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2246 An example is cited from the story of Thamud. A wonderful She-camel was sent among them as a Portent and a
Symbol. In their wickedness they hamstrung her. So instead of her reclaiming them she was a cause of their
destruction, as their sin and rebellion were laid bare. For the story of the She-camel and the references to the
passages in which she is mentioned, see n. 1044 to vii. 73. (17.59)
2247 Signs, Miracles, and Portents are sent by Allah as a warning, to strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers and reclaim
them to the right path. I have discussed Fear as a motive for reclaiming certain kinds of hard hearts, in my note 82 to
ii. 74. But some hearts are so hard that even this motive does not work. As they have a limited free-will given by Allah,
they are to that extent free to choose. But when they actually choose evil, Allah in His infinite Mercy delays their
punishment and removes the occasion for their immediate self-destruction by withholding the Signs which might make
them transgress all the more and compass their total destruction. (17.59)
18:56 - We only send the Apostles to give glad tidings and to give warnings: but the Unbelievers
dispute with vain argument in order therewith to weaken the truth and they treat My Signs as a
jest as also the fact that they are warned! 2400
2400 The Prophets of Allah are not sent to humour us with dialectics or satisfy the vulgar curiosity for miracles or dark
unusual things. There is no "crookedness" (xviii. 1) in their preaching. They come to preach the Truth,-not in an
abstract way, but with special reference to our conduct. They give us the good news of salvation lest we despair in the
presence of Sin, and to warn us clearly of the dangers of Evil. Vain controversies about words only weaken their
mission, or turn it into ridicule. The ungodly have a trick also of treating the earnest preaching to them itself as a jest
and ridiculing it. (18.56)
18:57 - And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord but turns
away from them forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set
veils over their hearts lest they should understand this and over their ears deafness. If thou
callest them to guidance even then will they never accept guidance. 2401
2401 Considering the power of sin, and how it gets hold of the hearts of men, and considering all the wrongs that men have
done, it is the height of folly and injustice on their part to turn away from warnings which are given expressly for their
good. But a stage of callousness is reached, when, by their own choice, they have rendered themselves impervious to
Allah's Grace. At that stage a veil is put over their hearts and they are left alone for a time, that they may commune
with themselves and perhaps repent and seek Allah's Mercy again. If they do not, it is their own loss. See next verse.
(18.57)
39:63 - To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: and those who reject the Signs of
Allah it is they who will be in loss. 4336
4336 Allah has nothing to lose by the rebellion or disobedience of His creatures. It is they who lose, because they go
counter to their own nature, the beautiful mould in which Allah created them. (39.63)
68:15 - When to him are rehearsed Our Signs "Tales of the Ancients" he cries. 56035604
5603 Allah's Signs, by which He calls us, are everywhere-in nature and in our very heart and soul. In Revelation, every
verse is a Sign, for it stands symbolically for far more than it says. "Sign" (Ayat) thus becomes a technical term for a
verse of the Qur-an. (68.15)
(SIGNS) OF THE CREATION:
3:190 - Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day
there are indeed Signs for men of understanding. 497
497 See ii. 164. The two items mentioned here are just brief symbols recalling the six or seven mentioned in the other
passage. And those too are but brief symbols and reminders of the glorious majesty of Allah and His goodness to
man. (3.190)
6:95 - t is Allah Who causeth the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causeth the
living to issue from the dead and He is the one to cause the dead to issue from the living.
That is Allah; then how are ye deluded away from the truth? 918919920
918 Another beautiful nature passage, referring to God's wonderful artistry in His Creation. In how few and how simple
words, the whole pageant of Creation is placed before us. Beginning from our humble animal needs and dependence
on the vegetable world, we are asked to contemplate the interaction of the living and the dead. Here is mystic
teaching, referring not only to physical life but to the higher life above the physical plane, -not only to individual life but
to the collective life of nations. Then we take a peep into the daily miracle of morning, noon, and night, and pass on to
the stars that guide the distant mariner. We rise still higher to the mystery of the countless individuals from the one
human soul, -their sojourn and their destiny. So we get back to the heavens: the description of th luscious fruits which
the "gentle rain from heaven" produces, leaves us to contemplate the spiritual fruits which faith will provide for us,with
the aid of the showers of God's mercy. (6.95)
919 The seed-grain and the date-stone are selected as types in the vegetable kingdom, showing how our physical life
depends on it. The fruits mentioned later (in vi 99) start another allegory which we shall notice later. Botanists will
notice that the seed-grain includes the cereals (such as wheat, barley, rice, millet, etc.) which are monocotyledons, as
well as the pulses (such as beans, peas, gram, etc.) and other seeds which are dicotyledons. These two represent the
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