The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 48
48. Essence of Islam II. What is revelation? It is God's converse in living and powerful words with a chosen servant or with one whom He desires to choose. When this converse starts in an abundant and satisfactory manner and is free from the darkness of false thinking and is not confined to a few scattered and incomplete phrases, and is delicious and is full of wisdom and majesty, it is the Word of God by which He desires to comfort His servant and through which He manifests Himself to him. Sometimes a communication is made only for the purpose of a trial and is not accompanied by all the characteristic blessings of revelation. A servant of God Almighty is thereby tried whether by tasting a little of revelation he adjusts his circumstances to those of true recipients of revelation or fails to do so. Then if he does not adopt true righteousness, he is deprived of the perfection of this bounty and is left with only vain boasting. . Millions of good people receive revelation but they have not all the same rank in the estimation of Allāh. Even the. Prophets who are the recipients of clear revelation are not all equal in rank, as God Almighty has said: 10 تِلكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ. This means that some Messengers are superior to others. . It shows that revelation is pure grace and is not the insignia of rank. Rank depends upon the degree of sincerity and fidelity, which is known only to God. . Revelation when accompanied by its blessed conditions is also a fruit of sincerity and fidelity. There is no doubt that if revelation takes the form of question and answer in a proper sequence and is characterised by Divine 10 Al-Baqarah, 2:254 [Publisher]