(to make the matter clear) but, notwithstanding all this, if you place
before them a verse of the Qur'an, those who disbelieve will surely say:
You are but given to vanity. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of those
who do not try to understand (30:58-59).
Again:
And We send not Our messengers but as bearers of glad tidings and as
warners (to those who tread the wrong path): but those who reject the
truth dispute with vain words that they may refute the truth thereby,
and they take My Revelation and what they are warned of as a jest. And
who does a greater wrong than one who being reminded of the laws of
Allah, turns aside from them and forgets what his hands have sent on
before. (This is how Our Law of Retribution) places veils upon their
hearts, so they understand not, and a heaviness is in their ears. (The
result of their obstinacy is that) though thou call them to the right path,
they will never adopt it (18:56-57).
Again and again, in support of itself, the Qur'an directs man's
attention to natural phenomena and historical events. It justifies its
teachings on verifiable grounds and on historical evidence. The
Qur'an assures man that his highest aspirations and ideals are
attainable as he lives in a friendly and sympathetic universe, which is
controlled by a wise and compassionate power. Miracles are
repugnant to the consistently rational spirit of the Qur'an. Those
who demand miracles are occasionally humoured but are more
often reproved in plain terms.
The view advocated here may, however, be challenged on the
ground that the Qur'an recounts many miracles which were
wrought by the earlier Anbiya. There are several possible
interpretations of these miracles. Some scholars have had recourse
to allegorical interpretation. Others have had that the figurative
language and vivid imagery served to drive home a general truth.
Another plausible theory is that the Qur'an in describing people of
an earlier age had to mention the unusual events which had
psychological reality for them. However, it is a question which
concerns the scholar who is interested in the mental development
of man. It has no bearing on deen as such, We subscribe to the view
that they have been narrated metaphorically and can be interpreted
rationally.*
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 120*I have given rational interpretation in Mafhoom-ul-Qur’an. (It now has
been published under the title “Exposition of the Holy Qur’an”. (Editor)