The Holy Quran, a pure fountain of knowledge and guidance, is an infinite ocean of wisdom and truth, each verse of which gleams like a radiant gem, guiding the travellers of the divine path. This treatise, focusing on selected verses from the Surahs of An-Naml, Al-Anm, and Ynus, elucidates the profound concepts of "Revelation," "Good and Evil," "Trial," and "Truth and Falsehood." These concepts, shining like stars in the celestial sphere of knowledge embedded within divine verses, direct humanity towards understanding the reality of existence and their place within the system of creation. The aim of this work is not only to explicate the apparent meanings of the verses but also to explore their mystical, philosophical, and practical dimensions within a framework sympathetic to the spirit of the Holy Quran and aligned with the intellectual and spiritual needs of the contemporary human being. This discourse endeavours, through an in-depth examination of scholarly lectures, to reflect Quranic concepts with eloquent and dignified language so that, like a mirror, it reveals truth before the readers eyes.
One of the key concepts in the Holy Quran is "Revelation" (Kashf), which signifies the removal of the veil from the truth and the unveiling of the divine reality. This concept manifests in verse 44 of Surah An-Naml, in the story of the Queen of Sheba (Bilqs) and her encounter with the glass palace of Solomon. Bilqs, due to a mistaken perception of reality, imagines the glass palace to be a body of water and thus uncovers her legs. This act symbolises the limitation of human knowledge which mistakes truth for illusion.
She was told: "Enter the palace." Then, when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and uncovered her legs. [Solomon] said: "Indeed, it is a palace made of glass." She said: "My Lord, I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds."
This verse unveils Bilqss ignorance due to her lack of understanding of the truth, mistaking the glass palace for water. This perceptual error is a metaphor for the limitations of human cognition, which, without divine guidance, wanders in the darkness of ignorance. In Islamic mysticism, such ignorance is likened to a veil placed between man and divine truth, which can only be lifted by submission and reliance upon God. Upon realising her mistake, Bilqs acknowledges her wrongdoing and submits to the Lord, marking a spiritual journey from ignorance to knowledge.
In the Holy Quran, the concept of "Revelation" in its divine sense refers to the lifting of the veil from the truth and the manifestation of pure reality. For instance, in verse 22 of Surah Qf, God states: So We removed from you your cover, and your sight today is sharp. This divine revelation contrasts with Bilqss human revelation born of ignorance and error. Divine revelation is complete and true, whereas human revelation is limited and fallible. This distinction leads humans to humility before divine greatness and to seek guidance from God.
In verse 42 of Surah Al-Qalam, God says: "The Day when the Leg [truth or divine power] will be unveiled." This metaphorically indicates the manifestation of divine power and grandeur. In Bilqss story, the unveiling of her leg is an incomplete attempt to perceive truth; however, in the divine verses, the unveiling of the leg symbolises the manifestation of Gods truth and power on the Day of Resurrection. This metaphor presents divine grandeur like a blazing sun before human eyes, perceivable only by His guidance.
The Holy Quran emphasises that the true revealer is only God. In verse 17 of Surah Al-Anm, it states: "There is no remover of it except Him." This denotes the exclusive ability of God to remove veils and unveil truth. Man can only attain true knowledge through reliance and submission to God. This truth, like a beacon on the path of mystical progression, illuminates the way for the seeker.
Human experiential knowledge in the intermediate realm (Barzakh), Resurrection, Paradise, and Hell is accompanied by novelty and astonishment due to the removal of worldly veils. On earth, due to epistemic limitations, humans remain unaware of complete truth; only in other realms, with the lifting of veils, do they become aware of existential realities. This novelty, like a soul-refreshing breeze, revitalises the soul and evokes wonder.
Divine saints, due to their closeness to God and removal of egoistic veils, reach a level of knowledge that enables them to perceive hidden realities. This status distinguishes them like stars in the guiding sky.
