The Light of Truth — Page 15
THE ULAMA OF INDIA 15 1 فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ]It will become a soaring bird by the command of Allah']. Note the words فَيَكُونُ ]fayakūnu-'it will become'] and the word طَيْرًا ]tairan—‘bird']: Why did the All-Knowing and All-Wise choose them and not the words يَصِيرُ ]yaṣīru—‘it will be made'] and حَيًّا ]hayyan-alive']? This proves that here Allah did not mean actual creation like the creation of the Almighty. This is substantiated by the books of Quranic commentary wherein some Companions [of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsas] related that the bird of Jesus 'flew' only before the eyes of the people, but when it became hidden, it returned to its original form, like the staff of Moses as well as the revival of the dead by Jesus. Where, then, is the creation of a literal nature? It is for this reason that Allah the Exalted chose appropriate words for this verse, which were figurative, in order to point to the miracle which was wholly metaphorical. He used a metaphor to explain a mir- acle; however, the ignorant unthinkingly interpreted this metaphor in a literal way, and equated it to the creation of Allah without distinc- tion, whereas it pertained solely to the Messiah's breathing [of spiritual life into his followers] and the effect of his soul, without the involve- ment of prayer. So, those who thought this way were ruined-and led many of the ignorant to ruin, too. The Holy Quran does not make anyone a partner with Allah in His power of creation, not even for [creating] a fly or a gnat. On the con- trary, it states that He is alone in His Being and His Attributes. So read the Quran like those who contemplate it deeply. The argument that is proven by aql [intellect], naql [transmission], and istidlāl [reasoning] cannot be rejected by anyone except the person in whose mind remains no intellectual capacity or element of humanity, and who has joined with the losers and the abased. No person would say such things except 1. Surah Al-e-Imran, 3:50 [Publisher] 2. ✩ (Footnote): The phrase 'bringing to life with a breath' is akin to [the phrase] 'killing with a look. -Author