and the universe as well, there certainly would be thousands of signs of imitation and indications of falsehood. For when the contemptible assume the manner of the lofty, their every action shows up their pretence. So consider carefully these verses, which proclaim this fact with an oath:

By the star when it goes down! ∗ Your companion is neither astray nor being misled ∗ Nor does he say [aught] of [his own] desire ∗ It is no less than revelation inspired!(53:1-4)

Third Ray

THIRD RAY

This is the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition’s miraculous inimitability, which proceeds from its giving news of the Unseen, its preserving its youth in every age, and its being appropriate to every level of person. This Ray has three Radiances.

#### First Radiance

FIRST RADIANCE: This is its giving news of the Unseen. It consists of three Glistens.

##### The First Glisten

The First Glisten is its telling about the past, one part of the Unseen. Indeed, the All-Wise Qur’an mentions through the tongue of a person whom everyone agreed was both unlettered and trustworthy, the important events and significant facts concerning the prophets from the time of Adam till the Era of Bliss in a way which, confirmed by scriptures like the Torah and the Bible, tells of them with the greatest power and seriousness. It concurs with the points on which the former Books were agreed, and decides between them on the points over which they differed, pointing out the truth of the matter. That is to say, the Qur’an’s view which penetrates the Unseen sees the events of the past in a way over and above all the previous scriptures, and pronounces them right and confirms them in the matters on which they are agreed, and acts as arbiter between them, correcting matters about which they are at variance.

However, the facts the Qur’an relates about the events of the past are not things that could have been learnt through the exercise of reason that they were communicated by it; they were rather transmitted knowledge, dependent on the heavens, on Revelation. And as for transmitted knowledge, it is the domain of those who know how to read and write, yet these facts were revealed to someone known by friend and foe alike as knowing neither how to read nor how to write, and as being trustworthy; someone described as unlettered.

Also, the Qur’an tells of those past events as though it had actually seen them. For it takes the spirit and vital point of a lengthy event, and makes them introductory to its purpose. That is to say, the summaries and extracts which the Qur’an contains show that it sees all the past together with all its