THE WORD OF GOD

THE WORD OF GOD From The Scriptures The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam between AD 610 and 632. It is a book that brings glad tidings to humankind, along with divine admonition, and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level. Translated from Arabic and commentary by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Remember Our servant David, a man of strength who always turned to Us, We made the mountains join him in glorifying Us at sunset and sunrise; and the birds, too, in flocks, all turned to Him. We made his kingdom strong, and bestowed upon him wisdom and sagacity in judgement. (38: 17-20) David presents a good example of being a devout subject. God bestowed him with extraordinary strength, yet he remained ever grateful to Him. David used to sit in the foothills of the mountains and sing praises of God. He praised with such devotion that it would turn the entire environment spiritual. God also blessed David with a very strong empire. The secret of this strength was his wisdom (hikmah) and his decisiveness (fasl al-khitab) which made him capable of taking right decisions at the right time. These two attributes make a ruler efficient. His innate wisdom ensures that he does not take any action which will bring more harm than good. And his ability to distinguish between right and wrong ensures that his decisions will always be based on justice. Have you heard the story of the disputants who entered his chamber by climbing over the wall? When they reached David, he took fright, but they said, ‘Do not be afraid. We are two disputants, one of whom has wronged the other: judge between us fairly—do not be unjust— and guide us to the right path. ‘This brother of mine has ninety- nine ewes and I have only one. He said, “Let me have charge of it,” and got the better of me with his words.’ David said, ‘He has certainly wronged you by demanding that your ewe be added to his ewes! Thus many partners wrong one another— [all]