The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 363
Repeated Challenges 363 more, if they are able to point out any mistakes in my compositions, I shall pay them five rupees for every such mistake. Remember, it is easy to criticize, even an ignorant person can do this much; but it is difficult to establish high merit. In respect of the commentary, it should be remembered that a commentary written by merely copying other commentaries will not be acceptable. It must comprise new verities and insights, provided they are not opposed to the Holy Qur'an and to whatever the. Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said. [Karāmāt-uş-Şādiqīn, Rūḥānī Khaza'in, vol. 7, pp. 47-49]. Some opponents of Islām put forward the objection that, although it seems reasonable that the Word of God should be matchless, yet how can the matchlessness of any book be established by plain reasoning. They demand that if the Holy Qur'an is matchless, this quality should be established by some convincing arguments, inasmuch as its high literary excellence can be appreciated only by one whose mother tongue is Arabic, and it does not constitute a proof of matchlessness for others, nor can others benefit from it. The answer is that this objection is raised only by people who have never sincerely tried to ascertain the matchlessness of the Holy Qur'ān from someone possessing knowledge of it. Instead, they avoid the light of the Holy Qur'ān, lest they should be affected by it. The matchlessness of the Holy Qur'ān is so patent and obvious in the estimation of seekers after truth, that it spreads its rays in all directions, like the sun, in the comprehension of which one need encounter no doubt or difficulty. If there is no intervening darkness of bigotry and hostility, that perfect light can be appreciated with even a little attention. It is true that some aspects of