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122chapter threeby being controlled or monitored by it). Whereas the former refersto objective reality, revealed as ‘knowledge’, in its totality the latterrepresents a much narrower glimpse of that reality and is dependenton its ‘corroboration’ by the qur"§n.(1) Al-kit§b (the Book)The word kit§b is derived from the Arabic root k-t-b which literallymeans ‘to collect or compose things’ in a coherent and comprehensivemanner. The derivative kit§ba means ‘writing’ and refers to theprocess of composing a series of sentences for the purpose of dealingwith a specific subject matter. It always denotes ‘writing’ of morethan one line or less. The term al-k§tib refers to the author of a book.If the term kit§b is indefinite, meaning ‘a book’, it always requires agenitive compound to qualify what kind of book it is: ‘a book ofphysics’, ‘a book of medicine’, or ‘a story book’.In the Book, the many topics revealed to MuÈammad (ß) are called‘books’ (kutub), as in:An apostle from God, rehearsing scriptures kept pure and holy *wherein are laws [books] [kutub] 7 right and straight. ( Al-Bayyina98:2–3)Prayer, for example, constitutes one book, a ‘book of prayer’; allverses that deal with the topic of prayer are contained in this book,such as:For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times. ( Al-Nis§"4:103)Other books are the ‘book of fasting’, the ‘book of pilgrimage’, the‘book of inheritance’, the ‘book of death’, and so forth; every subjectmatter is arranged as a book. Not a single thing exists in nature, inthe cosmos or in society that is not kept in a book—as in the followingverse:7YA’s translation again avoids dealing with ‘books’ and renders kutub un as ‘laws’,likewise AhA: ‘containing firm degrees’; AB: ‘containing upright precepts’; AH: ‘containingtrue scriptures’; MP: ‘containing correct scriptures’, but MF: ‘wherein arevaluable books’ follows MS in taking it literally as books, while the use of a capital inAA: ‘therein true Books’ may indicate an understanding of Scriptures other than theQur"an (sent to the ahl al-kit§b and idolaters, see 98:1–2).