Reminder

THE QUR'ANIC commentary Signs of Miraculousness (Ishârât al-1'jâz) was written on the front in the first year of the Great War when no books or sources were available. Apart from the War, there were four reasons for its being written extremely concisely. Sûra al-Fâtiha and the first half are more concise and succinct.

Firstly: The time did not permit elucidation; the Old Said expressed what he intended succinctly and briefly.

Secondly: He had in mind his students' level of comprehension, and they were highly intelligent; he did not give thought to others understanding it.

Thirdly: Because he was expounding the miraculousness of the Qur'an's word-order, which is of the greatest conciseness and subtlety, the Old Said wrote briefly and to the point. But I have reread it now with the New Said's eyes: in truth, notwithstanding all the Old Said's faults, with its elevated discussions this work is a masterpiece. Since when he wrote it he was in a constant state of readiness to fall in battle; and since his intention was pure and he wrote it in conformity with the rules of rhetoric and the sciences of Arabic, I [now] have been unable to refute any part of it. If Allâh so wishes, He will accept the work as atonement for the Old Said's sins and will raise up people who will understand it completely.

If obstacles had not arisen such as the First War, and other fascicles and letters had included other exegetical truths similar to the miraculousness of the Qur'an's word-order - one aspect of its miraculousness - which is expounded in this first volume, a fine comprehensive commentary would have been produced on the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition. Perhaps in the future, taking this partial commentary and the sixty-six, rather, one hundred and thirty parts of The Words (Sözler) and Letters (Mektûbat) as its source, a fortunate committee will write such a commentary, God willing.

Said Nursi