how He hath appointed and decreed this self-same Book, the
Qur'an, as a guidance unto all that are in heaven and on earth. He, the
divine Being, and unknowable Essence, hath, Himself, testified that this
Book is, beyond all doubt and uncertainty, the guide of all mankind until
the Day of Resurrection. And now, We ask, is it fair for this people to
view with doubt and misgiving this most weighty Testimony, the divine
origin of which God hath proclaimed, and pronounced it to be the
embodiment of truth? Is it fair for them to turn away from the thing which
He hath appointed as the supreme Instrument of guidance for attainment
unto the loftiest summits of knowledge, and to seek aught else but that
Book? How can they allow men's absurd and foolish sayings to sow the seeds
of distrust in their minds? How can they any longer idly contend that a
certain person hath spoken this or that way, or that a certain thing did
not come to pass? Had there been anything conceivable besides the Book of
God which could prove a more potent instrument and a surer guide to
mankind, would He have failed to reveal it in that verse?

It is incumbent upon us not to depart from God's irresistible injunction
and fixed decree, as revealed in the above-mentioned verse. We should
acknowledge the holy and wondrous Scriptures, for failing to do this we
have failed to acknowledge the truth of this blessed verse. For it is
evident that whoso hath failed to acknowledge the truth of the Qur'an hath
in reality failed to acknowledge the truth of the preceding Scriptures.
This is but the manifest implication of the verse. Were We to expound its
inner meanings and unfold its hidden mysteries, eternity would never
suffice to exhaust their import, nor would the universe be capable of
hearing them! God verily testifieth to the truth of Our saying!

In another passage He likewise saith: "And if ye be in doubt as to that
which We have sent down to Our Servant, then produce a Surah like it, and
summon your witnesses, beside God, if ye are men of truth."(155) Behold,
how lofty is the station, and how consummate the virtue, of these verses
which He hath declared to be His surest testimony, His infallible proof,
the evidence of His all-subduing power, and a revelation of the potency of
His will. He, the divine King, hath proclaimed the undisputed supremacy of
the verses of His Book over all things that testify to His truth. For
compared with all other proofs and tokens, t