THE WORD OF GOD — From The Scriptures

God: such is God’s guidance. He bestows it upon whoever He will; but no one can guide those whom God leaves to stray. 39: 23 God has blessed man with a guidebook in the form of the Quran. It has two special qualities. One of its qualities is that it is marked by utmost consistency. In other words, it is a book which has no contradictions. One part does not clash with another. If the Quran’s statements had not corresponded exactly with reality, there would have been differences between and inconsistencies in its various parts. The second quality of the Quran is its use of repetition; that is, its topics are often repeated in different styles. This quality in the Quran shows that it is a book of advice and guidance. An adviser always wishes that his words should establish themselves firmly in the mind of the hearer. For this purpose, he expresses the same statements in different ways. This wisdom is found in the Quran in its best form. It is the nature of man that when he hears some terrible news, or he undergoes some hair-raising experience, his inner being is humbled and his heart is softened by the news. When a serious man reads the Quran, he undergoes such spiritual experiences. What about the one who will have only his bare face to protect him from his terrible punishment on the Day of Resurrection? The evildoers will be told, ‘Taste what you have earned.’ Those before them also denied the truth, and the punishment fell on them from where they did not expect. God gave them a taste of humiliation in the life of this world, but the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew it. 39: 24-26 Man always tries to save his face from injuries, but the punishment of Doomsday will so encompass man that it will not be possible for him to save any part of his body. In fact he will stand before the ineluctable punishment, as if using his face as a shield against it. In the eyes of God, the greatest crime a man can commit is not to admit to the Truth when it reveals itself to him. Such people can never escape the scourge of God. We have set forth to men all kinds of parables in this Quran so that they may take heed: a Quran in Arabic, free from any ambiguity— so that people may be mindful. God sets forth a parable: there are two men—one belonging to many masters, all disagreeing with one