The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 134
134 THE LIGHT OF THE HOLY QUR'AN-NUMBER TWO عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ! Meaning that: 'O disbelievers! This Prophet is so compassionate that he cannot bear to see your pain, and is ardently desirous that you be saved from these afflictions. Then He says: لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ 20 Meaning that, 'Will you grieve yourself to death as to why these people do not believe?' The purport is that, your compassion has reached such a level that you are near death in sorrow at their plight. Then, on another occasion, He says: تواصوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَ تَوَاصَوْا بِالْمَرْحَمَةِ 30 Meaning that, true believers are those who exhort one another to perseverance and marhamat [compassion]. This means that they say 'be patient in face of difficulties, and 'be kind to God's creatures. Here, too, marhamat means 'com- passion' because the word marhamat is used for 'compassion' in the Arabic language. Therefore, the true purport of the Quranic teaching is that love, the reality of which is to become coloured in the hues of the beloved, is permitted only when it is for God 1. Sūrah at-Taubah, 9:128 [Publisher] 2. Surah ash-Shu'arā', 26:4 [Publisher] 3. Sūrah al-Balad, 90:18 [Publisher]