THE POETS【Quran commentary】Surah 26 ash Shuara

Commentary By Maulana Wahiduddin khan

1-6. The call for Truth reveals itself with total clar…

The call for Truth reveals itself with total clarity. The sign of a call being Divine is that everything is clear and based on clear arguments. One may deny it, but nobody would be in a position to say that he has not grasped its message.

‘It may be that you will destroy yourself.’ These words show the very strong feelings of well-wishing that a preacher has towards his addressees. The desire to spread the word of God gushes forth from such pure feelings. So, when God’s envoy observes that an addressee does not accept his message, he worries about him as a mother would worry about the welfare of her child. This sentence of the Quran is the confirmation of the benevalent feelings of the preacher and does not indicate criticism of his addressee.

The call for Truth is the call of God. God is that Being who is all-powerful but who nevertheless may be denied or rebelled against. But, this present position is in accordance with God’s own plan. God wants such human beings to settle in paradise as are able to recognise the Truth in this world full of deception, and who bow down before Him without any compulsion. The selection of such individuals may be made only under conditions where everyone enjoys complete freedom of thought and action.

7-9. The sprouting of a green and flourishing tree…

The sprouting of a green and flourishing tree from the earth is as wonderful an event as the sudden emergence of a camel from the earth and its starting to walk on its surface. People are wonder-struck by the second type of incident, though more wonderful incidents are always happening on the earth without their learning any lesson from them.

Almighty God wants man to notice the extraordinary aspects of ordinary events which are not immediately apparent. In the events happening in the chain of cause and effect, he should be able to observe the direct role of God. Those who display this high degree of insight are the ones who will be treated as having faith in God and the ones who will be blessed with the eternal grace of God.

10-14. Moses was required to preach monotheism…

Moses was required to preach monotheism to Pharaoh of Egypt, the king of the greatest and most civilized empire of his times. Moses on the contrary, belonged to the Children of Israel, whose status in Egypt was like that of slaves and labourers. Another factor in his disfavour was that one of the Pharaoh’s community had died accidentally at his hands. Moses had the feeling too that he was lacking in the necessary power of expression. Almighty God nevertheless chose Moses to carry out the mission of conveying His message.

The fact is that God looks at the inner self of a man rather than at his visible condition. If someone has inner strength, God chooses him on the basis of that to carry out the tasks of His religion. But man has first to reveal his inner capabilties himself. Thereafter, if there are any outward shortcomings, they are compensated for by God.

15-19. One chosen by God to represent Him is in…

One chosen by God to represent Him is in every way under His protection. Moreover, he is given some special signs which indicate clearly that his mission is an affair of God. But, in spite of that, man has gone so far in transgression as not to admit this.

The Quran does not specify the details of the demand made by Moses on Pharaoh with regard to the Children of Israel. But the Torah elaborates upon the subject in the following sections: Exodus 4/18, 5/1, 8/25-27.

According to the description in the Bible, it appears that this journey of Moses was not for the purpose of migration but for instruction. In Egypt, the cow was considered holy. Due to this centuries-old tradition, even the the Children of Israel had been influenced by this belief. Now, Moses wanted to take the Children of Israel out of the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt for a few days, keep them in a pure atmosphere and re-educate them.

20-22. Moses called for the acceptance of Monot…

Moses called for the acceptance of Monotheism in Pharaoh’s presence and showed him the miracles of his rod and the shining bright hand. Then, in order to belittle Moses’s importance, Pharaoh reminded him of two facts about his earlier life – one, that Moses had been brought up in Pharaoh’s house in his childhood and the other that he was responsible for the killing of a Copt. In reply, Moses said that his (Moses’s) being brought up in Pharaoh’s palace had occurred due to his own (Pharaoh’s) oppressive action. Since the latter had ordered the killing of the Children of Israel’s offspring, Moses’s mother put him in a basket and floated it down the river. It was Pharaoh’s wife – the queen – who then retrieved Moses from the river and brought him up in her palace. As for the killing of the Copt, Moses said that he had not done it purposely. He had been defending his Israelite brother from the violent aggression of the Copt when the latter died accidentally.

After this incident, Moses left Egypt and went to Madyan where he lived for many years. Perhaps it was necessary for Moses’s training to leave the artificial atmosphere of the city and to spend a few years in the free atmosphere of a village. When he was on his way back from Madyan to Egypt, Almighty God conferred prophethood upon him.

23-25. ‘What is this: Lord of the Worlds?’ This utt…

‘What is this: Lord of the Worlds?’ This utterance of Pharaoh was meant to convey ridicule rather than ask a question. But Moses, without being irritated, replied to him in a normal manner. Again Pharaoh sought to show his disapproval of Moses by asking his courtiers, ‘Did you hear?’ Moses ignored this also and continued with what he had to say.

26-33. Moses continued the argument in favour…

Moses continued the argument in favour of Monotheism with Pharaoh. Pharaoh then became irritated and called Moses a madman. But, even then, Moses did not lose his temper. Pharaoh then threatened him with imprisonment. Then, by way of argument, Moses demonstrated his final miracle. Now, Pharaoh had no scope to say anything further. Even then, he did not accept defeat. In order to belittle Moses’s importance, he said that this was not any divine event, but simply a magical feat that any magician could perform.

34-35. Moses’s mission was totally peaceful and…

Moses’s mission was totally peaceful and it had no direct relation with politics or government. But, just in order to incite his people against Moses, Pharaoh said that he (Moses) wanted to oust them from their country. Pharaoh’s insincerity is clear from the very fact that Moses had already asked Pharaoh to allow him to take his community out of Egypt along with him. But Pharaoh twisted Moses’ words and said that the latter wanted to oust him and his community from Egypt.

36-42. Pharaoh and his courtiers considered Mos…

Pharaoh and his courtiers considered Moses’s feats as magical in nature. So, they planned to counter them by magic. Their imagination took them no further than thinking that if Moses could change a rod into a snake, their magicians could also change sticks into snakes. They had no knowledge beyond that. They considered Moses’s actions as those of a human being and that is why they wanted to counter them by human means. They did not know the secret that Moses’s mission was a divine mission, and which human being can clash with God?

The annual national festival day of the Egyptians was appointed the day for the competition between Moses and the magicians. And for this purpose, a big open area was chosen so that a large number of people could gather and give as much encouragement to the magicians as possible.

43-48. The magicians threw down their ropes and…

The magicians threw down their ropes and sticks, and the spectators felt as if these ropes and sticks had changed into snakes and were running along the ground. But this was not a real change. It was simply an optical illusion, whereas, the changing of Moses’s rod into a snake was a miracle of God. So when Moses’s rod became a snake and started moving along the ground, it instantly nullified the spell cast by the magicians. Thereafter, the magician’s ropes and sticks reverted to being the ropes and sticks that they actually were.

Earlier, the magicians had considered Moses to be a magician like themselves. But, the aforesaid experience opened their eyes. They were well versed in the art of magic. So, they immediately understood that this was not magic but prophethood. However, it was possible that they could have refused to accept the Truth and, like Pharaoh, could have uttered some falsities in order to reject Moses. But, it is impossible for a man who is intellectually alive not to accept the Truth when it fully reveals itself before him. The magicians were persons who were alive in this manner. So, they immediately accepted Moses’s truthfulness.

49-51. The embracing of the Faith by the magic…

The embracing of the Faith by the magicians was a cause of great disgrace to Pharaoh. So, in order to salvage his position, he dubbed the whole incident a conspiracy. He alleged that they had colluded with Moses and that they had intentionally pretended to be defeated by him, so that Moses’s greatness could be impressed on the people’s hearts. Pharaoh announced his decision to the magicians that they would be punished for sedition; that their hands and legs would be cut off at random and they would be publicly crucified. In spite of these draconian orders, the magicians were not discouraged. Those very same magicians who had earlier pledged their allegiance to Pharaoh (verse 41) and asked to be rewarded, now fearlessly proclaimed that whatever Pharaoh did, they were not going to be dissuaded from accepting Moses’s religion. The reason for this high morale of theirs was the discovery of Faith. A man bears a loss when, by this loss, he expects to find something greater. Before embracing the faith, the greatest things the magicians could hope to have now were Pharaoh’s approval and his reward. But on embracing true religion, God and His Paradise now appeared to them to be greater than all else. That is why they were now ready to bear the losses of those very things which, prior to embracing the Faith, they had held too dear to part with.

52-59. In spite of the years spent by Moses in spre…

In spite of the years spent by Moses in spreading the word of God, Pharaoh did not embrace the Faith. At last when Moses had striven his utmost to convey the divine message to Pharaoh, Almighty God instructed Moses to leave Egypt along with the Children of Israel. When Pharaoh came to know that all of the Children of Israel had left Egypt, he pursued them along with his army and courtiers. Obviously, this step taken by Pharaoh was meant to rout the Children of Israel, but as it turned out, it rebounded upon him. Unaware of their impending fate, Pharaoh and his companions left their palatial dwellings and reached the place where they were all destined to be drowned together in the sea.

Almighty God deprived Pharaoh and his companions of the royal amenities they had enjoyed in Egypt, because of their oppressive actions. But He blessed the pious people of the Children of Israel by eventually taking them to Palestine and, there, granting them all kinds of favours.

60-68. Pursued by Pharaoh, the Children of Israel…

Pursued by Pharaoh, the Children of Israel reached a place where before them was the sea, and behind them were Pharaoh and his army. Seeing this critical situation, the Children of Israel were terrified. According to the Bible, they said to Moses, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt that you have brought us from there to this deserted place to die?’

But Moses was sure that Almighty God would help them. So, in obedience to the commandment of the Almighty, Moses struck the sea-water with his rod. The water was thereupon split asunder. On both the sides, the water stood like high walls and in between there appeared a dry path. The Children of Israel traversed this path and reached the other side.

On seeing this, Pharaoh thought that he too could cross over by this path. He did not know that, only seconds before, the path had miraculously appeared by the order of God. Pharaoh set foot upon it along with his whole army. No sooner had they reached the middle than the standing sea water gushed from both sides and rose to a uniform level. Pharaoh and his entire army were immdediately drowned. At one and the same time, deliverance was planned for one group, and death and destruction for the other.

69-70. Abraham’s community went on doing what…

Abraham’s community went on doing whatever they saw their forefathers doing. But Abraham thought things over independently. He tried to discover the Truth by rising above his environment. This is the quality which particularly leads a man to realisation-based knowledge of God (ma‘rifah), and one who reaches perfection in this quality is chosen by God as a messenger, or prophet, for His religion.

71-74. Abraham’s words indicate that during disc…

Abraham’s words indicate that during discussions with him, they found themselves unable to refute his views, in spite of which they did not yield. Despite being defeated at the level of arguments, they were steadfast in following the religion of their forefathers, simply on the basis of prejudice.

75-82. Man is an independent being. He has the…

Man is an independent being. He has the wisdom to distinguish between good and bad, and make inferences from his continued sustenance on earth. When he falls ill, he finds that there is an abundance of resources from which to derive remedies. But then, man observes that in spite of all his apparent freedom, he is helpless in the face of death. He dies at the end of his allotted lifespan.

All these factors can be caused by none other than the one and only God. Then, how can it be legitimate and proper to worship anybody except Him alone? Moreover, a man should be extremely serious and sincere in this matter, because these factors also indicate that whatever God does is in preparation for the day when man will be called before Him to give an account of himself. Death marks the beginning of this process when man will be judged by God on the basis of the performance of his deeds on earth.

83-89. These verses deal with right understand…

These verses deal with right understanding, i.e. seeing things as they really are. For a subject of God, this is the greatest blessing next to prophethood. That is why it is mentioned in a tradition which says, ‘If God wants to do something good to a man, He bestows on him the understanding of religion.’

Whatever Abraham asked for in his prayer was granted to him, but the prayer for the pardon of his father (Azar) was rejected. One can imagine from this that prayer (du‘a) is mostly a matter between God and His subject. One man’s prayer cannot obtain pardon for another man.

Before Almighty God, real value attaches to a pure heart (qalb salim). This means the right kind of pure heart, i.e. a heart which is free from the tendency to ascribe partners to God, feelings of hypocrisy, jealousy and ill-will. In other words, the believer should go before God with a heart as pure as it was at the time of his birth. He should not present himself before God with any other heart.

90-104. A man’s heaven and hell are not far away…

A man’s heaven and hell are not far away from him. Only a curtain intervenes between them. When Doomsday removes that curtain, every man will see that he was standing just on the edge of his heaven or hell, though the negligent man considered it something very distant.

There were false leaders (mujrimun), who enjoyed an elevated position in the society of their times. They did not accept the call for Truth simply because, thereafter, their greatness would be finished. Their false pride prevented them from accepting the Truth. As a result, their followers likewise did not consider the call for Truth worth responding to.

Equating the leaders with the Lord of the Universe means giving the same status to their utterances as to those of the Lord of the Universe. The Quranic commentator, Ibn Kathir, portrays them as carrying out the orders of their leaders‘as the orders of the Lord of the Universe are carried out.’ Those who accepted the pronouncements of their leaders as if they were God’s commandments in the world, will themselves, in the Hereafter, call those leaders blameworthy, but it will be of no avail. The place where one was required to recognise and differentiate between the falsifiers and the men of Truth was the world and not the Hereafter.

105-115. Noah’s community rejected him, though…

Noah’s community rejected him, though his call was fully borne out by the strength of arguments. Besides, his character bore testimony to his truthfulness. The people of his community knew that Noah was a righteous and honest man. They knew that there was no vested self-interest attached to his call for the Truth. Indeed, his personal qualities were enough to prove his seriousness. And a person who is serious about God’s creatures cannot be other than serious about their Creator.

Noah’s community rejected his call for the Truth, though they could offer nothing but irrelevant matters to justify this rejection. To say that the companions of a preacher are ordinary people in order to justify rejection of his call, is not a contradiction of the call but amounts rather to self-contradiction. It means that nothing can be found by way of arguments to warrant saying anything against the call of Truth. Such a stance did no credit to Noah’s community.

116-122. Noah strove for centuries so that his…

Noah strove for centuries so that his community could realize the truth, but they refused to accept it.

The moral debasement of his people had reached its acme and the disbelievers now threatened Noah either to stop preaching or be stoned to death. Noah then prayed to God to judge decisively between him and the disbelievers. His prayer was answered.

At God’s behest, Noah constructed a large boat, in which all his companions and the male and female counterparts of each animal species were accommodated. Thereafter, God sent a severe storm; water gushed out of the earth, and there was a heavy downpour of rain from the skies. All the living creatures, except those on the boat, were destroyed. This historical example is an embodiment of the fact that while true believers would remain protected, all others would face destruction.

123-135. The ‘Ad was a community which rose to…

The ‘Ad was a community which rose to prominence after Noah’s people were destroyed (see 7:69). Almighty God blessed this community with everything – health, prosperity, power, etc. Had they been grateful for these blessings, they would have developed a feeling of humility. But, instead, they became proud, thinking that the best use of their resources was to upgrade their standard of living and to elevate their name. They considered the erecting of stone icons their greatest task.

If such people have any difference with or complaint against anyone, their pride makes them go beyond all limits. They consider any injustice perpetrated against one who is the object of their disapproval to be legitimate and proper. They simply want to crush him with all their might. Prosperity in the world makes them fearless of retribution in the Hereafter. Those who consider themselves safe from the ultimate reckoning can go to any extent to harm others.

People who enjoy prosperity and dominance develop a high degree of false self confidence. This false confidence prevents them from understanding the Truth when presented to them by people who do not belong to their group. They do not give importance to the advice of the admonisher, who may be most trustworthy, and even though he be God’s messenger. Such people accept the Truth only when they confront God’s punishment, but such acceptance will be of no avail.

136-140. The false self-confidence of the ‘Ad comm…

The false self-confidence of the ‘Ad community prevented them from accepting the preaching of their prophet and they went to the extent of ridiculing it. They took their prosperity in the world as God’s reward. They failed to understand the secret that man is given worldly effects by way of trial and not because he deserves them.

When it was finally established that they were not going to accept the Truth, God had them lashed by stormy winds and heavy rains, which continued to wreak havoc for a week. The result was that the entire nation with its grand culture was destroyed. Now, the only sign of this nation, whose land had once been fertile and well populated is the desert which stretches far and wide between the present-day Oman and Yemen.

141-152. After the ‘Ad, the other community which…

After the ‘Ad, the other community which gained ascendance was the Thamud (7:74). This community inhabited the area between Khaybar and Tabuk known as Al-Hijr. This community too was blessed with great prosperity and enjoyed dominance over others. But, the members of this community likewise devoted their full attention to the attainment of material prosperity. The art of constructing large houses by carving them out of the hills was perhaps started by this community and an improved form of this is found in the Ajanta and Ellora caves in India.

Unfortunately, all those who obtain worldly benefits harbour the misunderstanding that they are entitled to them and may use them as they like. But this is the greatest mistake. The fact is that these worldly things are there only for as long as the period of trial lasts. After that, everything will be snatched from them so that nothing remains.

One who exceeds the limit is one who, when he acquires wealth, develops the mentality of conceit instead of gratitude to God. When power falls to his lot, he indulges in vanity instead of being modest. If he is given high office, he uses it to glorify his name and not to serve others. Such misuse of available opportunities creates disturbance in society. The leaders of the Thamud community indulged in such type of excesses and the commoners followed them. Their prophet warned (the common people) that those they considered great were themselves misguided, and asked how they could then guide others.

153-159. When a prophet arises in a community…

When a prophet arises in a community, that community is not necessarily atheistic or irreligious. It is, in fact, a religious community in the fullest sense, but, the religion of its members is the religion of their forefathers, and what the prophet presents is God’s religion. Those who consider the ways of their forefathers sacrosanct and stick to them, cannot understand the importance of other ways, even if those are presented by the prophet. To Salih’s community (i.e. the Thamud), deviation from their forefathers’ ways was so intolerable that they called Salih a madman. This struggle went on for a long time. Ultimately, they demanded that he show them a miracle. A miracle did appear, as commanded by God Almighty; it was both a miracle and the instrument of divine justice. It appeared in the form of a she-camel which had come into existence in other than the normal manner, i.e. in a miraculous way. Salih said that this was a she-camel of God. It would wander in their fields and gardens freely, and the water from the pond would be reserved for it exclusively on one day. The community tolerated the she-camel for a few days and then an arrogant man killed it. Soon thereafter the entire community was wiped out by a severe earthquake.

The crime of killing the she-camel was committed by a single person of the community, but the Quran uses the plural saying, ‘They hamstrung her.’ The reason for this is that at the time of killing, the people of the community did not prevent the person concerned from doing the deed, nor did they condemn him afterwards. Everyone spoke in his support and opposed Salih. While the killer had personally committed the crime, the rest of the people were his accomplices in that crime in their hearts and with their tongues. Therefore, in the eyes of God, all of them stood guilty.

160-166. The community in which Lot appeared…

The community in which Lot appeared, had crossed all limits in debauchery. Not being content with their wives, they had started indulging in homosexuality. Lot taught them God-worship and piety and attempted to dissuade them from indulging in evil deeds.

Lot appeared in the community as a preacher whose personality was entirely free of falsehood and he never indulged in loose talk. Also, he completely abstained from raising matters of material interest. These events were enough to establish that Lot was fully serious about whatever he was saying. But as he spoke out against the behaviour of the community, they became his enemies. For Lot’s words to carry any weight, it was necessary for the people to fear God. But the people of his community had become completely devoid of this very virtue. Then, how could they pay attention to the prophet’s teachings?

167-175. The area to the south and east of the Dead…

The area to the south and east of the Dead Sea now appears to be deserted. But, from 2300 to 1900 B.C., it was a very flourishing area, inhabited by the people of Lot. In spite of his continuous preaching, they did not reform themselves. On the contrary, they were out to kill him. Then they were destroyed by a severe earthquake. One part of this area is buried in the Dead Sea, while the other part exists only in the shape of ruins. This event happened four thousand years ago.

Lot’s wife could not rise above the traditions of her community. In spite of being the prophet’s wife, she remained loyal to her community’s religion. As a result, when God’s punishment was administered, she was killed along with the common unbelievers.

176-184. Shu‘ayb’s community was the progeny of…

Shu‘ayb’s community was the progeny of Abraham. The central city of the area which they inhabited was Tabuk. The old name of Tabuk was Ayka, which literally means ‘the forest.’ That is why, in the Quran, it is called Ashab al-Ayka (the dwellers of the forest).

The root cause of all moral and social evils is setting double standards. Just conduct for a man is to give others their rightful due, and take for himself what rightfully belongs to him. This is the Divine ‘balance’. When this is upset, disturbance occurs in collective social life. The secret of maintaining this balance is the fear of God. If the fear of God goes out of the heart, nothing can make a man keep his moral equilibrium.

All the prophets who had appeared on behalf of God had told their addressee communities: ‘I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.’ This shows that a preacher should necessarily have the quality of trustworthiness. One aspect of this trustworthiness is that he should not raise any material or economic issue with his addressee community, so that there should never be any doubt about the selflessness of his purpose. This trustworthiness is so important that it should be fostered at any cost, even if the preacher of truth has, voluntarily, to forego his material rights for its sake.

185-191. Shu‘ayb’s community had so much faith in…

Shu‘ayb’s community had so much faith in the righteousness of their forefathers’ ways that the prophet’s sayings seemed perverse and absurd. They said that somebody might well have cast a magic spell on him to make him talk the way he did.

They challenged Shu‘ayb to bring down the punishment of the skies, if what he said were true. They did this to deride Shu‘ayb, feeling that the punishment would certainly not descend because of him. The insolence of this community invited the direct wrath of God, as a vast cloud plunged them in gloom and a raging fire enveloped them, wiping out even the smallest trace of the community.

192-197. Though the Quran has been revealed in a…

Though the Quran has been revealed in a language of human beings, its literary superiority is extraordinary, so much so that its language itself provides proof of the Quran being a superior Divine discourse of God. Another proof of the Truth of the Quran is that, the prophets, born long before the revelation of the Quran,had predicted it. This prediction is found even today in the Torah, Zabur (Book of Psalms) and Injeel (Bible). It was on the basis of these predictions that a number of the Christian and Jewish scholars of those days (for example ‘Abdullah ibn Salam) embraced the faith. This trend continues even today.

The revelation of the Divine discourse of God with such special arrangements, could be only for a certain special purpose and this purpose is to warn the people of the coming Day of Judgement: Just as warning about the Hereafter was the special purpose of all the previous revealed Books, so is it the special purpose of the Quran.

198-203. The Quran was revealed in the Arabic la…

The Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, which was also the mother tongue of the Prophet who presented it. This gave those who denied the truth the opportunity to allege that the Quran was this Prophet’s own creation. They said that, being an Arab, he had authored the Quran in Arabic.

But the tenor of this objection itself clearly shows that it is lacking in seriousness. Indeed those who are not serious about matters of importance always find some flimsy excuse or the other to be critical of them. For example, if this Arabic Quran had been revealed to a non-Arab and if that person, in spite of not knowing Arabic, had recited the Arabic Quran to them, they would have immediately said that he was being tutored by some Arab.

For those who lead worldly lives, any admission of Truth amounts to negating themselves. When Truth appears before them and they do not accept it, having given more importance to personal considerations, they are so conditioned to their worldly ways, that they are unable to revise their thinking and acknowledge the truth, specially when it goes against their interests.

204-212. When, on behalf of God, the call for Truth…

When, on behalf of God, the call for Truth appears at the level of a prophet, it appears in its final and perfect shape. That is why it becomes necessary for God’s punishment to visit any community which denies the prophet. However, until this punishment is actually administered, man considers himself safe from it. In order to prove the divine call baseless, he adopts various tactics. Sometimes he derides the prophet’s personality and sometimes he calls the Divine revelation brought by him spurious. Sometimes he says that if God is against them, why does He not punish them?

The only responsibility of the prophet, or the preacher acting on behalf of the prophet, is that he should make the people aware of the Truth. All matters over and above that are the responsibility of God and He shows them this when He wills.

213-220. To take anybody other than God to be wor…

To take anybody other than God to be worthy of worship is the greatest crime in the eyes of God. No one guilty of this crime can escape punishment. It is the duty of the preacher to save himself from polytheism and to call the people to the Truth, primarily those who are near to him.

In order to support the Truth, one has to kill one’s ego. That is why there are very few among the highly placed who are prepared to side with the Truth. It often happens that only those who occupy a lower position in society come forward to do so. This poses a serious trial for the preacher of God’s word. He has to guard himself against holding these persons inferior as others do. They must be given equal status in an Islamic society.

The true emissary of the Almighty is one whose relation with his Maker is so strong that he passes his lonely nights in restlessness and is often forced to spring out of his bed. He holds his companions who are kneeling to pray to God in the stillness of the night in such high esteem that they become the centre of his attention.

221-227. The extraordinary nature of the Prophet’s…

The extraordinary nature of the Prophet’s discourse was so telling that even those who denied the truth could not contradict what he had to say. So, they told their people, in order to satisfy them, that he was a magician or a sorcerer and that his superb preaching was due to his being a magician or a charmer, and not to his being a prophet. Similarly, they used to say that the Qur’an was the work of a poet. The answer to this was that it was enough to compare the prophet with the magicians and poets and then see the difference between them. A world of difference would be found between them and no serious-minded person would confuse the one with the other.

The basis of poetry is imagination and not facts and realities. That is why poets have flights of fancy, allowing their ideas to go hither and thither. Unlike the poets, the Prophet and his companions focussed their entire attention upon God?the greatest Reality. Their lives were ideal examples of harmony between preaching and practice. Deep knowledge of God (ma‘rifah) made them remember their Creator on all occasions. They were extremely cautious and, if they took action against anyone, it was only in self-defence. One who is not serious about the life Hereafter cannot be serious about leading a God-oriented life in this world.