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by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri (Author)
There is a purpose to this life. There is a beginning, and an end, and within it lies a light that has no beginning and no end. We are most fortunate to have been given the total package of truth, of haqq. We have come to this world in order to discover the qualities and attributes of the Creator of it, the Maintainer of it, the Sustainer of it; He who is within it, He who is before it, He who is after it. We have been bestowed with the ultimate purpose and meaning of our existence, along with the direction and way we must conduct ourselves to become in tune with the ever-present light of Allah.
The Qur'an affrms that there cannot be two unless I am with you, there cannot be three unless I am the fourth (58:7); and I am closer to you than your jugular vein (50:16[50.16] And certainly We created man, and We know what his mind suggests to him, and We are nearer to him than his life-vein.). Where is it that His nūr (light), or its trace and pattern, is not already there? We are most fortunate to have embraced the divine light of the Prophet Muhammad (S). We are truly blessed to have trust and love for the Qur'an and to have profound admiration for the conduct and all that which has to do with the perfect being of Prophet Muhammad (S). Why is it then, that this miraculous guide, this revealed knowledge, has not been in every way adored, used and internalised? The answer is simple. You may have the recipe for a meal, but if you don't put the ingredients together to cook it and eat it, you will not get nourishment from it. Similarly, simply possessing knowledge without implementing it will not illuminate you mind. And at a higher level, it will not enlighten your heart.
The Quran is a remarkable gift for us to use to change our attitude. The information contained within it has the power to lead to our transformation. The voice of truth from beyond time and space can be applied in our lives within time and space. In the following pages, we will dive into the Qur'an and its multi-layers of wisdom, knowledge and light. There are no ends to these horizons. As far as the Qur'an is concerned, it is the book of existence; it is the manual that any true believer in the One will find of immediate help in any situation and for any circumstance. One of the meanings of the Qur'an is that which gathers and has within it everything. The Qur'an has come with a language that surpasses the limitations of an ordinary terrestrial language. It contains terms that refer to the physical and material world, yet they also carry celestial connotations, evoking higher and subtler meanings
