and attainments of which you are capable, and not make you fall from the position required of the human being, like other amusements.”

And, for example, in the verse,

We said: “O fire! Be cool and [a means of] safety for Abraham,(21:69)

which is about one of Abraham’s (Upon whom be peace) miracles, are three subtle indications:

The First: Like other natural causes, fire does not act on its own wishes and nature, blindly, but performs a duty under a command. Thus it did not burn Abraham (Upon whom be peace), because it was commanded not to.

The Second: There is a degree of heat which burns through its coldness. That is, it has an effect like burning. With the words, “Be cool!”, [^6] Almighty God is saying to the coldness: “Do not burn him with your coldness, as with your heat!” That is to say, fire at that degree has an effect through its coldness like burning. It is both fire and cold. In fact, in natural science there is a degree of fire, the state of white heat, the heat of which does not spread to its surroundings. It attracts the heat around it to itself and with this cold, freezes surrounding liquids such as water, in effect burning them with its cold. Thus, intense cold is a category of fire which burns through its cold. In which case, this intense cold is surely a part of Hell, for Hell contains all the degrees and sorts of fire.

[^6]:One Qur’anic commentary states: If He had not said: “Be cool!”, it would have burnt him with its coldness.

The Third: Just as there is an immaterial substance like belief which counters the effects of Hell-fire and affords protection against it – the armour of Islam, so there is a physical substance which protects against the effects of worldly fire. For as is required by the name of All-Wise, this world is the abode of wisdom, and Almighty God carries out His works under the veil of causes. Therefore, the fire burnt neither Abraham’s body, nor his garments; He imbued them with a state which resisted fire. With this allusion, the verse is in effect saying: “O nation of Abraham! Resemble Abraham, so that your material and immaterial garments may be your armour against fire, your greatest enemy both here and there. Clothe your spirit in belief in God so it may be your armour against Hell-fire. Moreover, there are certain substances which Almighty God has hidden in the earth for you which will protect you from the evils of fire. Search for them, extract them, and clothe yourselves in them!” Thus, one of man’s important discoveries and a step in his progress was his finding a substance that fire does not burn; and he clothed himself in garments resistant to fire. So