The Holy Qur’ân is an ocean of sweet water without shore. Many become hesitant about plunging into it. Few have delved into it, appreciating its beauty and its vastness, and tasted its sweetness. It is the Self-Disclosure of the Mighty, Self-Sufficient, veiled Reality (al-Haqîqat al-Ghaibîyyaالحقيقت الغيبية ). It is a Divine Discourse in its absolute purity. Its words are the Speech of the Exalted Deity (Kalâm-i-Ilâhîكلام إلهي ) spoken to a human being – Muhammad (pbuh), the one who was worthy to hear that Voice, who understood it and conveyed it to humankind (53:3–5). Its verses are flawless Pearls, a gift from the Lord of Affluence, of unlimited Grace and immense Mercy (56:75–82). He is calling you from far and beyond, “I am nearby indeed” (2:186); I am nearer to you than your jugular vein (cf. 50:16); if you only pay heed and can listen to His call. He intends to exalt you in eminence by means of His Commandments (cf. 7:176), bless you with felicity and sanctify you. He invites you to leave behind your doubts, your conventional and limiting beliefs, go beyond blind faith, and follow His way that shall lead you to reach the certainty of the existence of the All-Merciful, His Awe (55:46), His Magnificent Greatness, His Grand Kingdom and His Sovereignty, and to raise you to take a seat in His presence (cf. 28:51; 81:27).
How can your limited intellect know the Limitless and Formless without His Self-Disclosure and how can you find your way groping in the utter darkness without a guiding Light? Those who have pondered on its verses, who have reflected on them with unprejudiced mind and pure heart, have discovered that guiding Light, which illuminates the path that leads to the proximity of the True Lord.
You can never know His Essence, but He discloses to you some of His Attributes, which closely adhere to His Essence, and He invites you to share them with Him. Once you have found the key that unveils this secret, you will be experiencing His Loving Powers, His overflowing Generosity, and His Majesty; you will at last overcome your own inability to know Him.
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
“Allâh is the Extensive Light of the heavens and the earth [the Light that envelopes all worlds of bodies and non-bodies, and it leaves no shadows]” (24:35).
When you open the closed door of your mind to admit this Light, that Light shall enter and shine on your heart and illuminate it. You will feel that you are sitting in His Company. “When you extend your graceful arms with cupped hands towards Him, you can look at all that amorous light you can catch that will lift your soul and let your soul get loose” (Hâfiz Shîrâzî).