Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 162
Islam as the Ultimate Goal of Religious Teachings 161 And never did We destroy any township but it had Warners. This is an admonition; and We are not unjust. (S u rah al-Shu‘ar a ’; Ch. 26: Vs. 209-210) Although in this translation the word Dhikr a has been translated as 'admonition', this is a word which can also be translated in its other connotations. Dhikr a may mean a lesson for others and also the memory of God personified. Thus the Prophets as are not shown as mere warners but also as bearers of glad tidings, so that people, by following their example, could be led to God whose memory they personify. They were not like the oracles of Greek mythology who bode ill for the people, leaving them no chance to escape from the calamities portended. Instead, they were admonishers who drew lessons from history and who attempted to persuade others to rectify their conduct in the light of the history of earlier people. The warners did not come only to close the doors of destruction, they also came to open the gates of paradise.