of Nekounam, May His Sacred Spirit be Honoured Session (1907)
The universe, akin to an infinite ocean, conceals divine secrets within itself, and every verse of the Holy Qur'an, like a powerful wave, conveys these secrets to the shore of awareness. This treatise, through an exploration of luminous verses, examines profound concepts such as defeat stemming from capability, divine curse, scrutiny of the utterances of the wicked, passivity of the heedless, the path to corruption elimination, the nature of the heart, false oaths, rootlessness, aimlessness, neglect of covenant, and the corruption of the affluent. This analysis, employing an elevated language and a systematic structure, elucidates divine knowledge for specialised audiences, accentuating the depth of concepts with literary metaphors, without deviation from scientific essence.
Defeat from a point of strength, like an internal blow, causes a person to fall to the ground. This part, focusing on a verse from the Holy Qur'an, examines misguidance stemming from knowledge.
Have you seen the one who has taken his desire as his god? And Allah has led him astray with knowledge, and has sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover upon his sight? So who will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember?
(Surah Al-Jathiyah, Verse 23)
This verse speaks of the misguidance of scholars whose knowledge is their point of strength, yet God leads them astray from that very point. Scholars who become obstinate fall from their own knowledge.
Fear of Perfections
One must fear their perfections, not their deficiencies. God observes deficiencies, but if perfections lead to disbelief, He transforms them into punishment. It is prudent not to claim one's perfections so that heedlessness does not destroy them.
Divine Nobility
God is not one who punishes the weak; rather, He punishes from the point of strength. This is the trait of the noble ones, who do not exploit weakness but approach from strength.
Connection to the preceding section: If defeat from capability leads to misguidance, divine curse also distances man from mercy. This part examines divine curse.
Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed, so He has made them deaf and blinded their sight. Do they not then ponder the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?
(Surah Muhammad, Verses 23-24)
Curse is separation from God that renders a person blind and deaf. Divine proximity sharpens the senses, but curse deprives one from reality.
Connection to the previous section: If curse causes deafness, investigating the words of the wicked prevents error. This part emphasises the importance of inquiry.
O you who have believed, if a wicked person comes to you with news, verify it lest you harm a people in ignorance and become regretful for what you have done.
(Surah Al-Hujurat, Verse 6)
Believers must investigate the words of the wicked to avoid error. God does not desire man to be gullible.
Connection to the previous section: If investigation is necessary, the heedless become passive swiftly. This part examines the passivity of the heedless.
And when We give mankind mercy, they rejoice in it; but if an evil befalls them because of what their hands have put forth, then they despair.
(Surah Ar-Rum, Verse 36)
The heedless become happy or despair quickly. Initial mercy and the suspension of punishment demonstrate the distinction of divine names.
Connection to the previous section: If heedlessness causes passivity, the path to corruption elimination is of the same nature as corruption. This part examines the path to corruption elimination.
Have you not seen that We sent devils against the disbelievers, inciting them fiercely?
(Surah Maryam, Verse 83)
The way to eradicate corruption is by something of the same kind. Fighting microbes requires another microbe.
Connection to the previous section: If corruption elimination is necessary, the nature of the heart leads to denial of truth. This part examines the nature of the heart.
Has it not been guided to those who inherit the earth after its people that if We willed, We would punish them for their sins and seal their hearts so that they hear not?
(Surah Al-A'raf, Verse 100)
The nature of the heart is the final stage of deprivation. Sin leads man to deny the truth.
Connection to the previous section: If the nature of the heart leads to denial, the false oath is a sedition. This part examines the false oath.
Then their trial was nothing but that they said, By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.
(Surah Al-An'am, Verse 23)
The polytheists swear false oaths. An oath reveals falsehood and self-purification signals corruption.
Connection to the previous section: If the false oath is sedition, rootlessness brings weakness. This part examines rootlessness.
And the example of a bad word is like a bad tree uprooted from the surface of the earth, having no stability.
(Surah Ibrahim, Verse 26)
False beliefs, like a rootless plant, are fragile and destroyed by the wind.
Connection to the previous section: If rootlessness brings weakness, aimlessness brings insult. This part examines aimlessness and indecency.
And they said, O you upon whom the Reminder has been sent down, indeed you are mad.
(Surah Al-Hijr, Verse 6)
Insult is a sign of indecency and aimlessness. The disbelievers, out of confusion, accused the Prophet of madness.
Connection to the previous section: If aimlessness brings insult, neglecting the covenant is baseness. This part examines neglecting the covenant.
And do not sell the covenant of Allah for a small price. Indeed, what is with Allah is better for you, if you only knew.
(Surah An-Nahl, Verse 95)
Neglecting the covenant is baseness. Such a person sells their identity cheaply.
Connection to the previous section: If neglecting the covenant is baseness, corruption of the affluent leads to destruction. This part examines the corruption of the affluent.
And when We intend to destroy a city, We command its affluent but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word becomes justified against it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.
(Surah Al-Isra, Verse 16)
God increases the greed of the affluent for destruction so that they commit corruption
