The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 128
PREFACE ESSENCE OF ISLAM 127 a particular time, furnished guidance for the time that Divine provi- dence ordained for them. The Noble Quran is entirely free from both the defects that I have mentioned because, God Almighty's purpose in revealing the Noble Quran was to reform, perfect, and educate all of humanity across all eras and capabilities, so that the complete form and full grandeur of Islam would become manifest to mankind. The time for such a glori- ous manifestation had also arrived. God Almighty, therefore, revealed the Holy Quran as a complete and comprehensive Law for all peoples and for all ages until the Day of Judgment. He thus opened the door for people of every level of aptitude to benefit and profit, as He Himself says: ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَبَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِلُ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيِّرتِ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْكَبِيرُ Meaning that: then We made those people whom We chose from among Our servants as heirs to Our Book, and they are in three groups: (1) One group among them are zālim [harsh], who oppress themselves, meaning they force and coerce their nafs-e-ammārah [the self that incites to evil] to follow the path of God Almighty. They engage in severe struggles by opposing their rebellious self. (2) The second group consists of people who, in their moderate state, compel their rebellious selves to perform certain services in the path of God Almighty with force and coercion, while for other godly tasks, their souls willingly and eagerly follow, carrying out these tasks with pleasure, love, and devotion. In short, these people act on the commandments of God Almighty partly by way of perseverance and laborious effort and partly they obey their Glorious Lord due to a nat- ural inclination and heartfelt zeal without any sense of burden whatso- ever. That is to say, they have not yet fully conformed to the desires and 1. Sūrah Fāṭir, 35:33 [Publisher]