The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 42
T HE L IGHT OF T HE HOLY Q U R’AN—NUM BE R ON E T HE L IGHT OF T HE HOLY Q U R’AN—NUM BE R ON E 42 only al-Akh t al from among the Christians who left us a specimen of the Christian conduct of those times. Not only did he leave us a personal example, but he also testified that the same was the condition of all the Christians of that age and, in fact, that same conduct has continued to be practiced in Europe until now. The cradle of the Christian faith was Canaan from whence it reached Europe, attended by all the above evils. Hence, the collection of al-Akh t al’s poetry is indeed worth appreciating, for it exposed the character of the Christianity of that age. History does not tell us whether the Christians possess the writings of anyone else belonging to that age. A study of the life of al-Akh t al compels us to accept that he was well versed in the Gospel, for he—among all the Christian laity and clergy of that age—exhibited such schol- arship and excellence that none were able to match at the time. Anyhow, we have to admit that he is a select specimen of the Christians of that age. However, as you have just read, he admits through his own words that he would relieve the depression of old age through beautiful women and fine wine. It was a common idiom among the poets of the time that they would describe their vices in such phrases. They were not like the naïve poets of the present day who versify only fantasies; rather, they would paint a picture of their real life events. This is why their poetical col- lections were not considered worthless in the eyes of the research scholars. On the contrary, they were accorded the status of histor- ical works. They express, in detail, the traditions, customs, emo- tions, and thoughts of the olden times and this is the reason why Muslims, who are lovers of knowledge, did not destroy their lyri- cal and poetical collections so that people of every generation may see with their own eyes what the condition of the Arabs was before Islam and how after it, the All-Powerful God imbued them with