The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 13
G U I d AN c e G U I d AN c e 13 reality is Divine does not put any such burden on human dispo- sitions, nor does it present any matters contrary to reason whose acceptance involves coercion and force, because no sound intel- lect can accept as correct the proposition that force and coercion be permissible in faith. That is why Allah, the Lord of Glory, has said in the Noble Qur’an 1 ۤاَل َهاَرْكِا يِف ِنْيِّدلا ۤاَل َهاَرْكِا يِف ِنْيِّدلا. When we justly reflect upon how a Divine Book should be, the light of our heart emphatically testifies that the true complex- ion of a Divine Book’s countenance is indeed that it should itself, through its own light, openly manifest the path of H aqqul-Yaq i n [True Certainty] from among [all] intellectual and practical methods, and by bestowing perfect insight, establish a model of heavenly life in this very world. For, the only living miracle of a Divine Book is indeed that it be a teacher of knowledge, wisdom, and true philosophy, and should include all the verities that a seeker can learn about the spiritual truths by pondering over them. It should not merely put forward claims, but should prove each of its claims in a thoroughly satisfying manner, making it abundantly clear that—no matter how deeply or critically it is analysed—it is really miraculous in that it is the ultimate facilitator for advancing human insight in [comprehending] spiritual phenomena and is its own advocate for all its affairs. Finally, I would like to address all my opponents and openly warn them that if they truly consider their books to be from Allah and believe them to have originated from that Perfect Being— who would rather not allow His Holy Book to be the target of 1. There should be no compulsion in religion ( S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:257). [Publisher]