A Letter to a Dear One — Page 41
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 41 for man’s progress in the earth and the entire cosmos. The Qur’ ā n is not a mere collection or an inventory of proofs and arguments but is a living word of God. It’s utterly fresh gems bloom in every age and period. Firstly, purity of heart and action are required to truly decipher it. Prudence and a sense of discernment are essential too; they aid mental development. It is a quality of the Qur’ ā n that it’s short verses carry millions of objectives. It would be impossible to have a count of these objectives. Allah the Almighty Himself declares in the Qur’ ā n, “And if all the trees that are in the earth were pens, and the ocean were ink, with seven oceans swelling it thereafter, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. ” This can give an idea of the extensive insight of the Qur’ ā n. This insight can be derived from referring one verse to the other and comparing them and discovering their continuity and coherence. Some objectives of the Qur’ ā n can be learnt from the apparent order. However, analysts and scholars find out solutions to issues that require deliberation through the continuity in various places and their analytical eye sees the requisite order. Its example can be illustrated in a journey taken from plains to a hill station. A certain order of the mountainous region can be seen. First small hillocks appear, dotted about with different fields and vegetation. As one ascends upwards in the journey, the flowers, shrubs, trees, etc. , change in their variety. Certain vegetations disappear and only a few distinctive ones remain. As the height is increased in the journey, further changes take place. The air gets lighter and cooler and snow is visible on mountaintops in the distance. This is an order that is visible to all and sundry. However, a botanist will see a deeper order in all this. In light of his knowledge, when he sees various flowers and shrubs, he finds all kinds of order in them. He would make mental comparisons of this land with other lands, which could be at a distance of five hundred or even five thousand miles, their properties and special features. The benefits that could be derived from them and the ways they could be utilized. As he travels further, he observes diverse landscape and his journey is thus spent absorbed in what he beholds. Although they have traveled together, upon reaching the hill station, according to their knowledge and capacities, it is as if these two individuals have traveled through different regions. It is the individual way of their observation. Their deductions were varied and their knowledge was enhanced in different ways. This is a result of just a casual trip. If these two experts made studies and observations at their convenience, they could derive