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A Second, Small Objection of Satan

Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready [to note it]. * And the stupor of death will bring the truth [before his eyes]: "This was the thing you were trying to escape!" * And the Trumpet shall be blown: that will be the Day where of warning [had been given]. * And there will come forth every soul: with each will be [an angel] to drive, and [an angel] to bear witness. * "You were heedless of this; now have We removed your veil. And sharp is your sight this Day!" * And his companion will say: "Here is [his record] ready with me!" * "Throw, throw into Hell every contumacious rejecter!"12

One time while reading these verses from Sura Qaf, the Devil said to me: "You consider the most important aspects of the Qur'an's eloquence to lie in its clarity and fluency of style. But in this verse it jumps from one subject to another. It jumps from death agonies to the resurrection of the dead, from the blowing of the trumpet to the Last Judgement, and from that to the entry into Hell of the unbelievers. What fluency of style remains with this extraordinary switching about? In most places in the Qur'an, it brings together subjects that bear little relation to each other like this. Where is its eloquence and smoothness with such discontinuity?"

I answered as follows:

"After its eloquence, one of the most important elements of the miracu-lousness of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition is its conciseness. Conciseness is one of the strongest and most important elements of the Qur'an's miraculousness. Instances of this miraculous conciseness of the Qur'an are so numerous and beautiful that exacting scholars are left in wonder at it. For example:

Then the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up your water, and O sky! withhold [your rain]!" And the water abated, and matter was ended. The ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong!"13

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12. Qur'an 50:18-24
13. Qur'an 11:44

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