Braheen Volume 4

(does not include footnotes, and spans about 350 pages with 1-4 lines per page of main text)

Title Page

Table of Contents of Volume 4 (1 page)

Delicate Situation of Muslims and the British Government (pages a - h)

Continuation of the Third Preliminary from Volume 3

i.e. His person and attributes and actions are free from sharing by another and full of perfect omnipotence is not an issue that is proven by experience only. Even logical arguments dictate that it is essential for God to be unique without peer in his Person and totality of attributes and actions, and tie the truth of His Divinity to the truth of those characteristics. Thus these fools should utilise some shame and think about it. They, in not acceptingthe uniqueness of the word of God have created the objection that as God's word is part of the category of our (human) speech and is composed of the same words and phrases of which our speech is composed, then what is the reason that we do not have the power to create its like? One can weep over the state of such people who could not understand such solid and evident truth that is proven by absolute arguments. If they had even a little of God-given intellect, they would have reflected when raising this vulgar objection that whether God, in his Person and totality of attributes and actions, must be unique without peer or not? If they did not think of this proof, then alas they could have thought of the second argument: having accepted a Being as having the greatest faculties of knowledge and power without parallel, the effects of such faculties should also be without parallel, as I have stated that the power and glory of speech is subservient to the intellectual powers of the speaker. Whoever is stronger in intellectual powers, his speech is also more powerful and majestic. Even if they dropped this second argument, alas they could have remembered the axiom of 'Attributes of Things': that hundreds of things are alike and members of the same type and category, yet the Absolute Wise God has put separate characteristics in each.

All Human Languages are God-given

Some people are stuck in the delusion that language in general is the invention of humans. If it were the invention of humans, then humans would be able to reach the highest levels in its eloquence, clarity and other related perfections, as it is totally illogical and against reason that humans should not be able to progress in his own invention. And when it is logically not impossible to progress in multiple ways in the eloquence and clarity of language and reach perfection, so it would not be impossible to copy the eloquence of the Quran. So, it should be apparent that this fallacy is removed by my statements above, in which I have clearly written that humans' intellectual faculties cannot equal the intellectual faculties of God. The difference that is evident between high and low, and between strong and weak, should also show itself in speech. The speech emanating from a higher power should be higher and the speech emanating from a weaker power should be lower, as is evident when one looks at the differences between humans of different capabilities: lower capability cannot compete with higher capability although all humans are part of the same species.

Apart from this, it is also not correct that each dialect (language) is an invention of humans. Thorough research proves that the inventor and creator of human dialects is the same Omnipotent God who created humans, and he endowed them with language so that they can communicate. If human dialects were the invention of man, then a newborn child would have no need of education as he could have invented a language when he grew up. It is logically apparent that if a child is not taught any language he cannot talk. Even if you raise this child in some Greek jungle or on the British island, or below the equator, it would still be dependent on education to learn language, and if not taught would remain without speech.

Changes in Human Language are also from God

And if one argues that we see with our own eyes that languages undergo hundreds of types of changes and evolutions automatically, from which see proof of human effect on language, know that this doubt is totally delusional: changes that are part of languages do not come about because of the will and choice of men, nor can the principle be established that human nature brings about these changes from time to time. A deep look reveals that such changes are also due to the will and choice of the Primordial Cause (God), just as all changes in heaven and earth are due to His express will. It can never be proven that humans, together or separately, invented all these dialects that are spoken in the world.

And if one raises the question that just as God naturally changes languages, why should it not be permissible that all languages also arose like that in the beginning, and that they were not revealed (ilhaam) from God? The answer is: natural law applicable to the beginning of time is that God has created each and every thing by his express power. Reflecting on the sky, earth, sun, moon and the nature of man itself, it is evident that the beginning of time was the age of just the show of God's power, in which no other helping forces took part. In that age, whatever God made, it was with such great Power that human intellect is astounded. Look at the earth, sky, sun and moon and other bodies, etc., that how such a huge task could be accomplished without the help of resources, masons, labourers; and just by will and singular pronouncement. Again, just as all the works of God in that early age was out of His Power, without involvement of nature, and pure of any other resources, and arose purely out of the Will of God, then why do you become deceitful and say that in the area of languages he could not do so, and although he created everything else out of his sheer Power, he did not have the power to create languages? He, who created Man without father and mother, proving his Omnipotence, why can his Power be considered deficient when it comes to languages? In short, when every sentient person has to accept that the first age was an age of sheer display of Power, and natural law in that age was that every task should be accomplished without the mixture of any other helping force, then excluding languages from this general law and thus breaking natural law is total ignorance and foolishness.

Beginning of Time Different from This Age

It is not right to juxtapose this age's situation with that age. For example, no child is born in this age without mother and father, and if it was necessary for humans to be born of parents in that age also, then how would this world have been created? In addition, there is a big difference between the changes that come about in languages, and when languages are created from scratch. A change in an extant language is something else, and the creation of a full-fledged language from nothing is something else. Apart from this, even now, when God through revelation (ilhaam) reveals to humans in various languages, and can reveal to them in languages of which they have no knowledge, as I have proven in sub-footnote 1, then what stupidity it is to think that the All-Knowing God did not have the power of such revelation in the beginning age.

Man Could not have been Created Without Language

The self-evident proof of His limitless power is still visible and he reveals (ilhaam) to humans in dialects of which they are not even familiar with and which they did not learn from their parents nor from a teacher. Then why is it that in the beginning age, an age of need of such, teaching languages to humans would be far from the power of God? And why should God be held weak and helpless and humans burdened with so many misfortunes whose detail is that Humans were created and then were dumb and speechless for a long period, and during this age of misfortune, humans could only communicate with great difficulty and exertion in sign language? And the speech and concepts that could not be communicated through signs, he was not able to do so, and thus took the losses that were the result of not understanding speech. And God did nothing to remove all these difficulties and pains, and could not fulfil Man's needs.

Although God created Man, out of his sheer Power, from nothing, gave him a tongue and eyes and ears and made him capable of progress, and so many such blessings that cannot be counted, but the same Powerful God, did not teach Man speech which was very much needed. So much so, that Man underwent so many hardships for the lack of speech for such a long time that Man invented speech himself. Is this belief such that is flattering for God's Godly power? Can an honest person harbour such ill thoughts about the Omnipotent and Perfect (God) that during the beginning age, when it was acceptable to display His Power to unknowing humans, was not capable of displaying other necessary powers? Is it reasonable to assume that He who created a few thousand species with just a simple order, and without matter or ether, was not powerful enough to create languages? Can any intellect accept that He Who created Man for a great purpose and made him the Noblest of Creation from his special Will, could have left his creation half-done? And then co-incidentally, Man finished off the remaining part by himself? Can He Who has knowledge of all these languages from the beginning, and in front of whose deep vision, all existing things exist due to his order, and whose Perfect Power contains all sorts of knowledge and understanding, is not capable enough that it can be thought about Him that He, knowing Man to be in a state without speech, avoided teaching Man speech? To the extent that Man, because of His unkindness, lived as an animal and savage, and then in the ende, Man himself came up with the idea that he should invent some language? This thought is is so evidently false: that the Perfect Powers of God and Perfect Mercy and Perfect Nurturing which has been witnessed in every age, is being contradicted by them. The God whose strange revelations (ilhaam) in unknown languages are still revealed to humans, to think about Him that such revelations (ilhaam) that God avoided them in the beginning age when they were really needed - is extreme stupidity and ill-intention.

On Savages that do not Use Language

If someone doubts that even today some savages who are without speech and survive on sign language - why are they not taught a language by revelation (ilhaam)? And why does a newborn child, if left alone in the jungle, does not receive a revelation (ilhaam) from God? It is just a misunderstanding of the attributes of God, because Divine inspiration and revelation (ilhaam) is not something that can be cast everywhere, without regard to receptive matter.

Conditions for Revelation of Language

It is an imperative condition that for Divine inspiration and revelation (ilhaam), the matter on which it falls should be capable. And a second condition that for such ilhaam is that there should be a definite need for it.

Creation of Adam

In the beginning, when God created Man, it was a time when revealing (ilhaam) languages was an issue that had both conditions - first that intrinsic capability in the first human being as required to receive ilhaam was present, and the second necessity was also present as, except God, there was no friend or patron of Adam (as) who could have taught him speech, and then with tutoring, take him to the stage of civility and cvilisation. In fact, for Adam (as), it was only God who fulfilled all the necessary needs of Adam, and Himself through his kind and excellent tutoring took him to the stage of true humanity. Yes, after that when the children of Adam spread in the earth, and the knowledge that God had taught Adam took hold in his children, then some humans became teachers to others, and parents became the kind teachers of their children, but for Adam, there was no one else but God who could teach him language and civility. For him, there was only God in place of teacher and tutor and parents, who created him and taught him everything - thus for Adam this need was really and necessarily manifested that God should train him himself and fulfil all his needs, but this need was there for his children, as millions of humans speak different languages and teach their children, except for what I have written above (savages).

Intrinsic Capability for Ilhaam

Intrinsic capability that is a necessary condition for receiving ilhaam is not found in every child of Adam. If this intrinsic capability is found in someone, then he can, even now, receive from God what he needs through ilhaam and God will never let him go to waste. God's deep vision extends to the depth of the capabilities of each human being, and he never prevents a capable man from displaying his capacity, and it never happens that a person has the capacity of recognising knowledge from God, or the capacity for sainthood or prophethood and then some earthly events or being born a savage would cause him to die in that condition and God would not take him to the limit of the capability that was given to him. Only he remains savage or dumb or ignorant who, in his intrinsic nature, is flawed and useless and like an animal.

Apart from this, when God has bestowed various languages on millions of people and opened the doors of general knowledge for them, then in the situation, except the situation when He wants to show a sign, in all other situations there is no need to learn a language by ilhaam. And God the All-Wise does not do anything without need and does not make incumbent spurious and useless ways.

Sanskrit as Divine Language

Some foolish Aryas declare Sanskrit to be the language of God, and relegate all other languages that are full of intriguing constructs to be the invention of Man, as if Man also possesses a type of Divinity that whereas God only showed one language, men showed such power that they created dozens of languages better than it. I ask the Arya people that if it is true that only Sanskrit came out of the mouth of God and others are crafted by men, and away from the mouth of God, then tell me what are the special qualities of Sanskrit which other languages are devoid of? Surely the speech of God should be better than the construction of men, because he is called God because in His person and his attributes and his actions, He is superior and without peer. If we assume that Sanskrit is the speech of God that descended on the ancestors of the Hindus and all other languages were created by other people whose ancestors were smarter than the Hindus' ancestors, can we also assume that those people also somewhat exceeded Hindus' God such that their powers showed in the creation of hundreds of excellent languages? And that the Hindu God stopped after creating one language? People in whom shirk (associating others with God) has made home, have thought of their God with equal status to humans in many ways. Why not? They are peers of God.

And if someone has the doubt why God did not suffice with one language, then this doubt is also due to a lack of reflection. If a sane person looks at the contradictory cultures and different natures of various nations, he would surely know that a single language is not suitable for all of them. Residents of some countries can pronounce certain letters and words easily, whereas the same are a problem for residents of other countries. Therefore, how could it be that the All-Wise would love just one language and not allow for the axiom of 'Putting a Thing in Context' and would abandon the general purpose of having different natures. Was it appropriate that he would imprison different people in the cage of only one language? In addition, the reason for multiple languages is that it shows the multiplicity of the powers of God, and his servants praising him in diverse languages creates a bustling bazaar of worship.

Fourth Preliminary

Taking a look at all the creation of God, the principle is proven that He has put strange and novel features of TWO types in his creation:

1. Simply understood ones: Everyone knows that humans have two eyes, two years, one nose, two feet and other body parts. These are issues that can be known even superficially.
2. There are others that require a deep look; for example the construct of the eyes by which they operate in unison and can perceive small and large things, or the construct of ears that they can discern conflicting sounds. These are issues that are not superficially knowable but only those who are experts in nature and medicine have discovered these truths by reflecting on them over a long period and hundreds of such fine points and truths about the construction of the human body are still hidden and which no physician has comprehended. There is no doubt that the higher purpose of such fine points and truths is that Man should admit the Power of the All-Wise who has done such novel works in the creation of Man.

Subtlety in the Human Body

At this juncture, some men of lesser understanding would object that why did God do such fine and delicate tasks whose purpose was only to recognise God, to understand which a long period of exercising reason and reflection, and even then it is not expected that all secrets will be revealed, and due to this very difficulty, it is as if Man has not even attained a drop out of this river. It should have been that all these strange and novel things should have been simple and clear, so that the purpose for which the All-Wise put them in the human body would be attained. The answer to this and such other doubts about the fine and delicate points of God's strange creation and their characteristics is that: No doubt that God's natural law, in his creation and all else that is from him, is that he has not sufficed on clear novelties of creation, but in all things wrought from his creating hand there are also hidden finer novelties which are very deep. It is foolishness to think of this work of God as useless and without purpose.

One should know that God has not created humans like other animals in a way that his knowledge should be limited to a few obvious and observed things, but has given him the capability to progress in infinite knowledge utilising his vision and reflection. For this he has been given the gem of intellect that is a lamp in darkness, and that is not given to other animals. It is obvious that if all the novelties of his creation were apparent and did not require any vision and reflection, then Man, whose perfection is dependent on his intellect, would think about what other things? And if Man did not think and reflect, then how could he attain his perfection? Therefore, because the whole concept of humanity is attached to the use of Man's intellect, the All-Wise kept most fine points and truths hidden in a way that until Man utilises his God-given power with the utmost struggle, these points do not reveal themselves. With this, the All-Wise intends to keep the way of progress open, and Man should reach the prestige for which he was created.

In short, God's works do not end on coarse creation, but the more you dig into them, you find ever more subtlety. So, as in all things from God, this general principle has been proven that they are full of fine points and deeply hidden secrets, and then following this law of nature every sane person should accept that God's speech should also not be devoid of finer points. In fact, it should have the most subtleties as it is the word of God and the treasure-chest of the primordial knowledge of the All-Wise which God has made a tool to better all natural laws that govern the heavens and the earth. If it were deficient, then how could it fulfil such a grand purpose? If it could not cleanse Man of all mistakes, and only of some, it would be as if God were to abandon Man before he reached his goal.

Subtlety in the Quran

Just as God's law of nature, in everything that emanates from him, proves that God has put deep and fine points everywhere and not sufficed with coarse points only, then this logic lays bare the lie of those who say that God's word should only contain a few readily understandable rules, and deeper subtleties are not needed and are not present. In this regard, they have created an argument to strengthen their doubt that the Revealed Book descended for people of less understanding, or for the unlettered Bedouins, so its teaching should be such that is according to the intellect of those people because an unlettered and illiterate person cannot understand or benefit from these subtle points. Let it be clear that this doubt is short-sightedness and this base thought smells of an extreme foolishness and ignorance.

Alas, that they could only look at the word of God in a deeper way so that they would know that thinking thus about God's holy and perfect words is like throwing dust at the moon. Even know, such people should read this book with eyes open and they would see with seeking eyes the hundreds of fine points and truths of the word of God that I have written in this book in the appropriate place and with remarkable clarity, and their false thought would disappear as darkness disappears at sunrise.

Obviously, reason and thought are helpless in front of feeling and seeing. When one learns a distinct characteristic of something through constant experience,then taking mere reason as proof, and denying a fact that has been already proven can only be termed craziness and insanity. If these people were to use God-given intellect, they would realise that the mere thought is false and is exactly as if someone were to deny the subtle characteristics of plants and says that: if God has done so for the benefit of His creation that he has put certain characteristics in plants and minerals as cures, then why has He hidden those characteristics under so many layers that so many people have died for so long without the knowledge of those cures and still all the hidden characteristics are not completely known?

It is obvious that after the establishment of God's general law which is the same in the heavens and the earth, such doubts are only entertained by those who do not reflect on natural laws at all, and before they endeavour to discover the attributes and ways of God as they present themselves in the mirror of nature, they start writing about the appearance of His person and His attributes. On the other hand, if a person opens his eyes and looks around, the way of God is not limited to one or two things nor is it so hidden that it cannot be understood. Conversely, this is so apparent that let alone subtle forces and creations of the highest order, even a common housefly, a base and foul creature, is not outside this law of nature. Then how, God forbid, can one think that God's word that is holy like His Being and coloured in His perfect hue, is so low and foul that, in terms of its hidden points, does not even reach to the rank of a housefly?

Essentials are Clear

It should also be clear that God has not hidden anything from the essentials of faith, and the hidden points are those that are higher than core beliefs and are prescribed for those souls who have the ability and capability to obtain superior perfection. They are those who do not want to suffice themselves with these issues alone like any common and inferior person. Through these subtle points, they progress in wisdom and knowledge of the Divine and reach the high minaret of certitude which is the apex of human capabilities.

It is obvious that if the secrets of knowledge were all apparent then what would be the difference between the knowledgeable and the foolish? In such way, all knowledge would be destroyed and that excellent standard for the recognition of capabilities and which increases human intellect and perfects his soul, would disappear. And when the means disappear, then on what issues would a person think and reflect? And if he did not think and reflect, he would have to stop at a certain knowable limit like other living things and he would not be capable of infinite progress. So, in this situation, he would be deprived of the prestige for which he was created. So, regarding the God who has bestowed on Man the powers of thought and reflection and has endowed him with the capability to reach for a certain perfection, how can one conceive the ill thought that He would send down His book without desiring that humans reach a certain perfection, and then He stops him from reaching it?

Comparison with Plato and Aristotle

Is it not true that God has sent his words only to guide humans from darkness to light. So, if God's book cannot take one out of darkness, but that Aristotle's and Plato's books can, then the declaration by God that 'My book allows escape from all darkness' is just a hollow claim? When the truth of a thing is completely opened up by experience and reason then who can stand against it?

I have extracted all subtle and delicate truths from the Holy Quran and written them in this book. To see them is to be a witness to my declarations and thus be the deciding verdict. If a person is not totally blind, then by knowing all these Quranic truths and subtleties, he will have to admit that the Quran encompasses hundreds of truths and facts which were not even in the dreams of Plato and Aristotle and others. Then, is the result not that God's word is the grouping of these religious subtleties and I write once again that God has not burdened Man by adopting this way, but rather: first, gave Man intellect and second, gave him the matter on which to reflect. These are the gifts of God which cause a man's star to shine and makes humans and animals distinct. God did not give the power of thought to animals nor they do think. See if they are just where they are!

Unlettered Arabs and Subtlety

Regarding the doubts that God sent his book for unlettered Bedouins, and thus it should only be according to their understanding – is not right. The first falsehood in it is that these words descended only for the unlettered ones, as God Himself says that it is for the whole world and this book descended for improving human beings of different natures. Just as the unlettered ones (Arabs) are addressed in it, so are the Christians and Jews and Magis and Sabis and agnostics and atheists – all groups are addressed and refutations of all their false beliefs were announced to all. (Quran Aaraf:158). Then, as it is proven that the Quran had to deal with all types of human nature then you yourself should think whether it was not compulsory for it to display its greatness and truth on each type and remove doubts of each kind.

Apart from this, although the unlettered are addressed in this book, it is not that God wants to keep them always illiterate. Conversely, he wants that those powers of humanity and intellect that are present in their nature should be activated with this force. If a simpleton is to be kept like that forever, then what is the use of teaching? God Himself encouraged knowledge and wisdom. Look at this verse: (Al-Baqarah:269), i.e. God gives wisdom to whosoever he pleases, and whoever is given wisdom is given much wealth. And then He says: (Al-Baqarah:152), i.e. O Messenger, He teaches you the book and wisdom and all those truths and facts which you could not have known yourself. And then He says: (Fatir:28) i.e. only they fear God who have knowledge. And then He says: (Taha:114) i.e. pray that O God grant me progress in the ranks of knowledge. And then He says: (Bani Israeel: 52) i.e. the person who was blind in this world and did not develop an insight of Divine knowledge, he would also be blind in that other world, even worse than the blind. And then He teaches the prayer: (Al-Fatiha:6-8) i.e. O Exalted Sustainer, show to us that straight path which you showed to all those perfected ones on whom You had your mercy and grace. Because the straight path of the perfected ones is that they understand truths by insight and not like the blind. Thus the purpose of this prayer is that God - all that knowledge of truth and correct facts and hidden secrets and subtle truths which you had bestowed on perfected ones of the whole world from time to time - gather them all in us now. Now, see that this prayer also asks for knowledge and wisdom from God and has asked for that knowledge which was distributed across the world.

Exercise and Exertion in Discovering Subtleties

In summary, just as God has laid out the principles of salvation in easy and clear terms in His book and there is no difficulty or confusion in understanding them and the illiterate and literate are equal in that regard, the All-Wise has desired that through the subtleties of the knowledge of God and high secrets, Man should exert himself in finding them so that this exercise becomes the source of personal completion for him because all human faculties are established and maintained by exertion and exercise.

If a person keeps his eyes closed forever and never uses them for seeing, then as has been proven through experiments, he will go blind in just a few days. If he keeps his ears closed, he will go deaf and if he does not move his hands or feet, the end result will be that they will lose their sensation and their movement. In the same way, if memory is never utilised, it fails, and if the power of reasoning is left useless, it will keep on decreasing to nothingness. So, this is His grace and mercy that he wanted people to adopt the way on which the perfection of their intellect is dependent. And if God had wanted us to be free of totally free of exertion, then it was not appropriate that He would send his last book for all people, who speak different languages, in just one language that they are not familiar with; because the discovery of a strange language is not possible without exertion, even if only a little.

Fifth Preliminary

A miracle that human intellect can identify as being from God is thousands of times superior to the one that are merely quoted from stories or fables. There are two causes of this preference:

1. firstly, quoted miracles that occurred hundreds of years ago do not command our senses or observation and being narrated news they cannot have the status that actual observations have.
2. second, those who actually observed these narrated miracles, that were beyond human explanation, still did not obtain complete satisfaction from them because there are many exotic tricks that masters of trickery can demonstrate.

Although such trickery is deceitful but how can one prove to a sceptical opponent such supernatural phenomena shown by the prophets: one of them showed the making of a snake and another the raising of the dead. Although these are distinct from the sleights of hand that tricksters employ but this problem of proof is not only an issue in our age but it is possible that it existed even in the past.

Logical Doubts about Miracles of Jesus

For example, when we read Chapter 5, verses 2 - 5 of the gospel of John, we find written:

there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

It is apparent that one who denies Jesus (as) as a prophet and denies his miracles, on reading this passage from John and coming to know of such a pool that existed in Jesus' land from ancient times and which had this characteristic that one dip in it would cure any type of disease, no matter how severe, a strong thought would arise spontaneously that if the Messiah showed some miracles then doubtlessly their cause would be that the honourable person (Messiah) would use the water of that pool to show such miracles.

There have been many other similar examples in the world of the type described in this passage, and there still are, and it is quite credible that if Jesus cured the blind, the lame, etc., then certainly the Messiah would have picked up the prescription from that pool and then fools and simpletons who cannot get to the bottom of things and cannot identify the underlying truth made famous that he does such deeds with the help of a spirit. Especially when it is proven that the Messiah used to frequent that very pool, this idea is strengthened.

In short, in the sceptic's eyes, such miracles that the pool has been showing since ancient times creates many doubts regarding Jesus, and difficulties are created in not accepting that the Messiah was not a deceitful trickster like the Jews claimed, and that he was a righteous person who did not take any help from this pool in showing his miracles, and that he truly showed miracles. Although believing in the Quran frees one from these doubts but as for the person who has not yet believed in the Quran and is a Jew or a Hindu or a Christian, how can he escape these doubts and how can his heart be satisfied that: despite such a strange pool in which thousands of lame (disabled) people and the congenitally blind were cured by one dip, and which with its unusual characteristics is famous among the Jews and all the residents of that country, and many people had been cured after a dip in it and were being cured every day and there was always a crowd gathered there and the Messiah also frequented that pool and was aware of its strange and unusual characteristics?

(Let us say: ) "Even then the Messiah did not take any help from this pool's soil or water in showing his own miracles which the pool was showing since ancient times and he did not create his own prescription based on it." Doubtlessly, such a statement is not any proof that is useful against a sceptic. Without doubt, reflecting on the existence of this strange pool, many objections are raised against the Messiah's position and these objections cannot be removed. The more one thinks, the more the doubt increases, and one sees no way out for the Christians because looking at the current situation of the world, these doubts become stronger and one can find many examples of such frauds and tricks in one's own memory and every person carries a load of such things that he himself has seen.

Why Tricksters Succeed

Such tricks that work on simpletons and ignorant people and remain unmasked - are the reason that encourages tricksters to continue. Common people, who are like sheep, do not even think that should do a thorough investigation and reach the underlying truth. And the duration of display of such magic is usually very small, which does not give enough time for thought and reflection, and therefore tricksters have much room for sleights of hand and there is little chance to know their hidden secrets.

In addition, the public is unaware of physical laws and philosophy, and unaware of the supernatural characteristics that the All-Wise has placed in the Universe. Thus, they are always ready to be tricked in every age. And why should they not be tricked? There are things (in nature) that exhibit astonishing characteristics and with ignorance, the astonishment is increased.

For example, the housefly and other animals have a certain characteristic: that if they die without much damage to their organs and the organs stay in their place and have not rotten yet, but are still fresh and within two to three hours of death, like flies that die in water, then if finely ground salt is poured over such a fly, and an equal amount of ashes are put over it, the fly comes back to life and flies away, and this characteristic is well-known and many young boys know of it. But if simple people do not know about this trick and some trickster claims to be the Magi Messiah in front of the unaware person, and brings flies back to life with this trick, while reading some abracadabra to show that it is the mantra that is being used to resurrect the flies, then does that simpleton have the intellect or the time to investigate it?

Do you not see that fraudsters are destroying the world in this age? Someone is demonstrating alchemy and claiming to create gold, and someone buries stones and brings them out as goddesses for Hindus. Some even put a laxative in ink to write (edible) amulets for simpletons so that the amulet shows its power when the person has bowel motion. Similarly, there are thousands of other tricks and frauds that are taking place in this very age, and some are so deep that many intelligent people fall for them.

The deep secrets of natural sciences and physics and the strange characteristics of forces that have been increasing recently due to new experiments - are the new things which false miracle-workers can use for new types of frauds and tricks. So, it is apparent from this research that such miracles that appear similar to these tricks, though they may be true, are nevertheless hide the truth and there are great difficulties in proving them as such.

Sixth Preliminary

(from page 558, 1st edition 467)

Just as miracles that hide the truth cannot be equal to miracles that appeal to reason, prophecies and news-of-the-unseen from past ages which are similar to the style of astrologers and fortune-tellers and rabbis and historians, cannot be equal to such prophecies and news about the unseen that are not merely news but rather a certain Divine power accompanies them.

non-Divine Prophecies that also come True

For in this world, there are many people other than prophets who tell of such things before time such as: earthquakes will happen, plagues will come, fights will occur, drought will fall, and one nation shall wage war against another - and this will happen and that will happen - and often some of their news turns out to be correct. Therefore, to erase such doubts, only those prophecies and knowledge of the unseen will be powerful and complete with which there are such signs of Divine power in which fortune-tellers and dream-interpreters and astrologers cannot be peers and - and it is forbidden and it is impossible for them; i.e. they do not have the passion of God's perfect glory and great spark of His help - such help that evidentially points towards His special attention. Also, they are composed of such news of Divine assistance about the proponent's victory and the opponent's defeat; one's respect and the opponent's disgrace; and one's ascendancy and the opponent's descent; all is disclosed with complete detail.

I will write at the appropriate place (in this book), and I have already said something about it (above), that such high-level prophecies are only particular to the Quran, and reading them shows a world of Divine majesty.

Seventh Preliminary

(from page 561, 1st ed page 470)

The Quran records all the fine truths about religious knowledge, subtle knowledge of the Divine, absolute proofs and solid principles, and other secrets and concepts. By themselves, and as a whole, they are such that human faculties are too weak to discover them, and the intellect of a sane person cannot by itself leap to discover them, as it is proven from an overview of past periods that no oracle or philosopher has gone by who could be called the discoverer of these knowledge and concepts.

Muhammad (saw) was Unlettered and Illiterate

In this context, the strangest thing is that those knowledge and concepts were bestowed on an unlettered person who was utterly unfamiliar with writing and reading, and who never set foot inside a school all his life or read a single letter from any book, and nor did he benefit from the company of learned or wise men. In contrast, he lived all his life among jungle-dwellers and savages, he was born and raised up among them and mingled with them. And the fact that Muhammad (saw) was unlettered and illiterate is so self-apparent that no Islamic historian is unaware of it, but because this fact will be put to great use in the coming themes (of this book), therefore I write down a number of Quranic verses to prove the illiteracy of Muhammad(saw), and the verses in detail are:

62:2 (regular translation)

7:156-158 (author's translation): I cause punishment to reach whoever I please, and my mercy has encompassed all things; so I will write my mercy for those who avoid all types of shirk and kufr and debauchery, and they pay the zakah , and also for those who believed perfectly in our signs. These are the very people who believe in this messenger and prophet, in whom there are two signs of Our infinite Power: one external sign that there are prophecies about him in the Torah and the Injeel which they themselves find in their books, and the second sign is present in the person of this prophet and it is that despite being unlettered and illiterate, he brought such a perfect guidance that all types of real truths whose truthfulness is recognized by intellect and justice and that were extinct, he recites these for the guidance of people and commands them to comply with them and every illogical thing from which intellect and justice reject he forbids and he holds pure things to be pure and impure to be impure; and he takes off the heavy burden from the Jews and the Christians which was upon them, and frees them of the yokes that bound them. So, those people who believe in him and strengthen him and help him and completely follow his light that has descended along with him, they are the saved ones.

Surah A'raaf, v 156-158 (Regular Translation)

Surah Al-Shura, v 52 (Regular Translation)

Al-Ankaboot, v 48-49 (Regular Translation)

In all these verses prove with great clarity that Muhammad(saw) was unlettered, as it is apparent that if he was not unlettered and illiterate, many people would have refuted this claim of being unlettered, because Muhammad(saw) did not make this claim in a land whose people could be said to be unaware and unfamiliar with his situation and events. But all those people among whom Muhammad (saw) grew up from an early age and a good portion of his life was spent mingling with them and in their company. Therefore, if the excellent gentleman was not really unlettered, it would not be possible for him to even mention that he was unlettered in front of those from whom none of his situation was hidden, and who were always in search of anything to say against him and advertise it. Whose enmity had reached a point that if they could they could have concocted something false about him and and presented it as proof. An from this direction, they would have received such a blunt response that they would be blunted and without answer. For example, some people of Mecca started saying that we do not look the Unity (of God) in the Quran; bring such a Quran in which idols are glorified and worshipped, or make changes in it and stuff it with _ shirk _ instead of Unity and then we will accept it and believe in it. God's answer to their question was taught to his prophet which appears from a look at his biography, viz:

Surah Yunus, v 15-17. (Commentary TODO)

In short, Muhammad (saw) being unlettered was such an apparent thing to the Arabs, Christians and Jews that they could not bring themselves to refute it. From this angle, they would question the prophet about certain stories in the Torah that cannot remain hidden from a literate person, as a test of his prophethood. When they got the right and complete answer that was free from the manifest errors that had crept into the stories of the Torah, the ones with strong learning among them believed with a true heart, and this incident is recorded in the Quran as:

Al-Maadiah, v 82-84 (regular translation)

Bani-Isareel, v 107-109 (regular translation)

This was the situation of those who were learned and just from among the Christians and Jews: On one hand, when they looked at the state of Muhammad (saw) that he was a mere unlettered person and had not even learnt a dot of knowledge and training, nor did he ever live in a civilized nation, nor did he chance on literary meetings. On the other hand they not only saw the stories of past books in the Quran, but also hundreds of fine truths that completed and fulfilled the previous books. As such, thinking about the unlettered state of Muhammad (saw) and then seeing the wonders of knowledge in that dark age, and also witnessing external and internal light, they perceived his prophethood to be more apparent than the sun. It is obvious that if those Christian scholars were not completely convinced that Muhammad (saw) was unlettered and helped by God they would not abandon their faith - a faith in whose support the Great Roman Empire and that was not only in Asia but had also spread to some parts of Europe and because of its _ shirk _ teachings appeared dear and near to world-worshippers. They would not have left their faith just due to some doubts , and adopted a faith, which due to the teaching of Unity, considered bad by all _ mushriks _ . A faith whose accepters were always surrounded by destruction and calamity. So, the thing that moved their hearts to Islam was the very thing that they found Muhammad (saw) a mere unlettered person and an embodiment of Divine help and found the Quran to be above human powers, and they themselves had read the good news of the arrival of this last prophet in past books. So God opened up their chests to believe and they turned out to be such believers that they let their blood flow in God's way, and looking at the situation of tthose who were extremely corrupt ignorant mischief-makers from among the Christians, Jews and Arabs, it is known that they also knew Muhammad(saw) to be unlettered with complete certainty. Therefore, when they asked about certain stories from the bible as a test of his prophethood and got the correct answers, they did not have the courage to say that Muhammad(saw) was literate and gave the answers by reading a book, but like someone discredited and without answer, they gave forth weak excuses embarrassingly, that 'maybe behind the scenes, some Christian or Jew scholar of the Bible related these stories to him'.

So, it is apparent that if the unlettered status was not firmly implanted in their hearts with complete certainty, they would have tried very hard to prove that Muhammad(saw) was not unlettered and he was educated in so-and-so school. Was it necessary to say silly things that proved their stupidity? Because accusing that some Jew or Christian scholar was a friend and assistant of Muhammad(saw) behind the scenes was evidently false because the Quran repeatedly refers to what was descended on the People of the Book as deficient, and declared their books to be forged and changed, and their beliefs to be destructive and false, and themselves as cursed and Hell-bound if they died without believing; and breaks their fabricated principles by strong arguments. Then, how was it possible that those alleged assistants would make the Quran to criticize their own religion, and make it write a refutation of their own religions, and themselves become the agents of the devastation of their own religion.

So, these lazy and false statements were foolishly uttered by the world-worshippers as they saw no way to proceed logically, and the sun of truth was casting its strong light in all ways that they were hiding from it like a bat, and they were not standing firm on one position but their bias and extreme enmity had made them like crazy and possessed people. First, listening to the stories of the Quran about the Israelite prophets that maybe someone from the people of the book may be teaching him these stories behind the scenes, as their statement is recorded in the Quran (Nahl 103) and when they saw that the Quran contains not only stories but great truths, then they came up with another theory (Furqan 4) viz. That a big group has got together to compile the Quran and it is not the work of one person. Then, when the Quran replied that if it had been made by a party of scholars, oracles and poets, then you should also use such a party to make its like so that you are proven truthful. Then they let go of this theory and adopted a third one: the Quran has been created with the help of Jinn and it is not the work of a human, and God answered them in a way that they could not bring themselves to whine against it:

(Takweer 24-26; Bani Israeel: 88)(author's commentary): i.e. Quran is composed of all types of unknown matters, and telling of such matters is not the work of Jinns. Say to them: that if all the Jinn were united and the children of Adam were also united with them, and all combined to want to create another Quran like this Quran, it will be impossible for them, even if they help each other.

So, when these unfortunate people realized the falsehood of all they were thinking and nothing was making sense, they ended up shamelessly and like vile people saying that the publishing of this teaching should be stopped in all ways, as the Quran says: (hamim sajdah 26) and (al-Nisa:51-52)

In summary, if Muhammad(saw) was not unlettered then the opponents of Islam, especially the Jews and Christians - who in addition to opposition of belief were also jealous and spiteful that why did the Messenger not come from the Children of Israel but rather from their brothers - the Bani Isameel - why would they have remained silent when faced with such a clear non-factual issue? Doubtless that this was completely proven to them that whatever came out of the mouth of Muhammad(saw) was not the work of an unlettered and illiterate person, nor the work of 10-20 people, and this is why in their ignorance they used to say (Furqan:4). Those that were intellectual and real scholars had known well that the Quran was beyond human powers, and the door of certainty had been opened on them that God says about them: (Baqarah:147). i.e. they have recognized this prophet as they recognize their own sons, and in reality this door of certainty and conceptual knowledge was not only opened for them but is also open in this age for everyone, because the same (tools) are still available to know the truth of the Quran that were present in that age: Quranic miracles, effects of the Furqan, Divine help, and signs without doubt. God wanted to keep this strong faith established so He kept established all its blessings and signs and He wished the passing away of the changed, false and deficient religions of the Christians, Jews and Hindus. From this angle, they were left with only stories upon stories and their was nothing left of the blessings of truthfulness and Divine help. Their books are relating signs for which there is not an iota of proof - only references to past stories, but the Quran presents signs which anyone can see.