Article appeared Friday, August 15th, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation !40" yousu# $ah%u%ul &sla$, 'h(

)hat purpose do the words o# any particular language serve* Are they code+words that
represent concepts or o%,ects that a##ect our day+to+day li#e* -o i# a letter addressed to you
arrives, in a language that you do not .now, what would you do* )ould you want to .now the
concepts e$%odied in the letter or would you, put the letter away on top o# a cup%oard with due
respect*
As an intelligent hu$an %eing, you would o%viously #ind ways to decipher the contents o# the
letter/ This could %e %y visiting so$eone who .nows the language or getting the letter translated
or even using translation #acilities availa%le on the &nternet/ 0ven i# the translation is poor, you
would $a.e an e##ort to get the essence o# the concepts or ideas e1pressed in the letter/ The
2uestion is why would you go to such a length to understand the concepts e1pressed in the
letter*
3%viously, there $ust %e a purpose or reason %ehind the e##orts ta.en to prepare and send you
the letter/ The language in which the letter is e1pressed would not ulti$ately $atter as it is only
a vehicle or a $eans to deliver the concepts/ At this point, an unli.ely or silly 2uestion $ay %e
as.ed4 would it $a.e sense to as. the $essenger or post$an to alter the contents o# the letter,
change or %ring another letter $ore to your li.ing*
5ogically, it would %e i$portant to evaluate the contents o# the letter as the language6 delivery
$ethods and $essenger are only a $eans to deliver the concepts involved/ 7istorically, we all
.now that the 7oly -criptures have %een revealed in various languages/ )ould it %e i$portant
to evaluate the concepts e1pressed in the -criptures* )hy*
&# we ta.e ti$e to ponder on the #act that we are leading %lessed lives that we ourselves did not
create, should we have 2uestions* For e1a$ple, how is it that
8 & a$ uni2ue or di##erent #ro$ everyone else* (oes it $ean that & a$ created #or a purpose*
8 only hu$an %eings have analytical intelligence* (oes it $ean that there is a purpose #or which
& have intelligence*
&n addition, one $ay as. deeper 2uestions, such as, i# li#e ends with death #or everything, would
there re$ain a di##erence %etween the li#e o# a dog and that o# a hu$an %eing* 9any, $any
such searching 2uestions $ay %e as.ed %y those who wish to re#lect on li#e/ &# we are
concerned a%out the 2uestions we have, we should seriously consider whether the 7oly
-criptures conceptually answer the 2uestions we have/
The idea %ehind intelligently researching the 7oly -criptures would %e %oth to evaluate the
purpose o# the -criptures as well as #ind answers to the 2uestions we have/ -hould the answers
to the 2uestions vary #ro$ one -cripture to another* &# they do, which answer would %e $ore
plausi%le, logical or true* -hould the contents or concepts a##ect intelligent thought*
The $ost recent 7oly -cripture, the :ur;an, however, points out that instead o# loo.ing #or
concepts that answer our 2uestions, we treat the <erses with indi##erence, ridicule or #ind ways
to avoid understanding the concepts given = even when we ourselves recite the <erses/
10.15 But when Our Verses are rehearsed (recited) to them as clear evidences,
those who do not expect the meeting with s sa!, "Bring us a #ur$an other than
this or change it." %a! (O, &uhammad)' "(t is not )or me to change it o) m! own
accord. ( )ollow (and rela!) nothing *ut what is revealed to me. (ndeed, ( )ear, i) (
should diso*e! m! +ord, the ,unishment o) a -reat .a! (to come)."/
>ust as as.ing #or the contents o# a letter to %e changed would not $a.e sense, loo.ing #or
things that we personally desire in the 7oly -criptures cannot $a.e sense?
To understand the $ain concepts in the 7oly -criptures, we can do so %y loo.ing #or parallels in
our day+to+day lives/ For e1a$ple, unless a $anu#actured ite$ is given away or sold, it is owned
%y the $anu#acturer/ -i$ilarly, i# we are created, we are owned %y the @reator? Not only would
7e own us individually, 7e would have a purpose #or each one o# us/ -ince the :ur;an
addresses intelligent hu$an %eings, it repeatedly as.s a variety o# 2uestions, #or e1a$ple,
&s then 7e )ho creates li.e one does not create* -o will you not %e re$inded*/
A1B/1CD
The 2uestion as.s us to evaluate, e.g., the di##erence %etween the a%ility to create #ro$ nothing
and the a%ility to put e1isting things together/ -o who has the right to %e #eared, the 3ne who
has created everything or should created o%,ects %e #eared* The purpose o# the :ur;an is
there#ore to engage our intelligence to #ind the answers that we are loo.ing #or/ The -cripture
would not have %een revealed without a serious purpose,
10.10 %a!, "() 1llah had so willed ( would not have recited it (the 2evealed
Verses) to !ou, nor would 3e have made it 4nown to !ou. ( have *een with !ou a
whole li)etime *e)ore this, will you then not reason?"
The :ur;an was revealed through a prophet who had had no #or$al education/ 7is %ac.ground
was well .nown in the society that he was part o#/ The :ur;an con#ir$s,
And thus )e have revealed to you an inspiration o# 3ur @o$$ands <erses"/ Eou did
not .now before what was Revelation and what was Faith6 %ut )e have $ade the
:urFan" a 5ight %y which )e guide such o# 3ur servants as )e will6 and indeed 3,
9uha$$ad" you guide $en" to the -traight )ay// A42/52D
The purpose o# the <erses o# the :ur;an are to guide intelligent hu$an %eings to the purpose
#or which the @reator has given li#e and warn that each is accounta%le/ &# we choose not to
intelligently evaluate the concepts given, we put ourselves in peril %y annoying the @reator/ @an
the purpose o# the :ur;an %e that it is si$ply to %e recited or rehearsed li.e an unintelligent
parrot*
10.15 %o who is more un6ust than he who invents a lie a*out 1llah or denies His
Verses? (ndeed, the criminals will not succeed./
Reciting the <erses o# the :ur;an without a desire to e1tract the concepts presented is
e2uivalent to denial o# the <erses and denial o# #aith/ Allah there#ore warns4
And there are a$ong the$ illiterates who .now not the Boo. %ut see therein their own"
desires and they do nothing %ut con,ecture// A2/CGD
)ithout e1tracting the concepts involved, is it logical to $a.e assu$ptions* As an e1a$ple4
And they say4 HThe #ire shall not touch us %ut #or a #ew nu$%ered daysH6 As.4 H7ave you
ta.en a pro$ise #ro$ Allah #or 7e never %rea.s 7is pro$ise* Or is it that you say of
Allah what you do not know?" A2/G0D