Favours of the Gracious God — Page 148
148 that it is derived from this tongue. They are incapable of speaking except upon the foundation of Arabic. As such, it can be understood as to why they are like the quadrupeds. Thus, whether you meet me with a cheerful face, or you confront me with a verbose tongue, indeed you will be on the losing side. Therefore, I advise you to reflect over this claim and, if you are wise, to remind those who are unaware. Be grateful to Allah for the arguments that have been made clear to you. And do not forget that the word ع�ج م [‘ Ajam ] comes from the word اَلْع�َج ْمَاء [ Al-‘Ajm a ’ ], which, in this esteemed language, means a four-legged animal. Therefore, make an effort to understand the rationale behind the use of this name so that the crux of the matter becomes evident to you, and so that you may be among those who possess certainty. If you study further, you will find many verses which indicate this. One such indication is that in the Holy Qur’an Allah has named man سَم�ِی ْع [ Sam i ‘ ]. From this it can be inferred that human-beings were bestowed hearing by God Almighty from the earliest period. As such God never turned His back upon humanity leaving it betrayed. Another indication that has been explained in S u rah