The Essence of Islam – Volume I — Page 377
The Holy Qur'an 377 eye for an eye. This is a detail. In another place, the principle is set forth: وجزُوا سَيْنَةٍ سَيِّئَةُ مثلها 228. 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. [Kitāb-ul-Bariyyah, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, Vol. 13, pp. 87-88]. 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 228 'The penalty for an offence is chastisement in proportion thereto. ' al-Shūrā, 42:41 [Publisher]