while suffering pain, and were grateful in the midst of misfortunes. For the sake of the love of the One they abandoned their homes, chose disgrace in place of honour, distress in place of comfort, poverty in place of wealth, and were content with indigence, solitude and helplessness in place of every kind of relationship, association and joy. By shedding their blood and having their heads cut off and laying down their lives, they set a seal upon the existence of God. By the blessing of following the Word of God they acquired such special lights as have never been found in others. Such people were not only to be found in ages past, but this group of the elect is ever present in Islam and refutes its opponents by its illumined being.

Thus we have proved conclusively that as the Holy Qur’an conveys one to the high grade of intellectual perfection, in the same way, one attains through it to the stage of perfection in conduct also. The lights and signs of being accepted by God have always appeared and continue to appear in those who have followed this Holy Word and not in others. For a seeker after truth this proof which he can observe with his own eyes is enough, namely, that heavenly blessings and Divine Signs are found only in the perfect followers of the Holy Qur’an and that all other sects, who turn away from revelation, whether Brahmus, Aryas or Christians, are altogether deprived of this light of truth. We make ourselves responsible for satisfying everyone who denies this, provided such a one, being eager to embrace Islam sincerely, should turn to us in complete good faith and steadfastness and sincerity for seeking the truth.

Prophecies in the Narrated Stories in the Holy Qur’an

The stories set out in the Holy Qur’an are in reality prophecies which have been stated in the form of stories. In the Torah, they are merely stories but in the Holy Qur’an, every story is a prophecy concerning the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and Islam and these prophecies have been very clearly fulfilled. The Holy Qur’an is an ocean of verities, insights and prophecies. It is not possible that a person should believe fully in God Almighty except through the Holy Qur’an. For this characteristic is special to the Holy Qur’an that by following it perfectly all obstructions that exist between man and God are removed. Followers of other religions make mention of the name of God as a tale, but the Holy Qur’an shows the countenance of the True Beloved and makes the light of certainty enter the heart of a person. God, Who is hidden from the whole world, is seen only through the Holy Qur’an.

Uniqueness of the Holy Qur’an in All Its Qualities

The Holy Qur’an is not matchless merely on account of the beauty of its composition, but is matchless on account of all its excellences which it claims to comprise and that is the truth, for whatever proceeds from God Almighty is not unique only on account of one quality but on account of every one of its qualities. Those who do not accept the Holy Qur’an as comprehensive of unlimited verities and insights, do not value the Qur’an as it should be valued. A necessary sign for the recognition of the holy and true Word of God is that it should be unique in all its qualities, for we observe that whatever proceeds from God Almighty is unique and matchless even if it is only a grain of barley, and human powers cannot match it. Being matchless means being unlimited, that is to say, a thing can be matchless only when its wonders and qualities are unlimited and have no end.

As we have just stated, this characteristic is found in everything created by God Almighty. For instance, if the wonders of a leaf of a tree are investigated for a thousand years, that period would come to an end, but the wonders of the leaf will not come to an end. That which has come into being through unlimited power, must comprise unlimited wonders and qualities. The verse:

Supports this, for the whole of creation is Words of God … Thus this verse means that the qualities of creation are without limit and endless. Now when every created thing possesses unlimited and endless qualities and comprises numberless wonders then how could the Holy Qur’an, which is the Holy Word of God Almighty, be confined to the few meanings which may be set out in a commentary of forty or fifty or a thousand volumes, or could have been expounded by our lord and master the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] in a limited period? To say so would almost amount to disbelief, if it is deliberately persisted in. It is true that whatever the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has set forth as the meaning of the Holy Qur’an is true and correct, but it is not true that the Holy Qur’an contains no more than the insights that have been set forth by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Such sayings of our opponents indicate that they do not believe in the unlimited greatness and qualities of the Holy Qur’an. Their saying that the Holy Qur’an was revealed for the benefit of the unlearned, further proves that they are wholly bereft of the light of the recognition of the Holy Qur’an, and do not realize that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was sent not only for the unlearned, but that people of all grades are included among his followers. God, the Glorious, has said:

This verse shows that the Holy Qur’an was revealed for the perfection of every capacity. The following verse also points to this:

The notion that whatever the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has said with reference to the Qur’an cannot be exceeded is obviously false. We have established with conclusive and certain arguments that it is necessary for the Word of God Almighty that its wonders should be unlimited and matchless.

If it is objected that if the Holy Qur’an comprises hidden wonders and qualities, then why were the earlier people deprived of their knowledge? The answer is that they were not deprived altogether of Qur’anic wonders, but were bestowed whatever in God’s design was needed by them of the knowledge of those wonders and whatever was needed in this age has been manifested in this age.

That which is the basis of faith, by knowing and accepting which a person can become a Muslim, has been proclaimed clearly in every age. I wonder wherefrom have these Maulavis, who lack intelligence, gathered that God Almighty was under obligation that whatever of His favours and bounties was to be manifested in future must be proved to have existed in past ages also.

Standards for a True Commentary of the Holy Qur’an

The first standard of a true commentary on the Holy Qur’an is the testimony of the Qur’an itself. It should be remembered that the Holy Qur’an is not like other books dependent upon something else for proof or disclosure of its verities. It is like an orderly structure the whole of which is disturbed by the displacement of one if its bricks. It comprises no verity which is not supported by ten or twenty testimonies contained in it. When we interpret a verse of the Holy Qur’an we should consider whether it contains other testimony in support of the meaning that we have adopted. If other testimony is not available and the meaning that we have adopted is found to be opposed to other verses, we should realize that that meaning is false for it is not possible that there should be any contradiction in the Holy Qur’an. The sign of true meaning is that a whole host of clear testimony from the Holy Qur’an should confirm it.

The second standard for a correct interpretation of the Qur’an is the commentary of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. There can be no doubt that the person who understood the meaning of the Holy Qur’an best was our dear and grand Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Thus if an interpretation by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] becomes available, it is the duty of every Muslim to accept it instantly without hesitation, and whoever fails to do this would be guilty of heresy and philosophising.

The third standard is interpretation by the companions of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. There is no doubt that the companions of the Holy Prophet [may Allah be pleased with them], were the first heirs of the lights of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and of his knowledge, and that they were bestowed great grace by God Almighty and their perception was aided by God for they not only professed but practised.

The fourth standard is reflection upon the Holy Qur’an with one’s pure spirit, inasmuch as the Holy Qur’an has a relationship with purity of spirit. God the Glorious says:

This means that: A person with a purified heart appreciates the holy insights of the Qur’an on account of his relationship with the Qur’an. He recognizes them and smells them and his heart bears witness that this is the true way.

The light of his heart is a good standard for testing the truth. Unless a person is purified in practice and passes through the narrow path through which the Prophets have passed, he should not become a commentator of the Qur’an out of impertinence and arrogance, for his commentary would be based upon his opinion and such commentary is forbidden by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] who has said:

The fifth standard is the Arabic lexicon, but the Holy Qur’an supplies so many means itself that it is not very necessary to have recourse to the lexicon, though it adds to one’s understanding. Sometimes by having recourse to the lexicon attention is drawn to the mysteries of the Holy Qur’an and a hidden matter is discovered.

The sixth standard of appreciating the spiritual system is the physical system, for there is complete accord between the two.

The seventh standard is the revelation and visions of the saints. This standard in a way comprises all other standards as the recipient of revelation is a complete reflection of the Prophet whom he follows, and with the exception of Prophethood and new commandments, he is bestowed everything that is bestowed on the Prophet. The certain and true teaching is disclosed to him and he receives everything by way of bounty and favour that is bestowed on the Prophet whom he follows. He does not indulge in conjecture, but speaks having seen and expounds having heard. This way is open for the Muslims for it cannot be that there should be no true heir.

It should be remembered that we are not permitted to make any change in the text or sequence of any verse in the Word of God, except when the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] himself should have done so and it can be proved that he did so. In the absence of such proof we cannot disturb the sequence of the Holy Qur’an, nor can we add anything to it. If we do so, we would be guilty of an offence and would be accountable for it.

Ten Systems of Roots in the Holy Qur’an

It should be remembered that the Holy Qur’an is comprehensive of ten systems of roots:

These are the ten systems which are found in the Holy Qur’an in their perfection like ten circles. In these ten circles, God Almighty has made use of such pure and distinct roots that sane reason immediately testifies that this complete and perfect system of roots was appointed in the Arabic language for the service of the Qur’an. That is why this system of roots is in full accord with the educative system of the Holy Qur’an, which is complete and perfect. The system of roots of other languages is not in accord with the educative systems of those books which are called Divine, and which are said to have been revealed in those languages; nor are the ten circles mentioned above found in those books. It is one of the strong proofs of the deficiency of those books that they are deprived of the necessary circles, and that the roots of the language have not been able to keep company with the teaching of those books. The reason for this is that those books are not the real books, and served only a temporary purpose. There is only one real Book which came into the world which was to serve the welfare of mankind for ever. It was revealed with the ten perfect circles, and its system of roots is in accord with its educative system, and every one of its ten circles is accompanied by its system of roots according to its natural quantity and values in which distinct roots are appointed for the manifestation of Divine attributes, and for the explanation of four types that have been mentioned, and for every circle of teaching a perfect circle of roots is available.

No Verity Left Out of the Holy Qur’an

It is my faith that the Holy Qur’an is perfect in its teaching and that there is no verity that has been left out of it, as Allah, the Glorious, has said:

We have sent down to thee the Book which is an exposition of everything; and again:

But I also believe that it is not the function of every Maulavi to set forth from the Holy Qur’an all religious matters and to expound all its details according to the Divine design. This is the function especially of those who have been helped with Divine revelation by way of Prophethood or great saintliness. For those people who not being recipients of revelation are not competent to expound Qur’anic insights, the only straight way is that without attempting to interpret the Qur’an, they should unhesitatingly accept all the teachings which have been handed down by tradition. Those who are illumined with the light of saintly revelation are included among the purified. Regarding them it is the way of Allah that from time to time He discloses to them the hidden fine points of the Holy Qur’an and makes it clear to them that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has not put forth any extra teaching on his own and that the true Ahadith only set forth the details of the principles and directives contained in the Holy Qur’an. By being vouchsafed this insight, the miracle of the Holy Qur’an is manifested to them and the truth of those verses becomes clear to them in which Allah, the Glorious, says that nothing has been left out from the Holy Qur’an.

The Holy Qur’an has two great purposes for achieving which the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] came. One is the wisdom of the Holy Qur’an, that is to say, its insights and fine points; and the second is the effect of the Holy Qur’an which purifies the souls.

The safeguarding of the Qur’an does not mean only that its text should be preserved, for this function was performed in early ages by the Jews and Christians also in respect of their scriptures, so much so, that even the vowel points of the Torah had been calculated. By the safeguarding of the Holy Qur’an is meant both the safeguarding of the text and the safeguarding of the benefits and effects of the Qur’an, and that can only be done in accord with Divine practice, if from time to time deputies of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] should appear who should enjoy all the bounties of Messengership by way of reflection, and who should be bestowed all the blessings which are bestowed upon the Prophets. This is indicated in the verse:

And furnishes the reply to the question how will the Qur’an be safeguarded? God Almighty says that He will from time to time send successors of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

Holy Qur’an Possesses All True Signs of Divine Books

The certain and perfect and easy means whereby without any trouble, labour, obstruction, doubt, suspicion, error, or omission, true principles together with the arguments in support thereof, might be discovered with complete certainty, is the Holy Qur’an. There is no other book or other means through which this great object might be achieved.

Now, O friends! I will describe to you the distinctive sign which sane reason has appointed for the recognition of a revealed Book is to be found only in the Holy Book of God Almighty, which is the Holy Qur’an. In this age all those qualities which should be found as a distinctive sign of God’s Book are absent in other books. It is possible that they might have possessed those qualities in an earlier age, but they do not possess them now, and though, for the reason that we have set out, we regard them as revealed, yet even if they are revealed, in their present condition they are not of any use. They are like a citadel which is empty and in ruins, and bereft of all wealth and military strength.

If an opponent of Islam should object that to hold the Holy Qur’an as being better and superior to all revealed Books would mean that other revealed Books are of an inferior quality, while they are the word of the same One God, and there cannot be superiority and inferiority between them, the answer would be that from the point of view of revelation all Books are doubtlessly equal, but some are superior to others on account of the quantum of their contents and the perfection of matters relating to the faith contained therein. From this point of view, the Holy Qur’an is superior to all Books inasmuch as other Books do not contain as much of these matters as are necessary for perfecting the religion, as, for instance, questions relating to the Unity of God, and the negation of all types of shirk, and remedies for spiritual ills, and arguments for the rejection of false religions, and the proof of true doctrines, that are set out forcefully in the Holy Qur’an.

Unity of God in the Holy Qur’an vs. the Torah

The claim of the Christian missionaries that the Qur’an does not set forth anything new on the Unity of God and on Divine commandments which is not contained in the Torah, is altogether false. An ignorant person reading the Torah might fall into the error that it sets forth the Unity of God, and directions with regard to worship, and the rights of mankind, and that there is nothing new which has been set out in the Qur’an, but only a person who has not pondered the Word of God would fall into this error.

There is a great part of matters Divine that finds no mention in the Torah; for instance, it does not mention the finer stages of the Unity of God. The Qur’an discloses that the Unity of God does not mean merely that we should not worship idols, or human beings, or animals, or the elements, or heavenly bodies or satans, but that the Unity of God has three stages.

The first stage of the Unity of God is for the common people who desire to be delivered from the wrath of God Almighty.

The second stage is for those who desire to be closer to God than the common people.

The third stage is for those special ones who desire to achieve closeness to perfection.

The first stage is that no one should be worshipped except God, and that one should refrain from the worship of everything that is limited and created, whether it is on the earth or in heaven.

The second stage of the Unity of God is that in one’s own affairs and in the affairs of others, God Almighty should be regarded as the true force and that means should not be so emphasised as to become associates of God. For instance, to say that had it not been for X one would have suffered a certain loss, or that if it had not been for Y, one would have been ruined, would amount to shirk, if by such pronouncements it is meant that X and Y truly possess some power.

The third stage of the Unity of God is to exclude the desires of one’s ego from one’s love of God Almighty and to devote oneself entirely to His Greatness.

Such Unity of God is not to be found in the Torah. Also there is no mention of salvation or hell in the Torah, except some slight indications here and there. In the same way, there is no detailed mention in the Torah of the perfect attributes of God Almighty. Had the Torah contained any Surah like the one in the Holy Qur’an:

then perhaps the Christians might have refrained from the worship of a creature. Also the Torah has not set forth the degrees of rights but the Qur’an has set forth this teaching also in perfection. For instance, it says:

This means that our sympathy with mankind should be prompted by natural eagerness and not by any motive of seeking acknowledgement, as for instance, a mother has sympathy for her child. The Torah also fails to establish the existence of God and His Unity and His perfect attributes on the basis of reason, but the Holy Qur’an has established all these doctrines and the need of revelation and Prophethood with arguments based on reason, and by stating everything in a philosophic way, has made it easy for seekers after truth to appreciate it. These arguments are put forth in such an excellent manner in the Holy Qur’an that it is not within anyone’s power, for instance, to put forth any argument on the existence of God which is not contained in the Qur’an.

A strong argument in support of the need of the Holy Qur’an is that all the previous Books beginning with the Torah and ending with the Gospel are addressed to a particular people, namely, the children of Israel and state in clear words that the directions contained in them are not for the general benefit, and are limited to the children of Israel. But the Holy Qur’an aims at the reform of the whole world and is not addressed to any particular people but states plainly that it has been revealed for the benefit of the whole of mankind and that the reform of everyone is its purpose.

The Holy Qur’an vs. the Gospels (Urdu Poem)

O Christians! Come this way;
See the light of the True God, and find the true path.

Can you show us in the Gospels
The numberless qualities present in the Qur’an?

Remember! There is the Creator above you,
Do not just go about misleading His creation.

The pleasures and delights of this life are not forever;
Dears! This is not a place to live in forever.

The influence of the Furqan is indeed marvellous:
It turns one into a lover of the Beloved God …
Hear from me of the beauty of the charming beloved;
Hear from me the charm of its beautiful countenance.

If you do not have eyes, at least you have ears;
If not, it might as well serve as a trial for you.

The Qur’an is filled with deep wisdom. In all its teachings and in its instructions with regard to true virtue it goes beyond the Bible. The lamp for beholding the true and unchangeable God is in the hand of the Qur’an. Had the Qur’an not come, God knows how many creatures might have been worshipped in the world. So all praise is due to God that the Unity of God which had disappeared from the world, has been re-established by the Qur’an.

Holy Qur’an Brings Full Accord Between Science and Religion

The Holy Qur’an is a Book so full of wisdom that it has brought out the accord between the principles of spiritual medicine, that is to say, the principles of religion which are truly spiritual medicine, and physical medicine, and this accord is so fine that it opens the doors of hundreds of insights and verities. It is only that person who can interpret the Holy Qur’an truly and perfectly, who ponders the principles laid down by the Holy Qur’an in the light of the system of physical medicine. On one occasion I was shown in a vision some books of expert physicians which contained a discussion of the principles of physical medicine, among which was included the book of the expert Physician Qarshi, and it was indicated to me that these Books contained a commentary on the Holy Qur’an. This shows that there is a deep relationship between the science of bodies and the science of religion and that they confirm each other. When I looked at the Holy Qur’an, keeping in mind the books that dealt with physical medicine, I discovered that the Holy Qur’an sets out in an excellent manner the principles of physical medicine.

Holy Qur’an – the Universal Book

The Book that would have been revealed at the beginning of creation could not, according to reason, be a perfect Book. It would be like a teacher who teaches children the alphabet. It is obvious that for such elementary instruction, no great ability is needed. When human experience increased and man fell into many errors, detailed instruction became necessary especially when the darkness of error became widespread and human souls became involved in diverse types of intellectual and practical misguidance. At that time a superior and perfect teaching was needed and that came in the Holy Qur’an. In the beginning instruction of a high grade was not needed for human souls were simple and no darkness or misguidance had settled on them. Superior teaching was needed in the book which appeared at the time of extreme misguidance and came for the reform of the people whose false doctrines had become confirmed and whose evil conduct had become a habit.

It is true that man was bestowed a revealed Book in the beginning of creation, but that Book was not the Vedas. To attribute the current Vedas to God Almighty, is to offer an insult to the Holy Being. If it is asked why was only one revealed Book given to mankind in the beginning and why was not each people given a separate book, the answer is that in the beginning mankind’s number was small and they did not amount even to a people, and one Book was sufficient for them. When mankind spread over the earth and the dwellers of each region of the earth became a people, and on account of long distances one people ceased to be in touch with another, Divine wisdom demanded that at such time there should be separate Messengers and revealed Books for different peoples, and so it came about. When mankind increased in numbers still more and communications were established, and means of communication became available, and it became known that different parts of the earth were inhabited by man, and God Almighty determined that they should all be made one people, and should be gathered together after their dispersal, God sent one Book for all regions. In this Book it was commanded that as it reached different parts of the world, it should be accepted and believed in. That Book is the Holy Qur’an which has been revealed to establish a relationship between different regions.

The books that were revealed before the Qur’an were confined to one people each. Books and Messengers appeared among the Syrians, Persians, Indians, Chinese, Egyptians and Romans and they were each confined to one people and were not concerned with the others. Last of all came the Holy Qur’an which is a universal Book and is not for any one people, but for all peoples. It came for a people who were henceforth to become one. Now means have become available which are bestowing a unity upon different peoples. Mutual intercourse which is at the root of converting mankind into one people has become so easy that a journey that used to take years can now be accomplished within a few days, and such facilities have become available for communication that news that took a year to travel from one far country to another can now be transmitted within an hour. So great a revolution is in progress, and the river of culture is flowing in such manner, that it appears obvious that God Almighty has determined that all the peoples who are scattered in the earth should be made into one people and that those who had been separated over thousands of years might now come together. This is intimated in the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Qur’an alone claims that it has come for all the peoples of the world, as it is said:

I declare with all the emphasis at my command, that no revealed Book made this claim before the Holy Qur’an. Each confined its message to its own people. Even the Prophet who was deified by the Christians affirmed: “I have not been sent but to the lost sheep of Israel.”91

The conditions of the world also bear testimony that the claim of the Holy Qur’an of a universal message was timely for at the time of the advent of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him], the door of general propagation of the truth had been opened.

Safeguarding of the Holy Qur’an

There is a promise in the Holy Qur’an that God would safeguard Islam at the time of trials and dangers as is said:

According to this promise God Almighty safeguarded His word in four ways. First, by means of those who have committed the Holy Qur’an to memory, its text and sequence were safeguarded. In each century there have been hundreds of thousands of people who had committed this Holy Word to memory and thus safeguarded it in such a way that if they were asked about one word they could recite its context. In this way, the Holy Qur’an was safeguarded against verbal perversion in every age. Secondly, through great divines who were bestowed an understanding of the Qur’an in every century, who interpreted the Qur’an with the help of the Ahadith, and thus safeguarded the Holy Word of God and its holy teaching against the perversion of its meaning in every age. Thirdly, through scholars who set forth Qur’anic teachings in the light of reason and thus safeguarded the Holy Word of God against the attacks of short-sighted philosophers. Fourthly, through those upon whom spiritual bounties were bestowed who safeguarded the Holy Word of God in every age against the attacks of those who denied miracles and spiritual insights.

Lest it should be imagined that the Muslims believe that revelation began with Adam and came to an end with the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and that, therefore, after the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] revelation ceased altogether, it should be remembered that we do not believe like the Hindus that God’s Word was confined to that which He had already disclosed. According to the Islamic doctrine God’s Word and His knowledge and His wisdom, like His Being, are unlimited. God Almighty has said:

… If the ocean were to be used as ink for transcribing the Words of the Lord, surely the ocean would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord come to an end, even though We augmented it with the like thereof.

We understand the cessation of revelation with the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] in the sense that though the Word of God is unlimited, yet as the corruption for the reform of which the Word of God descended, and the needs that were fulfilled through revelation were limited, only that much of the Divine Word was revealed as was needed by mankind. The Holy Qur’an was revealed at a time when all possible needs had become apparent and all moral and doctrinal and verbal matters and human conduct had been corrupted, and all kinds of excesses and vices had reached their limit. Therefore, the teaching of the Holy Qur’an was all comprehensive. It is in this sense that the law revealed in the Qur’an is perfect and final, and previous revealed laws are incomplete, as the evils for the reform of which previous revealed Books had come, had not arrived at their climax, but at the time of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an they had reached their maximum. Now the distinction between the Holy Qur’an and other revealed Books is that even if those Books had been safeguarded in every way, their teaching being incomplete, a perfect teaching, that is to say, the Holy Qur’an would have been needed to be revealed; but no other Book is needed after the Holy Qur’an as there can be nothing beyond perfection.

If it was to be supposed that the true principles of the Holy Qur’an would be perverted like the Vedas and the Bible and associates would be set up with God Almighty, and the teaching of the Unity of God would be altered and perverted, and that the millions of Muslims who are established on the Unity of God would fall into shirk and worship of creatures, then in such case another law would have to be revealed and another Messenger would arrive, but all this supposition is out of the question. The perversion of the teaching of the Holy Qur’an is not possible as God Almighty has said:

… We Ourself have sent down this Admonition and We shall continue to be its Guardian.

The truth of this prophecy has been demonstrated over 1,300 years. So far, no pagan teaching has found its way into the Holy Qur’an, as it had into previous revealed Books. Nor can reason imagine any such contingency. Millions of Muslims have learned the Holy Qur’an by heart, and thousands of commentaries safeguard its meaning. Its verses are recited in Prayer Services five times a day, and it is read every day. It is being published in all countries in millions of copies, and its teaching being known to every people are factors on the basis of which reason decides that in future any change or perversion in the text of the Holy Qur’an is beyond the range of possibility.

Critique of Brahmu Samaj Answered

It is objected that all the verities of Divine knowledge cannot be comprehended in any one Book, then how can it be expected that imperfect books can guide a person to complete understanding?

The answer is that this objection would be worthy of attention if one of the Brahmu Samajists were to put forward on the basis of his reason some new verity relating to the recognition of God or other such matter which is not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. In such case the Brahmu Samajists could claim with pride that all the verities relating to the hereafter and to the recognition of God are not comprised in the revealed Book, and that such and such a verity has been left out which they have discovered. If they were to do so, they might succeed in misguiding some ignorant persons. The Holy Qur’an claims:

That is to say: No verity relating to Divine knowledge which is needed by man has been left out from the Holy Qur’an.

That is to say: The Messenger of God recites holy scriptures comprising all perfect verities and the knowledge granted to people of the earlier ages and those of the latter days.

This means that: This Book has two qualities: one is that the All-Wise One has set it out in a firm and well-argued manner, that is to say, in the way of wisdom and not merely as a story; and, secondly, it sets forth all that is needed about the hereafter.

That is to say: This Book resolves all the contentions that might arise with regard to the hereafter and is not just vain talk.

That is to say: This Book has been revealed so that the differences that have been created by defective reasoning, or by deliberate excess, may be removed and the straight path might be indicated for the believers. There is also an indication here that the mischief that has been wrought by differences in human compositions can be set right only by the Word which is free from all defects. It is obvious that he who has been misled by words can be brought to the straight path only through the Divine Word. Indications contained in the law of nature cannot decide between differences of composition, nor can they convince a misguided one of his error. If a judge does not record the pleas of the plaintiff nor meets the objections of the defendant with strong arguments, then how is it possible that the parties should discover the answer to their questions, objections and pleas in the hints contained in his judgement, and how can a final judgement be propounded on the basis of confused hints which do not satisfy either side? In the same way, the commandments of God are conclusively established to the satisfaction of His servants when He informs them of their error into which they have fallen by the false statements of people, through His perfect and true speech, and makes known to them their falling into misguidance by a reasoned and clear statement, so that if they do not mend their ways even after being informed and do not give up their error, they might be condemned to chastisement. Would it be just on the part of God Almighty that He should seize a person as an offender and should be ready to punish him, without proving the error of his arguments in support of his innocence by a clear statement removing his doubts by His express Words?

Perfect System of Guidance of the Holy Qur’an

This means that: The Holy Qur’an has three qualities. First, it guides people to the knowledge of the faith that had disappeared. Secondly, it sets forth the details of such knowledge as had been briefly stated. Thirdly, it sets forth the decisive word concerning matters over which differences had arisen and thus distinguishes between truth and falsehood.

Meaning that: All knowledge of faith has been set out in detail in this Book and it points out those means and teaches that perfect knowledge which should lead man not only to partial progress but to full development.

Meaning that: This Book has been revealed so that every religious verity might be plainly stated and this perfect statement might prove the means of guidance and mercy for those who submit wholly to God.

This means that: We have revealed this magnificent Book to you, so that you may move people out of darkness into light. This is an indication that the Holy Qur’an removes every kind of doubt that passes through a man’s mind and puts down false notions, and bestows the light of perfect understanding; that is to say, it bestows all the insights and verities that are needed for turning to God Almighty and believing in Him.

This means that: The Qur’an is not a Book which could be composed by man. The signs of its truth are patent for it establishes the truth of previous Books, meaning that the prophecies contained in the previous Books concerning the Holy Qur’an have been fulfilled by its being revealed. Also the Qur’an has supplied the arguments in support of true doctrines which had not been set forth in previous books and thus carried their teaching to perfection. In this manner the Qur’an proved the truth of the previous books, which also establishes its own truth. It is a sign of its truth that it sets forth every religious verity and states all those matters which are necessary for perfect guidance. This is a sign of its truth inasmuch as it is beyond the power of man that his knowledge should be so comprehensive that no religious verity and fine truth should be left out of it.

In these verses God Almighty has clearly stated that the Holy Qur’an is comprehensive of all verities and this is a very strong argument in support of its truth. Centuries have passed after this claim of the Holy Qur’an, but no Brahmu or any other has come out to contest it. It is obvious that, without setting forth any new verity that might have been left out of the Holy Qur’an, to put forward false notions like the insane which have no reality, is strong proof that such people do not desire to seek the truth like the righteous, but to please their evil-directing selves they are seeking ways whereby they should be freed from God’s holy commandments and from God Himself. For procuring such freedom they turn away from the true Book of God, the truth of which is brighter than the sun, and they neither discuss any matter in the spirit of scholarship, nor listen to anything said by the other side. They should be asked when did anyone present a religious verity in opposition to the Qur’an and found no answer from the Qur’an? For 1,300 years the Holy Qur’an has claimed that all religious verities are comprised in it. Then how vile it is that without a test such a grand Book should be held to be defective, and what kind of arrogance is it neither to admit the claim of the Holy Qur’an nor to refute it? The truth is that though their lips sometimes utter the name of God, their hearts are filled with the filth of the world. If they start a religious discussion they do not continue it till the end and cut it short lest a truth should be manifested. Then they describe this perfect Book as defective which proclaims:

This day, by revealing this Book, I have perfected your religion for your benefit, and have completed all My favours for the believers.

Have you no fear of God? Will you go on living like this? Will your false mouths not be cursed one day by God? If you think that you have discovered a high verity after great labour, and research and you falsely assume that the Holy Qur’an has failed to mention it, we call upon you to put aside everything else and present that verity to us so that we might exhibit it to you from the Qur’an.

In Praise of the Holy Qur’an

Beauty of the Holy Qur’an (Urdu Poem)

The grace and beauty of the Qur’an
Is the light and life of every Muslim;
The moon is the beloved of others,
Our beloved is the Qur’an.

I searched everywhere,
Its peer could not be found;
Why, after all, should it not be unique:
It is the Holy Word of the Gracious Lord.

Every word in it is a living
And everlasting spring;
No orchard has such quality,
Nor is there a garden like it.

The Word of the Gracious God
Has no equal;
Be it a pearl from Umman,
Or a ruby from Badakhshan.

How can the word of man
Equal the world of God?
There is divine power; here is helplessness;
The difference is so obvious!

In knowledge and eloquence,
How can man equal Him;
Before Whom even the angels
Confess ignorance.

Even the tiny leg of an insect,
Man can never create;
How is it possible for him
To create the Light of God?

O people, have some regard
For the grandeur of the Great Lord;
Hold your tongues now
If you have even a hint of faith.

To consider someone equal to God
Is an act of great infidelity;
Have some fear of God, dears!
What a lie and calumny this is!

What veils of ignorance
Have enveloped your hearts!
You are indeed guilty of an error;
Desist! if you have any fear of God.

I bear no ill will to you, brothers,
This is only a humble advice;
My heart and life are an offering
For anyone who has a pure heart.

To: Light of the Furqan (Urdu Poem)

The light of the Furqan106
Is the brightest of all lights;
Holy is He from Whom
This river of spiritual light issued forth.

The tree of faith in divine unity
Was about to wither away;
All of a sudden, this pure spring
Gushed forth from the unseen.

O Allah! Your Furqan is a universe in itself;
It contains everything that was ever needed.

We searched the whole world,
We rummaged through all the shops;
But we found only this one goblet
Containing the true knowledge of the Divine.

The similitude of this light cannot be found
In the whole wide world;
For it is unique in every thing,
And matchless in every quality.

At first we thought that the Furqan
Is like the rod of Moses;
Then when we reflected further,
And found every word to be a Messiah.

Blind as they are,
It is their own fault;
Otherwise this light has shone
As brightly as a hundred suns.

How pathetic is the life
Of the people in this world,
Whose hearts remained blind
Even in the presence of this Light.

Source of Verities and the Sun of Truthfulness (Persian Poem)

Out of the holy light of the Qur’an broke the bright day;
And the spring breeze started blowing upon the buds of the hearts.

The shining sun does not have this light and brightness;
And such charm and grace the moon has never possessed.

Joseph was cast into the pit alone;
Whereas this Joseph107 has pulled many a people out of the pits.

From the Orient of Knowledge, it has brought forth hundreds of verities;
The profile of the young and tender crescent is arched because of its great delicacy.

Do you know how excellent is the quality of knowledge it contains?
It is heavenly honey dripping from the revealed word of God.

When this sun of truthfulness appeared in the world;
Every owl that worshipped darkness, retreated into its hideout.

No one can experience certainty in this world;
Except the one who takes refuge in its countenance.

He who is blessed with its knowledge, becomes a treasure of knowledge;
He who is not aware of it, is like the one who knows nothing of the world.

The rain of the grace of the Gracious Lord comes to welcome such a one;
Unlucky is he who forsakes it and runs after others.

Inclination towards sin is nothing but a satanic taint;
Only him I consider human, who gets rid of all mischief.

O mine of beauty, I know of your origin;
You are the light of the God Who created the universe.

I have nothing to do with any one else, you alone are my beloved;
We have received your light from Him Who listens to entreaties.

Revelation From God (Persian Poem)

With the Divine word, the dawn of truth has broken;
The eye that has not seen those holy scriptures has seen nothing.

The castle of my heart is filled with the fragrance of that musk;
The beloved, who had left us, has returned.

The eye which does not partake of the light of the Furqan;
I declare in the name of God, that it will never be redeemed of its blindness.

The one who seeks the Divine garden but leaves the Qur’an aside;
We can swear that he has never even smelled its fragrance.

I do not compare even with sun the light which I see;
Hundreds of suns encircle it in humility.

Unfortunate and benighted are the people,
Who turn their backs upon this light because of their self-conceit.

1 ‘Say, O mankind! truly I am a Messenger to you from Allah.’—al-A‘raf, 7:159 [Publisher]

2 ‘We have sent thee not but as a mercy for all peoples.’—al-Anbiya’, 21:108 [Publisher]

3 All knowledge is comprised in the Qur’an, but the intellect of people falls short of it. [Publisher]

4 al-A‘raf, 7:186 [Publisher]

5 ‘Surely conjecture avails nothing against truth.’—Yunus, 10:37 [Publisher]

6 Bani Isra’il, 17:10 [Publisher]

7 al-Anbiya’, 21:107 [Publisher]

8 al-Haqqah, 69:49 [Publisher]

9 al-Haqqah, 69:52 [Publisher]

10 al-Qamar, 54:6 [Publisher]

11 al-Nahl, 16:90 [Publisher]

12 al-Nur, 24:36 [Publisher]

13 Yunus, 10:58 [Publisher]

14 al-Rahman, 55:2-3 [Publisher]

15 al-Shura, 42:18 [Publisher]

16 al-Baqarah, 2:186 [Publisher]

17 al-Tariq, 86:14 [Publisher]

18 al-Baqarah, 2:3 [Publisher]

19 al-Nahl 16:65 [Publisher]

20 al-Bayyinah, 98:4 [Publisher]

21 Ha Mim al-Sajdah, 41:43 [Publisher]

22 al-Jathiyah, 45:21 [Publisher]

23 al-Jathiyah, 45:7 [Publisher]

24 Yunus, 10:59 [Publisher]

25 ‘Your possessions and children are but a trial.’—al-Taghabun, 64:16 [Publisher]

26 ‘I am a distributor and Allah is the Bestower.’ [Publisher]

27 If faith ascends to the Pleiades it will be brought down by a man of Persia. [Publisher]

28 ‘It is We who determine its taking away.’—al-Mu’minun, 23:19 [Publisher]

29 al-Ma’idah, 5:4 [Publisher]

30 ‘We sent it down on the Night of Destiny.’—al-Qadr, 97:2 [Publisher]

31 ‘We said: O fire be cool and a means of peace and security.’ [Publisher]

32 ‘We said: O steadfastness be cool and a means of peace and security.’ [Publisher]

33 al-Hijr, 15:22 [Publisher]

34 ‘ … that He may cause it to prevail over all religions.’—al-Saff, 61:10; This verse also appears in al-Tauba, 9:33 and in al-Fath, 48:29. [Publisher]

35 ‘He will surely establish for them their religion.’—al-Nur, 24:56 [Publisher]

36 ‘The penalty for an offence is chastisement in proportion thereto.’—al-Shura, 42:41 [Publisher]

37 The reference is to Bani Isra’il, 17:89. (Ed.)

38 Bani Isra’il, 17:89 [Publisher]

39 ‘Nothing have We left out in the Book (the Qur’an).’—al-An‘am, 6:39 [Publisher]

40 al-Bayyinah, 98:3-4 [Publisher]

41 al-Hashr, 59:22 [Publisher]

42 No one offers his head, or sacrifices his life for someone else. Love alone makes one perform this task with utmost sincerity.

43 Alif Lam Mim—I am Allah, the All-Knowing.

This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous,

Who believe in the unseen and observe Prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them;

And who believe in that which has been revealed to thee, and in that which was revealed before thee, and they have firm faith in what is yet to come.

It is they who follow the guidance of their Lord and it is they who shall prosper.

Those who have disbelieved—it being equal to them whether thou warn them or warn them not—they will not believe.

Allah has set a seal on their hearts and their ears, and over their eyes is a covering; and for them is a great punishment.—al-Baqarah, 2:2-8 [Publisher]

44 ‘He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance. And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. That is Allah’s Grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Master of immense grace.’—al-Jumu‘ah, 62:3-5 [Publisher]

45 ‘Alif Lam Mim [I am Allah, the All-Knowing]. This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous.’—al-Baqarah, 2:2-3 [Publisher]

46 al-Baqarah, 2:2 [Publisher]

47 al-Baqarah, 2:3 [Publisher]

48 al-Baqarah, 2:3 [Publisher]

49 al-Baqarah, 2:3 [Publisher]

50 al-Baqarah, 2:4-8 [Publisher]

51 All good is contained in the Qur’an. [Publisher]

52 ‘Allah has set a seal on their hearts.’—al-Baqarah, 2:8 [Publisher]

53 al-Baqarah, 2:270 [Publisher]

54 ‘He (Allah) protects the righteous.’—al-A‘raf, 7:197 [Publisher]

55 Love is what makes one roll in the dust of disgrace,
Love is what makes one sit in the scorching fire.

No one offers his head, or sacrifices his life for someone else,
Love alone makes one perform this task with utmost sincerity.

[Publisher]

56 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds, the Gracious, the Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the straight path— The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1-7 [Publisher]

57 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1 [Publisher]

58 ‘We sent it down on the Night of Destiny.’—al-Qadr, 97:2 [Publisher]

59 al-Hadid, 57:18 [Publisher]

60 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1 [Publisher]

61 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1 [Publisher]

62 al-Baqarah, 2:217 [Publisher]

63 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1 [Publisher]

64 ‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.’—al-Fatihah, 1:1 [Publisher]

65 al-Hijr, 15:88 [Publisher]

66 al-Fatihah, 1:2 [Publisher]

67 ‘Lord of all the worlds’—al-Fatihah, 1:2 [Publisher]

68 ‘The Gracious’—al-Fatihah, 1:3 [Publisher]

69 ‘The Merciful’—al-Fatihah, 1:3 [Publisher]

70 ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’—al-Fatihah, 1:4 [Publisher]

71 ‘Thee alone do we worship.’—al-Fatihah, 1:5 [Publisher]

72 ‘Thee alone do we implore for help.’—al-Fatihah, 1:5 [Publisher]

73 ‘Guide us on the right path.’—al-Fatihah, 1:6 [Publisher]

74 ‘ … the path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings.’—al-Fatihah, 1:7 [Publisher]

75 ‘ … those who have not incurred displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.’ al-Fatihah, 1:7 [Publisher]

76 ‘Say, If the ocean became ink for the words of my Lord, surely, the ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord came to an end, even though We brought the like thereof as further help.’—al-Kahf, 18:110 [Publisher]

77 ‘Say, O mankind! Truly I am a Messenger to you all from Allah.’—al-A‘raf, 7:159 [Publisher]

78 ‘ … but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.’—al-Ahzab, 33:41 [Publisher]

79 al-Waqi‘ah, 56:80 [Publisher]

80 He who interprets the Qur’an on the basis of his opinion is in error, even if he should put forward a commentary which he considers right. [Publisher]

81 al-Nahl, 16:90 [Publisher]

82 al-An‘am, 6:39 [Publisher]

83 al-Jumu‘ah, 62:3 [Publisher]

84 ‘Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear. They will worship Me and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious.’—al-Nur, 24:56 [Publisher]

85 ‘We Ourself have sent down this Reminder and We shall surely safeguard it.’—al-Hijr, 15:10 [Publisher]

86 ‘Proclaim: He is Allah, the Single Allah, the Self-Existing and Besought of all. He begets not nor is He begotten; and there is no one like unto Him.’—al-Ikhlas, 112:2-5 [Publisher]

87 al-Nahl, 16:91 [Publisher]

88 al-A‘raf, 7:159 [Publisher]

89 al-Anbiya’, 21:108 [Publisher]

90 al-Furqan, 25:2 [Publisher]

91 Matthew 15:24 [Publisher]

92 ‘We Ourself have sent down this Admonition and We shall surely safeguard it.’—al-Hijr, 15:10 [Publisher]

93 al-Kahf, 18:110 [Publisher]

94 al-Hijr, 15:10 [Publisher]

95 al-An‘am, 6:39 [Publisher]

96 al-Bayyinah, 98:3-4 [Publisher]

97 Hud, 11:2 [Publisher]

98 al-Tariq, 86:14-15 [Publisher]

99 al-Nahl, 16:65 [Publisher]

100 al-Baqarah, 2:186 [Publisher]

101 Bani Isra’il, 17:13 [Publisher]

102 al-Nahl, 16:90 [Publisher]

103 Ibrahim, 14:2 [Publisher]

104 Yusuf, 12:112 [Publisher]

105 al-Ma’idah, 5:4 [Publisher]

106 Furqan means: ‘The one which makes distinction between truth and falsity’. It is another name for the Holy Qur’an. [Translator]

107 Joseph is renowned for his beauty. The purport of this couplet is that the Holy Qur’an—this our Joseph—is not only a great beauty in itself, but it also is a saviour, whereas the man Joseph, despite his beauty, could not save himself from being thrown into a pit. [Translator]

Purpose of Scriptures

Supremacy of the Holy Qur’an

Holy Qur’an Fulfils the Purpose of the Scriptures

Beauty and Perfection of the Holy Qur’an

Matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an

The Holy Qur’an’s Lofty Station—Acknowledged by the Holy Qur’an Itself

Knowledge of Holy Qur’an and Promised Messiah

Verities of the Holy Qur’an in This Age

Comprehensiveness of the Holy Qur’an

Holy Qur’an Accords With Human Nature

Evidences of Truth and Superiority of the Holy Qur’an

Miracles of the Holy Qur’an

Doors to Divine Understanding Opened by the Holy Qur’an

Guidance for the Righteous

Bounties Received by Followers of Holy Qur’an

Matchlessness of the Holy Qur’an Illustrated With Surah Fatihah

Rose: A Wonder of Allah’s Creation

Qualities of Surah Fatihah Compared With the Rose

Internal and External Qualities of Surah Fatihah

Spiritual Characteristics of Surah Fatihah

Invitation to All Seekers after Truth

Surah Fatihah Comprehends the Purposes of the Holy Qur’an

Perfection in Conduct by Following the Holy Qur’an

Prophecies in the Narrated Stories in the Holy Qur’an

Uniqueness of the Holy Qur’an in All Its Qualities

Standards for a True Commentary of the Holy Qur’an

Ten Systems of Roots in the Holy Qur’an

No Verity Left Out of the Holy Qur’an

Holy Qur’an Possesses All True Signs of Divine Books

Unity of God in the Holy Qur’an vs. the Torah

The Holy Qur’an vs. the Gospels (Urdu Poem)

Holy Qur’an Brings Full Accord Between Science and Religion

Holy Qur’an – the Universal Book

Safeguarding of the Holy Qur’an

Critique of Brahmu Samaj Answered

Perfect System of Guidance of the Holy Qur’an

In Praise of the Holy Qur’an

Beauty of the Holy Qur’an (Urdu Poem)

To: Light of the Furqan (Urdu Poem)

Source of Verities and the Sun of Truthfulness (Persian Poem)

Revelation From God (Persian Poem)