Islam: Faith, Practice & History

(Nora) #1
(B) The Deep & Perfect Insight of The Prophets

Perceptiveness is not the same in everyone.Someone who is ignorant
andilliteratewillneverthinklikeadoctordoesaboutmicrobesandthe
contaminationofvesselsbythem.Adoctorwhohasspentyearsinvest-
igating microbes,haswatched themmultiplyunder amicroscope, and
has witnessed the fate of thosewho wereinfected bythem can never
neglect microbes and their dangers.


Thusweseethattheignorantpersonproceedstodrinkwatercontam-
inatedwithmicrobesandhasnoworry,whereasthedoctorwouldnever
be prepared to drink such water and would never even entertain the
idea.


Theonlymotiveforrefrainingfromdrinkingistheknowledgeandin-
formationwhichthisdoctorhasconcerningthe badeffectsofmicrobes.
So,forexample,the illiterate,ignorantpersonwould alsokeephimself
fromeatingsomethingfilthy,for,inthiscase,heisawareoftheimpurity
andharmfuleffectsofit.Butaoneyearoldchildintowhosereachthat
filthy thing falls would probably put it into his mouth.


Anotherpointisthat thereare somepeoplewho attachlittleimport-
ance to incremental harm, although they fear sudden, unexpected
dangers and avoid them. For example, someone may be rather lazy
aboutextractingadecayedtoothandmayprocrastinateaboutresorting
toadentist,tillsuchtimeashisotherteethbecomeaffected,andagreat
dealmorediscomfortcomeshisway.Thetollforthisisthathemaybe
affected by very serious ailments. However, the very same person,as
soonasthepainofappendicitusappearsandthereisapossibilityofreal
danger, will entrust himself into the hands of a surgeon without any
delay.


Ordinarypeopletakeasuperficialviewofevil,anddonottakesuffi-
cient note of its physical and spiritual, bodily and psychological effects.


However, the prophets,who, with thehelp of a higher power, have
supremacyintheirvisionandknowledgeovertherestofmankind,who
haveaprofoundandperfectinsightintoalltheeffectsofevil,andwho,
byasecretwitnessing,seeeventhoseeffectsofevilwhichwillmaterial-
izeinthe nextworld,willnevercomeundertheinfluenceoftheirown

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