Intellectual Gap

Intellectual Gap

1990 2 February 7 Intellectual Gap (373) The Prophet Shoayb born 100 years after his illustrious ancestor, Abraham, was sent by God to the people of Madian, who were said to have inhabited the Arabian coast of the Red Sea. For their part, they refused to accept the message of the Almighty from the lips of Shoayb and were subsequently destroyed by a severe earthquake.

The Quran describes Shoayb inviting his community to accept God’s message and their saying, “0 Shoayb, we understand little of what you say to us.” Shoayb, as we know from the hadith, was exceptionally gifted as a speaker, expressing himself with great clarity and effectiveness; his congregation, moreover, were believers in the Prophet Abraham, their line of descent having been traced back to him through four generations. Yet, in spite of this, when the Prophet Shoayb brought them the message of monotheism, they said that they could not understand what he had to tell them. Why should this have been so?

The reason was that with the passing of several generations, the people of Madian had become so far removed from the actual teachings of the Prophet Abraham, that an intellectual barrier had been raised between them and Shoayb. This was what had proved an obstacle to their understanding the Prophet’s message.

Those who live in greatness other than God’s, who do not even find food for thought in the mention of God’s greatness, and who are totally engrossed in material benefits, are inevitably strangers to those virtues which will bear fruit only in the hereafter. Those who can think only through their own intellect regularly fail to understand the guidance which revelation can give them. Those who can see only short term convenience are understandably slow in perceiving any blessings which the future may hold in store. Similarly, those who live by the psychology of hatred will deny the importance of the message of love, just as those who know only the language of intimidation and conflict will never grasp the wisdom of adopting a policy of patience and avoidance of strife.

In short, those who ignore revelation, and who can arrive at opinions solely through the human intellect, will repeatedly fail to perceive that which can be perceived by the Divine Mind alone.