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People of the world speak umpteen different languages. What is the purpose of the individual words of any particular language asks yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD
People of the world speak umpteen different languages. What is the purpose of the individual words of any particular language asks yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD
People of the world speak umpteen different languages. What is the purpose of the individual words of any particular language asks yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD
Article appeared Friday, August 15th, 2014 in The News Today, Bangladesh
The Revelation !40" yousu# $ah%u%ul &sla$, 'h(
)hat purpose do the words o# any particular language serve* Are they code+words that represent concepts or o%,ects that a##ect our day+to+day li#e* -o i# a letter addressed to you arrives, in a language that you do not .now, what would you do* )ould you want to .now the concepts e$%odied in the letter or would you, put the letter away on top o# a cup%oard with due respect* As an intelligent hu$an %eing, you would o%viously #ind ways to decipher the contents o# the letter/ This could %e %y visiting so$eone who .nows the language or getting the letter translated or even using translation #acilities availa%le on the &nternet/ 0ven i# the translation is poor, you would $a.e an e##ort to get the essence o# the concepts or ideas e1pressed in the letter/ The 2uestion is why would you go to such a length to understand the concepts e1pressed in the letter* 3%viously, there $ust %e a purpose or reason %ehind the e##orts ta.en to prepare and send you the letter/ The language in which the letter is e1pressed would not ulti$ately $atter as it is only a vehicle or a $eans to deliver the concepts/ At this point, an unli.ely or silly 2uestion $ay %e as.ed4 would it $a.e sense to as. the $essenger or post$an to alter the contents o# the letter, change or %ring another letter $ore to your li.ing* 5ogically, it would %e i$portant to evaluate the contents o# the letter as the language6 delivery $ethods and $essenger are only a $eans to deliver the concepts involved/ 7istorically, we all .now that the 7oly -criptures have %een revealed in various languages/ )ould it %e i$portant to evaluate the concepts e1pressed in the -criptures* )hy* &# we ta.e ti$e to ponder on the #act that we are leading %lessed lives that we ourselves did not create, should we have 2uestions* For e1a$ple, how is it that 8 & a$ uni2ue or di##erent #ro$ everyone else* (oes it $ean that & a$ created #or a purpose* 8 only hu$an %eings have analytical intelligence* (oes it $ean that there is a purpose #or which & have intelligence* &n addition, one $ay as. deeper 2uestions, such as, i# li#e ends with death #or everything, would there re$ain a di##erence %etween the li#e o# a dog and that o# a hu$an %eing* 9any, $any such searching 2uestions $ay %e as.ed %y those who wish to re#lect on li#e/ &# we are concerned a%out the 2uestions we have, we should seriously consider whether the 7oly -criptures conceptually answer the 2uestions we have/ The idea %ehind intelligently researching the 7oly -criptures would %e %oth to evaluate the purpose o# the -criptures as well as #ind answers to the 2uestions we have/ -hould the answers to the 2uestions vary #ro$ one -cripture to another* &# they do, which answer would %e $ore plausi%le, logical or true* -hould the contents or concepts a##ect intelligent thought* The $ost recent 7oly -cripture, the :ur;an, however, points out that instead o# loo.ing #or concepts that answer our 2uestions, we treat the <erses with indi##erence, ridicule or #ind ways to avoid understanding the concepts given = even when we ourselves recite the <erses/ 10.15 But when Our Verses are rehearsed (recited) to them as clear evidences, those who do not expect the meeting with s sa!, "Bring us a #ur$an other than this or change it." %a! (O, &uhammad)' "(t is not )or me to change it o) m! own accord. ( )ollow (and rela!) nothing *ut what is revealed to me. (ndeed, ( )ear, i) ( should diso*e! m! +ord, the ,unishment o) a -reat .a! (to come)."/ >ust as as.ing #or the contents o# a letter to %e changed would not $a.e sense, loo.ing #or things that we personally desire in the 7oly -criptures cannot $a.e sense? To understand the $ain concepts in the 7oly -criptures, we can do so %y loo.ing #or parallels in our day+to+day lives/ For e1a$ple, unless a $anu#actured ite$ is given away or sold, it is owned %y the $anu#acturer/ -i$ilarly, i# we are created, we are owned %y the @reator? Not only would 7e own us individually, 7e would have a purpose #or each one o# us/ -ince the :ur;an addresses intelligent hu$an %eings, it repeatedly as.s a variety o# 2uestions, #or e1a$ple, &s then 7e )ho creates li.e one does not create* -o will you not %e re$inded*/ A1B/1CD The 2uestion as.s us to evaluate, e.g., the di##erence %etween the a%ility to create #ro$ nothing and the a%ility to put e1isting things together/ -o who has the right to %e #eared, the 3ne who has created everything or should created o%,ects %e #eared* The purpose o# the :ur;an is there#ore to engage our intelligence to #ind the answers that we are loo.ing #or/ The -cripture would not have %een revealed without a serious purpose, 10.10 %a!, "() 1llah had so willed ( would not have recited it (the 2evealed Verses) to !ou, nor would 3e have made it 4nown to !ou. ( have *een with !ou a whole li)etime *e)ore this, will you then not reason?" The :ur;an was revealed through a prophet who had had no #or$al education/ 7is %ac.ground was well .nown in the society that he was part o#/ The :ur;an con#ir$s, And thus )e have revealed to you an inspiration o# 3ur @o$$ands <erses"/ Eou did not .now before what was Revelation and what was Faith6 %ut )e have $ade the :urFan" a 5ight %y which )e guide such o# 3ur servants as )e will6 and indeed 3, 9uha$$ad" you guide $en" to the -traight )ay// A42/52D The purpose o# the <erses o# the :ur;an are to guide intelligent hu$an %eings to the purpose #or which the @reator has given li#e and warn that each is accounta%le/ &# we choose not to intelligently evaluate the concepts given, we put ourselves in peril %y annoying the @reator/ @an the purpose o# the :ur;an %e that it is si$ply to %e recited or rehearsed li.e an unintelligent parrot* 10.15 %o who is more un6ust than he who invents a lie a*out 1llah or denies His Verses? (ndeed, the criminals will not succeed./ Reciting the <erses o# the :ur;an without a desire to e1tract the concepts presented is e2uivalent to denial o# the <erses and denial o# #aith/ Allah there#ore warns4 And there are a$ong the$ illiterates who .now not the Boo. %ut see therein their own" desires and they do nothing %ut con,ecture// A2/CGD )ithout e1tracting the concepts involved, is it logical to $a.e assu$ptions* As an e1a$ple4 And they say4 HThe #ire shall not touch us %ut #or a #ew nu$%ered daysH6 As.4 H7ave you ta.en a pro$ise #ro$ Allah #or 7e never %rea.s 7is pro$ise* Or is it that you say of Allah what you do not know?" A2/G0D