The Light of His Revelations - IV

[continued from The Light of His Revelations - III]


Many were the faiths in composite world
of Western Asia, Northern America, and Europe,


And many were the fragments of ancient wisdom,
Saved, Transformed, Renewed, or Mingled;


And many new streams of wisdom were poured through the crucibles
Of noble minds - prophets, poets, and preachers,
Philosophers and thinking men of action;


And many were the conflicts and many
The noble attempts reaching out towards Unity,


And were the subtle influences
interchanged with other worlds


Of further and Eastern Asia -
Aye, and perchance with the scattered Isles


Of the Pacific and the world between
The Atlantic and the Pacific.

All four parts of this post are taken from The Holy Quran - Text Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali 

The Light of His Revelations - III

[continued from The Light of His Revelations - II]

As the records of man are imperfect,
and the memory of man unstable:

The names of many these messengers
are known in one place and not in another,

Or among one people and among others;

And some of their names may have perished utterly;

But there message stands one and indivisible,
Even though it may have been forgotten,

Or twisted by ignorance, error, superstition or perversity;

Or misunderstood in the blinding light
Of time or tortuous Circumstances.

[continued to The Lights of His Revelations - IV]

The light of His Revelation - II

[continued from The Lights of His Revelations - I]

Ever this eternal light of Unity,
This mystic light of Allah's own Will,

Has shone and shines with undiminished splendour,
The names of many Messengers are inscribed

In the records of many nations and many tongues,
And many were the forms in which their message was delivered,

According to the needs of the times and understanding of their people;
But the all witnessed to the one Truth: Of Allah's Unity, might, grace, and love.

[continued to The Light of His Revelations - III]

The Light of His Revelations - I

And so this light of eternal Unity
Has shone in all ages and among all nations,

Through chosen Messengers of Allah, who came
As men to dwell among men,

To share their joys and sorrows,
To suffer for them and with them -

Aye, and to suffer more than falls
To ordinary mortal lot -

That so their messenger and their life
Might fulfill the eternal

And unchanging purpose of most High -
To lead man to his noblest destiny.

[continued to The Lights of His Revelations - II]

Allah's Purpose with Man - III

[continued from Allah's Purpose with Man - II]

When men spread themselves over the earth,
And became many nations,

Speaking diverse languages,
And observing diverse customs and laws;

And evil becomes multiplied,
As one race or nation
Become alienated from another.

The Brotherhood of Man was now doubly forgotten -
First between individual, and secondly, between Nations.

Arrogance, selfishness and untruth,
Were sown and replace in larger fields;

And Peace, Faith, Love and Justice
Were obscured over masses of men,

As large tracts of land are starved
Of sunshine by clouds floating far on high,

But Allah, in His infinite mercy and love,
Who forgives and guides individuals and nations,

And turns to good even what seems to us as evil,
Never forsake the struggling soul that turns to Him.

Nor the group of man and woman,
Who joined together to obey His Will and Law,

And strengthen each other in unity and truth,
Nor the nations that dwells

In mountains or valley, heat or cold,
In regions fertile or arid,
In societies that roam over land or sea,

Or hunt, or tend flocks, or till the soil,
Or seeks the Seas for goods or oil or fat or gems,

Or dig out from the bowels of the earth
Precious stones or metals or stored up heat and energy

Or practice arts and crafts, or produce abundant wealth
By machines of ingenious workmanship,

Or live a frugal life of contemplation:

For all creatures of One Allah,
And share His loving care,
And must be brought within the pale,
of His eternal Unity and Harmony.

All three parts of this post are taken from The Holy Quran - Text Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali 

Allah's Purpose with Man - II

[continued from Allah's purpose with man - I]




But, created though he was in the best of moulds,
Man fell from Unity when his Will was warped,

And he chose the crooked path of Discord.
And sorrow and pain, selfishness and degradation.

Ignorance and hatred, despair and unbelief
Poisoned his life, and he saw shapes of evil

In the physical, moral spiritual world,
And in himself.


Then did his soul rise against himself,
And his self-discord made discord between kith and kin:

Man began to fear the strong and oppress the weak,
To boost in prosperity and curse in adversity.

And to flee each other, pursuing phantoms,
For the truth and reality of Unity
Was gone from their minds.

[continued to Allah's purpose with man - III]

Allah's Purpose with Man - I

Glory to Allah Most High, full of Grace and Mercy;

He created All, including Man.

To Man He gave a special place in His Creation.

He honored man to be His Agent,

And to that end, endued him with understanding.

Purified his affection, and gave him spiritual insight;

So that man should understand Nature,

Understand himself,

And know Allah through His wondrous Signs,

And glorify Him in Truth, reverence and unity.

For the fulfillment of this great trust

Man was further given a Will,

So that his acts should reflect Allah's universal Will and Law,

And his mind freely choosing, 

Should experience the sublime joy

Of being in harmony with the Infinite, 

And with the great drama of the world around him,

And with his own spiritual growth.


[continued to Allah's purpose with man - II]