The Light of Truth — Page 355
REFUTING OBJECTIONS 355 this day and not a single master of Arabic language has contested this. Only one whose sight has been lost and whose knowledge has perished will deny it. It is only a thoughtless ignoramus whose mouth utters a word disputing this, or a malevolent one pretending not to know [the truth], and you will never hear this from the mouths of intellectuals. If you remain in doubt, then turn to al-Qāmūs, Tājul-'Arūs, aş-Şihāḥ, and that grand book that is called Lisānul-Arab, and all the books of language and literature, and the poetry of the poets, and the odes of the distinguished ones. You shall receive a thousand rupees from me as a reward if you are able to provide any statement as evi- dence disputing this. Do not alter the word of the Chief of the Prophets and the Imam of the eloquent and the fluent. Fear Allah, O unfortunate one! Do not disrespect the stature of he who is most fluent of all Arabs and non-Arabs and who is accepted in both the East and the West. Does your heart sanction and accept that the most knowledgeable and elo- quent one-who was granted both al-Jawāmiʻand al-Kalām al-Jāmi';¹ whose words were all replete with the most precious pearls of fluency and eloquence, exquisite gems of Arabic and literary expressions, lin- guistic pith, and wise truths—should be afflicted by such error? That he should leave the soundness and lucidity of the word [al-Qamar] and choose an undesirable one that is facile, erroneous, and incorrect? Furthermore, that he should oppose the universal truths of the people and the words accepted by the most eloquent ones of the nation, and open thereby a way for the jeering of the detractors? By God, this clear mistake and humiliating error would not be committed even by one whose intelligence has frozen over and whose 1. Al-Jawāmi refers to the power of concise yet deeply wise speech granted to the Holy Prophet Muhammadsas, and al-Kalām al-Jāmi' here may refer to the Holy Quran, which comprises comprehensive speech in relatively few words. [Publisher]