Second Point: It explains the wisdom behind Allah Almighty’s oaths related to several things in verses like the following “By the sun and its glorious splendor.” (ash-Shams, 91:1.)

SECOND POINT

In the Qur’an, Almighty Allah swears by many things. There are numerous mysteries and significant points contained in the Qur’anic oaths. For example, the oath in By the Sun and its [glorious] splendour¹ forms the basis of the splendid comparison in the Eleventh Word. It shows the universe in the form of a palace and a city. And through the oath of Ya. Sin. * By the Qur’an full of wisdom,² it recalls the sacredness of the Qur’anic miraculousness, indicating that it is so worthy of veneration that it can be sworn by. The oaths in By the star when its goes down,³ and Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the stars, * And that is indeed a mighty adjuration if you but knew⁴ indicate that falling stars are a sign that jinns and devils have been prevented from receiving news from the Unseen so that they can cause no doubts about revelation.

Also, it recalls through the oaths the vast power and perfect wisdom in the stars with their vast awesomeness being set in their places with complete order and in the planets being made to revolve in wondrous manner.

With the oaths, By the [winds] that scatter and broadcast;⁵ * By the [winds] sent forth,⁶ it attracts attention to the angels appointed to the winds, in order to call to mind the significant instances of wisdom in the disposal of the air and its movement in waves. For the elements, which are supposed to be governed by chance, perform important duties for most subtle purposes; and so on. Each of the oaths and its position contains different points and different purposes. The time being inappropriate, I shall point out briefly only one fine point out of many in the oath, By the fig and the olive,⁷ as follows:

Through swearing by the fig and the olive, Almighty Allah recalls the immensity of His power and the perfection of His mercy and His extensive bounties to those who are heading for the lowest of the low, pointing to the possibility of their progressing spiritually, through thanks, reflection, belief, and good works, as far as the highest of the high. The reason for specifying the fig and the olive among bounties is that those two fruits are most blessed and beneficial, and that in their creation are many notable things and bounties. For the olive is a basic commodity in the life of society and in commercial life, for illumination and for food. So too with the fig; in its creation it displays a miracle of power by encapsulating in its miniscule seed all the members of a huge fig-tree, and through the oath it brings to mind the Divine bounty in its being a food, and its benefits, and contrary to other fruits its continuity, and many other advantages. It instructs man to draw lessons from these so as to believe and perform good works, and not to fall to the lowest of the low.

THIRD POINT

The ‘disjointed letters’ at the start of some Suras are a Divine cypher. Almighty Allah indicates certain signs from the Unseen through them to His special servant. The key to the cypher is with that servant, and with his heirs. The All-Wise Qur’an addresses all ages and all the groups of mankind. The share of all the classes every age may encompass numerous different aspects and meanings. The purest share was that of the righteous ones of the first generations of Islam, and they expounded it. The people of sainthood and those who research into reality have found in their writings numerous allusions to the matters of the Unseen

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1. Qur’an, 91:1.
2. Qur’an, 36:1-2.
3. Qur’an, 53:1.
4. Qur’an, 56:75-6.
5. Qur’an, 51:1.
6. Qur’an, 77:1.
7. Qur’an, 95:1.