The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 476
AT-TABLIGH―TO THE NOBLE AND PIOUS OF THE ARABS 475 soothe the hearts of the believers, ensuring they are not overcome by any fear in the battle. Verily, He gave His promise and glad tidings in the Quran that He would help them with five thousand angels. He mentioned this great number only as a glad tiding for them. While under the command of the Lord, even a single angel has power enough to turn the whole world upside down. Hence, there was no need to mention five thousand, or even five, but Allah desired to manifest a great help to them, so He chose such a number that clearly indicates the great number of helpers, thus conveying His intended message. Then He informed the believers after the victory of Badr that the number of angels was not meant literally, rather, it had an interpretation known only to Allah the Great and Exalted. He did this so that their hearts might be at rest with this glad tiding, and it might reassure them and increase their hopes. As regards an example of how an event of glad tidings was desired by Allah to appear as fearful, one mentioned in the Holy Quran is the incident of the vision of Abraham, may Allah send peace and blessings upon him. When the Almighty willed to turn to him with compassion and exalt his rank in Divine nearness, making him His chosen friend, he was shown in a vision-by way of metaphor—that he was sacrificing his beloved son, for the sake of Allah the Exalted. Its true interpreta- tion was to slaughter a sheep, and not his son, but Abraham was afraid not to follow it literally. Hence, he hastened to obey the command and attempted to slaughter his son. However, the event he saw in his vision was never meant to be executed in a literal sense. If it were so, he would have been compelled to slaughter his son as he had seen in the vision, but he was powerless to do so. Hence, it is proven that this event had a different interpretation which Abraham could not apprehend. How can a person comprehend something which Allah did not allow to be comprehended, but rather He desired to put a veil on it? You are well aware that a false vision is never revealed to the Prophets. Know for sure that Abraham's dream of slaughtering his son was in a figurative and metaphorical garb so that Allah may warn him out of