The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 522
AN ADDENDUM MY LIFE, ANCESTORS, AND BRETHREN IN FAITH 521 forefathers in the past. Allah restored their might after severe weak- ness and put blessings in such things for him that were previously very useless and absurd to pursue. All this transpired solely out of the mere mercy and grace of Allah, but it is hidden from those marred with short-sightedness, so that the sayings of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, may be fulfilled, that the Promised Messiah would be from among the cultivators [of the land]. This is a brief account of my birth and youth. When I grew up and came of age, I studied Persian, some books of Arabic grammar, a few books of the subtle branches of knowledge (such as philosophy, logic, etc. ), as well as medicine. My father was an expert physician, and he had a deep knowledge of this science, so he taught me some books of this field and continued to motivate me to acquire proficiency in it. Accordingly, I studied as much as God willed, but then my heart lost interest in it. Similarly, I did not long for a deep study of Hadith, essentials, and Islamic jurisprudence; rather, I acquired as much knowl- edge as a light rain in comparison to a heavy one. I did not find myself willing to gird up my loins for acquiring the deep knowledge of these sciences and their traditional degrees, nor for establishing the chain of narratives in the books of Hadith like the Hadith collectors. I would love the men of God and would find my heart gravitating towards the Quran and its deep insights, its fine points, and verities. The love for the Holy Quran took root deep within my heart. My heart filled with the love of the Holy Quran. I observed it granting me vari- ous kinds of verities and fruits that were neither failing nor forbidden. I found that it strengthens faith and enhances certainty. I call Allah to witness that the Holy Quran is a rare pearl. Its outside is light, and its inside is light-it is light from above and it is light from below—and there is light in every word of it. It is a spiritual garden whose clustered fruits are within easy reach and through which streams flow. Every fruit of good fortune is found in it and every torch is lit from it. Its light has penetrated my heart and I could not have acquired it by any other means. Allah is my Witness that if there had been no Quran,