and bones, shall we then be raised up again? (23:83) We were promised such things and so were our forefathers before us. In the course of time, however, men gradually deviated from this true way of life and began to follow various erroneous ways. They allowed true guidance to be lost through heedlessness and negligence and sometimes, even deliberately, distorted it out of evil perversity. They associated with God a• number of beings, human and non­human, real as well as imaginary, and adored them as deities.

Many people reacted with hostility, either from ignorance or egotism, or because of chauvinistic attachment to the way of life of their forefathers. It emphasizes that the various ways men follow, which are not in conformity with reality, are essentially false, and full of harmful consequences for mankind. It calls on men to shun all such ways and to follow instead the way which both conforms to reality and yields best practical results. This is why the Qur’an mentions everything only to the extent and in the manner necessary for the purposes it seeks to serve. All these are no more than tales of the past." 77 (23:84) Ask them: "Whose is the earth and those who are in it? Tell us if about the Truth when it came to them: “This is plain sorcery.” 8 (46:8) Do they claim that the Messenger himself has fabricated it? 9 as a reward for their deeds. (46:15) We have enjoined man to be kind to his parents. In pain did his motherthem, then, fear Allah and make the right statement. (4:10) Behold, those who wrongfully devour the properties of orphans only

to life? Why not! He certainly has the power over everything. (46:34) On the Day when the unbelievers will be brought within sight of the will be able to help such wrong-doers. (5:73) Those who said: 'Allah is one of the Three', certainly they disbelieved, The student of the Qur’an should grasp, from the outset, the fundamental claims that the Qur’an makes for itself. Whether one ultimately decides to believe in the Qur’an or not, one must recognize the fundamental statements made by the Qur’an and by the man to whom it was revealed, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), to be the starting point of one’s study. These claims are:guide the unbelievers (to succeed against you). (5:68) Say to them: 'People of the Book! You have no solid ground to stand is that whoever so wills may follow the way leading to His Lord."71a (25:58) (O Muhammad), put your trust in Him Who is Ever-Living, Who will The Lord of creation, the Creator and Sovereign of the entire universe, created man on earth (which is merely a part of His boundless realm). He also endowed man with the capacity for cognition, reflection and understanding, with the ability to distin­guish between good and evil, with the freedom of choice and volition, and with the power to exercise his latent potentialities. In short, God bestowed upon man a kind of autonomy and appointed him His vicegerent on earth. time. Lo, He is the Most Mighty, the Most Forgiving. 11 (39:6) He it is Who created you from a single being, and He it is Who made