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16:15 - And He has set up on the earth mountains standing firm lest it should shake with you; and
rivers and roads; that ye may guide yourselves 20382039
2039 In this passage (xvi. 15-16) we have the metaphor of the fixed mountains further allegorised. In these verses the keywords
are indicated by the symbols for man's Guidance (tahtadun). First, the physical symbols are indicated; the
mountains that stand firm and do not change from day to day in the landscape, unlike shifting sand-dunes, or the
coast line of the sea, or rivers and streams, which frequently change their courses, then we have rivers and roads,
which are more precise and therefore more useful, though less permanent; then we have 'alamat (sign-posts), any
kinds of signs erected by man, like direction posts, light-houses or beacons, or provided in nature, as tall trees, etc.;
and finally, we have the pole-star, and now the magnetic needle, with its variations marked on navigation charts. All
these are symbols for the higher Guidance which Allah provides for the spirit of man. See next note. (16.15)
16:16 – And marks and signposts; and by the stars (men) guide themselves. 2040
2040 See last note. Let us exmaine the completed allegory. As there are beacons, landmarks and signs to show the way to
men on the earth, so in the spiritual world. And it is ultimately Allah Who provides them, and this is His crowning
Mercy. Like the mountains there are spiritual Landmarks in the missions of the Great Prophets: they should guide us,
or teach us, to guide ourselves, and not shake hither and thither like a ship without a rudder or people without Faith.
As rivers and streams mark out their channels, smoothing out levels so we have wholesome Laws and Customs
established, to help us in our lives. Then we have the examples of Great Men as further sign-posts: "Lives of great
men all remind us, We can make our lives sublime." In long-distance travel, the pole-star and the magnetic needle are
our guides; so in our long-distance journey to the other world, we have ultimately to look to heavenly guidance or its
reflection in Allah's Revelation. (16.16)
16:74 – Invent not similitudes for Allah: for Allah knoweth and ye know not. 2106
2106 Cf. xvi. 60 above, and n. 2086. One instance of false similitudes is where Pagans say their gods are mere types of
symbols, or where men pray to men as Intercessors. (16.74)
22:32 - Such (is his state): and whoever holds in honor the Symbols of Allah (in the sacrifice of
animals) such (honor) should come truly from piety of heart. 2807
2807 Sha'air, symbols, signs, marks by which something is known to belong to some particular body of men, such as flags.
In ii. 158 the word was applied to Safa and Marwa: see n. 160 there. Here it seems to be applied to the rites of
sacrifice. Such sacrifice is symbolical: it should betoken dedication and piety of heart. See below, xxii. 37. (22.32)
24:35 – Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were
a Niche and within it a lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: lit
from a blessed Tree an Olive neither of the East nor of the West whose Oil is well-nigh
luminous though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His
Light. Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.
29962997299829993000300130023003
2998 The first three points in the Parable center round the symbols of the Niche, the Lamp, and the Glass. (1) The Niche
(Mishkat) is the little shallow recess in the wall of an Eastern house, fairly high from the ground, in which a light
(before the days of electricity) was usually placed. Its height enabled it to diffuse the light in the room and minimised
the shadows. The background of the wall and the sides of the niche helped to throw the light well into the room, and if
the wall was white-washed, it also acted as a reflector: the opening in front made the way for the light. So with the
spiritual Light; it is placed high, above worldly things; it has a niche or habitation of its own, in Revelation and other
Signs of Allah; its access to men is by a special Way, open to all, yet closed to those who refuse its rays. (2) The
Lamp is the core of the spiritual Truth, which is the real illumination; the Niche is nothing without it; the Niche is
actually made for it. (3) The Glass is the transparent medium through which the Light passes. On the one hand, it
protects the light from moths and other forms of low life and from gusts of wind, and on the other, it transmits the fight
through a medium which is made up of and akin to the grosser substances of the earth (such as sand, soda, potash,
etc.), so arranged as to admit the subtle to the gross by its transparency. So the spiritual Truth has to be filtered
through human language or human intelligence to make it intelligible to mankind. (24.35)
36:34 – And We produce therein orchards with date-palms and Vines and We cause springs to
gush forth therein. 3978
3978 Date-palms and vines stand as symbols for fruit-trees of all kinds, these being the characteristic fruits of Arabia. Grain
was mentioned in the last verse; fruit is mentioned now. All that is necessary for food and the satisfaction of the
choicest palate is produced from what looks like inert soil, fertilised by rain and springs. Here is wonderful evidence of
the artistry and providence of Allah. (36.34)
95:1 - By the Fig and the Olive 61946195
6194 The substantive proposition is in verses 4-8, and it is clinched by an appeal to four sacred symbols, viz., the Fig, the
Olive, Mount Sinai, and the sacred City of Makkah. About the precise interpretation of the first two symbols, and
especially of the symbol of the Fig, there is much difference of opinion. If we take the Fig literally to refer to the fruit or
the tree, it can stand as a symbol of man's destiny in many ways. Under cultivation it can be one of the finest, most
delicious, and most wholesome fruits in existence: in its wild state, it is nothing but tiny seeds, and is insipid, and often
full of worms and maggots. So man at his best has a noble destiny: at his worst, he is "the lowest of the low". Christ is
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